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US Competing with India to Maintain Leadership Stature: Obama
WASHINGTON D.C.: “We now live in a world that’s more connected and more competitive than ever before. When each of you tries to bring new jobs and industries to your state, you’re not just competing with each other but you’re competing with China, you’re competing with India, you’re competing with Brazil, you’re competing with countries all around the world,” Obama said in his address to the National Governors’ Association. The US needs to make sure that it is the best place on earth to do business, he said. “We need a skilled and educated workforce, a commitment to cutting-edge research and technol-
ogy, and a fast and reliable transportation and communications network. That’s how we’re going to bring new jobs to America, and that’s how we’re going to win the future.” “Making these necessary investments would be hard at any time. After living through a decade of deficits and a historic recession that made them worse, we can’t afford to kick the can down the road any longer,” Obama said. Vice President Joe Biden also had the same views. He said that many Americans believe that they have already lost the race to India, China and Brazil. “We are still better positioned than
any country in the world -- any country in the world -- to own the 21st century economically. Our GDP is bigger than that of China, Japan and Germany combined,” he asserted. “We’re in a situation where, here in the United States of America, the median income is close to USD 50,000. In China, it’s USD 4,500. We wish them better,” he said. “We may have a different prioritization, but we all know we have to do something about the long-term debt. We all know that we have to do something about preparing ourselves to compete in the future in terms of education, innovation and infrastructure,” he added.
In highly connected and competitive world, US is competing with fast developing economies like India, China and Brazil, President Barack Obama said, urging state governors to keep up with them
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Indo American News • Friday. March 4, 2011
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Floriculture Makes Tripura Youth a Significant Contributor to the Northeastern State Economy
AGARTALA (NTI): With the northeastern state of Tripura taking to floriculture, it has given the youth an opportunity to become not only able entrepreneurs, but also makes them able them able enough to contribute significantly to the economy of the State. Dipak, a Tripura based young farmer, who was on a never-ending job search after completing his grad-
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our venture the government provided us with saplings at a subsidized rate,” said Chitranjan, a floriculturist Tripura, known for its rubber production, is gradually beginning to make a mark in the floriculture sector as well. Endowed with fertile soil, abundant moisture and sub-tropical climate, it offers immense scope for production of a wide variety of flowers. The residents here are now beginning to see floriculture as a tremendous business opportunity in the region, as the demand for flowers both within and outside the State is increasing with every passing day. “Earlier, we used to have two crops - Rabi and Kharif. But over a period of time, I have realized that flower cultivation is quite profitable,” said Basanti buni, another floriculturist. eople now think floriculture to be a more profitable business venture than vegetable cultivation. “For the last seven years I have been practicing floriculture. It is more Growing flowers and vegetables have been subsidized by the Tripura profitable than growing vegetables or government to the able entrepreneurs helping them approach business rearing animals,” said Biswajit Paul, with a scientific approach to make the floriculture sector more attractive a floriculturist. and appealing, making it a commercially viable venture “Earlier, we used to work in other places, but after one of the villagers uation finally began working as a to grow flowers in a systematic way started floriculture here, we do not laborer to sustain his family. have to go out in search of work. We and scientific way. The youngster, who currently “We found that growing flowers is are earning well from this business,” grows flowers like gladiolus, mari- more profitable than growing vegeta- added Ratan Chakraborthy, another gold, chrysanthemum, tuberose, or or- bles. I have been growing flowers for floriculturist. chids and anthodium in his small the past five years. When we started farm has never looked back since then. “Others, who are in this business inspired me. Today, I am doing well and can take care of my family. Now like me many other youth are doing well and earning a livelihood from floriculture,” said Dipak. The Government under its technology mission has been regularly organizing camps for training youth
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India Budget, Taxes: Iron Ore to be Costlier, Cement, Raw Silk to be Cheaper
NEW DELHI (INTV): The General Budget 2011-12 seeks to encour encourage domestic value addition vis-à-vis imports, to remove duty inversions and anomalies and to provide a level playing field for the domestic industry. To this end, the inance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced the following major proposals in the Budget presented in the Lok Sabha today: • Reduction of basic customs duty on raw silk (not thrown) from 30 to 5 per cent; • Reduction of basic customs duty
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• Reduction in excise duty (and hence CVD) on parts of ink-jet and laser –jet printers from 10 per cent to 5 per cent. The Finance Minister, Shri Mukher Mukherjee announced the enhanced rate of export duty for all types of iron ore at a unified 20 per cent ad-valorem. Full exemption from export duty has been provided to iron ore pellets to encourage the value addition process for fines. Announcing relief for the cement industry, Shri Mukherjee said that the basic customs duty on two critical raw materials for this industry viz. petcoke and gypsum has been reduced to 2.5 per cent. Cash dispensers and their parts have been fully exempted from basic customs duty, to drive the financial inclusion agenda of the Government
