Grand reception for PM Modi in Tokyo ahead of meeting with Shinzo Abe - Zee News

Tokyo: On the third day of his Japan visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Monday accorded a red carpet welcome at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. PM Modi is scheduled to hold summit talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to bolster bilateral security and economic ties.

The two leaders, who share cordial relations, will have a substantive summit meeting during which they will look at ways to take the Strategic and Global Partnership forward.

Earlier this morning, Prime Minister Modi addressed a gathering of top buiness leaders from Japan and invited them to join India's developmental efforts with a promise of non-discriminatory and speedy clearances and announced setting up of a Special Management Team under PMO to facilitate business from Japan.

Addressing top business leaders of Japan and India here, Modi flagged the recent decisions to liberalise FDI policy in the railways, defence and insurance and said rules and laws are being changed in India which would show results in the near future.

Modi, who has enjoyed immense reputation in Japan as then Gujarat Chief Minister in terms of ensuring the state's progress, said India wants to emulate Japan in terms of quality, zero defect and delivery systems while carrying out skill development.

Modi has a substantive agenda during the trip which he hopes will "write a new chapter" in bilateral ties and take the Strategic and Global Partnership to a higher level.

Cooperation in the fields of defence, civil nuclear, infrastructure development and rare earth material is expected to top the agenda of the discussions. Some agreements, including in defence and civil nuclear sectors, are expected to be signed. Among the agreements to be signed is one on joint production of rare earth materials.

"I am keenly looking forward to my visit to Japan at the invitation of my good friend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for the annual summit between India and Japan," Modi had said in his pre-departure statement.

Noting that this will be his first bilateral visit outside the immediate neighbourhood as Prime Minister, he said it underlines "the high priority" that Japan receives in India's foreign and economic policies.

During his two-day stay in Kyoto, Modi witnessed signing of a pact under which his constituency Varanasi will be developed as a 'smart city' in partnership with the Japanese

city, which is a confluence of heritage and modernity.

Abe had specially come to Kyoto from Tokyo to meet Modi. The Japanese Prime Minister rarely greet a foreign leader outside the national capital. On the second day of his Japan tour, Modi on Sunday offered prayers at two prominent ancient Buddhist temples in Kyoto and sought help from a Japanese Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher to develop a treatment for Sickle Cell Anaemia, a deadly disease commonly found among tribal people in India.

In Kinkakuji temple, the Prime Minister mingled with tourists and visitors and posed for photographs with groups of people. He began his day with a visit to the ancient Toji Temple. He was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at the famous temple which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

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Nifty breaches 8000-mark for first time, Sensex hits new peak; top 15 stocks - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The 50-share NSE Nifty index breached the 8,000-mark for the first time ever in trade on Monday and BSE Sensex logged a new peak of 26,854.08 on the back of positive economic growth data for the April-June quarter.

The rally in Nifty was led by gains in Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, L&T, Hindalco and GAIL.

Tracking the momentum, the S&P BSE Sensex also managed to rally as much as 216 points to hit its fresh record high of 26854.08, supported by gains in capital goods, consumer durables, banks, power and metal stocks.

India's economy expanded at its fastest pace in more than two years in the April-June quarter. India's GDP grew at 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2014-15, exceeding expectations.

At 10:00 a.m.; BSE Sensex was trading 192 points higher at 26831.76. It hit a fresh record high 26854.08 and a low of 26732.39 in trade today.

The 50-share Nifty index also managed to surge over 60 points to hit its fresh record high of 8022.70, led by gains in NTPC, Coal India, Hindalco, L&T and SBI. As much as 65 stocks rose to their fresh 52-week high on the National Stock Exchange.

Here is a list of fifteen stocks which are in focus today:

BPCL, IOC, HPCL: Petrol price was today cut by Rs 1.82 a litre, the third reduction in rates this month, but diesel rates were hiked by 50 paise per litre.

At 10:20 a.m.; BPCL was trading 0.6 per cent higher at Rs 698, HPCL was up 1.4 per cent and IOC was trading 2 per cent higher.

M&M Ltd: Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra, will invest Rs 4,000 crore over a 7-year period to expand its existing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra.

At 10:20 a.m.; M&M was trading 0.13 per cent higher at Rs 1407.

CEAT: Tyre maker Ceat, which plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore through issue of securities, will use majority of the fund to finance expansion of its ongoing projects in Bangladesh and Gujarat.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 3 per cent higher at Rs 605.10.

NTPC: Power major NTPC said it is aiming at 8,000-9,000 MW capacity takeover in stressed power plants but the recent Supreme Court ruling on coal mines may have an impact on the move.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.09 per cent higher at Rs 139.20.

Alstom India Ltd: French electrical engineering group Alstom has won contracts with a total value of 800 million euros to build high-voltage direct current power transmission lines in India, South Korea and Canada, the firm said.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.8 per cent higher at Rs 495.55.

Adani Enterprises Ltd: Adani Enterprises has agreed to pay A$155 million ($145 million) to Linc Energy to buy out the Australian firm's rights to future royalties from Adani's huge but delayed Carmichael coal project, already four years behind schedule.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.8 per cent higher at Rs 482.

ONGC: The oil ministry has ordered an inquiry into the difficulties experienced by the Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) in executing projects, resulting in production targets being missed.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.9 per cent higher at Rs 439.15.

Dewan Housing Finance: US-based Prudential Financial Inc., which manages $1.3 trillion globally, will sell a 50% stake in its Indian asset-management company Pramerica Mutual Fund for an undisclosed sum to Dewan Housing Finance Co., according to three people with direct knowledge of the development.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 2.7 per cent higher at Rs 365.55.

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PM woos Japan business leaders, promises better investment environment ... - Zee News

Tokyo: Speaking on the third day of his Japan visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched for greater cooperation between the two nations and invited the Japanese business leaders to invest in India while promising them better investment opportunities and speedy decisions by his government.

Speaking at business lunch by Nippon Keidanren at Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PM Modi said, “India and Japan have a responsibility beyond that of bilateral relations. Indian and Japanese businessmen can give a direction to the world economy. Naturally, expectations from Japan are high as our ties are much older. We also want to work with Japan in the field of research and skill development.”

Calling for a greater cooperation between the two nations, Prime Minister Modi said, “We know that businessmen need a good environment to grow and this is our responsibility. The state has to be policy driven. We have given importance to good governance and to processes. We are looking at how to integrate technology with Governance.”

“In the coming days you'll get the same speed and response that you have experienced in Gujarat when I was the Chief Minister in past,” PM further said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stressed that the steps taken by him in the past 100 days have yielded positive results. “The initiatives which we have taken in past 100 days, the steps that we taken...the results of which are clear,” he added.

He said that he has made the Prime Minister Office "more efficient, more productive" and have taken a lot of initiatives in our Budget, Defence and Railways.”

During his speech, the Prime Minister also cited the example of Gujarat to woo business leaders of Japan. Modi said that if the Gujarat experience is a parameter, then "that response, that speed", businesses will get in India.

“Being a Gujarati, commerce is in my blood so I understand that it is the policymakers and government's responsibility to provide good environment for businessmen,” PM Modi said.

Modi continued by saying, “Japan is known for quality of its products and India's huge untapped young population can contribute to its workforce requirement.”

Seeking Tokyo's help in developing skill development in India, Modi said, Japan can "really help us with this".

The Prime Minister also announced that a special team will be set up to facilitate Japanese investments in India. “We have decided that directly under PMO we want to create a team that will work to facilitate Japan investments in India,” the PM said, while stressing that “If we want to lead the world's economy then India and Japan have to work together.”

“21st century is Asia's century, the world has accepted it. The question on my mind is - how will it be? We have to provide the answer,” PM Modi stressed,.

After his speech, PM Modi was given a standing ovation by Japanese business honchos at Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

After a busy day in the former Japanese capital Kyoto where he visited two ancient Buddhist temples, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today summit talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo to bolster bilateral security and economic ties.

The two leaders, who share cordial relations, will have a substantive summit meeting during which they will look at ways to take the Strategic and Global Partnership forward.

