Dhaka - Bangladesh's military-backed government on Saturday dismissed Indian media reports alleging involvement of a Bangladesh-based group in the recent serial blasts in north- east India that left 77 people killed.

"The allegation is totally baseless and, as in the past, have no evidence to back them up," Bangladesh foreign ministry said in a statement trashing the Indian claims.

Indian agencies have alleged that Bangladesh-based banned Islamist organisations are involved in the blasts.

An Indian opposition political leader, L K Advani also pointed a finger to Bangladesh for the violence that injured more than 300 others asking Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for action against the perpetrators of the Thursday's carnage.

Ace Bollywood beauty Kareena Kapoor has been appointed as the new brand ambassador of PepsiCo India Holdings (Frito-Lay Divison) to endorse its snack food products.

In a press statement, Kareena said, “It is a privilege to be associated with the brand as it is a big hit among youngsters. I’m excited and looking forward to a long and fulfilling association with the brand.”

Bebo will be seen with loving beau Saif Ali Khan, multi-talented actress Juhi Chawla and flamboyant cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a new ad campaign for the product.

Washington, November 1: India is lagging far behind many countries when it comes to creating new innovative products and technologies, according to a new study.

It figures among the nations with lowest ranks in a new list of the world''s most innovative countries, based on the time it takes for new technologies and products to take-off.

Deepa Chandrasekaran, assistant professor of marketing at Lehigh University, and Gerard J. Tellis, a professor of Marketing at the University of Southern California''s Marshall School of Business, prepared the list was prepared on the basis of a major study that evaluated 31 countries.

They analysed 16 different product categories over a time span of 50 years.

Moscow - The splurge of oil profits feeding Russia's years of growth has turned sticky with falling production and energy prices.

This double whammy is threatening to undercut the government's economic policy as the industry that is its main source of revenue takes a battering from the country's worst financial crisis in a decade.

Scooping huge oil windfalls into state coffers over the oil industry's boom years from 1999 to 2004 has been at the root of Russia's ideology under former President Vladimir Putin.

The surplus helped pay back a national debt as part of a therapy to recover from the humiliation an impoverished Russia suffered by the Soviet collapse and then move toward a resurgent foreign policy.

Taipei - Taipei is filling up potholes, removing the sensitive Taiwanese national flags from roadsides and holding police drills to prepare for next week's Taiwan-China dialogue.

Hundreds of policemen are combing each floor of the Grand Hotel, venue of the November 3-7 dialogue, and its surrounding hills to check for bombs and security gaps.

The island will mobilize 7,000 policemen to maintain order and assign 40 bodyguards to protect Chinese negotiator Chen Yunlin's safety. Chen will arrive on November 3 leading a 60-member delegation.

The dialogue will be the most important talks between Taiwan and China in a half century. President Ma Ying-jeou called it a milestone in Taiwan-China ties.

Beijing - Severe snowstorms have left at least nine people dead and trapped hundreds in China's Tibet region, state media said on Saturday.

Rescuers had evacuated 1,892 people in the worst-hit counties of Lhunze and Cuona in Tibet's Shannan district and were trying to reach some 250 people still trapped by heavy snowfall, the semi-official China News Service said.

Most of the nine people who died had either frozen to death or were hit by falling buildings brought down by the weight of snow, other reports said.

The worst-hit areas reported snow lying an average of 1.5 metres deep after heavy snow fell for 36 hours continuously earlier this week, the official China Daily said.