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from 5 per cent to 2.5 per cent on certain textile intermediates and inputs for chemicals, ferro-alloys and paper; • Reduction of basic customs duty on certain specified inputs for manufacture of certain technical fibre and yarn from 7.5 per cent to 5 per cent; • Full exemption for stainless steel scrap from basic customs duty; • Reduction of import duties on specified raw material for the manufacture of syringes and needles to 5 per cent basic and 4 per cent CVD; • Extending the concession available to parts, components and accessories for manufacture of mobile handsets till March 31, 2012 and to include few more items in its ambit; • Expanding the raw material list for manufacture of specified electronic components that are fully exempt from basic customs duty;
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Indian in South Africa? Sorry, No Job for You
More than 300000 Indians in KwaZulu-Natal would have to migrate to other provinces to find jobs if a government amendment to the Labor Bill is successful. ther marginalize Indian job seekers, making them think there was no opportunity in the country, and causing them to feel apathetic. Naidu said influential Indian businessmen should step up and voice their thoughts on the proposed changes. "I want to know what these Indian captains of industry are saying. Are they saying 'let's now promote the skills because we also believe the Indian community has been disadvantaged, we also believe that the Indian community has lost out and we want to Rajen Reddy, Chief Executive of KZN Oils believes the issue of jobs in Africa address is a volatile one. Business owners ultimately hire those qualified to do the job some of best while the government works on other principles entirely different from these isbusiness sues'?" Naidu By Teneshia Naidoo burg to find jobs. It also says almost an said there was NATAL (Sunday Times): In De- estimated one-million coloreds from the perception cember, the Department of Labor Western Cape would have to find jobs that Indians had proposed a change to Section 42 of outside the province. not been historithe Employment Equity Act which Dirk Hermann, deputy general cally disadvanreplaces the regional racial demo- secretary of Solidarity, called the taged and were graphic for equity compliance with a changes "unfeasible social engineer"wealthy". national benchmark. ing". He said it would not reflect the Andrew LayCritics say if passed, the bill would economically active population but man, CEO of the have negative consequences for col- national demographics. "Each workDurban Chamber oreds in the Western Cape and Indi- place would have to have a 73.7% of Commerce ans in KwaZulu-Natal . representation of black employees, and Industry, said Employers, they say, would be 10.9% representation of coloured, it was perfectly forced when employing staff to en- 3.2% representation of Indians and logical for comsure that four out of five new appoint- a 12.2% representation of white empanies to mirror ments or promotions are reserved ployees." "This is absurd and not the demographfor African workers. Failure to do practical," he added. ics of a particular so by an employer would result in Solidarity would take legal action if locality but added penalties. the amendments are passed. that to extend it The Solidarity Research Institute Department of labor spokesman nationally, was - part of Trade Union Solidarity - Page Boikanyo said: "Nowhere in the counterproducreleased a study this week which proposed change is there a proposal to tive and illogical. revealed that, if the bill is passed, remove 'regional' and leave 'national', "It seems some"more than 300000 Indians in Kwa- in fact both 'national and regional' are one has extended Zulu-Natal would have to leave this removed. the principal of province in order to meet the raceHe said the proposed amendment equity beyond group targets". will allow employers "flexibility" logical bounds. The institute said in order for the to decide whether to use regional or Local demoproposed bill to reach its goals, the national demographics depending on graphics should KZN Indian workforce would de- their operations. be the driving crease by about 75%. The group Political analyst Sanusha Naidu force of equity." would be forced to move to Johannes- said if the bill was passed it would fur-
He said if the bill was passed, minority groups such as Indians would be at a disadvantage in the search for jobs. Rajen Reddy, chief executive of KZN Oils, said the issue was an emotional one because of apartheid, adding that government needed to be careful when redressing imbalances. He said his business was based on merit which is a "necessity in business". "You can't rush and get emotional. Business is about rands and cents. You have to do what it takes to make money. Government works on other principals but business is different." He said if the changes were made, the oil business would be affected
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as there were many whites who had necessary skills. "What do I do then, kick them out? I will not do that to KZN Oils. I want their expertise. I want to use their skills to empower our people so all can have a better life." However, he said people needed to be mindful of having businesses that reflected the majority population of the country. Minority Front leader Amichand Ranjbansi said the proposed changes would "trample" on minorities in the country. The DA's George Mari said he was "appalled" by the proposed changes, saying it would have a devastating effect on the Indian community.
