Pak rains rockets, BSF retaliates

AMRITSAR/NEW DELHI: Panic swept through villages around Attari in Punjab early on Saturday after six ockets slammed in from across the border.
No one was injured as the shells landed in open fields and a few rockets failed to explode.

‘‘Around midnight, six rockets were fired from the Pakistan side, of which two fell near the border outpost. We heard 2-3 explosions,’’ BSF IG Himmat Singh said.

Two rockets fell on the Kahangarh post where 35 BSF personnel are deployed, but did not explode. The BSF retaliated with artillery and mortar fire.

Two rockets each were found in Atalgarh and Modhay villages after the fog lifted. The rockets had exploded after hitting fields. One rocket hit the farm of Surjit Singh in Atalgarh, while in Modhay, one was found at the farm of Lakha Singh.

Saturday’s attack near Attari in Punjab was the third such attack since Pakistan constructed additional fortified concrete bunkers and new observation towers close to the border in Punjab and J&K.

Pakistan has reportedly built 19 new bunkers and 39 observation towers in the past seven months.

While three rockets were fired on July 5 last year, five rockets fired by the Pakistani forces crashed into Modhay, Dhoneya Khurd, Rattan Kallan and Dalekey villages in September.

‘‘Shells have been sent for ballistic tests to find out their make. Initial examination indicates Chinese origin, but only the lab can authenticate it,’’ said a senior BSF official in New Delhi.In retaliation, BSF personnel fired machine guns and mortar shells, targeting Pakistan’s KS Wala BOP area.

SOURCE:TOI

1 lakh govt schools to go 'smart'

NEW DELHI: In a bid to further improve information communication technology (ICT) in schools, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Saturday approved the revised scheme on ICT that will benefit 1.5 crore students in 1.08 lakh secondary and senior secondary schools.

“The revised scheme on ICT will cover about 1.08 lakh government, government aided secondary and higher secondary schools and would help to bridge the digital divide,” HRD minister Kapil Sibal said after the meeting. Sibal said the revised scheme, involving a cost of Rs 6,929 crore, would enable teachers and students to get acquainted with the ICT system.

The Centre would provide 75% share while the states, other than the north-eastern states, will bear 25%. The schools would be provided the required computer hardware, software and e-content for the purpose. Dependable power supply and internet connectivity, preferably broadband, would be provided to the schools.

The government has been running the ICT scheme since 2005-06. Under this scheme, nearly 53,000 schools have been included. The revised scheme envisages to cover an additional 58,000 schools.

The revised scheme aims at capacity building of more than 10 lakh teachers in using ICT-based tools for teaching through induction and refresher training. Development and dissemination of e-content in regional languages to enhance the comprehension levels of children in various subjects is another component of the scheme. A scheme of rewards for teachers and schools for encouraging use of ICT in the teaching learning process will also be instituted, Sibal said.

The estimated expenditure of the scheme is Rs 6,926.13 crore for the 11th Plan. The expenditure by the Centre would be restricted to the Plan allocation of Rs 6,000 crore for the scheme. The funding for north-eastern states would be in the pattern of 90:10. The recurring cost will be provided for a period of five years from the year of sanction.

The use of ICT in schools would improve the quality of teaching learning, school administration and information management system. Sibal said priority would be given to educationally backward blocks and areas with special attention on SC, ST, minority and weaker sections and the disabled.

SOURCE:TOI

PepsiCo gets CCEA nod to invest $200 million in India

NEW DELHI: Soft-drink maker PepsiCo has been allowed to invest an additional $200 million in its Indian subsidiary, PepsiCo India holdings,
within a period of three years, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal said after a cabinet meeting on Saturday. The cabinet committee on economic affairs approved PepsiCo’s investment plan after a clearance from the FIPB.

PepsiCo India is planning to invest over $170 million, with its bottling partners investing the balance amount. This is so far the largest investment by PepsiCo in its beverage business after its entry into India in 1989. These new investments will be spread across supply chain, fruit processing, agriculture, manufacturing capacity, market infrastructure, and research and development.

Over the next three years, capacities will be augmented in various locations, including the setting up of new greenfield plants, the company says. It has already begun scouting around for suitable locations, and will focus on states that offer the best investment environment. With this move, PepsiCo’s total investment for which it has approvals will increase to $655 million. It has invested around $1 billion in India so far. India is among the fastest-growing markets for both of the world’s largest soft drink companies—PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.

The committee also gave nod to the revised scheme of information and communication technology during the eleventh plan. While an estimated amount of Rs 6926.13 crore would be required for this during the eleventh plan period the funding will be provided on a 75:25 sharing basis between centre and states.

