Washington, Indian companies have invested more than $26 billion in the US in the last five years and the IT companies employ more than one lakh people in that country, New Delhi's top diplomat in Washington has said. "Indian companies are now contributing strongly to local State economies in the US with a presence in 43 states and having invested over $26 billion in the last five years in several key areas of the economy, in manufacturing as also in services," the Indian Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, said yesterday. India's IT industry has in particular been a strong player in establishing value based mutually beneficial partnerships, Rao said in her address to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, India-South Asia Programme. "As per our estimates, Indian IT companies employ over 100,000 people in the US and the Indian IT industry supports over 280,000 jobs indirectly out of which about 200,000 are with US residents," she said. Rao said the steady growth of the Indian economy has not only helped improve the living standards of own people, but has also opened up new opportunities to expand mutually beneficial economic and commercial ties with the US. ...
Read Full Story

leander-paes-1 London, India's Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have entered the semifinals of the Barclays ATP World Tour finals doubles, defeating top seeds and three-time winners the Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, 6-4, 6-2. Had the Bryans -- who had already qualified after winning the first two round-robin matches - beat Paes and Bhupathi in straight sets, then seventh seeds Austrian Jurgen Melzer and his German partner Philipp Petzschner would have qualified for the semifinals. The Indians will face Poland's Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in the semifinals Saturday. In the other semifinal, the Bryan brothers play Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Canadian Daniel Nestor, who topped Group B beating among others India's Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, who have played in the Tour finals for the first time. Earlier in the day, Melzer and Petzschner beat sixth seeds Swede Robert Lindstedt and Romanian Horia Tecau 6-3, 6-4. It was an unexpectedly easy victory for the fourth-seeded Indians over the World No 1 pair at Arena O2 here Friday and the victory gave them the top spot in Group A with two victories and one defeat. Bryans finished ...
Read Full Story

leander-paes-1 London, Three-time former finalists and fourth seeds, India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, beat seventh-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer and German Philipp Petzschner 7-5, 6-3 in their Group A match to stay alive in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals doubles. Bhupathi and Paes -- losing finalists to Americans Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark in 1997, to another American pair Sebastien Lareau and Alex O'Brien in 1999 and to American Daniel Johnson and South African Piet Norval in 2000 -- improved to a 31-13 match record for the season, highlighted by three titles. "I thought Hesh played brilliantly today and moved great," Paes told ATPWorldTour.com after Wednesday's match. "Especially at the net, he made some pretty cool volleys, one of them a block backhand half-volley crosscourt and you don't teach that at home." Bhupathi said: "We played a high quality match. I think it was important to start off well and we were able to keep that momentum throughout the match. Hopefully we can keep it up Friday and win through to the weekend." Bhupathi and Paes broke Petzschner to 15 for a 3-1 lead, but a well-placed backhand volley winner by Petzschner on Bhupathi's ...
Read Full Story

Patiala, The UPA government is concerned about the financial health of Punjab and it has taken note of it, Union minister Preneet Kaur said here today. "I can only say yes the Centre has taken the note of it," she said when asked to comment on the financial condition of the state. Asked about any bailout package from the Centre, the minister of State for External Affairs Preneet said "I am not competent to comment on it." "The Centre, however, has taken note of it that West Bengal, Kerala and Punjab are badly affected due to financial mess." The minister alleged the SAD-BJP government was responsible for the current fiscal health of the state which, she said, was deteriorating day by ...
Read Full Story

Ludhiana, January 22 (Doaba News Service)- The ministers of the UPA government at the Centre are behaving as conduits of hoarders and black marketeers by making statements about the imminent price rise of several commodities. This was stated by Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Minister for Information and Public Relations, who was in the city today. Without naming Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Sekhwan said it was sad that the minister was making announcements that the prices of commodities would increase within a day or so. “Whom is he trying to benefit? Everybody knows such statements prompt the hoarders to collect stocks of the commodity. What else is he doing if he is not helping the hoarders, who would later indulge in black marketing of the good by creating an artificial shortage? Is it fair for a minister of his stature to make such announcements?” asked Sekhwan, while hitting at the UPA government. Holding the Union Government responsible for the price rise, the minister said whenever the Congress was in power, people suffered due to inflation. But this time it was the worst case scenario when many were deprived of even two square ...
Read Full Story

Jalandhar, January 15 (DNS)- The decision of the Congress-led UPA government to allow duty-free import of white sugar till December-end finally brought the sugar price down by Rs 5 a kg in the city. It has been hovering around Rs 50 for the past many days. Retailers in the city today sold sugar at Rs 45 per kg, much to the respite of the common man. Local traders maintained that the sugar price was expected to decline further in the coming days. “At present, we are bringing sugar from Khattoli in Uttar Pradesh. And looking at measures taken by the Centre, the price may decline even more,” said a retailer. ...
Read Full Story