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3600 Indians Out of Libya, Evacuation Time Extended to March 12
NEW DELHI (INTV): Almost 20 per cent of an estimated 18,000 Indians in Libya have been evacuated even as the government received landing clearance for 3 special flights daily from India to Tripoli up to March 12, extending the March 7 time period. “Arrangements have since been finalized with Libya to receive three special flights daily from India at Tripoli over the next ten days. In addition, we are exploring possibilities of establishing air bridges with Sirte and Sebha in Libya. This should appreciably speed up the process of evacuating our nationals from Libya,” the Ministry of External Af Affairs said here today. It said the ship Scotia Prince, which had docked at Benghazi yesterday, is setting sail for Alexandria, Egypt, around noon (local time), with an estimated 1,188 Indian nationals on board. 21 more Indian nationals crossed over to Salloum (Egypt) yesterday by road and have been moved to Cairo and they will leave for Mumbai by Gulf Air, along with 85 other Indian nationals who had in the same way reached Cairo, it said. “Almost twenty per cent of our 18,000 people have been evacuated out of Libya,” Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao tweeted.
“Have recd (rebus 330, at ceived) clearance for Terminal2 3 - three- of our flights of the IGI per day to Tripoli frm Airport. tomorrow till 12th The AIMarch,” she said on 800 was Twitter yesterday. originally Reacting to the critia Jeddahcism that India was not Mumbai as swift as China in flight, but evacuating its citizens, it was conRao said “we are not in verted into competition with Chia special na here. We’re focused ferry airon the task of bringing craft and back our people safe diverted and sound. Pl (please) to Tripoli let’s not devalue this.” to evacuShe also said “we ateIndians have evacuated over who are With Libya in political turmoil and the rest of the world watching, India 3,000 out of Libya by has been busy evacuating its nationals from the nation. The Indian stranded now. Some have re- embassy officials and the various Indian ministries have been working in Libya, turned home, others full swing, committed to briing back all the Indians stranded there. A which is on their way.” rocked third of the 18,000 Indians in Libya have been evacuated so far A total of 557 Indiby masans returned home in sive antitwo batches by air from strife-torn took off from Tripoli airport at around government protests that has left Libya in the wee hours today tak- 8:30 pm IST. around 1,000 persons dead. Three The third special flight with 226 In- more planes -- two Boeing 747-400 ing to 1,083 the total number of people evacuated so far by the four dians on board arrived in the Capital and Airbus 330 -- left this morning Air India special flights. The fourth a little earlier at around 1:30 am from for Tripoli to airlift Indians who are Air India flight( AI-170) landed at the north African nation, Minister still there. Ravi said 1,100 people Terminal 2 of Indira Gandhi Interna- for Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi said. have been evacuated from Benghazi tional Airport(IGIA) here at around Ravi, also the Minister for Overseas and ferried by a ship to Alexandria 4:30 am, bringing 331 passengers, Indian Affairs,received the passen- in Egypt. “Out of 18,000 Indians, Air- 10,000 are stranded in Tripoli,” he an airport official said. The plane gers of the third special flight, an Air
Shiv Sagar
said. One of the passengers of the fourth flight Dinesh Kumar Sahni, working in Libya with a construction firm for two years, said “Situation in Libya is not good. The condition in Tripoli dur during day is normal, but it is not safe to venture out in night.” But for Dinesh Diwedi, who is living in Libya for 27 years and presently working with the country’s National Oil Corporation, “life is normal”. He claimed that “no Indian was harmed”, but feared “situation may get worse.” The first two special Air India planes had brought back 526 Indians. While the first flight evacuated 291 Indians from Libya and brought them back here on Saturday night, another Air India plane carrying over 235 people landed in the wee hours of Sunday. Ravi praised the efforts of Indian embassy officials in Libya for helping Indians in getting out of the country and said his ministries are working in co-ordination with other ministries for evacuating Indians from Libya. “We are committed to bring back all the Indians stranded in Libya,” he added. With Government intensifying the evacuation drive,nearly a third of 18,000 Indians in Libya would have been evacuated through air and sea by tomorrow.
