New Delhi, May 17 : An ever-increasing number of Indians want to indulge in adventure tourism but are deterred by high costs and lack of trust in operators managing such activities in the country, a survey revealed Friday.

'Adventure Travel Survey', conducted by online travel portal TripAdvisor, highlighted the evolving trends and preferences of the Indian traveller.

According to the survey, around 46 percent respondents are willing to try out extreme adventure sports, but 51 percent of them will not participate in adventure activities managed by Indian operators and 60 percent were deterred by high costs.

New Delhi, May 17 : India has told Sri Lanka not to dilute the autonomous powers granted to its Tamil-majority northern province ahead of provincial elections, official sources said Friday.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid also sought the early release of 31 Indian fishermen detained in Sri Lanka.

Khurshid made the observations during a telephonic discussion with his Sri Lankan counterpart G. L. Peiris.

According to the sources, the Indian minister demanded freedom for the 26 Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan prisons.

Chennai, May 17 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Friday urged the prime minister to order the implementation of the final award of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday, Jayalalithaa said: "I exhort you to order the Ministry of Water Resources to constitute the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee without any further delay."

New Delhi, May 17 : Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor oozed oomph in a voluminous white floral gown by Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana on day two of the 66th Cannes International Film Festival.

The actress flaunted a D&G gown at the premiere of "Jeune & Jolie" after making India-inspired statements in apparel by Anamika Khanna and Shehla Khan on the first day of the extravaganza. She is at the Cannes fest as the L'Oreal Paris ambassador.

"Sonam Kapoor in custom Dolce and Gabbana for Cannes 2013," Sonam's sister Rhea posted on Twitter, along with a picture of the actress.

New Delhi, May 17 : Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap will be conferred with the French honour Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters for his efforts in the promotion of Indian cinema across the globe.

India is the guest country at the ongoing 66th Cannes International Film Festival, which began Wednesday. It celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema.

French Culture Minister, Aurelie Filippetti will confer the Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) honour on Kashyap at a ceremony during the Cannes film fest May 20, said a statement.

New Delhi, May 17 : Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Friday lauded Border Security Force (BSF) personnel for guarding areas prone to infiltration and said more facilities would be provided to the troopers deputed on the border-posts.

"The government is aware about the difficult conditions in which BSF personnel work. Their task becomes more difficult in adverse climatic conditions. The government is taking every possible step to enhance the service conditions of the BSF," Shinde said at 11th investiture ceremony of the BSF here.

Kolkata, May 17 : State-owned energy major ONGC Friday said there is a huge scope of upward revision of the shale gas estimates for the country.

As per the US government's EIA (Energy Information Administration) estimates, India's four basins - Damodar, KG, Cambay and Cauvery - have shale gas resources of around 290 trillion cubic feet, of which 63 TCF is considered technically recoverable.

"There is huge scope of upward revision of the EIA estimates of 63 TCF for the country, which are merely based on the available conventional data from these basins," Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) chairman Sudhir Vasudeva said here.

New Delhi, May 17 : Indian fashion designer Sanchita Ajjampur believes she took a "risk" with an "unconventional" ensemble - a "gild web gown" for actress Freida Pinto at the 66th Cannes International Film Festival. The hard work, she says, paid off.

Freida wore the designer's custom-made creation for the premiere of "Jeune & Jolie" Thursday.

New Delhi, May 17 : Global ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) Friday said its outlook on India remained negative and there was a one-in-three likelihood of a downgrade within the next 12 months.

The agency affirmed its 'BBB-' long-term and 'A-3' short-term unsolicited sovereign credit ratings on India. “The outlook on the long-term rating remains negative,” S&P said in a report released in Singapore.

Bangalore, May 17 : Leading Turkish private bank Turkland Bank has deployed Finacle software product of Indian IT bellwether Infosys for its core banking, customer relationship management and treasury operations.

"Implementation of our core banking software (Finacle) at Turkland Bank is the first of its kind in Turkey, blending local practices with global best practices as the product meets the needs of retail and corporate customer segments," Infosys said in a statement here Friday.

