New year festivity in Denver among Desi crowds

New year festival parties have picked up in Denver among Desi circles. There are 3 parties announced by reputed restaurants and clubs at India's Castle, India's Restaurant and Club Octane, apart from several private parties. From the tough economic times for the past two years, it clearly shows some recovery signs, though the Desi community was not much effected by the economic overhaul. On the new year's day, there has been several temples and churches are arranging for special prayers and pujas. Sri Venkateswara Temple in Castle Rock is organizing hourly pujas for the whole day, while the Hindu Temple has the traditional new year Ganesh puja offering lunch to the devotees. Apart from these, the Gurudwara and several Mosques are offering special prayser services on the day. As the new year day falls on a Friday, several people have availed the long weekend for their long trips. DesiShades will come up with more coverage about New Year in the next two days.

Mudra Dance Studio in news

12/30/2009
Today's Colorado Public Radio has a featured show "Hope and Gratitude", that emphasized the cultural  on Mudra Dance Studio. Joe and Rachel Moran have adopted a girl Charlotte from India in 2003. They want to feel the Indian culture, and wanted to make their child connected with the Indian roots. The family fell in love with the Bollywood movies, and started celebrating Indian holidays. Eventually they met with Namita Khanna of Mudra Dance Stuido in Aurora, their passion grew to a new level. Rachel described on CPR about how the Bollywood dance made a difference in their lives, ".. when we adopted Charlotte, she was 2 yrs old, but was very week and unable to standup. We needed to find a way to strength her body and thighs. We wanted to give her the cultural experience. I went to this dance school, and very much attracted towards it. It took me about an year and half to tell about learning dance myself. I never danced before in my life, but Namita encouraged me. We were so much embraced by the Indian community, the sense of family, celebrate holidays together, attend baby showers, birthdays etc. Once Charlotte fell off the stage, and everyone was so caring for her, trying to make her comfortable.. it was so amazing.. We did a mother daughter dance about two springs ago. I was so happy, that everything come together for me.. We are Indian Irish American family.. India belongs to me as much as it belongs to my daughter..something I am deeply grateful for..". For the complete article, visit CPR Website.

Popular Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan passes away

Popular Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan died of cardiac arrest in Mysore in the wee hours on Wednesday. He was 59. Vishnuvardhan, whom his fans had fondly awarded the title "sahasa simha" (a valour lion), developed breathing problems at about 0230 hours and he was immediately taken to a private hospital where he breathed his last, sources said. According to hospital sources, he died at around 0300 hrs.

His actress wife Bharathi and son-in-law Anirudh were by his side when the Kannada star died. Sources said the body of the actor, who has acted in 197 films, has been brought here.

Vishnuvardhan, a versatile actor, made his debut into the ’Sandalwood’ through "Vamsharukha", an art film directed by Janapeetha awardee Girish Karnad. He was launched into fame for his role ‘Ramachargi’, a wayward and rebellious student in "Nagarahaavu", a film directed by acclaimed director Puttanna Kanagal. Vishnuvardhan did not look back since then and went on to win seven state honours and five film fare awards.

The last film in which Vishnuvardhan acted is ‘Aaptha Rakshaka’ which is yet be released and his latest film to hit the screen is "Bellary Naaga". The death of Vishnuvardhan has come as a shock to Kannada film industry as it came a day after a well known composer and singer C Ashwath passed away.

Expressing grief over the actor’s death, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said the star would be cremated with full state honours. He also visited the actor’s residence and placed a wreath on the body. The Chief Minister, who is a film buff, described Vishnuvardhan as a towering personality of the Kannada film industry. "Vishnuvardhan, is a abhinava bhargava (born actor), Karnataka has become poor in his death", he said, urging the actor’s fans to maintain calm and peace.

Thousands of fans thronged the actor’s residence to have a glimpse of the body. Ministers Katta Subramanya Naidu, R Ashok and Suresh Kumar and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, also a film producer, paid tributes to the actor. As a mark of respect to the actor, the state government declared a holiday in schools and colleges today.

Britney will ring in the New Year in Kerala

BANGALORE: Pop sensation Britney Spears will spend the last two nights of 2009 on a luxury houseboat in the backwaters of God's Own Country. She will spend a day and two nights on a specially equipped houseboat that will float on the placid waters of Kumarakom. "She likes India, and Kerala is a new-found love for her. She will be accompanied by a friend. She will ring in the New Year while on the cruise," said a source who is aware of the preparations.

Britney's holiday organizer, a leisure water tourism player based in Allapuzha, has been asked to keep mum about her Kerala tour. "She is very particular about privacy during her holidays. She wants no media, no public glare. She wants to be with herself in a serene, romantic environment," said the source.

After her holidays, Spears will shoot for her new album in various locations in Kerala. The Kathakali dance and a herd of temple elephants are expected to be part of her new album.

The US-born Spears is a songwriter, producer, dancer, actress and entertainer. She has sold around 100 million records of her albums across the world so far. Spears was ranked the 13th most powerful celebrity and second highest earning young musician of 2009 by Forbes. She has reported earnings of over $35 million dollars in the year. The diva is believed to have visited India last year in December to meet dancer Sandip Soparrkar.

NRIs flood govt with real estate grievances

NEW DELHI: A real-life version of 'Khosla ka ghosla' is being played out with an increasing number of non-resident Indians (NRIs). Complaints of real estate deals going sour, illegal encroachment and unauthorised occupation of properties have flooded the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA).

In fact, with the recent Satyam scam casting its shadow on Maytas Properties, apprehensions amongst overseas investors has deepened.

"Property dispute is one of the most frequent complaints by NRIs. They are unable to protect their property due to long absences or lack of awareness of laws," Vayalar Ravi, overseas Indian affairs minister, said.

The largest number of complaints are from major real estate markets like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab.

The nature of the complaints are mainly protection of property that has been forcibly occupied or encroached, dispute relating to division of property or inheritance and cases where investors have been cheated by real estate developers.

The minister added that following this flood of complaints, he had written to state governments asking them to appoint nodal officers for civil, judicial and police matters. These nodal officers are independent from NRI cells that are dedicated for issues related to financial or welfare interests of overseas Indians.

The ministry has also planned a session on property disputes at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in January 2010. The purpose of the interactive session is three-fold: allowing NRIs to invest safely in realty, putting in place an institutional mechanism at the state-level for property related disputes and providing a channel for credible information relating to property and inheritance laws.

The session hopes to bring legal luminaries, NRI associations and state police officials on a common platform to hammer out a solution. "The PBD will offer an opportunity to people to debate and understand the issue," Didar Singh, MOIA secretary, said.

Among those expected to attend the seminar are former Law Commission chairman Justice A R Lakshmanan, former judge of the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe Justice A M Ebrahim, Gujarat National Law University vice-chancellor Prof Bimal N Patel, senior police officials from states, real estate developers like K P Singh of DLF Limited, CII's national committee on real estate and housing chairman Harshvardhan Neotia, lawyers who specialise on property laws for NRIs and NRI association representatives.

Avatar to collect $50 crores

MUMBAI: James Cameron's mega adventure Avatar has managed to pip Sherlock Holmes at the international box office for the second week. Avatar did a business of $75 million at the box office, whereas Sherlock Holmes took in $ 65 million. On the other hand, Alvin and The Chipmunks collected $ 50 million over the Christmas weekend. Overall Avatar has done a business of $212.2 million in the US and $615.2 million worldwide till date. In India, the movie's 10-day collection stood at Rs.500 million (Rs 50 crore), making it the fourth biggest Hollywood movie ever in India. As was reported earlier by Businessofcinema.com, Avatar’s opening week collections in India were Rs 400 million (Rs 40 crore).

Japan offers nuke technology to India

Taking Indo-Japan economic ties to newer heights, Japan on Monday offered its nuclear technology to India to enable the economy to meet its energy needs. Japan's offer to share its nuclear technology with India was made by the visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama during his interactions with the captains of industry. At a meeting with the leading figures of Indian industry here the Japanese premier said his country was keen on offering nuclear technology to India.

"During the meeting, the visiting dignitary indicated that the Japanese are interested in providing nuclear technology to India," Harsh Pati Singhania, president of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry told newspersons here. However, the Japanese side also indicated that they would like to resolve all the pending issues related to the use of nuclear technology. "The Japanese firms are interested in providing nuclear technology to India. But their government wants all the pending issues to be sorted out," he said. "Hatoyama said that Japan is the only country where atomic attacks had taken place. So the Japanese are sensitive to nuclear issues," Singhania said.

Pakistan observes Benazir's second anniversary

People across Pakistan on Sunday paid tributes to slain former premier Benazir Bhutto and offered special prayers on the second anniversary of her assassination even as her close aides called on the PPP-led government to identify and bring her killers to justice. The Pakistan People's Party organised special meetings and prayers in cities and towns all over the country, including Bhutto's ancestral town of Naudero in Sindh province, to commemorate her death anniversary. Bhutto's widower President Asif Ali Zardari, who is rarely seen in public, travelled to Naudero to participate in meetings there.

