China: Karmapa not our spy, India mistrustful

Beijing: China today denied that Karmapa, the head of the Tibetan Karma Kagyu sect, was its spy, and claimed that allegations against the country in this regard showed India's "mistrustful attitude" towards Beijing.

"The speculation by India's media, regarding the matter of the Karmapa as a Chinese agent or spy, shows that India is keeping its mistrustful attitude toward China," said Xu Zhitao, an official at the United Front Work Department of the ruling Communist Party Central Committee.
In the first reaction to reports of raids on the offices of a trust backed by Karmapa in the Indian press, the official said, "the 17th Karmapa Living Buddha (Monks in Tibet are called living Buddhas) is the first reincarnated Living Buddha confirmed and approved by the Central Government of the People's Republic of China after the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951."
"The reincarnation of holy men is a unique form of succession in Tibetan Buddhism, which has long been recognized and respected," Xu told state-run Global Times today.
Karmapa, heading the Karmapa sect, is informally ranked number 3 in Tibetan Buddhist spiritual religious milieu.
He is endorsed by both the Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual head as well as by the Chinese Government.
Where as Panchen Lama ranked second was appointed by China and but was not backed by Dalai Lama, the highest Tibetan spiritual leader denounced by China.
"Karmapa left China in 1999 for the purpose of religious behaviors, just as he claimed," Xu said, apparently referring to the explanation provided by Karmapa's advisor, Karma Topden in Dharmashala yesterday that one reason why the monk went to India was to complete spiritual learning process as all top teachers of his sect were based in India.
Xu, however, made no mention of Karmapa's assertions the main reason why Karmapa fled to India was to escape from the pressure exhorted by the Chinese authorities on him to denounce Dalai Lama and support the Panchen Lama selected by the Chinese authorities.
Karmapa whose original name is Ugyen Trinley Dorjee said one reason why he went to India was to seek the blessings of Dalai Lama, who is denounced by China.
The Global Times news report also cited reports in the Indian media about protests by Karmapa supporters denying the allegations.
"This is not the first time that India's media has linked 'spies' with China. Earlier this month, three Chinese citizens were arrested in India on suspicion of money laundering and spying on border security. But the Chinese foreign ministry said they were actually tourists who had mistakenly crossed the border from Nepal," it said.

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Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Arab world protests, Assange?

Oslo: The vibrant protest movements across the Arab world, Russian human rights activists and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will all likely be in the running for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, observers say as the deadline for nominating candidates approaches.

According to existing rules, the Norwegian Nobel Committee will only consider candidate proposals sent by February 1 for its pick, to be announced in October.
Since news events often influence nominations, this year's list of candidates could be coloured by the recent waves of protests against authoritarian Arab regimes, including in Tunisia and Egypt.
"That's a possibility," explained Nobel expert and historian Asle Sveen.
"But no name really stands out. In Egypt, the (opposition) movement seems very spontaneous. And (the most visible opposition leader) Mohamed ElBaradei already received a Nobel prize" in 2005, he pointed out.

The nature of the protests, which appear more motivated by socio-economic factors than ideological, could also complicate finding an obvious candidate.
he names of nominees are kept secret for 50 years, and although those entitled to nominate candidates are allowed to reveal their picks, Nobel observers are basically condemned to making educated guesses as to who will figure on the list.
Thousands of people are eligible to submit nominations, including members of parliament and government worldwide, university professors, previous laureates and members of several international institutes.
The five-member Nobel Committee that awards the prize is also eligible to add to the list during its first meeting of the year, scheduled for February 28.
"Maybe a leader (of the popular uprisings in the Arab world) will stand out by then," Sveen said.

A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded dozens when he blew himself up in the packed arrivals hall of Moscow's largest airport

After infuriating Beijing last year by handing the prestigious prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Committee might also want to turn its attention to Russia this year, the historian mused.
"We'll have to see how the situation evolves in the aftermath of the terror attack" that on January 24 killed 35 people at Moscow's largest airport.
"If Moscow reacts by opting, as I suspect, for a hard line in the Caucasus region that puts pressure on human rights activists, those activists could become natural candidates for the Nobel," Sveen said.
He speculated that two candidates mentioned among the favourites last year will likely be on the list again this year: female human rights activists Svetlana Gannushkina of Russia and Sima Samar of Afghanistan.

