Terrorists Attack on Mumbai...!!!

26th November 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attack


The November 2008 Mumbai attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks across Mumbai, India's financial capital and the largest city. The attacks began on 26 November 2008 and ended on 29 November 2008 when Indian security forces, in Operation Black Tornado, regained control of all attack sites.At least 188 people,including 31 foreign nationals,were killed and at least 293 were injured in the attacks.

Eight of the attacks took place at sites in South Mumbai proper: the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe,Cama Hospital, the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House, the Metro Cinema, and a lane behind the Times of India building behind St. Xavier's College. There was also an explosion at the Mazagaon docks in Mumbai's port area. A possible tenth incident involved a taxi blast at Vile Parle near the airport, but it is uncertain whether this was connected to the other nine attacks.

By the early morning of 28 November, all sites except for the Taj Mahal Palace had been secured by police and security forces. Action by India's National Security Guards on 29 November resulted in the conclusion of the Taj Mahal Palace encounter, ending all fighting in the attacks.

Initially, a previously unknown organization called the Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility.Later, Azam Amir Kasav, the single terrorist who was captured alive, disclosed that the attackers were members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamic terrorist group. However, no official attribution of responsibility has been made by the Indian Government.

The attacks drew widespread condemnation across the world.

MARKET TIPS FOR THE DAY......12TH NOV 2008

MARKETS TO OPEN ON A WEAK NOTE, EXACTLY AS PER OUR EXPECTATIONS MARKET CORRECTED VERY BADLY.


Buy Avon Organics

MARKET TIPS FOR THE DAY...11TH NOV 2008

MARKETS TO OPEN ON A WEAK NOTE, WILL RECOVER TO SOME EXTENT BUT ULTIMATELY FOLLOW THE OVERSEAS MARKETS............

MARKET WAS UP BY MORE THAN 550 POINTS BUT COMBINED TRADED TURNOVER ON BOTH EXCHANGES WAS LESS THAN Rs. 43000 CRORE, THE LOWEST IN NEARLY 15 MONTHS.........

SOME IMPORTANT EVENTS IN US ARE - NOVEMBER CONSUMER CONFIDENCE DATA, ZEW ECONOMIC SENTIMENT DATA, MICROSOFT AND TYCO INTERNATIONAL RESULTS..............

Trading Stocks for the Day:-

· BSE Code: 523574 NSE Code: PANTALOONR

Use gap down and buy up to Rs. 254

Target – 272, 275, 279. Strict SL - 249.90

· BSE Code: 500493 NSE Code: BHARATFORG

Sell CMP: 110 - 111

Further Upside possible in Bharat Forge only above 117.10

Target – 105, 103, 100 Strict SL – 114.10

· BSE Code: 532754 NSE Code: GMRINFRA

Use gap down and buy up to Rs. 74

Further downside possible in GMR only below 67.90

Target – 82, 83, 85 Strict SL – 71.90

Today market open on a weak Note....7 Nov 2008

EXACTLY AS PER OUR EXPECTATIONS MARKET CORRECTED VERY BADLY AFTER GIVING A POSITIVE OPENING YESTERDAY............

BARAK OBAMA'S VICTORY IS NOT A GOOD ENOUGH REASON FOR U.S. MARKETS, AS IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS OF THE U.S. ECONOMY. THEY ARE EXPECTING NEW STIMULUS FOR THEIR ECONOMY VERY SOON.........

MARKET TO OPEN ON A WEAK NOTE AND FOLLOW OVERSEAS MARKETS' TRENDS..........

Delivery call

Buy Tata Sponge Iron, target of Rs 223

Buy Bank of India at current level

on Bank of India (BOI) in its November 6, 2008 research report. "Bank Of India reported phenomenal growth of 79% yoy in its net profit at Rs 763 crore, while 36% growth on sequential basis. This profit is driven by 38% rise in NII and 23% rise in non interest income. Being one of the larger PSU banks, BOI is able to witness strong financial growth driven by improvement in all business parameters. Comfortable level of CASA, acceptable asset slippage level and ROA above 1.5% are the key indicators of consistent performance by the bank.

Buy Nestle India, target of Rs 1756

FEW DO's AND DON'Ts OF SHARE MARKET

1 Every trader loses initially. We strongly believe that every investor who comes for trading initially gives losses as he/she is unable to have control over his greed and fear. At times with all the information and luck in his favour, he makes profit, and then because of his new over confidence, trades more which results in his profit gone and also sometimes a portion of his capital gone, This cycle of fear of the losses and greed to earn more makes him initially give losses.

2 The trader begins to make no profit no loss Out of the total investors who enter the first stage, 80% of them finish off at the first stage only and after an year or two find that the stock market is not their cup of tea. So in the 2nd stage only the 20% investors try to break even in their trading and quite a lot of them are able to have control over their fear and greed with a result that they stop giving losses. Now these traders are ready for the 3rd stage.

3 The trader starts to make profits This stage where a trader makes consistent profit i.e. he does not give loss cheque to the broker. In fact this is the stage which everyone wishes to have in the stock market. But we strongly believe that anybody who wishes to come to the 3 rd Stage has to pass through the above 2 stages.

* Never risk more than 10% of your trading capital in a single trade.
* Always use stop loss orders.( Here you should know your loss you can give in a situation where the trade starts going against you.)
* Never do overtrading.
* Never let a profit run into a loss.
* Don't enter a trade if you are unsure of the trend.
* When in doubt, get out, and don't get in when in doubt.
* Only trade active markets.
* Distribute your risks equally among different markets.
* Never limit your orders. Trade at the markets.
* Extra monies from successful trades should be placed in a separate account.
* Never trade to scalp a profit.
* Never average a loss.
* Never get out of the market because you have lost patience, or get in because you are anxiously waiting.
* Avoid taking small profits and large losses.
* Never cancel a stop loss after you have placed it.
* Avoid getting in and out of the market too soon.
* Be willing to make money from both sides of the market.
* Never buy or sell just because the price is low or high.
* Never hedge a losing position.
* Never change your position without a good reason.
* Avoid trading after long periods of success or failure.
* Don't try to guess tops or bottoms.
* Don't follow a blind man's advice.
* Avoid getting in wrong and out wrong; or getting in right and out wrong. This is making a double mistake.
* When you lose don't blame it on luck.


