Mike Tyson and a photographer made citizen's arrests of one another after getting into a scuffle Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport, police say.
At 4:30 p.m., the former boxing champ, 43, was passing through LAX from Europe en route to Las Vegas when a celebrity photographer began taking his picture at the United Airlines terminal, Sgt. Jim Holcomb tells PEOPLE.
"The two men got into a scuffle, and it's alleged that Tyson hit the photographer once in the face with one hand, causing him to fall to the ground," Holcomb says. "The photographer sustained a laceration to the forehead, and was taken to a local hospital."
Officers arrived on the scene and detained Tyson, who was booked at a nearby LAPD station and held on $20,000 bail, according to police records. Documents also show that Tyson was released at 8:24 p.m.
Tyson was reportedly traveling with his wife and 10-month-old baby. The incident was first reported by Radaronline.com.
"Mr. Tyson did absolutely nothing wrong, he was the victim in this case," his attorney, Richard Schonfeld tells PEOPLE. "We look forward to vindicating him and pursuing his rights."
Source-people
Mike Tyson Arrested After Allegedly Punching Photographer at LAX
Carrie Prejean Larry King
Carrie Prejean is so much frightened from the people that she even does not want to hear anybody’s voice on phone. Tuesday night, she was on the CNN with Larry King at his show “Larry King Live”, during interview she called Larry an inappropriate host when he took a call for her from a person wanted to ask a question from Prejean. She looked embarrassed when Larry himself asked her about the settlement with Miss California Pageant Organization. King asked Carrie to come clean why she had agreed on a deal with the pageant organizers after she had sued them for libel, slander and religious discrimination.
Source-news.puggal
Late Brittany Hollenbach Death
Late Brittany Hollenbach passed away this afternoon.
Road accidents are one of the biggest causes of death in the nation. Brittany Hollenbach was just 22 and a Richland High School Graduate.She was smart,loving, talented and a bright spirited beautiful young woman and was also very active in college. She attended the University of Washington. Tri-Delta is going to hold an event in her remembrance. Her friends and colleague sorority members have also dedicated a face book page to her name.
According to the initial reports Brittany Hollenbach was hanging around with four of her friends. Obviously the friends had plans of staying out till late in the night. It was little over 12:00 p.m. as she rushed to cross a road; a car hit her with full speed. She received cranial injuries which are thought to be difficult to treat as the brain swells after the impact, making it almost impossible to stop the internal bleeding. She was immediately shifted to the nearby Harborview Medical Center by the employees of Seattle Fire Department.
The car was later identified as a Honda Civic. The driver was also apprehended but was not found to be under the influence of any intoxication or to have impaired driving abilities due to any cause.
Birittany Hollenbach passed away this afternoon. Police is still investigating the event and we would keep you posted as the updated news become available.Lady Antebellum is on the way up
Lady Antebellum says they are so busy these days they almost are oblivious to their rising popularity. In fact, they don't seem sure it's growing at all."It takes a long time for people to connect the dots," Charles Kelley said. "Sometimes something will happen and we will be able to tell a difference. People notice a little more every day. But we still have a long way to go."
He said this about two hours before Lady A won vocal group and single of the year awards at Wednesday's CMA Awards.
"Both of them took us by surprise," Hillary Scott said. "The three of us have dreamed about this our entire lives."
Each person plays an integral part of the group, they say, labeling Dave Haywood the brains, Charles Kelley the go-getter and Hillary Scott the heart.
"We would run this thing off the tracks if it wasn't for her," Kelley said.
While the band is ecstatic about the awards, it's a sure bet today that they're engrossed in finishing their new CD, which is due out in January. The debut single "Need You Now" is already top 5 on Billboard's country songs chart.
"We like to think our songwriting got better," Kelley said of the new CD. "We got to write with some of the biggest best songwriters in Nashville. We want people to go through ups and downs on our record."
— CINDY WATTS
Ingram's red-carpet run-in
Jack Ingram said his hands were still shaking after his meeting with Kris Kristofferson on the CMA red carpet.
"There's not a lot of guys that I react to like that," Ingram said. "If I really think about what Kristofferson has meant to me, I would tear up. He's why I'm in this business. That's not true. He's why I make music. I love the guy."
