Private hospitals more dengue-prone

After an uproar raised by the corporators in BMC over negligible cases of dengue, the civic body has got its act together.

Data released by the BMC reveals that the occurrence of dengue cases in private hospitals is up to six times more than the patients admitted in the BMC-run hospitals.

According to the BMC health department figures, while there are 120 dengue cases in three tertiary hospitals — KEM, Nair and Sion as well as 16 peripheral hospitals in eastern and western suburbs, the leading private hospitals have up to 615 cases in October itself.

“After the discussion in the house, we have decided to collate the data of dengue patients from private hospitals. Till date this was not collected and reported in a centralised manner,” said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional commissioner (health), BMC .

Further the BMC will commence to offer NS1 (non-structural protein 1) tests for obtaining confirmatory results for tracking dengue virus. “Earlier these tests were available only in Sion, Nair and KEM hospitals and 16 peripheral hospitals, however the facility will now be available in additional 50 dispensaries run by BMC,” said Mhaiskar.

The BMC has initiated collection of viral samples from confirmed cases across city. “The samples are being sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune. Results with regards to mutation or non-mutation of the virus to a deadlier strain should arrive in the next two weeks,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, epidemiologist, BMC.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-private-hospitals-more-dengue-prone-1907407

City records sixth dengue death, cases soar to 4,000

A 41-year-old man from Rohini became the sixth victim of dengue in the capital, as the total number of diagnosed cases crossed the 4,000 mark for this year.

Health officials fearing that the count of the viral disease this year may cross the last outbreak seen in 2010, when more than 6,000 confirmed cases had been reported.

Neeraj Singh, a resident of Paschim Vihar in North Delhi, died on September 21 at Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon, three days after he was admitted with the classic dengue fever. Singh had tested positive for the IgM antibody for the dengue virus through ELISA technology — like five of the other deceased this year.

Only a six-year-old girl, who died at Safdarjung hospital last month, was diagnosed with the NS 1 antigen test for the virus, also through the ELISA technology.

Seven others who died with symptoms of dengue last month, and tested positive for either the antigen or antibody of the virus-through the rapid tests have been listed as "suspected" dengue deaths by the civic bodies.

Singh's death is the first confirmed one in the Rohini Zone, which, at 796 cases, has recorded the cases in a single zone. Two of the deaths from this area have been termed as "suspected".

A health official said, "In 2010, we saw over 6,000 cases of dengue. This year, the count may surpass the 2010 situation, since we still have a bit of October and November to go — months when cases keep coming. We have intensified fumigation efforts, but intermittent rains seen till last week are prolonging the cases."

According to the corporations, 4,074 confirmed cases of dengue were reported till Monday, with nearly 2000 cases being witnessed in October alone. Officials said the September count had surpassed that for 1962, which was the highest in a single month so far.

Forty patients this year are residents of neighbouring states who were admitted in Delhi hospitals for treatment.

All government and private hospitals have been directed to open fever wards and increase the availability of beds for dengue patients. Though no official orders have been issued from the state government, most government hospitals have postponed routine surgeries to create additional beds for management of dengue.

Officials say if patients who are testing positive through rapid tests are taken into count, the total count of patients may increase by 2-3 times. "These kits give a lot of false positives, so as per the Centre's guidelines, we have been asked to take only ELISA tests into account," a municipal health official explained.

The North Municipal Corporation with 1770 cases has recorded the highest cases, followed by the South civic body at 1,210 East corporation with 993.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/city-records-sixth-dengue-death-cases-soar-to-4000/1185572/2

Six-month-old babies can start honing maths skills

An aptitude for maths starts developing in babies as young as six months of age, US researchers have found. Tracking the maths sense in babies, they found that by three and a half years age, babies that started earlier became more skilled than others.

The research was done by Elizabeth Brannon, a neuroscientist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and her colleagues and is published in the scientific journal Proceedings ofthe National Academy of Sciences this week.

Brannon had earlier shown that six-month-old babies did have a number sense in varying degrees. In a 2010 experiment they showed two screens to a group of babies. One showed a constant number of dots that changed in appearance while the other showed a changing number of dots that also changed in appearance. Brannon found that some babies which presumably had a better number sense spent more time gazing at the screen with changing number of dots.