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India Air Travel, Hospital Treatment to get Costlier in New Budget
NEW DELHI (INTV): Air travel and hotel stays will be expensive as the government raised service tax air travel in economy class by up to Rs 250 ($52) and brought hotel accommodation, among others, under the tax net in the Budget unveiled today. The measures would result in a net revenue gain of Rs 4,000 crore ($1.9Bn). The government, however, retained the rate of service tax at 10 per cent. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed raising the service tax on air travel by Rs 50 to Rs 150 ($1 - $3.50) in the case of domestic air travel and by Rs 250 to Rs 750 ($5.50 - $7.50) on overseas journeys by economy class. The service tax on travel by higher classes on domestic sector would be at 10 per cent to bring it on par with journeys by higher classes on international air travel, he said. The Budget proposes to include sectors like hotel accommodation with a room tariff of over Rs 1,000 ($225) per day and airconditioned restaurants serving liquor under service tax ambit. “My proposals relating to service tax are estimated to result in net revenue gain of Rs 4,000 crore for the year,” Mukherjee said. “It will mostly affect the airline and hotel sector. They may go for rate hike. But I think the fallout will be short-term and the sectors will not face any serious problems,” KPMG Executive Director Vikas Vasal said. Other experts also expressed similar views. “The hotel and airline sectors are areas generating larger revenues and the majority of the intended Rs 4,000 crore would come from it,” an expert of Deloitte said. The Finance Minister also said the actual collections of service tax do not reflect the full potential of this sector. “I seek to achieve a closer fit between the present service tax regime and its GST successor by bringing in a few new services into the tax net to expand the tax base while ensuring that the impact is predominantly on sections of society that have the ability to pay,” he said. The proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) will subsume the plethora of indirect taxes. “It is a step in the right direction and will help when we introduce the GST,” Vasal said. Among other measures, Mukherjee proposed to replace the service tax on health check-ups, announced in last year’s Budget, with a tax on all services provided by hospitals with 25 or more beds and having central air-conditioning, with an abatement of five per cent. “I also propose to extend the levy to diagnostic tests of all kinds with the same rate of abatement. However, all Government hospitals shall be outside this levy,” Mukherjee said, adding that services provided by life insurance companies in the area of investment are also proposed to be brought into tax net on the same lines as ULIPs. “The government has tried to put only highend hospitals and treatment facilities under the ambit of the service tax and assure the common man that he would not be affected. This is only for those who are already paying, say, Rs 5 lakh, for treatment,” Vasal said. The government also proposed expanding the scope of legal services to include services provided by business entities to individuals as well as representational and arbitration services by individuals to business entities. Mukherjee also proposed to exempt all individual and sole proprietor taxpayers with a turnover of up to Rs 60 lakh from the formalities of audit. “The number of assessees in service tax has
grown manifold ... a large number of them comprise individuals or sole proprietors with small turnovers. Any audit at their premises tends to dislocate their activities for the duration of the audit,” he said, adding that all assessees with turnover up to Rs 60 lakh ($130,345) would be provided benefit of three percentage points in interest on delayed payment. Mukherjee also said the government will adopt of ‘Point of Taxation’ rules for services. “This will mean that now service providers have to keep proper records and adopt accrual system of accounting rather than the existing cash basis,” said the expert from Deloitte. Under cash basis of accounting, previous year’s dues are not carried forward and are considered bad debt, while under accrual basis such carry forwards are valid.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee says that the Indian government has identified the travel and hospital sectors to help bring in more revenue from goods and services taxes. Tourists and NRIs traveling to India will have to shell out more money for a luxury stay. Medical Tourism is also going to be taxed , a sector that is currently overlooked by the government, but getting popular in the Western world where medical insurance and cost for treatment are sky rocketing
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O’Brien Blazes Ireland to Glory Against Nemesis England
By Andrew McGlA lAshA shAn An BANGALORE (Cricinfo): Kevin O’Brien stunned England with the fastest hundred in World Cup history as Ireland secured their greatest victory with a monumental three-wicket triumph. O’Brien clubbed a magnificent 113 off 63 deliveries as Ireland earned the highest World Cup run-chase with four balls to spare. After he’d added a match-changing 162 with Alex Cusack, John Mooney joined him to play the innings of his life and help write another famous chapter in Irish sport. When the partnership was broken with 55 still needed Ireland could have lost their way, especially when O’Brien couldn’t get the strike back. However, after struggling to get the ball away Mooney suddenly started locating the boundary, firstly off the outside edge but then with two nerveless drives through the covers, each coming after England had strung together a few dot balls to build pressure. He was the dominant partner in the seven-wicket stand. Still, though, there was a final twist when O’Brien was run out in the penultimate over. Trent Johnston, however, drove his first ball, a full toss from Stuart Broad, for four as the equation came down to below a run-a-ball for the first time in the entire chase. The final over started with just three needed and off the second ball Mooney clipped Anderson through midwicket to set off epic celebrations that will take over any available Bangalore bar tonight. O’Brien’s innings was breathtaking. He entered when Ed Joyce, seemingly Ireland’s last chance of making the chase a contest, was stumped off Graeme Swann to leave their runchase floundering at 106 for 4, which soon became 111 for 5 when Gary Wilson fell lbw. But O’Brien proceeded to tear the England attack