Tonight, however, is Ingram's big night in Nashville. He is playing the Ryman Auditorium with Gary Allan and the Eli Young Band. "It's going to be great," he said. "I've never played on that stage with my band behind me before with my fans in the audience. I'm looking forward to it."
Source-tennessean
Sunday CMA rehearsal Not-Quite-Liveblog: Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, and more!
From deep inside the ice-cold environs of Nashville’s Sommet Center, it’s the 2009 CMA Awards… and the Music Mix has your ticket to all the hot action!!
Did you like how I did that? “Ice-cold” environs and “hot” action? Yes, that is the kind of quality writing you will come to expect from me as I sit here inside this hockey arena and pirate wi-fi while watching country music’s best and brightest prepare for Wednesday’s show. Things are rolling right along on this first day of rehearsals: When I got here this morning, the white and red boards of the hockey rink were still visible, but they’ve been masked over the course of the afternoon; now the only way you’d know this is the home of the Nashville Predators is the giant saber-toothed tiger head hanging from the ceiling. Out of which, I am told, the Predators skate at the top of every game. Stay classy, Nashvegas!
Source-music-mix.ew
Rucker Becomes First African-American New Artist of the Year at CMAAs
Former lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish and current solo artist Darius Rucker brought home the New Artist of the Year award at the 2009 CMAAs.
Heading into tonight’s 2009 Country Music Association Awards, only one African-American in the award show’s illustrious history had ever won a major individual award. However, solo artist Darius Rucker became the second African-American to win a major individual award in the history of the Country Music Association Awards and the first to ever capture the award for New Artist of the Year.
Rucker, who enjoyed plenty of notoriety within the music industry as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Hootie and the Blowfish in the 1990s, was the recipient of the New Artist of the Year award due to the commercial success and critical acclaim of his debut country album, “Learn to Live.” His debut solo album as a country music performer featured three tracks that went on to become number one singles on the country music charts.
MSNBC is reporting that Rucker expressed a great deal of exhilaration in response to winning the New Artist of the Year award on Wednesday night. He expressed his gratitude during his acceptance speech by saying, “What a year! First of all, to the fans, thank y’all for accepting me. And I think most importantly, to country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, S.C. Thank you so much for that!”
Old World VS New World Wines
The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel hosted the 14th annual Wine, Spirits & Food festival which ended last Friday with a jam-packed ballroom of patrons tasting all types of goodies presented by the exhibitors.
New Wines on Display
 |
| Three varietals, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec will be sold on the local market. |
National Meats and Food Distributors have thrown their hat into the wine distribution business and their first offering to the Jamaican marketplace does not disappoint. Marraso is an Argentinean wine brand which is a project of one of the largest wine-producing companies in Spain called Groupo Codorniu. These wines are from Mendoza, the largest wine-producing region in Argentina, where the highest quality Argentinean wines are produced. Three varietals, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec will be sold on the local market. While the Cab is great, I think my favourite is the Malbec; it is warm and elegant with sweet tannins, reminiscent of raspberry jam and hints of oak. With a fruity finish and a touch of smoky wood the Marraso Malbec is well balanced and persistent on the palate.
Wray and Nephew also had new wines from Italian producer Folonari, more on this when I conduct a formal tasting of these wines.
Source-jamaicaobserver
Cma Awards 2009 Winners Results
Cma Awards 2009 Winners Results, Taylor Swift was a big winner tonight at the 2009 Country Music Awards (CMA) to take home all four statues of glass for which it was nominated – including Artist of the Year.
“I will never forget this moment because at this point, all I wanted just happened to me,” said an emotional Taylor before inviting his band members on stage to share the spotlight with her.
The 19-year-country singer-old, also won Album of the Year for the Bold, Best Female Vocalist and Video of the Year for Love Story.
Here is the complete list of winners of the 2009 CMA Awards:
Source-apakistannews
How Old Is Reba Mcentire
A great American music artist named Reba Nell McEntire born in March 28,1955. She won Grammy Award for her singing.In the start of her music career she sang with her siblings in local shows on radio.She was a solo performer so once when she was performing at a rodeo in Oklahoma City, her performance caught the attention of a famous country artist Red Steagall. Red Steagall invited her to visit Nashville, Tennessee here she signed her life(s) first contract with a musical company Mercury Records in 1975.Her first solo album released in 1977 and under the same label she released five studio albums till 1983.
