Maoists offer 72-day ceasefire and Dismal condom use by youngsters! US hopes India-Pakistan talks will revive composite dialogue!Beheading of Sikh condemned by Pakistan, India!

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 449

Palash Biswas

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Maoists offer 72-day ceasefire and Dismal condom use by youngsters!

US hopes India-Pakistan talks will revive composite dialogue!

Beheading of Sikh condemned by Pakistan, India!

I have personally felt the Heat of Maoist Activism and Violence in Dandakarnya area in Maharashtra, Madhyapradesh and Chhattishgarh Border very recently. I addressed the 17th All India AdivasiSammelan in Umbrer,Nagpur on 14th February last. Ten Thousand delegates attended the Conference. Maoism is not limited within the Border of Five States Under Corporate War in desguise of Operation Green Hunt or Operation Godavari.Our Aboriginal Indigenous Black Untouchable Brotherhood Countrywide does feel the Heat simultaneously. The tribals in Rajsthan and Gujarat are being persecuted as their land has to be ACQUIRED for so called development. So are the Refugees. Everyone of them in Resistance or Democratic opposition is being Branded as Maoist. It is the same story everywhere in nation India. It is happening in UP and Uttarakhand also. I have Phone Calls from Rajasthan, from Dungarpur and Udaipur. I am getting SOS from Orissa. It is devastating in Andhra and Jharkhand and even in Bihar. The Peace sought and the War against Maoist Menace means Peaceful Land Acquisition without any Opposition. Demonisation Continues.

In statistics that may worry health planners, a study on Indian youth has found that consistent condom use is dismal in young men who have had pre-marital sexual experiences. The study, conducted by the Population Council of India under the aegis of the Union Health Ministry, covered 58,000 youth in six states in the age group of 15-29 years. The study released recently found that consistent condom use was "almost non-existent" among the youth despite the fact that a sizeable proportion reported having pre-marital sexual experiences. "Among youth who had experienced pre-marital sex, only 13 per cent of young men and three per cent of young women reported that they had always used a condom," the study said.
It also found that correct awareness about condoms was far from universal, especially among young women. The study also found that youngsters in both urban and rural areas indulged in pre-marital sex.
Fifteen per cent of men and four per cent of women reported having engaged in sex before marriage and rural young men at 17 per cent were more likely than their urban counterparts to have experienced pre-marital sex. Rural women at four per cent were more likely than their urban counterparts at two per cent to report pre marital sex.
"Findings have suggested that consistent condom use was rarely practised by those reporting pre-marital sexual relations.
correct awareness about the condom was far from universal, especially among young women," it said.

Feeling the heat after the Silda camp attack, the Maoists today offered a conditional ceasefire, asking the government to halt its offensive for 72 days and involve mediators for talks. Home Minister P Chidambaram had said last week that the government would find "a way out" if the Maoists gave up violence for 72 hours.

Today, the government said it had not received any communication from the Maoists and would only agree to an unconditional ceasefire.
Maoist leader Kishenji, in a statement to some regional TV channels in West Bengal, said if state and central police forces ceased operations against them, his group would reciprocate.
"The state and central governments should stop this violence for 72 days... revolutionaries will immediately stop taking revenge," said Kishenji.
He offered a ceasefire from February 25 to May 7. "It is an appeal to intellectuals, human rights organisations and mass organisations... to mediate between the two sides," he said.
There was no official reaction from the government but sources said the Maoist move appeared to be a ploy to buy time when cornered.

The sources said the Maoist groups were certain that a crackdown would follow the Silda incident and were, therefore, offering a ceasefire.

US hopes India-Pakistan talks will revive composite dialogue

The United States has welcomed the India-Pakistan foreign secretary level talks as a 'significant breakthrough' and hoped it would begin the process of re-establishing the composite dialogue stalled since the Mumbai terror attacks.

