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| AI hiring foreign pilots for sustained growth NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Air India (AI), which recently expanded its network through induction of aircraft on dry lease, has.......more Toyota
planning Sci-fi TOKYO, Apr 23: In 1939, general motors wowed millions at the New York world’s fair with its "futurama" exhibit......more Decline in
export THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Apr 23: There has been an 8.71 per cent decline in the export of Cashew Kernel from the.....more Narayana
Murthy is IMC MUMBAI, Apr 23: Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC) has announced that infosys technologies chairman, N R Narayana....more |
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Inflation stands still at 4.4 pc NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Inflation stood unchanged at the previous week’s level of 4.4 per cent for the week ended April 10,........more 3com to
hire NEW YORK, Apr 23: 3com corp, a Marlboro-based maker of computer networking systems, will open a software....more Laptops
now available MUMBAI, Apr 23: The Indian notebook market has entered an interesting phase with laptops now being available at the......more Tokyo
stocks up, Daimler TOKYO, Apr 23: Japanese stocks gained by midday on Friday as tech shares followed their US peers higher, but Mitsubishi.....more |
AI hiring foreign pilots for sustained growth NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Air India (AI), which recently expanded its network through induction of aircraft on dry lease, has recruited 80 trainee pilots in the past nine months. While 40 of these pilots have already been trained and released for flying duties, another 40 pilots are currently undergoing training. AI has additionally recruited 28 more trainee pilots earlier this month and they are expected to commence training next month. AI has lnducted 14 aircraft on dry lease — 11 A310S and three B747-400S — in the past three years to expand its network. Capacity deployment on destinations in United States alone has doubled from 10 to 20 in the past 16 months. The airline has also added flights to several new destinations. The national carrier is now in the process of inducting two more B747-400S for introducing flights to Los Angeles from Mumbai via Frankfurt effective June 11. As AI is the sole operator of wide-bodied B747-400 and A310 aircraft in India, it has no option but to look for pilots in the international market to meet its immediate requirement for commanders. An AI spokesman said these commanders will be inducted on one-year contract as the airline is hopeful of training to its own pilots during this period. AI has to accelerate its growth programme to protect its market-share as several international carriers are being allowed to operate additional services to India as part of the liberalised civil aviation policy. India is regarded as one of the fastest growing markets for international travel, according to surveys by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In addition to optimally utilising its own training facility in Mumbai, AI has also decided to utilise the training facilities of airbus at toulouse in France and in Britain. The step will help ensure induction of pilots in a six-month period instead of 16 to 18 months that the airline would have taken had it confined the training to its own facility. Recruitment of over 100 pilots in six to eight months is the largest ever induction of pilots undertaken by AI in its history. The airline plans to induct 20 to 30 pilots every three months for the next two years. The decision to take foreign captains on contract for a limited period is to ensure that its growth plans are not hampered for want of adequate number of commanders. (UNI) |
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Toyota planning Sci-fi tech fest for expo-goers TOKYO, Apr 23: In 1939, general motors wowed millions at the New York world’s fair with its "futurama" exhibit purporting to show in model form what life would look like in 1960. Much of what was depicted — sprawling Suburbia, skyscrapers and seven-lane highways — has come to pass as GM helped to map out a car-centred landscape as the world’s leading auto maker. At next year’s world expo, Toyota motor corp will also be out to impress — this time with real, rather than imagined, technology. Having lobbied heavily to hold the event near its headquarters in Aichi, central Japan, the world’s second-biggest car maker will spend about 35 million to excite the 15 million expected expo-goers with its latest technology and concepts that it hopes to apply in real life one day. Among the highlights will be an unmanned platoon of people-movers guided by a row of magnets in the ground, an orchestra of horn-blowing robots, and a one-seater capsule on wheels that doubles as a communication tool between drivers. "I have no doubt that (GM’s exhibit) was one of the major dgiving forces behind the ensuing change