When she was singing with MCA Nashville her second MCA album, My Kind of Country (1984), was creatively in her control,It was a tremendous traditional sound which was producing two numbers in one “How Blue” and “Somebody Should Leave”.Its the break through of her success which brought her a series of great musical albums in 1980s and in 1990s.Since she has release 25 studio albums.The Recording Industry Association of America has been certified her 28 albums with Gold,Platinum and Multi Platinum in sales.
In the start of 1990s McEntire branched into film started with 1990s Tremors.she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series for her television sitcom Reba (2001 - 2007).Sometimes she has been referred to as “The Queen of Country”.She is a very famous singer and a person cant judge her popularity,she is a singer whose 41-million records in the United States and 50-million worldwide have been sold.She has been ranked seventh best -selling female artist in all generations.Her story of achievements not ends here she is also the second best-selling female country artist.
Source-news.puggal
Barbara Ann Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell, American country singer, was born on 25th of December and belongs to a musical family in Houston, Texas. She started music at the age of five. At the age of 11, she played steel guitar in front of Chet Atkins and Joe Maphins at a music trade convention in Chicago and after that performance, Maphin invited her to perform as a regular featured performer in his Las Vegas nightclub show.
Barbara who is known as a best singer of 1970s-1980s is one of country music’s most successful female vocalist. She has honor to be the single female singer who has won the “Entertainer of the Year” award for twice.
“I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” is the most famous number of her with “Till You’re Gone” and “One of a Kind Pair of Fools”. Mandrell received many industry awards and accolades during 1981 to 1983.
On September 11, 1984, she had a serious automobile accident and this was the time when she was at the peak of her popularity. On her accident, Redbook magazine responded with these words
Axis cuts first-year home loan rate to 8%
MUMBAI: In a bid to grab market share, Axis Bank has dropped its home loan rates to 8% for the first year. The announcement came within days of
In a related move, Bank of Rajasthan, a much smaller player, is offering home loans at 7.5% for the first year, 8.50% for the second and third year and 8.75% for fourth year and onwards, which is applicable for all maturity periods on the fresh loans.
“More young people want to lock into assets and they wanted an extension of the repayment schedule. This also enables us to lock into the mass affluent class of customers,” says Manju Srivatsa, president, retail banking, Axis Bank. The bank currently does Rs 600 crore of home loans monthly. This is against Rs 350-400 crore a few months before. The new 8% scheme of the bank is valid till December 2010.
From the second year, the loans will carry a floating rate of interest based on the bank’s ‘mortgage reference rate (MRR)’. The current MRR rate for loans up to Rs 30 lakh is 8.75% and 9.25% for loan amounts above Rs 30 lakh. Axis has launched a new ‘step down product’ where a higher EMI is charged in initial years on the basis of a combined family income.
These loans target families where parents support repayment of a loan taken together with their offspring. Incidentally, the customer can close the loan before its maturity with no prepayment penalty being charged by the bank.
Four Indians charged in US insider trading case
Four people of Indian origin are among those charged in America's largest ever insider trading case replete with all the elements of a classic television crime drama - wiretaps, clandestine cash handoffs and people with nicknames like "the Greek" and "the Octopussy".
As outlined by federal prosecutors in New York on Thursday, a trader known as "the Octopussy" is at the centre of the ring which included two Indians, Deep Shah, a Moody's Investors Service analyst, and Gautham Shankar, a former proprietary trader at Schottenfeld Group in New York.
In all, 14 traders, lawyers and hedge fund executives were charged with conspiracy and securities fraud. Five of those defendants, including Shankar, have already pleaded guilty, while Shah is still at large.
Two other Indians, Anil Kumar and Rajiv Goel, were arrested last month along with Sri Lankan Tamil-origin billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, founder of the Galleon Group and hedge fund operator.
"When we announced our first arrests three weeks ago, I said this case should be a wake-up call for Wall Street," said US Attorney Preet Bharara Thursday. "Today the alarm bells have only grown louder."
