AFTER six long years of tough bargaining, India and the 10-member
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have clinched
a Free Trade Agreement that will take effect on January 1, 2010.
There has been a great deal of give and take and compromises
in the format of the agreement, but negotiations on services
and investments are still on. Only when they too come under
the FTA umbrella can India derive full benefits. Any such agreement
invariably comes under the scanner of domestic special interest
groups, and sure enough, the FTA with ASEAN has met with some
stiff resistance from...
STUDENTS
returning to school this year have another worry besides homework
and lunchroom bullies: swine flu. Experts say parents and kids
need to act early and vigorously to reduce their risk of contracting
the H1N1 virus. "We do know that [the virus] is going to
strike the school-age child and it´s primarily because
they´re in crowded classrooms with lots of other children
and have a better chance of spreading germs," said Sharon
A Wilkerson, dean and professor of the Texas A&M Health Science
Center College of Nursing in College Station.
Qatar Telecommunications
(Qtel) on Sunday said
quarterly profits jumped 59 percent,
buoyed by a one-time gain at its
Kuwaiti unit. Qtel posted net
profit of QR1,044 billion ($287
million) in the second quarter...
The Emir His
Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa
al Thani will leave for Istanbul
on Monday for a two-day working
visit to Turkey. HH the Emir will
be accompanied by a highlevel
official delegation.On eve of
the visit...
Companies listed on the Qatari bourse have posted QR13.9 billion profits in the first half
of this year, which is 9.86 percent
lower than QR15.4 billion profits
recorded during the corresponding
period last year...
Defending
champion Olga Kaniskina of Russia
won the women's 20 kilometres
walk world title here on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Olympic champion
timed 1hour 28minute 9seconds
to beat home Ireland's Olive ...
After a summer
apart, Pattinson and Stewart reunite
for a whirlwind week in Los Angeles
- including three sexy nights
at his hotel! After Twilight won
a staggering 11 trophies at the
annual Teen Choice awards in...
Indonesia is looking forward to stronger political and economic ties with Qatar in the near future. It is also keen to boost its cooperation in the field of culture, trade and investment. Addressing mediapersons on the eve of Indonesia´s 64th Independence Day anniversary on Sunday, the country´s Ambassador to Qatar HE Rozy Munir said, "We have very cordial relations with Qatar and this is evident from the successful business operations by Qtel, Qatar Islamic Bank and other Qatari firms in Jakarta. The desire of both the nations...
QIB´s Zakat Committee has provided one million Qatari Riyals in food, financial and Iftar aid to people in need during the Holy Month of Ramadan. This initiative is a main objective of QIB´s social responsibility strategy. Zakat Committee Head Mansour bin Mohamed al Muslah said the QIB project is being implemented in cooperation with other charity organisations in Qatar. The Ministry of Awqaf and Social Affairs will receive QR 500,000 to support its zakat fund, and QR 335,000 will be allotted for the ministry´s Iftar project.
The three-week long Descon Sports Gala-IV which kicked off on July 27 ended with colourful cultural events at Al khor recently. It was organised by Descon Engineering Qatar´s Sports Organisation Committee. The gala included cricket and volleyball tournaments. Thirteen cricket and 8 volley ball teams belonging to different Descon projects participated. The final matches played at the company´s flood-lit stadium, were preceded by prize...
BHP Billiton Ltd, the world´s largest mining company, said it´s "business as usual" in China after the arrest of four employees of rival Rio Tinto Group. "Nothing has changed for us, we continue to sell into China and we´re committed to our customers there," Chief Financial Officer Alex Vanselow told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday. "For us it´s business as usual." Stern Hu, an Australian citizen who heads Rio´s iron ore business in China, and three colleagues face charges of bribery and stealing commercial...
The popular "cashfor- clunkers" programme is boosting US auto sales and manufacturing but is also slashing donations to charities that rely on gifts of cars to fund social programmes, charity officials say. Volunteers of America and other charities that receive tens of thousands of cars each year said such donations have quickly fallen up to 12 percent — and fear a 25 percent drop eventually, or over $100 million — as owners rush to trade gas guzzlers for new fuel-efficient models while federal rebates last.