'We welcome very much the fact that these talks are taking place,' Robert O. Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, said in an interview with BBC World News Monday.
'I think this is a significant breakthrough, and I really want to commend both the Indians and the Pakistanis for arranging these talks.'
Noting that the talks had been suspended as a result of the November 2008 bombings in Mumbai, Blake said: 'We think this is a very valuable opportunity for both of these countries to explore the important issues on their agenda.'
It's also an opportunity 'to think about ways that they can begin the process of re-establishing the composite dialogue that they suspended and again, normalise relations,' he said.
'As you know, a great deal of progress was made between 2004 and 2007. I think we and the Indians and the Pakistanis themselves hope that that progress can be re-established,' Blake said.

Beheading of Sikh condemned by Pakistan, India

Hundreds of fear-stricken Sikhs in Pakistan clamoured to escape to India after the Taliban beheaded a Sikh man in the restive tribal region of Khyber Pass. The killing sparked outrage among Sikhs in India while the incident was condemned by both India and Pakistan. The body of Jaspal Singh was found in Tirah valley of the Khyber agency in Pakistan's restive tribal region Sunday, and triggered panic in the small community that has faced the ire of the Taliban for some time.
Jaspal Singh was kidnapped along with two other Sikhs from Tirah Valley in the Khyber Agency near the provincial capital Peshawar, DawnNews and other Pakistani media reported.
BBC, however, said two Sikhs had been done to death, and identified the second man as Mastan Singh.
The two companions of Jaspal Singh, identified by a Pakistani website as Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh, are reportedly still being held captive by the Taliban militants.
The abducted Sikhs -- their number varying from three to four -- were seized 34 days ago. The Taliban demanded Rs.3 crore as ransom for their release, media reports said.
According to arzePakistan.com, the kidnapping occurred in an area where the Pakistan government has virtually no control.
Since the Taliban began enforcing 'jaziya' in the tribal belt, particularly Aurakzai Agency, many Sikhs fled to cities elsewhere in the country fearing for their lives.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction and murder but members of the Sikh community blamed it on the Pakistani Taliban, which has close ties with Al Qaeda, and said they wanted to quit Pakistan for good.
'We want to return to India but we are not getting the visas. The Taliban keep demanding jaziya (religious tax) from us,' Arvind Singh, a cousin of the beheaded Jaspal Singh, told a Pakistani TV channel.
He said the business interests of Sikhs were suffering in Pakistan because of the Taliban.
Another Sikh man said they were living in fear and that they wanted to go to the Sikh holy city Amritsar to start life anew.
Muslim-majority Pakistan is home to over 32,000 Sikhs, according to one account. Many of them came to Pakistan after the Taliban took power in Kabul in the 1990s and enforced strict Islamic laws.
India denounced Jaspal Singh's killing as 'barbaric'. 'We condemn the barbaric act of the Taliban,' Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna said in New Delhi.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari Monday denounced the beheading.
The president, while strongly condemning the incident, asked the authorities to investigate the matter and take stern action against the kidnappers in accordance with the law, a spokesman of the presidency said.
Zardari also called for effective measures so that such incidents do not recur in the future.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the Sikh religious parliament in India, and the Punjab government Monday reacted angrily and urged New Delhi's intervention to save Sikhs in the area bordering Afghanistan.
'This is condemnable. The central government should take up the matter with the Pakistan government to ensure the safety of Sikhs in that area,' SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal too demanded India's intervention. 'The government should not sleep over this matter. The life of Sikhs should be protected.'
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked the government to mount 'diplomatic pressure' on Pakistan to ensure the release of the abducted Sikhs.
'It is a serious issue and there is a need to talk to Pakistan,' Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said in New Delhi.
In Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Sikh groups called for a shutdown to protest the killing.
Addressing a press conference, Sudershan Singh Wazir, convenor of the All Jammu and Kashmir Sikh United Front, said what happened to Sikhs in Pakistan was 'brutal'.
'It is unacceptable,' he said.

Shock, outrage in Punjab over killing of Sikhs

The decapitation of two Sikhs by Taliban in Pakistan today evoked sharp condemnation in Punjab with political parties, top sikh religious bodies and the Akal Takht terming the incident as barbaric and an outrage against humanity. The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) demanded immediate intervention of the Prime Minister in ensuring the safety and security of the Sikhs in Pakistan as its ally BJP staged a vociferous protest at the Attari border. Terming the killings as an outrage against humanity, SAD supremo and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asked the Union government to put the issue on the agenda of upcoming Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should intervene to secure the release of remaining members of the Sikh community held hostage by the Taliban," he said in a statement here.
Badal urged Singh to use all diplomatic channels in ensuring the safety and security of the Sikhs abroad. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal asked the Prime Minister to take up the issue of beheading of the two Sikhs with his Pakistani counterpart.
The Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, and the SGPC, the apex religious body of the community, termed the killings as barbaric. Chanting anti-Taliban slogans, the BJP held a protest demonstration at the Attari border in Amritsar district.