In their investigation, authorities used sophisticated data mining and electronic surveillance tactics that are normally reserved for the pursuit of gangsters and drug traffickers.
Thursday's charges focus on a group of traders at the proprietary firm Incremental Capital. Zvi Goffer, the founder of that firm, who formerly worked at Galleon and Schottenfeld Group, allegedly organised a ring involving fellow Galleon and Schottenfeld trading colleagues and arranged to get tips on technology company deals through a lawyer from a major New York law firm.
Tips to pamper your skin this winter
As winter draws nearer, it’s time for us to pay attention to our skin. Though we no longer have to fear problems such as acne, sweat rashes, prickly heat or sunburn, winter brings other problems. And since different people have different skin types, it is important to work with your specific skin type to achieve a fabulous complexion.
Kapha skin type
People who have a kapha constitution typically have soft smooth skin that is naturally blemish free. Such people only need to watch out for puffiness and water retention. For this, they can opt for sauna (with a wet towel for the head). Taking sauna opens up the sweat glands and helps to remove extra water and toxins.
Kapha people are also prone to sinusitis, so they should opt for steam inhalation, preferably with some Ayurvedic herbs to clear the nasal passages. This skin type can get body massages with powder or herbs, followed by steam and ending with a moisturiser. As their skins have adequate oils,they only need to boost their circulation through exercises like brisk walking, yoga etc.
Pitta skin type
Individuals with this skin type will find that their skin looks best in winter. To rev up their blood circulation and bring a glow to their face, people with pitta constitutions can run or jog in order to sweat, followed by a body temperature shower and then a spray of cool room temperature water.
Russian military plane crashes, 9 killed: Report
A Russian military plane crashed in the country's far east, killing all nine people aboard, news agencies reported.
An emergency ministry official said the Tu-142-M3 anti-submarine turboprop crashed late yesterday in the Tatarsky Strait about 20 kilometers off the Pacific coast, ITAR Tass reported.
The plane disappeared off radar screens shortly after 1100 GMT when it was finishing a training flight, the Interfax news agency quoted a Defense Ministry official as saying.
The official said the bodies of the crew and wreckage from the plane were removed from the water by emergency boats,
the report said.
Tu-142-M3 is a maritime reconnaissance aircraft that was widely used by the Soviet navy.
FBI foils LeT plan to carry out major terror attack in India
Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba was planning to use an American national to carry out a major terrorist attack in India, US investigating authorities said on Tuesday.
The man, identified as David Coleman Headley, was arrested early this month by FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force at O'Hare International Airport before boarding a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel on to Pakistan.
49-year-old Headley, along with a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, have been arrested on charges of plotting a terror attack against the facilities and employees of a Danish newspaper which had published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005, federal law enforcement officials announced today.
The Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, also known as Tahawar Rana, was also a resident of Chicago and was arrested by the FBI on October 18.
Rana is the owner of several businesses, including First World Immigration Services, which has offices on Devon Avenue in Chicago, as well as in New York and Toronto.
According to the FBI affidavit filed in a Chicago court, Headley was in close contact with Ilyas Kashmiri and
several unidentified leaders of LeT.
Kashmiri is the operational chief of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir section of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI), a Pakistani-based terrorist organisation with links to al Qaeda.
Kashmiri, who is presently believed to be in Pakistan's restive Waziristan tribal region, issued a statement this month that he was alive and working with al-Qaeda.
The identities of other LeT leaders, who are associated with Kashmiri, have not been revealed and is mentioned as "LeT
member A" and "LeT member B" in the affidavit.
"In July and August 2009, Headley exchanged a series of e-mails with LeT Member A, including an exchange in which
Headley asked if the Denmark project was on hold, and whether a visit to India that LeT Member A had asked him to undertake was for the purpose of surveilling targets for a new terrorist attack," the FBI said in its affidavit.
"These e-mails reflect that LeT Member A was placing a higher priority on using Headley to assist in planning a new
attack in India than on completing the planned attack in Denmark," it said.
After this time, Headley and LeT Member A allegedly continued focusing on the plan with Kashmiri to attack the newspaper, rather than working with LeT, the complaint alleges.
Koda to remain in hospital
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, against whom the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department are investigating money laundering charges, will not be discharged from hospital today as he had a stomach upset.
