Dia Mirza tries her hand at horror with web series

Mumbai, May 25 (PTI) Known for playing soft romantic roles, Bollywood actress Dia Mirza is making a switch by featuring in an episode of the horror web series, "Shockers".

The "Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein" actress will be seen playing the title role in an episode titled "The Good Wife".

"As an actor it is exciting to be a part of different mediums of story telling. Short films as a format are exciting, because in a limited period of time a lot can be conveyed. Samaira's (the character) story, in 'The Good Wife' could be anyone's experience," Dia said in a statement.

The episode deals with a supernatural presence in the character's house. Dia, 34, says the experience for shooting it was "extraordinary".

"It is real and extraordinary. I enjoyed shooting for this in one night with Faruk Kabir who as a director is pushing the envelope of spookiness." 

"The Good Wife", written and directed by Faruk Kabir, is available on Hotstar.

Be partners in India's growth story, tells President to Chinese investors

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressing the Plenary Session of Business Forum Meeting, in Guangzhou, China on May 25, 2016.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressed the India-China Business Forum event at Guangzhou today (May 25, 2016). 

Speaking on the occasion, the President said India believes that there is great potential for economic and commercial cooperation among our two nations, which face similar opportunities and challenges. The stability of our relationship in recent years provides an enabling basis for utilizing these opportunities and coming together. To realize the full potential of our economic partnership, it is important to bridge the information gap between our business communities. India is committed to providing a conducive environment for more investments from China. We stand ready to facilitate many more collaborations between the industry and businesses of our two countries across different sectors. India invites investors from China to be partners in India's growth story. 

The President said India is a young nation. Our primary goal is to build a modern economy that puts a premium on sustainable development. We are steadily moving towards this objective and a profound socio-economic transformation is taking place in our country. China's economic achievements are a source of inspiration for us. We believe that stepping up our two way trade and investment flows will be of mutual benefit to both our nations. We welcome Chinese investments and entrepreneurs to participate in ‘Make in India’ and other flagship initiatives of Government of India. India will facilitate efforts of Chinese investors to make their investments in India profitable. We must take advantage of the opportunities that abound in the growth of both our economies. 

Russia, Ukraine commit to Minsk accords in call with France, Germany

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko gestures during a news conference in Kiev, Ukraine, January 14, 2016.

The leaders of Russia and Ukraine discussed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the French President preparations to hold elections in an eastern Ukrainian area hit by a pro-Russian insurrection, according to the german government.

Progress on implementing the Minsk peace accords, negotiated by Berlin and Paris, has stalled. The elections are a key step in the agreement designed to end a conflict that has killed more than 9,000 people since April, 2014.

Moscow and Kiev accuse each other of failing to stick to the deal, which also includes restoring Kiev's control over the whole border with Russia and the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the conflict zone.

"In the center of the consultations were security questions and the preparations for local elections in the conflict areas in eastern Ukraine," said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert in a statement.

"The participants on the call agreed to intensify their cooperation in both areas to swiftly achieve progress."

The EU imposed sanctions on Russia after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and stepped them up later that year when pro-Russian rebels seized territory and fought Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine. Russia denies Western accusations it has supplied equipment and troops to the rebels.

The conference call, including Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and France's Francois Hollande took place late on Monday.

In a constellation called the Normandy Format, Germany and France have repeatedly tried to push Russia and Ukraine towards resolving the conflict.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; editing by Ralph Boulton)

Sensex logs first rise in five sessions on earnings lift

Mumbai, May 24 (PTI) Market benchmark Sensex today reversed its four-day fall and ended higher by over 75 points, taking comfort from encouraging corporate earnings despite lingering worries about a likely rate hike by the US Fed as early as June.

A higher opening in Europe and a mixed trend in Asia offered some respite.

Sentiment got a lift after Tata Power and National Fertilisers posted strong earnings for the March quarter, brokers said.

But the possibility of the US Federal Reserve raising borrowing costs kept investors on a leash, which capped the gains. A higher rate would temper capital flows to emerging markets, including India.

