‘India can sustain 8 to 9 per cent growth rate’

October 5th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Fifty-one percent or one out of two Pakistanis think that President Asif Ali Zardari is a popular politician, while 47 percent oppose it, a new survey has revealed. Zardari's visit to the US was favoured by only 33 per cent of the respondents and opposed by 60 per cent, according to the Democracy International and Public Poll International survey.

September 25th, 2009 PITTSBURGH - Reflecting the growing economic clout of India, China, Brazil, and other fast-growing developing countries, the G20 will permanently replace G8, the once elite club of rich industrial nations, as a global forum for economic policy. The Group of 20 - leaders of 20 countries representing 90 percent of the world's economic output - meeting here for a two-day summit will make the announcement later Friday as they wind down their deliberations focusing on the financial crisis and how to avoid one in future, the CNN reported.

September 18th, 2009 LONDON - Indian plans to set numerical targets for curbing greenhouse gas emissions were described Friday as a breakthrough that challenges the US and other rich nations over climate change action. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told The Times of London legislation was being drafted to limit India's carbon footprint ahead of a UN climate change summit in Copenhagen December.

September 1st, 2009 LONDON - A new survey has found that most British men living in cities have romantic notions of love and choose to settle down and have children than be womanizers. Match.com, which conducted the poll, found that sixty-two per cent of men in London wish to marry compared with 46 per cent in the West Midlands and 47 per cent in Wales.

August 23rd, 2009 LONDON - An opinion poll in Britain has revealed that more than two thirds of people in the country want British troops o pull out of Afghanistan. The BPIX poll, which interviewed 2,031 adults via the Internet on August 20 and 21, found that 69 per cent didn't believe that British forces should be fighting in Afghanistan, as against 31 per cent who thought the mission was worthwhile, The Daily Star reports.

August 23rd, 2009 KUALA LUMPUR - If a new survey is anything to go by, a good night's sleep is much better than great sex. In a global sleep study of more than 12,500 frequent travellers, conducted by Westin Hotels, 52 per cent Asian respondents felt that a great night's sleep trumped great sex, reports the New Straits Times Online.

August 20th, 2009 LONDON - Almost twenty percent of British women have gone to work without wearing their knickers, says a new book. The book titled '8 Out Of 10 Brits' by Charlie Croker has revealed that women own 22 pairs of knickers on average - and nearly 1in 5 has gone to work knickerless.

August 6th, 2009 LONDON - French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent jogging collapse has shot up his popularity by 12pct. The first opinion poll since his heath scare has shown a 12 per cent increase in those who think that the 54-year-old politician is succeeding as head of state.

July 20th, 2009 LONDON - A poll released on Monday by the Royal Commonwealth Society in London has found that more than three-quarters of Australians were far less attached to their membership of the Commonwealth than other developing countries, including India. Royal Commonwealth Society took the survey, after reviewing more than 6000 people who had gathered to mark the Commonwealth's 60th anniversary from seven Commonwealth member countries - Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Jamaica, Malaysia and South Africa.

July 16th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Call it "materialism" or simple liking, but most people prefer to sacrifice breakfast than live without their mobile phones or favourite bag, a new Australian study has found. The research conducted by arnold and bolingbroke on the bequest of American Express focussed on the attachment Aussies have to the personal possessions they carry every day.

July 11th, 2009 ON BOARD AIR INDIA ONE - Sounding a note of caution that the international environment was not gong to be supportive in the current phase of global economic crisis, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that he is confident that India will be able to sustain its 8-10 percent growth rate to come out of the crisis. "I return home convinced that we must continue to strengthen our steps at home to regain the 8-10 percent growth path.

June 30th, 2009 LONDON - The British economy shrank by 2.4 percent in the first quarter - the fastest rate of shrinkage in more than 50 years, according to official figures released Tuesday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the contraction between January and March was the fastest since 1958.

June 11th, 2009 NICOSIA - Despite the global financial crisis, the majority of businesses in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states expect that in 2009 they will have a similar growth as in 2008. A study by human resources consulting firm Mercer has shown that 73 per cent of companies in the GCC have set targets for higher or similar growth in 2009 compared to 2008, while 94 per cent believe it is very likely or somewhat likely that these targets will be met.

June 1st, 2009 CANBERRA - An Australian senator-Barnaby Joyce - has described Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as a "psycho chook" with peculiar habits, while another senator-Mark Arbib - admits Rudd is no Mother Teresa. Some 18 months after the 2007 election, voters have a clearer picture of the man they chose over long-term PM John Howard.

April 22nd, 2009 MADRID - President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over the growing trade relations between India and Spain and spoke about a wide spectrum of issues on which both the countries can benefit through mutual cooperation. President Patil, on this occasion, addressed a joint business meet, comprising leaders of the business delegation from India and businesspersons from Spain and India.