Just one year ago, property prices in Dubai were surging to record peaks undeterred by a real estate slump in major markets, but they have since gone into free fall and have yet to find the bottom. Market watchers in the former Gulf boomtown differ slightly on the magnitude of the decline so far, but all seem to agree that the prices of Dubai property, which was selling unchecked over the past three years, should drop further. "The decline in prices...
Arsenal hammered out an early English Premier League title warning on Saturday when they crushed Everton 6-1 at Goodison Park, a timely reminder to Manchester United who begin their championship defence on Sunday. Elsewhere on the opening day of the new season, Chelsea came from behind to defeat Hull 2-1 while moneybags Manchester City beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0. Arsenal were 3-0 in front before halftime against an Everton side...
Veteran Rahul Dravid on Sunday staged a comeback into India´s 15-member one day squad while Virender Sehwag was ruled out of next month´s tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy (CT) in South Africa. The 36-year-old Dravid, who last played an ODI back in October 2007, was included in the squad to bolster the batting line-up for the two tournaments, which will also see the return of Sachin Tendulkar. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was included in place of left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha in the squad, announced...
With his Test slump continuing unabated, Australian batsman Michael Hussey is no longer ´Mr. Cricket´ and has become ´Mr Average´, say former greats Mark Waugh and Dean Jones. Waugh and Jones believe that Hussey´s position in the team is seriously under threat. Hussey´s Ashes average of 25.83 has been a disappointment and continues a decline over the past two seasons. His overall Test average is a mighty 52.39, but this year it sits at 27.84 from...
Enduring the soulsucking process of buying a used car is bad enough. Watching a movie about soulless used-car salesmen is even worse — especially when it´s a comedy that strains desperately for raunchy, politically incorrect laughs. In theory, the pieces were there for something slightly more inspired with The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. Chappelle´s Show co-creator Neal Brennan directs for the first time ( from a script by Andy Stock and Rick Stempson), and the large ensemble cast features Jeremy...
English actress Carey Mulligan will play Gordon Gekko´s daughter in Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. Mulligan joins Michael Douglas (Gekko), Shia LaBeouf and Frank Langella in the sequel to the 1987 film. Josh Brolin is in talks for a role in the movie. Mulligan´s character is romantically linked to LaBeouf ´s, a young Wall Street broker on his way up. Allan Loeb wrote the current script. Mulligan received strong reviews at the Sundance...
Those who like Punjabi music are in for a treat with Yashraj Film´ latest offering Dil Bole Hadippa that has Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukerji in lead roles. Composed by Pritam Chakraborty, the album has five pacy and foot-tapping numbers soaked in Punjabi flavour. First is the title track H a d i p p a crooned by Mika Singh. It is currently on air and has proved to be a hit. Foot-tapping and energetic, it is a true dance number and one can say that Punjabi folk music is reinvented with the song. The track also has a remixed version...
Jamaican Usain Bolt added the world
crown to his Olympic title as he
scorched to victory in a world record
9.58 seconds in the men’s 100m final
at the World Athletics
Championships here on Sunday. The
22-year-old show-boating Jamaican
crushed the field and smashed his
own record of 9.69sec set in simiarly
spectacular fashion at the Beijing
Olympics final.
Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said on Sunday he
would propose at least three woman
ministers in his new cabinet following
June’s disputed election, an
unprecedented move in the conservative
Islamic state.
Indonesia is looking forward to stronger political and economic ties with Qatar in the near future. It is also keen to boost its cooperation in the field of culture, trade and investment. Addressing mediapersons on the eve of Indonesia´s 64th Independence Day anniversary on Sunday, the country´s Ambassador to Qatar HE Rozy Munir said, "We have very cordial relations with Qatar and this is evident from the successful business operations by Qtel, Qatar Islamic Bank and other Qatari firms in Jakarta. The desire of both the nations... 
QIB´s Zakat Committee has provided one million Qatari Riyals in food, financial and Iftar aid to people in need during the Holy Month of Ramadan. This initiative is a main objective of QIB´s social responsibility strategy. Zakat Committee Head Mansour bin Mohamed al Muslah said the QIB project is being implemented in cooperation with other charity organisations in Qatar. The Ministry of Awqaf and Social Affairs will receive QR 500,000 to support its zakat fund, and QR 335,000 will be allotted for the ministry´s Iftar project. 