Investors come to the stock market and buy and sell the stocks eyeing the future. The future valuations they arrive at by either calculating the fundamental factors on the basis of technical they take their positions. In the short term it is always the technical factors that is demand and supply of the stock which gives us the directions of the movement of the stock.Here for the reference of this side, we finds that people who come here have a more short term view of the market.
They predict the short term movement of the market, technical analyst gives better results hence, we follow all the standard technical analysis tools.There are two advantages in the following technicals firstly, it tells us where the share/market is moving up or down. Secondly, technicals are not bothered about the fundamentals or the news ( it overrides them). In technicals we are only concerned with price charts and volumes. We believe that at any given point of time, a stock price reflects everything.

Windows XP Operating Tips

Windows XP Operating Tips-->

Start-->Run-->Command...

1. Charmap-This command is used to get different symbols which are not there on the keyboard.

2. Cleanmgr-This command is used to start a programme which delets unnecessary files in the computer.

3. Clipbrd-This command is used to see copied data or to start a programme which stores the data.

4. Drwtsn32-This command is used to start a programme which identifies a problem in a specified programme.

5. Dxdiag-This command is used to get the information about Sound and Video Card in the computer.

6. Eudcedit-This command is used to start a programme which helps to create our own characters. (Private Character Editor)

7. Iexpress- This command is used to start a programme which opens ans get installed automatically. (IExpress Wizard)

8. Mobsync-This command is used to start a programme which combines all the files together when offline from different computers in the network. (Microsoft Synchronizaion Manager)

9. Mplay32-This command is used to start Windows Media Player (Old Version) Windows Media Player 5.1

10. Packager-This command is used to start a programme which gives the internal details of computer system.

11. Regedt32/Regedit-This command is used to get software internal details of computer system.

12. Shrpubw-This command is used to create a folder for data sharing among the computers in the network.

13. Sigverif-This command is used to start a program which verifies Digital Signature (File Signature Verification Tool)

14. Sndvol32-This command is used to start a programme of Volume Modulation.(Volume Control P/G)

15. Verifier-This command is used to verify Driver Files of software as well as hardware in windows.

Saif Ali Khan tenders apology to the media

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan today apologised to the local media fraternity and reached a compromise with it a day after his security staff was embroiled in a skirmish with two photojournalists during the shoot of a film at the railway station here. The compromise was reached between two sides here this evening when Saif tendered an apology for the "inconvenience" caused to the media by his security guards and owned up the responsibility for the incident at a meeting with the photojournalist arranged at the initiative of the actor.

Saif shook hands with the photo journalist of a vernacular daily who had lodged a complaint against him and his security guards. The GRP had yesterday lodged a case against the actor charging him with threatening to kill and assault in connection with the incident.

Today, Saif requested the General Railway Police (GRP) to arrange a meeting with the media at the guest house of GRP. Later, talking to the media here, Saif said "it was unfortunate for us that the things happened like this and I as producer of the unit has taken the whole responsibility of the episode". The actor, however, denied he was involved in the scuffle and said his security staff had misbehaved with the journalists.

In a statement issued in Mumbai, Saif said as a producer, he apologised on behalf of his security staff. He claimed he he was not present at the time of the incident at Patiala railway station.

"But as a producer and on behalf of Illuminati Films, our company, I would like to apologise on behalf of our security for the inconvenince caused to the local press".

Ancient Phoenician harbour discovered off Sardinian coast

Archaeologists in Sardinia have claimed to have found the port of the Phoenician city of Tharros, held by some to be the ancient people's most important colony in the Mediterranean after Carthage.

Researchers from the University of Cagliari and Sassari found the submerged port in the Mistras Lagoon, several kilometers from the city ruins.

Excavations have long been going on at the site of the city itself, on a peninsula overlooking the Bay of Oristano in western Sardinia, but this is the first time its waterfront has been located despite almost two centuries of hunting.

As well as an impressive sandstone wall 100 metres in length and four metres in width, the archaeologists discovered a basin carved in the rock, similar to Carthage's man-made, protected inner harbour.

A rectilinear waterfront stretches for 225 metres with a 190-metre jetty and there is a 50-metre-long approach canal for ships, according to the researchers.

The city of Tharros was founded in the eighth century BC.

The Phoenicians were an ancient maritime trading people who formed a massive commercial empire across the Mediterranean from their bases along the coast of modern-day Lebanon, Syria and Israel.

The city was later populated by the Romans before being destroyed by Saracen raiders in the tenth century AD.

Among the Italian cities the Phoenicians founded is today's capital of Sardinia, Cagliari, and the Sicilian capital Palermo.

Huge web traffic may crash online 'spider phobia' survey site

Aussie researchers behind a website offering free online treatment for fear of spiders, scientifically know as arachnophobia, are afraid that a huge response from people may crash their site.

However, the group behind the website, Feardrop, still want people to test out their treatment.

University of Tasmania psychiatry researcher Philippa Cannan, one of the persons behind the online treatment website, points out that about five per cent of the adult population experience some form of phobia, with higher rates found among females than males.

She says that many people suffer arachnophobia, some with seriously dangerous panic reactions and intrusive checking behaviour, but still few of them seek treatment.

"Some people have told us they have broken limbs trying to get away from spiders because they have been so terrified," news.com.au quoted her as saying.

"After successful treatment they don't have to have the same intense shock of anxiety in response," she added.

Feardrop hope that website will help more people access treatment.

"While there are currently some online programs which provide instructions on exposure, to our knowledge, this is the first program to directly deliver exposure treatment online," Cannan said.

"This spider phobia treatment involves people looking at images of spiders and rating their level of anxiety.

"Participants will learn to look at the pictures until their anxiety level is low.

"It is expected that the learning that occurs online will help people to reduce their fear of spiders in everyday life," she added.

Arachnophobes respond to the research team's anxiety questionnaire before moving on to a graded exposure exercise, in which phobics follow a small circle with their computer mouse as it travels over a number of photographic images of huntsman spiders.

The program's organisers hope to expand the program to include snakes and dogs.

Presently, people in Hobart have been asked to participate in the trial to determine the effectiveness of the test.

Citi to buy Wachovia; European banks get bailouts

U.S. regional bank Wachovia Corp succumbed to the worldwide credit crisis and authorities rescued a slew of European banks, while U.S. lawmakers met to vote on a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry.

U.S. stocks fell more than 2 percent following sharp declines in Asian and European shares on fears the crisis was spreading. Global money markets remained frozen, even as central banks poured in cash in an attempt to boost liquidity.

"These (bank) announcements couldn't have worse timing because they're taking the shine off the potential bailout," said William Larkin, fixed income manager at Cabot Money Management in Salem, Massachusetts.