Kevin O’Brien played the innings of his life in one of the most famous upsets of all time © Getty Images
apart. He showed power reminiscent of Kieron Pollard but with a calmer head and better technique, bringing up his hundred off 50 balls with a tuck for two into the leg side to beat Matthew Hayden’s World Cup record of 66 deliveries. It led to a reveal of his the purple head-do as part of Ireland’s charity fundraising campaign. He showed his intent early when he thumped Swann through the covers second-ball and the tucked into the offspinner’s ninth over with two sixes over midwicket which injected life into Ireland’s innings. O’Brien was on 35 off 22 balls
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built on solid foundations. William Porterfield dragged the first ball of the innings into his stumps and although Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien all played neatly their contributions were seemingly too insignificant in such a huge pursuit. In the final outcome, however, the intent shown by Stirling, in particular, showed Ireland wouldn’t take a backward step. There are so many areas England will rue, chiefly another below-par display in the field but they will also look back on the closing stages of their seemingly impressive 327. The final five overs only brought 33 runs as Mooney preceded his crucial batting effort with some smart death bowling and a career-best 4 for 63. It meant, like for India three days ago, the 350-plus that was on the cards when Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell were adding 167 for the third wicket didn’t materialise. This tournament is proving that big first-innings scores are no certainty of victory. It will be largely forgotten because of what followed, but Trott wrote his own place in the record books when he reached 1000 runs in his 21st innings to equal the mark set by Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen. The latter had set up the innings with a sparkling 59 before throwing away his chance of a hundred with a top-edged reverse sweep. It wasn’t England’s only piece of lazy cricket. Bell’s was a lovely, easy, innings as he moved along with smart placement and deft touches to tick off his fifty from 61 balls. After their problems against India, England actually used the batting Powerplay reasonably well to collect 45 runs and even though the middle order failed to fire once again it appeared fairly insignificant when Ireland’s top order was whittled away. One man, though, stood in their way and the rest, as they say, is history
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when Ireland took the batting Powerplay and it was during those five overs that the chance of the impossible became possible as 62 runs surged onto the total. As happened against Ryan ten Doeschate’s onslaught in their opening match against the Netherlands, England’s bowlers started to lose the plot during another wayward, undisciplined display. Michael Yardy went for 16 as did James Anderson whom O’Brien pulled for a huge six to take him to a 30ball fifty. Anderson’s next over went for 17 including another leg-side pull and in between whiles, even the normally reliable Tim Bresnan was dispatched, including the finest shot of O’Brien’s innings when he drove a six clean over cover. Really, though, fielding restrictions meant nothing to O’Brien and he continued on his merry way with another huge blow over midwicket to take him into the 90s. Then the whole of Ireland held their breath as O’Brien’s next attempt to clear the rope sent the ball high into the night sky where Andrew Strauss made a lot of ground but then couldn’t hold on. O’Brien needed support to play his incredible innings and Cusack’s role can’t be under understated in the amazing scenes which unfolded. He was almost lost in O’Brien’s slipstream but sensibly rotated the strike until, off his 49th ball, he joined the boundary hitting by launching Collingwood over midwicket then thumped Yardy straight down the ground. Even his dismissal, run-out from backward point, was for the team cause as he ensured O’Brien stayed at the crease. Although he wasn’t quite there at the end he had written himself a permanent place in Irish folklore. Even more incredibly this wasn’t a run chase
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Indo American News • Friday, March 4, 2011
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCh 4, 2011 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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Sports
Indo American News • Friday, March 4, 2011
33
India, England in World Cup: Epic Encounter Ends in a Thrilling Tie
