July 2008 Archives

UK house prices showed their biggest annual fall since the Nationwide began its housing survey in 1991.

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The 8.1% annual decline came after house prices dropped by 1.7% in July, the building society said. The average home now costs £169,316 which is nearly £15,000 cheaper than in the same month last year.

Full Story: UK house price fall 'at a record'

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Prakash Amte, son of well-known social activist Baba Amte and his Mandakini Amte have been awarded the 2008 Ramon Magasaysau Award for community leadership.

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"In electing Prakash Amte and Mandakini Amte to receive the 2008 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, the board of trustees recognises their enhancing the capacity of the Madia Gonds to adapt positively in today's India, through healing and teaching and other compassionate interventions," the board of trustees of the Ramon Magasaysay Foundation said while naming the couple for the award. "Prakash Amte grew up in Anandwan, an ashram and rehabilitation center for lepers in Maharashtra founded by his father, the renowned Gandhian humanitarian Murlidhar Devidas Amte, or Baba Amte. Prakash was busy with post-graduate surgical studies in Nagpur when Baba Amte called him, in 1974, to take over a new project among the Madia Gonds. In a leap of faith, he and his wife Mandakini abandoned their urban practices and moved to remote Hemalkasa," the citation reads.

Full Story: Prakash and Mandakini Amte win Magsaysay award

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British Gas owner Centrica says it is raising gas prices by a record 35% and electricity prices by 9%.

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The UK's biggest domestic energy supplier said that the price hikes would take place with immediate effect. It blamed "soaring wholesale energy prices", but added that standard tariff prices would not rise again in 2008.

Full Story: Record rise for British Gas bills

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The Bombay High Court on August 1, will hear a petition seeking an amendment to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act regarding allowing the termination of a pregnancy beyond 20-weeks only if the mother faces a fatal risk.

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        In an order passed on Tuesday, a division bench of justices J N Patel and K K Tated directed a committee of doctors to examine a 25-week pregnant woman and admit her for termination of pregnancy.         The court has sought medical reports on August 1, from the committee of doctors constituted under its direction by the dean of the state-run JJ Hospital.

Full Story: Bombay HC to hear abortion law plea

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Marathon talks in Geneva aimed at liberalising global trade have collapsed, the head of the World Trade Organisation has said.

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Pascal Lamy confirmed the failure, which officials have blamed on China, India and the US failing to agree on import rules. The talks were launched in 2001 in Doha and were seen as providing a cornerstone for future global trade.

Full Story: World trade talks end in collapse

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A $20 million yoga and ayurveda research centre, the first outside India that has been modeled after Baba Ramdev's Pathanjali Yog Peeth in Haridwar, was consecrated in Rosenberg, Texas, this month with the yoga guru presiding over the consecration ceremony.

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At a blooming cotton field in Rosenberg, Fort Bend County, about 25 miles from Houston, Ramdev and his associates chanted ancient Vedic hymns amid lighting of the holy fire as he sanctified the 94-acre ground for the proposed centre. Ramdev said he envisions a "yoga revolution" in the western world with the establishment of the centre where India's culture and tradition, yoga and ayurveda, will thrive and help Americans to get treatment and cure for illness.

Full Story: US: Baba Ramdev consecrates land for yoga centre

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British Airways and Spain's Iberia are holding talks on a possible merger, the two airlines have said.

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The firms said the British Airways and Iberia brands would be retained as part of a combined group under the plans. BA boss Willie Walsh said the proposed merger would help the airlines in the current economic environment.

Full Story: BA and Iberia hold merger talks

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Images ] came under the terror radar with 18 live bombs being from residential areas as the Gujarat police detained three men for questioning in connection with the serial blasts. All bombs had been defused.

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All the bombs were recovered from different parts of Varacha area, housing most of Surat's diamond processing units, in a span of four hours, putting severe pressure on the city's bomb disposal squad. Panic gripped the city as the explosive devices were found from residential localities and the diamond workshop areas which the terrorists apparently wanted to target. They were all defused by the bomb disposal squad.

Full Story: 18 bombs defused in Surat, 3 detained

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House prices in England and Wales fell by 1% in June from May, according to figures from the Land Registry.

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That drop meant that the annual rate of increase was 0.1%, the tenth consecutive month that the annual rate of growth has slowed. Despite the current slowdown, which has been caused by tougher lending demands, a social housing group predicted that house prices would rise 25% by 2013.

Full Story: House prices 'fall 1% in June'

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In yet another breach of the bilateral ceasefire, a posse of Pakistan army soldiers intruded into the Indian side of the Line of Control in the Lipa sector in north Kashmir Kupwara district, and resorted to heavy firing at an army patrol, killing one soldier on the spot.

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"We are not aware of any casualties on their side. It is night time and we will come to know of it on Tuesday morning." "Heavy firing exchange is continuing in the area," Captain Neha said. This is the first major incident on the LoC, after the two countries announced a bilateral ceasefire all along the LoC and international border which was holding effectively.

Full Story: Pak troops attack Indian border post, jawan killed

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Ryanair has warned it could make an annual loss of up to 60 million euros (£47.4m) if oil prices stayed high and it continued cutting fares.

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The budget carrier said net profits in the three months to the end of June had fallen by 85% to 21m euros - below analysts expectations. The soaring price of jet fuel, combined with customers cutting back on flying, has seen many airlines struggle.

Full Story: Ryanair hit by high fuel prices

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Two more persons have been detained for questioning by the police in Chennai following the arrest of a suspected militant Abdul Gafur for allegedly plotting to carry out bomb attacks in Tamil Nadu on August 15.

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The two, Heera alias Kasim of Tirunelveli and Abdul Khader of Mannadi in Chennai were picked up on Sunday night, on information provided by Gafur, who was held on Sunday in Tirunelveli. "Gafur named them as his associates. A special team from Tirunelveli will be arriving in Chennai on Monday to interrogate the two," police sources said.

Full Story: Chennai: 2 more detained after militant's arrest

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Union workers at German airline Lufthansa are set to strike after a pay dispute. The stoppage will affect both domestic and international flights.

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The Verdi public sector union called the strike after 90.7% of its members, including ground and cabin workers, backed a walk-out starting on Monday. The union wants a pay rise of 9.8%, while the airline is offering 6.7% in two stages, according to the union.

Full Story: Lufthansa workers set to strike

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The investigation into the serial blasts in Bengaluru has intensified with the police on Sunday questioning an unknown number of people as the needle of suspicion still pointed towards banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India, with the crack team pursuing leads.

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The Bengaluru police are also in touch with their Ahmedabad counterparts following reports that the blasts there on Saturday were similar in nature to that took place in Bengaluru a day earlier. The crack team headed by Joint Commissioner of Police Gopal Hosur, entrusted with the task of uncovering the plot, is in the process of piecing together the clues.

Full Story: Bengaluru cops intensify probe into serial blasts

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Some European Union countries have expressed concerns over proposed concessions made by trade negotiator Peter Mandelson at talks in Geneva.