Zardari and his children Bilawal, who is chairman of the PPP, Bakhtawar and Asifa reached Naudero late last night. Bilawal and his siblings visited the graves of members of the Bhutto family at a mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Baksh amidst tight security arrangements. They visited the graves of their mother Benazir, grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and uncles Mir Murtaza and Shahnawaz and laid floral wreaths and offered 'fateha' or special prayers for the dead.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and several federal ministers paid tribute to Bhutto at her mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Baksh in Sindh this afternoon. They laid a 'chadar' and showered flowers on her grave before offering 'fateha'. Gilani said the best way to pay respect to Benazir Bhutto was to carry forward the mission undertaken by her and her father. The constitution of 1973 framed by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto will be restored to its original form and the government will take all measures to strengthen the federation through politics of reconciliation.

Manmohan urged to start Telangana process by Monday

HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to announce the commencement of the constitutional process for the formation of a Telangana State by Monday evening, failing which an indefinite bandh would be called from December 29. He served this ultimatum at a meeting of the newly formed Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) here, but its leaders felt that a holistic view, including the likely inconvenience to the public, should be taken.

Moreover, they should elicit the cooperation of the Telugu Desam Party, which refused to join the JAC after attending its maiden meeting on Thursday. JAC convener C. Kondaram told The Hindu that a final decision on the bandh would be taken in a day or two.

Talking to journalists, the TRS president demanded that Chief Minister K. Rosaiah step down as he had lost the moral right to continue after the resignation of Ministers from Telangana. He accused TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu of hatching a conspiracy to set up obstacles to the creation of Telangana and of misleading his own partymen by blaming the TRS for the attack on Nagam Janardhan Reddy, a senior MLA, on the Osmania University campus.

Congress MP Madhu Yaskhi, referring to The Hindu's editorial on Friday, "Way out in Andhra Pradesh," asked the JAC to engage the newspaper's editorial team in a dialogue over its content. He said the struggle for a separate Telangana was not over development or backwardness but it was one for self-respect. "Our region may be backward but not our thinking," he said.

Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao intervened to say that Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu N. Ram was his personal friend and regretted the JAC did not have a resource group to impress upon Editors and the media the merits of the agitation. He called for setting up a group of intellectuals to talk to Editors by Monday.

Meanwhile, in a fresh problem for the government, all 13 Ministers from Telangana announced their decision to resign to pressure the Centre. Twelve Ministers faxed 'a joint letter of resignation' to AICC president Sonia Gandhi stating that the Centre's latest stand virtually putting the statehood on hold caused confusion and anguish.

Mukesh Ambani - 5th best CEO in the world

Mukesh Ambani, who heads India's most valuable company Reliance Industries, has been ranked among top five best performing CEOs in the world by the prestigious Harvard Business Review. Ambani, the only Indian to feature among top 50 CEOs, is in the same league as Steve Jobs of Apple, Yun Jong-Yong of Samsung Electronics, Russian energy firm Gazprom's Alexey Miller and John Chambers of Cisco Systems. He is also ranked number two among the top 10 emerging market CEOs with Miller at the top.

K V Kamath of ICICI Bank is the other Indian in the list of Top 10 Emerging Market CEOs. He is ranked at number 9. The Harvard Business Review said it ranked CEOs of large public traded companies in a study conducted over 2000 CEOs worldwide. The entire group represented 48 nationalities and companies based in 33 countries. It put Ambani in the list of "up-through-the-ranks leaders" along with the Samsung boss. "Among the up-through-the-ranks leaders on our list are Yun Jong-Yong, who joined Samsung straight out of college and worked there 30 years before becoming CEO, and Mukesh Ambani, who joined RIL in 1981, when it was still a textile company run by his father.

"These CEOs may not all be household names, but here's an objective look at who delivered the top results over the long term," HBR said, ranking Steve Jobs as the top CEO in the world. Jobs, it said, delivered a whopping 3,188 per cent industry-adjusted return (34 per cent compounded annually) after he rejoined Apple as CEO in 1997, when the company was in dire strait. From that time until the end of September 2009, Apple's market value increased by USD 150 billion.

He was followed by Yun Jong-Yong, who ran South Korea's Samsung Electronics from 1996 to 2008. "Yun is an example of a leader who has stayed out of the limelight. During his tenure he capably transformed Samsung from a maker of memory chips and me-too products into an innovator selling digital products such as leading-edge cell phones." Miller was number 3 followed by Chambers. HBR said none of the top three CEOs had a MBA. Ambani and Chambers were the only two on the top five to hold degrees in business administration.

"CEOs who were promoted from inside the company tended to have stronger performance than those brought in from the outside," said HBR. Several CEOs that were "most respected" according to other reviews were nowhere in HBR's top 50. These include Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Satoru Iwata of Nintendo, Sam Palmisano of IBM and Rex Tillerson of Exxon Mobil. Many other celebrity CEOs also failed to make the cut.

They include Carlos Ghosn of Renault-Nissan, Sergio Marchionne of Fiat, John March of Morgan Stanley, Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric, Daniel Vasella of Novartis and Robert Iger of Walt Disney. "Some of these well-known CEOs have not necessarily done poorly; they are just not among the top performers in the world according to the total shareholder return they have delivered so far," HBR said. The likes of Jack Welch, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison and Bill Gates do not find mention in the list as HBR considered CEOs who assumed the job no earlier than January 1995 and no later than December 2007. "On an average the top 50 CEOs increased the wealth of their shareholders by USD 48.2 billion," it said. They delivered a total shareholder return of 997 per cent during their time in office. That translates into a spectacular annual return of 32 per cent.

Local Charity Hosts Fundraising Event for Homeless Denver Teens

Denver, Colorado – The Lion Project, a Denver group advocating for homeless teens in the metro area, hosts fundraising event on December 20. Contact: Sam Thomas – Phone: 303-596-6169 – Email: Info@Thelionproject.org

Most teens struggle to concentrate on their homework because of the temptations that surround them—video games, movies, cell phones and computers. But for the 1,567 students identified as homeless in the Denver Public Schools (DPS), it is the biting cold, subzero temperatures and hunger pains that keep them from concentrating on their studies.

DPS has seen a 16 percent increase in homeless students in the past year. Nearly half live in shelters with their families. Some live in crowded houses with dozens of strangers. Others cram into small motel rooms. Studies show that, without intervention, only one out of every four of these students will complete high school.

It was the plight of these homeless teens that inspired Sam Thomas to focus The Lion Project's energy, right here at home. Originally founded as a non-profit charity to advocate for humanitarian efforts in Third world nations, Thomas says he decided to expand the scope to include activities in Denver as well, adapting a position of "charity starts at home."   

 

"I am not able to sleep at night, knowing that there are children on the streets, under the bridges trying to get shelter from the extreme cold weather," says Thomas.

 

 On December 20, The Lion Project will host a fundraising event from 5 to 7 p.m. at Casselmans on  2620 Walnut St, Denver. State Treasurer, Hon. Cary Kennedy, will be the guest of honor. Entertainment will include Bollywood dances performed by dancers from the famous Laya Dance academy. Appetizers will be prepared by some of Denver's top chefs.

 

For more information on The Lion Project, or the fundraising event on December 20, email info@thelionproject.org.   All funds raised at this event are tax deductible and will go directly to meet needs of homeless children in Denver.  The Lion Project is working with several different organizations that are securing housing, food and clothing for these children.

 

The Lion Project can be found on the internet at http://www.thelionproject.org

The Lion Project:
7100 W 29th Ave.
Denver, CO 80033 
970-471-9379 cell
866-771-7320 fax

 

India in top 10 for online piracy

India is among the top ten countries in the world with highest number of online piracy cases, which pose a big threat to the country's film and television industry, according to a research commissioned by the Motion Picture Distributors Association (MPDA). The first report by Internet company DtecNet, based on tracking of downloading IP addresses on P2P networks, showed that from April to September 2009, India was among the top ten countries in the world with the largest number of illegal P2P activities.

Similar results were found by Envisional, another Internet company which stated that online piracy of film and television content in India is mainly through the file sharing networks and cyberlockers, or web based file hosts such. "Video streaming sites are also popular, though their usage is lower," said Michael Ellis, President and Managing Director Motion Picture Distributors Association.

According to the study, the major international BitTorrent portals were heavily used by Indians. India was the fourth largest downloader behind US, Britain and Canada. Hindi films are widely available domestic Indian content with most downloaders in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. 'Kaminey' is estimated to have been downloaded over 350,000 times on BitTorrent with around two-thirds of those downloaders located in India. The study stated that about 80 per cent of Tamil films and 88 per cent for Telugu films were downloaded by Indians.

India's first commercial solar power plant

India inaugurated Azure Power's 2-megawatt photovoltaic plant in the state of Punjab, the first privately owned, utility-scale power plant on the Asian subcontinent. Built under a 30-year power purchase agreement with the Punjab State Electricity Board, the plant will help power 4,000 rural homes for 20,000 people. Farooq Abdullah, minister of new and renewable energy, said the plant showcases India's pledge to generate 20,000 megawatts from solar power by 2022 under the country's national solar mission.

Azure Power is India's first independent power producer in solar energy. It built the plant, situated on 13 acres of farmland in the village of Awan, in a record six months, Inderpreet Wadhwa founded Azure Power two years ago after a 15-year career in the United States that most recently included software giant Oracle Corp. The 37-year-old native of Amritsar city in Punjab said he wanted to return home and do something for rural areas in India, where millions of people don't have reliable electricity.