The 30-share Sensex slipped in early trade on sustained foreign fund outflows and a weakening rupee against the dollar. However, some value-buying and higher opening in Europe took the barometer to 25,305.47 at the close, up 75.11 points, or 0.30 per cent.

The gauge had fallen 549 points in the past four sessions on foreign fund outflows after regulator Sebi tightened guidelines to check any misuse of P-Notes.

Tata Power and National Fertilisers surged up to 3 per cent after their quarterly numbers for the March quarter gave investors much to cheer.

However, Jubilant FoodWorks and Britannia Industries tumbled up to 4.45 per cent today amid concerns over bread samples of virtually all top brands in Delhi reportedly containing cancer-causing chemicals.

The NSE Nifty gained 17.80 points or 0.23 per cent to 7,748.85 after shuttling between 7,761.55 and 7,715.80.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 65.60 crore yesterday, as per provisional data.

Of the 30-share Sensex pack, 16 ended higher.

NTPC stayed in the lead, up 2.03 per cent, followed by Tata Motors (1.70 per cent), ICICI Bank (1.56 per cent) and HDFC (1.33 per cent).

Among BSE sectoral and industry indices, auto rose by 0.32 per cent followed by banking 0.28 per cent and FMCG 0.18 per cent. Oil and gas fell 1.01 per cent and healthcare shed (0.88 per cent).

However, broader markets showed a downward trend as small-cap and mid-cap indices slumped by 0.65 per cent and 0.16 per cent, respectively.

Japan's Nikkei ended 0.94 per cent higher while China's Shanghai Composite closed 0.77 per cent up while Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed 0.11 per cent higher.

European shares climbed after a drop in the euro helped boost European stocks as investors weighed implications of a possible Federal Reserve interest rate increase. Key indices, like France and the UK rose by up to 1.35 per cent.

Mukherjee arrives in China to boost bilateral ties

Mukherjee, who is making his first visit to China as President, has made a number of trips to this country. PTI File

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  Guangzhou: President Pranab Mukherjee arrived here today on a four-day visit to China that will see significant political and economic push to bilateral ties while irritants like Beijing's opposition to India's membership of NSG and the blocking of UN bid to blacklist JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist will also figure. Mukherjee, who is making his first visit to China as President, has made a number of trips to this country in various capacities including as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and Defence Minister.

India, Thailand, Myanmar to be linked by road

From Jaishree Balasubramanian

Bangkok, May 23 (PTI) India, Thailand and Myanmar are working on a 1,400-kilometre long highway that will link India with Southeast Asia by land for the first time in decades, giving a boost to trade and cultural exchanges between the three countries.

Indian Ambassador to Thailand Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi said 73 bridges in Myanmar, built more than seven decades ago during World War II, were being renovated with funding from India to allow vehicles to cross the highway safely.

When the repair work will be completed in 18 months, the highway could be opened to traffic from all three countries, he said. 

The planned highway starts in the eastern region of India from Moreh to Myanmar's Tamu city.

Negotiations are currently underway to conclude a tri- nation motor vehicle agreement for the use of the 1,400-km road that will reach Thailand at Tak, Mae Sot district.

"There has always been a meeting of minds between India and Thailand. Our two countries share cultural, spiritual and linguistic links. With this road we will also have physical connectivity," Bishnoi told PTI.

The road will help in transportation of goods and further development of SMEs in North East India, he said, adding the tri-nation highway exemplifies India's "Act East" policy.

Myanmar's Dawei deep-sea port and industrial estate project near the Thai border is also expected to help further integrate eastern India with South East Asian countries.

The planned port can be linked up with India's Chennai port as well as Thailand's Laem Chabang Port on the other side of the ocean, the envoy said.

India is also preparing to negotiate a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which includes the 10-country grouping, on top of the current India-Asean free-trade agreement (FTA).

Thai-Indian trade amounted to USD 8 billion last year, while more than a million Indian tourists visited Thailand last year.

There were also about 300 Indian weddings held here.

Among major Thai investors in India are CP Group, Delta Electronics, Ital-Thai and Pruksa Real Estate, while the major Indian firms operating in Thailand are Tata Group, Aditya Birla and Indorama.

