Month: November 2009

India shows bull market for gold intact: Forbes

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Washington, November 05: India’s purchase of 200 tonnes of gold for $6.7 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “shows central banks are getting on board with the idea that the bull market in gold still has legs,” according to Forbes magazine.

“India’s purchase provides positive reinforcement for gold investors that the bull market in gold is intact,” the leading US business magazine said, citing David Rosenberg, chief economist at Canadian wealth management firm Gluskin Sheff.

Tension in Bhopal after VHP leader’s murder

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Bhopal, November 05: Tension simmered in a Bhopal locality Thursday with hundreds of radical Hindu activists gathered outside a temple, where a Vishwa Hindu Parishad office-bearer was murdered the night before.

Heavy security was deployed in Bhopal’s Bhanpur area with police fearing an outbreak of trouble when the body of Deen Dayal Sharma, who was also the priest of the temple as well as a member of the Bajrang Dal, is handed over to the family after the autopsy.

Sharma, 35, was killed late Wednesday inside the temple when a group of armed men attacked him.

Hussey’s tactics has made him a success: Dhoni

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Hyderabad, November 05: Hussey may not be as elegant as the likes of Brian Lara but he has been more consistent in India soil than the West Indian great.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels the reason behind the Austrlian’s success was the way he handles the spinners in the middle overs.

Lara, an elegant left-hander, had a none-too-impressive record against India in the latter’s home soil in both Tests and ODIs.

Two top ULFA leaders arrested in Bangladesh

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Guwahati, November 05: The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), an influential separatist group has claimed that two of its top leaders were arrested in Bangladesh and then handed over to India, a spokesperson for the outlawed group said. There is, however, no confirmation from Dhaka or New Delhi.

The spokesperson said the outfit’s foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury and finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika were picked up by Bangladeshi intelligence sleuths at midnight Sunday from a house in Dhaka’s Uttara area.

News Corp earnings rise on cable TV and film gains

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Los Angeles, November 05: Media conglomerate News Corp posted an 11-percent rise in quarterly earnings as strong performances by the company’s film and television businesses offset losses at its newspapers and broadcast television units.

The New York-based company controlled by Rupert Murdoch said Wednesday it earned $571 million compared to $515 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue fell 4.1 percent to $7.2 billion.

Eleven-fold murder suspect held without bond in US

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Washington, November 05: An 11-fold serial murder suspect in Cleveland, Ohio, was ordered held without bail Wednesday after prosecutors said he posed a great danger to the public.

Anthony Sowell, 50, is suspected in the murder of at least 10 women whose bodies have been found in or near his house since last week, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.

An 11th body was identified late Wednesday afternoon, CNN reported. But further details about its identity were not given.

Maoists bomb road bridge in Bihar village

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Gaya (Bihar), November 05: Armed Maoists bombed a road bridge at Rohe village in Bihar’s Gaya district, police said today.

Around 50 Naxalites assembled in the village last night and detonated dynamites to blow up the bridge.

The road link to Imamganj bazar was severed as a result.

Security personnel were combing the area.
–PTI

Indian enterprises face data loss risk: Study

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Bangalore, November 05: Increasing use of IT infrastructure by Indian enterprises to enhance productivity and expand operations in a competitive environment has led to growing security risks such as loss of critical data, a study by the intelligence marketing firm IDC (India) Ltd. has revealed.

“About 80 percent of Indian enterprises have agreed that loss or theft of critical data is a serious information security risk they face after threats from viruses and hackers,” the survey, commissioned by security solutions provider Symantec India, said in its latest report.

Farooq to Chidambaram: Review Kashmir prepaid mobile ban

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Jammu, November 05: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah asked Home Minister P. Chidambaram to reconsider the continuation of the ban on prepaid mobile services in Jammu and Kashmir when Chidambaram concluded his day-long visit to the state Wednesday night, officials said.

According to official sources, Farooq raised the issue during an informal chat with Chidambaram Wednesday evening.

Farooq said the ban on prepaid services had created anger all across the state.

Whatmore to coach KKR

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Kolkata, November 05: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said Dav Whatmore will be the coach of Kolkata Knight Riders in the third edition of Indian Premier League.

Ganguly who is expected to be back as Kolkata Knight Riders captain in the upcoming edition, said, “I have been informed that Whatmore will be our next coach. I know him for a long time. It will be exciting to work with him.”

“Whatmore is very experienced and I’m looking forward to his association,” he said.

Meanwhile, an official announcement on Whatmore’s appointment is still awaited.

Butt confident about resumption of Indo-Pak ties

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Karachi, November 05: The BCCI might have ruled out immediate resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan but PCB chief Ejaz Butt is confident that the two countries would be facing each other in a bilateral series as early as next year, albeit at a neutral venue.

Butt, who returned from his visit to India yesterday, told the media at Lahore airport that a bilateral series with India could be held next year.

“I think, in the existing circumstances the only way to resume bilateral cricket ties is by playing at a neutral venue acceptable to both teams,” Butt stated.

PCB to allow its players to participate in the IPL

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Karachi, November 05: Forced to sit out this year due to PCB’s no to their participation, Pakistani cricketers are all set to return to the Indian Premier League next season as the Board has decided to give them the go ahead for competing in the cash-awash Twenty20 tourney.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt said the PCB would not object to its players taking part in the lucrative league and has conveyed this to IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi during a meeting in India.