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AI plane with 300 Indians from Egypt lands in Mumbai

Mumbai: A Special Air India flight carrying 320 passengers from Egypt's capital Cairo arrived in Mumbai on Monday afternoon.

The flight mostly carried women, children and stranded tourists. The 747 Boeing aircraft, which has a capacity of 423 passengers, took off from Cairo on Sunday night at about 10 PM for Mumbai. Another 300 Tata Group workers and their family members are waiting to be evacuated.
Authorities say that more such flights can be operated if the chaos deepens or if there are attacks on Indians or their properties.
"We are taking steps to bring back people who want to come back to India. We have advised Indians to avoid non essential travel to Egypt," said SM Krishna, Foreign Affairs Minister.
"We are closely monitoring the situation in Egypt. It's an internal matter of Egypt, a country with which we have cordial relations," he further added.
There are about 3,600 Indians in Egypt of which 2,200 are in Cairo. Some Indian tourists are stranded in Sharm-el-Sheikh and efforts were underway to transport them. There are no reports of any Indian having been injured or assaulted since the unrest began on Tuesday.
The Boeing 747-800 was flown to Cairo yesterday as a special measure to airlift the Indians stranded there amidst nationwide unrest against the Egyptian government.
Air India has also decided to send its Mumbai-Jeddah flight further to Cairo this evening to pick up more Indians stuck in the Egyptian capital that has been rocked by violent protests for a week now, airport sources said.
According to current estimates, there are about 600 Indians, including tourists, who are to be transported back here. Another flight is expected to take off from Cairo later on Monday.

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Birthday Suite: Preity Zinta

On-screen, Preity Zinta combines the elegance of Audrey Hepburn, the charm of Debra Winger and the tomboyishness of Demi Moore!
Known for her spontaneity, Preity has given some memorable performances in movies such as ‘Kya Kehna’, ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, ‘Lakshya’, ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’, ‘Veer Zaara’ and 'The Last Lear'.
Here are a few snaps of the the bubbly Miss Zinta.

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India are biggest threat in WC, feel Pak players

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir feel that India will be the biggest threat for all teams including Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup.

"I think India, Australia and South Africa can pose big threat as they have very strong squads for the tournament," Ajmal told Pakistan's former captain and now well-known commentator Ramiz Raja on a television show.
Ajmal said hopefully if Pakistan managed to get through to the knockout stages it would have to contend with India in the crunch stage of the event. "Matches against India are always played with extra hype and spirit and if such a match up takes place in the World Cup at any stage it would be great for the sport," the offie stated.
He also feels that he has been in the form of his life and would make an impact in the World Cup in which the pitches are expected to assist the slow bowlers.
"I want to come out of the World Cup with appreciable performances and with people saying Saeed bowled well for the team," he said.
His teammate Tanvir said,"Both India and Sri Lanka have strong one-day combinations and both can pose a challenge to any team in the tournament and in the knockout stage," he said.
"I am confident our team can perform well in the tournament and I see India or Sri Lanka as our main threats in the latter stages of the event," Tanvir said.
The all-rounder who has made a comeback to the national team after remaining out of action for nearly a year due to a major knee operation ruled out England as a major contender for the title despite their recent success in the Ashes and after winning the T20 World Cup.
Both also felt that the role of the captain and coach was crucial in getting the best performance out of their players. "The captain and coach can do a lot to lift a player if he is going through a bad patch. A captain must back his player and tell him "I know you can deliver for me,"" Ajmal said.

India hopes Tendulkar can cap career with World Cup win
As batting great Sachin Tendulkar heads into his record sixth cricket World Cup, a nation of 1.2 billion are hoping he can cap a phenomenal with a win for host India.
Tendulkar is the holder of virtually every major batting record in test and one-day cricket, including most runs and most centuries in either form, and most believe a World Cup win will complete his career of achievements.
Former West Indian batsman Vivian Richards said during a World Cup promotional event here last month that "the World Cup would be the icing on the cake for Sachin Tendulkar."
Just as Tendulkar's consistency has been credited with India's superb recent form, runs from the Mumbai player's bat have had a direct bearing on the team's fortunes in the World Cup.