in landscape," said Shin Kanada, a top Toyota official heading the group’s expo plans. "I don’t think we can send a message to change lifestyles —there’s too much available information now — but diversification (of transportation methods) will occur." The magnet-guided IMTS, or intelligent multimode transit system, features glass-covered buses that are designed to automatically keep a safe distance between each other — an idea that GM’s futurama exhibit toyed with 65 years ago. Toyota says the IMTS would cost less to operate than today’s public transport systems since it needs no rail tracks or driver. Visitors will also be able to ride the Toyota group’s hydrogen-powered fuel cell buses, which emit only water and have been running on limited routes in Tokyo since last August. The Aichi expo will run for six months starting March 25. Toyota also plans to depict a world free of traffic accidents using the single-seater, capsule-shaped "I-unit" vehicle, which will have built-in sensors to automatically dodge other vehicles. The I-unit, still under development and derived from the PM (Personal Mobility) concept shown at last year’s Tokyo motor show, stems from Toyota’s research into it and artificial intelligence —hence the robots — to one day "teach" cars to avoid crashes. "When people walk through crowds, they send signals to each other that help them to not bump into one another," Kanada said. "It’s a distant dream, but if we could teach cars to do this, there would be no accidents, and we’d be able to build lighter cars and thereby reduce energy consumption," he said. Engineers also say the I-unit could one day become an advanced version of a wheelchair, driven on regular roads as well as into lifts and homes. Toyota knows that such a drastic step would require a concerted effort within the industry and by regulatory authorities, not to mention sweeping vhanges in road infrastructure. But a bigger challenge, it says, could be preparing society mentally, and that’s what it hopes to achieve at the expo. "The speed of progress can’t surpass the speed of change in the mindset," Kanada said. To be sure, Toyota is not alone in wanting to take the lead in future methods of mobility and "greener" cars. GM has poured in billions of dollars to develop hydrogen-powered cars, and hopes to be the first to mass-market the zero-emissions vehicles by 2010. Japan’s honda motor was ahead of Toyota in creating a humanoid robot, which it eventually wants to assist disabled people or perform dangerous work such as clearing land-mines. But with cash reserves approaching 30 billion, Toyota is pursuing next-generation technology on the broadest front by far. In addition to cutting tail-pipe emissions and building more fuel-efficient cars, Toyota last year began using biodegradable plastics developed in-house in some of its cars, and has plans to supply the crop-based material to a wide range of companies, from computer makers to supermarket chains. Its 30-metre (100-foot) tall pavilion at the Aichi expo will employ recycled paper and kenaf, and be fully reused and recycled after the event. Its share of electricity will be generated by non-polluting wind power at a nearby car assembly plant. "Our aim is to put zero burden on the environment at the expo," a Toyota spokesman said. As part of its expanding biotechnology business, Toyota is also striving towards "negative emissions" by developing trees that grow faster and lusher to absorb carbon dioxide, believed to be responsible for global warming. "New economies are entering a phase of fast growth," Kanada told reporters last month. "Toyota needs to keep growing, but the environment needs to be a major consideration." (AGENCIES) |
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Decline in export of Cashew Kernel THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Apr 23: There has been an 8.71 per cent decline in the export of Cashew Kernel from the country. In value terms, the export of Cashew Kernel had been to the tune of Rs 1,624.50 crore from April 2003 to February 2004. Compared to the exports during the corresponding period of 2002-03, the fall was over 8.7 per cent, sources at the Cashew Export Promotion Council (CEPC) in Kochi said. The quantity of exports was 90,757 tonnes during the first 11 months of the current fiscal, a decline of 4.38 per cent over the same period last year. In 2002-03, from April to February, the export of Cashew Kernel was 94,910 tonnes. On the other hand, a total quantity of 4,40,177 tonnes of raw cashew nuts were imported during the period under review. During the same period in the previous year, the import of raw cashew nuts was 3,93,008 tonnes. Exporters said there were several factors for the decline in exports, but the main reason was the requirement of permit for movement of raw cashew nuts within the bate of Kerala. The restrictions were "anti-business", the exporters said. As the processing units of a particular exporter could be spread over different places, the need for a permit for movement of raw cashew nuts therefore, badly affected the processing industry and consequently the export of Cashew Kernel, they said. Another impediment was the four per cent purchase tax and sales tax levied by the Kerala Government on the processing industry in addition to the comparatively high wages in the industry, they added. (UNI) |