Azure Power received initial venture-capital funding from Helion Ventures and Foundation Capital. Wadhwa encountered a number of bureaucratic hurdles in the project, including obtaining signatures from 152 local officials in Punjab, The Wall Street Journal reports. And he ended up paying more than double the market rate for the land, about $420 per acre a year. Yet Wadhwa is pressing on. His company has also inked agreements with local Indian governments of Gujarat and Harayana to build facilities that can produce a total of 22 megawatts. It is also coordinating with the state governments of Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Rajasthan for another 30 megawatts. "My aim is to be a leading solar power generator in India by offering viable and socially responsible alternatives to conventional sources of energy," he told the India Business Standard.

About 8 percent of India's energy comes from renewable sources such as wind and hydropower. Solar power, experts say, has great potential because it can work almost anywhere in India. But growth in the sector has been hampered somewhat by the high costs of the technology and inability of power companies to obtain sizeable tracts of land for the solar panels. To encourage more investment in the solar sector, the Indian government is increasing subsidies for solar projects and mandating that state utilities purchase solar power. But some experts say government support won't help as long as solar technology remains expensive.

Vikram Budhi sentensed to over 4yrs in prison

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) alumnus, Vikram Buddhi, has been sentenced to four years nine months in prison in US. Thirty-eight-year-old Buddhi was arrested from Purdue University for posting hate messages on the Internet against former US President George W Bush. Reacting to the judgement, Buddhi said: "This is a grave miscarriage of justice. I'm not the kind of person the US government is portraying me to be." I got the short end of the stick in this case, he added. Buddhi has 10 days to appeal against the verdict.

Earlier on Thursday, there was high drama in the Indiana court where Buddhi was to be sentenced. Buddhi said he wanted to fire his lawyer. The IIT alumnus, who has been in prison since 2006, said his lawyer had not bothered to meet with him or share his strategy with the PhD student. The indictment alleged that Buddhi made threats against the then US president, Vice-President Dick Cheney, and their wives, and called for bombings of US infrastructure. Since Buddhi had already fired his previous lawyer, the judge said he had to either stick with his current counsel or represent himself.

A former Math and Electrical Engineering student, who has been reading law books from a poorly-stocked prison library chose the latter saying "I have no choice but to represent myself." From then on, Buddhi spent 7 hours, valiantly trying to defend himself. At one point, when he struggled and took some time to frame his cross-examination questions, the judge said sarcastically, "Sure, take your time. We'll just sit here all day. How's that?" Buddhi has all along claimed he's innocent. The hope for him right now lies in the fact that he can appeal.

Hindus greet Jews on Hanukkah

Hindus throughout the world greet Jews on this event. Hanukkah (Hebrew word for "dedication"), with origins in second century BCE, begins on 25 Kislev and is observed by kindling of lights of Menorah. It celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, and of spirituality over materiality. It also refers to a legend of one day's supply of the holy oil miraculously lasting eight days. Judaism is a monotheistic religion of world's about 14 million Jews whose most sacred text is Torah. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

Freezing temperatures bother in Colorado

It is dangerously cold in widespread areas of Colorado this morning, with below zero temperatures recorded overnight throughout the state. At 6 a.m. today Denver's temperature was -16 degrees and the wind chill factor dropped the temperature to -27 degrees. The big chill in Denver and other parts of Colorado started on Sunday with below freezing temperatures and the trend will continue through today. Denver's high temperature today is only expected to reach 19 degrees and the high in the city tomorrow should reach 29 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Yesterday's high temperature in Denver was in the single digits, topping out at 7 degrees.

The deep freeze in Denver at this time of year not even winter yet according to the calendar - is unusual but not unheard of. The record low for this date in Denver is -20 set in 1919, according to the weather service. The normal high temperature today in Denver is 45 degrees with the normal low temperature being 17 degrees. People throughout Colorado are struggling with the bone-chilling cold.

Metro Denver housing sales surge 23 percent in November

Metro Denver's housing market showed its first year-over-year improvement in 11 months, as the number of homes sold in November surged 23 percent over the same month in 2008, data released Tuesday showed. At least part of the increase was attributed to a rush by buyers to take advantage of the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers, originally set to expire at the end of November but later extended through the spring. But it wasn't just first-time buyers who returned to the market. The median sales price for condos and single-family homes increased, a sign that more-expensive properties were also selling well.

Last month, 3,599 homes sold, compared with 2,920 in November 2008. Sales last month were down 9.1 percent compared with the previous month, when 3,958 homes sold. The data covers previously owned homes and not new construction purchased directly from builders. The median price for a single-family home was $218,000, up 11.8 percent from the November 2008 price of $195,000 but down 1.8 percent from the October 2009 price of $222,000. The median price for condos increased to $135,900, up 4.5 percent from last year's $130,000. The price also was up 0.7 percent from October, when it was $135,000.

Toronto to host International India Film Academy Awards

Toronto will be the setting of the 2011 International Indian Film Academy Awards; the Ontario metropolis will be the first North American city to host the event. The annual Indian Academy Awards ceremony is the culmination of a four-day celebration of Indian filmmaking. The 2011 edition will take place between June 16-19.

The first International India Film Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Millennium Dome in London in 2000, which was followed by festivities in cities as diverse as Amsterdam, Dubai, Singapore, and Johannesburg. The awards ceremony is reportedly watched by 350 million people worldwide and attracts tens of thousands of tourists to the hosting city.

Earlier this year, Macao was the setting of the awards ceremony. The top IIFA Award winner was Ashutosh Gowariker’s period romance Jodhaa Akbar (photo), starring Bollywood icons Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in a tale of Muslim-Hindu love set in 16th-century India. Jodhaa Akbar took home 11 trophies including best picture, best director, best actor, and best music (Slumdog Millionaire’s A. R. Rahman).

Visa rules for US tourists to change

Visa regulations for American tourists wishing to visit India may soon be changed requiring them to take a 60-day break between each exit from India and re-entry. Indian security agencies are said to have pushed for the break following revelations about the activities of David Headley, the US citizen with alleged links with the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, who was arrested in October. Investigations have shown that Headley was in and out of India repeatedly using tourist visas for two years before the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai last year, during which he reconnoitered many of the spots attacked by the terrorists on 26/11. Details of precisely which categories of tourists will be affected, when and how, are not yet clear.

A message from the United States Mission in India to American citizens in the country on Wednesday, said: "The government of India is reviewing its regulations pertaining to the entry of American citizens holding long-term Indian tourist visas. To date, these new regulations are not finalized and are being implemented inconsistently. ...It is clear that the rules will only affect those who wish to enter India on a tourist visa within two months of their last departure from India," it added.

Infosys to hire 13000 freshers

After a long dry spell, seems the hiring days are here again. Close on the heels of Wipro announcing its plans to hire 5,000 in the coming months, comes a similar announcement from its rival Infosys Technologies. The Bangalore-based Infosys Technologies plans to hire 13,000 freshers in the coming fiscal (2010-11), according to a news report in WallStreet Journal. The report quotes the company's senior vice president and group head, human resources, saying that the company will close with 18,000 freshers and 3,500 laterals this fiscal year. Recently, Infosys announced plans to double its US headcount. India's second-largest software exporter by revenue plans to hire 1,000 employees in the US. Earlier, Wipro Technologies said that it will hire 5,000 people in the next couple of months and is looking at a fresh recruitment strategy of taking in graduates from non-engineering institutes.

UK tightens visa rules for Indian IT professionals

Britain has tightened immigration rules from January for Indian IT professionals seeking to move to the UK under inter-company transfers. From next year, workers in this category will need to have 12 months experience instead of six months as at present with their employer before they can be transferred to the UK, official sources said. The immigration category will be closed as a route to permanent settlement in the UK.
 
This means that IT professionals who come to the UK under inter-company transfer will not be allowed to settle here permanently even after the mandatory stay of five years. Immigration officials also denied reports that the Tier 2 (Intra company transfer) category of the points-based system was providing a loophole for Indian IT companies to bring foreign workers into the UK.
 
Under an intra-company transfer, an employer can fill vacancies in its UK operations by bringing across some of its existing foreign-based staff. It has been claimed that this enables jobs in the IT and other sectors to be taken by migrants who are paid less than resident workers. The Home Office, however, said that this was not true. "Workers coming to the UK in the Tier 2 (Intra company transfer) category must be paid the going rate", it said.

Infosys Social Sciences Award won by PM's daughter

Oscar-winner A R Rahman's victorious run at awards ceremonies continues with the music maestro now fetching two nominations at the 2010 Grammy Awards for his soundtracks from 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The track 'Jai Ho' which got Rahman two Academy awards and a Golden Globe, has been nominated in the category of 'Best Song written for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual media'.
 

Rahman has also been nominated in the category of 'Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual Media' for 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Incidentally, this is the first time that the 44-year-old Indian musician has been nominated for the Grammys', popularly known as the Oscars of the music industry. The song 'Jai Ho' written by Gulzar for the 2008 film will face-off with Bruce Springsteen's title track for 'The Wrestler', 'Once in a Lifetime' from film 'Cadillac Records', 'Decode' from 'Twilight' and 'The Client' from 'Hannah Montana: The Movie'.

I feel like an 18-year-old: Lata Mangeshkar

Oscar-winner A R Rahman's victorious run at awards ceremonies continues with the music maestro now fetching two nominations at the 2010 Grammy Awards for his soundtracks from 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The track 'Jai Ho' which got Rahman two Academy awards and a Golden Globe, has been nominated in the category of 'Best Song written for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual media'.
 