As lawmakers met in Washington, President George W. Bush urged them to pass the bailout package quickly, saying it was needed to keep the financial crisis from spreading.

The bailout came too late for Wachovia, which agreed to sell most of its assets to Citigroup Inc in a deal brokered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

"In this period of market stress, we are committed to taking all actions necessary to protect our financial system and our economy," Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said after the Wachovia deal was announced.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 2.7 percent and the broader S&P 500 index was down 3.6 percent. The U.S. dollar pared some gains against the euro and yen after the Citigroup-Wachovia deal. Oil fell more than $6 a barrel.

Around the world, investors dumped assets they regarded as risky. World stocks were down more than 4 percent and were on track for their biggest one-day loss in at least 20 years.

Central banks announced a $330 billion expansion of currency swap arrangements, which allows them to increase the amount of money they can provide in their home markets, effectively throwing more money at the crisis.

Earlier, the governments of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg moved to partly nationalize Belgian-Dutch group Fortis NV with an injection of more than $16 billion, and German lender Hypo Real Estate Holding AG secured a credit line from the German government and banks of up to 35 billion euros.

British mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley Plc was brought under the government's wing, shares of French bank Dexia tumbled on a report that it might need emergency capital, and bank rescue deals also emerged in Iceland, Russia and Denmark.

"The contagion is spreading to mainland Europe and everyone's asking, 'Who's next?'" said Mark Sartori, head of European sales trading at Fox-Pitt, Kelton in London.

The Wachovia deal is the latest in a series of events that has transformed the American financial landscape and wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars of shareholder wealth.

The changes include the government takeover of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, the failure of giant savings and loan Washington Mutual, and Bank of America Corp's purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co.

As the U.S. House of Representatives convened to vote on the bailout plan, which would give the Treasury funds to buy toxic debt from struggling banks, key lawmakers said the bill had enough votes to pass. House leaders were pushing for a vote by early afternoon.

Opening House debate on the bill, Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said the chamber faced a tough vote, a nod to Republicans who had balked at spending so much taxpayer money just weeks before U.S. elections.

The Senate is expected to vote on the plan Wednesday.

MAIN STREET

Both U.S. presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, have offered qualified support for the bailout proposal, an issue that has almost overshadowed their campaigns with less than six weeks until the election.

With many Americans struggling to save their homes from foreclosure, lawmakers braced for a grass-roots backlash against a bailout for Wall Street banks, which contributed to the U.S. housing bubble with reckless lending.

A deal struck in negotiations on Sunday altered key parts of the bailout program proposed by the Bush administration.

In the final hours of talks, Democrats and Republicans rushed to add safeguards for taxpayers and provisions that would allow the government to recover funds if the housing market stabilizes and its holdings of bad debt gain value.

The proposed legislation would disburse the $700 billion in stages. The first $250 billion would be issued when the legislation is enacted; an additional $100 billion could be spent if the president decided it was needed. The remaining $350 billion would be subject to congressional review.

Institutions selling soured assets to the government would issue stock warrants to the government, a step intended to give taxpayers a chance to profit if markets recover.

The plan would also let the government buy troubled assets from pension plans, local governments and small banks.

In response to a clamor for limits on executive pay, no executives at participating firms would get multimillion-dollar severance packages, known as golden parachutes.

(Additional reporting by Patrick Rucker in Washington, Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, Reed Stephenson in Amsterdam, Jan Dahinten in Singapore, Andrew Callus in London, and Krista Hughes in Frankfurt)

India-US civil nuclear deal rejuvenates country's nuclear power generation

The science fraternity feels that the Indo-US civil nuclear deal would rejuvenate the country's nuclear power generation.

"I think it's only the US Senate that remains and once that is done, the American President puts his seal, we (nuclear energy trade) should be on the way. So it's good for India that we are planning the use of atomic energy as well as atomic programme in many other areas," said K. Kasturirangan, eminent space scientist and a member of Rajya Sabha.

Former head of the Atomic Energy Commission M R Srinivasan has said that the scenario of the deal being scrapped in the wake of India testing a nuclear device is a hypothetical situation given that the two major parties in India, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have committed the country to a voluntary moratorium.

"So, in the sense both the major political formations of the country have accepted to honour the voluntary moratorium. Now, there is no legal ban on test, but at the same time it is a fact that as a practical preposition. I consider a very low probability situation. Therefore, this ought not to burden our thinking too much," he said.

The agreement passed the House of Representatives by a margin of 298-117. The Democrats who control the Senate hope to bring it to a vote there within days despite the opposition of some in their own party, congressional aides said.

But Indian Communists, who withdrew support to the Congress-led coalition over the deal, said Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had betrayed the country.

"That has been possible only because India has continuously surrendered on every single pressure that the USA has put. As of now not a single one out of nine assurances that the Prime Minister has given in the Parliament remains, the assurances are valid. On all counts there has been a negation. India has willingly surrendered itself to this American pressure," Sitaram Yechuri, a senior leader of Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The agreement has also drawn international criticism from non-proliferation advocates because India has shunned the Non-proliferation Treaty meant to stop the spread and production of nuclear weapons as well as a companion international pact banning nuclear tests.

ब्युटी ऑफ रणथंबोर

या मछलीने एका मगरीला मारलं. खरं म्हणजे मगर ही वाघाचं नेहमीचं भक्ष नाही. आणि मगरीची शिकार वाघासाठी खूपच धोकादायक असते. मछलीने या शिकारीत आपल्या चारांपैकी दोन स्तन गमावले. हे बछडे तिच्याबरोबर ऑक्टोबर २००६ पर्यंत राहत होते. दोन आचळं गमावलेली वाघिण जिवंत कशी राहिली व तिने आपल्या पिल्लांना या स्थितीत कसं वाढवलं, हा प्रश्न या क्षेत्रातल्या सगळ्याच अभ्यासकांना पडला.

.........

' मछली' हे नाव कुठल्या माशाचं नसून रणथंबोर नॅशनल पार्क मधल्या एका वाघिणीचं आहे, हे ऐकून तुम्हाला आश्चर्य वाटेल. हे नाव तिला दिलंय. बी.बी.सी.च्या फिल्मिंग टिमनं. ही वाघिण आता सहज अकरा वर्षांची असेल. मछली ही रणथंबोरमधल्या किल्ल्यातली रहिवासी असून हा भाग या नॅशनल पार्कातला सगळ्यात निसर्गसंपन्न असा आहे. पार्कातल्या सहा तलावांपैकी किल्ल्याच्या परिसरात तीन तलाव आहेत.