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Narayana Murthy is IMC businessman of the year MUMBAI, Apr 23: Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC) has announced that infosys technologies chairman, N R Narayana Murthy, is the winner of the IMC prestigious diamond jubilee award for eminent businessman of the year. IMC president Shailesh Haribhakti said that a 6-member committee of Judges, headed by Justice V C Daga, selected Mr Murthy for the award, which would be ceremonially presented to him at a function to be held in June/ July 2004. "It is indeed a happy coincidence that our selection of Mr Murthy for the award has come at Infosys most glorious moment when it has become the first software firm to achieve 1-billion exports. Within ten years, a Rs 100 share of infosys has acquired a market value Rs 1-lakh, thanks to the extraordinary vision, business acumen and dynamism of Mr Murthy. Infosys technologies has now acquired the right global size, global brand, compelling value proposition, and is fired by a great ambition to build the next generation software and consulting company", Mr Haribhakti said. The list of illustrious winners of the coveted award in the past years included Ratan Tata (1999), Azim H Premji (2001) and K V Kamath (2002), he said. Mr Haribhakti announced that the IMC diamond jubilee award committee chose the Wardha-based center of science for villages for conferring of Diamond Jubilee Award 2003 for its contribution to environment, agriculture and rural development. The committee also chose the Pune-based baif development research foundation for conferring the diamond jubilee award for its contribution to community welfare. Similarly, IMC platinum jubilee award committee, headed by Justice C S Dharmadhikari, selected Nashik-based Nirmal Gram Nirman Kendra for conferring the IMC platinum jubilee award 2003 for its contribution to rural sanitation. "These awards will be presented to winners at the hands of M M S vice chairman and managing director, Anand Mahindra, and UTI Asset Management Co Pvt Ltd chairman and managing director M Damodaran at the chamber’s 96th annual general meeting on April 28, 2004", Mr Haribhakti said. (UNI) |
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Inflation stands still at 4.4 pc NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Inflation stood unchanged at the previous week’s level of 4.4 per cent for the week ended April 10, even as prices fell for wheat, rice, fruits, vegetables and several edible oils. The point-to-point Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation was as high as 6.60 per cent in the year-ago period indicating that the cost of living for the common man decreased by over two per cent during the latest reported week. The WPI also stood firm at the previous week’s level of 180.5 points despite the heavy-weighted manufactured products becoming costlier. The index was 172.9 points in the previous year period. Interestingly, fuel prices remained firm during the latest reported week notwithstanding the gyrations in the global oil market. Chief Economic Advisor Ashok Lahiri had earlier said the general price level would not cross 5.0 per cent during this financial year. Government revised upwards the inflation to 6.08 per cent for the week ended February 14 as compared to the provisional level of 5.84 per cent. The final WPI during the first fortnight of February was corrected at 179.8 points as against the provisional figure of 179.4 points. The index of primary articles’ group fell by 0.2 per cent to 183.1 points mainly due to cheaper food articles even as non-food articles became costlier. The index was 179.3 points in the year-ago period. Food articles’ group index was down by 0.3 per cent to 182.1 points as prices fell for barley (three per cent), wheat (two per cent) and masur, mutton, bajra, rice, fruits and vegetables, urad, eggs, condiments and spices and moong (one per cent each). Prices, however, rose for poultry chicken (13 per cent), ragi (five per cent), fish-inland, maize and jowar (two per cent each) and arhar (one per cent). The index of non-food articles’ group was up by 0.1 per cent to 190.7 points due to costlier tanning materials (20 per cent), raw skins (five per cent), raw silk (three per cent), soyabean (two per cent) and raw tobacco and groundnut seed (one per cent each). But prices fell in the case of raw hides (14 per cent), niger seed (four per cent), linseed and copra (two per cent each) and rape and mustard seed (one per cent). Fuel, power, light and lubricants’ group index stood firm at the previous week’s level of 263.7 points. It was 256.2 points in the previous year period. The index of manufactured products’ group rose marginally by 0.1 per cent to 161 points despite cheaper food products, textiles, paper, chemicals and machinery. The index was 152.1 points in the year-ago period. (PTI) |