Modi has a substantive agenda during the trip which he hopes will "write a new chapter" in bilateral ties and take the Strategic and Global Partnership to a higher level.

Cooperation in the fields of defence, civil nuclear, infrastructure development and rare earth material is expected to top the agenda of the discussions. Some agreements, including in defence and civil nuclear sectors, are expected to be signed. Among the agreements to be signed is one on joint production of rare earth materials.

"I am keenly looking forward to my visit to Japan at the invitation of my good friend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for the annual summit between India and Japan," Modi had said in his pre-departure statement.

Noting that this will be his first bilateral visit outside the immediate neighbourhood as Prime Minister, he said it underlines "the high priority" that Japan receives in India's foreign and economic policies. "It is also a reflection of Japan's paramount importance in my vision for development and prosperity in India and in peace, stability and prosperity in Asia at large," Modi said.

"I am confident that my visit will write a new chapter in the annals of the relations between Asia's two oldest democracies and take our Strategic and Global Partnership to the next higher level," he said.

During his two-day stay in Kyoto, Modi witnessed signing of a pact under which his constituency Varanasi will be developed as a 'smart city' in partnership with the Japanese city, which is a confluence of heritage and modernity.

Abe had specially come to Kyoto from Tokyo to meet Modi. The Japanese Prime Minister rarely greet a foreign leader outside the national capital. On the second day of his Japan tour, Modi on Sunday offered prayers at two prominent ancient Buddhist temples in Kyoto and sought help from a Japanese Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher to develop a treatment for Sickle Cell Anaemia, a deadly disease commonly found among tribal people in India.

In Kinkakuji temple, the Prime Minister mingled with tourists and visitors and posed for photographs with groups of people. He began his day with a visit to the ancient Toji Temple. He was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at the famous temple which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

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Nifty breaches 8000-mark for first time, Sensex hits new peak; top 15 stocks - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The 50-share NSE Nifty index breached the 8,000-mark for the first time ever in trade on Monday and BSE Sensex logged a new peak of 26,854.08 on the back of positive economic growth data for the April-June quarter.

The rally in Nifty was led by gains in Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, L&T, Hindalco and GAIL.

Tracking the momentum, the S&P BSE Sensex also managed to rally as much as 216 points to hit its fresh record high of 26854.08, supported by gains in capital goods, consumer durables, banks, power and metal stocks.

India's economy expanded at its fastest pace in more than two years in the April-June quarter. India's GDP grew at 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2014-15, exceeding expectations.

At 10:00 a.m.; BSE Sensex was trading 192 points higher at 26831.76. It hit a fresh record high 26854.08 and a low of 26732.39 in trade today.

The 50-share Nifty index also managed to surge over 60 points to hit its fresh record high of 8022.70, led by gains in NTPC, Coal India, Hindalco, L&T and SBI. As much as 65 stocks rose to their fresh 52-week high on the National Stock Exchange.

Here is a list of fifteen stocks which are in focus today:

BPCL, IOC, HPCL: Petrol price was today cut by Rs 1.82 a litre, the third reduction in rates this month, but diesel rates were hiked by 50 paise per litre.

At 10:20 a.m.; BPCL was trading 0.6 per cent higher at Rs 698, HPCL was up 1.4 per cent and IOC was trading 2 per cent higher.

M&M Ltd: Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra, will invest Rs 4,000 crore over a 7-year period to expand its existing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra.

At 10:20 a.m.; M&M was trading 0.13 per cent higher at Rs 1407.

CEAT: Tyre maker Ceat, which plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore through issue of securities, will use majority of the fund to finance expansion of its ongoing projects in Bangladesh and Gujarat.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 3 per cent higher at Rs 605.10.

NTPC: Power major NTPC said it is aiming at 8,000-9,000 MW capacity takeover in stressed power plants but the recent Supreme Court ruling on coal mines may have an impact on the move.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.09 per cent higher at Rs 139.20.

Alstom India Ltd: French electrical engineering group Alstom has won contracts with a total value of 800 million euros to build high-voltage direct current power transmission lines in India, South Korea and Canada, the firm said.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.8 per cent higher at Rs 495.55.

Adani Enterprises Ltd: Adani Enterprises has agreed to pay A$155 million ($145 million) to Linc Energy to buy out the Australian firm's rights to future royalties from Adani's huge but delayed Carmichael coal project, already four years behind schedule.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.8 per cent higher at Rs 482.

ONGC: The oil ministry has ordered an inquiry into the difficulties experienced by the Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) in executing projects, resulting in production targets being missed.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.9 per cent higher at Rs 439.15.

Dewan Housing Finance: US-based Prudential Financial Inc., which manages $1.3 trillion globally, will sell a 50% stake in its Indian asset-management company Pramerica Mutual Fund for an undisclosed sum to Dewan Housing Finance Co., according to three people with direct knowledge of the development.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 2.7 per cent higher at Rs 365.55.

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PM woos Japan business leaders, promises better investment environment ... - Zee News

Tokyo: Speaking on the third day of his Japan visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched for greater cooperation between the two nations and invited the Japanese business leaders to invest in India while promising them better investment opportunities and speedy decisions by his government.

Speaking at business lunch by Nippon Keidanren at Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PM Modi said, “India and Japan have a responsibility beyond that of bilateral relations. Indian and Japanese businessmen can give a direction to the world economy. Naturally, expectations from Japan are high as our ties are much older. We also want to work with Japan in the field of research and skill development.”

Calling for a greater cooperation between the two nations, Prime Minister Modi said, “We know that businessmen need a good environment to grow and this is our responsibility. The state has to be policy driven. We have given importance to good governance and to processes. We are looking at how to integrate technology with Governance.”

“In the coming days you'll get the same speed and response that you have experienced in Gujarat when I was the Chief Minister in past,” PM further said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stressed that the steps taken by him in the past 100 days have yielded positive results. “The initiatives which we have taken in past 100 days, the steps that we taken...the results of which are clear,” he added.

He said that he has made the Prime Minister Office "more efficient, more productive" and have taken a lot of initiatives in our Budget, Defence and Railways.”

During his speech, the Prime Minister also cited the example of Gujarat to woo business leaders of Japan. Modi said that if the Gujarat experience is a parameter, then "that response, that speed", businesses will get in India.

“Being a Gujarati, commerce is in my blood so I understand that it is the policymakers and government's responsibility to provide good environment for businessmen,” PM Modi said.

Modi continued by saying, “Japan is known for quality of its products and India's huge untapped young population can contribute to its workforce requirement.”

Seeking Tokyo's help in developing skill development in India, Modi said, Japan can "really help us with this".

The Prime Minister also announced that a special team will be set up to facilitate Japanese investments in India. “We have decided that directly under PMO we want to create a team that will work to facilitate Japan investments in India,” the PM said, while stressing that “If we want to lead the world's economy then India and Japan have to work together.”

“21st century is Asia's century, the world has accepted it. The question on my mind is - how will it be? We have to provide the answer,” PM Modi stressed,.

After his speech, PM Modi was given a standing ovation by Japanese business honchos at Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

After a busy day in the former Japanese capital Kyoto where he visited two ancient Buddhist temples, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today summit talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo to bolster bilateral security and economic ties.

The two leaders, who share cordial relations, will have a substantive summit meeting during which they will look at ways to take the Strategic and Global Partnership forward.

Modi has a substantive agenda during the trip which he hopes will "write a new chapter" in bilateral ties and take the Strategic and Global Partnership to a higher level.

Cooperation in the fields of defence, civil nuclear, infrastructure development and rare earth material is expected to top the agenda of the discussions. Some agreements, including in defence and civil nuclear sectors, are expected to be signed. Among the agreements to be signed is one on joint production of rare earth materials.

"I am keenly looking forward to my visit to Japan at the invitation of my good friend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for the annual summit between India and Japan," Modi had said in his pre-departure statement.

Noting that this will be his first bilateral visit outside the immediate neighbourhood as Prime Minister, he said it underlines "the high priority" that Japan receives in India's foreign and economic policies. "It is also a reflection of Japan's paramount importance in my vision for development and prosperity in India and in peace, stability and prosperity in Asia at large," Modi said.