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Give up path of confrontation: Chidambaram tells BJP

As the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ekta Yatra enters the final stage, Home Minister P. Chidambaram appealed to BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj to give up the “path of confrontation” and not push any “political agenda” that will affect peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Home Minister noted that the Jammu and Kashmir government has made it clear that it would neither let any yatra to Srinagar nor would it allow any assembly at Lal Chowk.

“The BJP leaders should respect the orders passed by the state government. It would be most unfortunate if the BJP leaders defy the restrictions placed by the state government or deliberately cause a breach of peace. There is no justification whatsoever to push a political agenda that will certainly affect peace and law and order in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Chidambaram said the state government has also made it clear that it would not allow the BJP leaders to cross the bridge connecting Madhopur and Lakhanpur and enter Jammu and Kashmir.

Drawing the attention of the BJP leaders to the statement made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh January 22, Mr. Chidambaram said the Republic Day is a day of celebration and is not an occasion for divisive politics.

“I would request the two Leaders of the Opposition (in Parliament) and their colleagues to give up the path of confrontation, return to Delhi and join the celebrations in Delhi on Republic Day,” he said.

The Home Minister said he had spoken to Mr. Jaitley and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday. During the conversation with Mr. Jaitley, Mr. Chidambaram had told him that he and his colleagues had made their point and that they should not defy the orders of the state government which was the best judge to decide whether there was a threat to law and order and public peace.

“I requested them to return to Delhi. The BJP leaders were also offered an opportunity to address a press conference at Jammu airport and, thereafter, leave Jammu and Kashmir.

Regrettably, they turned down the offer,” he said.

In the circumstances, the state government had to remove the BJP leaders and take them to Madhopur in Punjab.

They were lodged for the night in a rest house in Madhopur, he said.

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Centurion, Jan 24 (PTI) Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathanturned out to be the star for India in the batting departmentwhile off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the most economicalbowler for the visitors in the five-match ODI series againstSouth Africa which they lost 2-3.

In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag andGautam Gambhir, young Kohli and Pathan put up impressiveperformances with the bat in hostile South African conditionseven as the likes of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, YuvrajSingh, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina found the going tough.

Kohli emerged as the highest run-scorer for India with193 runs in the series at an an average of 48.25.

He scored two fluent half centuries with an unbeaten 87in the fourth ODI being his highest score.

Pathan, on the hand, made full use of his long handle inthe three matches that he played, accumulating 166 runs tofinish as the second highest run-getter for India.

Pathan''s 70-ball 105-run knock in the fifth ODI here lastnight, was also India''s lone century in the series.

Apart from that he also scored a fifty and has got thebest average (55.33) and best strike rate (134.95) amongIndians in the series.

Pathiv Patel, who came in as replacement for an injuredTendulkar for the last two ODIs, holds the third best battingaverage (24.50).

With 111 runs from five innings, Raina is the thirdhighest scorer for India but the left-hander is behind Pathivin the average list (22.20) as he failed to convert his startsto big scores.

Yuvraj (18.20) and Dhoni (15.00) had a forgettable seriesas they scored a total of 91 and 75 runs respectively in theirfive innings.

Rohit Sharma had the worst batting figures for thevisitors as opening the batting he could manage only 49 runsfrom the five matches at an average 9.80. .

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31 dead, 130 hurt in suicide bomb at Moscow's busiest airport

At least 31 people were killed and 130 wounded Monday in a suicide blast at Russia's busiest airport, Domodedovo, Russian Health Ministry officials said.
Smoke wafted out of the baggage claim area and people were seen running out of the emergency exits at the airport, local media reported.

	Domodedovo Airport in Moscow
	Photo by: AFP

The Russkaya Sluzhba Novostei radio station cited a traveler, identified as
Viktor, as saying he heard the bang outside the airport, where he was waiting for a car.
"There was an explosion, a bang. Then I saw a policeman covered in fragments of flesh and all bloody. He was shouting 'I've survived! I've survived!'"
Domodedovo is generally regarded as Moscow's most up-to-date airport, but its security procedures have been called into question.
In 2004, two suicide bombers were able to board planes at Domodedovo by buying tickets illegally from airport personnel. The bombers blew themselves up in mid-air, killing all 90 people aboard the two flights.
Russia's rouble-dominated stock market MICEX fell by nearly 2 percent following the blast, which ripped through the baggage claim area of the airport at around 1330 GMT.