Major setback for the mining industry in Goa

Tue, Feb 23 10:15 AM

India, Feb. 22 -- In what could prove to be a major setback for the Rs 6, 000 crore mining industry in Goa, the Union minister for environment and forests (MoEFF) Jairam Ramesh in a stern letter on Monday has told the Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat that the ministry has "imposed a moratorium on consideration of mining proposals for environmental clearance.

till the mineral policy for the state of Goa is finalised." Ramesh has also called for a "comprehensive environmental impact assessment of all the mining activities that has taken place and for which permissions have been given over the last few years" in his letter, adding that the study should also identify remedial measures for which he plans to ask Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute to carry out the study.
Incidentally, this development follows a meeting between Ramesh and a delegation of anti-mining activists from Goa led by UK-based Carmen Miranda and Claude Alvares, which was held in Kotagiri last week. "Ramesh admitted there's a crisis situation in Goa as far as the mining issue is concerned," says Miranda, who is also the sister of noted Goa-based cartoonist Mario Miranda.
"We told him that there hasn't been any study done on the carrying capacity of this industry in a small state like Goa, it must be looked into before more licenses are issued. Mining activities impinge on the wildlife habitats of the areas they operate in.
We are very happy with this development.".

Hindustan Times

From Gandhi to Lagaan in one lifetime

Mon, Feb 22 02:37 PM

Even for someone who has had too many achievements in life to keep count of, the distinction of being the first Indian winner of an Oscar is not something that can rest lightly on the shoulders. But for Bhanu Rajopadhye Athaiya, India's first winner of an Academy Award, that she shared with John Mollo for the Best Costume Design for the film Gandhi (1982), it, indeed, is just one of the many accomplishments of her substantive 83 years.

At the launch of Athaiya's book, Bhanu Rajopadhye Athaiya: The Art of Costume Design ( Collins) on Friday, V. K. Karthika, managing editor and publisher, HarperCollins recalled having spotted the ''dusty, familiar statuette in one of the shelves of Bhanu's studio when I had visited her in Mumbai.
She pointed to pictures from Kolhapur instead and said,'that is the real me'.'' That's not unexpected from a person who has draped the leading actors of Bollywood for a large swathe of time- her first film as a costume designer was Shahenshah (1953) and the most recent stars to have worn her creations include Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan (for Lagaan and Swades respectively), among others- and set fashion trends for the country when films were the only inspiration and fashion designers lay foetal in the womb of the future.
Athaiya is now ready to share nuggets from her life through this book, which is also the first illustrated book by Harper - Collins, through its imprint Collins. As a befitting tribute to the best known costume designer of Bollywood, it carries a foreword by Lord Richard Attenborough, the director of eight Oscarwinner Gandhi . Writes Attenborough: ''It took me 17 long years to set up Gandhi, my dream film, and just 15 minutes to make up my mind that Bhanu Athaiya was the right person to create the many hundreds of Indian costumes that would be required...' The formal unveiling of the book was done by filmmaker Kumar Shahani in the presence of minister of state for science and technology, Prithviraj Chavan, who hails from Athaiya's hometown, Kolhapur. Shahani, who was once Athaiya's neighbour in Mumbai, emphasised the tough times she would have had to face in the early years of her career.''She was in Bollywood at its roughest time. In the film industry of a newly independent India, funding came from sources that couldn't be spoken of without fear,'' said Shahani.
Athaiya didn't speak much but was succinct when she said, ''My life is an example of the fact that if you've had a parent like mine, nothing is impossible.'' She, perhaps, left it on her book to do the talking. Through rare pictures, the book brings alive the life of the girl from Kolhapur who moved to Mumbai to study art at the Sir J. J. School of Art. She excelled as a painter and was nominated to the prestigious Progressive Artists Group. However, she chose films over art, a decision, which she writes in the book, she has never regretted.
India Today

