Nagpur, Nov. 9 : Australia centurion Simon Katich accused India of negative tactics in the fourth and final test after his own side''s defensive batting on Saturday (November 8) had marred their chances of forcing a series-levelling victory.

India''s bowlers operated successfully to a packed off-side field to restrict the runs when the tourists needed to post a commanding first innings total at a fast rate to get into a position to grab a result.

"You are kidding me, are you not? We were the defensive with an 8-1 field?" Katich asked reporters while replying to a query on sluggish run rate in the first session in central Nagpur city, hosting the fourth and final test between India and Australia.

The ongoing global financial crisis is badly impacting steel companies across the country. They are taking various cost cutting measures to cover their losses. Major steel companies such as JSW, Essar and Ispat Industries have already cut down their production due to steep decline in demand across various sectors.

CFO of JSW Steel, Sheshagiri Rao said that steel industry is dealing with low demand by announcing production cuts. He however said that that the situation would soon become normal.

Washington, Nov 9 : A research team led by an Indian origin scientist has pioneered a new form of bone marrow transplantation that can prove safe and effective in curing sickle cell disease.

The research team led by Dr Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Children''s Hospital developed a new approach of bone marrow transplantation which relies on reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC).

RIC regimens are less toxic to patients and therefore can be offered to patients with severe sickle cell disease because they eliminate life-threatening side effects generally associated with bone marrow transplantation.

Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh is going to visit Oman and Qatar from November 8 to 10. Mr. Singh would discuss various matters such as two-way investments, energy security and safety of Indians working in Gulf region. Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vyalar Ravi, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and other senior official would also accompany the PM.

India may import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to satisfy growing demand of energy in the country. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora said on Friday that Indian oil and gas companies must involve in Russian oil and gas fields.

Mr. Deora recently visited Russia and discussed various issues with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 5. He asked the PM for two million tonnes of LNG per year from Russia's Sakhalin LNG project. He also raised the issue of stake in big-ticket Sakhalin-3 oil and gas field in the meeting with the Russian PM.

The biggest steel maker in the world, ArcelorMittal has decided to reduce production of steel following slow demand due to global economic crisis. Its margin has been impacted due to slow demand by reality and automobile sector. Analysts of Citigroup Inc., Johan Rode and Peter Marcus has forecasted the decline in demand in the coming year. Many Russian, South Korean and Japanese steel giants have already decided to reduce production after noting decline in demand.