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REAL LIFE Hit director EVV passes away

The 56-year-old film producer-director E.V.V. Satyanarayana passed away in a city hospital on Friday night.
Mr Satyanarayana had been suffering from throat cancer and his condition had turned critical recently.
He breathed his last following a severe cardiac arrest.
He leaves behind his two sons and wife.
After making his debut with Chevilopoovu, the director tasted his maiden success with Premakaidi.
Later, Mr Satyanarayana rose to dizzying heights of success in filmdom with big hits like Hello Brother, Abbaiyigaru, Intlo Illalu Vantitlo Priyuralu and Maa Nanaku Pelli and showed his flair for comedy.
He also made his debut in Hindi with Suryavansh and had his share of success with off-beat films such as Thali.
Later, he turned producer with Chala Bagundi.
He launched his elder son Aryan Rajesh with Hai but he was more successful with his second son and actor Allari Naresh with whom he made hits like Kithakithalu and Bendu Apparao.
Their third film Kathi Kantharao was Mr Satyanarayana's last Telugu film.
"He was looking okay even in the afternoon but unfortunately passed away after a heart attack," said producer Suresh Babu.
Many film industry stalwarts expressed grief at the death of the veteran producer-director.

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Cognizant to recruit 25,000 employees in 2011

Kolkata: IT firm Cogizant Technology Solutions (CTS) is set to engage at least 25,000 new employees in 2011, while focusing more within the country in tune with its strategy to expand operations in developing economies, a top company official said.

"The company, which had a mandate of growing at 38.8 percent last year, performed well in the last two quarters," CTS president and managing director (global delivery) R. Chandrashekaran told reporters after the inauguration of its second campus in Bantala SEZ complex in the eastern part of the city.

"Most of our campus recruitment process is over. So we are definitely looking towards a very healthy number of people. It will be at least as good as last year when 25,000 new people were recruited," said Chandrashekaran.

He said the performance of the company's Indian operations during the last couple of quarters has been good and there is a healthy demand.

"We are making a lot of investments in newer markets. Europe is growing. We are focusing on emerging markets like India, Middle East, Japan, Australia and ASEAN countries."

While not commenting on India's share in the company's global turnover, he said: "We are seeing healthy pick up in the global market. Given the potential the countries have, we are hopeful of growing faster in emerging geographies."

The company will, meanwhile, continue to make new investments in newer geographies including India.

"It had earmarked an investment of $180 million for Indian operations which has almost been utilised. We have not finalised about investments for 2011," Chandrashekaran said.

The second campus of the CTS spread over 20 acres land, will be developed in three phases. The first phase of the facility, a LEED-certified green building, has a capacity to accommodate over 4,000 professionals.

The company has invested around 200 crore for the construction of the first phase. After the completion of the project, the Bantala campus will accommodate around 16,000 professionals.

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Public Sector Banks On Hiring Spree In next 3 years

In recent years the craze for bank jobs has been increased. After recession all streams turned to government sector and majorly into banking sector. Here is a good news for all the aspirants.

Public sector banks have planned to recruit around 34,000 officers and 51,000 clerks in the next three years in a bid to expand their operations through new branches, especially in semi-urban and rural areas.

The government has set a target to provide banking facilities to areas with population above 2,000 by March 2012. Only 37 percent of bank branches are in rural areas and less than 40 percent of the countries population have bank accounts.

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), an autonomous organisation engaged in recruitment of personnel and internal promotion in banks and financial institutions, will conduct common recruitment examinations of clerks and officers for all the 27 public sector banks.

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Hiring To Move Up By 30% By Indian Companies In 2010.

New Delhi: Leading industries banking,IT and FMCG sectors,corporate India's hiring activity is likely to increase by  30 percent mark this year, said global workforce solutions provider Kelly Services.

"Overall, across the main 7-8 key verticals studied by us, an average 30 percent rise in hiring activity this year as compared to 2009. Expansion plans of firms, revival in attrition rates and taking on board recruitment managers indicate a strong recruitment phase in the next six months," Kelly Services Managing Director Kamal Karanth told media.

Kelly Services today released a study on employment conditions and salaries across key sectors, which aims to guide organisations in their workforce planning.

The Employment Outlook and Salary Guide 2010-11 revealed there is an increased demand for talent at mid-senior levels and even fresher levels, particularly in Banking, IT and FMCG, sectors.

