- BUS8Business/Education/InternationalIndian education portal launches Gulf operationsDubai, Nov 19 IANS Leading Indian education portal 24X7 Guru has launched its Gulf and Middle East operations targeting over 120,000 students in the region.The portal is targeted at Indian students appearing for engineering, medicine and management examinations as well as the Graduate Record Examination GRE. It is designed to help those from Class 3 to 10 strengthen their conceptual understanding of mathematics and science through self-assessment. "This region has more than 120,000 students who can benefit from our website, which aims to reinforce the maths and science lessons taught in the classrooms," K.S. Muralidhar, chief executive of 24X7 Guru, said in a statement after the portal's launch. "Using the multiple-choice concept, testing on the website is diagnostic in nature, application oriented and objective encouraging self-assessment and conceptual clarity amongst the students while at the same time honing their rational thinking ability and analytical skills," he added.According to Khawar Abdulla, 24X7 Guru's marketing head for Gulf and the Middle East, the portal will help students cover their respective syllabi during periods of long holidays."With a long summer break and shorter days during the holy month of Ramadan, schools in the GCC Gulf Cooperation Council have struggled to ensure they cover the full year's syllabus," he said. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates UAE comprise the GCC, which is home to over 4.8 million expatriate Indians.There are a large number of Indian schools in the region and most of them are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education CBSE. "Now, due to National Day of UAE which falls Dec 2 and Eid Al Addha, schools in the UAE are shut for most of December. By using 24x7guru.com, students can continue to learn, make up for missed lessons and review their portions without stress," Abdulla said.Muralidhar said that the portal would encourage students in the region to move away from the conventional "mugging" and learning by rote trend. "The interactive design and format of the site combined with a fool-proof testing system helps students understand the concepts and fundamentals by making learning fun, challenging and most importantly stress-free," he said. Test packs are available for mathematics and science, for CBSE, Indian Certificate for Secondary Education ICSE as well as various state board curriculums from Class 3 to 10.Curriculums for Class 11 and 12, and the International Baccalaureate programme will also be introduced shortly. "Keeping in spirit with the site, additional features such as Guru IQ, Guru Factoids, and Guru GK among others, will be introduced, enriching the overall educational experience," Muralidhar said. The website, which has over a million subscribers in India, already has over 5,000 subscribers in various schools across the GCC. A product of LearnSmart India, 24X7 Guru has Bodhtree Consulting as its technology partner and Unified Council as its content partner.Unified Council conducts the National Level Science Talent Search Examination NSTSEin India as also in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Nepal, Iran and Tanzania. --Indo-Asian News Service555 Words19111553
2008-11-19 05:07:05
- SPO9SportsEngland look to spin to turn fortunes at Kanpur PreviewKanpur, Nov 19 IANS Comprehensively beaten in Rajkot and Indore, England will require more than a spark of inspiration to defeat the buoyant Indian team in the third One-day International of the Hero Honda Cup here Thursday.Nothing has gone right for the visitors in the first two ODIs of the seven-match series but their biggest headache is how to stop Yuvraj Singh, who it seems has taken a disliking for Kevin Pietersen's side. The flamboyant left-hander stole the show in both the games, cracking two centuries and also taking four wickets in the second match.England will be banking on the positives emerging out of the second ODI in Indore, where they had put an improved performance.The bowlers started well by putting India on the mat early on, reducing them to 29 for four till their nemesis Yuvraj turned the tables. The England top order, too, gave a decent start but it was surely not a launchpad from where they could chase 292 on an unpredictable wicket.Though captain Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff at one point threatened to come close to the target with some lusty hitting, but again Yuvraj was the saviour for India as he removed the duo in one over.With Yuvraj in sensational form with the bat, England fast bowler Stuart Broad admitted that they will have to dismiss the left-hander as early as possible to fancy any chances of victory here. Broad was on the receiving end of six sixes against Yuvraj last year at the Twenty20 World Championship.To turn the tables, England will choose a specialist spin bowler for the first time and if the selection of off-spinner and one-day specialist Graeme Swann does not reverse the fortunes then Monty Panesar, who is in the Test squad, may get a call-up in Bangalore.England's thoughts turned towards spin, after left-arm seam bowler Ryan Sidebottom, who has been out with an injury, was sent for a scan on his lower back during practice session here Wednesday. The visitors' other concern is also the form of the openers. Matt Prior has not done much and Ian Bell's reputation as a one-day player has also taken a beating. If they want to match the Indian openers -- Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who are on a roll, then they have to show some dynamism in experimenting with the openers. There is even talk of experimenting with Luke Wright and Alistair Cook.In the last Test played in Kanpur, against South Africa in April, India prepared the pitch that favoured the spinners, who picked up 14 wickets in the match. It won't be any different this time also.In such a situation, the hosts certainly have the edge but complacency can hit them.It has been a smooth ride for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team in the series so far and every move of the skipper is clicking. But even when they are leading 2-0, India can't afford to relax. The batting order will hardly undergo any change but fast bowler Ishant Sharma is likely to make a come back in the playing eleven. Ishant, who missed the first two ODIs due to an ankle injury, has been assessed match-fit but the team management is yet to take a call on whether he will play here. If Ishant returns, then either Munaf Patel or Rudra Pratap Singh will have to sit out. Rudra Pratap didn't look impressive and is likely to make way for Ishant.Teams:India from: Mahendra Singh Dhoni captain/wicketkeeper, Virender Sehwag vice-captain, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Rudra Pratap Singh, Munaf Patel, Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay.England: Kevin Pietersen captain, Ian Bell, Matt Prior wicketkeeper, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Ravi Bopara, Andrew Flintoff, Samit Patel, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steve Harmison--Indo-Asian News Service695 Words*19111552
2008-11-19 05:05:05
- ENT11Entertainment/CinemaMalayalam movie directors make beeline to ChennaiChennai, Nov 19 IANS Successful Malayalam movie directors Lal Jose, Vinayan, Renjith and Shaji Kailas, among others, are making a beeline for Chennai to cash in on Tamil audiences' fascination for meaningful cinema.Jose is focusing on water scarcity, one of the major problems in Tamil Nadu, in his forthcoming venture "Mazhai Varappogirathu" Rains are Coming with newcomers playing the leads."Water is an issue in this state - like the rest of India. And so are fan clubs. I'm providing a link between these two in a simple, but thought provoking film to be shot in Theni - a district in Tamil Nadu known for both," Jose told IANS."While big budgets are available only for superstars in Malayalam film industry, Tamil cinema has opened the gates for fresh talent with new ideas. "What is more, audiences here appreciate offbeat stuff in a big way even if the movies concerned are made on shoestring budgets - like 'Chennai 600028' and 'Paruthiveeran' and 'Katrathu Tamil' to encourage talent. Though the first two were released last year, the third that hit the screens early this calendar encouraged the new wave," Jose added. The director's blockbuster Malayalam hits "Classmates" 2006 and "Arabikatha" 2007 - both dealing with totally different themes - made producers and distributors take notice of him, a press statement added.Vinayan, a director whose works' of offbeat, yet commercially viable mainstream cinema attracted takers from Hollywood, is currently directing "Naalai Namathey" featuring