Berlin  - The European Union plans to resume programs to protect dairy farmers, an EU official said Thursday, the day before one of the world's major farm-products fairs opens for business in the German capital of Berlin.

Mariann Fischer Boel, commissioner for agriculture, said, "The abruptness of the fall in the price of milk in the last few months has surprised a lot of people." The EU ceased subsidizing exports a year and a half ago.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday condemned the aerial bombing of rebel positions by the Sudanese government and fresh clashes between rebel groups in the troubled Darfur region.

The Sudanese government confirmed that its air force bombed positions of the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in south Darfur's Muhajeria area on Tuesday. The UN said JEM rebels also clashed with its rival, the Sudan Liberation Army/Minni Minawi, on Thursday.

IT solutions provider NIIT Technologies posted 51.58 per cent decline in net profit for third quarter ended December 31. Its net profit currently stands at Rs 16.8 crore as compared to Rs 34.7 crore for the same quarter last year.

Tight financial conditions and Forex losses due to fluctuations in Dollar and Pound prices impacted its business leading to decline in net profit during the reporting period. The Joint Managing Director and CEO of NIIT Technologies, Arvind Thakur said, "With major economies moving into recession, our immediate focus has been securing future business with our top clients."

The financial arm of Intel, Intel Capital has announced investment plans for various Indian companies. It would invest $23 million in three Indian companies namely One97 Communications, IndiaMART. com and Global Talent Track.

The company formed an Intel Capital India Technology Fund worth $250-million in December 2005 and a major portion of this fund would be used to fund these companies.

Hanoi  - Workers on a construction project in downtown Hanoi have uncovered a mass grave dating from the country's war for independence from France, a local historian said Thursday.

"As of noon Thursday, 200 remains have been found," said noted historian and National Assembly member Duong Trung Quoc.

Quoc believes the remains belong to Vietnamese independence fighters killed by French troops in 1946-47.

Budapest  - The German engineering firm Bosch announced on Thursday that it is cutting 250 jobs at its largest Hungarian plant due to falling orders.

"Since the end of last year, Bosch's largest Hungarian automotive plant has been faced with ever smaller orders from its partners as a result of the crisis in the automotive industry that began last year," Zsuzsanna Kukaj, spokeswoman for Bosch Hungary, told the local news agency MTI

The job cuts will take effect in February. The number of shifts at the plant will be cut from four to three, Kukaj added.