मछली ही बहुतेक जगातली सगळ्यात जास्त फोटोग्राफ काढलेली वाघिण असावी, जसा भारतातला ताजमहाल. तिचा जन्म १९९७ च्या पावसाळ्यात इथेच झाला. इलारा नावाच्या वाघिणीला झालेल्या तीन पिल्लांमध्ये लहान असल्यापासूनच मछलीच सगळ्यात आक्रमक होती. खरं म्हणजे लहान असल्यापासून निष्णात शिकाऱ्याचे सगळे गुण तिच्यात पूर्णपणे दिसत होते.

२००० च्या उन्हाळ्यात बांबूराम नावाच्या अतिशय देखण्या व आक्रमक वाघापासून मछली पहिल्यांदा गरोदर राहिली. अमेरिकेचे प्रेसिडेण्ट बिल क्लिंटन यांनी नोव्हेंबर २००१ च्या रणथंबोरच्या भेटीत याच वाघाला पाहिलेलं होतं. मछलीला या खेपेस दोन बछडे झाले. पहिल्याचं नाव 'ब्रोकन टेल' तर दुसऱ्याचं 'स्लांट इअर'. दोन्ही बछडे डिसेंबर २००१ मध्ये आईपासून स्वतंत्र झाले. मछलीने एप्रिल २००२ मध्ये परत तीन पिल्लांना जन्म दिला. यातलं एक पिल्लू लगेचच मरण पावलं. पावसाळ्यानंतर ऑक्टोबर २००२ मध्ये पार्क परत उघडल्यावर लोकांनी तिला आपल्या दोन पिल्लांबरोबर फिरताना बघितली. यातला एक नर व एक मादी होती.

२००५ च्या उन्हाळ्यात मछलीने परत दोन बछड्यांना जन्म दिला. रणथंबोर मधला तो उन्हाळा भयंकर होता. या मछलीने एका मगरीला मारलं. खरं म्हणजे मगर ही वाघाचं नेहमीचं भक्ष नाही. आणि मगरीची शिकार वाघासाठी खूपच धोकादायक असते. मछलीने या शिकारीत आपल्या चारांपैकी दोन स्तन गमावले. हे बछडे तिच्याबरोबर ऑक्टोबर २००६ पर्यंत राहत होते. दोन आचळं गमावलेली वाघिण जिवंत कशी राहिली व तिने आपल्या पिल्लांना या स्थितीत कसं वाढवलं, हा प्रश्न या क्षेत्रातल्या सगळ्याच अभ्यासकांना पडला. पण मछलीने यशस्वीपणे आपल्या पिल्लांना वाढवलं, ही वस्तुस्थिती होती. ऑक्टोबर २००६ मध्ये तर मछलीने तीन मादी पिल्लांना जन्म देऊन थक्क केलं. कारण वाघांमध्ये असं क्वचितचं होतं.

मी पहिल्यांदा मछलीला बघितलं ते मे २००१ मध्ये. त्या वेळी आम्ही पार्कातल्या नालाघाटी भागात जिप्सीमधून फिरत होतो. जंगलातला हा रस्ता अगदी अरुंद होता व ती समोरून आमच्याच दिशेने येत होती. त्या वेळी तिथे पाच-सहा जिप्सी होत्या. मछली डाव्या बाजूने समोरूच येत असल्याने सगळ्याच गाड्या रिव्हर्स जाण्याच्या तयारीत होत्या. मी ड्रायव्हरला इंजिन बंद करून गाडी डावीकडेच ठेवायला सांगितलं. कारण उजवीकडून तिला जायला तीन एक फूट रुंदीचा रस्ता होता. आम्ही थांबलो होतो त्याच्या डाव्या बाजूला पन्नासएक फूट दरी होती. वाघिण आमच्या जीपला कडेने गेली. आम्ही तिघे जीपमध्ये उभे होतो. तिने आम्हाला चांगलीच नजर दिली. त्या वेळचा प्रसंग खरं म्हणजे वर्णनापलीकडचा आहे. विचार करा की मछली सारख्या उमद्या वाघिणीशी नजरानजर. तीही तीन चार फूट एवढ्या जवळून... कुठल्याही क्षणी तिने जीपमध्ये उडी मारली असती... आता तो क्षण आठवला तरी कापरं भरतं. पण मछली शांतपणे आमच्या बाजूने गेली. त्या वेळी तिच्याबरोबर तिचे दोन बछडेही होते. त्यानंतर यावर्षीच्या मे महिन्यात, म्हणजे सात वर्षांनी मी परत रथणंबोरला माझ्या कर्नल मित्राबरोबर गेलो. काय विलक्षण योगायोग पहा. पहिल्याच दिवशीच्या त्याच नालाघाटी भागात संध्याकाळच्या फेरीत मला मछली तिच्या तीन मादी पिल्लांसह भेटली. तिच्या या प्रतिकृती चांगल्याच भरदार होत्या. त्यातली एक तर मछलीहून मोठी वाटली. माझ्यासाठी तो उत्कट भावनेचा क्षण होता. आपल्या परिचयाचं माणूस बऱ्याच काळाने अचानक आपल्याला भेटलं की, जसं वाटेल तसंच माझं झालं. ती जणू काही मला भेटायला सात वर्ष वाट बघत होती. गेल्या वेळी तिला मी तिच्या दोन बछड्यांसह बघितलं होतं आणि या वेळी तिच्या तीन मुलींसह. या वेळी आम्ही तब्बल सात दिवस इथे तळ ठोकून होतो. या मुक्कामात मी वाघांचे जवळपास पंधराशे फोटो काढले.

सोबतचा फोटो मछली जांभई देतानाचा आहे. तुम्ही जर हा फोटो नीट बघितलात तर तुमच्या लक्षात येईल चार पैकी तिने तीन सुळे गमावलेले आहेत. आता मी विचार करतोय की मछली आपली शिकार एका सुळ्याच्या मदतीने कशी काय करेल? पण तरीही मी यावषीर् तिला सांबरावर हल्ला करताना बघितलंय. तिच्यात अजूनही पूवीर्ची उमेद आणि क्षमता शाबूत आहे. आणि मला चांगलचं माहीत आहे की ती सामान्य नसून ब्युटी ऑफ रणथंबोर आहे. मला नक्की विश्वास आहे, की माझ्या रणथंबोरच्या पुढच्या भेटीतही मछली मला त्याच स्नेहाने भेटेल.

