Month: July 2014

Continuing its upward journey for the third straight session, the benchmark BSE Sensex spurted by nearly 104 points in early trade today on sustained fund inflows on hopes of strong economic measures in the upcoming Union Budget.

The 30-share Sensex zoomed by 103.87 points, or 0.41 per cent, to trade at 25,517.65 with metals, realty, PSU and oil and gas sector stocks leading the rise. The gauge had rallied by over 351.11 points in the past two sessions.

On the similar lines, the 50-share NSE Nifty also gained 28.15 points, or 0.37 per cent, to 7,639.50.

China has welcomed Brazil’s initiative in bracing up for the sixth BRICS ( Brazil, China, India, China, South Africa) summit that will ensure mutual trust, solidarity and mutual benefit among members of BRICS.

The BRICS summit is likely to plan out future strategies with respect to well-established progress, said Zhang Jun, Director General of the Department of International Economics Affairs of China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Gas Authority of India on Monday distributed ex-gratia amount of over Rs 4.60 crore to the next of kin of the deceased and families of those injured in the devastating fire at the company’s pipeline in a village in East Godavari district last week.

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister N Chinna Rajappa distributed the compensation cheques to members of the affected families here in the presence of officials from GAIL and district administration.

Internally displaced persons from North Waziristan spread across cities in Pakistan are being provided relief, including food and life saving drugs during Ramzan, with a focus on the region of Bannu.

Consignments of relief goods have headed towards the camps of internally displaced persons while other NGOs provide individual bags of packed essential items to every family.

Many political and religious groups as well as individuals in Karachi have also volunteered to help in fundraising that includes cash as well as medicines, food and water.

The Pakistan Army on Monday confirmed that it has launched a ground offensive against militants in the North Waziristan tribal region.

In a statement, the Pakistani military said the operation began early Monday in and around Miranshah, the administrative center of North Waziristan.

The government had launched a campaign of air strikes in the region on June 15, one week after militants attacked Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, Pakistan’s busiest, killing at least 35 people.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Monday said that he was confident about the final outcome of bilateral talks with India to sell 126 Rafale fighter jets.

“The discussion is developing in a very positive way… We are very confident about the final outcome,” Fabius told media here.

India chose Dassault Aviation’s Rafale in 2012 over other international jet manufacturers, but disagreements over cost and work-sharing have slowed talks, while India’s weak economy has stretched government finances.

After missing its deadline, the monsoon is likely to hit the national capital and parts of north India by the end of the week, a private forecasting agency said on Monday.

“A slow monsoon progress delayed the arrival of southwest monsoon in Delhi and north India, making the month of June, one of the driest in a decade in the country. But July has some good news in store as monsoon is expected to reach Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh by the end of this week,” Skymet, a private forecasting agency said.

Union Minister and Former Army Chief General V.K. Singh on Monday said that India and China have their own perspective on border related issue.

The Ministry of External Affiars on Monday said that talks between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius were comprehensive in nature.

“The talks were comprehensive. They touched on bilateral, regional and international issues,” said MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

“The four areas that were focused on in terms of our Bilateral Strategic Partnership are – Space, Civil and Nuclear Enrgy cooperation, Defence and Anti-terrorism,” he added.

Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Monday released its first cut-off list post the scrapping of controversial Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP).

B Com (Hons) course, the college has kept the cut off at 97.5 per cent. Meanwhile, the cut-off for commerce students interested in BA Economics (Hons) is 98.25 per cent and for science students it is 97.25 per cent.

The cut-off for BA Economics (H) for commerce students at the Ramjas College is 97.50 percent and 96.50 percent for science students.

At Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, the cut-off for B.Com (Hons) is 96.5 percent.

A Delhi-bound Air India plane from Kochi, with 156 passengers and eight crew onboard, made an emergency landing at the international airport here late Monday night following a bomb threat call, airline officials said.

After the Airbus 320 (flight AI-047) took off from Kochi at around 8.40 pm, one of the Air India offices in Delhi received a phone call saying that there was a bomb in the aircraft, they said, adding the pilot was asked soon thereafter to land at the nearest airport, which was Bangalore.

A senior minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led BJP government in Goa has echoed controversial Sriram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik saying that the practice of young girls visiting pubs in short dresses is against local culture and should be stopped.

“The (practice of) young girls going to pubs in short dresses does not fit in our culture. What will happen to our Goan culture, if we allow this?…The scantily dressed girls visiting pubs project wrong culture and this should be stopped,” said state PWD minister Sudin Dhavalikar.

Close on the heels of a GAIL pipeline blast at Nagaram in Andhra Pradesh last week that claimed 19 lives, a leakage in another pipeline belonging to Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) was detected at Tatipaka, about 80 kms from here.

British model Daisy Lowe, who is not so skinny, says she feels comfortable in her own skin.

It has taken her a decade in the fashion industry to embrace her figure and become body-confident because she is constantly surrounded by stick-thin girls, reports contactmusic.com.