New Delhi, May 17 : Cricketer Ajit Chandila had approached two more Indian Premier League (IPL) players to be part of the spot fixing after bookies asked him to rope in more people, police sources said Friday.

"During questioning, Chandila told police that he met bookies at Country Club in Manesar (adjoining Delhi) on April 6. In the meeting, the bookies asked him to rope in more players for spot fixing. He gave two names and the bookies asked him to bring them to a party where the deal could be discussed," police sources told IANS.

However, the two cricketers refused to be attend the party.

New Delhi, May 17 : "Rockstar" actress Nargis Fakhri has bagged a "key" role in Varun Dhawan-starrer "Main Tera Hero".

The movie, produced by Balaji Motion Pictures, will be directed by Varun's father David Dhawan. Actress Ileana D'Cruz, whose performance in "Barfi!" was widely appreciated, is already a part of the movie.

“Ileana and Nargis are playing key roles in the film 'Main Tera Hero'," Girish Johar, head of acquisition and distribution, Balaji Motion Pictures, told IANS.

"Details are being worked upon," he added.

Bollywood fashionista Sonam Kapoor has called upon her friends, family and fans to conserve water. She has lent support to a campaign Pani Bachao Life Banao.

A three-month-long corporate social responsibility initiative by 92.7 BIG FM, the campaign aims to create awareness about saving water in the country.

“People should follow simple tips at home to save water, like using buckets for bath instead of showers, not keeping tap open with water running and many such small vigilant steps that contribute to creating larger difference in the society,” Sonam said in a statement.

New Delhi, May 17 : "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone are ready to take the small screen route to promote their forthcoming romantic film. They will shoot together with the cast of the serial "Pyaar Ka Dard Hai".

The duo will shoot with the cast in Mumbai Monday.

"They are doing this for the promotion of their movie. They will be coming to celebrate Pankhuri's (lead female character's) birthday," said a source.

The special episode, featuring the Bollywood stars, will air May 27.

New Delhi, May 17 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said his government was willing to engage constructively with trade unions to address issues like curbing inflation, generating employment and strictly implementing labour laws.

IT services provider Mahindra Satyam announced on Thursday that its quarterly net profit dropped 15 per cent year-on-year.

The Hyderabad-based company said that its net profit fell to Rs 454 crore in the three months ended March 31, from Rs 534 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

New Delhi, May 17 : Conglomerate ITC's fourth quarter (January to March) 2012-13 net jumped by 19.4 percent.

It posted a net profit of Rs. 1,927.98 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 as compared to Rs. 1,614.36 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2012.

Total Income has increased from Rs. 7,145.44 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 to Rs. 8,511.38 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2013. (IANS)

Southern television giant, Sun TV Network has recorded an increase of 11.61 per cent in net profit to Rs. 177.50 crore during the quarter till March 2013 compared to Rs. 159.03 crore during the same quarter of the previous financial year.

Kalanithi Maran-owned Sun TV Network said that its sales rose 10.69% to Rs. 472.67 crore in the quarter from January to March, 2013 compared to against Rs 427.01 crore recorded in the fourth quarter of the financial year 2011-2012.

Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited has said that its total turn-over has risen 18 per cent to Rs. 6,253 crore during the financial year 2012-13.

The company also said that its net profit fell to Rs. 518 crore during the financial year compared to Rs. 758 crore recorded in the previous financial year 2011-2012. The board of the company had announced 100 per cent dividend and the company has also increased the pay-out ratio of 18 per cent compared to pay-out ratio of 8 per cent in the previous year.

Mumbai, May 17 : When it comes to fashion and style, Deepika Padukone puts the best foot forward. The model-turned-actress feels it is good to keep up with the times, but suggests fashion trends should not be followed blindly.

"Don't try and follow fashion blindly. Yes, of course, trends keep changing, fashion keeps changing and people believe that you should keep up with the times and I don't think that's a bad thing to do. But think at the same time, you should not forget your own personality, the person that you are, your body type, your confidence level and dress accordingly," said the actress while sharing fashion tips at an event.