"I am confident that my visit will write a new chapter in the annals of the relations between Asia's two oldest democracies and take our Strategic and Global Partnership to the next higher level," he said.

During his two-day stay in Kyoto, Modi witnessed signing of a pact under which his constituency Varanasi will be developed as a 'smart city' in partnership with the Japanese city, which is a confluence of heritage and modernity.

Abe had specially come to Kyoto from Tokyo to meet Modi. The Japanese Prime Minister rarely greet a foreign leader outside the national capital. On the second day of his Japan tour, Modi on Sunday offered prayers at two prominent ancient Buddhist temples in Kyoto and sought help from a Japanese Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher to develop a treatment for Sickle Cell Anaemia, a deadly disease commonly found among tribal people in India.

In Kinkakuji temple, the Prime Minister mingled with tourists and visitors and posed for photographs with groups of people. He began his day with a visit to the ancient Toji Temple. He was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at the famous temple which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

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Pakistan LIVE: Protesters reach residence of PM Nawaz Sharif - Zee News

• Qadri, while sddressing his protesters, said that talks were held with the government several times but they failed as the country's leaders don't believe in Constitution, law and democracy, the Dawn reported.


• PTI chief Imran Khan has asked the party workers to maintain calm.


• The troops deployed outside PM House have been put on high alert.


• The protesters have reached outside the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as per Dawn news report.


• PAT leader Tahirul Qadri has begun moving towards the Pakistan Secretariat in a vehicle, the IANS reported.


• The protesters are pelting stones at the police in retaliation.


• Police has reached the venue and is trying to control the situation by firing rubber bullets and tear gas shells.


• They are also headed towards the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the deadline given by PTI chief looms.


• Protesters have broken the entrance of Pakistan Secretariat and entered the premises.


• The protesters are armed with sticks and wearing gas masks as well.


• Pakistan police does not have the permission to open fire.


• Security has been tightened after PTI and PAT protesters are being encouraged to move towards Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's residence and war songs are being played on loudspeakers.


• Pakistani Army takes over security of Islamabad, after protests led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Tahir-ul-Qadri continued on Monday.

The Nawaz Sharif government has been witnessing anti-government protests for over two weeks led by PTI and PAT demanding his resignation claiming that last year`s elections were rigged.

Demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the protesters have refused the move from the Islamabad's Red Zone area and are camping outside government offices.

A meeting of the top Army personnel took place at General Headquarters on Sunday night in which they expressed concern over the ongoing political crisis in the country.

The Army also cautioned people against using force after three people were killed in the violence during the protests and hundreds others injured.

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Nifty breaches 8000-mark for first time, Sensex hits new peak; top 15 stocks - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The 50-share NSE Nifty index breached the 8,000-mark for the first time ever in trade on Monday and BSE Sensex logged a new peak of 26,854.08 on the back of positive economic growth data for the April-June quarter.

The rally in Nifty was led by gains in Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, L&T, Hindalco and GAIL.

Tracking the momentum, the S&P BSE Sensex also managed to rally as much as 216 points to hit its fresh record high of 26854.08, supported by gains in capital goods, consumer durables, banks, power and metal stocks.

India's economy expanded at its fastest pace in more than two years in the April-June quarter. India's GDP grew at 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2014-15, exceeding expectations.

At 10:00 a.m.; BSE Sensex was trading 192 points higher at 26831.76. It hit a fresh record high 26854.08 and a low of 26732.39 in trade today.

The 50-share Nifty index also managed to surge over 60 points to hit its fresh record high of 8022.70, led by gains in NTPC, Coal India, Hindalco, L&T and SBI. As much as 65 stocks rose to their fresh 52-week high on the National Stock Exchange.

Here is a list of fifteen stocks which are in focus today:

BPCL, IOC, HPCL: Petrol price was today cut by Rs 1.82 a litre, the third reduction in rates this month, but diesel rates were hiked by 50 paise per litre.

At 10:20 a.m.; BPCL was trading 0.6 per cent higher at Rs 698, HPCL was up 1.4 per cent and IOC was trading 2 per cent higher.

M&M Ltd: Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra, will invest Rs 4,000 crore over a 7-year period to expand its existing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra.

At 10:20 a.m.; M&M was trading 0.13 per cent higher at Rs 1407.

CEAT: Tyre maker Ceat, which plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore through issue of securities, will use majority of the fund to finance expansion of its ongoing projects in Bangladesh and Gujarat.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 3 per cent higher at Rs 605.10.

NTPC: Power major NTPC said it is aiming at 8,000-9,000 MW capacity takeover in stressed power plants but the recent Supreme Court ruling on coal mines may have an impact on the move.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.09 per cent higher at Rs 139.20.

Alstom India Ltd: French electrical engineering group Alstom has won contracts with a total value of 800 million euros to build high-voltage direct current power transmission lines in India, South Korea and Canada, the firm said.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.8 per cent higher at Rs 495.55.

Adani Enterprises Ltd: Adani Enterprises has agreed to pay A$155 million ($145 million) to Linc Energy to buy out the Australian firm's rights to future royalties from Adani's huge but delayed Carmichael coal project, already four years behind schedule.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.8 per cent higher at Rs 482.

ONGC: The oil ministry has ordered an inquiry into the difficulties experienced by the Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) in executing projects, resulting in production targets being missed.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.9 per cent higher at Rs 439.15.

Dewan Housing Finance: US-based Prudential Financial Inc., which manages $1.3 trillion globally, will sell a 50% stake in its Indian asset-management company Pramerica Mutual Fund for an undisclosed sum to Dewan Housing Finance Co., according to three people with direct knowledge of the development.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 2.7 per cent higher at Rs 365.55.

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PM woos Japan business leaders, promises better investment environment ... - Zee News

Tokyo: Speaking on the third day of his Japan visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched for greater cooperation between the two nations and invited the Japanese business leaders to invest in India while promising them better investment opportunities and speedy decisions by his government.

Speaking at business lunch by Nippon Keidanren at Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PM Modi said, “India and Japan have a responsibility beyond that of bilateral relations. Indian and Japanese businessmen can give a direction to the world economy. Naturally, expectations from Japan are high as our ties are much older. We also want to work with Japan in the field of research and skill development.”

Calling for a greater cooperation between the two nations, Prime Minister Modi said, “We know that businessmen need a good environment to grow and this is our responsibility. The state has to be policy driven. We have given importance to good governance and to processes. We are looking at how to integrate technology with Governance.”

“In the coming days you'll get the same speed and response that you have experienced in Gujarat when I was the Chief Minister in past,” PM further said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stressed that the steps taken by him in the past 100 days have yielded positive results. “The initiatives which we have taken in past 100 days, the steps that we taken...the results of which are clear,” he added.

He said that he has made the Prime Minister Office "more efficient, more productive" and have taken a lot of initiatives in our Budget, Defence and Railways.”

During his speech, the Prime Minister also cited the example of Gujarat to woo business leaders of Japan. Modi said that if the Gujarat experience is a parameter, then "that response, that speed", businesses will get in India.

“Being a Gujarati, commerce is in my blood so I understand that it is the policymakers and government's responsibility to provide good environment for businessmen,” PM Modi said.

Modi continued by saying, “Japan is known for quality of its products and India's huge untapped young population can contribute to its workforce requirement.”

Seeking Tokyo's help in developing skill development in India, Modi said, Japan can "really help us with this".

The Prime Minister also announced that a special team will be set up to facilitate Japanese investments in India. “We have decided that directly under PMO we want to create a team that will work to facilitate Japan investments in India,” the PM said, while stressing that “If we want to lead the world's economy then India and Japan have to work together.”

“21st century is Asia's century, the world has accepted it. The question on my mind is - how will it be? We have to provide the answer,” PM Modi stressed,.

After his speech, PM Modi was given a standing ovation by Japanese business honchos at Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

After a busy day in the former Japanese capital Kyoto where he visited two ancient Buddhist temples, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today summit talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo to bolster bilateral security and economic ties.

