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India-US partnership is essential: Manmohan Singh

SindhToday — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:08:28 +0000

New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said India is looking forward to building on the strategic dialogue with the US and seeking greater cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, services, energy, science and technology and defence.

"The last several years have witnessed a transformation in India-US relations. Today, they are characterized by greater maturity, depth and convergence of interests," Manmohan Singh said in his departure statement before his four-day trip to Washington as the first state guest of the Obama White House.

India will be among top three economies by 2050: US think tank

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:19:51 +0000

Washington, Nov 21 (IANS) Discerning a dramatic shift in the world's economic balance of power, a US think tank has projected that by 2050 India would become one of the three largest economies of the world with the US and China.

US health reforms face biggest test yet in Senate

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:05:39 +0000

Washington, Nov 21 (DPA) Another month, another milestone: US President Barack Obama's long struggle to enact far-reaching health reforms faces another hurdle Saturday in the US Senate.

It is perhaps the most important vote to date, yet just another step in the hugely divisive process that has engulfed much of Obama's first year in office.

Hindustan Aeronautics to fly light combat chopper soon

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:40:34 +0000

Bangalore, Nov 20 (IANS) A prototype of the light combat helicopter (LCH), designed and developed by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), is set for its maiden flight soon, a top company official said Friday.

"The prototype LCH is getting ready for a maiden test flight in the coming weeks. We are waiting for the final checks to be completed to commence flight trials," HAL chairman and managing director Ashok Nayak told reporters here.

India to have guidelines for probiotic food by 2010

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:05:51 +0000

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Scientists Friday said that the government was in the process of formulating guidelines for regulation of probiotic foods, which have flooded the Indian markets, and the guidelines would be in place by January 2010.

A task force set up by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is formulating the guidelines that would ensure product safety, quality, reliability and level playing for all companies introducing probiotic products.

Honeywell bets on India for growth opportunities

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:59:42 +0000

Bangalore, Nov 20 (IANS) Global technology and manufacturing major Honeywell International is upbeat on growing its business in India in the light of opportunities emerging in aerospace, homeland security, environment and infrastructure.

"We are upbeat on growth opportunities in India, where the economy is buoyant and the government is pro-active in encouraging investments in high-technology sectors," Honeywell India president Anil P. Gupta told reporters here.

Manmohan confident US will overcome economic crisis

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:52:21 +0000

Washington, Nov 20 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is pretty confident that the US will recover from the global economic crisis, thanks to the skills of the US business class and the US educational system.

"I hope the United States will recover from last year's disaster," he said in an interview with Newsweek-Washington Post in New Delhi ahead of his state visit to the US for a summit with President Barack Obama Nov 24.

Lahore lawyers condemn suicide blasts

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:49:41 +0000

Lahore, Nov 20 (IANS) The Human Rights Committee of the Lahore High Court Bar Association has condemned suicide attacks and the use of violence against innocent lives, saying there is no justification in Islam for terrorism.

"All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam. It is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence. It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians," the committee said in a statement Friday.

Oprah Winfrey brings curtain down on her talk show

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:13:32 +0000

London, Nov 20 (IANS) The Oprah Winfrey Talk Show will come to an end in 2011 after more than two decades on air, BBC reported Friday.

From her early career as Nashville's first African-American TV correspondent to global superstar, Oprah Winfrey has well and truly conquered the US.

Counter-terror pact, n-deal, AfPak top PM’s US agenda (Third Lead)

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:07:30 +0000

New Delhi/Washington, Nov 20 (IANS) India and the US are set to unveil a new template for expanding their partnership by firming up a new counter-terror framework and signing a clutch of agreements in areas ranging from agriculture and green energy to trade and health when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets US President Barack Obama in Washington Tuesday.

Counter-terror deal, trade, AfPak top PM’s US agenda (Second Lead)

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:28:44 +0000

New Delhi/Washington, Nov 20 (IANS) India and the US are set to unveil a new template for expanding their partnership by firming up a new counter-terror framework and deepening their strategic dialogue on key global issues, including non-proliferation and climate change, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets US President Barack Obama in Washington Tuesday.