The three-week long Descon Sports Gala-IV which kicked off on July 27 ended with colourful cultural events at Al khor recently. It was organised by Descon Engineering Qatar´s Sports Organisation Committee. The gala included cricket and volleyball tournaments. Thirteen cricket and 8 volley ball teams belonging to different Descon projects participated. The final matches played at the company´s flood-lit stadium, were preceded by prize... 
BHP Billiton Ltd, the world´s largest mining company, said it´s "business as usual" in China after the arrest of four employees of rival Rio Tinto Group. "Nothing has changed for us, we continue to sell into China and we´re committed to our customers there," Chief Financial Officer Alex Vanselow told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday. "For us it´s business as usual." Stern Hu, an Australian citizen who heads Rio´s iron ore business in China, and three colleagues face charges of bribery and stealing commercial...
The popular "cashfor- clunkers" programme is boosting US auto sales and manufacturing but is also slashing donations to charities that rely on gifts of cars to fund social programmes, charity officials say. Volunteers of America and other charities that receive tens of thousands of cars each year said such donations have quickly fallen up to 12 percent — and fear a 25 percent drop eventually, or over $100 million — as owners rush to trade gas guzzlers for new fuel-efficient models while federal rebates last.
Just one year ago, property prices in Dubai were surging to record peaks undeterred by a real estate slump in major markets, but they have since gone into free fall and have yet to find the bottom. Market watchers in the former Gulf boomtown differ slightly on the magnitude of the decline so far, but all seem to agree that the prices of Dubai property, which was selling unchecked over the past three years, should drop further. "The decline in prices...
Arsenal hammered out an early English Premier League title warning on Saturday when they crushed Everton 6-1 at Goodison Park, a timely reminder to Manchester United who begin their championship defence on Sunday. Elsewhere on the opening day of the new season, Chelsea came from behind to defeat Hull 2-1 while moneybags Manchester City beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0. Arsenal were 3-0 in front before halftime against an Everton side...
Veteran Rahul Dravid on Sunday staged a comeback into India´s 15-member one day squad while Virender Sehwag was ruled out of next month´s tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy (CT) in South Africa. The 36-year-old Dravid, who last played an ODI back in October 2007, was included in the squad to bolster the batting line-up for the two tournaments, which will also see the return of Sachin Tendulkar. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was included in place of left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha in the squad, announced... 
With his Test slump continuing unabated, Australian batsman Michael Hussey is no longer ´Mr. Cricket´ and has become ´Mr Average´, say former greats Mark Waugh and Dean Jones. Waugh and Jones believe that Hussey´s position in the team is seriously under threat. Hussey´s Ashes average of 25.83 has been a disappointment and continues a decline over the past two seasons. His overall Test average is a mighty 52.39, but this year it sits at 27.84 from... 
Enduring the soulsucking process of buying a used car is bad enough. Watching a movie about soulless used-car salesmen is even worse — especially when it´s a comedy that strains desperately for raunchy, politically incorrect laughs. In theory, the pieces were there for something slightly more inspired with The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. Chappelle´s Show co-creator Neal Brennan directs for the first time ( from a script by Andy Stock and Rick Stempson), and the large ensemble cast features Jeremy... 
English actress Carey Mulligan will play Gordon Gekko´s daughter in Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. Mulligan joins Michael Douglas (Gekko), Shia LaBeouf and Frank Langella in the sequel to the 1987 film. Josh Brolin is in talks for a role in the movie. Mulligan´s character is romantically linked to LaBeouf ´s, a young Wall Street broker on his way up. Allan Loeb wrote the current script. Mulligan received strong reviews at the Sundance... 
Those who like Punjabi music are in for a treat with Yashraj Film´ latest offering Dil Bole Hadippa that has Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukerji in lead roles. Composed by Pritam Chakraborty, the album has five pacy and foot-tapping numbers soaked in Punjabi flavour. First is the title track H a d i p p a crooned by Mika Singh. It is currently on air and has proved to be a hit. Foot-tapping and energetic, it is a true dance number and one can say that Punjabi folk music is reinvented with the song. The track also has a remixed version... 
Jamaican Usain Bolt added the world
crown to his Olympic title as he
scorched to victory in a world record
9.58 seconds in the men’s 100m final
at the World Athletics
Championships here on Sunday. The
22-year-old show-boating Jamaican
crushed the field and smashed his
own record of 9.69sec set in simiarly
spectacular fashion at the Beijing
Olympics final.