"Fresh recruitment's in banking and IT industry are likely to increase by 40-50 percent this year compared to the last year, while FMCG may see a 20-30 percent growth in hiring."

The main factors propelling the upbeat hiring sentiment include strong domestic demand coupled with country's fast economic growth as well as revival in the U.S. economy. Other key sectors expected to see strong hiring growth include telecom, engineering and real estate, the study said.

The study highlighted that in the banking sector there was a constant demand for banking and finance professionals and high quality customer-oriented services. The current "hot job" in the banking sector is that of relationship managers to provide advice and financial planning.

In the Business Outsourcing Services (BPO)sector, process managers are expected to be in high demand as the focus is on process improvement and cost efficiency.

"Sales and marketing executives are likely to be in hot demand with companies across sectors want to market themselves aggressively to expand their businesses," Karanth added.

The study also stated that attrition rates across various sectors are on the rise with the revival in the job market.

The banking and IT sectors are likely to see an attrition levels of 15-16 percent this year, while FMCG and telecom may see 10 percent turnover rates on their large bases.

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Indian Job Opportunities Continue To Expand Online Hiring Up By 42%

During the first half of 2010, Online hiring activity by Indian companies has risen around 42 per cent. According to the Monster Employment Index, it climbed by 42 per cent to 135 in June this year as compared to 95 in December 2009.

Online hiring in the IT industry during January-June period registered 66 per cent growth, followed by the sector comprising of engineering, cement, construction, iron and steel, which grew by 48 per cent. The Advertising and Public Relations industry was the worst affected as it declined by around 13 per cent in the first six months.

Meanwhile, online hiring in the banking, finance and insurance sector continued its gradual rise with three per cent growth in June over the previous month.In contrast, the real estate sector slid by three per cent in June, while maintaining one of the steadiest three and six-month job growth rates at 52 per cent and 47 per cent, respectively.

If we look at the cities, Kolkata registered 5 per cent increase in June, while Chandigarh saw steepest decline of nine per cent.Delhi NCR witness a rise of one per cent in hiring activity in June, while Mumbai saw an increase of 3 per cent.Among the other metropolitan markets, Hyderabad, recorded a four per cent growth while Bangalore saw reduced opportunities, demand edging down by two points.

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BSNL To Recruit 10000 Aspirants By 2012

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), a state-run telecom giant, plans to hire 10,000 employees in next two years in its sales and marketing division. Presently having 350,000 employees, BSNL was suggested by Sam Pitroda panel to cut down this number by 100,000. This recommendation was opposed by the staff unions, who said that they would go on strike if this is implemented.

On the contrary, BSNL plans to carry out a major recruitment drive, pushing the marketing and sales division size to 25,000. Kuldeep Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, said, “It has already redeployed and trained about 10,000 people from other departments for the division and would hire about 10,000-15,000 people in the next one to two years.”

BSNL is also in the process of integrating its operations across the country. The public sector undertaking would implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) project at an estimated cost of Rs 400 crore to integrate all its segments — finance, personnel, marketing, real estate and others, Goyal said. “The implementation of ERP will increase our productivity and efficiency.

Further, we will be able to access information across all segments immediately, as all the processes will be automated,” he said. The company had also started giving incentives to employees, specifically in the sales department, on achievement of targets within the stipulated time, he added. BSNL has set up a sales division in each of its four business verticals — fixed line, mobile, enterprise and new businesses.

With the hiring processes coming to a forefront in the present scenario, it is sure to establish a mark in the area of employment.

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By 2020,3 Crore Jobs In IT And BPO:NASSCOM

At the Nasscom HR summit 2010, held at Chennai, Mr. Som Mittal, the President of Nasscom said, “There has been a 6-fold increase in direct employment. The number of direct employees in 2001 was around 4.3 lakh and now it has zoomed up to 23 lakh in 2010.” He added, “The contribution of the private sector in this regard has seen a 3-fold increase. It has grown from 5% in 2001 to 15% in 2005-06.”

After a long year of curtailed hiring at the IT and BPO sector, software lobby Nasscom has now given positive forecast for the next decade. It is estimated that the IT and BPO sector will provide direct employment of 10 million and indirect employment of 20 million by 2020.