"The doctors will take a decision on Sunday or the day after about his discharge," Public Relations officer of the Abdur Razzak Weavers Memorial Hospital, Javed Akhtar said.
Koda got himself admitted to the hospital on complaints of stomach pain on November three after the launch of Income Tax raids on his residence in connection with alleged hawala transactions and illegal investments amounting to Rs 2000 crore.
The Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax department have instructed the hospital to inform them before his discharge.
A close aide of Koda, Vikas Sinha, was arrested in connection with the case on SaturdayObama delays Japan visit following Texas shooting
US President Barack Obama has delayed his visit to Japan next week by one day, a Japanese foreign ministry official said today, following a deadly shooting at a military base in Texas.
Japanese national broadcaster NHK and Jiji Press reported that Washington had asked Tokyo to reschedule the two-day visit to allow Obama to attend a memorial service for the 13 people killed in Thursday's shooting.
Obama had been due to arrive for his first trip to Japan on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and to meet Emperor Akihito.
"The (US) government has requested a delay," a foreign ministry official said, adding that the Japanese government had agreed to the request.
Obama would now be arriving on Friday and stay until today, the official said.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs earlier told reporters in the United States that Obama would attend a memorial service for those killed when a Muslim army doctor went on the rampage at the Fort Hood base.
"When a service is scheduled the president will attend," he said, adding only that the timingSeven of top-10 cos lost Rs 23k cr in a month
Seven of the top-10 most valued companies lost a total of over Rs 23,000 crore from their market capitalisation during the result season last month, while firms including Reliance Industries and NTPC saw their valuations rise.
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries' (RIL) market valuation rose by Rs 4,839.65 crore, taking its total market cap to Rs 3,46,440.26 crore for the month ended October 31.
RIL had a market valuation of Rs 3,41,600.61 crore at the beginning of the month, on October 1, 2009.
Second comes oil firm ONGC, which witnessed a value erosion of Rs 2,277.9 crore during the month. Its market cap stood at Rs 2,50,525.84 crore.
State-run NTPC inched up to the third slot by adding Rs 2,762.23 crore pushing trading firm MMTC that lost Rs 9,636.25 crore to the fourth position.
The total market valuation of NTPC surged to Rs 1,76,205.48 crore, while MMTC's dipped to Rs 1,70,186.25 crore.
Moving further, private telecom services provider Bharti Airtel lost Rs 6,378.69 crore from its market valuation, however state-run mining giant NMDC added Rs 1,129.77 crore to its market cap.
Bharti Airtel's total market cap stood at Rs 1,58,916.74 crore, while NMDC's market valuation surged to Rs 1,42,055.2 crore.
The country's largest public sector lender, SBI's total market cap dipped by Rs 901.53 crore to Rs 1,39,400.6 crore last month.
IT bellwether Infosys Technologies saw an erosion of Rs 1,008.56 crore and software company TCS lost Rs 2,466.07 crore from its market valuation.
The total market cap of Infosys Technologies stood at Rs 1,32,331.34 crore and TCS at Rs 1,21,219.18 crore.
Economy likely to grow by 8 per cent next fiscal: Plan panel
India's economic growth rate is expected to accelerate to eight per cent in the next fiscal from 6.3 per cent projected for the current financial year, the Planning Commission has said.
The Commission in its recent assessment of the economy also expects economic growth to go up to nine per cent in 2011-12, and further to 10 per cent in 2014-15.
These assumptions were made by the Planning Commission while projecting the state of government finances before the Eleventh Finance Commission recently.
The global slowdown has pulled down India's economic growth to 6.7 per cent during 2008-09 from about nine per cent a year ago. During the current fiscal, as per the Planning Commission estimates, growth rate may fall to 6.3 per cent.
In the first quarter of this fiscal, economy expanded by 6.1 per cent, and it is expected that growth rate would decelerate further in the second quarter before picking up.
In order to combat the impact of global crisis on the economy, the government and the Reserve Bank had come up with a host of stimulus measures, including tax cuts and making available liquidity to the cash-starved industries.
However, stimulus measures, comprising a cut in taxes and increase in plan expenditure, to boost up the economy widened the fiscal deficit to 6.2 per cent last year.