India asks US authorities not to take action against Satyam

NEW DELHI: India has requested authorities in the United States not to take any action against scam-hit Satyam as it would amount to punishing shareholders of the IT company for a second time.

"SEBI has marshalled a request (to US Securities Exchange Commission) and we are monitoring them. On the political level such signals can be sent and we have already sent them," Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told PTI, when asked whether the government has taken up the issue of Satyam with the US authorities.

Satyam Computer Services, now Mahindra Satyam, can face punitive action in the US as the company's shares were listed and traded on American bourses. It is also contesting about a dozen class action suits in US courts which could entail a heavy penalty on the company.

Also, the company can face action by the US Securities Exchange Commission.

"The case has been laid out quite well. And the case being that nothing should actually punish the shareholders a second time over...because any fine imposed on the company will inevitably hurt the shareholders", Khurshid said.

The American administration would understand the issue, the Minister hoped. "But I am keeping my fingers crossed," he said.

Satyam founder B Ramalinga Raju's disclosure of accounting fraud on January 7, 2008, is reported to have resulted in a loss of around Rs 14,000 crore to the shareholders.

In the US, the securities laws have empowered defrauded investors to get compensation from the errant parties. The SEC can also enforce action and get damages/ compensation for investors.

On January 7, the day when Raju disclosed the fraud to Indian market regulator Sebi, the New York Stock Exchange halted trading in Satyam after the stock plunged by over 90 per cent to USD 0.85 in pre-market trade.

The American Depository Receipts (ADRs) of Sify Technologies nosedived 17.98 per cent to settle at USD 1.46. Besides, shares of two private sector lenders -- ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank -- plunged as much as 13 per cent on the NYSE.

SOURCE: INDIATIMES

CES: Google building a Nexus One for enterprise

Once an Apple engineer, Andy Rubin went on to co-found mobile computing outfits Danger and Android. He sold the former to Microsoft and the latter to Google, where he is now vice president of engineering. He's also the guy quarterbacking development of Google's Android mobile operating system and the Nexus One--the smartphone with which Google hopes to fundamentally change the way people buy cell phones
n conversation with All Things Digital's Walt Mossberg Friday, Rubin talked about the mobile space, Google's plan for an enterprise version of the Nexus One, and its vision for the way phones should be bought and sold.

Walt starts off by asking Rubin about just how involved Google was in the development of the Nexus One.

Rubin replies, "We threw out crazy ideas to our partners at HTC, and they were pretty good about plucking the good ones out of the air and building them into the device."

Walt asks about the new business model Google's launched in concert with Nexus One. Was this something the company planned all along?

"This is the next phase of Android--taking the newest versions of the product, placing them online, and allowing consumers to purchase them directly," says Rubin. "What we've learned is that there are more efficient ways of connecting consumers with the phones they'd like to purchase...easier ways." Purchasing a Nexus One through Google, says Rubin, is a casual process. "No one's breathing down your neck," he says. "No one's trying to upsell you."

Interesting. Rubin mentions that Google is working on an enterprise version of Nexus One. What's an enterprise version of Nexus One like? Does it support Exchange? Rubin says it might, but steers the conversation to Gmail and other Google services. He also notes that it might have a real keyboard.

The Nexus One is aimed at consumers who love their Google services and live in the "Google world," Walt notes. Yet, Google is encouraging developers to build new apps for Android and Nexus One. How do you reconcile that? Isn't there something contradictory to saying "we're an app platform, we're open," and then turning around and saying "we're really a platform for people who love Google?"

Rubin obviously doesn't think so. He stresses that an OS can't be successful unless people are developing for it. "It reminds me of the accessory business," he says. "The most successful phones have the most earbuds, car chargers, etc."

Walt wonders if Rubin is at all surprised by the size of the apps revolution, by the fact that there are 100,000-plus apps in the iTunes Apps Store.

"I'm not surprised by it at all. This is what happens when you drop the barriers to entry," he says, recalling how difficult it once was for developers to distribute their apps and how easy it is today.

This new purchasing model Google has created for the Nexus One puts the company at the center of the experience. People who purchase the Nexus One think of themselves as Google customers. Rubin says, "What we've done here is to offer a mobile platform where people don't have to worry about the plumbing."

Walt notes reports about people unhappy the customer service Google is providing for the Nexus One; there is only e-mail customer service, and no phone support. Rubin concedes that there is no phone support and that there is sometimes a three-day delay in response time. "We have to get better at customer service," he says, adding that for launch, they are doing great.

