Car sales drop in December this year

Car sales in India dropped dramatically in December against rest of the year 2009. Thanks to holidays and general assumption of December being inauspicious for new purchases. The car sales growth for the month would be 8 to 9 per cent this month. Contrary to this month, the period of April to November saw best growth figures for all the major auto companies. For instance, Honda Siel Cars India car sales rose 32 per cent in the above said period. It is to be noted that the car sales in India rose 22 per cent in the April-November period due to new car launches, rising incomes and cheap funding by banks. In November only, car sales moved up 67 per cent. The passenger vehicles sales is projected to 18 lakh by the end of current fiscal as compared to 15.5 lakh of fiscal 2009. In the April-November period, several cars were launched in India such as Tata Indigo Manza, Hyundai i20, Fiat Palio and Fiat Linea, Maruti Ritz, Toyota Fortuner and Chevrolet Cruze. In the beginning of the new year, there would be several new launches in Delhi Auto Expo that might take customers to the showrooms. Chevrolet Beat, Volkswagen Polo, Maruti Eeco, Ford Figo and Tata Inidcruz are slated to be launched at the show. Launching of Chevrolet Beat and Volkswagen Polo may change the market scenario which is dominated by Hyundai i20 and Maruti Swift.

Hyundai i10 leaves behind Santro in sales

Hyundai i10 has become the flagship model of Hyundai leaving behind Hyundai Santro. As per the sales figures of last few months, monthly sales of Hyundai i10 have touched 12000 units as against 7000 for the Hyundai Santro. In the year 2000, Hyundai Santro's sales was at 12,000 units a month. It drops to 7,000 units a month at present. Interestingly, Hyundai i10 is priced higher than Hyundai Santro but superior technology, contemporary styling and competitive pricing have made the difference. The company intends to sell around 85,000 units of Santro and 1.4 lakh units of i10 in the current year.
Hyundai Motor India's senior VP, Arving Saxena told that the company is following a multi-model strategy and hopes at consolidated sales of i10 and Santro. Contribution by sales of company's compact cars (i10 and Santro) is remarkable and has a largest customer base. The cars are giving tough competition to Maruti Wagon R, Tata Indica, Maruti Alto and Maruti Zen Estilo. The competition will become more fierce with the launch of Maruti Eeco and Volkswagen Polo in India.

Tata Nano is still price-protected

There is no threat of price hike for Tata Nano. Tata Motors will deliver the small car at the same price on which it was offered. The prices will be the same as before and rising tyre prices and steel prices will not affect it. Prakash M Telang, MD of Tata Motors, told a news agency that the price would not be altered for the present bookings and it will take long time to complete the present bookings. Earlier, the company had committed that the first 1 lakh Tata Nano owners would be price-protected at the ex-showroom prices. All the three variants of the world's cheapest car are available between Rs 1.23 lakh and Rs 1.72 lakh. The company has committed to deliver the first one lakh Nanos, from 2.06 lakh final bookings, by March Next year. The rest of the cars would be delivered to the owners during the next phase. Mr Telang added that prices of steel and tyre are increasing and the company is watching the trend closely. However, he did not disclose company's plan to increase the prices of other Tata Motors models. It is also predicted that new car models like Volkswagen Polo and Maruti Eeco will be launched with added prices in India.

Dangerous pitch causes one-dayer to be abandoned

A dangerous pitch led to the abandonment of Sunday's fifth and final limited-overs international between India and Sri Lanka, leading to crowd unrest and immediate recriminations for Indian officials.
Sent in to bat first, Sri Lanka had crumbled to 83-5 on the difficult Kotla pitch before the third delivery of the 24th over, from India's rookie paceman Sudeep Tyagi, rose dangerously and flew past the face of batsman Thilina Kandamby.
It proved the last straw for Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who complained to match referee Alan Hurst and onfield umpires Marais Erasmus and Shavir Tarapore, and players left the field.
As discussions continued between match officials and local organizers outside the boundary, spectators shouted slogans and abuse at the organizers.
Baton-wielding police were called in to clear the stands of spectators, some of whom had vented their anger by smashing chairs. The teams were whisked away from the stadium before the abandonment was announced more than an hour after the suspension.
Later Sunday, confronted with mounting criticism, the Indian cricket board scrapped its pitches panel.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has disbanded its grounds and pitches committee with immediate effect," cricket board secretary Narainswamy Srinivasan said in a statement.
Srinivasan did not say if the BCCI would take action against New Delhi's cricket association, but local organizing committee chief Arun Jetlie apologized to fans.
"We deeply regret and offer our sincere apologies, this is a serious matter that we will inquire," said Jetlie, president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) and a vice president of the Indian cricket board.
"We will definitely establish what went wrong, but at this stage we do not want to indulge in any blame game and speculation."
Jetlie, who praised the police for preventing spectator spill over, said the decision to call off the game was justified.
"The players' security was uppermost in our mind," he said.
The International Cricket Council was to hold discussions with Hurst about the abandonment.
Former India captains Bishan Singh Bedi and Dilip Vengsarkar slammed the DDCA for the fiasco, with Bedi urging strong action against officials.
"The DDCA has made a mess out of the pitch, they should own up the responsibility," said Bedi.
"I wonder how the organizers used a use a pitch for an international match when it had not even been used for domestic Ranji Trophy games."
Vengsarkar said the now-disbanded BCCI pitch panel was responsible.
"It's shameful that such a pitch was prepared for an international match," said Vengsarkar. "Some deliveries were rearing up even from good length."
Nearly two months ago, a one-day international between India and Australia was played on the newly laid Kotla pitch, which India won by seven wickets.
This is the second time and India-Sri Lanka one-dayer has been abandoned due to a dangerous pitch. In 1997, a limited-overs international in the central Indian city of Indore was stopped after just three overs.
The International Cricket Council then banned Indore from hosting any international match for two years.
On Sunday, steeply rising deliveries caused problems to the batsmen from the start and one such delivery from paceman Ashish Nehra struck opener Tillakaratne Dilshan on his elbow. The batsman was given onfield treatment before play resumed.
Failing to cope with the bounce, Sri Lanka slumped to 63-5 as pace ace Zaheer Khan claimed 2-31 from his eight overs, while debutant Tyagi got 1-15. Spinner Harbhajan Singh (1-12) claimed the fifth wicket.
Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya, who also featured in the abandoned Indore match 12 years ago, was his team's top-scorer with 31 off 51 balls.
India won the series 3-1.