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The discussions are trying to save the Doha round of talks, begun in 2001, intended to liberalise world trade. But senior politicians from Italy, France and Ireland are worried about moves which would force them to cut subsidies to their farmers.

Full Story: Concerns over proposed trade deal

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At least 29 people were killed and over 100 were injured as 16 serial bomb blasts rocked Ahmedabad on Saturday evening. Cycles were probably used to plant the bombs while some were placed on buses, G K Parmar, joint commissioner of Ahmedbad police, told rediff.com .  Parmar said that the police are on the lookout for more live bombs. The explosions occurred at Maninagar, Isanpur, Narol circle, Bapunagar, Hatkeshwar and Sarangpur bridge, Sarkej and Odhav and created a wave of panic.

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Crowded areas including market places were hit in the synchronised 'low-intensity' explosions in a space of 60 to 70 minutes after the first blast hit Maninagar at 6.45 pm. The bombs placed in tiffin boxes were strapped on to bicycles. Some of the blast sites were in sensitive areas in the old city but the situation was peaceful as the night wore on. There were three blasts in Maninagar--the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi--and two in Sarkhej targeting a state transport CNG bus and near the old Sangam theatre.

Full Story: Serial blasts rock Ahmedabad

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EDF Energy has announced it is putting up gas prices by 22% and electricity prices by 17% for domestic customers.

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The firm has blamed the increase, which comes into effect on 25 July, on record wholesale energy costs. Energy companies have been widely expected to raise the costs of utility bills this summer, as wholesale prices have been rising.

Full Story: EDF raises gas and electricity bills

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A court on Friday granted bail to senior Shiv Sena leader and former Member of Parliament Madhukar Sarpotdar, who has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment in a 1992-93 riot case in Mumbai.

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The Sena leader was held guilty under Section 153(A) of the Indian Penal Code for giving inflammatory speeches aimed at inciting enmity between two communities. He had led a group of about 500 persons from the Ganesh Utsav Samiti Mandal in suburban Kherwadi to re-install a Ganesh statue damaged during riots in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition.

Full Story: Sena leader Sarpotdar gets bail in Mumbai riots case

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The "ethical" fish restaurant group, Loch Fyne, pays staff salaries below the minimum wage, the BBC has learned.

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It relies on customer tips to boost total pay to a lawful level, along with a growing number of restaurants. Loch Fyne champions marine conservation, and proclaims a corporate philosophy of "an enterprise with respect for animals, people and ecology." The Unite union called the company's behaviour "appalling", and said all restaurant staff should be on a minimum wage salary, as well as getting a fair share of tips.

Full Story: Loch Fyne wages 'below minimum'

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, 49, the longest-serving Indian American legislator who was first elected in 1990, and has served in this leadership position since 2003 making him one of the most influential politicians in the state, has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, and under a plea agreement received no jail time but only unsupervised probation and ordered to pay a fine of $200 and court costs.

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Under the plea agreement, his arrest record was also to be expunged from his record if he stayed sober by abstaining from alcohol use and out of trouble for the period of his unsupervised probation for a year and also attend a meeting of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. , where he maintains his residence, apologized to the community at a hearing in Montgomery County District Court.

Full Story: I made a mistake, says DUI Indian-American lawmaker

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French energy firm EDF and British Gas owner Centrica are set to announce that they have bought UK nuclear firm British Energy, the BBC has learned.

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The BBC's business editor Robert Peston said EDF and Centrica will probably announce early next week they are paying more than £12bn for the company. British Energy, which owns eight UK nuclear power stations, has been on the auction block for months.

Full Story: British Energy close to sale deal

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India and other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries are likely to firm up an accord next month in Colombo for mutual cooperation to deal with criminal matters.

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] . "The convention would provide a broad framework for SAARC member states to mutually cooperate and assist in the investigation and prosecution of crime and the tracing, restraint and forfeiture of the proceeds and instruments of crime," Information and Broadcasting Minister PR Dasmunsi told media-persons in Delhi. The Cabinet also gave its nod for signing an agreement for setting up the South Asia Regional Standards Organisation during the dummit.

Full Story: SAARC summit may see pact on criminal cases

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Six of the UK's biggest net providers are believed to be backing a government plan to tackle music piracy online.

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The plan commits the firms to working towards a "significant reduction" in the illegal sharing of music. The first stage of the campaign will involve hundreds of thousands of letters being sent to net users suspected of illegally sharing music.

Full Story: Net firms in music pirates deal

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The Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday expelled its Ropar MP Sukhdev Singh Libra from the party for defying the party whip to vote against the UPA government during the confidence motion.

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Earlier, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had also lashed out at Libra for abstaining during the trust vote.  On the other hand, Libra, a close associate of late Shiromani Gurudawara Parbhandhak Committee President Gurcharan Singh Tohra, has said he is prepared for any sacrifice for the country and its people.

Full Story: Akali Dal expels MP Libra

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They found that just four gave advice to an acceptable standard, with 41 failing to provide at least one key piece of information.

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"Too many of the advisers that we visited took a 'one size fits all' approach or seemed as concerned with selling an insurance policy on the side," said Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? Money. Which? said it had reported the mortgage advisers that performed poorly to the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

Full Story: Mortgage advisers 'are failing'

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If the government wins the vote: a. Hurdles remain to conclude the India-US civil nuclear energy agreement, but the momentum to finish it will be unstoppable. Opponents of the deal may not concede defeat yet, but the first round goes to Prime Minister Singh.

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India is set to separate its weapons making factories and civil nuclear energy producing plants. An important event in India's nuclear history. It will also boost India's strategic alliance with the United States of America like never before. b. Victory for the United Progressive Alliance today opens the window of opportunity for the pro-economic reforms lobby who wants a big ticket favour from the government. The UPA government may or may not oblige depending on political opportunism.

Full Story: Congress may win battle, but lose war

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UK drivers are set to benefit after a number of national supermarket chains and an oil company said they were cutting the price of fuel.

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Asda said it was cutting the price of unleaded petrol and diesel by 3 pence per litre, while Morrisons said it had cut both prices by 4p per litre. BP said petrol and diesel at the 310 stations where it controls prices had fallen by 2p a litre on average.

Full Story: Fuel sellers start cutting prices

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] on Tuesday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party leader to do some "introspection" over his role when Gujarat was burning and during the Kandahar hijack crisis.

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Replying to the debate on the trust vote in the Lok Sabha, he also asked "our friends" in the Left front to ponder over the company they were forced to keep because of the "miscalculations" by "their general secretary", an apparent reference to Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat. The prime minister tabled his speech after he started to speak amid uproarious scenes and slogan shouting by the opposition who demanded his resignation over the bribery issue.

Full Story: Advani should do some introspection: PM

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US technology giant Apple has seen profits beat forecasts, but warned that current quarter profits would fail to meet analysts forecasts.

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Profits rose to $1.07bn (£534m) in the fiscal third quarter, up 31% from $818m from a year earlier. The company shipped 2.5 million Macs in the quarter, marking a rise of 41% year-on-year, while shipments of its iPod music player rose 12%.

Full Story: Apple sees profits beat forecast

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The LTTE on Tuesday declared unilateral ceasefire from July 26 to August 4 keeping in mind the SAARC summit.