Moving on to the issue now of 3G network performance, which has been a very real issue at CES, especially for AT&T. Rubin says Moore's Law applies to bandwidth--4G is on its way, and after that 5G. Walt suggests that the addition of new phones like the Nexus One and the host of other superphones is going to exacerbate the problem. Rubin says that doesn't have to happen; if carriers were more on point and did what was necessary to maintain and upgrade their networks, dropped calls, etc., would not be as much of an issue as they are for some carriers today.

In his interview with Kara Swisher earlier, Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein--a former Apple engineer--said, "I don't have an iPhone. I've never even used one." In contrast, for those who may be wondering, Andy Rubin says he does use an iPhone. "What do you expect? I'm a gadget guy."

SOURCE: CNET

Sri Lanka elect to bat

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and opted to bat first against India on Sunday in their one-day tri-series match at Dhaka’s Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Sri Lanka opener Tillakaratne Dilshan returned from injury, and Chanaka Welegedara was also included, replacing Malinga Bandara and Nuwan Kulasekara.

India made three changes from its match with Bangladesh on Thursday.

Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik and Sudeep Tyagi came in for Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra and Virender Sehwag.

Teams:

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thilina Kandamby, Thissara Perera, Thilan Thushara, Suraj Randiv, Chanaka Welegedara.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Sudeep Tyagi.

Umpires: Enamul Haque, Bangladesh, I.J. Gould, England.

TV Umpire: Sharfuddoula, Bangladesh. Match Referee: AJ Pycroft, Zimbabwe.

source: the hindu

Indian media told to show restraint after latest assault in Australia

The Indian government has urged its media to show restraint when reporting attacks on Indian students in Australia.

As an Indian man recovers in hospital after allegedly being attacked and set alight in Melbourne on Saturday, the Indian foreign ministry warned that the Indian media's aggressive coverage on recent violence could have a bearing on bilateral relations between the two countries. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash called on the local media to "exercise utmost restraint."

The comments followed the second attack on Indians in a week. On Saturday evening Jaspreet Singh claims he was doused with petrol and set alight by a group of four males as he parked his car near his home after a night out with his wife.

The previous weekend, graduate student Nitin Garg was stabbed to death as he walked to work at a fast food restaurant in Melbourne.Mr Garg's body was flown him today. His death sparked protests in India amid aggressive media reports that alleged the attack was racially motivated.

On Friday the Australian government was forced to defend police after an Indian newspaper published a cartoon depicting a policeman as a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

The cartoon, which shows a person wearing the white robes of the KKK and an Australian police badge, reads: "We are yet to ascertain the nature of the crime."

The Australian government today welcomed India's move to temper anger over the attacks, which follow a spate of assaults on indian students in the middle of last year.

"I am very pleased that overnight the government has issued what I believe is a very constructive and responsible advice and that is not to overreact to it, to understand that investigations are being undertaken," said Simon Crean, the acting Trade Minister.

"We need to get all of the facts first and we shouldn't overreact until all of the facts are in."

The attacks last year sparked street protests and strained relations between Canberra and Delhi. Australian Prime Minister visited India in November to reassure the Indian government that its students were safe in Australia, as teh growing row threatened Australia's lucrative education trade with India.

The number of Indian students in Australia has rocketed in the last few years, since the Australian government offered permanent residency to overseas students enrolled at Australian colleges. PR, as it is commonly known, has spawned a vast overseas education industry worth $15 billion to Australia, $2.3 billion of which comes from India alone.

Although Australian police have insisted the crimes were not racially motivated, Australia's High Commissioner to India, Peter Varghese, admitted this week that race might have been a motive for some of the attacks, particularly where the attackers engaged in racial abuse.

His admission came shortly after the Indian government issued a travel advisory for Indian students travelling to Australia, warning them of an increased risk of assault, especially in Melbourne.

Mr Crean today reiterated there was no evidence to suggest that the recent attacks were racist.

"I think it is important in terms of the two most recent events that it is not only the Victorian police saying that there is no evidence in either case that the murder and then the subsequent attack were racially based.

"I think it is also important in terms of the most recent incident, that a relative of Mr Singh ... also doesn't believe that it was racially based," he said.

There is some uncertainty over the incident involving Mr Singh, which Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Neil Smyth described as "a bit strange".

He said there was no evidence it was racially motivated.

A police source told Fairfax Media "there are things that don't add up in the initial reports".

A police spokeswoman said the investigation was ongoing and the first task was always to establish whether a crime had occurred.

source: indiatimes