Rahman has also been nominated in the category of 'Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual Media' for 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Incidentally, this is the first time that the 44-year-old Indian musician has been nominated for the Grammys', popularly known as the Oscars of the music industry. The song 'Jai Ho' written by Gulzar for the 2008 film will face-off with Bruce Springsteen's title track for 'The Wrestler', 'Once in a Lifetime' from film 'Cadillac Records', 'Decode' from 'Twilight' and 'The Client' from 'Hannah Montana: The Movie'.

A R Rahman nominated for Grammy Awards

Oscar-winner A R Rahman's victorious run at awards ceremonies continues with the music maestro now fetching two nominations at the 2010 Grammy Awards for his soundtracks from 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The track 'Jai Ho' which got Rahman two Academy awards and a Golden Globe, has been nominated in the category of 'Best Song written for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual media'.
 

Rahman has also been nominated in the category of 'Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other visual Media' for 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Incidentally, this is the first time that the 44-year-old Indian musician has been nominated for the Grammys', popularly known as the Oscars of the music industry. The song 'Jai Ho' written by Gulzar for the 2008 film will face-off with Bruce Springsteen's title track for 'The Wrestler', 'Once in a Lifetime' from film 'Cadillac Records', 'Decode' from 'Twilight' and 'The Client' from 'Hannah Montana: The Movie'.

Stop talking on cellphone while driving : new law enforced

Drivers in Colorado can now break the law with the touch of a button. Starting Tuesday, a law went into effect that prohibits people from typing on their cell phones while driving. The idea was to target people who send text messages while driving, but some local police departments believe the law applies to more than that. The law specifies "manual data entry" as being illegal.
 
The Aurora Police Department says that means if you are holding a speed dial button down on your phone to make a call - that constitutes "manual data entry." If you do it in sight of a police officer and he or she feels you're distracted from driving, you may get a ticket. "I just think that people need to know it's not necessarily something that the police are going to be targeting but it's something that the police can look for and might use as a reason to stop somebody that's distracted or appears to be distracted while they're driving," Officer Jason Pray with the Aurora Police Department said.
 
However, not every law enforcement agency will enforce the no-texting law the same way. The first time a driver is ticketed under the law, it's a $50 fine. A second offense is a $100 fine. The new law also prohibits drivers under 18 from talking on a cell phone.

Big B to get Lifetime Achievement Award at Dubai Film Fest

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Dubai International Film Festival next week.
The 67-year-old actor will be felicitated at the opening night of the festival on December 9 for his outstanding contribution to cinema.Ranbir Kapoor starrer 'Rocket Singh-Salesman of the Year' will also have its world premier at the festival.

Pather Panchali, Sholay, Nayagan among T20 winners

Six persons from different parts of the country were declared winners of the first ever "T20 of Indian Cinema" competition launched by the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), co-host of the International Film Festival of India, in commemoration of IFFI-2009. After collating data received from participants across the country, 20 choices from each of the 10 contemporary directors and 10 prominent film critics who were the jury were merged to arrive at a “Master Choice” list of 20 top films. Six participants whose choices matched this list were declared winners at a function held at the IFFI venue on Monday evening.

The winners
The results were announced by ESG chief executive officer Manoj Srivatsava. Only two of the winners, Manish Agarwal and Ram Kishen Adig, both from Jaipur, could make it to the presentation ceremony presided over by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. The others who got the selection right are Pranesh V. Managoli (Nagpur), Anita H. Baltilak (Akola, Nagpur), Sidharth Prakash (Bangalore) and Sucheta Jalawadi (Belgaum). With over 1.9 million responses to the competition, the top 20 films listed by the jury are: Meghe Dhaka Tara, Charulata, Sholay, Do Bhiga Zamin, Pyasa, Bhuvan Shome, Garam Hawa, Mother India, Ghatashraddha, Elipathayam, Mughal-e-Azam, Nayagan, Kagaz ke Phool, Pather Panchali, Sant Tukaram, Jane Bhi Do Yaro, Guide, Madhumati, and Anand. "The T20 was not only a promotional event but a way of exploring the country's rich cinema," Mr. Srivatsava said.

Lata Mangeshkar conferred highest French honour

The 'Nightingale of India', Lata Mangeshkar has been conferred France's highest civilian award, the Insignia of 'Officier de la Legion d'Honneur' (Officer of the Legion of Honour).The award which has earlier been conferred on Oscar winning Indian director Satyajit Ray as well as megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be bestowed on the 80-year-old singer during an official ceremony in Mumbai hosted by Jerome Bonnafont, Ambassador of France to India, on December 2.Other famous personalities who have been awarded this honour include Steven Spielberg and actor Gerard Depardieu. The legendary singer who first broke onto the music scene with 'Aayega Aanewaala' in Mahal (1949), is considered the greatest playback singer in Indian cinema having sung more than 30,000 songs in a career spanning six decades.

India-US sign six MoUs on counter-terrorism

India and the US have signed an MoU on counter-terrorism and five other agreements as they agreed to chart their ties as "one of the defining relations" in the 21st century in which New Delhi will have a leadership role in the region and the world. Besides the Memorandum of Understanding on 'Advancing Global Security and Countering Terrorism', the two countries signed pacts covering education and development, health cooperation, economic trade and agriculture, and green partnerships.

The pacts were signed after Prime Minister and US President Barack Obama held talks in Washington at the White House. PM Manmohan Singh is the first foreign leader to be hosted as the State Guest under the 10-month-old Obama Administration. They affirmed their commitment to work together to prevent the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction- and missile-related technology and to realise their shared vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.

Earlier, at a joint press conference, Obama said US-India relationship will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.

"India today is a rising and responsible global power. So I believe that the relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," Obama said.

With an aim of enhancing US-India cooperation on education and development, the two sides launched the Singh-Obama 21st Century Knowledge Initiative which will provide USD 10 million in combined funding to increase university linkages and support junior faculty development between US and Indian universities.

The two sides also launched "Green Partnership" to strengthen US-India cooperation on clean energy, climate change, and food security, reflecting their commitment to taking vigorous action to fight climate change.

They also announced launch of an Indo-US Clean Energy Research and Deployment Initiative, which is supported by US and Indian government funding and private sector assistance.

This new Initiative will include a Joint Research Center operating in both the United States and India to foster innovation and joint efforts to accelerate deployment of clean energy technologies. The Initiative will facilitate joint research, scientific exchanges, and sharing of proven innovation and deployment policies.

India and the US also launched a new Agriculture Dialogue and agreed on a MoU on Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security that will set a pathway to robust cooperation between the governments.

Under this, the two sides will cooperate in crop forecasting, management and market information; regional and global food security through the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative; science, technology, and education; nutrition; and expanding private sector investment in agriculture.

The United States and India expect cooperation under the agreement to expand access to knowledge to improve productivity, safety, and nutritional quality of food crops; to strengthen market institutions and foster growth of agribusiness investment and improve food security and access to adequate quantities and quality of food, particularly for women and young children.

Renewed bilateral cooperation in the field of intellectual property through a MoU between the Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office and Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The memorandum and action plan will focus on human resource development, capacity building and public awareness programmes in intellectual property protection and enforcement.

Obama hails 'friendship between a President and a PM'

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday night arrived at the White House to attend the state dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama.

This is the first state dinner hosted by Obama since his inauguration in office in January. Obama, along with his wife Michelle, warmly welcomed the PM and his wife Gursharan Kaur. Obama surprised the PM and the other invitees by welcoming them in Hindi, saying, "Aapka swagat hai (You are welcome)"

"Many of you were here when I was honored to become the first President to help celebrate Diwali -- the Festival of Lights. Some of you were here for the first White House celebration of the birth of the founder of Sikhism -- Guru Nanak. Tonight, we gather again, for the first state dinner of my presidency -- with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mrs Gursharan Kaur, as we celebrate the great and growing partnership between the United States and India ," Obama told the high-profile gathering.

"Mr Prime Minister, today we worked to fulfill our duty --bring our countries closer together than ever before. Tonight, under the stars, we celebrate the spirit that will sustain our partnership -- the bonds of friendship between our people. It's a bond that includes more than two million Indian Americans who enrich every corner of our great nation. And it's the bond of friendship between a President and a Prime Minister who are bound by the same unshakable spirit of possibility and brotherhood that transformed both our nations," he said.

Obama also quoted India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his speech, saying, " Nehru's words speak to our hopes tonight: 'The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the great triumphs and achievements that await us. The past is over and it is the future that beckons us now.'"

At the end of his speech, Obama lightheartedly enquired if Dr Singh had a glass for the toast, and quipped, "Just logistically, we want to make sure the prime minister has a glass here".

Dr Singh started the state dinner with a short speech, in which he thanked President Obama and also stressed on the importance of Indo-US ties.

"I feel privileged to be invited to this first state banquet, Mr President, under your distinguished presidency. You do us and the people of India great honor by this wonderful gesture on your part. We are overwhelmed by the warmth of your hospitality, the courtesy you have extended to us personally, and the grace and charm of the First Lady," he said.

Mentioning Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr Singh said, "We warmly applaud the recognition of the Nobel Committee of the healing touch that you have provided and the power of your idealism and vision. Your leadership of this nation coincides with profound changes in the world".