यूएस ओपनमध्ये लिअँडर पेस-ब्लॅक अजिंक्य

मटा ऑनलाइन वृत्त, न्यूयॉर्क

अमेरिकन खुल्या टेनिस स्पर्धेच्या मिश्र दुहेरीच्या आज झालेल्या अंतिम सामन्यात भारताचा लिअँडर पेस आणि झिम्बाब्वेची कारा ब्लॅक या जोडीने मिश्र दुहेरीचे अजिंक्यपद जिंकून नवा इतिहास घडला. विशेष म्हणजे पुरुष दुहेरीच्या अंतिम सामन्यातही पेस-ल्युकास लॉही जोडीने अंतिम फेरीत धडक मारली असून, ग्रॅड स्लॅम स्पर्धेत नऊ वर्षांनंतर दुहेरी मुकुटाचा मान संपादण्याची संधी पेसला मिळणार आहे.

यूएस ओपनच्या मिश्र दुहेरीच्या अंतिम सामन्यात पेस-कारा ब्लॅक जोडीने ब्रिटनचा जॅमी मूर आणि अमेरिकेची लायझल हुबेर या जोडीचा ७-६, ६-४ असा पराभव करुन जेतेपदावर आपले नाव कोरले. १९९९ मध्ये पेसने अमेरिकस लिसा रेमंडसह फ्रेंच ओपन व विम्बल्डन स्पर्धा जिंकली होती. तर २००३ मध्ये मार्टिना नवरातिलोवाच्या जोडीने विम्बल्डन व ऑस्ट्रेलियन ओपनच्या जेतेपदावर कब्जा केला होता. आता पुरुष दुहेरीच्या अंतिम सामन्यात पेस-ल्युकास लॉही जोडीचा सामना अमेरिकेच्या माइक आणि बॉब ब्रायन बंधूंशी शुक्रवारी रंगणार आहे.

अमेरिकन स्पर्धेच्या पुरुष दुहेरीत पेसने ल्युकास लॉहीच्या साथीने अर्जेंटिनाच्या मॅक्सिमो गोंझालेझ-ज्युआन मोनॅको यांचा पाऊण तासातच ६-२, ६-० असा फडशा पाडला. 'यंदाची अमेरिकन स्पर्धा 'स्पेशल' असेल असे वाटत होते आणि माझा अंदाज खरा ठरला. आता वय वाढले असले तरी मनाने तरूणच आहे. वयाबरोबरच अनुभव गाठीशी आल्याने खेळात परिपक्वता आली आहे', असे पेसने सांगितले.

दुहेरीचा सामना ४६ मिनिटांतच आटोपल्याने पेस-लॉही खूष आहेत. 'माझ्या कारकिदीर्तील हा सर्वात जलद सामना, आम्हाला चेंडू कलिंगडाप्रमाणे भासत होता', असे पेस म्हणाला.

मंगळवारी दुहेरी व मिश्रचे उपांत्य सामने लागोपाठ खेळल्याने ३५ वर्षीय पेसची दमछाक झाली होती. मिश्र व दुहेरीच्या अंतिम लढतीआधी एका दिवसाची विश्रांती मिळाल्याने पेस सुखावलाय. आपला साथीदार लॉहीचे कौतुक करताना तो म्हणाला, 'आमची जोडी छान जमली आहे. लॉही माझ्यासारखाच टेनिसवेडा आणि मेहनती असल्यामुळे प्रत्येक स्पर्धेगणिक आमची कामगिरी उंचावतेय'.

ग्रँडस्लॅम अजिंक्यपदापेक्षा ऑलिंपिक ब्राँझ पेसला मोलाचे वाटते. 'ऑलिंपिक पदकाची शान औरच! पदक एकेरीतील असेल, तर क्या कहना', असे तो सांगतो.

US stocks tumble on falling energy stocks

US stocks posted sharp losses on Thursday as oil prices continued to fall and weekly jobless numbers sparked wider concerns about the state of employment in a sluggish US economy.

The job fears came ahead of monthly unemployment figures due out Friday, and dragged down shares in Caterpillar Inc and United Technologies Corp among others. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted a further 75,000 jobs were lost in August.

Boeing Co fell after its largest union voted to reject a new contract offer. The plane manufacturer now has two days to renegotiate or face a strike.

Exxon Mobil Corp led energy shares lower, as crude oil for October delivery fell 45 cents to $107.44 dollars per barrel - down nearly 30 percent from a record high of $147.27 earlier this summer.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 344.65 points, or 2.99 percent, to 11,188.23. The broad-based Standard & Poor's 500 Index tumbled 38.15 points, or 2.99 percent, to 1,236.83. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index slid 74.69 points, or 3.2 percent, to 2,259.04.

Three Little Legs and a Frock

His voice quivered as he spoke. His fingers tightly held on to a photograph. His feet were covered with soot and sand.

"They are Rohan and Shraddha," Pankaj Patel muttered hesitatingly in Gujarati, pointing at the photograph as a dozen heads poured in, trying to get a glimpse of the faces in the picture. "They are my brother's children. Rohan is ten, Shraddha is eight years old. They were here last night at the Civil Hospital. Have you seen them?"

The police officials had a heart. They advised him: "Bhai, tame ward number B4 ma jao, tyaan badha jhakhmi (Go to ward number B4, the injured...)

The policemen kept speaking, but Pankaj had already closed his ears to the world. These were answers he had got over a dozen times. They were ones that brought little solace to his frantic search.

As he turned around, he looked heavenwards and gently shut his eyes. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Then, he shook his head and whispered in despair: "All they found were three little legs and a piece of her frock."

Less than 12 hours ago, Rohan and Shraddha - dressed in a bright red frock - had happily jaunted to the Civil Hospital, their young minds oblivious that their city was under attack. Their grandmother Champaben worked there as a help. So along with their dadaji Purushottam, every evening, they brought her dinner. A routine they followed everyday.

"They were very fond of her. But they couldn't meet her at home because by the time she returned from work, the children would be asleep," Pankaj's father explained.

We kept advancing rapidly towards their nearby chawl. Pankaj led the way, his gaze fixed on the ground, mumbling repeatedly, "All they found were three little legs and a piece of her frock."

The morning after the serial blasts, a local newspaper Sandesh, had graphic photographs of blood and gore splashed on their front page. They were photographs newspapers would generally avoid printing keeping in mind that such images could leave an undesirable stamp on children and could disturb readers and most importantly, the family members of the dead.