Wooing Mahadalits: Nitish does it with poll promises, his MLA with dance show

Mon, Feb 22 06:08 AM

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faced some embarrassing moments over the weekend, thanks to a party colleague. On Saturday night, Jiradei MLA Shyam Bahadur Singh was found dancing with bar girls in his flat. The dance was supposed to entertain voters from his constituency who had come to attend Nitish's Mahadalit rally. And on Sunday, Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary, despite holding a constitutional post, addressed the Mahadalit rally organised by the NDA at Gandhi Maidan here.

While Singh apologised, Choudhary maintained that it was his "greatest constitutional duty to address my people". The incidents gave enough reason for the Opposition to point finger towards Nitish. The CM and his ministers, on the other hand, said the rally was an indication of a new constituency for the JD(U) in the forthcoming Assembly polls.
Addressing the rally, Nitish said: "People (read RJD and LJP leaders) will try to misguide you. But this is the rally of the last man standing in the queue of socio-economic ladder." He added that he will not say which party they should vote for. "But when elections come, turn up at the polling booths in large numbers to realise your power," he said, reminding them of the special benefits the NDA government has provided them. He exhorted nomads to settle down, promising them government land.
Urging men to quit drinking, he said the government will give money for children's school uniforms and radio sets to women, as he feared men will spend the money on alcohol. Choudhary, MLA from Imamganj (Gaya) who presided over the function, had a heated argument with colleague Shyam Rajak over occupying a chair. Rajak left the venue and had to be coaxed to come back to the rally.
The Opposition targeted both Singh and Choudhary, saying that the MLA had crossed "decency limits" and the Speaker seemed to have forgotten about his constitutional post.
Senior Congress leader Premchand Mishra said: "When the Congress put Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar's name by mistake in Pradesh Congress Committee list, there was lot of hue and cry. What will Nitish Kumar say about the Assembly Speaker attending a political rally?." About Singh dancing with bar girls, Mishra said the JD(U) is replicating RJD culture of indulging in cheap gimmicks.

'Nobody likes their kids to be gay'

Sun, Feb 21 02:15 PM

Lucknow, Feb. 20 -- "We cannot allow the campus to be a cradle of wanton behaviour like homosexuality," declared P K Abdul Azis, vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, defending the recent suspension of a professor for being gay.

When told that homosexuality is no longer unlawful in India, he responded with a question: "Would anybody like his/her child to be gay or lesbian?"
On February 10, S R Siras, an AMU professor, was suspended for performing alleged homosexual acts in his official residence, although rights activists pointed out that gay sex was no longer a crime.
The university asked Siras, who headed the department of modern Indian languages, to vacate his official residence. "I am 64 and in fragile health. The charge of active homosexuality levelled against me is absurd," Siras said. "When the high court has decriminalised homosexuality, how can the university level such a charge?"

The suspension order against Siras, who was due to retire this year, came seven months after Delhi HC decriminalised adult consensual intercourse. But Azis said since AMU has its own tradition of moral values, "I had to take preliminary action. Or, it would have sent a very wrong message."

National News

Light showers likely to bring winter chill back

IANS - 10:39 AM New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The national capital had light showers early Tuesday, which is likely to bring the mercury down.

