Like is a long lesson in humilty James M. Barrie (1860 - 1937
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Napier, March 29 IANS Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid saw through the first session to take India to 119 for one in their second innings at lunch on the fourth day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand here at McLean Park Sunday. SPO4 Sports Gambhir and Dravid defy New Zealand attack in Napier Test Lunch Report Napier, March 29 IANS Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid saw through the first session to take India to 119 for one in their second innings at lunch on the fourth day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand here at McLean Park Sunday. Gambhir was batting on 60 and Dravid 34 at the break, as India still require 195 runs to make New Zealand bat again. India, following on after being dismissed for 305 in the first innings in reply to New Zealand's 619-9 declared, resumed at 47 for one and carefully grafted 72 runs in 33 overs in two hours. Gambhir was the chief contributor to the scored this morning as he added 46 runs to his overnight 16, while Dravid batted 23 to his 11 dropping anchor. Gambhir, who resumed on 14, survived a confident leg before wicket appeal by Iain O'Brien on 28, and six runs later, Patel had a vociferous shout for not offering a shot. Gambhir got to his 11th Test fifty in style, hitting skipper Daniel Vettori for two fours - through the covers and then over long-on - and he took 171 minutes to get there. Dravid, top scorer in India's first innings of 305 with 83, also had a narrow escape when he dashed for his first run of the morning, but James Franklin's throw missed the stumps. After that he was meticulous in his defence and hardly looked like wavering in his concentration. Yet, Dravid smote the only wicket-taker in the innings off-spinner Jeetan Patel down the ground for a rare six just before lunch. It was Dravid's first six in 24 Tests, his last six being in 2007 against Bangladesh in Dhaka and only his 15 hit over the boundary in 133 Tests and 10,700 runs. Patel claimed the wicket of stand-in captain Virender Sehwag 22 Saturday as India went in to bat after they lost their last first-innings wickets for 69 runs. India lead the three-match series 1-0, having won the first Test in Hamilton by 10 wickets. --Indo-Asian News Service vs/snb 373 Words 29030725
WASHINGTON INT9International/PoliticsObama, Hillary Clinton top poll of most admired personsBy Arun KumarWashington, Dec 27 IANS President-elect Barack Obama has topped Gallup's poll of the most admired man to become the first person in over a half century to do so before taking America's highest office.Thirty-two percent of Americans surveyed in the new USA Today/Gallup poll said Obama was the man they most admired - a better showing than either former presidents George H.W. Bush or Bill Clinton ever achieved.The last president-elect to top the list was Dwight Eisenhower, in 1952.President George W. Bush, who was named the most-admired man by 39 percent of those polled shortly after Sep 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, falls to a distant second, at 5 percent - the first time since his election that he has not topped the poll.America's most-admired woman for the seventh straight year is Obama's secretary of state-designate Hillary Clinton, named by one in five Americans. Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, a newcomer to the list, is second with 11 percent.Rounding out the list of most-admired women living today are Oprah Winfrey in the third-place spot, current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in fourth place, and future first lady Michelle Obama, in fifth place with 3 percent.The survey was conducted Dec 12-14, and is based on interviews with 1,008 Americans. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.Meanwhile, another new poll suggests that three out of four Americans feel that Bush's impending departure from the White House in three-and-a-half weeks is coming not a moment too soon.Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they're glad President Bush is going, with 23 percent indicating they'll miss him.The three-quarters of Americans surveyed who say they won't miss Bush is 24 points higher than the 51 percent who said they wouldn't miss Bill Clinton when he left office in January 2001. Forty-five percent of those questioned at that time said they would miss Clinton.The poll indicates that Bush has been compared poorly to his predecessors, with 28 percent saying that he's the worst ever when compared to other presidents in American history. Forty percent rate Bush as poor and 31 percent feel he's been a good president.Only a third of those polled want Bush to remain active in public life after he leaves the White House, with two-thirds saying they don't want him to stay active in a public way. That 33 percent figure who want Bush to remain in the public eye is 22 points lower than those questioned in 2001 who wanted Bill Clinton to retain a public role.When running for the White House in the 2000 presidential campaign, Bush promised to be a uniter, not a divider. But the poll suggests that 82 percent feel that Bush did not unite the country, with 17 percent saying he did.Only 27 percent of those questioned in the poll approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president, with 72 percent in disapproval.The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted Dec 19-21, with 1,013 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.