Karuna Das

Is the government readying a bailout package for Satyam? NDTV has exclusive details of the government and the new board considering various options to raise funds immediately. A day after the new board said they were not sure about the amount of cash readily available to the company and how long it could pay salaries of the over 50,000 people it employs, the measures the government is mulling over include: * Loans offered by banks may be backed by government * Some money may be raised by selling Satyam's assets * Options include Satyam issuing fresh capital * Government may buy shares via institutions Meanwhile, Prime Minister has called for a high-level meeting on the Satyam scam. The meeting will be held later on Tuesday. Key Cabinet members -- Home Minister P Chidambaram, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia will attend the meet chaired by the Prime Min...

Employees of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) have called off their strike. The PSU oil major on Friday said that the strike by its officers has partially ended with many of them resuming work. It also said that fuel supplies to affected pumps have already started. The news was confirmed by Oil Secretary R S Pandey, who said that many BPCL officials have returned to work. He also disclosed that Indian Oil services began to improve gradually when officials were told either to join work or face arrest. The officers at the state-run oil companies are demanding salary hikes. With the fuel shortage becoming a full blown crisis, the government on Friday told striking oil company officials to either return to work or get arrested. The strike has entered its third day. At least 70 per cent of the fuel pumps in the country have run dry and the number is steadily increasing. The Territorial Army is slated to take over refineries and man petrol pumps to overcome the crisis. Prime Minister ...

Islamabad, Jan 07: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday night sacked National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durani for saying that Kasab is a Pakistani national. Talking to Geo news channel, Pakistan's National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani confirmed, unofficially, that Kasab hails from Pakistan and an official statement in this regard is expected from the Interior Ministry later in the day. He also conveyed the same to an Indian channel, adding that a report to the same effect was being submitted to Pakistan PM Yousaf Raza Gilani. Sherry Rehman, the Interior Minister of Pakistan, told a news agency in an SMS that Kasab is a Pakistani. Rehman also said Pakistan's investigation into the Mumbai attacks was continuing. Durrani was, later in the evening, sacked for making the 'revelation', Pakistan media said. Ordering his removal, Pakistan PM said that Durrani was sacked "for his irresponsible behaviour (of) not taking Prime Minister and other s...

Shillong, Jan 07,8:30 PM IST: India's space agency along with astronomers from across the country will launch a ‘unique’ satellite later this year to study distant galaxies and black holes The Astrosat, scheduled for launch towards the end of the year, will be the country's first satellite entirely dedicated to astronomy. Astronomers are excited about the prospects thrown up by the Astrosat which is expected to give India an edge in observing the universe. "The Astrosat will carry the best ultraviolet telescope ever flown," Dipankar Bhattacharya, a senior astrophysicist with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) told on the sidelines of the 96th Indian Science Congress here. Shillong, Jan 07: India's space agency along with astronomers from across the country will launch a ‘unique’ satellite later this year to study distant galaxies and black holes The Astrosat, scheduled for launch towards the end of the year, will be the country'...

Mumbai, Jan 07: Who are our soldiers in the cyber war with Pakistan? Contrary to popular belief, the cyber war is not fought by hackers hired by the government but by software engineers loosely connected through anonymous chat severs who want to do “something for their country” in their own way and in their free time. Meet Rahul Shekhar (name changed to protect identity), a 26-year-old software engineer with one of the top IT firms in India. Rahul is one of the many “soldiers” India has in its cyber war against known and unknown enemies. A harmless coder of taxation-related software during the day, Shekhar tunes in to the cyber war by night. “I get home and relax for some time. Post an early dinner I spend three hours working on a form of attack, defence or training in India’s cyber wars,” he told DNA. Globally, hackers not connected with the government machinery are known to supply intelligence to their governments. Like snipers on a tall building, computer hackers often act as cyber ...

The boss of Satyam, India's fourth-biggest software firm, has quit after revealing false accounts including some $1bn (£663m) in fictitious reserves. Chairman Ramalinga Raju apologised and said "the gap in the balance sheet has arisen purely on account of inflated profits" during several years. He said he was subjecting himself to the laws of the land and would "face the consequences". India's benchmark index fell nearly 7% on the news, as Satyam stock shed 82%. In a letter to the board of directors, Mr Raju said that neither he nor the managing director took any money from the company and did not benefit in financial terms following the "inflated results". India's benchmark index fell nearly 7% on the news, as Satyam stock shed 82%. In a letter to the board of directors, Mr Raju said that neither he nor the managing director took any money from the company and did not benefit in financial terms following the "inflated results". It w...

Updated at: 1717 PST, Wednesday, January 07, 2009 Ajmal Kasab belongs to Pakistan: Official sources ISLAMABAD: Initial investigations have proved that Ajmal Kasab, allegedly the top suspect in Mumbai attacks, hailed from Pakistan, official sources said Wednesday. The sources further said that Pakistan will not extend legal aid to Ajmal Kasab despite his request for the same. It may be remembered that an earlier report of Geo News had already indicated that Ajmal Kasab belonged to Pakistan. However, there is no record of Ajmal Kasab in the database of NADRA.

New year celebrations around the world Celebrations are taking place around the world to mark the end of 2008 and usher in the new year. From Sydney to New York and Auckland to London, revellers greeted 2009 with pyrotechnic shows and street parties. Some 400,000 people braved freezing temperatures in London for a fireworks display beside the Thames. In New York, meanwhile, thousands packed a frigid Times Square as the famous Waterford crystal ball descended to cheers at midnight. Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, soon to become the new US secretary of state, helped New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg lower the ball for the midnight countdown. A number of Arab nations - including Egypt, Jordan and Syria - cancelled their planned celebrations in solidarity with Palestinians in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip after a fifth day of Israeli air-strikes on the coastal enclave. Muted festivities Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, in the Pacific Ocean became the first inhabited place on E...