The two leaders, who share cordial relations, will have a substantive summit meeting during which they will look at ways to take the Strategic and Global Partnership forward.

Modi has a substantive agenda during the trip which he hopes will "write a new chapter" in bilateral ties and take the Strategic and Global Partnership to a higher level.

Cooperation in the fields of defence, civil nuclear, infrastructure development and rare earth material is expected to top the agenda of the discussions. Some agreements, including in defence and civil nuclear sectors, are expected to be signed. Among the agreements to be signed is one on joint production of rare earth materials.

"I am keenly looking forward to my visit to Japan at the invitation of my good friend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for the annual summit between India and Japan," Modi had said in his pre-departure statement.

Noting that this will be his first bilateral visit outside the immediate neighbourhood as Prime Minister, he said it underlines "the high priority" that Japan receives in India's foreign and economic policies. "It is also a reflection of Japan's paramount importance in my vision for development and prosperity in India and in peace, stability and prosperity in Asia at large," Modi said.

"I am confident that my visit will write a new chapter in the annals of the relations between Asia's two oldest democracies and take our Strategic and Global Partnership to the next higher level," he said.

During his two-day stay in Kyoto, Modi witnessed signing of a pact under which his constituency Varanasi will be developed as a 'smart city' in partnership with the Japanese city, which is a confluence of heritage and modernity.

Abe had specially come to Kyoto from Tokyo to meet Modi. The Japanese Prime Minister rarely greet a foreign leader outside the national capital. On the second day of his Japan tour, Modi on Sunday offered prayers at two prominent ancient Buddhist temples in Kyoto and sought help from a Japanese Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher to develop a treatment for Sickle Cell Anaemia, a deadly disease commonly found among tribal people in India.

In Kinkakuji temple, the Prime Minister mingled with tourists and visitors and posed for photographs with groups of people. He began his day with a visit to the ancient Toji Temple. He was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at the famous temple which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

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Pakistan LIVE: Protesters reach residence of PM Nawaz Sharif - Zee News

• The troops deployed outside PM House have been put on high alert.


• The protesters have reached outside the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as per Dawn news report.


• PAT leader Tahirul Qadri has begun moving towards the Pakistan Secretariat in a vehicle, the IANS reported.


• The protesters are pelting stones at the police in retaliation.


• Police has reached the venue and is trying to control the situation by firing rubber bullets and tear gas shells.


• They are also headed towards the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the deadline given by PTI chief looms.


• Protesters have broken the entrance of Pakistan Secretariat and entered the premises.


• The protesters are armed with sticks and wearing gas masks as well.


• Pakistan police does not have the permission to open fire.


• Security has been tightened after PTI and PAT protesters are being encouraged to move towards Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's residence and war songs are being played on loudspeakers.


• Pakistani Army takes over security of Islamabad, after protests led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Tahir-ul-Qadri continued on Monday.

The Nawaz Sharif government has been witnessing anti-government protests for over two weeks led by PTI and PAT demanding his resignation claiming that last year`s elections were rigged.

Demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the protesters have refused the move from the Islamabad's Red Zone area and are camping outside government offices.

A meeting of the top Army personnel took place at General Headquarters on Sunday night in which they expressed concern over the ongoing political crisis in the country.

The Army also cautioned people against using force after three people were killed in the violence during the protests and hundreds others injured.

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Nifty breaches 8000-mark for first time, Sensex hits new peak; top 15 stocks - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The 50-share NSE Nifty index breached the 8,000-mark for the first time ever in trade on Monday and BSE Sensex logged a new peak of 26,854.08 on the back of positive economic growth data for the April-June quarter.

The rally in Nifty was led by gains in Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, L&T, Hindalco and GAIL.

Tracking the momentum, the S&P BSE Sensex also managed to rally as much as 216 points to hit its fresh record high of 26854.08, supported by gains in capital goods, consumer durables, banks, power and metal stocks.

India's economy expanded at its fastest pace in more than two years in the April-June quarter. India's GDP grew at 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2014-15, exceeding expectations.

At 10:00 a.m.; BSE Sensex was trading 192 points higher at 26831.76. It hit a fresh record high 26854.08 and a low of 26732.39 in trade today.

The 50-share Nifty index also managed to surge over 60 points to hit its fresh record high of 8022.70, led by gains in NTPC, Coal India, Hindalco, L&T and SBI. As much as 65 stocks rose to their fresh 52-week high on the National Stock Exchange.

Here is a list of fifteen stocks which are in focus today:

BPCL, IOC, HPCL: Petrol price was today cut by Rs 1.82 a litre, the third reduction in rates this month, but diesel rates were hiked by 50 paise per litre.

At 10:20 a.m.; BPCL was trading 0.6 per cent higher at Rs 698, HPCL was up 1.4 per cent and IOC was trading 2 per cent higher.

M&M Ltd: Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra, will invest Rs 4,000 crore over a 7-year period to expand its existing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra.

At 10:20 a.m.; M&M was trading 0.13 per cent higher at Rs 1407.

CEAT: Tyre maker Ceat, which plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore through issue of securities, will use majority of the fund to finance expansion of its ongoing projects in Bangladesh and Gujarat.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 3 per cent higher at Rs 605.10.

NTPC: Power major NTPC said it is aiming at 8,000-9,000 MW capacity takeover in stressed power plants but the recent Supreme Court ruling on coal mines may have an impact on the move.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.09 per cent higher at Rs 139.20.

Alstom India Ltd: French electrical engineering group Alstom has won contracts with a total value of 800 million euros to build high-voltage direct current power transmission lines in India, South Korea and Canada, the firm said.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.8 per cent higher at Rs 495.55.

Adani Enterprises Ltd: Adani Enterprises has agreed to pay A$155 million ($145 million) to Linc Energy to buy out the Australian firm's rights to future royalties from Adani's huge but delayed Carmichael coal project, already four years behind schedule.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.8 per cent higher at Rs 482.

ONGC: The oil ministry has ordered an inquiry into the difficulties experienced by the Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) in executing projects, resulting in production targets being missed.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.9 per cent higher at Rs 439.15.

Dewan Housing Finance: US-based Prudential Financial Inc., which manages $1.3 trillion globally, will sell a 50% stake in its Indian asset-management company Pramerica Mutual Fund for an undisclosed sum to Dewan Housing Finance Co., according to three people with direct knowledge of the development.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 2.7 per cent higher at Rs 365.55.

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PM woos Japan business leaders, promises better investment environment ... - Zee News

Tokyo: Speaking on the third day of his Japan visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched for greater cooperation between the two nations and invited the Japanese business leaders to invest in India while promising them better investment opportunities and speedy decisions by his government.

Speaking at business lunch by Nippon Keidanren at Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PM Modi said, “India and Japan have a responsibility beyond that of bilateral relations. Indian and Japanese businessmen can give a direction to the world economy. Naturally, expectations from Japan are high as our ties are much older. We also want to work with Japan in the field of research and skill development.”

Calling for a greater cooperation between the two nations, Prime Minister Modi said, “We know that businessmen need a good environment to grow and this is our responsibility. The state has to be policy driven. We have given importance to good governance and to processes. We are looking at how to integrate technology with Governance.”

“In the coming days you'll get the same speed and response that you have experienced in Gujarat when I was the Chief Minister in past,” PM further said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stressed that the steps taken by him in the past 100 days have yielded positive results. “The initiatives which we have taken in past 100 days, the steps that we taken...the results of which are clear,” he added.

He said that he has made the Prime Minister Office "more efficient, more productive" and have taken a lot of initiatives in our Budget, Defence and Railways.”

During his speech, the Prime Minister also cited the example of Gujarat to woo business leaders of Japan. Modi said that if the Gujarat experience is a parameter, then "that response, that speed", businesses will get in India.

“Being a Gujarati, commerce is in my blood so I understand that it is the policymakers and government's responsibility to provide good environment for businessmen,” PM Modi said.

Modi continued by saying, “Japan is known for quality of its products and India's huge untapped young population can contribute to its workforce requirement.”

Seeking Tokyo's help in developing skill development in India, Modi said, Japan can "really help us with this".