Batting for stronger Indo-US ties, the PM said, "We need to find new pathways of international cooperation that respond more effectively to the grave challenges caused by the growing interdependence of nations. As two leading democracies, India and the United States must play a leading role in building a shared destiny for all humankind. A strong and sustained engagement between our two countries is good for our people and, equally, it is highly important for the world as a whole."

Wishing President Obama and the American people a happy thanksgiving, Dr Singh said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to join me in a toast to the health and happiness of President Barack Obama and the First Lady, Mrs. Obama, the friendly people of the United States of America, and stronger and stronger friendship between India and the United States of America".

Besides several Senators and Congressmen, the high-profile guest list included CBS news anchor Katie Couric, actor Kal Pen, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and film-maker Steven Spielberg.

The menu at the dinner included potato and egg plant salad, red lentil soup with fresh cheese, roasted potato dumpling with tomato chutney, chick peas and okra or green curry prawns and coconut and basmati rice. The dessert platter comprised pumpkin pie tart, pear tatin, whipped cream and caramel sauce.

The hottest social event at the White House since Obama assumed office in January this year will also dish out a rich cultural fiesta featuring Oscar winning Indian musician A R Rehman and American singer Jennifer Hudson.

White House Meal Heavy on Veggies

The first state dinner held at the White House under President Obama veered away from the old-school American menu of meat and potatoes. That's because the Tuesday night dinner was held to honor India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a vegetarian. Actually the potato part didn't go away. For their first course, the 338 guests could choose a potato and eggplant salad. And for the third (main) course, one choice was roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney, chick peas and okra.

The other main course selection was curry prawns with caramelized salsify, smoked collard greens and coconut aged basmati. Other appetizer choices included arugula from the White House garden with onion seed vinaigrette and red lentil soup with fresh cheese. American guests could be forgiven if they didn't know what they were eating. And all the guests probably appreciated the fact that the cheese served with the soup was fresh. The dessert menu had a slightly more American flavor: pumpkin pie tart and pear tatin with whipped cream and caramel sauce, petit fours and coffee, cashew brittle, pecan pralines, passion fruit with vanilla gelee and finally chocolate dipped fruit.

The Obamas chose a New York City chef to put together the menu, Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit.

Obamas welcome PM Manmohan Singh at White House

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was given a rousing welcome at the White House where he was received by President Barack Obama before they sat down for bilateral talks during which the two countries are expected to take their strategic ties to a new level. Obama and First Lady Michelle personally welcomed Singh, the first State guest of the Obama Administration, and his wife Gursharan Kaur at the White House.

The elaborate ceremonial welcome, which was planned at the White House lawns, had to be shifted to the sprawling mansion due to the rains. National Anthems of both India and the US were also played during the ceremony. Singh's visit is the first state visit hosted by the administration, the highest honor extended to a foreign dignitary, and the two would discuss a wide range of bilateral issues and the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan during their one-on-one meeting.

Though the two leaders met in April on sidelines of the G-20 Summit in London and briefly at Pittsburgh's G-20 Summit, this would be for the first time they would discuss bilateral issues and possibilities of cooperation on key global issues like climate change. The two leaders are understood to have exchanged views on a range of issues, including terrorism, situation in the region, climate change, economic and business ties, agriculture and education. We can build up partnership based on principles and pragmatism, says the Prime Minister.

This is Singh's second State Visit to the US; he has also met with former President George W Bush in 2005.

The Prime Minister is also expected to have registered India's concerns over diversion of US aid by Pakistan and press for ensuring accountability to prevent misuse of funds and equipment.

After the meeting and discussions between the delegations of two countries, Singh and Obama will jointly address a press conference and issue a joint statement reflecting the strengthening of the relationship between the two countries.

The two countries will sign a number of pacts, including an MoU on Counter-Terrorism to provide a legal framework for stepped up cooperation against the menace, and discuss the problem of climate change ahead of the Copenhagen Summit. The Prime Minister has indicated that he would seek a "more liberal" US technology transfer to India and an early implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The most anticipated part of the entire trip however has been the State Dinner, when Obama and Michell host the first black-tie dinner for the Prime Minister.

An invitation to the dinner is believed to be the hottest ticket in Washington this week. While no official list has been announced so far, media reports say that some 400 people have been invited to the dinner, which would have the President and the First Lady's personal touch, including on the menu and entertainment. Grammy and Oscar-award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson will entertain the black-tie crowd, sources said.

Shilpa Shetty ties the knot with Raj Kundra

Bollywood beauty Shilpa Shetty is now a married woman. In one of the most awaited weddings of tinseltown, the actress tied the knot with London-based businessman Raj Kundra in a lavish ceremony in Khandala. The 34-year-old actress wed in a traditional Mangalorean ceremony at businesswoman Kiran Bawa's villa in Khandala, 100 kms from here, in the presence of close friends and family.
 
The actress who shot to international fame with her stint in UK reality show 'Celebrity Big Brother' did not invite many of her Bollywood associates with only Sunny Deol, Suneil Shetty, Jackky Bhagnani and Vasu Bhagnani attending the private ceremony which was out of bounds for the media. The bride wore a burgundy and red saree, embellished with Swarovsky crystals, designed by Tarun Tahiliani while 33-year-old Kundra, who arrived at the wedding venue in a horse-drawn chariot, was dressed in a maroon and gold sherwani designed by Shantanu and Nikhil.

The marriage combined the rituals of the Mangalorean bride and the Punjabi groom with the vows being exchanged according to South Indian tradition while pre-wedding rituals like 'Mehendi' and 'Sangeet' conducted as per Punjabi tradition. The groom was welcomed by Shilpa's parents and her sister Shamita Shetty, who recently left the 'Bigg Boss' house to attend the wedding. It is Shetty's first wedding while Kundra was previously married and has a young daughter.

7 dead, 53 injured in Assam blasts

Nalbari, Assam : Suspected ULFA militants triggered two back to back blasts near a police station in Assam's Nalbari district today, killing seven persons and injuring 53 others.
The bombs strapped to bicycles exploded 15 minutes of each other and 50 metres apart, Nalbari police superintendent Jitmol Doley said. Rumours of a third blast in the town were discounted by the police.

 

The first blast which was of mild intensity occurred at at 9.55 AM while the second bomb, planted inside the iron rods of two bicycles exploded 15 minutes after causing the casualty.

Though the ULFA has denied its involvement in blasts, calling it a "conspiracy by a section to derail the peace process", Inspector-General of Police (law and order) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said ULFA was indeed behind the blasts caused by an IED strapped to the bicycles. The ULFA's 709 battalion commander and in-charge of lower Assam Hira Sarania told a local news channel that his organisation was not involved in the blasts which took place six days after it burnt down 12 oil tankers and derailed for bogies of a goods train in Sibsagar district. A senior police official said there were reports of a group of nine ULFA militants belonging to its 709 and 27 battalion entering the state to carry out subversive activities.

Tata's successor may be an expatriate

Industry leader Ratan Tata has said that his successor could be from outside India.
The 71-year-old chairman of Tata Group, which makes nearly everything from salt to steel to luxury cars, told the US daily Wall Street Journal in an interview that his successor could be an expatriate. Tata's tenure is till 2012. It would certainly be easier if that candidate were an Indian national. But now that 65 per cent of our revenues come from overseas, it could also be an expatriate sitting in that position with justification now that we are a company that has global reach and global presence, Tata said to a question on how he was conducting the search for his successor.

Mukesh Ambani tops India's rich list

The head of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani, is once again the wealthiest person in India. His net worth is put at 32 billion dollars, an increase of 54 per cent from nearly 21 billion dollars last year, according to the latest Forbes’ India Rich List. Trailing behind him are Lakshmi Mittal with a net worth of 30 billion dollars, up 46 per cent from 20.5 billion dollars, and Mukesh’s estranged brother, Anil, whose net worth of 17.5 billion dollars, 40 per cent, higher than before, put him in the third place. A rebounding stock market that gained two-thirds in the past year and an economy growing at 6% have boosted the net worth of India’s richest people, according to the Forbes’ India.

Citi chief to continue with $1 salary

In the age of 10-digit salaries, Chief Executive of Citigroup Vikram Pandit continues with a compensation packet of $1 per annum. Vikram Pandit, the India-born chief executive of Citigroup, will continue to take a salary of $1 a year, although the financial services firm has raised base salaries for two of its senior officials.

In early 2009, Mr. Pandit had said he would take a $1 base salary and no bonus till the banking major returns to profitability. Citigroup had received $45 billion as federal bailout money in the beginning of the year. Although Citigroup has reported profits in the past two quarters, its continuing credit losses stands at $8 billion. In a filing to the U.S. market regulator Securities and Exchange Commission, Citigroup said the 2009 annual base salary of Mr. Pandit has not been increased and it remains at $1 per year for the fiscal year 2009.

Tata says search underway for successor-WSJ

MUMBAI: Tata conglomerate is looking around the world for a successor to Ratan Tata, the 71-year old chairman of the sprawling salt-to-steel group said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday. Local and foreign candidates were being looked at to head the group, which includes Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Power among its 27 listed companies

"We are in the process of formalising a successor to me. We have some outside consultants and a formal search process is on. There are no constraints," Tata, who has steered the group for nearly two decades, said in the interview. The successor could be from within the group or outside, Tata said, adding he hoped the person would carry on the growth path that had been set. All but one of the group's past chairmans have been Tatas, although at the moment no family candidate has been publicly identified to take over the role.