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LTTE political head B Nadesan said the Tigers would not undertake any attack when the 15th SAARC summit begins on July 27 in Colombo. The LTTE had earlier signed ceasefire with the government in 2002 which was called off by the Sri Lankan government early this year as the hostilities between the two sides were continuing unabated.

Full Story: LTTE declares ceasefire ahead of SAARC Summit

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The UK's biggest mortgage lender HBOS says only 8% of its £4bn share issue was taken up by existing investors.

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Full Story: HBOS investors snub share issue

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After a brief round of already scheduled meetings, Patil, 73, went to her family quarters and resumed watching the proceedings.

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The meetings with Chattisgarh Governor E S L Narasimhan, former governor M M Jacob, Power Secretary Anil Razdan and Magasaysay award winner Rajendra Singh were all cut short. The President, after receiving the withdrawal of support letter from the four Left parties � the Communist Party of India � Marxist, the Communist Party of India, the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Forward Bloc � had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who expressed his willingness to face a floor test.

Full Story: President Patil skips meetings to watch trust vote debate

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Ministers should set up a compensation fund for policyholders in the Equitable Life, the Parliamentary Ombudsman says.

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The life insurance company came close to collapse in 2000 after being ordered by the High Court to fulfil financial promises which it could not afford. Ann Abraham said the government should apologise for a "decade of regulatory failure" and identified 10 instances of maladministration by its departments.

Full Story: Compensation call over Equitable

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The Left continued to reach out to other parties in its bid to topple the UPA Government with CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan meeting RLD chief Ajit Singh in New Delhi on Thursday.

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understood to have explained the Left's position on the nuclear deal and the reason for withdrawing support to the UPA coalition on July 9. The 59-member-strong Left parties are engaged in an aggressive bid to topple the Government and have already spoken to parties like the BSP, TDP and TRS.

Full Story: Numbers game: Bardhan meets RLD chief Ajit Singh

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Personal current accounts are not working well for consumers, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said.

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The OFT said the £8bn industry was not clear enough, with many consumers not knowing their account's interest rate or what they paid in bank charges. The complexity of the market meant that consumers were less likely to switch banks, the watchdog said.

Full Story: Bank accounts 'not working well'

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Expressing concern over allegations by a woman army officer of physical and mental torture by her seniors, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the incident.

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The minister intervened after the army described the allegations of Captain Poonam Kaur of the Kalka-based Army Service Corps battalion as 'baseless'. Meanwhile, Army Service Corps Major General Kamal Mohey told reporters in Chandigarh that an inquiry has been ordered and the investigations will start.

Full Story: Antony orders inquiry into woman army officer's allegations

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Global shares have fallen sharply on fears over the state of the US economy, with the Dow Jones index closing at its lowest level in two years.

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The Dow closed below 11,000 for the first time since July 2006 while London's FTSE 100 index closed at its lowest point since October 2005. Sharp falls were also seen in the price of oil, which at one point fell $10 a barrel on expected lower crude demand.

Full Story: US concerns prompt market falls

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Senator Joseph R Biden, Jr, the chairman of the powerful US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who will be the key player in moving the US-India civilian nuclear agreement forward in Congress if India succeeds in getting in back on the Congressional court expeditiously, says it may be possible to get the deal consummated this year, but that it's going to be in terms of a best-case scenario a photo-finish.

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for deciding to go ahead with the deal notwithstanding the withdrawal of the Left Front, when asked if the deal could still be completed before the Congress adjourned, said, "It's possible, but it's very, very tight." "We spoke about this three months ago in New Delhi when I met with the prime minister you remember, and so, it's going to be very, very tight because it has to go through the International Atomic Energy Agency and you got to get the Nuclear Suppliers Group signed off," he recalled. "(And) once that occurs, under our law, there is a 30-day of continuous session -- which will taken about 50 days to get there," he added.

Full Story: Closing N-deal very difficult now: US Senator

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The boss of the US Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke has warned that there are still "downside risks" to growth in the world's largest economy.

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President George W. Bush said the economy was "remarkably resilient", but urged Congress to pass legislation to help homeowners as soon as possible. He defended plans to help mortgage firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but denied they were being bailed out.

Full Story: Fed boss warns of growth 'risks'

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Images ] will support India during the forthcoming meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency convened to consult and ratify India-specific safeguards agreement for the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Member of Indian Atomic Energy Commission Dr M R Srinivasan on Tuesday told PTI from Ooty that he was assured by the Director of External Relations of French Atomic Energy Agency Caron Olivera that France will back India at IAEA and the Nulcear Suppliers Group. Srinivasan had met the French diplomat during an international meeting on 'Plutonium and Security' held near Paris last week.

Full Story: France to back India at IAEA, NSG

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The number of people moving house is at its lowest level since surveyors started collecting records in 1978.

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There were 15.3 transactions per surveyor during the three months to the end of June, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said. But the number of surveyors reporting house price falls was not quite as high in June as it had been in May.

Full Story: Numbers moving home at record low

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Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi attended the meeting.

Government managers are burning midnight oil to garner support at a time when small parties are keeping the ruling alliance on tenterhooks. Ravi claimed that the government has the support of '280 plus' members and would comfortably sail through the confidence vote.

Full Story: Sonia meets top Congress leaders

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Mortgage lenders have drawn up a plan to help kick-start the mortgage market amid falling house prices and a squeeze on the availability of home loans.

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The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) want to free up UK banks and building societies to offer new home loans. Confidence The CML said that the biggest issue in the mortgage market was the lack of available funding to support new mortgage lending.

Full Story: Plans to lift UK mortgage lending

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Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda dropped a clear hint on Tuesday stating that he would not support the Congress during the crucial trust vote on July 22 at New Delhi.

In a statement, Gowda who is also the supremo of the Janata Dal-Secular with three MPs, said that both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party had spared no efforts to humiliate him and his party. Lashing out at the BJP and the Congress, he said that both parties had tortured, criticised and humiliated his party at any given opportunity.

Full Story: Trust vote: JD-S likely to vote against Congress

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Rising food and fuel costs pushed UK inflation up to an 11-year high of 3.8% in June from 3.3% in May, figures show.

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The rise means inflation is now well above the government's 2% target, and may reduce the chance of a UK rate cut. The Bank of England, which has already said inflation may top 4% this year, has to balance the need to control inflation with worries over growth.

Full Story: Inflation at 11-year high of 3.8%

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The National Conference on Tuesday authorised its president to take a decision on the issue of supporting the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre in its July 22 trust vote.

The NC core group met at the residence of Omar Abdullah, party president and MP on Tuesday morning to deliberate whether or not to support the UPA government. NC has two MP's including party president, Umar Abdullah and Abdul Rashid Shaheen, representing Srinagar and Baramulla constituencies.

Full Story: National Conference authorises Omar to decide on trust vote

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that the case is not so. We will support the UPA in any case as this is the Government which did tremendous things for the minorities. We will vote in favour of this government," he told reporters.