The Prime Minister also announced that a special team will be set up to facilitate Japanese investments in India. “We have decided that directly under PMO we want to create a team that will work to facilitate Japan investments in India,” the PM said, while stressing that “If we want to lead the world's economy then India and Japan have to work together.”

“21st century is Asia's century, the world has accepted it. The question on my mind is - how will it be? We have to provide the answer,” PM Modi stressed,.

After his speech, PM Modi was given a standing ovation by Japanese business honchos at Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

After a busy day in the former Japanese capital Kyoto where he visited two ancient Buddhist temples, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today summit talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Tokyo to bolster bilateral security and economic ties.

The two leaders, who share cordial relations, will have a substantive summit meeting during which they will look at ways to take the Strategic and Global Partnership forward.

Modi has a substantive agenda during the trip which he hopes will "write a new chapter" in bilateral ties and take the Strategic and Global Partnership to a higher level.

Cooperation in the fields of defence, civil nuclear, infrastructure development and rare earth material is expected to top the agenda of the discussions. Some agreements, including in defence and civil nuclear sectors, are expected to be signed. Among the agreements to be signed is one on joint production of rare earth materials.

"I am keenly looking forward to my visit to Japan at the invitation of my good friend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for the annual summit between India and Japan," Modi had said in his pre-departure statement.

Noting that this will be his first bilateral visit outside the immediate neighbourhood as Prime Minister, he said it underlines "the high priority" that Japan receives in India's foreign and economic policies. "It is also a reflection of Japan's paramount importance in my vision for development and prosperity in India and in peace, stability and prosperity in Asia at large," Modi said.

"I am confident that my visit will write a new chapter in the annals of the relations between Asia's two oldest democracies and take our Strategic and Global Partnership to the next higher level," he said.

During his two-day stay in Kyoto, Modi witnessed signing of a pact under which his constituency Varanasi will be developed as a 'smart city' in partnership with the Japanese city, which is a confluence of heritage and modernity.

Abe had specially come to Kyoto from Tokyo to meet Modi. The Japanese Prime Minister rarely greet a foreign leader outside the national capital. On the second day of his Japan tour, Modi on Sunday offered prayers at two prominent ancient Buddhist temples in Kyoto and sought help from a Japanese Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher to develop a treatment for Sickle Cell Anaemia, a deadly disease commonly found among tribal people in India.

In Kinkakuji temple, the Prime Minister mingled with tourists and visitors and posed for photographs with groups of people. He began his day with a visit to the ancient Toji Temple. He was accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at the famous temple which is a UNESCO world heritage site.

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Nifty breaches 8000-mark for first time, Sensex hits new peak; top 15 stocks - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The 50-share NSE Nifty index breached the 8,000-mark for the first time ever in trade on Monday and BSE Sensex logged a new peak of 26,854.08 on the back of positive economic growth data for the April-June quarter.

The rally in Nifty was led by gains in Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, L&T, Hindalco and GAIL.

Tracking the momentum, the S&P BSE Sensex also managed to rally as much as 216 points to hit its fresh record high of 26854.08, supported by gains in capital goods, consumer durables, banks, power and metal stocks.

India's economy expanded at its fastest pace in more than two years in the April-June quarter. India's GDP grew at 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2014-15, exceeding expectations.

At 10:00 a.m.; BSE Sensex was trading 192 points higher at 26831.76. It hit a fresh record high 26854.08 and a low of 26732.39 in trade today.

The 50-share Nifty index also managed to surge over 60 points to hit its fresh record high of 8022.70, led by gains in NTPC, Coal India, Hindalco, L&T and SBI. As much as 65 stocks rose to their fresh 52-week high on the National Stock Exchange.

Here is a list of fifteen stocks which are in focus today:

BPCL, IOC, HPCL: Petrol price was today cut by Rs 1.82 a litre, the third reduction in rates this month, but diesel rates were hiked by 50 paise per litre.

At 10:20 a.m.; BPCL was trading 0.6 per cent higher at Rs 698, HPCL was up 1.4 per cent and IOC was trading 2 per cent higher.

M&M Ltd: Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra, will invest Rs 4,000 crore over a 7-year period to expand its existing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra.

At 10:20 a.m.; M&M was trading 0.13 per cent higher at Rs 1407.

CEAT: Tyre maker Ceat, which plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore through issue of securities, will use majority of the fund to finance expansion of its ongoing projects in Bangladesh and Gujarat.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 3 per cent higher at Rs 605.10.

NTPC: Power major NTPC said it is aiming at 8,000-9,000 MW capacity takeover in stressed power plants but the recent Supreme Court ruling on coal mines may have an impact on the move.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.09 per cent higher at Rs 139.20.

Alstom India Ltd: French electrical engineering group Alstom has won contracts with a total value of 800 million euros to build high-voltage direct current power transmission lines in India, South Korea and Canada, the firm said.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.8 per cent higher at Rs 495.55.

Adani Enterprises Ltd: Adani Enterprises has agreed to pay A$155 million ($145 million) to Linc Energy to buy out the Australian firm's rights to future royalties from Adani's huge but delayed Carmichael coal project, already four years behind schedule.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.8 per cent higher at Rs 482.

ONGC: The oil ministry has ordered an inquiry into the difficulties experienced by the Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) in executing projects, resulting in production targets being missed.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.9 per cent higher at Rs 439.15.

Dewan Housing Finance: US-based Prudential Financial Inc., which manages $1.3 trillion globally, will sell a 50% stake in its Indian asset-management company Pramerica Mutual Fund for an undisclosed sum to Dewan Housing Finance Co., according to three people with direct knowledge of the development.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 2.7 per cent higher at Rs 365.55.

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Nifty breaches 8000-mark for first time, Sensex hits new peak; top 15 stocks - Economic Times

NEW DELHI: The 50-share NSE Nifty index breached the 8,000-mark for the first time ever in trade on Monday and BSE Sensex logged a new peak of 26,854.08 on the back of positive economic growth data for the April-June quarter.

The rally in Nifty was led by gains in Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, L&T, Hindalco and GAIL.

Tracking the momentum, the S&P BSE Sensex also managed to rally as much as 216 points to hit its fresh record high of 26854.08, supported by gains in capital goods, consumer durables, banks, power and metal stocks.

India's economy expanded at its fastest pace in more than two years in the April-June quarter. India's GDP grew at 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2014-15, exceeding expectations.

At 10:00 a.m.; BSE Sensex was trading 192 points higher at 26831.76. It hit a fresh record high 26854.08 and a low of 26732.39 in trade today.

The 50-share Nifty index also managed to surge over 60 points to hit its fresh record high of 8022.70, led by gains in NTPC, Coal India, Hindalco, L&T and SBI. As much as 65 stocks rose to their fresh 52-week high on the National Stock Exchange.

Here is a list of fifteen stocks which are in focus today:

BPCL, IOC, HPCL: Petrol price was today cut by Rs 1.82 a litre, the third reduction in rates this month, but diesel rates were hiked by 50 paise per litre.

At 10:20 a.m.; BPCL was trading 0.6 per cent higher at Rs 698, HPCL was up 1.4 per cent and IOC was trading 2 per cent higher.

M&M Ltd: Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra, will invest Rs 4,000 crore over a 7-year period to expand its existing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra.

At 10:20 a.m.; M&M was trading 0.13 per cent higher at Rs 1407.

CEAT: Tyre maker Ceat, which plans to raise up to Rs 500 crore through issue of securities, will use majority of the fund to finance expansion of its ongoing projects in Bangladesh and Gujarat.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 3 per cent higher at Rs 605.10.

NTPC: Power major NTPC said it is aiming at 8,000-9,000 MW capacity takeover in stressed power plants but the recent Supreme Court ruling on coal mines may have an impact on the move.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.09 per cent higher at Rs 139.20.

Alstom India Ltd: French electrical engineering group Alstom has won contracts with a total value of 800 million euros to build high-voltage direct current power transmission lines in India, South Korea and Canada, the firm said.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 1.8 per cent higher at Rs 495.55.