In her latest experiment, Brannon took this process one step ahead. Her team took a group of 48 babies that had earlier been tested when they were six-month-old, and again tested them three years later for maths ability. Tests suitable for their age were used - ability to count, identifying the larger number in a pair and some basic calculations.

To their surprise they found that the babies who had gazed at the changing number of dots screen more when they were six-month-old scored consistently higher in the tests at three-and-a-half-years age. Tests showed that the correlation was not connected to the babies' IQ or non-numerical abilities.

Does this mean that babies are born with maths abilities? No, says Brannon. It is possible that in the first six months of the baby's life some influences acted to make it inclined towards math.

"(T)here's plenty of opportunity for environmental influence" on mathematical abilities, she was quoted by Nature as saying.

Another caution was added by Justin Halberda, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, who was not involved in the study. Nature quoted him saying that "A baby's performance on this test will also not determine their later scores on standardized tests". Other factors like short-term memory go towards building mathematical skills and these can be developed by training.

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Six-month-old-babies-can-start-honing-maths-skills/articleshow/24531298.cms

Isro's go-ahead for Mars mission launch on Nov 5

India's prestigious mission to Mars will be launched on November 5 at 2:36pm from Sriharikota.

Called the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), an advance version of the highly-proven, four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, called the PSLV-XL, will be the rocket used for the Rs 450-crore mission.

The decision to launch was taken at the second meeting of Isro's launch authorization board, which met at Sriharikota on Tuesday. The launch window opens on October 28 and closes on November 19. Originally, it was to open on October 21, but was moved to October 28 for operational reasons.

One of the main reasons that contributed to the "go" at Tuesday's meeting was the arrival of the Shipping Corporation of India's tracking vessel, SCI Nalanda, in Fiji on Monday. The other tracking ship, SCI Yamuna, had already reached Fiji on Saturday.

SCI Nalanda was delayed due to bad weather in the south Pacific. Besides, its generator had developed a snag, which has since been rectified. The two ships will now move to different zones in the south Pacific to track the mission.

On Tuesday, the rocket's heat-shield was closed, marking an important step in the preparations.The shield protects the spacecraft, with its five scientific instruments, from excessive heat post-launch.

The Mars Orbiter Mission will not use a direct trajectory to the Red Planet. Instead, it will initially fly into the earth's orbit, from where it will use its own propulsion system to enter what is known as the trans-Martian trajectory over a period of about 25 days.

The journey to Mars will take about 300 days and is expected to feature a number of trajectory corrections. The orbiter is expected to enter the Martian orbit in September 2014.

According to space experts, the flight will be a demonstration mission, with the main objective of placing the spacecraft in orbit around Mars as a study for future spacecraft and mission design.

If successful, India's mission would be the fourth to have reached Mars, the other three being those of the US, former Soviet Union and the European Space Agency.

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Isros-go-ahead-for-Mars-mission-launch-on-Nov-5/articleshow/24561187.cms

Force India need to improve, says Paul di Resta

Though the season hasn't been much impressive for Paul di Resta, the Force India driver is hoping for a turnaround before the home crowd in this weekend's Indian Grand Prix 2013 at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC). Di resta, who joined Force India in 2011, will be racing for the third time in India. He kicked off the inaugural Indian GP in 2011 by finishing 13th and then 12th in 2012. However, his team-mate Adrian Sutil secured seventh position in the opening race. "Scoring points will be quite tough in India this time, but we will try to give our best," di Resta said. 

"Force India didn't work on the car much in 2013 while the other teams have brought many updates on their cars. Hope we will have a new and updated car next season. We will try to get home some points, especially in India," he added. File photo of Sahara Force India driver Paul di Resta. (Getty Images) On Force India's awful performance post British Grand Prix, di Resta said: "Of course, we didn't carry on the momentum. The tyre change is the major issue and [it] affected our performance. After the British Grand Prix, we didn't do well. Sutil and I retired altogether four times after the British GP. Hope this problem will not be there next season," de Resta, who is yet to finish in the top 10 in India, said. 