"We have certain apprehensions which we have raised earlier also. As a political party, we have every right to do so," he said. He said the UPA government is perhaps the dispensation which did the most for minorities in the past 50 years.

Full Story: Worried, but Muslim League will vote for UPA

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London's index of key shares, the FTSE 100, has closed in "bear market" territory after another tough day for shares in Europe and the US. The FTSE 100 lost 145 points, or 2.7%, to end at 5,261.6 points. A bear market is often defined as a 20% fall from a stock index's recent peak. Markets have struggled amid concerns about the world economy and the impact of slower growth on company earnings.

Full Story: FTSE 100 ends day in bear market

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Images ] has decided to go ahead with the accord come what may and even in the wake of the Left coalition partners withdrawing their support and leaving the country in a state of political uncertainty.

"We feel so good that finally the Congress party had the spine to understand what is good for the national interest and call the bluff of the Left," he told rediff.com . Biden is the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Ackerman is a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of the subcommittee on South Asia.

Full Story: 'Finally, Congress party showed some spine'

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Shares in US mortgage firms Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have fallen by as much as 50% in volatile trading in New York amid concerns for their future. Investors are concerned that the government may have to step in to rescue them, a move that could wipe out the value of existing shares. The companies are behind half of all US mortgages and have been hard hit by the slowdown in the US housing market.

Full Story: US mortgage firms' shares slump

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Dr Rajesh Talwar, arrested in connection with the Noida double murder case involving his daughter Aarushi, was on Friday granted bail by a designated CBI court here.

Designated judge Sapna Mishra granted bail to Talwar asking him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties of like amount. The bail was granted by the judge after the CBI informed the court that the agency had not found any evidence linking him to the murders.

Full Story: Talwar freed on bail after CBI clean chit

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Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is looking to sell the Australian and New Zealand operations of ABN Amro - the Dutch bank it bought last year. National Australia Bank said it was in talks to buy ABN's investment and corporate banking units from RBS. Last year RBS led a consortium to buy ABN Amro in a deal worth 71bn euros ($112bn; £56.7bn).

Full Story: RBS eyes Australian assets sale

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The Safeguards Agreement between India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a unique document, and fears related to it are grossly exaggerated, a top nuclear scientist has said.

"The IAEA agreement released by the government is a unique document of the IAEA in which an NPT country is conceded virtually the weapon status. It has provisions to the extent possible for the continued supply of nuclear fuel. It also meets all expectations of the country," chairman, Accelerator Safety Committee of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, M R Iyer, said. Iyer, who was the former head of BARC's Radiation Safety Systems Division and former Instrument Specialist and Inspector of IAEA's Safeguards, also said, "We should not miss this opportunity to open up our nuclear industry to the global mainstream. This is the first time that in any international document that India is conceded a position as a nuclear-weapon state albeit indirectly. There is also a clause for India to take corrective measures to ensure uninterrupted operation of its civilian nuclear reactors in the event of disruption of foreign fuel supplies."\ "Nowhere it mentions any bar on setting up facilities outside the safeguards using local non-safeguarded resources. No mention of the extended Safeguards Protocols as in the case of NPT states finds a mention," Iyer said, adding that fears expressed about the agreement are grossly exaggerated.

Full Story: Safeguards agreement unique: Top scientist

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UK interest rates have been kept on hold at 5% by the Bank of England following its latest meeting. The decision had been widely expected, despite calls from businesses groups to cut borrowing costs amid growing concerns about the economic slowdown. A recent report suggested the UK was at risk of recession, and building firms have laid off thousands of jobs.

Full Story: Bank holds interest rates at 5%

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After spending nearby 35 years in Pakistan jails on charges of being a spy Kashmir Singh said he still wants to go anywhere in the world for the cause of nation.

Talking to mediapersons in Rajkot, Singh said he was ready to go anywere in the world for the cause of the nation including Pakistan where he spent three-and-a-half decades in jail but requested Indian government to pay the due compensation to him. "I was being sent to Pakistan for the cause of the nation but my family did not get any compensation from Indian government since I was arrested in 1973 in Pakistan," Singh said.

Full Story: Indian spy wants compensation for Pak jail time

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Bovis Homes and Redrow have become the latest UK housebuilders to announce a sweeping reduction in their workforces. Staff numbers will be cut by 40% compared with the beginning of the year at both firms. A credit crunch and drop in the number of affordable mortgages are to blame for the market problems, they said.

Full Story: More job cuts at UK housebuilders

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Though critical of the functioning of Congress party at the regional levels, the parliamentarians feel that the nuke deal is in the country's interest.

"I have not taken any decision so far to support the government in event of a vote of confidence. I support the nuclear deal as I believe that it is in the national interest. But supporting the government is a different issue," independent MP from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang told PTI over the phone from Leh. Independent MP from Assam's Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar constituency S K Bwiswmuthiary said the withdrawal of support by the Left parties to the Central government was 'unfortunate' and he wanted the UPA government to last its full term.

Full Story: Independents back N-deal; may support UPA

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Marks and Spencer executives are set to face a grilling from investors at its annual general meeting in London later. Some of the retailers' biggest shareholders are against chief executive Sir Stuart Rose also taking on the role of chairman. It is thought up to 30% may abstain or vote against his re-appointment as a director in protest.

Full Story: Shareholders to grill M&S bosses

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"We have met the President and have given her a letter on behalf of the four Left parties withdrawing support to the UPA government," Karat told reporters.

Following the withdrawal of support by the Left parties the strength of the ruling coalition has been reduced to 230. Samajwadi Party, which has 39 MPs in the Lok Sabha, has announced support to the government, which still leaves the ruling UPA three members short of majority.

Full Story: Left meets President, withdraws support to UPA government

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UK housebuilder Persimmon says it has shed about 2,000 jobs since the start of the year, including 1,100 office jobs and 900 site-based jobs.

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Persimmon blamed the downturn in the housing market on low confidence as customers struggle to get mortgages. Completions of house sales in the first six months of the year were down by 31% it said, during the "most challenging period in our recent history".

Full Story: Persimmon makes 2,000 UK job cuts

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"The BJP believes that a minority government does not have either the political or moral legitimacy to go ahead with a major international agreement," party spokesperson Ravi Shanker Prasad told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The BJP has taken note of the Prime Minister's statement on Monday that he would follow all parliamentary norms. This enjoins upon him the obligation not to go ahead with the next steps to conclude the Indo-US nuclear deal, he added. The party also demanded that the government convene an emergency session of Parliament to seek a vote of confidence.

Full Story: Govt has no authority to go ahead with N-deal: BJP

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The UK is facing a serious risk of recession within months, the findings of a survey of almost 5,000 small, medium and large businesses suggest.

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The British Chambers of Commerce's (BCC) quarterly report found the credit crunch and rising costs had dented the most important sectors of the economy. It comes as falling shares in banks, housebuilders and retailers dragged the FTSE 100 towards a bear market.

Full Story: Recession 'looming' for UK firms

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] to attend the G-8 summit, said in response to a question by a foreign journalist in a hotel lobby. He also added that India would go to the International Atomic Energy Agency to get an India-specific safeguards agreement soon.