It was one such photograph that made me cringe when I saw it, but it brought a sense of closure for the Patels. A male victim whose entire body had been blown to bits; what remained were only his shoulders and a head covered in blood and innards. The face was badly disfigured. But the family was quite certain. It was their Purushottam.

When we reached their residence, all hell had already broken lose. Family members wept inconsolably. Women beat their chests. Shrieks of pain filled the air. Rohan and Shraddha's father had collapsed to the ground; his clothes soiled by the wet earth, muddied by overnight rains. The men lifted him up and made him lie down on a cot in the courtyard under a tree. Someone, splashed water on his face to help him regain consciousness.

When he did, Pankaj told his brother, "All they found were three little legs and a piece of her frock. You need to go and identify whatever you can."

A day later, I learnt Pankaj worked in the morgue of the Civil Hospital.

Twenty-one bombs had ripped the city of Ahmedabad late in the evening of July 26. The most devastating explosion was at the Civil Hospital, where for the first time in India, terrorists had dared to violate the sanctity of the red cross. A perverse plan hatched by the terror group who had parked a car bomb right outside the Trauma Centre of the government hospital. One that would cause maximum deaths and shake the conscience of the country.

It wasn't one of those "low intensity" bombs. The courtyard outside the Trauma Centre resembled a war zone. Motorcycles, scooters and bicycles were charred to its metal skeleton. Chappals, shoes, bags, pieces of clothes littered the area.

The stench of blood and burnt flesh was over-whelming. Bottles of phenyl had been emptied on the tarred road, but couldn't overcome the smell.

The hospital walls were still splattered with blood. So powerful was the blast, a piece of metal was flung over 30 metres away and hung from a neem tree.

I walked around the area and it was completely covered with soot and blood; every square foot of land was strewn with nuts and bolts which had been tightly packed inside the bomb. When the device exploded, each bolt acted like a bullet travelling at over 2000 feet/second before plunging into the bodies of men, women and little children. Five small LPG cylinders had also been used to generate excess heat and more power.

A visit inside the hospital and I returned even more shaken. Children lay on their beds writhing in pain. Many had suffered 3rd degree burns. The only comfort they had were their parents who were gently caressing them, assuring, all was fine. Many others were herded inside the Plastic Surgery ward, waiting to undergo complicated operations.

As I meandered back to the blast site, a thousand questions zoomed in my head.
How dare they target a hospital? Are all our public places now on their hit list? What about old-age homes? Kindergarten premises, schools and colleges? Will terrorists even make them targets? Isn't it unfair to expect an ill-equipped ordinary police constable to be the foot-soldier in this war? How can we win this war against terror when we don't even know who the enemy is? Indian Mujahideen, SIMI, HuJI. The same names of terror keep coming back, but why isn't anyone behind bars? Are our lives so cheap?

As I absent-mindedly trudged around, all of a sudden, I was jolted back to reality.

My foot had sunk into something soft. Mud, I thought. I looked down. It was a chunk of burnt human flesh.

A week after the blasts, sitting on a window seat on the flight back to Mumbai, I looked out and breathed a sigh of relief. Up above the gray monsoon clouds, it was a temporary escape from the happenings of the last few days.

I was tired. I pushed my seat behind and closed my eyes.

But it's that one image that kept returning to my mind.

Three little legs and a piece of her frock.

New method to investigate origin of life

Scientists have developed what they claim is a new computational method which will help them to investigate the origin of life on Earth.

According to them, the method has the potential to trace the evolutionary histories of proteins all the way back to either cells or viruses, thus settling the debate once and for all over which of these life forms came first.

"We have just begun to tap the potential power of this method. We believe, if it's possible at all, that it is within our grasp to determine whether viruses evolved from cells or vice-versa," lead scientist Randen Patterson said.

In fact, in their study, Patterson and his colleagues at Penn State University are focusing on an ancient group of proteins, called retroelements, which comprise approximately 50 per cent of the human genome by weight and are a crucial component in a number of diseases, including AIDS.

"Retroelements are an ancient and highly diverse class of proteins; therefore, they provide a rigorous benchmark for us to test our approach. We are happy with results we derived, even though our method is in an early stage," said Patterson.

Subsequently, the scientists plan to map out the evolutionary histories of organisms by comparing their genetic or protein sequences. Those organisms that are closely related and share a recent common ancestor have greater degrees of similarity among their sequences.

Beyond Degrees...New Book release

There is no doubt that despite being among the issues most passionately debated in this country, there is an alarming decline in the quality of education and research offered by our universities. Equally, there can be no doubt that largely these centers of higher education have fueled the present boom in our economic life. Our universities, medical institutions, IITs and IIMs have shown themselves to be invaluable; thankfully, those who created our system of higher education in the years after Independence, were prescient enough to see that knowledge gives a nation the kind of power that mere gold and oil cannot. But have the models adopted more than a century ago stood the test of time or do the dark corridors of our universities need the benefit of a new kind of light? In these globalised times, running a university throws up challenges that cannot be ignored or wished away; a world-class university must be both at the cutting edge of change and also a guardian of tradition. This wide-ranging collection of essays addresses important questions that face us today: Do we need professional managers to run universities? Should caste-based reservation be replaced with bursaries for economically backward students, making merit rather than religion or caste the benchmark of admission? How can we preserve the autonomy of our universities while setting in place appropriate standards of accountability for teachers and heads of educational institutions? Should foreign universities be allowed to enter into partnerships with Indian universities and colleges? How can we de-politicize and revive our university campuses and prevent the flight of the best from our campuses? Some of India's most eminent educationists and thinkers come together for the first time to identify and resolve these and other problems. Their views, and vision, will go a long way in generating a public debate on the real issues that have destroyed our institutes of higher learning.

Author Profile

Ira Pande worked as a university teacher for 15 years, and then as an editor at Seminar, Biblio, Dorling Kindersley and Roli Books. She is currently Chief Editor, IIC Publications. She is the author of Diddi: My Mother's Voice, published by Penguin Books India.

Beyond Degrees

Category: Non-Fiction
Author: Ira Pande
Publisher: Harper Collins India
Price: Rs. 395

Storm death toll in Haiti soars to 136

The death toll in Haiti from tropical storm Hanna rose to 136, officials said, as the country's third largest city Gonaives remained largely underwater and "extremely dangerous" Hurricane Ike in the Atlantic aimed at the country.