Adani Enterprises Ltd: Adani Enterprises has agreed to pay A$155 million ($145 million) to Linc Energy to buy out the Australian firm's rights to future royalties from Adani's huge but delayed Carmichael coal project, already four years behind schedule.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.8 per cent higher at Rs 482.

ONGC: The oil ministry has ordered an inquiry into the difficulties experienced by the Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) in executing projects, resulting in production targets being missed.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 0.9 per cent higher at Rs 439.15.

Dewan Housing Finance: US-based Prudential Financial Inc., which manages $1.3 trillion globally, will sell a 50% stake in its Indian asset-management company Pramerica Mutual Fund for an undisclosed sum to Dewan Housing Finance Co., according to three people with direct knowledge of the development.

At 10:20 a.m.; the stock was trading 2.7 per cent higher at Rs 365.55.

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India unveils cheap new village toilets - BBC News

Almost half of all Indians do not have access to a toilet at home

An Indian charity has unveiled 108 new lavatories in a village which gained notoriety when two young girls were found hanged from a tree there in May.

The teenage cousins were killed in Katra Sahadatganj in Uttar Pradesh when they went unaccompanied to relieve themselves in the fields.

Campaigners say the lack of toilets and the need to walk long distances makes women vulnerable to attack.

Nearly half of India's 1.2 billion people have no toilets at home.

Unveiling the brightly-coloured, cheap lavatories on Sunday, the sanitation charity Sulabh International said it aimed to provide the same facility for every dwelling in India.

"I believe no woman must lose her life just because she has to go out to defecate," Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the charity, said.

"Our aim is to provide a toilet to every household in the country in the not-too-distant future," Mr Pathak told the AFP news agency.

The circumstances of the murder of the two young cousins in Katra Sahadatganj remain unclear.

But they were killed when they - like countless other girls and women - walked to the fields in the dark, for privacy, to relieve themselves.

In his Independence Day speech on 15 August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to end open defecation.

"We are in the 21st Century and yet there is still no dignity for women as they have to go out in the open to defecate and they have to wait for darkness to fall," he said.

"Can you imagine the number of problems they have to face because of this?" he asked.

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In Japan, Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe bond over temple tour; will hold talks ... - Times of India

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi will look to cement strategic and defence cooperation with Japan when he meets his counterpart Shinzo Abe on Monday for crucial summit talks. In a move not likely to go unnoticed in Beijing, India is all set to ink an agreement for supply of rare earth metals to Japan and another MoU for defence exchanges.

Japan, which depends on China for most of its supply of rare earth metals, has been looking to diversify its supply sources. It sought cooperation from India over rare earths in 2012 after a fracas with China over Senkaku/Diaoyu islands which saw Beijing temporarily halting rare earth exports to Japan.

The two countries are expected to announce a joint partnership for infrastructure development in India with a major contribution from Japan. They are also likely to upgrade their 2+2 dialogue over overlapping security and defence issues to the ministerial level. India will also look to announce some progress in its negotiations with Japan for nuclear cooperation.

Modi arrived in Tokyo on Sunday evening after a Kyoto heritage tour. Modi's visit is already being hailed as an outstanding success after Abe's gesture of flying to Kyoto to receive him there on Saturday. Modi on Sunday visited two ancient Buddhist temples in Kyoto in Abe's company.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe (centre) during their visit in Toji temple in Kyoto, western Japan, on August 31, 2014. (PTI photo)

Dressed in an all-white kurta pyjama, sleeveless jacket and white sandals, Modi offered prayers at the two prominent Buddhist temples in Kyoto — Toji and Kinkakuji. Official sources said Modi wearing white was a statement about peace and tranquility associated with Buddhism, an Indian "connect'' to Japan.

He first went to Toji temple, which is inspired, as Modi told Abe, by the trinity of Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Modi was at the temple complex for about half-an-hour during which he enquired about the history of the eighth-century Buddhist pagoda.

While leaving the complex, Modi thanked Abe for accompanying him to the temple and spending time with him. Abe, on his part, told Modi that this was only the second time that he had visited Toji temple, the last being during his student days.

In Kinkakuji, Modi mingled with tourists and visitors, shook hands, pulled the ears of a child and posed for photographs with groups of people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for a photo with tourists during his visit at Golden Pavilion Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, on August 31, 2014. (PTI photo)

Abe lauds deep India-Japan historical ties

Lauding Japan's deep historical ties with India, Abe said he was looking forward to the summit meeting with Modi after they spent time together visiting Buddhist temples. "Looking forward to seeing PM Modi again in Tokyo tomorrow," the Japanese PM tweeted.

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Abe spoke about his nation's "deep historical ties" with India. "I am very glad that PM Modi enjoyed the cultural heritage of Japan's ancient capital, Kyoto," Abe tweeted.

... http://t.co/jKWdKrKqQp

— (@AbeShinzo) August 31, 2014

"With PM Modi, I visited Toji temple this morning. Looking at statutes of Buddha, we were reminded of the deep historical ties between Japan and India," Abe said, adding that his dinner meeting with Modi was "very enjoyable".

http://t.co/9SMcEfPdwF

— (@AbeShinzo) August 30, 2014

Modi also sought Japan's help to fight the deadly sickle cell anemia commonly found among tribals in India during his visit to Stem Cell Research Facility at Kyoto University and got a positive response.

Lotus amuses Modi, tells Abe it is BJP party symbol

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Toji temple on Sunday morning, a lotus attached to a statue of Lord Buddha stood out, much to his amusement.

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, who was accompanying Modi during the tour of the ancient temple, wanted to explain the significance of the lotus.

He started detailing the significance and was midway when an amused Modi pointed out that he knows about it. "I know its significance. It is the symbol of my party (BJP)," he told Abe and both had a laugh.

Modi did not elaborate but during the campaign for Lok Sabha polls, he left no stone unturned in advertising the symbol. In the end, BJP got a landslide victory in the elections.

http://ift.tt/1ngXcrA Temple,Shinzo Abe,Narendra Modi Japan Visit,Narendra Modi,Kinkakuji Temple

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Nifty surges past 8000 as markets hit all-time high again - Livemint

All the sectoral indices were trading higher. The BSE consumer durable index was the top sectoral gainer, up 1.1%. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint

Mumbai: Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty touched a record high on Monday morning on better-than-expected first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers and strong foreign fund flows.

In morning trade, the 30-share bellwether BSE Sensex touched an all-time high of 26,827.76, while the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE’s) broader 50-share Nifty hit a lifetime high of 8,018.65.

The Nifty touched the 8,000 mark in just 78 trading sessions after it had hit the 7,000 mark.

At 9.40am, the Sensex was trading higher by 0.59%, or 156.45 points, at 26,794.56 points, while the Nifty was trading up 0.63%, or 50.05 points, at 8,004.40 points.

On Friday, the government released GDP as well as fiscal deficit data. GDP grew at 5.7% in the June quarter—the fastest in more than two years and better than the 4.6% increase in the preceding quarter. The GDP data was driven by strong industrial recovery. Manufacturing activity grew 3.5%, while construction advanced 4.8%—the first clear signs that Indian economy is on a recovery track.

The gainers included Coal India Ltd (CIL), which was trading higher by 2.1% to Rs.363.75 after news reports said that the government is likely to approve disinvestment of the company this week, which may fetch the exchequer Rs.22,000 crore. NTPC Ltd rose 1.7% to Rs.140.1.

All the sectoral indices were trading higher. The BSE consumer durable index was the top sectoral gainer, up 1.1%. The BSE capital goods index gained 0.9%, the BSE Bankex 0.8%, the BSE auto and metal indices 0.7% each, the BSE Teck index 0.5% and the BSE oil and gas and IT indices 0.4% each.

Metal and power generation stocks were trading higher ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the coal block allocations case scheduled on Monday. The Supreme Court on 25 August ruled that all coal block allocations made between 1993 and 2010 are illegal. Analysts, however, are optimistic about a positive outcome to the issue.