PCB bows to Younus pressure

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Karachi, November 05: Bowing to skipper Younus Khan’s demand, the Pakistan Cricket Board has taken off vice-captain Shahid Afridi and team manager Abdul Raquib from the tour selection committee in the ongoing one-day series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Raquib said under the new policy only the captain, coach and the chief selector were selecting the playing eleven for every match.

“In the past the team manager and vice-captain also used to be involved in this process,” he revealed.

Take on folks in Beijing and Bangalore, Obama tells students

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Washington, November 05: President Barack Obama has hit the road to push a new $4.35 billion grant programme to encourage American schools to develop internationally competitive standards to let its students take on “folks in Beijing and Bangalore.”

The “Race to the Top” fund is one of the largest federal investments in school reform in US history, Obama said on a trip to Wisconsin Wednesday. It is being financed with money made available through the economic stimulus plan enacted in February.

Original Beatles drummer loves his biryani

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New Delhi, November 05: Born in Chennai in 1941, Pete Best, the original drummer of The Beatles, has been living in Liverpool from 1945, but the musician still has an Indian connect and loves to gorge on biryani.

Best, who was one of the founding members of the band that originated in Liverpool, is familiar with Indian food since his mother Mona Best was born here.

“Though we left for Liverpool in 1945 and have been living there ever since, we have been brought up on Indian food because my mother was born in this country.

It’s too much cricket, says Siddle

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Melbourne, November 05: Forced out of the ongoing one-day series against India due to a side soreness, Australian pacer Peter Siddle today said his injury was a result of playing almost non-stop cricket for the past five months.

On his return to the country this morning, Siddle, one of the five Australian cricketers who have been forced out of the series due to injuries, said he is glad to be back home after being on the road for so long.

“It’s very pleasing to be home, back to see family and friends and sleep in my own bed,” Siddle quipped.

Sri Lankan general returns without war crimes grilling

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Colombo, November 05: Sri Lanka’s top military officer returned home Thursday after he was allowed to complete a US visit without being questioned over alleged war crimes against Tamil civilians.

General Sarath Fonseka arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport and was immediately driven away under tight security, an airport official said.

“He arrived this morning in a commercial flight and was escorted out of the airport by his security convoy,” an official said.

MS Dhoni wants top order to fire

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Hyderabad, November 05: Indian captain MS Dhoni has asked his top order batsmen to fire if India are to take a lead in the ODI series, which now stands at 2-2 with three matches to play. Dhoni blamed the defeat in the third ODI in Mohali on a collective failure of the top order after the bowlers did well to restrict Australia to 250 on a good batting track.

Gunmen fire on bus in south Philippines, killing 2

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Zamboanga, November 05: Gunmen opened fire on a commuter bus in the restive southern Philippines, killing two and wounding eight passengers, authorities said on Thursday.

The bus was strafed along a coastal highway shortly after leaving Gutalac town in Zamboanga del Norte province on Wednesday, said regional military spokesman Maj. David Hontiveros.

Two passengers died and eight others were treated in a hospital for gunshot wounds, he said.

It was not clear who was responsible for the attack. The gunmen fled, leaving behind empty bullet shells, he said.

Victory would be ‘amazing effort’ – Ponting

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Hyderabad, November 05: Ricky Ponting has said that if Australia could scrape through for a series victory in India it would be “an amazing effort” given the squad’s horrible run with injuries. Australia will begin Thursday’s ODI in Hyderabad with the seven-match series locked at 2-2 but with only 13 fit men to choose from.

Suspected US missile strike in Pakistan kills four

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Miranshah, November 05: A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles on Thursday into North Waziristan, a major al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary in northwest Pakistan, killing four people, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

The United States has launched 44 such strikes on suspected militants in Pakistan this year compared with 32 last year. Pakistani forces launched an offensive against militants in the neighbouring South Waziristan region on the Afghan border in mid-October.

Activity, prices bounce back at Sotheby’s auction

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New York, November 05: If there is distress in the art market, it was not on view at Sotheby’s on Wednesday as the auction house sold more than $180 million worth of Impressionist and modern art at a sale exceeding even the most optimistic expectations.

A night after a smaller sale at rival Christie’s fell short, Sotheby’s saw 85 percent of the 66 works on offer finding buyers and took in $181,760,000 including commission, some 10 percent above the high pre-sale estimate.

Clarke no certainty for first Test

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Melbourne, November 05: Australia’s injury crisis could yet have ramifications for the first Test against West Indies at the Gabba with Michael Clarke in doubt, according to Australia’s physio Alex Kountouris.

Peter Siddle has already declared that he will be ready for the Test, although Ricky Ponting is concerned over the fitness of his fast-bowling brigade in general.

Neetu Singh never liked Deepika Padukone

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Mumbai, November 05: A lot is being said and written about the reason behind Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor calling off their relationship. From Ranbir’s hookup with Katrina Kaif to Deepika’s over possessive nature there hasn’t been a angle that hasn’t been talked about.

But the truth is that many factors played catalyst to the split, one of them being Ranbir’s mother Neetu Singh. Deepika may have dated Ranbir but she could never become close to the Kapoors.