Unfazed, the Congress party in New Delhi said there was no threat to the Manmohan Singh-led ministry and that it would prove its majority in Parliament. "The government will prove that it has the numbers in the Parliament," Congress Spokesperson Manish Tiwari told  reporters.

Full Story: Left move will not affect UPA's stability: PM

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Marks & Spencer is likely to face a shareholder revolt at its annual general meeting, a report suggests.

Up to a third of investors are set to vote against appointing Sir Stuart Rose as executive chairman, or abstain from the vote, the Sunday Times says. Investors are understood to be upset at him being given the dual role of chief executive and executive chairman, which breaks corporate governance guidelines.

Full Story: M&S 'set to face investor revolt'

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A batch of frontline IAF fighters and pilots will leave for the United States on Monday  to prove their mettle during the multinational air exercise, "Ex-Red Flag 08", at the USAF's Nellis Air Force Base.

For the next two months, the flying skills and endurance of India's ace fighter pilots and their Russian-made Sukhoi fighters will face the ultimate test at the world's most advanced air force base. The multinational air exercise is scheduled to be held at Nellis base from August nine to 23.

Full Story: IAF fighters to leave for US air exercise

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Peter Mandelson has stepped up his row with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, attacking "protectionist politicians" for putting world trade talks at risk.

The next round of talks should focus on the "essential" matter of lifting trade barriers, he told the Sunday Telegraph. The trade talks have repeatedly stalled over the amount of state aid given to key industries in Western countries.

Full Story: Mandelson raps Sarkozy over trade

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Bradford & Bingley is set to pay a "success fee" to its advisers despite the failure of a rescue deal with a US private equity group, a report says.

As well as its basic fee, B&B will pay Goldman Sachs an additional amount on the completion of a new funding package, the Sunday Telegraph reported. Goldman Sachs was behind plans for B&B to raise £400m with the sale of a 23% stake to Texas Pacific Group (TPG).

Full Story: B&B 'faces fee for failed deal'

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"It is for senior leader Pranab Mukherjee to reply. He will reply in an appropriate manner," was what AICC media department chairperson Veerappa Moily said when asked whether the head of the UPA-Left joint mechanism on the nuclear deal would respond before the Left deadline.

The party leading the coalition had earlier rejected the July 7 deadline contending sovereign governments or political parties cannot be bound by ultimatums. © Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

Full Story: Pranab will reply to Left on N-deal: Congress

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The powerful blast, which was heard from several kilometres away, occurred as a large crowd of slogan shouting and flag waving people, including madrassa students and outlawed extremist groups like the Sipah-e-Sahaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, began dispersing at about 7.50 pm.

Witnesses said the explosion occurred in the vicinity of a petrol station near Melody Market, which is located adjacent to the Lal Masjid and created panic among the people who ran back towards the mosque. Body parts and pools of blood lay strewn all over the area, which was cordoned off by the police. Nine of the dead were policemen.

Full Story: Pakistan: Blast near Lal Masjid kills 10

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Japan and the US have pledged to call for "swift action" on surging oil and food prices at next week's G8 summit.

Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said action was needed as the problems were "having a negative impact on the world economy". Leaders of the two countries made the vow during talks ahead of the Group of Eight meeting in Hokkaido, Japan.

Full Story: G8 urged to act over oil prices

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] prompting authorities to suspend the annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath on Sunday.

"Heavy rains rendered the tracks on the 46-km route from Pahalgam to the cave and the shortest 12-km route from Baltal slippery hence the yatra has been suspended," a spokesman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said. While the pilgrims on way to the cave shrine on Pahalgam-cave route have been stopped at Sahdu Padaw those on the shorter route were asked not to proceed further from Domail.

Full Story: Amarnath yatra suspended; three killed

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US President George W Bush has said he remains concerned about North Korea's alleged enrichment of uranium and other security issues.

But, speaking after talks with Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda ahead of Monday's G8 summit in Japan, he acknowledged North Korea had addressed some concerns. Mr Fukuda said he would attend the Beijing Olympics opening, which other leaders will miss over rights concerns.

Full Story: Bush 'concern' at N Korea issues

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As their "political marriage" is all set to end, the Left parties are out to target the ruling UPA for which they are preparing a "chargesheet" against the government detailing its "unkept promises" and "obsession" with the nuclear deal .

The CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc will come out with a "chargesheet" citing UPA's several drawbacks and failures, including "rising prices and inflation, surrendering of national interest, and unkept promises with regard to the Common Minimum Programme (CMP)", a senior Left leader said. Feeling "hurt" by the Samajwadi Party's "betrayal", the Left parties will also "expose the marriage of convenience" between Congress and SP in its campaign, said the leader on condition of anonymity.

Full Story: 'Betrayed' Left Parties to charge-sheet Centre

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Close to 150,000 homeowners who took out mortgages since early 2007 may face negative equity, research suggests.
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According to a CACI survey for the Daily Telegraph, one in eight of 1.2 million who bought a property since then owe more than their home is worth. If a house loses its value it is not necessarily a problem unless the owner has to move, remortgage, or cannot afford to pay the mortgage.

Full Story: Thousands 'face negative equity'

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In a damage control exercise, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday claimed that majority of Muslims in the country are not against the Indo-US nuclear deal, and also alleged that the canards being spread in this regard are merely "political stunts" of Mayawati.

"There had been no protest by any Muslim organisation against the nuclear deal and the rumours being spread about it are the brainchild of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati who wants to exploit the situation to her political advantage," Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said in Lucknow. In fact the ulemas of the Deoband seminary have expressed their opinion in favour of the deal, Chaudhary claimed adding that by adopting the stand similar to that of the Bharatiya Janata Party on this issue, Mayawati has again proved that both the Bahujan Samaj Party and the saffron party think alike.

Full Story: Majority of Muslims not against N-deal: SP

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High street shop staff are fobbing off customers and giving them misleading advice about their rights, according to the consumer organisation Which? Consumers are often told to take their complaint to the manufacturer, when it is the retailer's responsibility to sort it out, Which? said.

One marketing expert told the BBC that bad advice is often due to a lack of training or the management's attitude. Complexity Consumer laws have been strengthened and added to over recent years and shoppers have better protection than ever before.

Full Story: Shops 'misleading customers'

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The cost of living for pensioners has outstripped inflation over the past 10 years, a study suggests.

Pensioners have seen the cost of the goods and services they use rise by 36% in the past decade, said life insurer Clerical Medical. The rising cost of housing, council tax and maintaining property were the biggest reasons, the study said, along with alcohol and tobacco.

Full Story: Pensioners 'see higher cost rise'

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"There is absolutely no threat to the UPA government, which will sign the nuclear deal with the US in time, come what may. There is no hesitation in this regard," Dasmunsi, information and broadcasting minister, told reporters.

Ruling out immediate Lok Sabha polls, the minister accused 'a section of the media' of spreading 'disinformation' about early polls and termed the reports as 'misleading and confusing'. © Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

Full Story: UPA to sign N-deal come what may

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] on Saturday demanded Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's resignation in view of the communal incidents in the state, even as curfew continued in the state's commercial capital Indore.