-- Indo-Asian News Service583 Words*27120917
KATHMANDU INT30International/Diplomacy/TerrorismIndia denies its army is hunting for militants in NepalKathmandu, Dec 17 IANS After Pakistani media reports that the sole surviving Mumbai terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab having been arrested in Nepal two years ago turned out to be false, India has now denied a Nepali daily's claim that its army team is in Nepal to hunt for the chief of a militant group.Kantipur, Nepal's biggest daily, Wednesday reported that an Indian Army Gorkha Rifles team was currently in Nepal, looking for Jewel Garlosa, president of the Dima Halam Daogah DHD, who faces over 100 cases in India's Assam and Nagaland states for the murder of security personnel.Garlosa, whose outfit broke a ceasefire with the Indian government in 2003 and renewed attacks, is suspected to be hiding in Nepal, the daily said.The report was rejected by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu that said it was baseless and false."No Indian Army team has come to Nepal to look for Garlosa," the embassy said.Security sources said that the report could have been triggered by an Indian Army group arriving in Kathmandu to take part in a trekking expedition.The DHD, also known as the Black Widow, was born in 1996 after the demise of its parent body, the Dimasa National Security Front.Estimated to have around 400 members, the DHD is seeking the formation of a Dimasaland for the Dimasa tribe that would include Assam as well as parts of Nagaland. It is known to be behind ambushes of security forces, arson, bombing, kidnapping and extortion. --Indo-Asian News Service275 Words*17121317
SRINAGAR NAT16National/Kashmir/TerrorismTwo top Hizbul commanders killed in KashmirSrinagar, Dec 17 IANS Two commanders of the Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district Wednesday while voting was underway in the adjacent areas of Anantnag and Kulgam, police said while describing the operation as a major success against separatist guerrillas.One of the slain guerrillas has been identified as Rayees Kachru, divisional commander of the outfit who had escaped from police custody in Pulwama, and the other as Ashfaq.Giving details, an official said the Special Operations Group SOG of the local police, the Central Reserve Police Force CRPF and the Rashtriya Rifles carried out a "pin-pointed operation" based on specific information in Mulhurah village, 33 km from here, in Pulwama district."Rayees Kachru and another commander of the Hizbul identified as Ashfaq have been killed in this operation without any casualty to the security forces," he added. Kachru had escaped from the Pulwama court complex on Nov 4 this year. His accomplices had reportedly handed him a pistol inside the court complex after which he fired at his police escort.The sixth round of polling was underway in Jammu and Kashmir.--Indo-Asian News Service205 Words*17121317
CHANDIGARH NAT1National/PoliticsPunjab's dogfight between a kitten and king!By Jaideep SarinChandigarh, Dec 17 IANS One is an erstwhile Punjab king who calls his political opponent a kitten. And now the teething kitten is trying to bite back.Erstwhile royal and former chief minister Amarinder Singh of the Congress and ruling Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal - both hailing from the most distinguished families in the state's present political scene - are engaged in a bitter dogfight.For Amarinder Singh, calling Sukhbir Badal a 'balungra' - Punjabi for kitten - is nothing new. The reference started when the Congress and the Akalis were engaged in a bitter run-up to state assembly elections in February last year. The Akalis won the elections to form a new government in Punjab.What is new now is that Sukhbir Badal is hitting back. On Sunday he said that five to six more vigilance cases would be slapped against Amarinder Singh.Amarinder Singh has written a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is Sukhbir Badal's father, objecting to the statement.The objection by Amarinder Singh is to the fact that Badal Jr, as Akali Dal president, does not have the capacity to