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3com to hire up to 100 in Hyderabad NEW YORK, Apr 23: 3com corp, a Marlboro-based maker of computer networking systems, will open a software development center in India next month, according to Boston Herald. The newspaper reported that the company, which has eliminated 2,800 jobs over the past two years, would not cut any more positions despite the new move. Liam Kiely, vice president for engineering at 3com, said the new jobs added in India would relieve US engineers to work on a product, the company would release before August, aimed at helping major corporations use the internet for telephone calls. The company may appoint up to 100 workers for the India center, to be located in Hyderabad. The center will be set up by the year-end in the Andhra Pradesh capital. This is a specific initiative to support the growth we’re seeing in our voice telephony products and make the best use of the skills we have in North America, kiely told the newspaper. Still, 3com expects to pay less for the Indian engineering talent than it would pay for Americans. The move fits with 3com’s several cost-cutting measures in recent years. The company now employs about 2,100 people around the world, down from 4,900 two years ago. (UNI) |
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Laptops now available at prices of PCs MUMBAI, Apr 23: The Indian notebook market has entered an interesting phase with laptops now being available at the price of Personal Computers (PCs) and its sales all set to overtake that of desktops in the next few years. Today’s notebooks combine a mobile computer with a digital notepad to help the highly mobile users such as executives, sales representatives, bankers as well as stock market operators and brokers. This may change the scene in local trains on the Central Railway and Western Railway in the late evening hours. Chances are there that one may come across a few passengers working quietly on their laptops as the train speeds away. The entry of ACI, which entered the market with a bang some years ago by announcing that laptops were available for Rs 50,000, has changed the Indian market scenario and now their entry price is as low as Rs 29,999 plus taxes. ACI Asia Ltd chairman Hirji Patel says that the Indian customer wants more value for their money and this would drive the market in future. "Being compact in size and the offer almost similar to that of a PC, more and more people in future would go in for laptops," he told UNI here. Sales have been boosted by the rising number of multinational companies setting up shop in India and the country emerging as a global hub for software services. Due to recent price drops, says Patel, the notebook market has recently been taking a quantum leap with recorded gains of over 40 per cent for the year 2003 and the expected gain for the 2004 is around 55 to 60 per cent. Despite the rapid growth, the year 2003 ended with the total notebook sales of around 70,000 units, constituting less than seven per cent of the PC sales. Like in west, where the notebook sales have overtaken that of the PCs, the notebook market in India would follow suit. The entry level offers are unique — IBM (Rs49,990), compaq (Rs44,200). Acer (Rs44,900), Dell (Rs64,900) and ACI (Rs29,999). Says Patel, "ACI has taken a bold step by equalling the pricing of a notebook to an assembled PC price. We recently launched ethos V for Rs 29,999 with the aim to close the laptop-PC market gap." Mr Patel points out that India has a population of more than one billion people but is estimated to have an installed computer base of 18-million units. Prices of PCs in the local market have fallen in the past few years but computers are still seen as relatively expensive for India’s 300-million strong middle class, according to anulysts. In view of the tremendous potential of the Indian market, world’s largest laptop seller Toshiba in the last few years has announced a slew of products for the Indian market. The tremendous competition in India today is evident in Mumbai, where newspapers are flooded with advertisements by various companies and vendors of their laptops and their offers of memory, software, operational platform and so on. An official of ACER India feels that the growth of the notebook market can be attributed to growing awareness of the use of it, sales force automation in sectors like pharmaceuticals and FMCG groups and fall in hardware prices. In many of the big companies, the PCs are being virtually replaced by luptops for various reasons — one, it takes less space, second, one can carry it and third, it is a prized possession. According to Mait, more than 80 per cent of notebooks are sold in metro cities, but now these companies are entering the semi-urban areas too. Home segment is a major area where these companies are now focussing on. (UNI) |