The IT and BPO industry would play a key role in increasing the women/female candidates employment. By 2020, the industry expects to have around 5 million women employees on its rolls. Currently, the industry has around 37% women employees and around 26% of the female employees are chief wage earners.

Mr Mittal also laid stress on the need for adopting best practices in the IT-BPO industry and wanted companies to follow rules like ethical hiring, insisting on relieving letters, campus hiring in eighth semester, support reference checks and mandate background checks for all employees. “This would help the company and employer. It would ensure that the employee serves his/her notice period correctly with the previous employer,” he said.

The industry is also looking at discouraging frequent job-hoppers in less than 6 months. “There are some employees who join an organization undergo the soft skills and product training and quit. They then go and join another company and do the same. This practice should be strictly discouraged,” Mr Mittal pointed out.

In the coming decade, the industry would witness multi-cultural workforce with 15-20% foreign origin. “Employers would look for talent pool with multiple, specialized domain expertise. They would look for talents with value add capability through innovation and analytics,” he said.

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CXO To Hire 2,000 In This Year In IT Sector

After the global economic downturn which pushed the world economy to hibernate for nearly 20 months, the IT/ITeS sector is expected to hire over 2,000 CXOs in the current fiscal.All these business verticals are action packed today. That means big time hiring. Already there is a 20-30 percent increase in CXO hiring across segments.

Even, other sectors are going to witness an absorption of nearly 5,000 CXOs this year as thousands of vacant and newly created positions across the industry verticals has to be filled up. "With market recovery, there is a visible uptick in the CXO hiring. Another part in this package of good news is that organizations are not only hiring on a large scale but they also promise to pay heavy salaries to make their offer lucrative for potential CXOs. From now on, a CFO can expect a salary from Rs. 80 lakh per annum to Rs. 1 crore, HR heads get upto Rs. 1.5 crore, CEOs from telecom, retail, real estate can expect a salary from Rs. 2.5 crore to Rs. 3 crore and more.

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UST Global To Hire 1,000 Employees At Kochi, Manila

UST Global, the California-based company has close to 7,000 employees working across North America, Europe, and Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai and Bangalore is planning to add 1,000 employees to its centers in Kochi and Manila by this year. It also plans to set up an 8,000-seater facility in Thiruvananthapuram.

UST plan to add about 500-600 employees in Kochi this year. The Thiruvananthapuram facility built over 36 acres will be opened by next year. The expansions will help us ramp up our managed services and remote infrastructure management practices.In February UST set up its IT services division in Manila. The centre has about 350 employees and now planning to expand its strength by hiring 1,000 employees.

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Supreme Court raps Kapil Sibal over licence row

(Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Friday criticised Telecoms Minister Kapil Sibal for his comments over what is seen as the country's biggest corruption case, the latest in a series of censures by the top court that has embarrassed the government.

The Supreme Court said it was "unfortunate" that Sibal had dismissed a state auditor's report that India may have lost $39 billion in revenue as a result of irregularities in awarding telecoms licences in 2008.
"Sibal should bear some responsibility ... The investigation should not be influenced by his comments," judges said, referring to a criminal probe underway.
The scandal has deadlocked politics in Asia's third-largest economy, with the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vowing to block the February session of parliament, in which the budget is due to be debated, if a joint parliamentary committee does not investigate the case.
The court's adverse remarks put Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government further on the defensive. His coalition government is also under pressure to address high food prices, another distraction from a programme of economic reforms.
On Wednesday, while dealing with another case, the top court asked why the government could not name people who had hidden illegal wealth in offshore accounts, calling it a plunder of the nation's wealth.
Earlier, it tried to force the government to release foodgrain stocks to feed the poor. It also asked Singh what he did to prevent the telecoms scandal.

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Monkey Laughing at Dog, after checking his P****

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Monkey babysitter

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WORKING MONKEY IN JAPAN RESTAURANT

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US vice president arrives for security talks in Pakistan

Islamabad, Jan 12 (DPA) US Vice President Joe Biden Wednesday arrived in Pakistan on a one-day visit to discuss the security situation on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and efforts to deal with the Taliban insurgency.
Biden flew in from Afghanistan to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Islamabad, a foreign ministry official said.
Biden was expected to try to convince the Pakistani military leadership to launch an operation in North Waziristan, which is considered the major source of cross-border militancy in Afghanistan.
He told reporters in Kabul Tuesday that Pakistan needed to do more to eliminate militant hideouts in its tribal region from where Taliban and Al Qaeda launch attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan.
'It is going to require more pressure on the Taliban from the Pakistani side of the border than we have been able to observe so far,' he said during a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Pakistan's economic meltdown and its impact on society was also to feature in the talks Wednesday, as the US administration is concerned about the slow pace of reforms to increase the revenue base in Pakistan.
It was expected that the vice president might offer more financial assistance to help Pakistan meet its challenges which include energy shortages, price hikes and rampant poverty.
Biden was also to discuss the military requirements of Pakistan as the country's armed forces need more weapons before any offensive action in tribal areas.