By Andrew Miller India 338 (Tendulkar 120, Bresnan 5-48) tied with England 338 for 8 (Strauss 158, Bell 69, Zaheer 3-64) On an evening that simply beggared belief, England tied with India in an incredible finale in Bangalore. Andrew Strauss was England’s inspiration, producing an extraordinary 158 from 145 balls, the highest score by an English batsman in World Cup history, as England threatened the unthinkable, and set off in full pursuit of India’s seemingly unobtainable total of 338 - a score that had been made possible by a brilliant 120 from Sachin Tendulkar. Such was the clarity of Strauss’s strokeplay and the passivity of India’s attack, at 280 for 2 in the 43rd over, England were cruising towards an extraordinary triumph. However a late intervention, sparked by a reverse-swinging Zaheer Khan, left them clawing for breath as a silenced Chinnaswamy stadium rediscovered its roar, and when the requirement shot up beyond two runs a ball, there seemed no way back into the contest. However, a ballsy volley of sixes from England’s lower order hauled them back from the brink, and with two runs needed from the final delivery of the match, Graeme Swann drilled Munaf Patel to cover to salvage a share of the spoils. The breathless finale was entirely in keeping with a contest that twisted and turned like an insomniac in a mosquito-pit. From the first over of the match, in which Virender Sehwag might have been dismissed three times in five balls, through the sumptuous strokeplay of first Tendulkar and later Strauss, and on through a pair of batting collapses - one apiece for the lower order of both teams - there was scarcely a moment in which normal service was permitted. Tim Bresnan, with 5 for 48 in ten unrelentingly composed overs, was the unsung star of a day that deserves to be remembered as the finest World Cup contest since that semi-final in 1999. For the first 39 overs of the match, and again for the last seven, the Bangalore crowd was as raucous as a monsoon wedding, as Tendulkar ignited India’s first home fixture of the World Cup with his 47th ODI century, before Zaheer Khan hauled them back from the brink of ignominy with 3 for 11 in his final three-over
spell. But in between whiles, lbw that Hawkeye suggested met the game belonged to England, all the criteria for an overturned as India shipped their last seven decision. However, umpire Billy wickets in 25 balls to let their Bowden, applying the letter of opponents regain a toe-hold in the law even if it meant contrathe contest, before turning the vening the evidence on a billion stage over to Strauss and his TV screens, reprieved Bell on magnum opus. the grounds that he had advanced A positive start was a premore than 2.5 metres down the requisite as England embarked pitch, and that the technology’s on their second daunting chase prediction could not be deemed in as many matches, and just as conclusive. Strauss had soothed his team’s The despondency of the crowd anxieties with 88 from 83 balls was reflected in India’s subseafter their flirtation with huquent bowling, as Strauss momiliation against the Dutch, he tored through to his sixth ODI was once again in the thick of century, from 99 balls, and on things right from the start of towards his third in excess of 150. the innings. Zaheer, who was Liberated by the match situation, as poor with the new ball as he launched Yuvraj for one of he was devastating with the the biggest sixes of his career, old, bowled both sides of the straight down the ground, to wicket to gift two boundaries bring up the hundred partnership, in six balls, and Strauss was up and Bell did likewise to Chawla and running. He barely dipped to rush through to his fifty from below a run a ball at any subse45 balls. quent stage of his innings. It was England’s decision to He required some moments take the batting Powerplay, at of luck, particularly on 17 when 280 for 2 in the 43rd over, that TV replays suggested he had triggered the devastating late renicked a drive against Zaheer versal of momentum. India’s last that the Indian fielders were chance appeared to have gone unable to hear against the din begging when Bell, on 68, was of the crowd, but for the most dropped by Virat Kohli at slip off part he was rewarded for his Sachin Tendulkar launches his innings in Chawla, but Kohli made amends intent and aggression, and a ominous style. 10 balls later, when Bell miscued common-sense approach to a tired slog off Zaheer to extra was beaten twice in his first two balls the three key partnerships that cover. With the crowd alive to propelled England’s challenge. By as Chawla ripped first his googly then the contest once again, Zaheer then the end of the batting Powerplay, his legspinner to perfection, but his put himself on a hat-trick with an England were 19 runs to the good, on hairiest moment came on 17, when unplayable late-swinging yorker that 77 for 1 compared to India’s 10-over Yuvraj Singh referred an appeal for crushed Strauss’s toe in front of leg total of 58 for 1, and with a stream of stump. easy singles to offset the intermittent With the pressure proving smothboundary balls, they never looked ering and Chawla’s variations now like blinking until the summit was illegible to the new batsmen, Paul within sight. Collingwood missed a wipe across At the top of the order, Kevin Pithe line to be bowled for 1 from five etersen’s stay was short, sharp and balls, before Prior gave up all hope effective. He pounded four fours in of threading the gaps and took a eight Zaheer deliveries to rush along huge top-edged heave at Harbhajan to 31 from 22 balls, before dumping to be caught for 4 from 8. Michael Munaf on his backside with a brutally Yardy chipped and chivvied before struck drive, only for the ball he had dinking an attempted boundary shot parried from in front of his face to straight to Sehwag at short backward plop into his right hand as he glanced square, but it was Swann’s flat six off up to regain his bearings. Trott proved Chawla, with 29 needed from two an able ally in a 43-run stand for the overs, that reawakened England’s second wicket before Chawla hurried challenge. Three balls later, Bresnan one through to strike his back pad, also put Chawla into the stands, and whereupon Bell arrived to embark though he was bowled having a mow on what should have been the game’s in the same over, Ajmal Shahzad sent decisive stand - a 170-run partnership his first ball, from Patel, in the same Andrew Strauss led from the that spanned 27 overs. direction, to set up the grandstand front with a brilliant captain’s Bell, England’s best player of spin, innings finish.
