Chennai, March 02 (ANI): Addressing a news conference in Chennai on Monday, senior leader of BJP Venkaiah Naidu announced that his party is to launch a two-pronged nationwide protest against price rise. The first will be a signature campaign to the president, beginning from Tuesday followed by a huge demonstration at Parliament on April 21.
 

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Washington, Mar 2 (PTI) Scientists have detected more than 40 ice-filled craters in the moon's North Pole using data from a NASA radar that flew aboard India's Chandrayaan-I.

NASA's Mini-SAR instrument, lightweight, synthetic aperture radar, found more than 40 small craters with water ice. The craters range in size from 2 to 15 km in diameter.

The finding would give future missions a new target to further explore and exploit, a NASA statement said, adding it is estimated that there could be at least 600 million metric tons of water ice in the craters.

"The emerging picture from the multiple measurements and resulting data of the instruments on lunar missions indicates that water creation, migration, deposition and retention are occurring on the moon," Paul Spudis, principal investigator of the Mini-SAR experiment at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, said yesterday.
 

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New Delhi, March 2 -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday reiterated that he is ready to walk the extra mile to open a new chapter in relations between India and Pakistan, predicating it with Islamabad taking decisive action against terrorism.

Singh stressed that "if Pak cooperates with, there is no problem that we cannot solve" in his historical address at the Majlis Al-Shura, the Saudi equivalent of a parliament. Later talking to reporters on board, he said ".whosoever I meet, the world leaders, I convey to them, that all problems between India and Pakistan can be resolved through meaningful bilateral dialogue, if only Pakistan would take a more reasonable attitude in dealing with those terrorist elements who target our country".

He was answering to a question on his hopes and relationship with Pakistan, as he reiterated the offer to walk the extra mile in Saudi, which carries a lot of symbolism. "I hope that the world community gets the right message that India is a victim of terrorism that we have a situation where our neighbour has promised unambiguously not to allow its territory for perpetrating terrorist attacks directed against India and yet, on the ground, progress has been rather nil", Singh pointed out.

This is the first comments from Prime Minister after the foreign secretary level talks on February 25, marking the re-opening of the dialogue process. "If there is cooperation between India and Pakistan, vast opportunities will open up for trade, travel and development that will create prosperity in both countries and in South Asia as a whole. But to realize this vision, Pak must act decisively against terrorism.

If Pak cooperates with, there is no problem that we cannot solve and we can walk the extra mile to open a new chapter in relations between our two countries", Singh said at the Shura. "I did discuss the Indo-Pak relations with His Majesty on a one-to-one basis.

I explained to him the role that terrorism, aided, abetted and inspired by Pak is playing in our country. And I did not ask for him to do anything other than to use his good offices to persuade Pak to desist from this path", Singh said when sought his view on Saudi being a "credible interlocutor" between the two countries.

"There is great deal of sympathy and support for India's point of view, that what we are asking is very reasonable", Singh said.
 

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Melbourne, Mar 2 (PTI) In a fresh incident of violence against Asians in Australia, a Sri Lankan man and his Indian wife were attacked and racially abused by a group of drunken men at their home here.

A group of 25 drunken thugs bashed up 60-year-old Ranjit Sahasranaman, who is married to Indian-origin Agalya Sahasranamn, outside his own home in Carrams Down suburb on Sunday morning.

Sahasranaman, a Sri Lankan national, revealed his over two-and-a-half hour ordeal of how he fought back with the thugs till police arrived and dispersed them, the Herald Sun reported today.

Sahasranaman, who has lived in Australia for 19 years with his wife and two kids, said he was assaulted and racially abused by the gang of mostly white men who damaged his back fence and gained entry to his yard.
 

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Mangalore, March 1: Clothes were dyed with myriad hues as hugs and embraces were exchanged in lanes and bylanes to mark Holi, the festival of colours, which was celebrated with gusto and bonhomie in many parts of the country on Monday.

As people across the country celebrated the festival, Mangalore and Udupi did not lag behind in the celebration of colours. With fun and frolic in its usual grandeur and danced to the beats of drums, north Indian students in various colleges celebrated Holi along with other students. Many campus wore a multi-colour look as revellers came out to join the festivities.

Wish you all very Happy Holi and a wonderful year ahead
 

THANE: Three people were electrocuted in the district late on Sunday night while they were watching the lighting up of fire for the Holi festival.

All deceased were residents of Virar but their identities were yet to be established, police said.

According to Virar police, electric poles were erected to support the fire at the 'mandvi' and live wires fell on the victims who were leaning on the poles. They were electrocuted instantly.

Senior officials of the police station rushed to the site and further investigations were in progress.

Residents of the area said such incidents are very rare during the Holi celebrations in the past.
 

ON BOARD PM'S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday ruled out any rollback in petrol and diesel prices, saying the economy has the capacity to absorb the increase without triggering inflationary pressure.

"Any increase in prices does hurt some people, but we have to take a long-term view," he told reporters accompanying him on his way back home from Saudi Arabia.

Singh made it clear that following populist fiscal policies for a long term harms the economy.

"We cannot save people from inflation if we follow all populist fiscal policies. Sooner or later these populist policies if persisted for a long time to come will lead to the erosion of the investment climate," he said.

The Prime Minister was asked about growing concerns over the recent hike in oil prices and the ripple it may have.

SHIMOGA (KARNATAKA): Two persons were killed, including one in police firing, and four others injured on Monday in violence during protests by Muslims over publication of an article penned by controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen in a vernacular daily.

The authorities imposed dusk-to-dawn curfew in four trouble-hit localities in old Shimoga, hometown of chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.

While one died in police firing, the other succumbed to injuries sustained in stone-pelting in hospital, police said.