NATIONAL

Sena's tantrums

Chronology of events when Sainiks created ruckus

NATIONAL

Terrorism in J&K

Advani blames Nehru for festering sores of Kashmir

NATIONAL

Floral tribute to MG

India pays homage to Gandhi on Martyrs' Day

NATIONAL

Now vote online

Gujarat is now looking at online and SMS voting

NATIONAL

The year gone by

Take a look at the events that marked 2009

NATIONAL

Taj, a heritage fame

Taj Mahal a favourite landmark for global tourists

NATIONAL

Sena's tantrums

Chronology of events when Sainiks created ruckus

NATIONAL

Terrorism in J&K

Advani blames Nehru for festering sores of Kashmir

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General

Burqa not integral to Islam: ECHT - 10:10 AM The Election Commission on Monday said wearing a burqa was a mere custom and did not ?have any force of law.? In response to a petition before the Supreme Court, seeking ban on photographs of Muslim women in the electoral rolls, the EC filed its affidavit stating use of purdah (veil) could not be considered an essential or integral part of Islam.
Dismal condom use by youngstersPTI - 10:03 AM New Delhi, Feb 23 (PTI) In statistics that may worry health planners, a study on Indian youth has found that consistent condom use is dismal in young men who have had pre-marital sexual experiences.
SRK's IPL team axes deal with tainted TodiHT - 09:55 AM Filmstar Shah Rukh Khan put on hold on Monday the deal between his Indian Premier League team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Ashok Todi, owner of the Lux Cozy hosiery brand.
MiG-27s grounded for checksHT - 09:55 AM The Indian Air Force has ?grounded? its fleet of over 100 MiG-27 ground attack fighters for mandatory checks following a fatal crash in West Bengal last week.
No new mining in 'fragile' Goa, orders Jairam RameshHT - 09:55 AM In what could prove to be a major setback for the Rs 6, 000 crore mining industry in Goa, the Union minister for environment and forests (MoEFF) Jairam Ramesh in a stern letter on Monday has told the Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat that the ministry has ?imposed a moratorium on consideration of mining proposals for environmental clearance? till the mineral policy for the state of Goa is finalise

Politics

INTERVIEW - Govt to make mines pay more for displacedReuters - 08:32 AM India plans to raise the compensation for people displaced by large mining projects, federal mines minister B.K. Handique said on Monday, in a move that could soothe opposition to leases but will raise costs.
Toyota faces U.S. criminal probe, lawmakers' ireReuters - 06:29 AM Toyota Motor Corp revealed it faces a U.S. criminal investigation into its handling of the safety problems that led to massive vehicle
Before suicide, WR to Karat: denied fairplayIE - 06:17 AM As the Chennai police today confirmed that fingerprints taken from a body found in a lake tallied with those of missing CPM leader WR Varada Rajan, a letter accessed by the The Indian Express sheds light on the mystery behind his expulsion from the party central and state committees.
Right stepIE - 06:17 AM This refers to the editorial 'Nourishing change' (IE, February 20). The Union government's proposal for an NBS regime on fertilisers is the right step. No doubt political interests didn't let successive governments take any concrete initiative to cope with fertiliser subsidy. Finding a solution of this long-pending issue had become a priority for the government.
Feeling the heat, Kishenji offers '72-day ceasefire'IE - 06:17 AM Feeling the heat after the Silda camp attack, the Maoists today offered a conditional ceasefire, asking the government to halt its offensive for 72 days and involve mediators for talks.

Features

Zubin Mehta seeks to boost Belgrade's orchestraReuters - 08:31 AM When conductor Zubin Mehta first performed with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra in 1958, the city represented the moderate face of socialism, its orchestra an embodiment of a rich cultural tradition.
Modern Etiquette: How to decline Facebook friends without offenceReuters - Mon, Feb 22 A colleague I just met at work has invited me to be their friend on Facebook. I don't want to offend them, but nor do I want to share my candid photos and lousy Scrabble scores with someone I hardly know.
Pop in the name of rock!Y! India News - Mon, Feb 22 What do you call a concert where the likes of Backstreet boys and Richard Marx play? A rock concert, apparently! The annual 'Rock in India' "rock" concert boasted of having these two international performers opening the show this year.
Home theatricsHT - Mon, Feb 22 When Slumdog Millionaire showed on Tata Sky in February 2009, it got 1,52,883 pay per view requests in just three days from its subscribers. Kurbaan, currently running on Tata Sky, is doing very well in spite of having tanked in film theatres. It is running with other DTH services too. Wanted, a hit in theatres, was a hit on Tata Sky too. So was Kaminey, with 78,727 requests.
Where's the Silk in this ad?HT - Mon, Feb 22 Cadbury Dairy Milk has been known for its classy, high recall advertising. So when it launched its new variant, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk, people would no doubt have watched its two TV ads with interest.