A delegation led by the Amethi MP, who was on a day-long visit to Bhopal, met Governor Balram Jakhar at Raj Bhavan on Saturday evening and urged him to act in accordance with the Constitution and dispatch a report to the Centre concerning the disturbances. Meanwhile, in a statement issued in Bhopal, Chouhan said, "Indore district's officers have been given firm directives to take impartial and stringent steps to maintain law and order besides strictly controlling elements spreading discord." State Home Minister Himmat Kothari told mediapersons at Ratlam that the Indore police had obtained clues which made it clear that workers of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India played a key role in the communal violence as a tit-for-tat response to the state regime's crackdown on SIMI.

Full Story: Curfew continues in Indore

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Pringles, the popular snack food in a tube, are not potato crisps, a High Court judge has ruled.

Their packaging, "unnatural shape" and the fact that the potato content is less than 50% helped Mr Justice Warren make his crunch decision. Manufacturer Procter & Gamble (P&G) is likely to save millions of pounds as a result of the decision - with customers also likely to pay less.

Full Story: Court rules that Pringles 'are not potato crisps'

Australian energy group Origin has urged shareholders to reject a 13.8bn Australian dollar ($13.1bn; £6.7bn) takeover bid from UK rival BG Group.

The firm said the offer did not take into account the full extent of its coal seam gas reserves. It said it had seen "strong interest" in these reserves and was looking at proposals from third parties.

Full Story: Australia's Origin scorns BG bid

Telugu Desam party is facing a storm in Andhra Pradesh. Within days of party's most influential leader in Telangana region, T Devender Goud, quitting its ranks to form his own party, the TDP has loss yet another strong leader -- this time in the Rayala Seema region.

The political couple, who constituted the major force in the Nandyal region of Kurnool district, announced their decision at a meeting before their supporters and TDP workers. Bhuma Nagi Reddy, also known to be a faction leader in his home turf, is the son-in-law of another important TDP leader and former minister S V Subba Reddy.

Full Story: Political couple quits TDP for Chiranjeevi

The special riots court on Friday acquitted 34 persons accused of rioting, stone pelting and assault during the 1992-93 communal clashes in Mumbai.

        Magistrate S S Sharma acquitted 34 persons on Friday, after the prosecution failed to prove its case against the accused and none of the police witnesses identified the them.         According to the prosecution, in December 1992 a mob of around 100 persons had gone on a violent rampage at Dindoshi, a suburb in northwest Mumbai.

Full Story: 34 acquitted in '92 Mumbai riots case

Air France is holding talks on a joint venture that could lead to it offering high-speed rail travel.

The airline confirmed reports it was discussing a possible tie-up with Veolia, a French utility firm that also runs several rail services. Commentators suggest such a deal would enable the airline to cut fuel costs by moving some services onto the railways.

Full Story: Air France eyes move to railways

The former head of one of Austria's biggest banks, Bank Fuer Arbeit und Wirtschaft (Bawag), has been jailed for nine-and-a-half years for fraud.

Helmut Elsner, 73, Bawag's ex-general director, was one of nine people who were convicted in a case linked to the collapse of US brokerage Refco. As well as his prison sentence Elsner was ordered to repay Bawag 6.8m euros in pension benefits.

Full Story: Former Austrian bank boss jailed

Sikhs will go on an indefinite hunger strike before Parliament House from July 20 to demand the arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the community.

] (Panj-Pardhani) Daljit Singh Bittu said the Dera chief should be arrested and his activities should be stopped by the Union government. Protestors will pray at the Golden temple in Amritsar on July 19 before leaving for Delhi, Bittu added.

Full Story: Sikhs to go on hunger strike in front of Parliament

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, is hogging US media headlines as he mulls challenging a recent controversial Supreme Court ruling forbidding the death penalty in child-rape cases.

The Supreme Court's June 25 decision said there was no legal precedent for the death penalty, but the court neglected to consider a 2006 federal law that says the rape of children by military personnel could attract capital punishment. Attorneys for the state of Louisiana and the Justice Department made the same oversight in petitions they filed with the federal courts, the Washington Times reported.

Full Story: Jindal may challenge SC ruling on child-rape death penalty

Icelandic investment group Baugur - the name behind Hamleys and House of Fraser - is considering relocating to the UK.

Baugur confirmed it was examining the switch plan after the recent sale of its remaining Icelandic investments. The move is part of a plan that would see the firm focus on its UK assets - which make up 85% of its portfolio.

Full Story: Baugur investigates switch to UK

Rising fuel bills and living expenses have put the brakes on demand for new cars, a UK motor trade body has said.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said UK new car sales fell by 6.1% in June, compared with the same month in 2007. Overall car sales in the year to the end of June were 1,247,479, down 1.6% on the previous 12 month period.

Full Story: Rising living costs hit car sales

, the Left parties on Friday said they would vote against the United Progressive Alliance government in Parliament in case of a confidence motion if it took the next step to operationalise the agreement.

magazine. His CPI counterpart A B Bardhan, in an interview to Times Now television channel, however, did not say whether they would join hands with BJP to bring down the government in case of a confidence vote but made it clear that they would pull out if it went to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Karat said the Left would also launch a nationwide campaign against the Congress asking people to defeat the party in the next elections for compromising with national interests.

Full Story: We will vote against confidence motion: Left

] government's decision to revoke the transfer of land to Amarnath Shrine Board but directed the authorities to provide security to pilgrims stranded in the state due to the turmoil over the issue.

"We cannot revoke a cabinet decision," a bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir said while declining to go into the question of directing the administration to lift the curfew from Jammu region, which witnessed violent protests against the revocation of the land transfer order. "We are not going to withdraw curfew. Lifting the curfew is beyond our jurisdiction," the bench, also comprising Justice G S Singhvi said while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Bhim Singh, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party.

Full Story: Supreme Court refuses to intervene in Amarnath land transfer row

Two lenders are cutting their mortgage rates slightly - but only for those new borrowers able to pay a large deposit.

But the biggest drops in mortgage costs are for those who can put down a 25% deposit, which is about £46,000 for an average home in England and Wales. Earlier this week, the Bank of England said there would be a continued squeeze on the availability of mortgages.

Full Story: Two lenders trim mortgage costs

A fifty-five-year-old senior leader of Assam state unit of the Communist Party of India Manoj Deka, who was roughed up by the police on Tuesday evening, died of serious head injury at a private hospital in Guwahati.

Spitting fire over the death of its leader at the hands of the errant policemen, the state unit of the CPI has demanded judicial probe into the incident, rejecting the magisterial probe ordered by the Congress government in the state. Deka received serious injuries in the back of his head after Police Constable Rafiqul Islam, a PSO of the Officer In-Charge of Marigaon police station Kamal Chandra Bora, roughed him up on the evening of Tuesday when the CPI leader was returning home from the local market.

Full Story: Assam: CPI leader dies after police thrashing

A root and branch review of motoring taxation in the UK should be carried out by the Treasury, says motorists' organisation the RAC Foundation.