speak on behalf of the vigilance department, a wing of the Punjab police.He has alleged that Sukhbir Badal's statement clearly showed that cases were being slapped against him and other Congress leaders on the basis of political vendetta."In what capacity is he speaking on behalf of the vigilance bureau" Amarinder Singh asked.Amarinder Singh is facing vigilance cases in the multimillion rupee Ludhiana City Centre scam in which his then local bodies minister Jagjit Singh has also been named along with 12 others for causing losses to the state by giving the contract for the mega project to a particular New Delhi-based construction company.Amarinder Singh, who obtained a partial stay on his arrest in the case, claims that Sukhbir Badal's statement showed that cases were being registered against him and other Congress leaders to settle scores. He said Sukhbir was openly using the vigilance bureau to frame him."We will fight this out. This government has done nothing other than hounding Congress leaders," Amarinder Singh said.The former chief minister says he is equally upset that even grassroots Congress activists are being harassed throughout Punjab at the behest of the Akali leadership."Over 7,500 Congress activists are facing cases. I will personally avenge these when the Congress comes back to power," Amarinder Singh recently declared during a political roadshow near Amritsar.The Badals were at the receiving end during Congress rule from 2002 to 2007, with cases of corruption and disproportionate assets being slapped on them. They were even put behind bars for a few days.-Indo-Asian News Service492 Words**17120818
NEW YORK ENT5Entertainment/International/CinemaTom Cruise wants to work in a kids' filmNew York, Dec 17 IANS Hollywood star Tom Cruise plans to take a break from working in serious movies to work in a kids' movie.Cruise admits he's keen to show off his acting talents in a movie, which his children - Conor, 13, Bella, 15 and two-year-old Suri - can enjoy.Imdb.com quoted him as saying:, "I'd like to. I don't have any right on the horizon. I like those movies. Some are really great, and it would just be fun." --Indo-Asian News Service97 Words17121214
ISLAMABAD INT4International/Diplomacy/TerrorismPakistan rejects Britain's request to question Mumbai terror suspectsIslamabad, Dec 16 Xinhua Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that he rejected a request from his British counterpart Gordon Brown to allow Britain to question suspects arrested in connection with last month's Mumbai terror attacks. "The prime minister asked me to allow British police to have access to the Pakistanis. But I turned down the request," Gilani told the parliament Monday during a discussion on the Mumbai attacks. Gilani said if there were any proofs, these suspects would be prosecuted under the Pakistani law. Brown offered Pakistan and India help to fight terrorism Sunday during a visit to the region to ease tensions between the two neighbours following the Mumbai attacks that killed 173 people. During his visit, Brown asked the leaders of the two countries to allow British police to question the suspects arrested in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks, reports said. Under pressure from India and the US, Pakistan intensified its crackdown on the suspected groups and arrested some leaders of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, blamed for the attacks. Pakistan said Saturday that Indian fighter jets had violated its airspace twice. However, President Asif Ali Zardari later said that Indian planes had intruded into Pakistan's airspace due to a technical error. "We have to focus on our problems and we don't want to go into war," the Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Gilani as saying. "But if the war is thrust on us, we will stand united like a respectful nation," Gilani said.--Xinhua284 Words16120314
Pakistanis share India's pain over Mumbai attacks: Mikaal Zulfikar ENT3Entertainment/Indo-pak/CinemaPakistanis share India's pain over Mumbai attacks: Mikaal ZulfikarBy Subhash K. JhaMumbai, Dec 16 IANS Pakistani actor Mikaal Zulfikar, who played a terrorist in Britain-based Indian filmmaker Jagmohan Mundhra's controversial film "Shoot On Sight", says an average Pakistani does not endorse terrorism and it is "cruel and unfair" to blame all his countrymen for the terror strikes in Mumbai.Mikaal says Pakistanis were as horrified by the terror strike on Mumbai as when the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad was attacked in September."The two attacks are no different. Both Pakistan and India are at war with terror. And I speak for 90 percent of Pakistanis when I say what has happened in Mumbai has deeply saddened us. Mumbai is a second home to me."In Pakistan, we face many more terror attacks than India. We're more terrorised than you are. we