Guj gets highest central assistance in power sector: Solanki
Centre has provided over Rs 35,000 cr to Gujarat as assistance from the Centre, so far highest to any state in power sector, said Union Minister of State for Power Bharat Solanki.
"Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has given financial assistance of Rs 17,585 crore for various power projects in the state while Rural Electricity Corporation (REC) has given Rs 13,078 crore," Solanki said.
"Besides this, national power grid is investing Rs 4000 crore in the state to develop infrastructure for transmission of power," Solanki told reporters in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
According to him, all the district of the states are now covered under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna (RGGVY) in Gujarat while the state gets 982 MW power from NTPC power plants at Rs 2 per unit.
Elaborating on the achievements of the power ministry in 2009-10, Solanki said the capacity addition target for 2009-10 is 14507 MW against which, capacity of 5517 MW has already been commissioned by October 21, 2009.
He said the central government has accorded top priority to power sector because availability of adequate power supply will lead to further industrialisation, growth in industry and farm sectors.
Hitting an air pocket
The Indian Air Force must wait for about a decade before it's ready to place orders. By then, the fifth generation fighters would be entering the air forces of the world
Mohan Guruswamy Delhi
As the world commemorates the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, it's probably an apt time to ponder over the nature of future war and its impact on India.
High cost
By its very nature, modern limited war will be airpower intensive. Airpower is the most capital intensive means of war. A modern fighter jet now could cost several hundred crores of rupees and the prices seem to be rising exponentially. A budget of Rs 42,000 crore has been provisioned for 126 Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) proposed to be acquired. This suggests a price of about Rs 330 crore each. Given an operational life of about 40-50 years these would easily require at least a three-fold expenditure, for periodic maintenance and modernisation. The first lot of MIG-21s cost us less than Rs 20 lakh each. A brand new and latest MIG-21 variant will cost at least one hundred times that.
Aircraft delivered ordnance also is very expensive. A run of the mill radar-guided cum heat-seeking missile today can cost upto Rs 50 lakh each while an advanced long range air-to-air missile could cost five times that. Then we have a wide array of laser-guided, and TV-guided precision munitions that can be just as expensive. For instance, the prices of runway-busting Durandal bombs start at about Rs 15 lakh a piece. The accuracy of these weapons makes them devastating, but nevertheless airpower alone does not win wars.
If it were so, the USA would have won in Vietnam or even be winning in Afghanistan. The Israeli war in Lebanon in 2006, which mostly relied on its vastly superior airpower, did not give it the results it expected. The Hezbollah was seen a victor for showing itself willing to stand up to the Israeli onslaught, which in just a few days killed 1,200 fighters and civilians for just a handful of Israeli casualties. But even this war cost Israel $4 billion and shaved off a little over one per cent from its annual economic growth. Meanwhile, the Hezbollah and Hamas continue to flourish and are now even bigger players in the politics of the region. So who won?
Nokia signs wage pact with union
CHENNAI: On a day when labour strife in Manesar, the auto hub in North India took an ugly turn with a company official getting beaten up by work
Nokia India signed its first wage revision pact with the ruling DMK’s union in Tamil Nadu, the Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), as a result of which over 5,000 employees of the cellphone maker here will see their salaries go up by Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,300 per month.
It is crucial for Nokia to ensure that its operations run smoothly in Tamil Nadu as its plant at Sriperambadur is now the company’s largest manufacturing facility in the world.
The tripartite agreement reached last week between Nokia workers’ progressive union, affiliated to LPF, and the management before the deputy commissioner of labour, provided for increasing the monthly canteen allowance to Rs 1,000 from Rs 850 and paying a night shift allowance of Rs 20, which will fetch Rs 200 for 10 shifts in a month.
The revision has come as a boon to employees, mainly hailing from nearby rural centres as they will get arrears for the last nine months. Nokia has also agreed to pay a bonus of 8.33 % (one month wage) to employees. The company has set up its largest electronic hardware manufacturing unit on 210.87 acres allotted at Sipcot industrial park, Sriperambadur. The state government has also extended a structured package of assistance to the MNC.