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Tokyo stocks up, Daimler news hits Mitsubishi group TOKYO, Apr 23: Japanese stocks gained by midday on Friday as tech shares followed their US peers higher, but Mitsubishi group stocks sank following Daimlerchrysler’s decision to pull out of Mitsubishi Motors Corp (MMC). Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group tumbled after Daimlerchrysler AG said on Thursday it would not participate in a rescue capital increase planned by struggling auto maker Mitsubishi motors. Trading in shares of MMC was suspended. The nikkei average rose 1.05 percent to 12,105.80 by the midday break. Hopes for higher earnings buoyed tech stocks such as Fujitsu Ltd but several banks sagged on reports that Japan’s main financial regulator would notify major banks on Friday of the results of checks on their biggest borrowers. The topix index added 0.38 percent to reach 1,210.44. "A jump in US stocks and growing optimism on corporate earnings are prompting buyers to seek techs. But there’s also caution about a change in foreigners’ buying trend," said Hajime Yagi, a general manager at Meiji Dresdner asset management. Data released on Thursday showed foreign investors turned net sellers of Japanese stocks last week after a nine-week buying spree, ditching a net 81.41 billion yen ( 744.4 million) of shares on Japan’s three main exchanges. Shares of Mitsubishi heavy, Japan’s largest comprehensive heavy machinery manufacturer, sank 4.35 percent to 330 yen and trading house Mitsubishi Corp lost 6.63 percent to 1,071 yen. Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group was down 2.75 percent at 992,000 yen. Daimlerchrysler said it had decided not to participate in the planned capital increase because it could not agree an acceptable deal with other shareholders in the Mitsubishi group. Mitsubishi motors, Japan’s fourth-largest car maker, had planned to seek shareholder approval on April 30 for a 700 billion yen bailout. MMC said it was still evaluating the situation. Mitsubishi motors shares closed at 321 yen on Thursday. Meiji dresdner’s Yagi said Daimler’s move would leave Mitsubishi motors with no choice but to shrink its operations, and he would stay away from Mitsubishi group shares until it became clear what would happen next. Trade volume picked up to 840.57 million shages from 828.19 million on Thursday morning. Gainers outnumbered decliners 734 to 664. Technology stocks drew buying as investors bet the companies would report upbeat numbers when they start reporting earnings next week. But some were cautious, saying many stock prices have already factored in such optimism. "Many stocks have already factored in bright earnings results, and the market’s focus now is whether they can sustain their growth in the current business year," said kentaro nakajo, chief manager at Mitsubishi securities’ equities department. "The market will likely start feeling downward pressure when the nikkei nears the psychological barrier of 12,200," he said. Fujitsu rallied 5.95 percent to 694 yen after the electronicso company said on Thursday it expects its net profit to be 67 percent better than forecast in the year just ended due to pension-related special gains and asset sales. Electronics parts maker Kyocera corp rose 3.04 percent to 9,500 yen after business daily nihon Keizai said the company’s operating profit was expected to rise 24 percent in 2004/05 thanks to a strong performance in its fine-ceramic and electronic device divisions. Fujitsu and Kyocera are set to unveil earnings on April 27. Buying also lifted Casio computer co after the company said it would beat its profit forecasts for 2003/04 thanks to brisk sales of mainstay products including digital cameras, mobile phones and liquid crystal displays. Its shares rose 2.99 percent to 1,307. Among other notable movers, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group fell 1.92 precent to 766,000 yen. All top banks will be notified by the Financial Services Agency (FSA) on Friday about the results of inspections, the third of their kind, aimed at reducing the level of bad loans in the banking system, sources close to the matter told . (AGENCIES) |
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Your PC is infected with spyware WASHINGTON, Apr 23: While computer users everywhere have been diligently trying to stem the flow of spam into their inboxes, another threat has been spreading just as quickly - and represents a danger just as great. Spyware, software designed to track your movements surreptitiously and occasionally report your behaviour back to advertisers, has personal computer users around the world alarmed and enraged. "These deceptive applications compromise users’ control over their own computers and internet connections, and over the collection and sharing of their personal information," said Jerry Berman, president of US-based center for democracy and technology, in a recent testimony to a subcomittee of the US senate that’s looking into the