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More Asian sex predators held in Britain

London, Jan 12 (IANS) In a massive crackdown launched across Britain amid reports about Pakistani-origin men preying on white girls, police have busted another gang of nine men, including eight Asians, for forcing a dozen teenaged girls to become sex slaves.
The police have arrested the men aged between 20-40 after 14 underage white girls claimed to have been targeted for sex. The girls said they had been plied with drink and drugs then taken to flats and houses for sex.
The victims - some of them as young as 13 - say they were forced to work as prostitutes and hand over money to the men, the Daily Mail reported.
The latest arrests in Rochdale, Greater Manchester took place shortly before Christmas and are the result of a major inquiry into the sexual exploitation of teenage girls since 2008.
They come just days after a nationwide investigation was launched following a string of cases involving men of Pakistani heritage grooming mainly white girls.
Last week Abid Saddique, 27, and Mohammed Liaqat, 28, were jailed for 19 years for targeting underage girls.
The two sexual predators - both British-born fathers of Pakistani origin who had arranged marriages in that country - cruised the streets of Derby in either a Range Rover or a BMW looking for vulnerable young girls to prey on.
The girls were 'chatted up' by the men at the roadside and invited to go for drives in the car - one of which was dubbed the 'Rape Rover' - where they were plied with vodka or cocaine before being taken to hotel rooms, parks or houses to be sexually abused.
The case prompted controversy after former Home Secretary Jack Straw described some of the white girl victims as 'easy meat' for gangs who trawl the streets looking for sex.
Research shows there have been 17 sex gang prosecutions since 1997 - 14 in the last three years - involving girls aged 11-16.
Meanwhile, retired police chief Mick Gradwell claimed that the pressure not to appear 'institutionally racist' led to a culture of silence over Asian sex gangs.
Gradwell, a former detective superintendent in Lancashire, said: 'You have girls being abused and raped and yet the most senior officers are refusing to comment on it. On what other subject would you get that?
'I worked on operations which had been set up to tackle, amongst other things, an element of Asian men who saw white girls as easy meat, as Jack Straw rightly put it. It was a persistent issue.'
He said: 'Some white girls are attracted to groups of Asian men because some are quite wealthy, shower them with gifts and drive round in fancy cars.'
'The main pressure police have is being called institutionally racist if they highlight a crime trend like this. There's a fantastic reluctance to be absolutely straight because some people may take such offence.
'Rather than concentrating to solve and prevent it the bigger issue becomes 'Can we point out a crime trend in an ethnic minority?''
©Indo-Asian News Service

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Indian held with crude bombs in Nepal

Kathmandu, Jan 12 (IANS) An Indian man has been arrested from a town in eastern Nepal, near the border with India, after searches revealed he was carrying four crude bombs, police said Wednesday.
Identified as Suraj KC from Naxalbari, in eastern India's West Bengal district, he was arrested Tuesday night while trying to cross over into Nepal from India.
'He was driving one of those cars used as taxi cabs near the Indo-Nepal border,' Police Superintendent Rabindra Prasad Sharma told IANS. 'He was found to be carrying four improvised explosive devices (IEDs).'
On Wednesday, a team from the Nepal Army arrived at Kakarbhitta, the main India-Nepal entry-exit point in eastern Nepal, where KC was arrested, and disposed of the seized IEDS.
Sharma said with the safe disposal of the crude bombs being the first priority, police would now start questioning KC.
Earlier this week, an 18-year-old Indian was also arrested in southern Nepal after he was found to be carrying an illegal gun.
The over 1800-km open border between India and Nepal is being used increasingly by smugglers of drugs, fake currency and arms and explosives.