need to stand up and face terrorism as a global community," Mikaal told IANS from Karachi in an interview.Mikaal says an average Pakistani does not endorse terrorism."No one in Pakistan wants violence. I've heard that two Pakistani comedians working in Mumbai Nadeem and Ehsaan have been asked to fly back. With due respects to Indian sentiments, to blame the whole of Pakistan is cruel and unfair. In Pakistan, we share India's pain."We in Pakistan are distraught that this should happen at a time when relations were getting so much better. We can't let terrorism triumph by letting relations suffer. A minuscule section of people are spoiling things between the countries."Mundhra has invited Mikaal to Mumbai."I need to be in Mumbai and work in Bollywood. I may have visa problems while coming to Mumbai because I am a dual passport-holder Pakistani and British. We're hearing a lot of anti-Pakistan sentiments coming from India.""I'd love to come to India. But if I feel it isn't safe then I won't. But I don't think that's the case. I've been to India before and I've never felt any hostility. I want to bring a message of peace and love from Pakistan and India. I hope the wounds heal by the time I come to Mumbai. If not, I'd like to heal them."--Indo-Asian News Service405 Words**16120756
MEXICO CITY INT1International/CrimeUS expert on kidnappings abducted in MexicoMexico City, Dec 16 DPA A US expert on kidnappings was himself abducted in the northern Mexican town of Saltillo, after delivering a series of conferences on security, Mexican media reported Monday. The abduction reportedly happened Wednesday. Felix Batista, 55, a Cuban-American resident of Miami, was apparently abducted by an armed commando when he left a restaurant following a telephone call. "There was no violence at all in this, he is an expert," Coahuila Public Security Minister Fausto Destenave Kuri was quoted as saying in the Saltillo daily Vanguardia. Batista had travelled to Coahuila on Dec 6 and delivered two talks to business leaders on security for companies. In September, he had taken part in the Latin American Congress on Banking Security in Mexico City. According to his resume, Batista is a former intelligence officer in the US Army with 25 years as an advisor and speaker in matters of personal and corporative safety and crisis management. He is said to have handled some 300 cases of extortion and 99 kidnappings. --DPA197 Words16120006
Hamburg, Dec 15 DPA TSG Hoffenheim added a "playing ugly" attitude to their flair to earn a 1-1 draw against Schalke 04, a result good enough to see the newcomers go into the winter break top of the Bundesliga standings ahead of champions Bayern Munich. SPO8SportsHoffenheim go into winter break on top in Bundesliga Roundup Hamburg, Dec 15 DPA TSG Hoffenheim added a "playing ugly" attitude to their flair to earn a 1-1 draw against Schalke 04, a result good enough to see the newcomers go into the winter break top of the Bundesliga standings ahead of champions Bayern Munich. Selim Teber's curling free-kick in the 72nd minute erased Schalke's lead in the 40th minute from Gerald Asamoah Sunday. The visitors had Jermaine Jones and Orlando Engelaar sent off in the 57th and 80th minute, respectively, for second bookable offences. The previous day, Munich conceded a late 2-2 equaliser at VfB Stuttgart to underline that they have not always been impervious in the first half of the season. Munich were the centre of massive hype when former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann took over at the helm in the summer, changing training methods and the daily life of his players whom he liked to gather in a new training centre featuring Buddha statues. But there was no lightness of being at first as Munich won just two of the opening six games. Klinsmann's authority was swiftly questioned once they crashed 5-2 at home against Werder Bremen. However, French superstar Franck Ribery then returned from injury and Klinsmann threw some tactical changes overboard as Munich went unbeaten for the remaining 11 league matches and 16 overall, taking first place in their Champions League group. "The team was first class over the past three months. It is great fun to work with them," said Klinsmann. The headlines around Munich were predictable, but it came as a complete surprise that Hoffenheim stole the show on the pitch with mostly attractive attacking football under coach Ralf Rangnick. The promoted team was first alienated over its sponsor, former junior team player Dietmar Hopp, a German billionaire co-founder of software giants SAP. But resentment soon turned into awe as Vedad Ibisevic scored a league-leading 18 goals and together with the likes of Demba Ba and Chinedu Obasi tore defences apart almost at will. "The way we are playing right now comes very close to the perfect football every fan wants to