Pune girl climbs highest peak in Antarctica

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) Braving temperatures of minus 50 degrees Celsius and howling chilly winds, Pune girl Krushnaa Patil successfully scaled Mt. Vinson Massif, the highest peak of Antarctica Tuesday, her family said here Saturday.

The feat comes close on the heels of conquering the world's highest mountain,

Mt. Everest May 21 and Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895m) in Africa in October, her mother Ranjana Patil told IANS.

'We are proud of her achievements, she has brought laurels to the country,' gushed Ranjana on hearing of Krushnaa's feat under extremely hazardous conditions on the icy continent inhabited only by penguins.

In fact, for the past four days, she is holed up in her base camp, around 1,000 metres below the peak and is unable to move in view of the bad weather in the region, she said.

After the trek on treacherous icy Antarctica mountains lasting for nearly a week, Krushnaa and her team, Antarctic Expeditions & Logistics, reached the base camp Dec 22.

In view of the threatening weather conditions, they decided to make it a

touch-and-go-affair - quickly go to the peak of Mt. Vinson Massif - at 4,897 metres - and return the same day.

They did - going and coming back after the conquest - all within seven hours, returning at 5 a.m.

Krushnaa called up her dad Madhav and Ranjana only the next day, from the base camp and broke the news - her mother had tears of joy in her eyes.

But, though freezing in Antarctica for the past five days, she is now hot on the trail of another peak - Argentina's 6,961 metres high Mt. Aconcagua.

'Krushnaa has a desire to conquer all the peaks in the different continents of the world. This year so far, she has done Mt. Everest in Asia, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, and Mt. Vinson Massif in Antarctica,' Ranjana said.

Now, her daughter wants to conquer the tallest peak of South America -- Mt. Aconcagua, then during the course of next year scale Mt. Eldrus of Europe (5,642 metres), Australia's tallest peak Mt. Kosciuszko (2,228 metres) and Mt. Mckinley in Alaska (6,194 metres).

The expedition to Antarctica was partly sponsored by the travel portal, cleartrip.com and financial support received from Maharashtra Chief Minister's office, the Shiv Sena and a few other private sponsors.

Krushnaa, an undergraduate student, pursuing B.A. at Pune University, is a professional Indian classical dancer and choreographer, and also designs dance costumes, jewellery and home interiors.

The only child of her parents, Krushnaa is a keen environmentalist and wants to work in the area of eco-conservation programmes, including global warming.

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Ten years after the destruction of Raccoon City, former S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team member Chris Redfield is an agent of the B.S.A.A. This paramilitary anti-bio-organic weapons organization travels the globe to seek out and destroy Umbrella Corporation's creations, which have fallen into the hands of terrorists following the collapse of the multinational pharmaceutical company. When Chris gets a tip that a known weapons dealer will be making a big deal in the remote African nation of Kijuju, he heads there to put a stop to it and learn what he can about the mysterious doomsday project known only as Uroboros. Chris is joined by Sheva Alomar, a local B.S.A.A. agent, and together they battle wave after wave of infected villagers, horribly mutated monsters, and even series archnemesis, Albert Wesker.

The core combat mechanics haven't fundamentally changed since Resident Evil 4. The action still unfolds from an over-the-shoulder perspective, certain battles or cutscenes are accompanied by brief quick-time events, and you still have to stop moving to fire your weapon (though you gain a bit more mobility thanks to your newfound ability to walk sideways). Resident Evil 5's slow movement and gunplay take some time to get used to, and folks expecting a run-and-gun game may find the action too sluggish for their tastes. Fortunately, this slowness isn't really an issue within the game, because enemies are deliberate with their attacks and are better handled with a cool head and steady aim. Though the Xbox 360 controller is fully supported, the standard keyboard/mouse combo offers vastly superior aiming precision and control, which makes it by far the better option.

Regardless of how similar the combat in Resident Evil 5 is to its predecessor, the addition of a second character makes encounters feel quite different. Teamwork is necessary to take down more powerful enemies and bosses, and having someone to watch your back goes a long way toward keeping you alive. Furthermore, there have been radical changes made to the inventory management system. The immersion-breaking briefcase from the previous game is gone, and enemies no longer politely wait for you to rummage through your things because bringing up your armory doesn't pause the action. Each character can store up to nine items, and as long as you properly organize your inventory using the simple click-and-drag interface, all of your items are only a single keystroke away, which offers an unprecedented level of accessibility to your gear. It's often necessary to trade items with your partner, and keeping track of who has what at all times is crucial, especially during boss encounters.

Sheva's artificial intelligence makes her a competent companion, though her degree of skill seems to rely more on her armaments than anything else. She is extremely good at using burst fire with a machine gun, for example, but she tends to waste ammo when equipped with a handgun. That said, at no point does she feel like extra baggage that needs babysitting (unlike some of the series' previous companions), and she can hold her own in a fight. Sheva really shines when there's someone else controlling her. Resident Evil 5 supports online co-op play through Games for Windows Live, and exploring Kijuju with a friend greatly enhances both the experience and the fun factor. Every game has the potential to go multiplayer, since other online players can join in on a free-for-all or invite-only basis if your game session is set up to allow this from the get-go.

Despite these conveniences, there are some frustrating hurdles that need to be leaped over before a partner can begin playing. Co-op isn't drop-in, so if someone joins, gameplay is interrupted and immersion is broken to some degree because the player who joined has to sit on the sidelines until the host either restarts or continues on to the next checkpoint. Another major problem is that players' main inventories are isolated from one another, and though you can trade healing items and ammunition, weapons are off-limits for exchange, making some battles more difficult if you're playing with a partner who is not as well equipped as you.

Resident Evil 5 isn't a survival horror game, but that doesn't mean it hasn't learned a great deal from the genre. Tension is the central element of survival horror games, and in the past, tension has been conveyed by the gloomy settings, the sense of isolation, and the frustratingly clunky camera angles and controls. All RE5 does differently is convey this feeling through other outlets. Having a partner introduces new types of tension, because you're forced to rely on each other's support, find ways to manage both of your inventories during battles, and cover larger areas since enemies can appear from almost anywhere. Waves of enemies wax and wane with just the right frequency, and while the brightly lit environments make them less scary, they can be tough to deal with because they attack in large numbers and are smarter, faster, and stronger than their counterparts in previous games. Major encounters and boss fights are doled out with excellent pacing, and since you're never sure what to expect around the corner, you have to remain vigilant.

RE5 is one of the most visually stunning games available, and its huge variety of environments is meticulously detailed in every way. There are lots of large, open areas, and you'll constantly be on the move through them since there are usually so many enemies. In-game cutscenes are top-notch (though sometimes a bit over-the-top), and Chris and Sheva are incredibly well animated, especially their faces. If you happen to have the right collection of equipment, you can also take advantage of Nvidia's 3D Vision technology to experience Resident Evil 5 in stereoscopic 3D. The dialogue is often full of the trademark goofiness found in the series. The voice acting is competent, and when paired with the excellent facial expressions, it breathes a great deal of realism into the characters. Likewise, the fantastic orchestral soundtrack heightens the gameplay with everything from the low-key, ambient tracks that play during downtimes to the frantic, upbeat songs that accompany the massive boss battles.

On the first play-through, Resident Evil 5 lasts about 12 hours, which is considerably shorter than its predecessor. Once you're finished, though, there's still plenty to see and do. There are hidden B.S.A.A. badges scattered throughout most levels to find; you can strive to get better scores or times in each chapter to show off on the online leaderboards; and there are three initial difficulties available with a fourth unlockable. In-game points can be spent on collectible trophies of various characters and enemies, on additional costumes and graphics filters, and on special infinite-ammo versions of guns that you've fully upgraded. The Mercenaries minigame also returns in a format that is very similar to its last incarnation but with support for co-op. While it's disappointing that the Versus multiplayer mode available as downloadable content on the console releases is nowhere to be seen, a new PC-exclusive mode called No-Limit is included. No-Limit pits you against ridiculously huge mobs of enemies but is otherwise identical to the standard Mercenaries mode.

Resident Evil 5 successfully builds on the foundation of its predecessor while taking a drastically different direction. Having a partner introduces new degrees of gameplay depth and dramatic tension that make the game much more exciting to play. Though the slower, more deliberate movement and shooting may not appeal to everyone, this sequel's frequent large-scale battles and co-op play still offer a fun and exciting adventure.