“If you stand me next to a normal model, I look like an elephant, and that’s alright. It’s taken me 10 years to say, ‘I’m actually comfortable in my shape and I’m proud of being a woman and my feminine form.’ It’s tough – but I’m still only a size eight,” said the 25-year-old.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday disclosed that it is facilitating the return of more than 600 nationals from crisis-hit Iraq during the course of this week.

“The departure of more than 600 Indian nationals will be facilitated during the course of this week. We are continuing to work on paper work, we are continuing to work on ticketing, we are continuing to work with the employers to work out solutions for those who may have problems,” said MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, on Monday met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and discussed issues of mutual interest with him.

Earlier, Laurent Fabius met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Later, Fabius told media that he was confident about the outcome of the talks with Sushma to sell 126 Rafale fighter jets to India.

Laurent will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is likely to make a pitch for speeding up the Rafale aircraft deal, according to reports. (ANI)

The three-day box office collections indicate that movie buffs are loving “Ek Villain”. The Balaji Motion Pictures’ latest offering has set the cash registers ringing ever since it hit the screens June 27.

“Ek Villain” has so far collected Rs. 50.70 crore (Friday Rs. 16.72 crore, Saturday Rs. 16.54 cr., Sunday Rs. 17.44 cr.). Released on 2539 screens nationwide, the romantic thriller has emerged as one of the biggest openers of the year in terms of screen average, said a statement.

Ingredients

1. 2 eggs
2. 2 tsp butter
3. 3 tsp rava or sooji
4. 2 tsp chopped onion
5. 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
6. 1 tsp chopped tomato
7. 1 tsp choppec coriander leaves
8. Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Beat the eggs. Add all other ingredients.
2. Mix till it becomes fluffy.
3. Heat butter in a pan.
4. Spread the mixture like an omelette and cook on low flame till done.
5. Flip and cook the other side too.
6. Serve hot with ketchup.

The United States has named a mountain in Antarctica in honour of an eminent Indian-American scientist whose pioneering biological research expedition has provided critical data about animal populations.

Akhouri Sinha, adjunct professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development at the University of Minnesota, was recognised by the US Geological Survey, which named the mountain Mt Sinha, for his work he did as an explorer in 1971-72.

Ingredients

1. 1 c pitted cherries
2. 1/4 c frozen raspberries
3. 4 Tbsp apple juice
4. 2 Tbsp lemon juice
5. 1/2 c sugar

Cherry jam, Method:

1. In a food processor puree the cherries and raspberries until smooth.
2. Add apple juice and lemon juice. Transfer to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Add sugar. Cook stirring occasionally for 25 minutes, or until the jam is thick and sticky.
4. Pour into preserving jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
5. Cool and store in the refrigerator.

Temperature takes a dip when the monsoon season arrives, but makes everything moist. The rise in moisture level not only affects our rooms and furniture, but also the kitchen.

Anurag Saxena of German kitchen furnishing brand, Hacker Kitchens, explains how to take care of kitchen during monsoon season.

1. Wiring is one of the most important parts of the kitchen. Get good quality wire connections for safety reasons.
2. To keep kitchen dry, focus on cross-ventilation. Open windows as and when possible.
3. Renovation during this season is not a good decision.

Japanese two-wheeler maker Yamaha today launched upgraded variants of its 150 CC bikes – FZ and FZ-S – priced up to Rs 78,250 (ex-showroom Delhi).

The company, which had first launched the FZ series in India in 2008, will start selling the two variants – FZ Version 2.0 and FZ-S Version 2.0 from tomorrow.

While the new FZ variant is priced at Rs 76,250, the FZ-S version would be retailed at Rs 78,250 (ex-showroom Delhi).

A Delhi-bound Air India plane from Kochi, with 156 passengers and eight crew onboard, made an emergency landing at the international airport here late Monday night following a bomb threat call, airline officials said.

After the Airbus 320 (flight AI-047) took off from Kochi at around 8.40 pm, one of the Air India offices in Delhi received a phone call saying that there was a bomb in the aircraft, they said, adding the pilot was asked soon thereafter to land at the nearest airport, which was Bangalore.

Fair trade watchdog CCI has cleared the proposed joint venture between Tata Consultancy Services and Mitsubishi Corp, saying the deal would not have adverse impact on competition in India.

The JV, to be set up in Japan, will be between Tata Consultancy Services Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (TCS APAC) and the Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Corp, with the former having 51 percent in the entity.

In April, TCS signed an agreement to merge two units in Japan with an arm of Mitsubishi Corporation to form an IT company with expected sales of USD 600 million.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Monday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure payment of oil royalty at prevailing market prices, saying Assam has incurred a loss of Rs.10,000 crore since 2008 because of disbursement of oil royalty at highly discounted prices to central PSUs.

Gogoi sent a letter to Modi regarding underpayment of royalty.