Wockhardt Ltd was trading at Rs.721 on BSE, up 4.4% from previous close after the company said that its new drug discovery programme in anti-infective research has received a major boost after two of its drugs, WCK 771 and WCK 2349, received the Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Since the beginning of this year, the Sensex has gained 26.61%, while foreign institutional investors have bought $12.99 billion from local equity markets.

According to the data released by the Controller General of Accounts on Friday, fiscal deficit for the April-July period stood at Rs.3.25 trillion, 61.2% of the budget estimate of Rs.5.31 trillion. The fiscal deficit—total receipts over total expenditure—was 62.8% of the budget estimate during the same period in the previous financial year.

On Monday, the HSBC Manufacturing PMI data, compiled by Markit, will be released at 10.30am for the month of August. The Manufacturing PMI had increased to 53 in July from 51.50 in June.

A monthly meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) is scheduled for 4 September, and there are expectations that the ECB will announce quantitative easing in the coming months to strengthen growth in the euro zone, which may boost market sentiment.

On Friday, markets were closed on account of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Asian markets were trading marginally higher on Monday despite the downward revision of China’s August purchasing managers index to 50.2 from 50.3. China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.4%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was also up 0.4% and Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average advanced 0.2%.

Wall Street indices ended higher on Friday. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, and Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.5% each.

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Toilets for every house: Sulabh launches campaign from Badaun's Katra ... - Financial Express

A ready-for-use toilet in Katra Sadatganj. (Source: Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

SummaryThe NGO’s media advisor Madan Jha said the campaign was in furtherance of women’s right to safe toilets.

NGO Sulabh International on Sunday handed over 108 “low cost” toilets to villagers at Katra Sadatganj in Badaun and adopted the hamlet as model village for a nationwide ‘Toilets for Every House’ campaign. The sanitation drive was launched in the wake of alleged gangrape and murder of two sisters in Katra in May.

The NGO’s media advisor Madan Jha said the campaign was in furtherance of women’s right to safe toilets. “We plan to make the village free of open defecation in phases with 300 more Sulabh toilets in the pipeline,” he added.

Also read: Villages where building a toilet is considered bad luck

Jitender Singh, Sulabh’s pointsman in Katra, said the toilets took nearly three months to build after construction started in early June. He added that initially a team from Sulabh International and the village pradhanpati conducted a survey of village households and found 403 families did not have proper toilets. As many as 108 homes were shortlisted for building the toilets.

Singh added, “One unit costs roughly Rs 30,000. The urinals and tiles were brought from Lucknow whereas masons were roped in from Ushait, located over 10 km from Katra. Since there is no electricity in the village, we hired two generators for Rs 500 each a day to power drilling machines.”

Each toilet has two 100 feet deep waste collection tanks. Singh said for a family of five one tank would take around 8 years to fill after which the second would come into use. By the time the second is full, waste in the first tank would have turned to biomass that could be used in fields as fertilizer.

With ENS Lucknow

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Nifty surges past 8000 as markets hit all-time high again - Livemint

All the sectoral indices were trading higher. The BSE consumer durable index was the top sectoral gainer, up 1.1%. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint

Mumbai: Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty touched a record high on Monday morning on better-than-expected first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers and strong foreign fund flows.

In morning trade, the 30-share bellwether BSE Sensex touched an all-time high of 26,827.76, while the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE’s) broader 50-share Nifty hit a lifetime high of 8,018.65.

The Nifty touched the 8,000 mark in just 78 trading sessions after it had hit the 7,000 mark.

At 9.40am, the Sensex was trading higher by 0.59%, or 156.45 points, at 26,794.56 points, while the Nifty was trading up 0.63%, or 50.05 points, at 8,004.40 points.

On Friday, the government released GDP as well as fiscal deficit data. GDP grew at 5.7% in the June quarter—the fastest in more than two years and better than the 4.6% increase in the preceding quarter. The GDP data was driven by strong industrial recovery. Manufacturing activity grew 3.5%, while construction advanced 4.8%—the first clear signs that Indian economy is on a recovery track.

The gainers included Coal India Ltd (CIL), which was trading higher by 2.1% to Rs.363.75 after news reports said that the government is likely to approve disinvestment of the company this week, which may fetch the exchequer Rs.22,000 crore. NTPC Ltd rose 1.7% to Rs.140.1.

All the sectoral indices were trading higher. The BSE consumer durable index was the top sectoral gainer, up 1.1%. The BSE capital goods index gained 0.9%, the BSE Bankex 0.8%, the BSE auto and metal indices 0.7% each, the BSE Teck index 0.5% and the BSE oil and gas and IT indices 0.4% each.

Metal and power generation stocks were trading higher ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the coal block allocations case scheduled on Monday. The Supreme Court on 25 August ruled that all coal block allocations made between 1993 and 2010 are illegal. Analysts, however, are optimistic about a positive outcome to the issue.

Wockhardt Ltd was trading at Rs.721 on BSE, up 4.4% from previous close after the company said that its new drug discovery programme in anti-infective research has received a major boost after two of its drugs, WCK 771 and WCK 2349, received the Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Since the beginning of this year, the Sensex has gained 26.61%, while foreign institutional investors have bought $12.99 billion from local equity markets.

According to the data released by the Controller General of Accounts on Friday, fiscal deficit for the April-July period stood at Rs.3.25 trillion, 61.2% of the budget estimate of Rs.5.31 trillion. The fiscal deficit—total receipts over total expenditure—was 62.8% of the budget estimate during the same period in the previous financial year.

On Monday, the HSBC Manufacturing PMI data, compiled by Markit, will be released at 10.30am for the month of August. The Manufacturing PMI had increased to 53 in July from 51.50 in June.

A monthly meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) is scheduled for 4 September, and there are expectations that the ECB will announce quantitative easing in the coming months to strengthen growth in the euro zone, which may boost market sentiment.

On Friday, markets were closed on account of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Asian markets were trading marginally higher on Monday despite the downward revision of China’s August purchasing managers index to 50.2 from 50.3. China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.4%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was also up 0.4% and Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average advanced 0.2%.

Wall Street indices ended higher on Friday. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, and Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.5% each.

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After threatening Shah Rukh Khan, mafia don Ravi Pujari targets Boman Irani - Firstpost

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Boman Irani has been provided police protection after he allegedly received a threat call from fugitive underworld don Ravi Pujari.

"Boman Irani has received threat call from Pujari and we have provided him security. We are investigating the case," a senior police official said without specifying the nature of the threat.

Boman Irani. Getty Images

Irani's movie 'Happy New Year', in which he co-stars with Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, is scheduled for release in October.

On 23 August, three persons had opened fire outside the residence of film producer Ali Morani in suburban Juhu.

Two days later, Pujari had allegedly called superstar Shah Rukh Khan's production house Red Chillies and passed on a message to the actor. Pujari told Khan's staff to tell the actor to stay away from Morani, police had earlier said.

The gangster is known to make calls to builders and film personalities.

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Actor Boman Irani Receives Threat Call From Gangster Ravi Pujari - NDTV

Reported by Saurabh Gupta; Written by: Chandni Prashar | August 31, 2014 17:17 IST (New Delhi)

Boman Irani allegedly received the phone call a few days ago

Bollywood actor Boman Irani has been provided with police protection after he allegedly received a threatening call from gangster Ravi Pujari, said sources in the Mumbai Police today.

The actor, whose film Happy New Year, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, is slated to release on Diwali, received the call a few days ago. (Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan Given Additional Protection by Mumbai Police)

Last week, the Mumbai Police had increased the security of actor Shah Rukh Khan after gunmen allegedly fired at the home of his close associate, producer Karim Morani.

Mr Morani had been threatened by an underworld don who allegedly wanted a share of the revenue from international distribution rights to a new Shah Rukh Khan movie. Media reports had identified the don, who allegedly threatened Mr Morani, as Ravi Pujari.

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Will toilets in crime-hit Uttar Pradesh village help battle violence against women? - Firstpost

Abhaya Srivastava/Reuters

Katra Shahadatganj: Decorated with marigolds and ribbons, 108 toilets unveiled in a tragedy-hit village are a small step in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to end open-air defecation for impoverished Indian women.

