Sachin Tendulkar is available for IPL 5: Mumbai Indians

New Delhi: The Mumbai Indians have rubbished the reports that their skipper Sachin Tendulkar is doubtful for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League.

"Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar will be joining the in-progress camp at Wankhede Stadium from 31st March 2012 and is fully available for the entire IPL season 5," Mumbai Indians said in its statement.

Reports had been doing the rounds that Sachin might have to give the tournament a miss due to an old toe injury, which has resurfaced and might need surgery.

But Sachin is in London for what is merely a routine check-up of an old toe injury. "Sachin is in UK to consult his doctor and will be back in India to join the camp from 31st March", Mumbai Indians said.

The IPL is all set to commence on April 4 in Chennai, where Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians, the last year's second runner-up will take on defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.

Tendulkar, who notched up his 100th international ton in the recently-concluded Asia Cup, also did not attend the BCCI-organised felicitation function of the retired batsman Rahul Dravid last evening at a hotel near his residence here, as he had already left for England.

Sachin had suffered an injury to his toe almost a decade ago. It came back to haunt him last September and upset his plans to play the ODI series in England after a not-too-successful run in the four-Test series that preceded it.

He was withdrawn from the team sheet before the first ODI, which was washed out. And then the BCCI issued a statement, saying that Tendulkar had been ruled out of the series "due to a toe injury".

Tendulkar had consulted a specialist in London after suffering the injury and was advised four weeks' rest.

Tendulkar came back to play the Test rubber against the West Indies at home after missing the Champions League Twenty20, which was won by Mumbai Indians under the stand-in-skipper Harbhajan Singh.

But after playing the Test series against the Windies, Tendulkar again opted to rest for the ODI series.

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9 Indians in Forbes Asia Power Businesswomen list

New York: 

ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochchar, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and film producer Ekta Kapoor are among the nine Indian women named in Forbes magazine's inaugural 'Asia Power Businesswomen list'.

The list names 50 "pathbreakers", whose extraordinary business success is driving the region's remarkable economic rise, Forbes said.

"Although the role of women in Asia-Pacific's economy is growing, most of these honorees still have had to overcome significant barriers to get where they are today," it said, adding the business success of the 50 women on its list is a combination of capital, ideas, energy and leadership.

The list also includes Britannia Industries Managing Director Vinita Bali, 56 years, HT Media Chairman and Editorial Director Shobhana Bhartia, 55 years, AZB & Partners Founder and Senior Partner Zia Mody, 55 years, Axis Bank CEO and Managing Director Shikha Sharma, 53 years, and Tractors & Farm Equipment Chairman Mallika Srinivasa, 52 years.

Kapoor, 36, is the youngest on the list who as a "TV and movie producer is lighting a fire under Bollywood," Forbes added.

HCL Corp Executive Director and CEO Roshni Nadar Malhotra, 30, is on a separate list of 15 power women to watch out for.

The list includes CEOs, founders and executives from China, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam whose "extraordinary business success is driving some of this region's most exciting growth and prosperity".

"These 50 dynamic women not only represent game-changers within their respective industries, but they also have inspired and empowered scores of talented women to follow suit," the publication said.

Others on the list include HSBC Asia Pacific's non- executive Deputy Chairman Laura Cha (62 years), Morgan Stanley CEO and Managing Director China, Co-CEO Asia Pacific Wei Sun Christianson, 55 years, Singapore Telecom Group CEO Chua Sock Koong, 42 years, Hyundai Group Chairman Hyun Jeong-Eun, 57 years and Temasek Executive Director and CEO Ho Ching, 58 years.

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40,000 Indians to be allowed to work in Europe, says report

London:  At least 40,000 Indians may be allowed to work in Europe, including 12,000 in Britain alone, under a secret trade plan between the European Union and New Delhi, a media report said, citing leaked documents.

The EU has proposed that 40,000 Indian workers will be admitted to Europe without any labour market test as part of the plan to boost export trade with New Delhi, the 'Daily Mail' reported, quoting a leaked copy of the EU/India Free Trade Agreement, which is due to be signed later this year.

Central to the agreement is the EU's offer on what is known as "Mode 4", which will allow Indian companies to bring temporary workers into the EU, the newspaper said.

According to the leaked papers, out of 40,000 Indians who would be allowed to work in Europe, Britain has been asked to take 12,000, which is 30 per cent of the total allocation, despite the UK making up 12 per cent of the EU's population. (Read: Britain may have to admit 12,000 Indian worker)

The 12,000 Indian migrants, who would be able to live and work in Britain for six months, will be in addition to people given visas under Britain's supposedly strict immigration cap, the newspaper said.

A large number of beneficiaries will be IT workers who already arrive in Britain from India in large numbers, the report added.

According to EU officials, in return for opening up the jobs market, countries such as Britain will be helped to land lucrative export deals.

The negotiations on the India deal -- which was first initiated by Former EU Trade Commissioner Lord Mandelson in 2007 and subsequently have been led by Business Department -- was going on in the shadows for years, the daily said.

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