problem. Bills are pending in the United States to address the spyware epidemic. Although the impact of spyware and adware is hard to quantify at this point, according to Berman, there’s no doubt that it is "widespread and can threaten privacy, security, and computer performance." That’s no news to people like Josh Thorner, a Washington-based e- mail administrator who fields almost as many inquiries about how to remove spyware as he does about spam. "When people come to me with performance problems, I almost always find that spyware has infected the computer," Thorner told the German press agency DPA. "Anyone who’s on the internet has it it’s almost guaranteed," he said. Spyware sneaks onto your computer while you’re online and plants itself on your hard drive without your knowledge. Once installed, it can collect information about where you go online, which web sites you look at, and what you buy. That information can then be passed back to advertisers. The problem for many is that spyware does these things without telling you. There’s a distinction to be made, therefore, between spyware and other software that monitors portions of your computer and sends that information elsewhere. Your antivirus software, for example, probably regularly communicates with its manufacturer so that your antivirus signatures are updated automatically. Windows, too, contains a growing number of features that communicate automatically with microsoft - such as the windows update feature, which can automatically update portions of your operating system. But spyware is, almost by definition, sneaky. You "contract" spyware unknowingly, by downloading free software online, or by unwittingly agreeing to have it installed on your PC. Most of us have become used to seeing notices on web sites advising us that we may need additional software to view a web page properly. When the notice asks us if we want to download the additional software, clicking ok can be second nature. Don’t do it. So just how bad is spyware? The most innocuous spyware tracks your web viewing habits for others to see. The worst of it is far more pernicious. It can record and transmit your passwords and credit card information it can reset your browser it can interfere with the compatibility of your system’s components. All spyware, furthermore, degrades the performance of your PC, since its activity uses up valuable processor cycles that are meant for the applications you actually want to use. "Spyware can bring a PC to its knees," Thorner says. Fortunately, there are a growing number of programs available to help you rid your system of spyware. Better yet, much of this help is free. Probably the most popular piece of anti-spyware software is AD-aware, made by the Swedish Company Lavasoft (http://www.Lavasoftusa.Com). Ad-aware scans your entire system in search of all types of spyware. It can hunt both for files and for registry entries that spyware creates, and a typical search on a computer that’s been connected to the internet for any length of time can turn up hundreds of spyware infiltrations. Removal is a one-button affair. You’ll have the option of whether to quarantine or to delete permanently the traces of spyware that AD-aware finds. Initially, it’s a good idea to quarantine items. That way, you’ll know that if something catastrophic should occur as a result of your spyware removal, you can undo the procedure. Spywareblaster(http://www.Javacoolsoftware.Com/spywareblaster.Html), another free tool, makes a good companion to AD-aware. Spywareblaster does its best to prevent your computer from becoming infected with spyware to begin with. AD-aware just cleans your machine after the fact. Until antivirus software makers begin to address the growing spyware threat, it’s up to users to take matters into their own hands. Using one of the tools mentioned here can help you do just that. (DPA) |
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India tells UN it will not
accept externally UNITED NATIONS, Apr 23: India has firmly told the UN Security Council that it will not accept any interpretation of a resolution on WMDs which imposes obligations arising from treaties that it has not signed or ratified. However, it expressed its commitment to an "effective and comprehensive" system of export control of WMD-usable materials, equipment or technologies or their delivery system and to deny unlawful access to either state or "non-state actors." "India will not accept externally prescribed norms or standards, whatever their source, on matters pertaining to domestic jurisdiction of its Parliament, including national legislation, regulations or arrangements which are not consistent with its constitutional provisions and procedures or contrary to its national interests or infringe on its sovereignty," Indian Ambassador Vijay K Nambiar told the 15-member council. The resolution hammered out by five permanent members of the Security Council - the United States, Britain, Russia, France and China - in negotiations extending over five months