Karuna meets PM, discusses fishermen issu

NEW DELHI - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here and is understood to have raised the issue of Indian fishermen being killed allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Karunanidhi, who arrived here yesterday on a three-day visit, met Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence and is believed to have asked the Prime Minister to tell Colombo not to resort to firing at fishermen who cross the International Maritime Border.

Karunanidhi also discussed the ensuing Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and the seat-sharing mechanism between the DMK and Congress, DMK sources said.

He is also scheduled to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The Chief Minister had yesterday told reporters that he would discuss the fishermen attack issue with the Prime Minister.

"I have been discussing the fishermen issue with Singh on several occasions," he had said yesterday indicating that he would take up the issue with the prime minister again.India News

The meeting comes at a time when Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is in Colombo to take up the issue with Sri Lanka.

Rao was asked by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to travel to Colombo to discuss with the Sri Lankan government the killing of Indian fishermen.

Reflecting the political sensitivities in Tamil Nadu, India has already reacted very strongly to the incidents in which two Indian fishermen were killed in the span of one month, notwithstanding Sri Lankan government's claim that its navy was not involved.National Headlines

Six killed, hundreds arrested in two days of Egypt protests

 CAIRO - Hundreds of Egyptian protesters, including journalists, have been arrested in two days of Tunisia-inspired unprecedented mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak's autocratic regime that left at least six people dead.Latest world news

Egypt witnessed a second 'day of anger' against the 30-year-rule of Mubarak yesterday as thousands of protesters took to streets, shouting slogans like 'Down with Hosni Mubarak, down with the tyrant," "We don't want you"!

Downtown Cairo saw thousands of security personnel chase anti-government protesters as they tried to reassemble at Tahrir Square, the same place where more than 20,000 demonstrators converged on Tuesday, occupying it for several hours before being dispersed by security forces early yesterday.

At some places, security forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, and demonstrators threw stones in response.

Two persons -- a protester and a policeman -- were killed yesterday, bringing to six the death toll in the two-day protests, media reports said.

Hundreds of protesters, including eight journalists, have been arrested and several injured during the protests, Al-Ahram newspaper reported today.

There had been brief attempts by protesters to gather outside the High Court here also. However, they were quickly dispersed.

The number of defiant demonstrators in Cairo was believed to be around 3,000 and they used the journalists' union as a launch pad for yesterday's protests.

The protesters burnt tyres in the middle of some main streets in Cairo to keep security vehicles at bay and pelted stones at public buildings and attempted to break into them.

There were sounds of sirens all over the capital.

Strong clashes between protesters and riot police were witnessed in Ramsis, Talat Harb and Qasr El-Nil Street.

After first day of protests on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry released a statement saying that no further demonstrations of any kind would be tolerated.

Police maintained a heavy presence in all places in Cairo.

There had also been huge protests yesterday in the port city of Suez, where four people died on Tuesday.

The protests in Suez were held mainly in front of the morgue where the bodies were kept. The protesters asked for a forensic examination before the burial. (More) PTI KIM

Security forces asked the families of the protesters killed in Suez to bury them quietly. But, the families insisted that they wanted forensic examination.

There have been calls for protesters from Cairo, where two people died during demonstrations yesterday, to join forces in Suez tomorrow after the Friday prayers.

Security has been stepped up in the capital, with authorities deploying clusters of armoured vehicles loaded with fully geared security personnel.

The intense action during the two-day protests took place in Suez, Egypt's largest city overlooking the Red Sea, where the scene was described by activists as one of the "street wars" and a "blood bath."

The protesters set the police station in the quarter of Arbain on fire and claimed that they had also torched the headquarters of the ruling party.

Many protesters were injured and rushed to hospitals, amid allegations that security forces ordered the medical staff not to provide medical care to them.

The city of Alexandria also witnessed anti-government rallies with protesters trying to reach a sea-front square to stage a demonstration, witnesses were quoted as saying. Dozens of protesters were also arrested from the city.

Egypt's largest anti-government protests in years echoed the recent mass uprising in Tunisia that toppled President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and forced him to flee to Saudi Arabia along with his family.

The protests in Egypt threatened to destabilise the regime of Mubarak, a close US ally in the Arab world.

In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that Egypt had to adopt democratic and other reforms and allow peaceful protests.

"I do think it's possible for there to be reforms and that is what we are urging and calling for," Clinton told reporters at the State Department.

She urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from violence.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked all concerned to ensure that the situation in Egypt does not lead to further violence.

He called on the authorities "to see this as an opportunity to engage in addressing the legitimate concerns of the people," his spokesman said.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the Vienna-based UN nuclear agency, is expected to return to his country Egypt from service abroad shortly to join demonstrators protesting against 82-year-old Mubarak, 'Voice of America' reported.

The activists have used social media websites to call for a big protest tomorrow in Cairo.

But Facebook, a key medium which was being used to organise protests, appeared to be at least partially blocked.

On Tuesday, Twitter and cell phones appeared to be sporadically blocked as well.

Media reports said that over 800 people have been arrested in the waves of unrest across the country.

Egypt's government said at least 85 police officers were wounded in the clashes.

The injury figure among the protesters was nearly 70, according to the report

 

Meticulous strategy needed for meeting housing demand:FM

CHENNAI - Sustained economic growth will result in acceleration of urbanisation and meticulous strategy is required to meet the domestic housing and quality urban services demand, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.

"With sustained economic growth, the pace of urbanisation is set to accelerate and the urban population living in Indian towns and cities will double in the next 25 years," Mukherjee said at the 24th All India Builders' Convention here.

The growth is in conformity to the global trend where more than half of world's population is living in cities and towns, he said.

"In order to harness this opportunity, it is important that we plan carefully our strategy to meet the demand for housing and quality urban services in our habitations," he said.

According to Mukherjee, urbanisation in India has occurred slowly and unevenly but this is set to change rapidly.
Business News
The Finance Minister said the 'housing deficit' in the country, especially in urban areas, was not only a challenge to India's rapidly growing economy, but also a source of opportunity to boost the construction industry as well as the economy's growth momentum.

An individual's desire to own a house is a basic one and this coupled with an expanding economy and a young population, presents a 'huge opportunity' to the construction sector, he said.

"This task of meeting this desire is not merely a commercial enterprise. It has a larger social dimension to it.

The construction sector has considerable scope for creating employment for unskilled and semi-skilled, which have direct implications for poverty eradication," Mukherjee said.

During the 12th Five Year Plan, investment in the infrastructure sector alone would be around a little over Rs 40,000 crore, he said, adding that the success in meeting this target was tied with the performance of the building and construction sector.

Asking the realty industry to be sensitive to social dimension of housing, the Minister stressed on ethical practices and said that pricing should be done "appropriately" in response to the housing demand across the sections in society.

If the present economic growth trajectory is maintained for the next decade or two, the construction industry will witness a huge shortage of skills.

"National Skill Development Corporation has been formed to involve private sector in creation of skilled workforce," he said urging the construction industry to establish tie-ups with NSDC and contribute towards skill creation.Indian Top Stories

Online News Readers Constantly Growing In Numbers

A change in online news paper industry and that did not pay attention to what is happening quickly end up losing a profit. The world's largest newspapers have already made the transition to online publication, and it is easy to see why. Although the local level, we would have a limited number of magazines are sold, thanks to the Internet could end up in any newspaper, and tens of thousands of visitors from reading a single article that was published. Such a sense of power is easy to see why newspapers need an online presence.

Why people prefer to read online news?

We should also mention that sometimes our elected newspaper will not propose new we're really interested. Newspapers are limited, and the Internet is not. In case you do not find what you want in a newspaper, you can always go to another. There are hundreds of online publications and Web sites even more than the mere presentation of news online. How do you top such a power?

One of the main reasons why we can say is that on a website, just read this piece of news you are interested in. If you buy a newspaper then you are practically forced to buy it. Today, people do not really want to pay a fee just to read news that they want to know more about.

Another reason is that commodity. During the use of any food can simply go through the latest news and read everything that happens and is linked to topics of interest. It is without having to go buy a newspaper. You can do so from your home computer without leaving the house in his underwear. Where can I get commodities in regard to regular newspapers? You can make up for lost time by going to the newsstand, if you look at what you see online.

If you're looking for your new best solution is to search online. You will find everything much faster and use subscriptions, you can even know when an article was published as it seemed on the net.Latest World News

IndiGo gets govt nod to launch international operations

NEW DELHI - Premier no-frill carrier IndiGo, which recently placed the world's largest aircraft order, has received government nod to launch international operations and would fly to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai and Muscat soon after it completes five years of domestic operations in August.

The airline, which bagged the second position after Jet Airways in terms of the number of passengers, got permission for launching international operations from the forthcoming summer schedule, which begins in April and continues till October-November.Business News

An airline spokesperson said today that the flights would be operated from several Indian cities to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai and Muscat.

However, "the schedules and dates for the launch of these international services will be announced in the coming months", she added.

The criteria for permission to launch international operations is that the airline should complete five years of domestic operations and have a 20-aircraft fleet.

Sources said the first global flight would be launched as soon as IndiGo completes five years of domestic operations in August this year and added that it could also be matched with the fifth anniversary celebration.

Preparations are on in full swing, they said.

A company statement said, "IndiGo is delighted to receive these important traffic rights and is grateful to the Ministry of Civil Aviation for approving its application in a timely manner."

With its fleet of 34 new Airbus A-320 aircraft, the airline, which now has a market share of 18.6 per cent that is more than Air India's and matches that of Kingfisher, offers 221 daily flights connecting 24 destinations.