3G fee to get capital assets status
Sucessful bidders for 3G spectrum will be allowed to treat their bid amount as expenses over 20 years, the tenure of 3G licence. This will enabl
A top finance ministry official, who did not want to be named, said that his ministry had decided to clear the proposal mooted by the Department of Telecom (DoT) to ‘allow the amount paid for spectrum to be treated as capital asset, which would be amortisable for tax computation purposes’ .
This means, if a telecom company were to bag pan-India 3G spectrum by paying upwards of Rs 3,500 crore (the minimum bid amount), the operator will be allowed to set off this amount in 20 equal annual installments.
The move is expected to be an added incentive for telcos to bid aggressively for 3G spectrum during the auctions as operators can now reduce the taxes they pay annually to the government. The finance ministry official added this incentive would also be applicable to companies bidding for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum. BWA involves technologies, such as WiMAX, that allow telcos to offer wireless internet services.
3G spectrums will enable telcos to offer high-end services on the mobile, such as ultra-fast downloads, videoconferencing and interactive gaming. BWA platforms, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, offer data speeds that are 10-30 times faster than 3G.
When contacted, a top DoT official said the finance ministry had indicated that it was favorable towards treating the winning bid amount as ‘capital expenditure’. “We are yet to get an official communication from the finance ministry on clearance for the proposal,” the DoT official added.
Disaster declared in flood-hit Australia
SYDNEY: Australian authorities declared a natural disaster along parts of the country's east coast on Saturday as heavy floods cut the main road
Torrential rain soaked the Coffs Harbour region north of Sydney overnight, swamping the arterial Pacific Highway with flash floodwaters that isolated almost 5,000 people, emergency officials said.
About 40 people had to be evacuated from the area hit by the raging floods and New South Wales emergency services minister Steve Whan declared a natural disaster, releasing state funds.
More than 500 millimetres (20 inches) of rain had fallen in the past two days, Whan said, in the fifth major flooding incident to hit the region this year.
"I guess one of the things we've seen predicted from climate change consistently is that the rain and the weather events will come in more storms and more short-term deluges," he said.
"Unfortunately that's the pattern that we seem to be seeing this year in the area."
Floodwaters were expected to peak at five metres (yards) at Coffs Harbour on Saturday afternoon before easing, the State Emergency Service said, describing as "drastic" the cumulative effect of recent downpours.
"Weather conditions have eased considerably over the last few hours. However, we still have some 4,800 people isolated by floodwaters in a number of north-coast communities," said SES spokesman Phil Campbell.
Intense storms hit the east coast late last month, generating more than 10,000 lightning strikes and disrupting train and flight services.
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were blacked out and a man was killed when his car hit a tree in torrential rains.
Mamata sacks all railway recruitment board heads
NEW DELHI: The drastic decision to revamp the recruitment process has come at a time when RRBs, located in 20 cities across the country, are mired in controversy and accusations of largescale corruption, irregularities and question paper leak. Recently incidents of paper leak were reported from RRBs in Allahabad and Ajmer.
"The minister has appointed new chairmen for all RRBs," said a senior railway official. The post of chairman is occupied by senior railway officials with tenure of three years.
Railway ministry sources said most chairmen were appointed during Lalu's tenure and a majority of them were yet to complete their terms.
The "surgical exercise" is not only aimed at streamlining the recruitment process, making it corruption free, but also to ensure that local people get representation. Generally, RRBs were assigned responsibility of carrying out recruitment of Group C and Group D staff for vacancies in divisions and zones allocated to them.
While Mamata had already announced conducting railway recruitment exams in Urdu, sources said the recruitment was likely to be held in other local languages too to help local youth gets jobs. Railway examinations till now were conducted in English and Hindi only.
"The minister wants to revamp the entire recruitment process," said a senior official in Railway Board.
Under the revamp exercise, the ministry is set to announce benefits for minority women and those belonging to economically backward classes. Railways is also working to remove the requirement to attach postal orders along with railway recruitment forms for minority community women and economically backward classes, an official said.
Also, recruitment examinations would be held on the same day throughout the country to benefit people from all states.
The review proposal came after largescale violence in Mumbai and other centres and disruptions by local politicians alleging that most of the candidates appearing for RRB exams were from outside the state.
"The motive is to ensure representation of local people and to hold corruption-free RRB exams," said an official.