Alta Jean-Baptiste, head of Haiti's civil protection office, said that 102 of those who died were killed in northern Haiti, mostly in Gonaives, a city of 300,000.

She also said that flooding and landslides triggered by the heavy rain forced nearly 10,000 people into shelters. The figure does not count the thousands evacuated from Gonaives.

The Haitian Senate called on the government to declare a "humanitarian emergency" in the city, as a lawmaker said that people there are starving.

Senator Yuri Latortue, who represents the city, called the situation "catastrophic."

"I know perfectly well that the hurricane season has hit our entire country, but the situation in Gonaives is truly special, because now some 200,000 people there haven't eaten in three days," he said.

The devastation from Hanna, which is now sweeping towards the US Atlantic coast, recalled painful memories of the massive tropical storm Jeanne of 2004, which triggered flooding and landslides that killed 3,000 people in and around Gonaives.

The country is meanwhile preparing for the possible arrival of Hurricane Ike, which the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre called "an extremely dangerous Category Four storm on the (five-level) Saffir-Simpson scale."

Johannesburg to host Miss World Pageant

South African city Johannesburg has been selected to host this year's Miss World Pageant.

It is for the sixth time that the city is hosting this prestigious event, said the government of Gauteng Province in which Johannesburg is located.

Earlier, the organizers decided to change the previous location of Kiev in the Ukraine after concerns about the conflict in nearby Georgia.

Miss World Ltd Chairperson Julia Morley said she was impressed by Johannesburg's bid as the city implemented its proposal with great speed and professionalism.

"This demonstrates that we can stage a successful Miss World in Johannesburg," she said.

Zin Lin Zhang of China won the Miss world 2007. The host country is looking forward to their contestant, current Miss South Africa, Tansy Coetzee to emulate the successes of former South African Miss world title holders Penny Coelen and Anneline Kriel who claimed the title in 1958 and 1974 respectively.

India hosted the Pageant in 1996 in Bangalore but the event was marred by controversies over swimsuit round which had to be shifted to Seychelles.

India has won the prestigious title for five times. The last winner was current Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who won the title in 2000 in London.

Justice meted out in BMW case

It was heartening to see the court holding Sanjeev Nanda responsible for the BMW accident. The lower court in Delhi convicted him of culpable homicide under Section 304 but not for rash and negligence driving. The maximum sentence under this Section is 10 years jail and fine. Nanda is accused of running over seven people killing six of them - three of them policemen - nine years ago.

Also, the people who were responsible for the delay and the derailment of justice prominent lawyer R K Anand has been barred along with prosecution lawyer I U Khan for four months after an investigation, which showed the two men colluding with a witness to save the accused Sanjeev Nanda which is equally gratifying for the public.

It was no ordinary hit-and-run trial case as Sanjeev Nanda, the main accused in the BMW case, walked towards jail. The infamous BMW case has finally reached its climax after nine and a half years. This is yet again the high-profile case like Jessica Lal and Nitish Katara murder case, which sets an example once again that no matter if the accused is rich or poor, law is same for everyone.

Is chatting with an office friend wrong for married women?

About a month ago, an office friend contacted me. He happens to be an office friend from three month ago. I have been married almost 4 years with kid. I don't have any feels for this man however, I do like the way he makes me feel when I talk and chat with him. I cannot be very open with him and talk to him about anything. Things my husband does not even like to talk to me about. I am there for him and he is there for me. He is married as well. Is this wrong? I told my husband that I chat with him on-line & on the phone. I also have met this man for lunch. I don't want anything else from this relationship with my friend. But for some reason I feel bad not telling my husband the truth. So why am I doing it?

Best answer

1.It's extremely important to have a strong relationship with you're husband and to tell each other everything...or almost everything..just no important secrets. If you're not ok when talks to this friend and eats out with him all the time you need to tell him. Make sure that it's strictly just a friend relationship between them. Has he been acting different? Do you think you can trust him after 4 years? You need to consider these things. Also..It's wrong that you're talking to your office friend AS LONG AS..you don't develop a love relationship with him...which you said, you haven't YET. Furthermore, that was 3 month ago that you dated him so that should really be a problem. Yes, you like when you talk to him & you talk about many things...& that is wrong. It couldn't just sounds like a good friend that you are not comfortable with...& there wrong with that! =)

2. Going thru the EXACT thing myself, hate him and the co-worker's relationship, cut all ties with office friend because of my "moral compass" .If your emotionally cheating.. you're doing something wrong! If your finding things in him; that you wish you had in your husband.. You are doing something wrong!!

3. You should tell your office friend that you are not going to stand for this kind of behavior. You need to tell your office friend exactly how you feel and tell him that this is something that needs to be fixed because it is taking a toll on your marriage.Men who cheat are likely to hide it and lie about it. I bet if you tell him if this behavior does not stop then stop talking .

4. In a marriage your husband is your best friend, you should be able to confide in each other about anything and everything. Lying by omission is a crack in your foundation. I suggest you learn how to be Completely Honest as well as your husband.

5. Flirting his behavior, so I think, that behavior would be crossing the line.Touching your hand, they are intentional, and I would say he is getting something out of it.I would say if you keep letting him do this stuff, he will be getting more than just something out of it. Before this causes more problems then questions, I suggest you end it. ASAP.

6. I don't think flirting he should be flirting with any other women. If he has a wife with kid, he shouldn't be flirting with other people. The woman shouldn't be allowing him to touch her or flirt with her either if she knows that he is with another woman, especially if she is married too.

7.I think it is wrong. Accidentally brushing against somebody is one thing, but on purpose many times, is no accident.

Happily married but suddenly attracted to another man!?!?

I've been married for almost 2 years. I love my husband very, very much, but recently I've been noticing a little chemistry between me and my new office friend. Little glances, smiles, little "accidental" touches. To be perfectly honest, I'm really enjoying the extra attention I'm getting from this guy. Don't get me wrong, my husband is a wonderful man who treats me very well, but I also an extreme tired. when he do I either sleeping or almost sleeping. We have made love in over a week.

I don't want to cheat on my husband but it's really hard to resist what's been going on with the office friend. I don't know...I guess I just need someone to talk me out of it. I find myself thinking about this guy all the time and I can't stop. Help! Before I do something stupid!

Best Answer

1. Satisfy your needs with husband. Think of doing something special with him. Plan it out. Surprise him. Be romantic towards him to get the sparks flying. Have sex for 5 straight days. F%&^% the brains out of him so that you can get your mind off the other dude.