"It would certainly be easier if that candidate were an Indian national. But now that 65 percent of our revenues come from overseas, it could also be an expatriate sitting in that position with justification now," Tata said. Tata group's 98 operating companies have annual revenues of $71 billion and 357,000 employees, its website shows. The group, founded in 1868, runs India's top vehicle maker, top software services firm, top private sector power producer and the world's eighth-largest steel maker by output.

Ratan Tata has led the group's international expansion. In 2007, Tata Steel paid $13 billion to buy Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus, and Tata Motors paid $2.3 billion to acquire Jaguar Land Rover in 2008. He said the group was still digesting those acquisitions, which had been made harder due to the global financial crisis and economic downturn. The downturn pushed Tata to ask his group companies to undertake a major cost-cutting drive.

"Tata Motors was able to extinguish its borrowing of $3 billion through this difficult period, and most people don't realise the magnitude of that task," he said. Tata said the conglomerate model would continue to work reasonably well in India despite falling apart in other parts of the world, saying when the group had tried to shed some business it ran into strong objections from employees and the public.

Washington hungry for invite to Obama-PM banquet

WASHINGTON: It's not tickets for the hoop game involving Washington Wizards or for the Jersey Boys performing live in the capital region; it's not for the Beaujolais Nouveau celebration at the Embassy of France or Vinifera Bistro's Eastern Mediterranean world tour dinner. The hottest ticket in town is an invitation to the banquet President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are having next week for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan at the White House – the first State visit Obamas are hosting since moving into 1600, Pennsylvania Avenue.

It's an invitation everyone covets but no one has seen. Word is that the White House is telling invitees to keep it close to their chest because of the clamour and lobbying that will inevitably break out – especially in the desi crowd – once the word gets out of the honours scroll. In fact, so closely-guarded and tightly scripted is the event that there isn't even a whisper of the guest list or menu or entertainment for the evening – all of which will provide some reading of the tea leaves about how Obama intends to treat New Delhi at a very uncertain time in US-India ties.

This much is known: Prime Minister Singh will arrive on Sunday, November 22, and will NOT check into Blair House -- located right across from the White House -- which is the official state guest house used to check in most foreign dignitaries on state visits. Instead, the Prime Minister and his entourage will check into Willard Hotel, a block east of the White House, which is famous for having originated the term "lobbying." Local folklore (often challenged) has it that President Ulysses Grant often repaired here to relax and smoke a cigar in the lobby where favour-seekers would approach him, hence the term lobbying.

After a night's rest (more likely than getting lobbied), the Prime Minister will address the US-India Business Council on Monday morning and engage policy wonks at the Council for Foreign Relations later in the day. The next day, November 24, is when he will be formally feted on the White House lawns with the band-baja, pomp and ceremony, that he has already seen once as a guest of the Bush White House – which will make Singh arguably the only world leader who has been a "state guest" of two successive US presidents of two political parties.

Strictly speaking though, Singh's is not a "state visit" since such visits involves the Head of State (in India's case Pratibha Patil) whereas in India's parliamentary system the Prime Minister is the head of government. But since India's presidential post is largely ceremonial and titular, Washington, keen to mollify New Delhi with grand gestures in the absence of any substantial developments building on the nuclear deal, has gotten around the protocol issue by terming this an "official state visit."

Tuesday evening is when the Obamas will host the formal black tie dinner in the White House when the Americans will be largely tuxedoed (men) and be-gowned (women); the Indian sartorial equivalent, it was decided during the Clinton-Vajpayee banquet, will be the bandh-gala (men) and sarees (women). There will be brief speeches, toasts, fine food and entertainment – all of which has been kept under wraps. The Prime Minister will receive various cabinet principals (Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates etc) at the Willard on Wednesday before attending a reception for the Indian community in the US hosted by Ambassador Meera Shankar in the evening. He will leave Washington DC on Thursday morning, which is Thanksgiving holiday in US, for Port of Spain, Trinidad, to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit.

Abhi-Aish in Obama's State Dinner top 10 wish list

At a time when there is a virtual scramble for first State Dinner of US President Barack Obama on November 24 in honour of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a US news outlet has come out with its own top 10 wish list of the invitees.

 

Topping the list released by Politico — known for coverage of the Capitol Hill and the White House — is top industrialist Mukesh Ambani, who met the President early this year. He is followed by writer-turned-activist Arundhati Roy.

 

"As India has assumed a larger role on the global stage, Roy has spoken out against globalisation, Indian poverty and the country's nuclear weapons programme — though she has often stirred up controversy," Politico said and put Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat next on the list, followed by Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

 

"Rai and Bachchan (or Aish and Abhi, as they are known to their fans) are the biggest stars of Bollywood. They have billions — not millions — of fans; Bachchan has starred in more than 40 movies, and Rai can earn up to USD 15 million per film. If Obama needed to boost his popularity around the world, here is his ticket to the heart of India," it said.

 

West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi too makes it to the wish list on the basis of him being the grandsons of Mahatma Gandhi; given the personal admiration of the Father of the Nation by Obama.

 

"But politics and admiration for Mohandas aren't the only things that Gopalkrishna and Obama have in common — both have written books, and both have two daughters," it said. Bobby Jindal, the first Indian-American to be elected as Governor of a US State, Raj Goyle — the fast emerging young Democratic leaders are the two Indian-American politicians in the wish list; which also includes Raghubir Goyal, White House Correspondent, India Globe.

Immigrants now require 'permission' to stay in UK

Further tightening its noose on immigrants, the UK has proposed a bill under which five current application categories available to such people will be replaced with a clear-cut concept - 'permission' to be in the country. Under the new Immigration Bill, immigrants will either be granted permission or refused, making the rules easier for applicants and staff. Those in the United Kingdom must gain permission or face removal for breaking the law. These proposals are the next step in building on the rapid progress the government has made in tightening up Britain's border controls.

Over the past three years the UK has seen the introduction of e-Borders to check individuals in and out of the country and the implementation of the points-based system which ensures that only those who benefit the economy can come here to work. On Thursday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown had announced that doors will be shut to highly skilled non-EU doctors and engineers, and the government will consider denying visa to students seeking entry to short-term programmes. In order to bring together the essential changes that have already taken place, the government is proposing a new bill to bring forward a new legal framework to simplify and consolidate 40 years of immigration laws.

A tough new menu of conditions is proposed for those on immigration bail, including restrictions on residence, work or study, access to public funds, and reporting and electronic monitoring. The government also published proposals for a new streamlined asylum support system wherein those plying with the rules will be rewarded and tough stance will be taken against those who do not streamline the current complex system of support. "I believe our proposals strike a fair balance between supporting asylum seekers while their claim is being determined and encouraging the return of those who have no protection needs and who have no right to be in the UK," Woolas said.

Miss India USA on Nov 21

NEW YORK: The 28th Miss India USA is set to take place on November 21 at the India Cultural Center, Tampa, Florida. The pageant is organized by the New York-based IFC, the pioneer in organizing Indian pageants and fashion shows throughout the USA and the world. In its twenty eighth year, Miss India USA is the oldest Indian pageant outside of India.

Many of the past winners have made a name in the entertainment industry and have had successful modeling careers. Unmarried Indian girls between the ages of 17 and 27 from all over the United States will vie for this prestigious title by showcasing their best in Indian dress, evening gown and talent segments.

The winner of the pageant will receive an all-expense paid trip to Durban, South Africa, to represent the United States in the Nineteenth Annual Miss India Worldwide pageant to be held on March 27, 2010 at the International Convention Center, Durban, South Africa.

The pageant is presented in association with Satya Shaw, CPA, of Tampa. "It is an honor to be associated with the oldest Indian pageant in the country" said Satya Shaw "that encourages Indian values, culture, and performing arts."

Sahara One Network will be airing the pageant worldwide. "We are very delighted to be associated with this pageant," said Sudhir Vaishnav, CEO of Sahara TV network, "Our viewers worldwide will appreciate this unique pageant."

"We are very happy to tie up with Satya Shaw and Sahara One for the Miss India USA 2009" said Dharmatma Saran, Chairman and Founder of the pageant, "This will bring prestige and great exposure to the pageant," Saran said.

After US giants, American SMEs make pitch in India

BANGALORE: After US giants pursuing mega defence deals in India, it now appears to be the turn of small, medium and not-so-big American firms to make a pitch in this country, eyeing a multi-billion dollar opportunity.

The US Department of Commerce's first Aerospace Supplier Development Trade Mission to India is currently on a five-day trip to the country. The Mission has 11 aerospace companies, many of which are suppliers to Tier-I and Tier-II aerospace companies in US and different parts of the world.

"This mission is one of the many steps we are taking to foster and strengthen the relationships between US companies and potential partners in India," said Karen Zens, Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Department of Commerce, leading the trade mission, at a reception hosted here by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), Karnataka, yesterday.

The mission, which included representatives from a variety of US aerospace industry manufacturers and service providers, is aimed at introducing US companies to key industry and government officials, potential strategic business and joint venture partners and existing equipment manufacturers in India

According to a brief on commercial setting provided by the department, Indian aerospace sector ranks among the world's most dynamic, with airlines in India in the process of buying over 300 aircraft valued at about USD 35 billion between 2007 and 2012.