see," Hopp said recently. But Sunday's game and a few others also indicated that the players can also have success if they are forced to fight it out. "We are not dreaming of anything, we are working hard for it. But we want to continue playing like this in January. We are on top and can enjoy the holidays," said Teber. Hoffenheim and Munich both have 35 points with the newcomers ahead because of a superior goal difference. The team that leads the way at the halfway mark has gone on to win the league title in 31 of 45 years. Hertha Berlin and SV Hamburg are just two points off the pace with Bayer Leverkusen a point further back on 32 points. Hertha enjoyed their best first half of the season in Bundesliga history despite ongoing bickering between star striker Marko Pantelic and coach Lucien Favre. Hamburg led the way early on in the season despite the departure of star midfielder Rafael van der Vaart to Real Madrid. Disappointing teams include Werder Bremen, Schalke and Stuttgart, the latter sacking their 2007 Bundesliga title-winning coach Armin Veh as they languish in mid-table. Former greats Borussia Moenchengladbach are at the bottom and seem to be heading straight back to the second division as not even new coach Hans Meyer appears capable of saving them. The second half of the season starts Jan 30 with a showdown between Hamburg and Munich.--DPA656 Words15121421
PANCHKULA HARYANA NAT20National/AccidentFive killed in Haryana road accidentPanchkula Haryana, Dec 15 IANS Five people, including four engineering students, died and seven others were critically injured in a road accident here Monday, police said.The accident took place at national highway 73 Panchkula to Yamunanagar, about 20 km from here."Eleven students were going to their college in a motor vehicle, when their vehicle collided with a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction. Four students and driver of the vehicle died on the spot while seven others got critically injured," Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kalia told IANS.He said the injured have been admitted to a general hospital here. The victims have been identified as civil engineering students of Swami Devi Dyal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Barwala town in Haryana. The bodies have been sent for autopsy, he added."We have informed the college authorities and working in association with them to trace the addresses of the victims," said Kalia.A student said: "They were going to give their practical examination that was in the morning shift. Everyday we go to the college in the same motor vehicle from Panchkula and paid its driver the monthly fees."--Indo-Asian News Service214 Words15121416
Late school times good for your kid's sleep INT39International/SocietyLate school times good for your kid's sleepLondon, Dec 15 IANS Teens slept more and better at night after classes were rescheduled to commence 30 minutes later than usual timings, which also minimised their chances of auto-accidents. Their sleep averaged from 12 minutes grade nine to 30 minutes grade 12. The percentage who got at least eight hours of sleep per weeknight increased significantly from 35.7 percent to 50 percent.Students who got at least nine hours of sleep also increased from 6.3 percent to 10.8 percent. The average amount of additional weekend sleep, or "catch-up sleep", decreased from 1.9 hours to 1.1 hours. Daytime sleepiness decreased, students using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale reported. Average crash rates for teen drivers in the study county in the two years after the change in timings dropped 16.5 percent, compared to the two years prior to the change, while teen crash rates for the rest of the state increased 7.8 percent over the same time period."It is surprising that high schools continue to set their start times early, which impairs learning, attendance and driving safety of the students," said co-author Barbara Phillips, director of the UK Healthcare Good Samaritan Sleep Centre in Lexington, Ky. A survey concerning the sleep habits of students from an entire county-wide school district in Kansas was distributed before and after a change in school start times, said a Good Samaritan release. In April 1998, year-I, a total of 9,966 students 66 percent of the total population of middle and high-school students enrolled in the county from grades six to 12 completed questionnaires concerning their sleep habits on school nights and non-school nights and various aspects of daytime functioning. In April 1999, year-II, 10,656 students 72.8 percent of the total population of middle and high-school students enrolled in the county filled out the same questionnaire. School times during year-I were 7:30 a.m. for high schools and 8 a.m. for middle schools. In year-II high schools and middle schools started one hour later at 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. These findings were published in the Monday issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.--Indo-Asian News Service398 Words15121444