new faces in lead roles, sources close to the director said.Vinayan's latest work "Albuthadweep" is about to be remade in Hollywood by Ron Howard, a publicist added.Fresh from his latest Malayalam directorial venture "Thirakatha" screenplay, in which he played a small cameo, and rave reviews for his performance in "Gulmohur", director Renjith told IANS that he is all set to launch a Tamil film featuring Prithiviraj and Karthika in the lead."I can only say that this movie will change the trend in Tamil cinema like my Malayalam series starting with 'Devasuran' did since 1993," Renjith said.Meanwhile, director Shaji Kailas has almost finished the Tamil remake of Malayalam murder mystery "Chintamani Kola Case" entitled "Ellammey Avan Seyal" and it is scheduled to hit the screens at the end of this month.Not to be left behind, another Malayalam megaphone wielder Siddique with four Tamil hits under his belt, including the latest moderate success "Sadhu Miranda", has been signed to direct Tamil star Vijay's next film.--Indo-Asian News Service445 Words19111516
2008-11-19 05:06:05
- NAT29National/PoliticsTribal refugees to play crucial role in Mizoram pollsBy Sujit ChakrabortyAizawl/Agartala, Nov 19 IANS About 35,000 Reang tribal refugees, sheltered in Tripura camps for the past 11 years following ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos, will play a crucial role in the Dec 2 assembly polls in Mizoram.The Reangs, also called Bru, are recognised as a primitive tribe and constitute about 10 percent of Mizoram's one million population. Clashes with the Mizos in October 1997 forced them to flee to Tripura."We have fielded three candidates in the Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts in southern and eastern Mizoram to have our representatives in the assembly to ensure fulfilment of the hopes and aspiration of the Reang people," said Elvis Chorkhy, president of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum MBDPF."The total number of voters among the Reang tribal refugees who received the Electors Photo Identity Cards EPIC are 6,479, while the total number of refugees included in the electoral list are 8,061 as per the draft electoral rolls of 2008," Lalhmingthanga, joint chief electoral officer, told reporters. Chorkhy alleged that due to the conspiracy of the ruling Mizo National Front MNF more than 8,000 tribal refugees could not enrol their names in the voters list and were going to be deprived of the right to exercise their adult franchise.Lalhmingthanga said: "The Election Commission of India ECI has not yet taken any decision to enroll about 7,800 more people in the electoral roll even though the issue has been referred to the commission."The poll panel is expected to make special arrangements for the refugees to cast their votes.Top MNF, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party BJP leaders, including BJP president Rajnath Singh, have visited the refugee camps in northern Tripura and Reang dominated areas in Mizoram and urged the tribals to caste their votes in favour of their candidates.The BJP's Tripura observer, Darshan Singh, has been camping in the refugees camps to ensure maximum number of tribals vote in favour of the party's seven candidates.The Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI-M has alleged that the Congress has been distributing money among the refugees to purchase their votes."The All India Congress Committee AICC has allocated Rs.3.2 million to buy the votes of tribal refugees and Tripura Pradesh Congress president Samir Ranjan Burman Monday visited the refugee camps along with the money," a CPI-M spokesman told reporters in Agartala.After 14 rounds of talks, the Mizoram government and the militant Bru National Liberation Front BNLF signed an agreement in April 2005 to resolve the ethnic crisis, leading to the surrender of about 1,040 militants belonging to the BNLF and Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram BLFM.Both the outfits had been fighting to set up an autonomous council for the Reang refugees.--Indo-Asian News Service490 Words*19111524
2008-11-19 05:09:05
- James Bond’s A Quantum of Solace is here at last. As an ardent James Bond fan, I see him to be a very big brand in India...
2008-11-19 03:50:13
- Tough times never last, but tough people do. Or shall we say tough brands do. For Shantanu Das Gupta, Vice-President Marketing...