Apna Ghar Fundraiser collects $ 125,000

One can hardly believe that a small step taken a couple of decades ago by a few women activists to combat domestic violence and marital abuse to the women of South Asian origin by their spouses, could turn in to a giant set up - a huge and meaningful organization known as "Apna Ghar" here.

A capital fund raising campaign dinner for Apna Ghar   was held last week in at Meadows club in Rolling Meadow, a north side suburb of Chicago, to raise funds for Ghar. The event was successful in that organizers were able to raise over $125,000 which goes for mortgage for the new building that was bought recently to meet the increasing demand of uprooted women and children. The manner in which people donated was an example of awareness among individuals and institutions to secure the economic conditions of suffering women and freedom from violence in the community at large.

Kamal Hans was the emcee and did a wonderful job throughout the three-hour program. Dr Surinder Nand, president welcomed the guests while Dr. Sudha Rao, secretary briefed about the activities of the Ghar. Earlier, she had visited Indian Consulate and Indian CG Attri and briefed officials about the Ghar activities.  One of the highlights was an eye catching Kathak dance performance by Archana Jogleker, a global famed Kathak Guru from India.

In a talk to this paper, Prem Sharma, a founder and active member of Apna Ghar, said that the beginning of this  organization was  a social club for the Indian immigrant women in 1978 and later "we felt the need to do something more for the women in distress by starting a helpline." She developed this idea into Indo-Crisis Line, a helpline for this cause.
In 1983 with the help of many volunteers Ms. Sharma switched over to the plight of suffering women in the immigrant society. It was on the Gandhi Jayanti day in 1989 that she was joined by Ms. Kanta Khipple a social worker and a retiree from W.H.O. who took charge of studying the cases pouring in through the 24 hour Helpline calls.

These two and three more women from Asian immigrant community established "Apna Ghar" as a shelter for suffering women and children by registering it officially. The growing group of dedicated women to this noble cause took it up as a challenge and fought to give justice to whosoever sought their help, without any discrimination of religion, race or nationality from the Indian sub-continent. It proved to be a blessing for those who were left with broken families and ruined futures and shattered dreams.

For the past 19 years, Apna Ghar has saved many lives by giving them shelter around Chicago land where they have spread in many locations with over 150 beds to accommodate the worst hit.

The first and foremost case study done by Indo-Crisis Line in 1983 on domestic violence in the immigrant society was supported by Asian Human Services. They established the need of shelter in response to reports of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and desertion in Asian American immigrant families. And thus came the idea of Apna Ghar as the first residential shelter and social service institution in U.S exclusively working for the victims of domestic violence in the Asian immigrant community.

Apna Ghar received the first city grant in 1991 to open a supervised child visitation center. Today Apna Ghar has grown to serve immigrant women with free and confidential services and have expanded to include a 24 hour toll free hotline: A shelter, transitional housing, legal advocacy and counseling, art therapy, job assistance, child visitation services and case management.

Apna Ghar has become a training ground for a number of students and researchers. A number of start up agencies all over the US have come to Apna Ghar to receive technical assistance. For the last two decades Apna Ghar has been the only source of safety and support for south Asian and immigrant women, children who experience domestic violence.

India House Bridal Expo in Chicago gets huge response

The first ever Bridal Expo Event hosted by India House Restaurant recently at its Schaumburg facility turned out to be a huge success judging form the number of participants and visitors. The organizers, Ravi Rawat and Ravi Jayara, were so overwhelmed that they announced holding another Show at Waterford Banquet on November 15. The Show started at 12 noon and ran till 8 pm. Over 500 participants, potential customers and 30 vendors attended the Expo. Vendors with marketing jewelry, dresses, mandaps and decorations, food products and items and offering variety of services for weddings at affordable prices were present. The customers were seen overwhelmed by the over 100 items Menu on display which you could try.  Jyoti Parikh, mom of a bride having a wedding in 2010 was overheard saying she is a big time party person but hadn't seen such a distinctive and versatile menu in all her life.

Anil Rathi and his family were so impressed that they booked an event with India House Manager Ravi Rawat right away.  An American guest, Ms. Shirley Hathway accompanied by Vandana Dalal was seen having mehendi at one of the booths. The variety of tempting dishes ranged from the Gujarati Kathiawar cuisine, Punjabi, South Indian and some international favorites from Chinese, Mexican, Middle Eastern and Italian cuisine. All were indigenously prepared by Chef Jot Singh Jayara, Chef Suresh Dave, Chef Alam Singh Kathait and Chef Raghuraj Singh Ranghar. Chicagoland's very own DJ Sahil Bhatti sang some of his Bollywood numbers. DJ Chirag Patel's background music was worth enjoying. Vishal from Lasting Memories was seen very keen interacting with the customers.

Sunita Sarup Booth of Fizzi's  Honeymoon packages was overcrowded. Mr. Bill from Maharaja Stables had displayed his booth with Barat pictures having horses and carriers decorated in Indian jewelry and costume. Sapna Varma, a jewelry designer found it a perfect place to promote her latest designs. Vipul Patel of Shukan Mandap, Yogendera Thakkar of Bandhan Mandaps and Dew Patel of Atika Studios were so happy with the response that they decided to participate in the second  Bridal Show on Nov. 15 at Waterford Banquet, India House's sister concern. Other valued vendors were Jinesh Modi Photo & Video, Kalpesh Gandhi Photo & Video, Shan Kapoor Photography, Fastway Printers, Quick Color Printing, DJ Vipul and Chicago's prominent singer Shaila Khedkar. In an interview Ravi Rawat, Manager India House and Jagmohan Jayara, President India House, said that looking at the success of this Bridal Expo, India House will make Bridal Expos an every year affair now.

'Incredible India' campaign wins award in Austria

The "Incredible India" promotional campaign, which showcases India's major holiday destinations, picked up yet another prestigious award at an international tourism event in Vienna Friday. The campaign bagged the Grand Prix Award CIFFT (The International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals) in Vienna. The festival has been instituted to encourage global tourism through the audio-visual medium. While receiving the award, India's Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said: "It is a great privilege for me to be receiving the Grand Prix award for our new Incredible India promotional film."

"The film has been used extensively in our global marketing campaigns and has received worldwide recognition. After winning a series of international awards at Berlin, Poland, Romania, France, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Croatia, the film has now been honoured with this prestigious Grand Prix award," she added. Recounting how the promos were prepared, Selja said it all started in 2002 when the tourism ministry took the initiative to brand the country with the primary objective of establishing a unique and single identity - 'Incredible India'. "The campaign has generated huge interest about Indian tourism products globally and contributed significantly in the growth of tourism in India," she said in a statement issued here.

"We have been working in close association and coordination with stakeholders in the tourism industry who have all contributed to the building of the Incredible India brand line," Selja said. Selja said the film has also been produced in collaboration with the Experience India Society - a public-private sector initiative working towards the promotion of tourism in India. The film showcases India's diverse tourism products in order to attract international travellers. "This recognition will encourage us to move forward with greater enthusiasm," she added.

As Obama visits China, India will be watching

The detailed itinerary of the US President Barack Obama's first-ever visit to China, starting Sunday, is well guarded. But it's clear that behind the scenes of his global rather than bilateral agenda in Beijing lies relevance for India's changing ties with the two powers. Beijing has flashed three major signals ahead of Obama's four-nation tour of which the longest, four-day, stay will be in China. China hinted that it may allow the undervalued yuan to appreciate against major currencies. An official think-tank leaked figures suggesting that China should aim to cut carbon intensity by 4 or 5 per cent year-on-year by 2050. The foreign ministry painted the visit in words of "new era", but issued a terse statement against "foreign leaders" meeting the Dalai Lama. On Tibet, Beijing won't budge. But the outcome of the talks between Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao will impact India's trade with China and climate change diplomacy. Will Obama's visit also shape the linkages of Sino-US-India relations? Beijing's view of India-US relations is thinly disguised distrust that they aim to contain China.

Bollywood stars drive Audi sales in India

With clients like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Bipasha Basu, German luxury car maker Audi has a vital target market in Mumbai-based film stars and is looking at a 50 percent growth in India this year. "Quite a few Bollywood stars have picked up Audi cars in India. Whether it is Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan or Katrina Kaif - each of them has one Audi parked in their garage," Martin Birkner, marketing head of Audi in India, told reporters. "I won't say they make a major market for us, but they certainly are an important market for Audi, at least in Mumbai." According to Birkner, Salman is the latest to buy the car – he bought an Audi A8, while Neil Nitin Mukesh owns Q7, a recently launched SUV by Audi. A Q7 can cost anything from Rs.63 laks to Rs.76 lakhs. An Audi A8 ranges from Rs.71 lakhs to Rs.1 crore in India. Among actresses, Bipasha pampered herself with the luxury vehicle, he said.

The company currently offers a bouquet of seven cars, including sedans, SUVs, coupe and sports cars. It is considering launching more models in the coming years. "In 2008, we sold 1,050 cars in India and we have a revised target of 1,600 cars by the end of 2009. We have had considerable growth since last year, so we are projecting a nearly 50 percent growth this time," he said. He said Asia is fast emerging as a strong customer base for the company but still has time to get used to premium and luxury cars. "We are the segment leaders in Europe and our sales there are currently stagnating. But we see that the Asian region is still not fully developed in the sense that even though there is a huge amount of cars here, not many people go for luxury or premium cars," said Birkner. To promote the brand, Audi India has been partnering with Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) for the last four seasons. This year they are displaying Q7 and sports car Audi R8, which is one of the most popular models, at the ongoing fashion and luxury event being held at Pragati Maidan here. A toy car, which costs Rs.11 lakh, is also catching people's fancy. Birkner, who has come from Mumbai to attend the event, said WIFW provides an ideal platform for them to meet "right and influential" people who can become potential buyers. "Such events provide a perfect platform to meet people who are interested in premium cars. So we get a chance to build the right contacts here," he said.