Chennai, Dec 15 IANS The following is the scoreboard at tea on the fifth and the last day of the first cricket Test between India and England at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium here Monday. SPO9SportsTea scoreboard: India vs England; First Test, Day fiveChennai, Dec 15 IANS The following is the scoreboard at tea on the fifth and the last day of the first cricket Test between India and England at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium here Monday. England 1st innings316India 1st innings241England 2nd innings311 for 9 decl.India 2nd innings - Overnight 131 for 1Gautam Gambhir c Collingwood b Anderson 66 Virender Sehwag lbw Swann 83 Rahul Dravid c Prior b Flintoff 4 Sachin Tendulkar batting 65 VVS Laxman c Bell b Swann 26 Yuvraj Singh batting 45 Extras lb 9, b 2, nb 4 15Total for four wickets in 79 overs 304Fall of wicket: 1-117 Sehwag, 22.6 overs; 2-141 Dravid, 31.2; 3-183 Gambhir, 43.5; 4-224 Laxman, 56.4 Bowling:Steve Harmison 8-0-38-0James Anderson 7-1-30-1 Monty Panesar 23-3-89-0Andrew Flintoff 19-1-55-1 4nbGraeme Swann 22-1-81-2.Umpires: Billy Bowden New Zealand and Daryl Harper AustraliaTV umpire: Suresh Shastri IndiaMatch referee: Jeff Crowe New Zealand--Indo-Asian News Service188 Words15121443
TV shows featuring kids face Maharashtra government's ire ENT9Entertainment/Rights/ShowbizTV shows featuring kids face Maharashtra government's ireMumbai, Dec 15 IANS The Maharashtra government has issued notice to producers of television shows featuring children, eliciting a response on the work timings demanded from the minors and the conditions provided to them. "The producers have been issued the notice under the Child Labour Act 1996, asking them to explain if and why the children in their shows work for more than a stipulated time of six hours as per the law.x93We will take action against those producers who are violating the laws. We have given them seven days to reply to the notice,x94 Labour Minister Nawab Malik told mediapersons.The minister said it is x93not just the employers, but also the parentsx94 who are denying the children enough time for studies.x93We will also be sending notices to parents soon,x94 Malik added.Notices have already been sent to producers of various shows featuring children, including popular serials x93Balika Vadhux94, x93Uttaranx94 and "Chhote Miyan".The ones that are under the scanner include x93Jai Shri Krishnax94, x93Chhota Packet Bada Dhamakax94 and x93Boogie Woogiex94.Earlier, in September, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights NCPCR had recommended that children below 16 years of age be barred from participating in reality TV shows. But it hasn't been implemented yet. --Indo-Asian News Service234 Words15121444
GHAZIABAD NAT24National/Politics/CrimeRahul Gandhi visits slain Congress leader's familyGhaziabad, Dec 15 IANS Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Monday met the family of slain party leader member Pradeep Tyagi alias Pintu Tyagi here Monday Gandhi spent 25 minutes with the family and heard their grievances. Tyagi was shot dead by three unidentified assailants at his house situated at the RDC locality Dec 11.Anuradha Tyagi, widow of the leader, requested Gandhi to order a CBI investigation into the killing as she did not have faith in the Ghaziabad police.In a letter to Gandhi, she said no security was provided to her family and the police had not taken her help to round up suspects though she had seen the culprits.A suspect arrested by police in this case died last week in custody, leading to the suspension of seven police officials.--Indo-Asian News Service151 Words15121444
Markets stabilise in afternoon trade after taking a plunge ECO2Economy/BusinessMarkets stabilise in afternoon trade after taking a plungeMumbai, Dec 15 IANS Indian stock markets stabilised during afternoon trading Monday as a key index posted gains of 1.67 percent over its close last Friday. Realty and metal stocks were holding up the rally for Indian bourses with the realty sectoral index at the Bombay Stock Exchange BSE up 6.69 percent, while the metal sectoral index rose by 5.46 percent.The 30-share sensitive index Sensex of the BSE was ruling at 161.35 points or 1.67 percent higher mid-afternoon Monday than its close Friday.The broader-based 50-share S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange NSE was also ruling higher than Friday's close, at 2,984.9 points or 2.18 percent in spite of the dip that it took an hour earlier.