The spotlessly clean toilets were donated on Sunday to the village in northern Uttar Pradesh state, where scared and vulnerable women had long been forced to trek nightly into the fields to relieve themselves.

"I believe no woman must lose her life just because she has to go out to defecate," said Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of sanitation charity Sulabh which built the toilets.

"Our aim is to provide a toilet to every household in the country in the not too distant future," Pathak told AFP in Katra Shahadatganj village.

The village made headlines around the world in May when the bodies of two schoolgirls were found hanging from a tree. They are thought to have gone out into the fields after dark because their home, like most in their district, lacked a toilet.

A woman stands before a new toilet built in Katra Shahdatganj. AFP.

Police are investigating whether the cousins, aged 12 and 14, were gang-raped, although no one has been formally charged and five men initially accused are set to be released.

The incident sparked uproar in India, echoing the outrage over the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi in 2012.

But the circumstances which led the schoolgirls to trek outside at night are not unusual in India.

UNICEF estimates that almost 594 million -- or nearly 50 percent of India's population -- defecate in the open, with the situation acute in dirt-poor rural areas.

Some 300 million women and girls are forced to squat outside, exposed not only to the risks of disease and bacterial infection, but also harassment and assault by men.

Modi raised the often taboo subject during his Independence Day speech in August, saying India should strive to ensure every household has a toilet within the next four years.

"We are in the 21st century and yet there is still no dignity for women as they have to go out in the open to defecate. Can you imagine the number of problems they have to face because of this?" Modi asked.

Scared of attack

Mother-of-three Dhanwati Devi, one of the villagers to receive a new toilet, said she could finally relieve herself without fear of being attacked in the dark.

"I used to dream my house will have a toilet one day. Now that I have one, I feel so proud and liberated," the 48-year-old told AFP, standing next to the blue and pink painted cubicle adorned with strings of flowers outside her home.

"I used to be so scared when going out in the deserted fields in the dark, because I could be attacked any time by depraved criminals," she said.

The uncle of the girls who were hanged said that for his family, the village's new toilets were symbols of both "hope and despair".

"Each time we see the toilets, we are reminded that our girls died because we didn't have one earlier," the uncle, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told AFP.

"But it also gives hope that our women will be safer now because they no longer have to venture out in darkness."

Successive governments across India, as well as charities and campaign groups, have long struggled to increase the number of toilets in villages and encourage their use. Experts say some households find defecating in the open more convenient, while others face plumbing, sewage and maintenance problems with their new latrines.

"Some people actually see open defecation as preferable to using toilets because of cultural, religious or traditional beliefs," said Zach White, a research officer at the non-profit organisation WaterAid.

"To many, the very idea of defecating in or nearby your own house, albeit in a toilet, is bizarre and seen as less hygienic than defecating on open ground away from where they live," White told AFP.

Lack of toilets and other sanitation issues costs India nearly $54 billion annually including through illnesses such as diarrhoea and lower productivity, a 2012 World Bank study found.

Workers from the Sulabh charity will now focus on educating villagers about improved sanitation and the health benefits of using toilets.

The women of Katra Shahadatganj, however, need no such encouragement.

"It's a luxury to be able to use the toilet when you need to," said Devi.

"Now that we have this luxury, we are not going to let it go to waste."

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Actor Boman Irani Receives Threat Call From Gangster Ravi Pujari - NDTV

Reported by Saurabh Gupta; Written by: Chandni Prashar | August 31, 2014 17:17 IST (New Delhi)

Boman Irani allegedly received the phone call a few days ago

Bollywood actor Boman Irani has been provided with police protection after he allegedly received a threatening call from gangster Ravi Pujari, said sources in the Mumbai Police today.

The actor, whose film Happy New Year, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, is slated to release on Diwali, received the call a few days ago. (Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan Given Additional Protection by Mumbai Police)

Last week, the Mumbai Police had increased the security of actor Shah Rukh Khan after gunmen allegedly fired at the home of his close associate, producer Karim Morani.

Mr Morani had been threatened by an underworld don who allegedly wanted a share of the revenue from international distribution rights to a new Shah Rukh Khan movie. Media reports had identified the don, who allegedly threatened Mr Morani, as Ravi Pujari.

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Pakistan army calls for political solution to political crisis - Xinhua

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's top military commanders on Sunday showed concerns at the ongoing political crisis in the country and called for immediate and peaceful solution to the crisis.

The corps commanders attended a meeting at the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi at a time when supporters of two opposition parties have clashed with the police and security personnel, which left three people dead and injured nearly 500.

The clashes erupted late Saturday when the protestors tried to storm the Prime Minister House and Parliament Houses.

Pakistan political party Tehrik-e-Insaf's chief Imran Khan and religious party Pakistan Awami Tehreek's chief Tahir ul Qadri have camped thousands of their supporters to mount pressure on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Both leaders call for the resignation of the prime minister. The government has ruled out resignation of the prime minister.

As there was not let up in the political crisis, the country's army chief General Raheel Sharif convened an emergency conference of the top commanders to review the situation.

While reaffirming support to democracy, the conference reviewed with serious concern the existing political crisis and the violent turn it has taken, resulting in large scale injuries and loss of lives.

"Further use of force will only aggravate the problem," the military said in a statement at the conclusion of the conference.

"It was once again reiterated that the situation should be resolved politically without wasting any time and without recourse to violent means," the statement said.

The statement said the army remains committed to playing its part in ensuring security of the state and will never fall short of meeting national aspirations.

Hours earlier Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided over a high level meeting in Islamabad and renewed offer of talks to the two opposition leaders, officials said.

Imran Khan and Qadri have refused to hold talks with the government and announced they would continue protests until the prime minister resigns and hold fresh elections. The prime minister has rejected resignation calls.

The meeting maintained that the government adopted the path of negotiations but was betrayed and an invasion was made despite prior commitment. "It was agreed that this undemocratic onslaught should be withdrawn and parties should come back to the negotiation table."

The meeting condemned the attack on the parliament and an attempt to storm the Prime Minister House and regarded it undemocratic and unconstitutional.

The meeting also decided to convene joint session of parliament on Tuesday to review the situation and chalk out a united stand against the attempt to derail the current system.

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Pakistan army calls for political solution to political crisis - Xinhua

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's top military commanders on Sunday showed concerns at the ongoing political crisis in the country and called for immediate and peaceful solution to the crisis.

The corps commanders attended a meeting at the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi at a time when supporters of two opposition parties have clashed with the police and security personnel, which left three people dead and injured nearly 500.

The clashes erupted late Saturday when the protestors tried to storm the Prime Minister House and Parliament Houses.

Pakistan political party Tehrik-e-Insaf's chief Imran Khan and religious party Pakistan Awami Tehreek's chief Tahir ul Qadri have camped thousands of their supporters to mount pressure on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Both leaders call for the resignation of the prime minister. The government has ruled out resignation of the prime minister.

As there was not let up in the political crisis, the country's army chief General Raheel Sharif convened an emergency conference of the top commanders to review the situation.

While reaffirming support to democracy, the conference reviewed with serious concern the existing political crisis and the violent turn it has taken, resulting in large scale injuries and loss of lives.

"Further use of force will only aggravate the problem," the military said in a statement at the conclusion of the conference.

"It was once again reiterated that the situation should be resolved politically without wasting any time and without recourse to violent means," the statement said.

The statement said the army remains committed to playing its part in ensuring security of the state and will never fall short of meeting national aspirations.

Hours earlier Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided over a high level meeting in Islamabad and renewed offer of talks to the two opposition leaders, officials said.

Imran Khan and Qadri have refused to hold talks with the government and announced they would continue protests until the prime minister resigns and hold fresh elections. The prime minister has rejected resignation calls.

The meeting maintained that the government adopted the path of negotiations but was betrayed and an invasion was made despite prior commitment. "It was agreed that this undemocratic onslaught should be withdrawn and parties should come back to the negotiation table."

The meeting condemned the attack on the parliament and an attempt to storm the Prime Minister House and regarded it undemocratic and unconstitutional.

The meeting also decided to convene joint session of parliament on Tuesday to review the situation and chalk out a united stand against the attempt to derail the current system.

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