If England felt that they’d let a golden opportunity go, then at least it could be said that they proved themselves equal to one of the best performances of a legendary career. Even by Tendulkar’s matchless standards, his was a vintage performance, and a masterful example of how to pace an innings. He was a casual bystander in the day’s opening exchanges, while Sehwag ran amok, before picking up his tempo throughout a secondwicket stand of 134 with Gautam Gambhir, without ever needing to take risks to make his mark. The high point of his innings came when he belted consecutive sixes at the start of Swann’s second spell, a calculated show of class that undermined England’s trump bowler, and left Strauss floundering for alternatives as his tactics were picked apart. In all Tendulkar stroked 10 fours and five sixes in what was, somewhat curiously, his first one-day hundred against England for nine years. By the time he was dismissed with 11 overs of the innings remaining, caught off a leading edge at cover (to give James Anderson his first one-day wicket in India for 53 overs dating back to 2006, on a day in which he conceded the most expensive analysis in England’s World Cup history), India’s total stood at an imposing 236 for 3, and it was a measure both of Tendulkar’s brilliance and of England’s dogged refusal to give in, that Yuvraj and MS Dhoni were unable to cut loose to quite the extent they might have expected. The omens for England had not been exactly positive going into the start of this match. Eleven defeats in their last 12 away matches against India underlined their status of underdogs, as did the two team’s respective performances in their opening fixtures of the tournament - England’s laboured victory over the Netherlands compared distinctly unfavourably to India’s crunching win against Bangladesh in Dhaka, and when Stuart Broad, their best and most aggressive seamer, was ruled out with a stomach complaint before the start of the match, a vast swathe of England’s gameplan went down with him. Nevertheless, they thought on their feet and showed precisely the pluck that was in stasis throughout their one-day campaign in Australia. Two of the best teams in the world were on show in Bangalore, and what a show they produced.
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, March 4, 2011 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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Indo American News • Friday, March 4, 2011
horoscope & family
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WEEKLY HOROSCOPE
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Jyotisha (Vedic Astrology) Workshop and Individual Reading By Sri Ramni Venkatraman
Sri Ramani Venkatraman has been practicing Vedic Astrology for more than ten years. According to Mr. Ramani, Vedic astrology is a self development tool to bring out talents in individuals guiding them in the right decision making. He will be visiting Houston for a very short duration, Please avail this wonderful opportunity.
Date: Saturday, March 5th, 2011 Workshop: 10 AM to 3 PM. Donation: $51 Veg. Lunch and Tea served Individual reading and advice: 3PM to 7 PM Donation: $51 For further info: please email: rajansudha@gmail.com Venue: Keshav Smruti, 4018 Westhollow Parkway, Houston, TX 77082
ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20: This is the time to cement relationships with those who have contributed to the success of your life in some way or the other. In this new moon phase, people find you amiable as you willingly help those in need. Also, you have the cooperation of your boss and colleagues, a rare phenomenon indeed! There’s more good news for you are in for a windfall, and a lot of unexpected inheritance as well. Loans become accessible and you can look forward to greater income and even long due payments. Don’t blow it up though, for if you try to control your expenditure, success is yours for sure. TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21: Your introspection will lead you to enjoyable moments with friends and family members. It makes you happy to engage yourself in your hobbies, and spend time with those you love dearly. There will be very less material progress now, but Initiate action aimed at achieving goals which you cherish. You will feel low and get easily offended. You would be better off remaining calm under all circumstances. You will be bestowed with strength ? mental, physical and emotional ? which will help you emerge as a winner in whatever you choose to do. GEMINI May 22 - Jun 21: You will find that though you make considerable headway in the personal sphere, and you learn a great deal about life, you will need to apply a lot of self-control to actually progress. Bitter conflicts and disputes are best avoided as they are likely to backfire; in personal relationships, they may even prove dangerous. As the going gets tough, you will have to work hard and be pro-active but at the same time maintain an emotional balance to gain success. You will need to be extremely cautious about betrayals and act shrewdly so that you are not let down. Guard against complacency, so be alert in whatever you do. CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 23: You have a talent for inter-personal communications, and so you will rely on your persuasive skills to sort out issues related to family members and loved ones. You will enjoy with friends all through the week at parties as your friends are a source of great joy. Concern about career and children will be quite high, but you will manage to give quality time to both. Matters of spirituality and religion grab your attention. One area which does not need you to be worried about is the monetary position. Hence, at least for the forthcoming months, you can set
aside your financial worries. LEO July 24 - Aug 23: With Pluto continuing in your 6th angle of work, where it stays put for another 12 years, you will be fortunate in receiving a heftier salary. You are also due for that big promotion which is imminent, and you are upwardly mobile at a hectic pace. You can sense all this happening this week. You can handle several tasks at a time and carefully weigh a variety of goals and needs. Since you accomplish such a lot in such a short period, You will be vastly appreciated and gain in respect. There will be many gains as a result of your labours, and you will love it. VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23: You are receptive to new ideas and progress in this phase, as the focus shifts from home and office and you find yourself looking in various directions. Your plate is full and you find it difficult to prioritise all the ideas, works and projects. You are looking at so many different paths that it makes you bewildered, and money matters for the time being are put on the back-burner. However, expenses are likely to increase and health issues will also need attention. Be confident that you will weather the storm and come out as the winner. Bide your time before taking any significant decisions. LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23: You are in the right frame of mind after some new-found stability, but it is fragile and you risk losing it as you are very sentimental. You want to progress and become financially stable, but can’t because you also have a streak of fickle-mindedness? so much so that no sooner you get a job, you reject it on flimsy grounds, though you are looking for a change from your present job. You also tend to find faults with your spouse. Actually, you are on a faultfinding spree with everyone, and curb the tendency. If you do so, you are sure to make headway. SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22: You are likely to be exuberant at the same time emotional in this phase. Esoteric subjects like spiritualism take up your fancy. You become introverted and look at holistic growth, as your interests move away from the materialistic world. You develop a strong bonding with loved ones. You will feel guilty about having betrayed someone, move on and forget the past. The important thing is to learn from mistakes and not to repeat them. You experience love again at this stage, but this time it is deeper and will be more lasting. Approach life with a light and fresh heart, and you
www.GaneshaSpeaks.com will feel good.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22:
You are not very demonstrative in love, but this week you will be intensely emotional, which will become apparent. You will be over-sensitive to criticism and a string of unexpected events at home will leave you confused. Take it easy and avoid being impulsive while taking decisions. You will have to downsize your bor borrowings and keep a tab on financial dealings. Travel, partnerships are on the cards, but so are injuries; proceed cautiously. Discretion in your dealings, can lead to gainful changes. If you learn to take criticism positively, it can help you mature as a person.
CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20:
Submerged in a mess of your own making, you will now have to think about how to cur curtail increasing expenses. Delving deeper into things, you look to fathom the depths of whatever you do instead of just taking things at face value. You seek the refuge of spiritual books and masters. There is action too ? travel, for business as much as for pleasure, is on the cards. You look for inner growth, which helps you achieve the things you have set your sights on. And it is essential for the sake of polishing up your personality. AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19: Since you are excessively emotional and sensitive, you will have to be very cautious about not displaying this side of your too much, or else it could set you back. You dabble in the esoteric sciences like tantra and mantra and spend time in spiritual pursuits. The sparks of a new romance will be ignited and your sensitivity will invite many who will hold you in high regard. Communication with the opposite sex will have to handled very carefully. Ganesha says, this will be a charged week emotionally, and you will have to wean yourself from it to get on with your goals. PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20: You climb higher on the ladder of success. This phase is so good for you that you emerge a winner in whatever you take up. This is also a comprehensive phase in which you pass through the whole gamut of emotions but react negatively to petty insults, which is not really necessary. You are seething with anger but the reason is not obvious. On the other hand, you are not short of love in your life, and will enjoy it whether you are married or not. Children are a source of joy, there is likelihood of a new member getting added to your family.
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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCh 4, 2011 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM
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technology
Indo American News • Friday, March 4, 2011
India: Software Leader Playing Catch-up in the Hardware Game
By V. Sridhar CHENNAI (HINDU): India may be a world leader in the software export business but it is generally accepted that it lags far behind in the hardware business. This may appear puzzling at first glance, but
intensive. Related to this is the fact that a chip designer cannot act like a commodity supplier, in that he/ she is typically making this for another upstream integrator of components. This implies two things. First, a chipmaker is necessarily
it is actually quite obvious why this is so. In some sense, the hardware business has had to pay a price for India’s success in the field of software exports. The field of semiconductors and electronics appears to be intensely competitive it actually has very high barriers to entry. For one, the costs are very high, inhibiting the easy entry of firms into the business. Fabricating a chip is not like making potato chips; there are significantly large economies of scale involved, which is what makes the business highly capital
a participant in a wider cluster of activities in which the chip is only one part. But even more important is the fact that the chipmaker’s nature and extent of business is governed by the nature and extent of the larger ecosystem in which he/she is only a cog. This has important implications for the way in which the electronics hardware business develops in a country. The most important of these has to do with the manner in which the state acts. In India too, in the early stages of the IT revolution, the state pro-
vided a measure of support to the Information Technology, constihardware industry. These were tuted by the Union Government mainly in the form of tariff barri- in 2009, the demand for electroners to enable the nascent industry ics hardware is projected to grow to grow. However, from $ 45 bilfor a range of reaThe lopsided negligence of lion in 2009 to sons, this support the hardware industry in favor $ 400 billion was withdrawn, of software development now in 2020. Globchiefly because forces India to catch up with this al demand in of the pressure lag. India can do it, but the delay 2020 is likely from the software will cost India money to be about $ industry, which 2,400 billion claimed that since by 2020, of India’s “comparative advantage” which domestic Indian output is lay in software exports, the state likely to be only about $ 104 bilought to provide it with cheap re- lion — implying that India is prosources. jected to account for a measly 4.3 According to the Task Force on per cent of global production.
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Speaking at the sixth Vision Summit of the Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA), Ajay Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Information Technology, said that India “lags behind other countries in the field of electronics designing and manufacturing capabilities.” He pointed out that the growth of electronics in India is being driven by sectors such as automobiles, power, medical equipment and telecom. Predicting that nanotechnology would play a critical role in the nature of electronics in the future, he urged Indian industry to focus on R&D.
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Indo American News • Friday, March 4, 2011
online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, March 4, 2011 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM