SC notice to DD on Chandrakanta
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to Doordarshan on an application by Prime Channel, producers of the mega serial Chandrakanta which prayed that the serial be permitted to be telecast on DD-1 simultaneously with that of the Star Plus channel. Doordarshan had terminated the telecast of Chandrakanta though there was a confirmed contract for a further 64 episodes in April 1996.
Tourists' leisure is good business for travel firms
As the flow of business travellers from India narrows to a trickle due to the economic downturn, Mumbai-based travel companies have found a new way to make their balance-sheets look healthy. Baiting the leisure traveller with discount tours packaged with attractive window dressing makes good business sense, they figure. And, with the onset of summer, travel agents scent a bonanza in store.
Nature's treasure chest
Rain forests are dense, steamy forests that grow in tropical regions -- where it is hot and there is rainfall almost every day. The trees in this region are tall and provide a home for many people. They are also home to a great variety of plant and animal life. There are so many trees comprising a rain forest that they even affect the weather.
World Vignettes
It's no more a dog's life -- For the dog who has everything, there is now something else: A special ice cream for dogs. Available in either chocolate or vanilla flavour, Pfiffi Meistereis comes in the shape of a dog's head and is being launched in the Tengelmann chain of shops in Berlin.
Mahajan panel for decontrol of sugar industry
Decontrol the sugar industry over two years and discontinue its supply through the Public Distribution System (PDS). Recommending this to the Government, the committee headed by former food secretary B B Mahajan has also called for a 40 per cent import duty on sugar to protect the domestic industry.
FM's hard-sell on BJP in US
India's new Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has pledged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government would go ahead "full throttle" with economic reforms despite alarmist reports about the so-called swadeshi hand in the party. In the first foray by a BJP minister to foreign shores, Sinha told a highly sceptical audience of American and NRI investors that they had little to fear from the BJP.