Crime

ANALYSIS - Spies, hackers exploit world cyber rule voidReuters - Mon, Feb 22 The best weapon against the online thieves, spies and vandals who threaten global business and security would be international regulation of cyberspace.
Court rejects 26/11 terror accused Faheem Ansari's bail pleaANI - Mon, Feb 22 Mumbai, February 22 (ANI): The trial court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of 26/11 terror attack accused Faheem Ansari saying that the grounds on which the bail has been sought are baseless.
Computer waste in India to grow 500 pct by 2020 - reportReuters - Mon, Feb 22 Waste from discarded electronics will rise dramatically in the developing world within a decade, with computer waste in India alone to grow by 500 percent from 2007 levels by 2020, a U.N. study released on Monday said.
Four held for robbing bizmanHT - Mon, Feb 22 Locals and police nabbed four persons who were allegedly fleeing after robbing a businessman at Mahim on Friday. The accused are reportedly from the Matunga labour camp locality in Dharavi.
Painter knifed on suspicionHT - Mon, Feb 22 A martial arts instructor, who claims to be a consultant for the counter-terror unit, Force One, was arrested for stabbing a painter he suspected of having an affair with his wife.

Business News

Rupee falls to 46.23 against dollar

FE - 10:35 AM The rupee eased by 2 paise against the dollar in early trade on fresh capital outflows by foreign funds and the US currency's gains against other Asian currencies.

BUSINESS

BMW's Gran Turismo

BMW launches limited edition of Gran Turismo

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Yamaha YZF-R1

Yamaha launches the 2010 version of YZF-R1

BUSINESS

The Green brigade

Check out some of the most talked about Green cars

BUSINESS

Discover Yeti

Shokda Yeti - maximum functionality of arrangement...

BUSINESS

Cool car concepts

Take a look at the Concept cars at Auto Expo 2010

BUSINESS

Royal vintage cars

A look at the Vintage cars at Auto Expo 2010

BUSINESS

BMW's Gran Turismo

BMW launches limited edition of Gran Turismo

BUSINESS

Yamaha YZF-R1

Yamaha launches the 2010 version of YZF-R1

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ANALYSIS - Swatch move could force watchmakers to turn to AsiaReuters - 10:15 AM Swatch Group's plan to stop supplying rivals with key components threatens the "Swiss made" seal on which the industry rests and could force watchmakers to source from Asia or simply go out of business.
Aqua Logistics lists with 2.27 pc premium on NSEPTI - 09:57 AM Mumbai, Feb 23 (PTI) Logistic solutions provider Aqua Logistics today listed with a premium of 2.27 per cent at Rs 225 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
Kalpataru Power plans raising up to $125 mlnReuters - 09:45 AM The board of power equipment maker Kalpataru Power Transmission has approved raising up to $125 million via a qualified institutional placement or other modes of follow-on offerings, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS - Bundled oil services trend no guarantee of successReuters - 09:16 AM All the talk in financial services may now be about becoming leaner and more focused, but those that serve the oil and gas industry are nonetheless pushing ahead with efforts to be the "Citigroup" of drilling.
Tengzhong may buy Hummer via offshore vehicle - sourceReuters - 09:12 AM China's Tengzhong is weighing the option of using an offshore investment vehicle to buy General Motors' Hummer brand if it cannot get regulatory approval for the transaction, a source close to the deal said on Tuesday.

India

NLC disinvestment process kicks offHT - 10:30 AM The government has begun the process of disinvestment in Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC), already listed on the bourses, through a follow on public offer (FPO).
'Home loans and SMEs would be our focus areas'HT - 10:30 AM ING Vysya Bank is looking to grow beyond south India. It raised Rs 415 crore in September 2009 through qualified institutional placement. Uday Sareen, country head (retail banking) of ING Vysya discussed the bank?s roadmap for aggressive growth with HT. Excerpts:
Heavy crude oil set for exports, Cairn may gainHT - 10:30 AM The case for exporting newly-discovered crude oil such as the one being produced by Cairn India from Rajasthan oilfields is gaining ground.
Base rate to bring clarity: BhattHT - 10:30 AM The proposed new ?base rate? regime would prevent large corporations from taking an advantage of ample liquidity in the banking system and negotiate competitive interest rates, State Bank of India (SBI) chairman OP Bhatt said.
INTERVIEW - Godrej Cons to announce buys in early FY11 - ChairmanReuters - 10:26 AM Godrej Consumer Products Ltd may announce some acquisitions as early as in the financial year beginning April, a top official said on Tuesday.