In yet another blow to her predecessor Lalu Prasad's legacy, railway minister Mamata Banerjee has removed the chairmen of all railway
Sterling plans expansion in Gujarat
Sterling Hospitals, owned and managed by Sterling AddLife India, is planning to invest Rs 150 crore for its expansion in Gujarat.
The company is likely to launch its hospitals in Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Vadodara which are currently in various stages of completion. While, its Rajkot hospital is likely to be operational shortly, the Bhavnagar hospital is under construction. The new facility at Vadodara is slated to be fully operational by 2011.
The company already has two satellite centres in Kalol and Mehsana and a multi-specialty tertiary care hospitals in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Mundra.
Meanwhile, Sterling has signed an 'owned & managed' (O&M) agreement with a city based builder to develop a 100 bed facility adjacent to its existing set up at Vadodara. On completion, this facility is likely to help Sterling Hospital, Vadodara to boost its capacity to 210 beds. It is already running a hospital at Mundra under O&M agreement and is likely to expand through this model in future.
Source: projectstoday.comTIDCO to develop financial city in Chennai
The Tamil Nadu Government's financial city is likely to come up at Sholinganallur in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), the nodal agency for the proposed project had identified about 180 acre site in Sholinganallur-Perumbakkam village for the development of the city.
TIDCO has already prepared a concept paper on the financial city and has roped in KPMG Advisory Services to fine tune the concept in consultation with the stakeholders.
The prime focus of the project is to attract core financial activities like banking, insurance, re-insurance, risk management, actuarial services, and wealth management services. The city could also house IT product and solution vendor teams specifically catering to the needs of financial institutions and business along with training centres, staff training colleges, relevant educational institutions in world class infrastructure.
The project is likely to be implemented in phased manner based on the recommendations of the feasibility study.
Source: projectstoday.com
Hindujas to establish second hospital in Mumbai
The Hinduja Group intends to set up its second hospital in Mumbai and expand the capacity of its existing Mumbai hospital as a part of its pan-India expansion plans.
Hinduja Healthcare, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the group is likely to develop the second hospital in Mumbai. The proposed 100-bed hospital is to be build with an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore at Khar in Mumbai and is expected to be ready by April 2010.
The expansion of the existing Mumbai hospital includes renovation of the building, construction of a new building and capacity expansion from 350 to 600 beds at an estimated investment of Rs 250 crore.
This apart, plans are afoot to set up 10-12 hospitals across India.
Source: projectstoday.comIndia, Hong Kong sign pact to deal with criminal matters
The agreement aims at improving effectiveness of law enforcement of the contracting parties in investigation and prosecution of crime and confiscation of proceeds and instruments of crime.
A Hong Kong delegation, led by secretary for security, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Peoples’ Republic of China, Ambrose Lee, is on a visit to New Delhi from the 13th to 15th of this month to sign the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in criminal matters between the two countries.
The agreement was signed on Monday by the Minister of State for Home, Mullappally Ramachandran on behalf of India and Ambrose Lee, Secretary for Security on behalf of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Peoples’ Republic of China.
The agreement aims at improving effectiveness of law enforcement of the contracting parties in investigation and prosecution of crime and confiscation of proceeds and instruments of crime. With the signing of the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in criminal matters, cooperation in judicial matters will be comprehensive.
The agreement will come into force 30 days after the date on which the parties have notified each other that their respective requirements for the entry into force of the agreement have been complied with.
Before the signing ceremony, the delegation met the Union Home Secretary, G.K.Pillai and held fruitful discussions on issues of mutual interest.
Source:I4S India
2010 Commonwealth Games completely secure, says minister
The Games have been secured from ‘above the ground, below the ground and on the ground,’ stated Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken.
Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken said on Wednesday that the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi will be completely secure. He reiterated that the government would take every possible step to ensure that the prestigious event goes without any untoward incident.
Addressing the two-day Conference of Security Liason officers of Commonwealth countries and representatives of Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs), Maken said the security for the games have been designed in such a way that no terror outfit can affect the proceedings of the game. This is the second such meeting of its kind, the first was held 3 weeks ago, at which several countries had expressed their nervousness about security.
Source:I4S India