The group says that freezing fuel duty would simply be a "populist" move and have little effect on the growing costs facing motorists. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the delayed 2 pence rise in duty would soon be looked at "very, very carefully".

Full Story: Call for review of motoring taxes

Bradford & Bingley has confirmed that its plan to raise £400m has been rescued by a group of UK investors.

B&B's plans were put into doubt after US private equity firm Texas Pacific Group (TPG) walked out on a deal to pay £179m for a 23% stake in the UK lender. The mortgage lender will now sell £400m of shares in a rights issue, which is supported by Legal & General, Standard Life, M&G and Insight Investment.

Full Story: UK investors rescue B&B cash call

government on Friday relaxed curfew for two hours in some parts of Jammu city, where curfew was imposed on July 1, official sources said.

"Two-hour long curfew relaxation was given by authorities in Bakshi Nagar, city and Trikuta Nagar police sub-divisional areas of Jammu city between 4 pm to 6 pm on Friday," sources said. © Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

Full Story: Curfew relaxed in Jammu

"Notice has been issued to Shahrukh's Red Chilli Entertainment Pvt Ltd on Thursday for unauthorised change in user and violation of rules," MCGM commissioner Jairaj Phatak told media-persons in Mumbai.

'Change in user' refers to change or alteration of the property from that reserved by the civic body. For changing the use of a premise, permission has to be sought from the MCGM, which Khan reportedly failed to do. The notice is returnable within 30 days. If there is no reply to the notice, then legal action will be initiated against him, Ashok Shintre, chief engineer (development and planning), said.

Full Story: Shahrukh gets civic notice for building violation

UK consumer spending power has fallen "dramatically" due to a large rise in the cost of living, research by Ernst & Young suggests.

The average household is 15% worse off than it was five years ago, the Annual Discretionary Income Study says.

After household bills and tax, it found the typical family had less than 20% of its gross income remaining - compared with 28% in 2003.



Full Story: UK spending power 'in heavy fall'

Efforts by troubled UK lender Bradford & Bingley to raise £400m have been rescued after a would-be investor pulled out, the BBC has learned.

US private equity house Texas Pacific Group (TPG) has made a last-minute decision to walk away from a deal to provide almost half of the equity.

But leading City institutions have rallied round to provide the capital, says BBC Business editor Robert Peston.



Full Story: B&B fund-raising effort rescued

Iran has seized four fishing boats from Saudi Arabia with 17 Indian crew on board in Persian Gulf waters near its first nuclear power plant.

"The boats were from Saudi Arabia and had 17 Indian nationals on board," said Iranian news reports quoting the police commander of Iran's Bushehr province on Thursday.

The documents of the boats were confiscated and the vessels are being held in Bushehr's naval police headquarters in southern Iran, he added.



Full Story: Iran seizes boats with 17 Indians

The United States has introduced a resolution in the UN Security Council seeking freezing of assets of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and 11 of his aides following the last week's much-criticised presidential run-off.

The resolution also asked the 15-member powerful body to impose an arms embargo against Zimbabwe and a travel ban targeting Mugabe, the central bank governor and 10 other officials.

] had reservations but it was yet unclear whether they would go to the extent of casting a veto.



Full Story: US for sanctions on Mugabe; Russia, China differ

The availability of mortgages is expected to fall further in the next three months, lenders have told the Bank of England.

Lenders say they will put a further squeeze on the availability of home loans in July to September, the Bank's Credit Conditions Survey says.

Chancellor warning The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has been meeting the heads of the major UK banks along with US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson.



Full Story: Mortgage squeeze 'will continue'

The price of oil has continued to climb - with Brent crude rising above $146 a barrel for the first time.

Brent crude rose by as much as $2.43 to $146.69 a barrel in London. US light, sweet crude added $2.28 to $145.85.

Oil prices have risen significantly since the US government announced on Wednesday that its crude stockpiles had fallen by more than expected last week.



Full Story: London oil price hits $146 record

India-born controversial author Salman Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children' has established an unassailable lead over five other contenders in global public voting for the Best of the Booker award.

"The voting pattern has been well established now and will not change," a senior executive of William Hill told PTI on Thursday.

Public voting for the award is officially open till July 8 but bookmakers William Hill have 'closed the book' and have stopped accepting bets.



Full Story: Rushdie leads 'Best of the Booker' race

The key United National Progressive Alliance meet has decided to consult experts on the controversial Indo-US nuclear deal.

] , INLD Chief O P Chautala, AGP chief Brindavan Goswami and Jharkhand Vikas Party leader Babulal Marandi.

Both Mulayam Singh and Chautala claimed that the time has come for the third alternative to form the government and all other parties should support it from the outside.



Full Story: UNPA likely to consult Kalam on N-deal

The Ministry of Defence is expected to sign contracts for the creation of the UK's biggest ever aircraft carriers.

The 65,000-ton ships, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, will cost a total of £4bn.

Work on the two vessels is to go to shipyards at Govan in Glasgow and Rosyth in Fife, as well as Barrow in Furness and Portsmouth.



Full Story: Giant carrier deals to be signed

The price of oil has continued its surge upwards - hitting a new high of $145 a barrel in trading in Singapore.

London Brent crude rose by 74 cents to $145.00 in early Asian trade. Light sweet crude rose 81 cents to $144.38.

The rises follow earlier highs recorded in London and New York after the US government announced its oil stockpiles fell more than expected last week.



Full Story: Oil prices reach new record high

India has said any unilateral armed action against Iran is totally 'unacceptable and undesirable' and should be disapproved of by the international community.

"In respect of Iran, I entirely agree with the Egyptian Foreign Minister that there should be no armed engagement. In fact we are against any coercive engagement," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said after holding talks with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit in Cairo on Thursday night.

"The issues (with Iran) have to be resolved through dialogue and any unilateral armed action on a sovereign country, which is a member of the United Nations, is totally unacceptable, undesirable and nobody should indulge in it. It should not be acceptable to the international community," he told reporters at a joint press conference with Gheit.



Full Story: Armed action against Iran unacceptable: Pranab

The invitation was sent by the Association of Indian Americans in North America, organisers of the meet, but its President Sunil Nayak had said that issuance of visa is a matter between American authorities and Modi. However, he had expressed the hope that Modi would be able to attend the three-day conference, beginning from August 29, in which some 50,000 Gujaratis from across the world are expected to participate.

Modi was denied visa to the Gujarati Conference in 2005 in view of anti-Muslim riots in the state but he did talk to the delegates and press through a video link.

In its letter to Rice, the Coalition Against Genocide requested her not to allow Modi to enter the United States 'under any conditions' as, it said, circumstances under which he was denied visa earlier remain largely unchanged and minority communities in the state continue to face systematic human rights violations.



Full Story: Indian Americans divided over invitation to Narendra Modi

A single person in Britain needs to earn at least £13,400 a year before tax for a minimum standard of living, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) says.

A couple with two children need to spend £370 a week and a pensioner couple need £201 excluding housing and childcare costs, the charity says.

Film tickets, a bottle of wine and a bird feeder were on the list of goods people need to participate in society.