Nearly 50 percent of Indian women marry before 18: Unicef

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:16:45 +0000

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) India has a legislation prohibiting child marriage, but latest household surveys indicate that 47 percent of women, who are now aged 20-24 years, were married before the legal age of 18, a Unicef report released Friday said.

The survey also found that nearly 16 percent of men, who are now aged 20-49, were also married as minors.

Rs.9.2 bn to promote Indian systems of medicine

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:15:53 +0000

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) The health ministry will spend Rs.9.2 billion this financial year for promoting Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) - the Indian systems of medicine - in the country, Minister of State for Health S. Gandhiselvan told parliament Friday.

"Steps have been taken for standardisation of drugs, production and quality control of raw material (medicinal plants), production of quality assurance of drugs, raising the standards of research and education and spreading awareness," he said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Kerala IT park projects get SEZ status

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:10:21 +0000

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 20 (IANS) The central government has formally notified the third phase of the Technopark IT campus here and that at Kollam as special economic zones (SEZ), according to the Kerala government.

In a press release issued here Friday, the IT department said the third phase of the Thiruvananthapuram Technopark will be developed over 92 acres, where the construction of a signature building with one million square feet built-up area has already commenced.

Pakistani court seeks report on US agency Black Water

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:33:07 +0000

Lahore, Nov 20 (IANS) The Lahore High Court has sought a detailed reply from the

government on an application alleging that US security agency Black Water was indulging in illegal activities in Pakistan and had a hand in the recent bomb blasts in Peshawar.

IDBI Fortis to double headcount, increase branches

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:22:06 +0000

Chennai, Nov 20 (IANS) Private sector insurer IDBI Fortis Life Insurance is planning to double its headcount to 2,000 as well as expand its branch network in the country.

"Currently we have 35 branches. This will be increased to 200 by next year and our employee strength will be doubled to 2,000," Aneesh Srivastava, chief investment officer of the company, told reporters here Friday.

Jamdani saris a big hit at India International Trade Fair

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:14:36 +0000

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Jamdani saris are known for their fine texture, elegant colours and their steep price tags - but visitors to the ongoing India International Trade Fair nevertheless flocked the stalls of Bangladeshi textile houses to buy the exquisite six yards of cloth.

Among the 20-odd Bangladeshi exhibitors, more than half were from textile houses, who had brought their prized Jamdani sarees to the fortnight-long trade fair that began Nov 16.

Late rally pushes Sensex above 17,000-point mark (Roundup)

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:59:33 +0000

Mumbai, Nov 20 (IANS) A late rally by banking and energy stocks Friday helped a benchmark index close above the 17,000-point mark, up 1.41 percent, after languishing in the negative terrain for most of the day.

The sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) -- which opened at 16,772.75 points against Thursday's close at 16,785.65 points -- shut shop at 17,021.85 points, closing 236.2 points or 1.41 percent higher.

Cape Verde seeks Indian help to develop its IT

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:55:05 +0000

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) India has offered all help to the small African island nation of Cape Verde, which has asked for assistance especially in developing its information technology sector.

Jose Brito, minister of foreign affairs, cooperation and communities of Cape Verde, a group of 15 small islands located in Macronesia in North Atlantic Ocean, had arrived Thursday on a four-day official trip to India, the first ministerial visit from the west African country.

Day after: police don’t acknowledge vandalism by farmers (Lead)

SindhToday — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:50:28 +0000

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) A day after the capital's heart was vandalised by over 40,000 protesting sugarcane farmers, police Friday said they could only do so much to prevent the situation from spinning out of control.

"There were nearly 40,000 farmers out on the roads on protest and no one went on a rampage. These people are from rural areas and are not used to proper toilets, hence if they urinate in the open, we can't stop them," Additional Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Shankar Dash told IANS.