He compared Red Bull's engine with Ferrari's. "Of course, Red Bull and Ferrari have superb engines and they work on it throughout the year. We are hoping to have a new car next season. Force India need to improve. They do have good resources and staff in comparison to Red Bull and Ferrari. Red Bull is dominating because of their staff and the technicians, who work on engines throughout the season", di Resta said. However, the Scot denied speculations of leaving Force India next season. "I am performing and giving my best in every race. There are a few things which can't be handled by us.

 The tyre change is the major issue. After the British GP, our performance declined and the reason was tyre change. As far as my future is concerned, it is all up to the team and management. It is for every driver. Every team needs performers," he said. Talking about 23 races in 2014 Formula One calendar, di Resta said, "It is really too much. It is too difficult to handle 23 races. If you ask me, I would say 18-19 are sufficient. It is too challenging to handle this number of races."

Read more at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/force-india-need-to-improve-says-paul-di-resta/429974-5-24.html?utm_source=ref_article

Champions League: Messi earns draw for Barcelona against Mila

Lionel Messi scored a first-half equalizer to earn Barcelona a 1-1 draw against AC Milan in Group H of the Champions League on Tuesday. Robinho gave Milan a deserved lead after only nine minutes at a packed San Siro, shortly after Sulley Muntari’s strike had been ruled out for offside. The Brazilian forward linked up impressively with compatriot Kaka, who showed flashes of his old form after a disappointing few seasons at Real Madrid, and steered the ball home from close range. Messi leveled in the 23rd from a similar range after being left in space by Milan’s rearguard, taking advantage of a mistake by Milan defender Kevin Constant. 

Barcelona remains atop of Group H after two wins and a draw. Milan is second, two points behind. I the other group match, Celtic picked up its first points with a 2-1 victory over Ajax. It was the seventh time in three seasons the two teams had met in the Champions League. AP “There’s two analyses to be made about tonight,” Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said. “With regards to the group, I think it’s a good point. With regards to the 90 minutes, I think we deserved more. I don’t think we lacked intensity apart from maybe in the first 10-15 minutes. I’m optimistic about qualifying.” It was the seventh time in three seasons the two teams had met in the Champions League, with Milan’s 2-0 home win in last year’s quarterfinals its best result. 

Barcelona humiliated the Italian side 4-0 in the return leg. Lewandowski sucker punch sinks Arsenal Centurion Torres scores two as Chelsea thump Schalke Napoli, Atletico cruise as Porto falter “In these kinds of games you need a lot of focus, especially against Barcelona because if you don’t have a million eyes on them, you risk letting a goal in and the lads were really good tonight,” Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said. “This squad is slowly improving, we’re getting players back from injury, other players are getting fitter.” Messi, who had scored five times against Milan, started for Barcelona after recovering from a minor injury. Milan was missing Stephan El Shaarawy and Giampaolo Pazzini up front, both out injured. Mario Balotelli had a thigh problem and was only fit for a place on the bench so Kaka — who had only just returned from injury — started alongside Robinho and Valter Birsa, with Alessandro Matri dropped to the bench. 

Kaka, who previously played for Barcelona’s bitter rival Real Madrid, had an impressive performance and went off to a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 71st minute. Milan started the brighter, forcing Barcelona to defend deep at the outset and the Italian side had the ball in the back of the net in the seventh minute. Robinho carved out some space for himself on the edge of the area and threaded the ball through to Muntari, who drilled it home, but it was ruled out for offside. There was no conjecture two minutes later. Robinho took advantage of a mixup between Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano just inside the Barcelona half and charged downfield before playing a swift one-two with Kaka and slotting it past an onrushing Victor Valdes and into an empty net. Barcelona had rarely threatened in the opening stages and its best chance came in the 19th minute when Messi curled a free kick the wrong side of the near post from the right of the penalty area. The Spanish side went closer a minute later when Messi sent a low ball across the face of goal which Milan goalkeeper Marco Amelia did well to smother. 

Barcelona leveled shortly afterward as Milan lost the ball in midfield and Andres Iniesta picked out an unmarked Messi, who cut inside and evaded Constant to squeeze a shot into the bottom right corner. “I’m happy with the things that the team did tonight,” Allegri said. “Mistakes can happen, especially with a squad that’s still under construction.” Milan almost restored its lead four minutes later but Philippe Mexes headed a corner just the wrong side of the right hand post. The frantic pace of the opening half hour calmed down somewhat but Barcelona nevertheless had chances to take the lead before halftime as first Neymar’s speculative long-range shot flew past the right upright before Amelia got down well to block an Alexis Sanchez volley.