India, Iran to combat terror; ink Chabahar, 11 other pacts

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the President of Iran, Mr. Hassan Rouhani and the President of Afghanistan, Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, during the Trilateral meeting, in Tehran on May 23, 2016.

Tehran, May 23 (PTI) India and Iran today pledged to combat terrorism and radicalism as the two nations signed 12 agreements including a "milestone" pact on developing the strategic Chabahar port, giving a boost to economic partnership in the post-sanctions era.

India committed around USD 500 million for the important port in Iran's southern coast, which will serve as a "point of connectivity" between India, Afghanistan, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and East Europe.

"We have agreed to consult closely and regularly on combating threats of terrorism, radicalism, drug trafficking and cyber crime. We have also agreed to enhance interaction between our defence and security institutions on regional and maritime security," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here.

Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the Islamic nation after 15 years on a bilateral visit after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was addressing a joint press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after one-on-one talks.

His visit comes months after lifting of international sanctions on Iran following Tehran's historic nuclear deal with the Western powers over its contentious atomic programme.

Terming terrorism as a "big problem running rife and rampant in the region", Rouhani said that both the nations have discussed the issue and agreed to share intelligence to combat the menace.

"Due to the importance of stability and security in the region and especially in the countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen and because a big problem called terrorism is running rife and rampant in the region.

"The two countries discussed about political issues as well and how they can cooperate on intelligence sharing and how they can get closer to each other in the fight against terrorism and extremism and how they can contribute to peace and stability in the whole region," Rouhani added.

As regards the economic cooperation, besides developing the Chabahar port, the two sides also signed agreements in diverse fields like trade credit, culture, science and technology as well as railways.

"The bilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port and related infrastructure and availability of about USD 500 million from India for this purpose, is an important milestone," said Modi.

"This major effort would boost economic growth in the region. We are committed to take steps for early implementation of the agreements signed today," he said.

U.S. lifts arms ban on old foe Vietnam as regional tensions simmer

  

Hanoi : The United States announced an end to its embargo on sales of lethal arms to Vietnam on Monday, an historic step that draws a line under the two countries' old enmity and underscores their shared concerns about Beijing's growing military clout.

The move came during President Barack Obama's first visit to Hanoi, which his welcoming hosts described as the arrival of a warm spring and a new chapter in relations between two countries that were at war four decades ago.

Obama, the third U.S. president to visit Vietnam since diplomatic relations were restored in 1995, has made a strategic 'rebalance' toward Asia a centerpiece of his foreign policy.

Vietnam, a neighbor of China, is a key part of that strategy amid worries about Beijing's assertiveness and sovereignty claims to 80 percent of the South China Sea.

The decision to lift the arms trade ban, which followed intense debate within the Obama administration, suggested such concerns outweighed arguments that Vietnam had not done enough to improve its human rights record and Washington would lose leverage for reforms.

Obama told a joint news conference with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang that disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully and not by whoever "throws their weight around". But he insisted the arms embargo move was not linked to China.

"The decision to lift the ban was not based on China or any other considerations. It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving towards normalization with Vietnam," he said. Obama later added his visit to a former foe showed "hearts can change and peace is possible".

The sale of arms, Obama said, would depend on Vietnam's human rights commitments, and would be made on a case-by-case basis.

India’s Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), Successfully Flight Tested

     

Sriharikota : Today, May 23, 2016 ISRO successfully flight tested India’s first winged body aerospace vehicle operating in hypersonic flight regime.

In this experimental mission, the HS9 solid rocket booster carrying RLV-TD lifted off from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at 07:00hr IST. After a successful flight of 91.1second, HS9 burn out occurred, following which both HS9 and RLV-TD mounted on its top coasted to a height of about 56 km. At that height, RLV-TD separated from HS9 booster and further ascended to a height of about 65km.

From that peak altitude of 65 km, RLV-TD began its descent followed by atmospheric re-entry at around Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound). The vehicle’s Navigation, Guidance and Control system accurately steered the vehicle during this phase for safe descent. After successfully surviving a high temperatures of re-entry with the help of its Thermal Protection System (TPS), RLV-TD successfully glided down to the defined landing spot over Bay of Bengal, at a distance of about 450km from Sriharikota, thereby fulfilling its mission objectives. The vehicle was successfully tracked during its flight from ground stations at Sriharikota and a shipborne terminal. Total flight duration from launch to landing of this mission of the delta winged RLV-TD, lasted for about 770seconds.