�My estimate is that the Nifty would touch around 3,000 points where it could then face some resistance,� said Neera Jain, chief technical analyst at stock analyses firm CRN India.The BSE midcap index was out-performing the broader markets with a rise of 108.14 points or 3.55 percent higher to currently rule at 3,158.62 than its close last weekend at 3,050.48.The BSE smallcap index was also doing better than the Sensex with gains of 108.32 points or 3.17 percent to currently rule at 3,643.01 over its previous close last Friday at 3,530.96.Asian markets surged on expectations that the US treasury would bail out auto makers after all. The Nikkei, a key index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, was ruling 5.21 percent higher than its previous close while the Hang Seng, the key index of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, rose 2.42 percent over its previous close.--Indo-Asian News Service310 Words*15121421
CHANDIGARH NAT2National/Lifestyle/SocietyLike Lahore, Chandigarh now has its own Night Food StreetBy Alkesh SharmaChandigarh, Dec 15 IANS If the choicest of Punjabi dishes at Gawal Mandi in the Pakistani city of Lahore seem too far away, take heart. A similar Night Food Street has been set up closer home in Chandigarh for those who relish rich and spicy fare.Opened over a week ago at Sector 14, it has been seeing a mad rush of people every evening after sunset, with students, families and even visitors from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh making a beeline for it."I went there twice last week but both the times, I couldn't manage to get a set. It was that crowded," said Daljit Dhillon, a resident.The Night Food Street is open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. The eight kiosks there offer an assortment of cuisines at very affordable prices, with tables and chairs lined up right outside the shops.The food street has come up right next to Panjab University and the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research PGIMER here."Depending on the response, we will announce two to three more such food streets in other parts of City Beautiful," Chandigarh's Mayor Pardeep Chhabra told IANS."The Night Food Street will offer the cuisines of states like Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Besides, they will also offer south Indian, Chinese and continental food."There will be a proper sitting arrangement for customers and special emphasis will be laid on maintaining cleanliness and hygiene," stated Chhabra.More than 4,000 students stay in the hostels of the university."The Night Food Street will benefit hundreds of students who are staying in the hostels. Our hostel canteens close at 9.30 p.m. and we have to wander around in search of food in the late hours," said Harman Gill, a research scholar from the varsity."Moreover, we have to go to some other sector to have food and that becomes quite difficult during winters. Also, many times traffic cops stop and unnecessarily harass us. But now we do not need to go anywhere in search of food as it is right at our doorstep," added Gill.The food street will also benefit thousands of patients and their attendants who come every day to PGIMER from various states."We have only one tea stall vendor sitting at the gate of Panjab University when we come back to our hostel rooms at around 2 a.m. after studying in the library. This food street will be of great help and here we have many options on the menu," said Hemant Boriwal, a student of business management staying at the hostel.Although the idea of a night food street was proposed in 2007 by a former mayor of Chandigarh, it took almost two years for the municipal corporation here to put it into shape."The proposal of night food streets was mooted in last year's budget estimates of the corporation, Chandigarh, but somehow the proposal could not take off. This year, with the total budget of over Rs.1.5 million, the food street has been completed," said a senior corporation official.Officials say the response to the food street from those who want to buy shops has been encouraging."We had reserved the bid price for the kiosks at Rs.5,000 but we got over 50 bids for eight kiosks from people who were ready to pay a monthly rental of over Rs.30,000," the official said.Though Lahore and its Gawal Mandi are just a five-hour drive away from Chandigarh, foodies may no longer have to go that far!-Indo-Asian News Service651 Words**15120747