2008-11-19 03:43:13
- NAT7National/Accident10 people ill after inhaling poisonous gas in RourkelaBhubaneswar, Nov 19 IANS At least 10 people fell ill after inhaling poisonous gas that leaked from a government-run steel plant in Orissa's Rourkela city. Police said the condition of five was stated to be critical.The gas leaked from a blast furnace at the Rourkela Steel Plant, about 470 km from the state capital here, Inspector General of Police Pranabidu Achary told IANS over the phone.The Rourkela Steel Plant is a unit of the public sector Steel Authority of India Ltd.--Indo-Asian News Service94 Words*19111057
2008-11-19 03:00:16
- NAT1National/Literature/Society/BooksBook fest has bookworms, other Bangaloreans truly hooked!Bangalore, Nov 19 IANS Bangaloreans in thousands can be found these days snapping up their favourite titles or simply having fun with friends and family at a book fair, said to be one of the largest in India.The sixth edition of the Bangalore Book Festival-2008, which kicked off at the city's Palace Grounds Friday, has witnessed around 70,000 footfalls almost every day."The book fair acts as a meeting ground for all and sundry. Along with best book titles on various topics, the fair also provides entertainment in the form of various cultural extravaganza and good food," said event co-ordinator Harindra Savanur.From award-winning titles to books as cheap as Re.1, the event is generating a huge amount of curiosity from a cross section of society because of its eclectic collection.Around 300 stalls at the fair have on offer books on management, computer science, animal behaviour, politics, spirituality, fiction and non-fiction.The event has been jointly organised by the Bangalore Booksellers and Publishers' Association and the Kannada Book Authority."Because of a Janata Dal-Secular rally Monday at the Palace Grounds, followed by heavy traffic jams in almost all the thoroughfares of the city, the number of visitors to the fair was minuscule that day," Devaru Bhat, secretary of the association, told IANS."After a slow Monday, the book fair gained momentum again Tuesday and we are hoping for around 500,000 visitors during the 10-day event."The popularity of the book carnival, considered the second biggest in the country after the famous Kolkata book fair, has increased manifold over the years. Along with a wide array of books on offer at the festival, bibliophiles also get a chance to meet up with friends and have a nice time together.Children too are having a gala time with their favourite story books, comic magazines, quiz collections, general knowledge and science journals.The fair is giving a discount of 10 percent on each purchase, in addition to concessions offered by individual stalls. Publishers from across the country are participating in the fair.In stalls like the Rare Book Shop, books are selling like hot cakes at prices ranging from Rs.10 to Rs.400. At Chowkhamba Sanskrit Pratisthan from Benaras, many a title has been sold at just Re.1."My collection of books is wide and varied. If I am selling books at Re.1, then I am also selling books at high prices of around Rs.7,000. I am happy to get such a huge response from Bangaloreans and it seems they have a good taste in books," said R. Mishra, the proprietor of Chowkhamba Sanskrit Pratisthan.The collection at the stall consists of books on tantra, yoga, Hindu epics, ayurveda and Vedic mathematics in Sanskrit.Long queues could be seen also at the Sahitya Prakashana and ISKCON International Society for Krishna Consciousness stalls.Along with books in Kannada and English, many visitors are also buying Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and Hindi tomes."I have been a regular visitor to the fair since its inception. The fair is unique because of the wide array of books on offer at its various stalls. Moreover, everyone, irrespective of age groups, can come and enjoy books here. I have bought five books on various subjects," said Nirmala Shankar, an IT professional.Along with books, the fair is also offering entertainment programmes ranging from light music to folk dance programmes, book-reading sessions and special Kannada-Tamil poet meets."It is great to spend time at the book fair. I have come along with my friends and we are having a great time amid books, food and good company at the fair," smiled college-goer Shikha Rai.After a hectic day of book browsing and buying, hungry bibliophiles munch on their favourite bajjis, pickles, kebabs and even a full meal at various food stalls.The organisers of the fair are expecting to generate Rs.200 million from the event. The book festival is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the entry fee is Rs.20. Entry is free for school and college students.-Indo-Asian News Service748 Words**19110723
2008-11-19 03:00:00
- NAT5National/DefenceIndian navy ship repulses attack by Somali piratesNew Delhi, Nov 19 IANS Indian Navy stealth frigate INS Tabar has successfully repulsed an attack by pirates off the Somali coast and sunk their ship, an official said here Wednesday. The Indian Navy ship was fired at by pirates in the Gulf of Aden late Tuesday.x93The pirates fired at INS Tabar, which is patrolling the waters off the Somali coast. The ship retaliated and sank the pirate vessel,x94 a navy official said.Last week, INS Tabar had staved off an attack by Somali pirates on two merchant vessels - one from India and another from Saudi Arabia.--Indo-Asian News Service113 Words19111015
2008-11-19 03:00:00
- A series of violent attacks on Christians in India calls for a "strong and urgent American response," a broad group of U.S. Christian leaders urged President Bush in a letter.
2008-11-19 01:27:37
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