New Delhi: The government, in the wake terror threats, is planning to set up a centralised system to monitor communications on mobile phones, landlines and the internet.
The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), a telecom research and development organisation, is working on the Telecom Security project, which will help the government to monitor both calls in the country through a centralised system.
Talking about the project, C-DoT Executive Director P V Acharya said: "It is viewed as a national project ... Basically, it is about monitoring certain messages or conversations so that we can ensure security of the country.
Essentially, our technology would provide an interface to operator of any service or technology and it will give them access to the messages traversing through their network," he said.
The present system of surveillance is managed by individual operators, and a phone is tapped and call details are given when law enforcement agencies ask for them.
The government has a Signal Intelligence Agency, a joint service organisation manned by personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force, which monitors military links (wireless) of other countries.
However, it does not have a centralised monitoring system for voice calls on the mobile, landlines and internet.
The government has not yet decided on how the surveillance system will work.
"We will just provide an opportunity to this ... but how this would be done depends on the agreement between the operators and the government," Acharya said.
Declining to share technical details of the project, Acharya said the first phase of the project would cost Rs 400 crore. It will end next year.
Govt will talk to Swiss banks on disclosing details: Pranab
NEW DELHI: Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the government will look into the rejection by Swiss banks to hand over details of their Indian clients.
Speaking to newsmen before entering his North Block office Mukherjee said, "What can I comment? I will look into the matter and discuss the Swiss banks’ rejection to disclose details with authorities in banking sector."
This reaction from the finance minister comes after Swiss banks declined India's request to unearth its black money parked in their banks. India has also been told not to come on 'fishing expeditions'.
Swiss bank authorities rejected India's request to disclose details of clients, saying Swiss law and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Model Tax Convention do not permit fishing expeditions.
The Swiss authorities added that they would not co-operate in the indiscriminate trawling through bank accounts in the hope of finding something interesting.
"This means that India cannot simply throw its telephone book at Switzerland and ask if any of these people have a bank account here," a top Swiss bankers’ association official said.
According to sources the Swiss bank-client confidentiality has never been 100 percent absolute and Swiss legislators have built in provisions for it to be lifted during criminal investigations and also in many civil cases and it has also evolved over time.
"The key for the exchange of information in tax matters is the Double Taxation Agreement between Switzerland and India," said SBA's Head of International Communications James Nason.
Double Taxation Agreements are being currently revised to incorporate the OECD standard on the exchange of information in tax matters according to the OECD's own Model Tax Convention.
Pay row: IIT-Bombay professors on mass leave
MUMBAI: Over 200 professors of IIT-Bombay on Monday went on mass leave demanding pay parity with government scientists.
"IIT professors are loosing Rs 23 lakh in their career compared with the government scientists and other officials of similar rank," Somya Mukherjee, Secretary of Faculty Forum IIT-B, said.
The salary hike demand is also to attract faculties to join IITs, he said, adding the government has announced setting up of eight new IITs across the country and 8,000 professors are needed for that.
"Our job in IIT is teaching and research unlike other universities, where research is secondary. So, we are demanding honour and prestige for our work," Mukherjee said.
He also condemned the Gowardhan Mehta report submitted to the government in February this year, saying some of its recommendations are not favouarable to professors.
"The report has suggested that IIT professor should have work experience of three years after PhD. However, it is very unlikely that after getting job, people may come here," he said.
No immediate decision to allow foreign lawyers in India
New Delhi: India ruled out any immediate decision to allow foreign lawyers to work here in view of the reservations of the domestic legal fraternity.
The Indian position was conveyed by Law Minister M Veerappa Moily to British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice Lord William Bach during their meeting.
Pressing for allowLaw Minister M Veerappa Moily ing foreign lawyers to operate, Bach said they may not be given the right to appear in Indian courts but should be given permission to at least advice their Indian counterparts, especially in commercial cases, sources said.
Moily told Bach that any decision could not be taken on the issue as Indian lawyers should feel confident on the issue.
He said Indian law firms were apprehensive over entry of foreign law firms in the country and education on the issue was required before the Government could think further, sources added.
Britain and several other countries have been seeking permission for foreign lawyers to operate in India but the legal fraternity here has been opposing it, apprehending that it would hurt their interests.
Miss Venezuela is Miss Universe... again!
August 2009:And the crown goes to...
As Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez takes home the Miss Universe 2009 crown, the first runner-up title is shared by Miss Australia
Rachael Finch and Miss Puerto Rico Mayra Matos Perez, with the title of second runner-up going to Miss Kosovo Gona Dragusha.
Venezuela has won five Miss Universe titles, five Miss World and four Miss International crowns — more than any other country.
The new Miss Universe is of Russian, Ukrainian, Galician and Polish origin. Her mother is Nadia Krupij Holojad and her father Carlos Fernández. The 18-year-old Virgo enjoys tennis and swimming as her hobbies.
Top 5 contestants are...
Heartbeats pace up as the hosts of the evening Celebrity Apprentice star Claudia Jordan and Access Hollywood co-anchor Billy Bush, announce the contestants who made it to the top 5. The names are...
