Sensex erases early gains on profit-selling

STAFF WRITER 10:5 HRS IST

New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) Erasing early gains, the Bombay Stock Exchange Benchmark Sensex dipped below the 17,000 level after losing over 53 points at 1000hrs today on emergence of profit-booking at existing higher levels.

The 30-share Sensex, which had opened nearly 25 points higher, fell back with a loss of 53.11 points to 16,946.90 points in first one hour of trading.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty also lost 21.30 points at 5,066.80 points.

The Sensex had gained nearly 750 points in last three trading session.

PM, Advani lock horns; Opposition tears into Pawar

PM, Advani lock horns; Opposition tears into Pawar

NEW DELHI, March 3: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani locked horns in the Lok Sabha Wednesday over “secret talks” on Kashmir and the implementation of one-rank-one-pension scheme for defence personnel while the opposition tore into Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in the Rajya Sabha on an alleged sugar scam.

The prime minister attacked Advani for trying to create a “rift between service personnel” and the government. The BJP leader had alleged that a promise made in the 2009 budget - on the one-rank-one-pension scheme for ex-servicemen - had not been implemented completely.“Whatever I have promised, my government has done. Whatever the finance minister stated in the budget, it has been implemented,” Manmohan Singh said.

Advani also referred to a Newsweek report, which quoted Indian and US sources as saying that India and Pakistan have restarted “secret back-channel talks” over Kashmir, and asked the prime minister for an explanation.

Manmohan Singh said: “How many times did Jaswantji (who was external affairs minister in the NDA government) talk with US government representatives? How many times you informed the house? Why are you expecting me to answer hypothetical questions?”

Australian foreign minister arriving to discuss attacks

Australian foreign minister arriving to discuss attacks

New Delhi, March 1: Assurance to India about its keenness to tackle incidents of attacks on Indian students high on his agenda, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith arrives here on Tuesday to discuss with Indian authorities the steps taken by his government to solve the problem. “(I) will brief the Indian government on the actions taken by authorities to create a safe and rewarding study environment for Indian students in Australia,” Smith said in a statement in Melbourne. Smith will also watch an Australia-India hockey match at the ongoing World Cup here on Tuesday. The three-day visit comes a month after External Affairs Minister SM Krishna met Smith in London to express concern over mounting attacks, including some racial, on Indian students in Australia. This will be Smith’s third visit as foreign minister since 2007. “I will meet with Krishna, following on from our meeting in London in January. Krishna and I will discuss Australia’s and India’s close cooperation in trying to solve the recent problems faced by some Indians in Australia,” Smith said. There has been a flurry of visits to India by top Australian authorities, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his deputy Julia Gillard, in the recent past. The visits were aimed at reassuring India that Australia was a safe destination for Indians to study and work in. Over 100 cases of attacks on Indians in Australia have been reported since last year. The assaults have affected bilateral ties and have also hurt Australia’s education sector. Also on Smith’s agenda is the security preparedness for the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi October 3-14. The concerns follow terror threats by Pakistan-based militants to international sporting events in India, including the ongoing Hockey World Cup.

India Aviation 2010 to take off tomorrow

India Aviation 2010 to take off tomorrow

Hyderabad: India Aviation 2010 will be officially kicked off at the old airport in Begumpet, Hyderabad tomorrow and the show will be open for business visitors till March 5.

The organisers of the event, the government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), have decided to keep the venue open to common people on March 6 and 7.

“Our partner this year is France. As a practice, the partner countries will become focus countries in the next edition,” said Vivek Kodikal, Ficci’s regional director.

There will be 115 overseas companies and the rest from India. For the first time, Antonov UAC- Russia will display the AN 148 aircraft in India.

There will be country pavilions from Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Russia and the Netherlands.

With recovery signs visible across the global markets, the organisers are confident that the platform would be used to conclude several key business deals.