International

Toyota faces U.S. criminal probe, lawmakers' ireReuters - 07:53 AM Toyota Motor Corp revealed it faces a U.S. criminal investigation into its handling of the safety problems that led to massive vehicle recalls, while a U.S. congressional panel accused it of making apparently misleading statements.
Toyota appears to have dismissed failures - U.S. panelReuters - 06:50 AM Toyota Motor Corp appeared to have "consistently dismissed" the possibility that electronic throttle failures could cause unintended acceleration, according to lawmakers who also questioned statements by the company on its big recalls.
Wary of China, Google double clicks on India's potentialIE - 06:17 AM If Mountain View, California-based search engine giant Google Inc's venture in China is hanging from a precipice, its operation in that other promising internet market, India, is flourishing.
SCENARIOS - The next acts in the Toyota safety crisisReuters - 05:36 AM Toyota Motor Corp, struggling with a fast-moving crisis that has tarnished its reputation for quality, is set to face U.S. lawmakers this week seeking answers about the cause of the largest carmaker's safety woes and how it handled evidence of the problems.
Toyota discloses US subpoenas on eve of hearingsReuters - 01:59 AM Toyota Motor Corp's problems stemming from the recall of millions of vehicles deepened with the news that U.S. prosecutors and securities regulators have demanded information from the company.

Personal-Finance

When all that glitters is goldHT - Sun, Feb 21 Mom, I have a treasure,? my daughter whispered, holding a small wooden box in her outstretched hand. Now anyone who has dealt with kids knows that when a four-year-old whispers excitedly, you cannot answer back. You?ve got to whisper back, with double the enthusiasm. So I duly went wide-eyed and said, ?Really? Show me.? She opened the box.
Sensex static as traders wait for budgetIANS - Sat, Feb 20 Mumbai, Feb 20 (IANS) Indian stock markets were caught up in volatile trading this week with a key index see-sawing between red and green terrains but managing to end Friday with meagre gains.
US stocks climb on lower inflation outlookIANS - Sat, Feb 20 New York, Feb 20 (DPA) US stocks posted mild gains at the end of a strong week Friday after inflation for January came in lower than expected despite the US recovery from recession.
Sensex down 147 points in early tradeIANS - Fri, Feb 19 Mumbai, Feb 19 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities fell further into the red after a weak opening Friday. About 30 minutes into trade, it was 147 points lower than its previous close.
Reliance drags Sensex downIANS - Thu, Feb 18 Mumbai, Feb 18 (IANS) A benchmark index for Indian equities Thursday was dragged into the red by heavyweight scrip Reliance Industries over reports that the company may have to raise its offer for a controlling stake in bankrupt petrochemical and refining major LyondellBasell Industries.

Markets

Rupee nudges higher as stocks riseReuters - 10:25 AM The rupee edged higher on on Tuesday supported by slightly higher stocks, but mixed cues from Asian peers kept trading in a tight range.
ANALYSIS - Obama in crucial week on healthcareReuters - 09:43 AM President Barack Obama may be setting up a carefully choreographed attempt to ram his healthcare plan through the U.S. Congress over the objections of rival Republicans.
BSE Sensex turns positive as Asia recoversReuters - 09:39 AM MUMBAI (Reuters) The BSE Sensex rose 0.1 percent on Tuesday morning after dropping 0.4 percent early, with ICICI Bank and State Bank of India leading the gains, after Asian markets pulled back from early drop.
Rupee holds in tight range; shares watchedReuters - 09:27 AM The rupee traded in a narrow range on Tuesday as marginal weakness in the sharemarket and mixed cues from other Asian peers failed to provide any clear direction to the local unit.
Aqua Logistics shares rise after market debutReuters - 09:14 AM Shares of Aqua Logistics, a third party logistics provider, listed at 219.40 rupees on the BSE on Tuesday, a narrow discount to its issue price of 220 rupees a share, but rose as much as 6.5 percent in early trade.