would compel nations to adopt and enforce laws prohibiting a terrorist or "non state actor" from getting weapons of mass destruction. But, Nambiar said that validity of the focus on "non-state actors" in the resolution in no way diminishes state accountability on combating terrorism, in eliminating its support to infrastructure or linkages with the WMDs. "As in the case of terrorism, state accountability cannot be absolved on grounds that the proliferation was the result of private enterprise," Nambiar said without naming Pakistan, but obviously referring to the proliferation admitted by its top sceintist A Q Khan. It would be a "precarious paradox" if individual states actions, despite this resolution, condone instances of proliferation or "reward proliferatant states by other means," he said. The vote on the resolution is not expected till April end and the United States, diplomats say, might consider amendments to get a unanimous vote. The resolution invokes chapter seven of the charter which makes it obligatory for all 191 member states to implement it and allow use of sanction or even military force against those who fail to do so. Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram too strongly opposed the resolution as, diplomats say, Khan, who has given nuclear secrets to North Korea, Libya and Iran, could be a target of the resolution. Akram saw in the resolution the possibility of justification of military action. Nambiar said "it must be stated that a resolution which enjoins states adopt and enforce effective laws to negate transfer of WMD for terrorist purposes and to establish effective domestic controls to prevent WMD proliferation, cannot but be supported by the international community. Most member states see the undoubted utility of urgent measures to foster cooperative actions at a multilateral level," he said. (PTI) |
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US for stronger trade relations with India WASHINGTON, Apr 23: Observing that India was projected to become the world’s third largest economy by 2015, United States has said it wants New Delhi to be a strong trading and economic partner. "India is projected to become the world’s third largest economy by 2015, and we want it to be a strong trading and economic partner," US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca said addressing academics at the center for advanced study of India at the university of Pennsylvania. Rocca said the US-India relationship was maturing rapidly and was probably better than it ever was since 1947. "The two countries’ leaders meet often and speak with each other even more often. Our military ties are growing as well, with army, air force and naval exercises steadily expanding in frequency and scope," she said on Wednesday. Maintaining that trade beting largest trading partners, remained "far below what it could be," Rocca stressed on expanding the commercial relationship. She said the US Ambassador to India David Mulford was a financier by profession who was working hard to overcome more quickly the barriers that stand in way of a significantly bigger, freer and more productive relationship. Politicians had realised that the world’s two largest democracies have had more that ties us together that pulls us apart, Rocca said. She said President George W Bush and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had announced steps to implement their shared vision for rapid transformation of relationship between the two countries. (PTI) Revenue earning freight traffic registers increase NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Continuing its good performance, the Indian Railways earned Rs 27646.15 crore from 557.39 million tonnes of revenue earning freight traffic during the fiscal year 2003-2004 compared to Rs 26231.45 crore from 518.74 mt of such traffic during the previous year, recording an increase of 5.39 per cent. Of the total earnings from the revenue freight, Rs 11749.71 crore came from transportation of 251.66 mt of coal, Rs 1149.48 crore from 43.94 mt of raw material to the steel plants, Rs 1402.59 crore from 14.34 mt of finished iron and steel from the steel plants, Rs 971.18 crore from 26.66 mt of iron ore for exports, Rs 2204.56 crore from 49.52 mt of cement, Rs 3220.44 crore from 45.43 mt of foodgrains, Rs 1202.83 crore from 25.83 mt of fertilizers, Rs 2449.83 crore from 32.02 mt of Petroleum Oil and Lubricant (POL) and Rs 3295.53 crore from 67.99 mt of other goods. The revenue freight in terms of Net Tonne Kilometres (NTKMs) in millions went up from 353194 NTKMs to 381241 NTKMs, registering an increase of 7.94 per cent, an official release said here today. The earnings from the freight traffi/c per million tonnes, however, dipped from Rs 50.57 crore in 2002-2003 to Rs 49.60 crore in 2003-2004, registering a fall of 1.91 per cent. The earnings in terms of net tonne kilometre in paise went down from 74.27 paise to 72.52 paise, showing a decline of 2.36 per cent. (UNI) |
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