Miss Dominican Republic, Ada
Miss Australia, Rachael Finch
Miss Puerto Rico, Mayra Matos Perez
Miss Venezuela, Stefania Fernandez
Miss Kosovo, Gona Dragusha
Sub-title winners
Miss Congeniality: Miss China, Wang Jingyao
Miss Photogenic: Miss Thailand, Chutima Durongdej
Gowns galore...
Glitz and glamour takes charge as the top 10 contestants sizzle on the stage in gorgeous evening gowns.
Top 10 beauties
Competition gets tougher as the list narrows down to top 10, which includes:
Miss Australia, Rachael Finch
Miss Venezuela, Stefania Fernandez
Miss South Africa, Tatum Keshwar
Miss Dominican Republic, Ada
Miss Kosovo, Gona Dragusha
Miss Czech Republic, Iveta Lutovska
Miss Switzerland, Whitney Toyloy
Miss Puerto Rico, Mayra Matos Perez
Miss France Chloe Mortaud
Miss USA Kristen, Dalton
The swimsuit round
The temperatures on the stage soar high as the bikini clad contestants sashay down the ramp.
Top 15 announced
The top 15 contestants who will now vie for the crown are:
Miss Puerto Rico, Mayra Matos Perez
Miss Iceland, Ingibjorg Egilsdottir
Miss Albania, Hasna Xhukici
Miss Czech Republic, Iveta Lutovska
Miss Belgium, Zeynep Sever
Miss Sweden, Renate Cerljen
Miss Kosovo, Gona Dragusha
Miss Australia, Rachael Finch
Miss France, Chloe Mortaud
Miss Switzerland, Whitney Toyloy
Miss USA Kristen, Dalton
Miss Venezuela, Stefania Fernandez
Miss South Africa, Tatum Keshwar
Miss Dominican Republic, Ada Aimee De la Cruz
Miss Croatia, Sarah Cosic
The stage is set!
The stage is set in the hues of blue and the 84 contestants take the stage in white floral dresses for the introduction.
The pageant, being telecast live from 6.30 am IST on Star World, from Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas is being hosted by Access Hollywood co-anchor Billy Bush and model, actress and former Miss Rhode Island USA Claudia Jordan. In recent years, the contest has been watched in over 180 countries.
The girls will be judged in three categories — swimsuit, evening gown and interview as they vie for the coveted title.
Earlier, the confident and gorgeous beauty won a lot of compliments during her stay at the Bahamas, where the contest is being held. Ekta told us, “Somebody told me that I represent my country very well. Another compliment that touched my heart was — ‘though you look very Indian, yet your personality is very global’.”
Back home, designer Ritu Kumar, who has designed her national costume for the pageant, had commented, “Her height, I think, is her strongest point and then comes her classic face. I see amazing confidence in her.”
Designers Gauri-Nainika, who designed her evening gown, added, “Ekta is a very natural person. When we were working with her, she was not trying to be someone she is not.”
At the end of the show, Miss Universe 2008, Venezuelan Dayana Mendoza, will crown her successor.
Indian Business News
RIL wants ADAG’s malicious ads stopped
New Delhi: Reliance Industries hit back at the Anil Ambani group for unleashing a "malicious, mischievous, baseless and ill-informed" propaganda against its gas field costs and said the campaign by people with little experience of large projects should be nipped in the bud.
RIL said capital expenditure for KG-D6 fields increased from USD 2.47 billion in 2003 to USD 8.83 billion due to a 2.5 times increase in reserves, trebling of production facilities, doubling of peak production, hike in number of wells, field life and inflation in equipment and services industry.
Its President and CEO (Petroleum) PMS Prasad on August 20 wrote to Oil Secretary R S Pandey, saying "certain parties are bent upon holding the country's price and national interest hostage to their own narrow commercial interests and are stopping at nothing to destroy the reputation of the country."
"It is necessary to nip these malafide endeavours in the bud for the sake of the energy security of the country," wrote Prasad and was a day later appointed to the board of RIL.
Without naming ADAG, he said the "unprovoked and unjustified attack on the credibility of the project" was being carried out by "vested interests having little understanding of any mega project execution, leave alone complex deepwater projects."
Comparing with similar deepwater projects by world's top energy majors, Prasad said KG-D6's finding and development cost of less than USD 5 per barrel of oil equivalent was among the lowest in the world.
Realty stocks lead Sensex rally
MUMBAI: Realty firms on Monday led the rally on the Bombay Stock Exchange with the sectoral index gaining over 5 per cent on a frenzied buying by funds.
The 13-share BSE realty index was the top gainer among sectoral indices with a hefty rise of 196.81 points, or 5.09 per cent, to 4,064.95 points.
Marketmen said apart from firming global markets, reports that DLF Ltd bagged a 350-acre plot for Rs 1,750 crore in Haryana for developing a recreation and leisure project, making it one of the costliest land deals in recent times, triggered buying activity in realty stocks.
Sentiments also buoyed on reports that the US Federal Reserve chief said the global economy is "beginning to emerge" from recession and unexpected good home sales data for July.