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NY subway riders shed trousers, skirts, modesty

Hundreds of New York subway riders, unencumbered by skirts, trousers or modesty, took part in a spontaneous showing of leg despite sub-freezing temperatures.

People take part in the 10th Annual No Pants Subway Ride in New York City

The 10th annual "No Pants Subway Ride" on Sunday saw hundreds of New York strap-hangers shed outer garments from the waist down, even as they wore seasonally-appropriate jackets, scarves, earmuffs and other winter garb on their upper halves.
At 2000 GMT, subway riders at six separate meeting points across the city, boarded predetermined subway cars, engaging in typically unassuming behavior like reading a magazine or staring off into space.
But as soon as the doors shut at the stop before they were due to get off, participants were instructed to stand up, shed their skirts and pants (trousers), which were to be secreted into backpacks, and briefcases.
"If anyone asks you why you've removed your pants, tell them that they were 'getting uncomfortable'" instructions to emailed participants said.
Once they exited the train, the commuters stood for a while on the subway platform pantless, providing maximum shock effect to their stunned fellow riders.
Many took participants donned festive underwear for the occasion, from polka dot bloomers to basic striped boxers, adding another a measure of frivolity to the unusual yearly happening, which also is staged in some 50 other cities in two dozen countries around the world.

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Bone-chilling cold stings North India

The cold wave continued to give most of north and east India the shivers. The toll has risen to 116 after three weeks of near-freezing temperatures. Uttar Pradesh has been the most severe hit. With 13 more deaths reported in the past 24 hours, the total toll of winter deaths in Uttar Pradesh reached 103 on Tuesday.

A village woman covers her buffalo with a jute bag to protect it from the cold on the outskirts of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Cold weather has killed nine homeless people in India bringing the death toll from three weeks of near-freezing temperatures to 116. AP

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A man rides a bicycle enveloped by fog on a cold winter morning in Hyderabad. Police say the worst-hit state is Uttar Pradesh where about 103 people, mostly poor and homeless, have died during the cold spell sweeping northern India. AP

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Men covering themselves with blankets ride on an elephant on a cold and foggy morning in Jammu. Near-freezing temperatures have killed more than two dozen people in northern India in recent days despite government efforts to distribute blankets and medicine to the poor, an official said. AP

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Men cover themselves with blankets and ride on a horse cart on a cold and foggy morning in Jammu. Hill station Darjeeling at -1°C was the coldest in the West Bengal. A cold wave alert has been sounded in 10 districts in the state. AP

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A man walks enveloped by fog on a cold winter morning in Hyderabad. Thirteen more people died in UP. While three deaths each were reported from Barabanki and Balrampur districts, two were reported from Kaushambi and one each from Chitrakoot, Basti, Orai, Sant Kabirnagar and Bareilly. AP

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Second hand auto parts traders sit near a bonfire in New Delhi. Chill intensified in Bihar as north-westerly winds continued to sweep the region, prompting the State Government to announce closure of all schools till January 14. AP

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People sit around a bonfire in New Delhi. Lucknow recorded a minimum of 1.4°C, six notches below normal, while Varanasi recorded a low of 2.7°C, six degrees below normal. AP

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A puppy crosses a road on a cold and foggy morning in Allahabad. Low temperature coupled with icy winds made life miserable for the people in Delhi where the minimum temperature settled below the normal level. The minimum temperature was recorded at 4.6°C, two degrees below normal for this time of the year. AP

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A homeless boy is covered in woolens and layers of blankets on a cold morning in Allahabad. With the continuous change in weather conditions, the hilly town of Dharamsala sees few tourists, which has affected businesses all over. AP

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A man smokes marijuana on a cold and foggy morning in Allahabad. Varanasi continued to freeze between 3.2 degrees and 14.4 degrees, while in Allahabad it ranged between 4.8 and 15.8 degrees. AP

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Flights line up for take off through lifting fog at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. There was no dense fog in the city and flight operations were normal at the IGI airport. AP

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Indian truck drivers warm themselves around a bonfire on a cold and foggy winter morning in Jammu. AP

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Dozens of people have died due to cold weather across northern India despite government efforts to distribute firewood and blankets to the poor. AP

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People cross a road as thick fog envelopes the city on a cold winter night in Allahabad. AP

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A man rides a horse cart as dense fog envelopes the city on a winter morning in Jammu. AP

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