A 1500-strong crowd took out a procession to express their anger over the Kannada translation of Taslima's article published on Sunday in a leading Kannada daily on burqa tradition.

The procession turned violent as some persons pelted stones on vehicles. At least 20 vehicles, including eight state transport corporation buses, were damaged.

Police said as the situation threatened to go out of control, they opened fire, killing a person. Police said four others injured in stone-pelting have been hospitalised.

Prohibitory orders was also imposed on the entire city and additional reinforcements of police rushed, Superintendent of Police S Murugan said.

Hassan was also tense after 15,000 Muslims held a protest rally and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.

Several vehicles were damaged in stone-pelting and some shops were torched, police said.

Dubai Feb 28: Shopping is the soul of Dubai, a place whose very name can be pronounced "Do-Buy"! Retail is a key driver of Dubai's economy. It is the major tourist attraction. Dubai lures visitors from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East since it offers very enticing shopping experiences. The city offers scintillating malls, almost every brand in the world, shopping bargains, huge discounts.

If Dubai is a very stylish car, then the two front wheels are real estate and retail tourism. Real estate is currently under pressure. Retail tourism is also likely to be under duress. In 2009, sales in many malls and retail outlets have declined 20-30 percent. Footfalls have also dropped 15-25 percent.

Retailers are wondering why and what they must do to ensure a better future.

The main reason for the decline is a drop in the number of free spending tourists from Europe and other parts of the Middle East. Sales have also eroded because countries like China, India and Pakistan are building massive shopping malls which are luring the best global brands.

So customers from neighbouring countries do not need to visit Dubai to buy a Canon zoom lens or an Apple I-phone. Prices of most electronic items, including mobile phones, are now lower in India than in Dubai. A Hermes tie is cheaper in Paris; fashionable women's clothes are cheaper in New York. This is despite the fact that Dubai is duty and tax free.

Some retailers are also suffering due to bad management. For example, when they found it was becoming expensive to hire Indians, they hired Filipinos instead. Then when the Filipinos became expensive, they hired Nepalis, Chinese, Bangladeshis.

All the time, the service conditions of the employees were getting worse -- six to eight of them were being housed in one room, each employee was being asked to work 10 to 12 hours a day.

In many instances, the staff did not receive increments for 3-4 years. Few retailers provide refreshments or lunch to their staff. Some top retailers pay as little as 10 dirhams per hour of overtime.

Added to this problem of untrained and demotivated staff members, many Dubai retailers have antiquated IT systems. So they do not know their inventory, what is selling, what is not.

But the most neglected arena in retail is basic customer service. Walk into a bookshop. The sales girls can hardly speak English and cannot spell "Monologues". They have no passion for books, yet spend their day in selling them.

The critical question is where do Dubai retailers go from here? They will have to get used to about 15-30 percent lower sales from 2006-08 levels. As of now, the management and marketing vibrancy and energy required to reverse this downward trend is missing. Unfortunately many Dubai retailers have a trading mindset, not marketing.

This could lead to closure of marginal malls and shops, which are unable to lure customers.

Retailers need to become pragmatic. Hopefully, they will focus more on service rather than be preoccupied with the marble floors of their retail outlets. They also need to worry about volume growth, rather than sheer profits, through short-term pricing policies.

Retailers should acknowledge new emerging paradigms. They should recognise the new competition from neighbouring countries. They should build strong and vibrant management teams and give up their "shopkeeper" habits. They should focus on improving customer services rapidly. These steps will enable retailers in Dubai to reverse the downward trend in sales and begin the path to recovery.
 

Mangalore, Feb 28: Western Institute of Technology will host a job fair on Friday April 23 and Saturday April 24 at the Dr T M A Pai International Convention Center in the city. 

There is no entry fee and over 20,000 candidates from all the districts of the state, with special focus on Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Kasargod, are expected to attend the event.

Candidates from various fields such as engineering, management, medical and nursing, safety, hotel and hospitality, computer hardware and networking, and post graduates from all disciplines will participate. 

As a special attraction, Western Institute is inviting companies based abroad who are looking for a work force from Karnataka. Special arrangements will be made for such companies to recruit deserving candidates directly without any agencies or middlemen.

This job fair will provide these companies a platform for recruitment and to promote their organization and thereby increase visibility with candidates and universities. Freshers and laterals will feature among the candidates.

Western Institute of Technology will also organize a career guidance and personality development programme on both days in the auditorium at the same venue between 9.00 am 1:00 pm for PUC students and from 1.00 pm to 7.00 pm for degree and PG students. 

Informative seminars and fruitful interactions with reputed international and national experts and professionals experienced in varied fields of education and industry will be part of these sessions. These resource personnel will guide the students on topics such as ‘Goals of Education’, ‘Career Choice’, and ‘Scope or Demand in Various Sectors of Industries or Companies’. 

About Western Institute:

Western Institute of Technology, an ISO 9001:2008 certified institute, is partnered with Chicago Training and Consultancy which is a global Registered Education Provider (REP) of Project Management Institute (PMI), an authorized IMA CMA learning system course provider, and AACEI approved education provider. 

Western Institute is a collaborative training provider of University of Wisconsin, Platteville’s, Continuing Education Programs and an approved provider of Professional Development Program of Franklin University, Ohio, USA. 

It is recognized by the Government of India and is registered under Directorate General of Employment and Training as vocational training provider for various courses. The academic council of Mangalore University has also granted affiliation to this institute for conducting PGDBM & PGDTHM Courses.

For further details contact:

Western Insitute of Technology
Kadri Hills, Mangalore.
E-mail: jobfair@westerniot.com , Stephan.mendes7008@gmail.com
Website: www.westerniot.com.         
Ph: 0091-824-6536509,
Mob: 0091-9945564949, 0091-9611055883