NEW DELHI NAT13National/Diplomacy/Terrorism/Indo-pakKerry meets Manmohan, says US will keep pressure on PakistanNew Delhi, Dec 15 IANS Sustaining international pressure on Pakistan, influential US Senator John Kerry Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and reaffirmed the US determination to work with India in bringing the Mumbai terror masterminds to book. Kerry conveyed president-elect Barack Obama's message about the US intention to keep pressuring Pakistan in order to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in that country, reliable sources told IANS. Kerry, who will be chairperson of the Senate Committee for Foreign Relations in the Obama administration, also assuaged India's concerns following Obama's remarks about appointing a special envoy for Jammu and Kashmir saying the US had no intention of intervening in a bilateral dispute, the sources said. Responding to India's concerns about the involvement of Pakistan-based terrorist groups in the Nov 26 Mumbai carnage, Kerry shared with the prime minister the Obama administration's plan to pressure Pakistan into bringing the spy agency Inter Services Intelligence ISI under civilian control. Kerry, who came to New Delhi Sunday, is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Briefing journalists Sunday, Kerry had said the Obama administration was interested in seeing "an ISI that is reforming and brought completely under civilian control". He also sought to call Pakistan's bluff saying that groups like the Laskhar-e-Taiba LeT were formed by the ISI but the present civilian government is keen to sever those links. "They formed it and they know they formed it. But they didn't know that the LeT would graduate into an enterprise of its own," he said. He, however, did not link the ISI with the Mumbai attacks. "Let me also make it clear that I don't think there is any evidence that these attacks Mumbai link up with this establishment or for that matter even the ISI, unless at some lower levels." Kerry also made it clear that the incoming administration would do its best to ensure that the Pakistan government has to disassociate itself completely from LeT, the outfit accused by India of masterminding the Mumbai mayhem, and other such groups. "The Pakistan government has to convincingly separate itself from the LeT. There is no capacity to tolerate the intolerable. President-elect Obama will be tough on that. Anyone expecting a diversion is wrong," Kerry said. Lauding India's "responsible approach" after the Mumbai attacks, Kerry said the US was "grateful" at the way New Delhi has handled a "sensitive situation". Kerry's visit to India is aimed at easing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours that could derail Obama's plan to focus on defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan by providing Pakistan an excuse to shift troops from the Afghan to the India border. He is likely to travel to Islamabad later in the day. --Indo-Asian News Service 504 Words*15121253
WASHINGTON INT10International/Diplomacy/TerrorismPakistan must take 'significant action' against terrorists: McCainBy Arun KumarWashington, Dec 15 IANS Defeated Republican presidential candidate John McCain has said Pakistan must show India it's taking significant action against those responsible for Mumbai terror attacks, some of whom live in Pakistan, and prevent future attacks."There's huge challenges out there, and that's just in that part of the overseas challenges that we face," he said on ABC TV channel's "This Week" show Sunday on return from a trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Iraq."Afghanistan, Pakistan is in difficulties. There are still incredible tensions between India and Pakistan. The Afghan government is not the effective government that we had hoped that it would be.""You've got two countries right now, India and Pakistan, that heighten tensions, both of them nuclear- armed," McCain said."And the Indians, at least from their point of view, just having experienced a 9/11, and their people are demanding that they bring these people to justice," he said referring to those behind the Nov 26 Mumbai terror attacks. "Some of them reside in Pakistan, obviously.Asked if the Indians should be allowed to take action against these people, McCain, who met with the leaders of the Pakistani government, except for President Asif Ali Zardari, during the trip, said: "It's not a matter of being allowed.""I would hope that the Pakistani government...should understand that they need to take action to show the government and people of India that they are taking significant action in order to bring those people to justice, and actions that will prevent it from happening again."So there's incredible national security challenges, which doesn't argue for but mandates that we all work together as much as possible," said McCain adding he wanted to work with President Barack Obama in these "challenging times"."So look, the president of the United States has been selected. It's time for us all to join behind him and help however we can," said the Republican leader who during the election campaign had repeatedly questioned Obama's qualifications to meet a security threat.McCain said since his return he had talked to Obama on the phone, "and of course, major topic was Afghanistan."--Indo-Asian News Service394 Words*15120933
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