2. You need to tell your husband that you need more time with him. Do not do something that you are going to regret. You need to avoid being around the office friend. When he enters your mind you need to think of something else. You need to do something other than sit and think of him. You do not say if you have kids or a job. If you don't have a job get one to keep yourself busy.

3. Don't do it!!!

If you love your husband and want to avoid making a big mistake, then you need to avoid your office friend. Go ahead and rid yourself of the temptation. Second and most importantly, talk to your husband about spending a little more time together.

4. No one can "talk you out of it" when you are the only one who can make the decision. You are attracted to him because he is showing you some attention - which you are not getting from hubby. He is busy earning a living. You need to talk to your husband about what you are not getting but need. If that does not work you need to avoid the office friend (go to work - volunteer, etc) or you will end up screwing the guy and regretting it. If you want to fool around (is he married???) then get a divorce and then do whatever you want.

5. You already cheated and don’t know it yet. In your head you have already slept with this man numerous times, or you have at least had some sexual fantasy about the two of you. Because of this, it will drive you to go to the next level. Because you live next to each other, will intensive your fantasy and turn it into reality.

6. Husband isn't fulfilling his compassionate role with you but the stank office friend who probably doesn't work as hard is fulfilling the role, figures.

If you LOVE your husband so VERY VERY much then you'd do what a LOVING wife would do and work out your sexual urges with HIM. Tell him to get a damn vacation, work out some lunch sex appointments, or respect your man is a hard working man and cater him a little for some good relax sex. If he comes home make his behind get in a hot bath and yawl shower or bathe together, or let him take a nap, wake his behind up and take it. I mean unless he's working 12-15 hour days he can't be tired ALL the time, and if he is he can still relax, man will DIE if he thinks he can work 24/7 with no social interaction or LIFE at all.

So talk to him, let him know you need love and affection, and get rid of the home wrecker. He probably knows he's getting you wet, so of course like any typical asshole looking for a nut he's goanna work on it. If you can't work it with your man and you just REALLY want your office friend's thing then you really didn't have that devoted love for your husband, just the convenience of a perceived stable relationship and should consider leaving before you go on cheating....stay away from the statistic. PLEASE.

7. You might think you need help from us, but honestly only you can make this decision. You already know it's wrong. I am sure your husband is working so hard to help you all have a better life. He, perhaps, during this time could use a little prompting from you. He shouldn't have to be the one to initiate everything with you. The excitement you get when flirting with this office friend can be a good thing if you use it to your advantage and give your hubby the energy you get. From the office friends looks n stuff. Do those little things for you husband that tell him everyday how much you care and appreciate him for all he does? Make date night with him once a week, bi-weekly or monthly thing depending on your schedules. Leave a love note in his car before he goes to work. Cook his favorite dinner. Let him sleep in on his days off rub his back while he is going to sleep, whisper sweet nothing in his ear. there are far to many things for you to do.

Be grateful for the simple fact you have a hard working man who loves you. Now show him how very much you love him too.

Making True Friend !

Despite this high-tech world we live in, a true friend is still a gift in your life. You're meeting new people all the time but most of them won't turn into good friends. It's important to reflect on what true friendship means to you and form a definition in your mind so you know if someone you meet might become a close friend.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Take the time to think about what a true friend means to you. It's not as obvious as you may think. You may need someone who's artistic and creative while someone else needs a person who loves to be active.

Step2

Pay attention to your comfort level when you're with a person. A true friend makes you feel at ease. Someone who bombards you with negative comments, criticizes rather than encourages and pushes you to do things you don't want to do will never be a true friend.

Step3

Identify your differences of opinion. Arguments make a healthy friendship because they force you to think differently about things. But we all have our threshold. If someone has nasty things to say about your in-laws just because of their ethnic background, you're better off looking for friendship somewhere else.

Step4

Notice if the person shows concern for your well-being. That means they don't give you a dissertation on their life before you get a chance to say anything else. When you start talking about your problems, see if you have their full attention. True friends don't let their eyes wander or glaze over when it's not their turn to gripe!

Step5

Be honest about whether someone can ever be a good friend. A true friend is someone who can accompany you on the journey to personal growth. Someone who just agrees with everything you say or makes you feel inadequate isn't going to help you reach your potential.

find someone who listens to you when u speak, someone who corrects you when you're wrong (even if they know you will get upset/offended), someone who reminds u constantly of your self worth and value, someone who tells u how lucky they are to have you as a friend, someone who doesnt ask much of u and someone who shows u that they love you. if you just pay close attention to the people around you, it wont be difficult to pick the good ones from the bad/pretenders.

Iran opposes any Saudi unilateral oil output hike

Tehran, June 18: Iran said on Tuesday it would be opposed to any move by OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia to raise its oil output without a consensus from fellow members of the oil cartel.

"If Saudi Arabia takes a measure to unilaterally increase (oil) output, it is a wrong move," Mohammad Ali Khatibi, Iran's new representative to OPEC, was quoted as saying by the state television website.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon announced on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had told him it would increase its oil output by a further 200,000 barrels a day in July, although it was not clear if Khatibi was reacting to these comments.

Saudi Arabia is also organising talks among major oil producers and consumers in the Red Sea city of Jeddah next week to discuss the current sky-rocketing prices.

Iran is OPEC's number two producer, behind the Saudis, and has consistently argued that the high oil price has nothing to do with market fundamentals and OPEC's output should not be increased.

"Any increase in production should be approved in the meeting of the organisation's ministers," Khatibi stressed.

Iran's OPEC representative also said there was no shortage in the oil market: "Oil producers are all agreed that the oil market is saturated," he said.

"Evidence shows that consumers will discuss the increase of oil production more than other issues in this (Jeddah) meeting. This is while the producers believe that there is no shortage in the market," he said.

The National Iranian Oil Company's director for international affairs, Hojatollah Ghanimifar, said any boost to output would have little impact on world prices.

"In the current situation even an increase of 500,000 barrels of oil will not make any change in oil prices," Ghanimifar was quoted as saying by the state television website.

Oil futures reached record highs of almost USD 140 a barrel on Monday.

In Asian trade on Tuesday, the main New York futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, dropped 15 cents to USD 134.46 per barrel after striking an intraday record of USD 139.89 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the current high price of oil was artificial and the market was well supplied. "The rise in consumption is lower than the rise in production," Ahmadinejad told a meeting in the central city of Isfahan of OPEC's fund for international development.

"Certain hands, for political and economic ends, are controlling the price in an artificial manner," he said.