"Realty stocks were frontrunners in today's trading on the bourses on favourable corporate reports and firming trend in global markets," a Delhi-based stock broker said.
Realty major DLF closed 3.15 per cent higher at Rs 394.25. The country's second largest realty player, Unitech, closed up 5.71 per cent at Rs 90.65. Ansal Infrastructure surged 7.86 per cent to Rs 70.
Sobha Developers surged by 11.21 per cent to Rs 243.15, Omaxe Ltd by 5.12 per cent to Rs 110.90, and Parsvnath by 4.09 per cent to Rs 118.25.
The benchmark Sensex surged by 387.92 points, or 2.55 per cent, to close at 15,628.75 points.
Minister says Air India needs bailout
NEW DELHI: Air India needs a bailout of nearly 620 million dollars to keep flying, a minister said in remarks published on Monday, in which he added he was certain the loss-making airline would survive.
The flagship airline, which posted a 1.03-billion-dollar loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, and other Indian carriers have been hit by overcapacity in the industry and a sharp drop in passengers due to the economic slowdown.
"The airline will survive. Every time it was in trouble the problems were rolled over, and we will roll over this time also," civil aviation minister Praful Patel told a newpaper.
Patel said he did not want the government to have to bail out the state-run carrier but added that "we have to do certain things as shareholders" of the airline.
"Air India should be sold, but I've been asked to keep it going," he told the newspaper.
"The airline needs a 30 billion rupee (618.6 million dollar) equity infusion and the conversion of high-cost debt to low-cost debt to keep it going," Patel added.
The airline has been seeking financial aid from the government along with soft loans to remain afloat.
A decision by Patel to allow more private carriers to fly in India's skies has undercut the airline's competitive position and has led to criticism from trade unions that he has endangered the airline's survival.
Patel said his decision was to promote the overall growth of the aviation industry.
"Do not see me as a minister for Air India," he told the newspaper.
Patel added that he supported demands by airlines for a cut in state taxes -- which range up to 30 percent on aviation fuel -- that many carriers have blamed for heavy losses.
"I want this reduced for both low-cost and full-service carriers," he said. "I have always advocated a uniform tax on jet fuel."
In a bid to cut costs Air India recently announced it would halve productivity-linked incentive payments for its 31,000 employees and also slash crew flying allowances by 50 percent.
The moves are part of a turnaround programme announced by the carrier that also includes moves to attract more budget customers and plans to rationalise its fleet and network.
Indian Sports News|Sports News
Can win tri-series even without Zaheer, Sehwag: Harbhajan
New Delhi: India will sorely miss Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan in next month's tri-series in Sri Lanka but the presence of match-winners and the balance of the team still make them the tournament favourite, said Harbhajan Singh.
Talking to reporters after unveiling the Compaq Cup 2009, which will be given to the winner of the tri-series also featuring New Zealand, Harbhajan conceded it would not be easy to replace players like Sehwag and Zaheer but felt the team could still pull it off.
"Sehwag is a key player. Any team in the world would miss a player like him. But now that he would not be playing, we would have to do well without him," Harbhajan said. He said the return of veterans Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid would offset Sehwag's loss.
"We are a strong team and it's a balanced side. Besides, we have a number of match-winning players in the ranks. We have the youngsters and then you have experienced players like Dravid, Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh. If we play to our potential, we would return with this lovely trophy," he said after unveiling world's first digital sports trophy.
Like Sehwag, Zaheer too underwent a shoulder surgery which ruled him out of the tri-series and the subsequent Champions Trophy but Harbhajan seemed to have enough trust on other pacers to pull it off.
"Zaheer is such an experience bowler and it's unfortunate that he would not be playing. We are going to miss him," Harbhajan said. "However, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma have been doing well and they will have to step up to the plate and deliver," he said.
ASHES URN RETURNS HOME
London: England regained the Ashes beating Australia by 197 runs on Sunday to take the five-match series 2-1.
Michael Hussey was the last man out after tea at The Oval, caught for 121 by Alastair Cook off Graeme Swann as Australia were dismissed for 348 on the fourth day of the fifth Test, falling well short of the 546 target set by England. Swann claimed 4/120 and Steve Harmison picked up 3/54 but it were two run outs in six balls — including that of captain Ricky Ponting — that put England on way to victory and sent all-rounder Andrew Flintoff into Test retirement as a winner.
The defeat also meant that Ponting became only the second Australia captain in 132 years of Ashes history to lose two consecutive series on England soil. The other was Australia’s first touring captain Billy Murdoch a century ago. Murdoch lost his second series in 1890.
Australia were always behind once they replied to England's first innings 332 with a below-par 160. The tourists would also regret not being able to win the first Test in Cardiff when they failed to take England's final wicket.
Hussey scored his first Test century since last October but his 330-minute fighting effort that may have saved his Test career was in a losing cause.
There had been periods throughout the day when it looked like Australia might achieve a spectacular rearguard action to stave off defeat or even claim an unlikely win. Hussey, who survived two drops by Paul Collingwood at slip to Swann on 21 and 55, put on 127 with Ponting and 91 with Haddin, but neither were significant enough to deny England.
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