Earlier this month, Audi organised an amateur golf tournament called Quattro Cup. This was the second tournament sponsored by the company and the finals were held in Hyderabad and the winners will be taken to Sydney in December.

Outsourcing jobs pushed to rural India

In India, a growing number of outsourcing companies are moving simple typing jobs from high - tech hubs to the vast, poor rural area under a win-win strategy. RuralShores is one of the companies. The Bangalore - based business consulting company has set up three data processing centers in Bagepalli, a small town in rural Karnataka State in Southwest of India, hiring around 100 local young people with a minimum of high school education to deal with data entry. "There is a lot of talent there, and we can train them to do the job," the founder G.Srinivasan told the New York Times, and in return, he said, the company gets more profits and become more competitive.

Srinivasan said in big cities like Bangalore, companies need to pay about 7,000 rupees ($150 USD) a month for workers doing the same job, while in Bagepalli, $60 USD a month is considered "excellent." Though His workers lack of college education and English language skills, there is no problem for them to read forms, input data and even write simple E-mails in English. He said the company is planning to open 500 offices across rural india in the next five years. His confidence comes from the growing business. The three centers are serving a variety of clients including an Indian loyalty card company, a national insurance company as well as an American company which hired it as a subcontractor to track down its truck drivers' work schedules. With a population as huge as one billion, India now has only about one million people in workforce,which are only limited in major cities.

A.R. Rahman to headline Sydney Festival 2010

Oscar winner musician A.R. Rahman will headline the world famous "Sydney Festival 2010" in Australia on January 16. Rahman's two-and-a-half hour free and exclusive music-dance performance will also see over 40 Bollywood dancers, singers, and musicians at outdoor Parramatta Park near Sydney, starting 7-30 pm.

Festival website says about Rahman: "Sydney Festival is proud to celebrate this inspiring and multidimensional artist". New South Wales Premier and Festival President Nathan Rees reportedly described Rahman as "without doubt one of the world's great talents".
Acclaimed Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed has applauded Rahman for creating a bridge between the music of east and west and for strengthening the worldwide market and stature of Indian music. Forty-three Rajasthani musicians from India will also stage during this Festival "The Manganiyar Seduction" concert in a whimsical custom-built 'magic box'.
Directed by Roysten Abel, the repertoire ranges from ballads about kings to mystics written Sufi songs and songs marking marriage-birth-feasts-rains; and the ensemble spans three generations. Showing multi-cultural Australia, Festival First Night will include music-dance performances by "Bobby Singh & Friends", including Australia's leading table player Bobby Singh, Sarangan Sriranganathan, The Bollywood Sensations, Rasa Duende, etc.

Defence releases 10Mhz spectrum for 3G

The Defence Ministry has released 10 Mhz of 3G spectrum prior to the auction for the same in January but is irked by the telecom department's non-inclusion of this fact in the information to the prospective bidders in official document.

This has complicated the matter as it may also necessitate telcos to re-work their auction strategies. So, with this spectrum release, two additional slots can be auctioned in each circle, but the DoT first has to acknowledge this, said a mobile operator.

While the Defence Ministry is peeved at DoT, saying the release of 3G spectrum (1069-1979 Mhz) band by it has not been reflected in the revised Information Memorandum, it has also expressed unhappiness over inclusion of certain bands of spectrum release for BSNL and MTNL which has not been vacated by the forces and has in fact not even been discussed between them.

"In respect of 3G spectrum for BSNL and MTNL (as appear on the revised Information Memorandum) spectrum allocated in five states -- Punjab, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Assam falls outside the coordinated band of 1954-1979 Mhz not in the 1969-1979 Mhz, released by defence ministry," the Defence Ministry said in a letter to DoT.

Brown vows to curb entry of foreign doctors, professionals to UK

Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Thursday pledged to curb the entry of doctors and other professionals from outside Europe into the UK in a new crackdown on immigration, a move likely to adversely impact thousands of Indians. Signalling a major shift in the Labour government's immigration policy, the Prime Minister vowed to "stem rising tide of migration". He said his government plans to restrict the points based system for determining which migrants can work in Britain. "One of the reasons that immigration will fall is the tightening of the new points system and it will continue to tighten over the next few months," Brown told the 'Daily Mail' in an interview ahead of a major speech on immigration on Thursday.

Even as insisting that immigration had been a source of "economic, social and cultural strength" for Britain, Brown said the points-based system, introduced last year to control the entry of non-EU citizens to the UK by grading incomers on the skills they can offer the country, would be further toughened up. In a major policy change, Brown is expected to announce that the door is being closed to non-EU hospital consultants, civil engineers, aircraft engineers and ship's officers, the report said. "I know people worry about whether immigration undermines their wages and the job prospects of their children and they also worry about whether they will get a decent home for their families," he underlined. Brown pledged to tighten the new points-based entry system before the next general election in June next year as large-scale immigration had put key public services in the country under severe strain and may be turned into a key electoral issue by the right wing anti-immigrant parties.

The Labour government has faced controversy as local doctors have struggled to find employment. Last week, Home Secretary Alan Johnson admitted ministers had failed to grasp growing public concern about the pressures on jobs and public services. "I understand people's concerns when they hear suggestions that levels of immigration are going to rise. Especially in difficult economic times, people have concerns," said Brown, who is preparing for a tough electoral battle with the Conservative Party which is ahead in most opinion polls. He said the British citizens want "to be assured that the system is tough and fair". "They want to be assured that newcomers to the country will accept their responsibilities...obey all the laws, speaking English is important, making a contribution," he underlined.

"We ask people to show that they abide by our laws, we ask people to show that they understand our constitution and our democracy, we ask people to show that they understand the values of liberty, fair play and responsibility," Brown was quoted as saying by the British tabloid. Brown said the latest assessments were that net migration, which hit more than 290,000 in 2005, has fallen by more than 40 per cent over the last year - and pledged it would fall further. He said this is "not an arbitrary cap". "We are going to be setting out a programme for making sure that we in Britain can train our British young people and British workers who are looking for jobs," Brown underlined.

129 in Colorado to lose Sun Microsystems jobs

At least 128 Sun Microsystems employees in Broomfield are expected to lose their jobs as part of the technology giant's recent announcement that 3,000 in its global workforce would be laid off. As part of the layoffs, expected to take place between Jan. 3 and Jan. 17, 128 employees in Broomfield and one in Colorado Springs will be given pink slips, according to a notice Sun filed with Colorado's labor department. The 129 Colorado employees were among 715 U.S. employees identified in the notice for the reduction. It was not clear how the remaining 2,285 employees will be affected — how many layoffs will take place outside the country or if additional rounds are planned for Sun's U.S. operations. Sun officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Sun expects most of the 715 U.S. employees to be let go Jan. 3, officials said in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice received by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment late Monday. In the notice, which was dated Nov. 3, Sun officials said affected employees are being given notice about the reductions to ensure that each receives at least 60 days' notice of termination. Sun provides 60 days' pay and other benefits pursuant to law, officials said. The reductions come as Sun's acquisition by Oracle sits in limbo.

Air India's losses at Rs 5,548 crore in FY09

State carrier Air India on Wednesday said that it has incurred a loss of Rs 5,548 crore in the fiscal year 2008-09. The Air India board, which met in Chennai, said the losses were primarily due to global economic slowdown, resulting in fewer passengers travelling and lower load factor.

The loss comes in the wake of IATA forecast which had predicted that the losses in the aviation industry for the year 2008 would be around $16.8 billion, followed by a loss of $11 billion for the year 2009, due to weak revenue environment and increase in operating costs.

In line with the market trend, Air India's total revenue has declined from Rs 15,252 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 13,479 crore in 2008-09. Its passenger load factor declined from 63.8 per cent in 2007-08 to 59.5 per cent in 2008-09 and the number of passengers travelling on Air India flights declined from 13.21 million in 2007-08 to 10.36 million in 2008-09.

Other major factors that have contributed to Air India's losses are steep hike in aviation turbine fuel (ATF), rise in depreciation costs due to induction of new fleet and interest rates on aircraft loans and borrowings.

Air India has been spending around 10 per cent of the airline's total salary bill to pay its team of over 160 foreign pilots and hiring firms.

As revealed by the airline in response to an Right To Information application, NACIL paid Rs 93.29 crore towards salaries and expenses to the agencies which provided expatriate pilots to Air India and Air India Express last fiscal.

Of this, Air India paid Rs 46.63 crore ($93,27,644.23) while its budget arm Air India Express spent Rs 46.66 crore ($93,33,732.11) on the expat pilots during the same period.

"In addition, the company spends up to Rs 7,500 per day to accomodate foreign pilots in expensive hotels and provide chauffeur-driven air conditioned cars to them for non-flying duties as well," a Indian Pilots Guild spokesperson said.

There are 163 expatriate pilots in Air India, besides 1,253 Indian pilots and about 200 trainees.