In this flight, critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance & control, reusable thermal protection system and re-entry mission management have been successfully validated.

ISRO acknowledge the support of Indian coast guard and National Institute of Ocean technology (NIOT) for the mid sea wind measurement and shipborne telemetry respectively in this mission.

President of India congratulates ISRO on the successful launch of India’s first Re-Usable Launch Vehicle –Technology Demonstrator

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has congratulated the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on the successful launch of India’s first Re-usable Launch Vehicle–Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD).

In a message to Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar, Chairman of ISRO, the President has said, “I extend my hearty congratulations to you and your entire team at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on the successful launch of India’s first Re-usable Launch Vehicle –Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD).

The launch of RLV-TD is an important achievement made by the ISRO and takes India into the ranks of leading nations of the world with space shuttle capabilities. The nation is proud of this achievement.

Kindly convey my greetings to all members of your team of scientists, engineers, technologists and others involved in this great mission. I wish the ISRO continued success in all its future endeavours”.

PM congratulates ISRO scientists, on the launch of India's first indigenous space shuttle RLV-TD
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated the ISRO scientists, on the launch of India's first indigenous space shuttle RLV-TD.

"Launch of India's first indigenous space shuttle RLV-TD is the result of the industrious efforts of our scientists. Congrats to them.

The dynamism and dedication with which our scientists and ISRO have worked over the years is exceptional and very inspiring", the Prime Minister said.

Modi arrives in Iran; Chabahar port,energy ties high on agenda

Tehran, May 22 (PTI) Looking to strengthen trade, investment and energy ties with Iran, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived here on a two-day visit, during which a crucial agreement is expected to be signed on developing the strategic Chabahar port.

Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister having visited Iran in the last 15 years, was received at the Mehrabad International Airport by Iran's Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ali Tayyebnia, after which he left for a local Gurudwara to meet people of Indian origin here.

Formal talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are scheduled for tomorrow morning after a ceremonial welcome for the Prime Minister. Rouhani will also host a lunch for him.

Modi will also call on Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well before his return.

Ahead of his arrival, Modi in a series of tweets said, "Enhancing connectivity, trade, investments, energy partnership, culture and people to people contacts would be our priority."

"My meetings with President Rouhani and Hon'ble Supreme Leader of Iran will provide an opportunity to advance our strategic partnership," the Prime Minister added.

Besides signing a deal on development of Phase-1 of the Chabahar port, India is looking at doubling oil imports from the Persian Gulf nation, which a few years back was its second-biggest oil supplier, as well as making progress on getting rights to develop a giant gas field in the energy-rich country.

India's Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari will also be present there for the signing of the agreement on Chabahar port.

Post-sanctions Iran has seen a flurry of diplomatic and business activities with leaders from China to Korea courting Tehran.

In the run-up to Modi's visit, Transport Minister Gadkari, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Tehran.

Stating that he looked forward to the conclusion of the Chahbahar agreement during his visit, the Prime Minister said "India and Iran enjoy civilisational ties and have shared interest in the peace, security, stability and prosperity of the region.

PM's visit to Iran

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will toady begin his two day official visit to Iran.

In a series of tweets on his Twitter Account, the Prime Minister said:

"I am looking forward to my visit to Iran today and tomorrow, at the invitation of President Rouhani.

India and Iran enjoy civilizational ties and have shared interest in the peace, security, stability and prosperity of the region.

My meetings with President Rouhani and Hon’ble Supreme Leader of Iran will provide an opportunity to advance our strategic partnership.

Enhancing connectivity, trade, investments, energy partnership, culture and people to people contacts would be our priority.

I also look forward to the conclusion of the Chahbahar Agreement during my visit.

I will visit Gurudwara in Tehran and inaugurate an International Conference on ‘retrospect and prospect’ of India and Iran relations."

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing the gathering, at Bhai Ganga Singh Sabha Gurudwara, in Tehran on May 22, 2016.