The airline was recently in spotlight when it placed the world's largest aircraft order of 150 planes with European manufacturer Airbus. A year before beginning operations in 2008, it had also placed the biggest order of 100 aircraft from the same manufacturer.Online News

Indian Top Stories Reading in the Internet

One of the advantages of modern means of using the latest technology has changed rapidly exchange information around the world. Decades ago, the slogan was the news that a popular phrase today is indian top stories news, people now has the news, every hour. Unlike people who never good online news for days or weeks after the accident occurred. First, it was ordinary news worldwide, now has become more precise by using phrases such as  cultural news, a new Middle East, and some news on-line. While the Internet world is becoming smaller and people can easily get the latest news developments.  

The Internet has further increased the source of information for everyone. Web hosting is not the online editions of major newspapers.  Then you have websites for Indian Top Stories, Indian News, and Indian Political News that blogs and pages are only intended to india news. In addition, thousands of articles dealing specifically with issues such as new Islamic international business news, news and business in the Middle East, to name but a few are easily accessible. It gives readers a more objective and detailed self-interest.

Online technologies have allowed people to search and received news developments at a click of a mouse. And not only that, they can type specific key words such as India news, Indain business news, and political news to arrive easily at the web pages they want immediately.  The search bar features have slimmed down time constraint of accessing specific news to readers. In addition, some functions of these sites have exposed readers to links that give related information of the events.

Readers have to travel from different sites to find an article on new business. Often, readers may have missed the news they want to read because it is buried in the inside pages.

It has been predicted before; the network will replace newspapers as the main source of information on current events. This is why newspapers have invaded the Internet to benefit from this development. Currently, both off and online available for everyone. It is not yet determined whether the lying newspapers suffer extinction like the dinosaurs long ago. In any event, people still enjoy both versions.

This breaking news can be seen on India's news channels. India's other mission to host the next Commonwealth Games is still to be accomplished as the preparations and the games venues were inspected by the foreign delegates.

School enrolment of children between 6-14 yrs at 96.5%: Report

PATNA - NDA government headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has succeeded in bringing children to schools as the enrolment in Bihar schools has registered a quantum jump over the years at 96.5 per cent in 2010.

The enrolment in schools of the children aged between six to 14 years has stood at 96.5 per cent in Bihar in 2010, according to the annual status of educational report, 2010.

The enrolment in government government has registered a significant increase at 89.8 per cent in the children in 6-14 age group as against 72.2 per cent in 2006, it said.

Similarly, the percentage of the children staying away from education has decreased drastically at 2.5 per cent in 2010 as against 12.8 per cent in 2006, the report said.

Reflecting the parents' urge to enrol their wards in schools at an early age, the percentage of the students, aged five, in the schools has witnessed about 15 per cent increase at 52.7 in 2010 as compared to 45.4 in 2006.

The state also saw an impressive increase in the number of under-five children going to kindergarten and anganwadi centres for pre-learning session at 74.5 per cent and 78.8 per cent of children aged three years and four years respectively in 2010 as against the corresponding figure of 49.1 and 57.7 respectively in 2006.

In addition, the Bihar students have been found to excel in mathematics in comparison to their counterparts in other parts of the country, the report said.India Education

For example, 69 per cent of class VIII students in Bihar can solve area-related questions in maths as against the national average at 50 per cent.

The report has complimented the state government for liberal release of grants for the maintenance and development of schools and teaching/learning materials.

As many as 81.4 per cent schools received grants for maintenance in 2009-10, while 79.6 per cent of them got development fund and 82.4 per cent schools benefited from teaching/learning materials grant, it said.

The report was compiled on the basis of inspection of 977 students in the state selected on random basis.Online News Stories 

Misappropriation complaint: Fresh summons to Lalit Modi

CHENNAI - The city police have issued fresh summons to suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and five others over complaint of misappropriation of funds of Rs 468 crore, filed by Indian cricket board secretary N Srinivasan.

Modi and five others -- Harish Krishnamachari of Mumbai, Ajay Verma of New Delhi and World Sports Group office-bearers Venu Nair, Andrew Georgio and Seamus O'Brien -- have been asked to appear for an inquiry either on January 25, 26 or 28, a date suitable for them, Police Commissioner T Rajendran told reporters here today.

"If they failed to appear on any of these dates, legal steps will be taken to bring them for inquiry," the Police Commissioner said. India News

Srinivasan had lodged a complaint last year against Modi, charging him with misappropriation of Rs 468 crore, mainly in allotting media rights and free commercial rights.

Modi and others had not responded to summons issued in December, asking them to appear in the first week of this month.

However, Kunal Dasgupta, whose name also figured in the complaint, had complied with the police summons to appear before it. 
Source : Online News