Full Story: UK life costs 'at least £13,400'

Shares in housebuilder Taylor Wimpey have more than halved in value after the firm said it had failed to secure extra funding and was to cut 900 jobs.

The firm said it had seen UK housing reservations drop 45% in the first half of the year, and added it would close a third of its 39 regional offices.

It said it expected the UK housing market to remain weak in 2008 and did not anticipate any short-term recovery.



Full Story: Taylor Wimpey woes hammer shares

Following is the text of the statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office in response to the Samajwadi Party's appeal to the prime minister to alley apprehensions  in Parliament or outside it about the Indo-US nuclear deal .

The National Security Adviser, Mr M K Narayanan, had a meeting with leaders of the Samajwadi Party, Shri Ram Gopal Yadav and Shri Amar Singh, earlier to-day, during which the latter had sought certain clarifications with regard to the civil nuclear cooperation agreement between India and the United States.

Among the main issues raised by Shri Amar Singh were: (i) Whether by entering into this deal, the sovereignty of decision-making in regard to India's foreign policy would be compromised. It was clarified to Shri Amar Singh that the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement did not and would not affect the autonomy of decision-making in regard to foreign affairs in any manner. India had always followed an independent foreign policy. Under no circumstances, would this position undergo a change, the least of all in the context of the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.  India has always regarded its strategic autonomy in these matters as sacrosanct.



Full Story: PMO's reply to Samajwadi Party

Indo-US nuclear deal , the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday night said there was nothing in the agreement that compromised the country's strategic programme or its right to conduct a nuclear test.

The PMO issued a press release virtually repeating its earlier assurances that the deal did not undermine India's nuclear sovereignty or did any harm to the country's interest.

The release came shortly after SP leader Amar Singh, whose party is being wooed by the United Progressive Alliance for support in Parliament if the Left parties withdraw their backing, met National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and conveyed the party's misgivings on the deal.



Full Story: N-deal won't affect India's strategic programme: PM

Shares in housebuilder Taylor Wimpey have halved in value after the firm said it had failed to secure extra funding and was to cut 900 jobs.

The firm said it would close a third of its 39 regional offices and its finance director, Peter Johnson, would stand down at the end of the year.

It added it expected the UK housing market to remain weak in 2008 and did not anticipate any short-term recovery.



Full Story: Taylor Wimpey set to cut 900 jobs

The boss of Marks and Spencer has warned of "stormy times ahead" for the UK economy - as his firm said a slide in consumer confidence had hit sales.

M&S shares sank by more than 20% after the gloomy comments - with Sir Stuart Rose saying UK woes would be "more of a two-year problem than a two-month one".

Separate data suggested that high petrol prices had led to a drop in trips to out-of-town shopping centres.



Full Story: M&S shares dive on gloomy outlook

Security forces on Wednesday killed four terrorists at Nasthachun pass in Kupwara district, taking the death toll in the ongoing gunbattle near the Line of Control  to eight, a defence spokesman said.

    Three terrorists and a junior commissioned officer were killed on Tuesday in the exchange of fire between the ultras and the security forces.

    The gunbattle follows a massive search operation launched by security personnel in the area since yesterday after troops confronted a group of terrorists moving in the forests near the pass, the spokesman said, adding that the operation was in progress when reports last came in.



Full Story: Four terrorists killed near LoC

Notwithstanding Marxist strongman Prakash Karat's insistence that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh attending the G-8 would be tantamount to going ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal, the trip is very much on schedule

2 Inch Nylon Strap  |  2 Nylon Straps  |  4 Nylon Strap

Full Story: PM brushes aside Karat's objection, to attend G-8

UK house prices fell by 0.9% on average last month, according to the latest survey from the Nationwide.

The decline was less severe than the record 2.5% fall seen in May, but prices were now 6.3% lower than a year ago, the Nationwide said.

The average home now costs £172,415 and is £13,629 cheaper than at the top of the market in October last year.



Full Story: House prices 'fell 0.9% in June'

A single person in Britain needs to earn at least £13,400 a year for a minimum standard of living, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has claimed.

A couple with two children need to spend £370 a week excluding rent or mortgage payments, and a pensioner couple need £201, the charity says.

Film tickets, a bottle of wine and a bird feeder were on the list of goods people need to participate in society.



Full Story: UK life costs 'at least £13,400'

Over 90 per cent of the 25 market participants in this dip-stick survey said the immediate bottom could come between 12,500 and 12,700 for the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index and 3,600 and 3,800 for the National Stock Exchange's Nifty.

Most respondents believed crude oil prices, which have risen 38 per cent between April and June, the biggest quarterly increase in nine years, and India's political stability will determine the course of the markets.

Most brokers felt that the valuations of many stocks have dropped to levels seen after the dotcom crash in 2001. This could attract some buying from foreign institutional investors (FIIs). They also expect crude oil prices to cool soon.



Full Story: Worst will be over soon: Brokers, analysts

Political realignment over Indo-US nuclear deal appears on the cards as Congress makes hectic efforts to reach out to new parties, including Samajwadi Party, to bail out the United Progressive Alliance government in the event of withdrawal of support by Left parties.

Samajwadi Party, which has 39 members in Lok Sabha, is gradually becoming a foe-turned-friend for Congress, which seeks to extend the lifeline of the coalition government headed by it if the Left pulls the plug.

] and H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal-Secular is also being seen as an ally by the ruling party.



Full Story: N-deal: Realignment of forces on the cards

Chancellor Alistair Darling is expected to propose new measures to protect savers in the event of a bank getting into financial difficulty.

The plans are intended to increase public confidence in the banking system in the wake of the near collapse of Northern Rock in September last year.

A consultation period will begin after the proposals are made and any changes will come into effect in the autumn.



Full Story: Deposit protection plans proposed

Supermarket chain Tesco has announced it will stop sourcing products from Zimbabwe while "the political crisis persists" there.

The move comes a day after a Foreign Office minister urged firms trading with Zimbabwe to "look carefully" at their investments.

The international community has expressed concern at the presidential election re-run, which saw Robert Mugabe claim victory as the sole candidate after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew citing pre-poll violence.



Full Story: Tesco to end trade with Zimbabwe

Pushing your overweight child to exercise might be of no use, for a new study has revealed that exercising does not prevent childhood obesity.

Experts believe that children are programmed to be sporty or sedentary and pushing them into exercise may have little effect on whether they are fat or not.

The study showed that even though fewer than half of boys and only one in eight of girls do the recommended one-hour's activity per day this is not reflected in their weight.



Full Story: Exercise won't make obese kids slim

The US Defense Intelligence Agency has indicated that terrorists would be able to launch strikes on American satellites by 2020.

In a presentation obtained by Danger Room from wired.com, Randy Jones, the associate technical director of the Defence Intelligence Agency's Missile & Space Intelligence Centre, warned that terror groups could use lasers, radio frequency jammers, and even nuclear weapons to knock out US satellites.

The report said that countries like China might launch anti-satellite (ASAT) ballistic missiles, or position weapons in orbit.



Full Story: Soon, terrorists could even attack satellites!