 Neymar had another good opportunity on the stroke of halftime as Cristian Zapata’s header came out to the unmarked Brazilian on the left side of the area but he volleyed just past the right upright. Robinho should have restored Milan’s lead six minutes after the break but the Brazilian, who was all alone in the middle of the area, appeared to misjudge the flight of Muntari’s pass and jumped over it as it rolled harmlessly wide. Balotelli was brought on for Robinho shortly after the hour mark, much to the crowd’s delight, and his team went close to taking the lead moments later when Montolivo spun on the ball in midfield and picked out Constant, who drove a long-range effort past the right post. Neymar should have scored in the 70th but he struggled to bring the ball down just in front of goal and missed from close range.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/sports/champions-league-messi-earns-draw-for-barcelona-against-milan-1188485.html?utm_source=ref_article

Five is company for Indian boxers at World Championships

Even before winning a medal, Indian boxers have already made a mark at the World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. After Vikash Malik (60kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) made it to the quarterfinals on Tuesday, the number of Indians in the medal round have gone up to five, thus making it the country’s best ever show at the worlds. Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) had already entered the quarterfinals on Monday.

“It is already a great show by our boxers and I hope this will continue and transform into medals,” said chief national coach GS Sandhu. “At the end, what matters is the medal. So, our best show will happen only when we take home more than one medal from here. In the last two editions of the worlds we had won a bronze each, so looking at the way the boys are fighting, for sure we will end up with the best-ever showing even in terms of medals,” Sandhu added.

Vikash, who is competing in the World Championship for the first time, was the first one to enter the quarterfinals on Tuesday. He got better of fifth-seed and former 2008 European Championships silver-medallist Miklos Varga. He will now face fourth-seeded Robson Conceicao of Brazil.

“He has the temperament and he is an aggressive boxer. You can expect anything from him. Never during the bout, it looked like he was playing at this level for the first time in his life,” Sandhu said.

Sangwan defeated seeded Siarhei Novikau of Belarus in a one-sided contest and heavyweight Satish Kumar defeated another Belarusian Yan Sudzilouski.

“Here everyone has given of their best. Even those who lost got a standing ovation for their effort. Manpreet lost to the world No 1 and he fought so well that even after he lost, the crowd left their seats for him,” Sandhu said.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/sports-news/OtherSports/Five-is-company-for-Indian-boxers-at-World-Championships/Article1-1138741.aspx

Generation T: 24-year-olds describe how cricket will never remain the same after Sachin Tendulkar

A group of 24-year-olds including bowler Varun Aaron, born in the year Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut, speak about not having seen Indian cricket without the maestro, and vacuum his retirement will leave behind.

Sachin Tendulkar walks out after training at the Wankhede on Tuesday. - Hemant Padalkar/DNA


Sachin Tendulkar’s career spans 24 years 1989 to 2013 he has faced bowlers from two decades Malcolm Marshall to Mitchell Johnson and also shared dressing rooms with cricketers who are as old as his career span. India fast bowler Varun Aaron, born in 1989, is one of them.

The bowler says it is unbelievable that soon the Indian team will be without the little master.

“Though people were talking about his retirement, it was all too sudden for me. I was taken aback because I thought he would at least play out this year and a little more,” says Aaron.

Twenty four years is a long time, and especially for a generation that entered the world and found Tendulkar at the crease, the schism in cricket world is going to be one big vacuum they are never used to.

“For me, a team without him feels weird. Our generation probably took him for granted, we knew for sure that he is and will be there,” said the 24-year-old from Jharkhand.

It would not be wrong to say that most of Aaron’s generation picked up the bat and ball after watching Tendulkar.

“Tendulkar is the reason why so many young cricketers came up in the circuit. He is a role model and playing in a team without him is like missing the roof above your head. We exist as a cricketer partly due to him,” he says.



Aaron is lucky to have played one Test alongside Tendulkar against West Indies at the Wankhede in 2011. “My injury kept me out of the team and now if I am recalled, I’ll miss an elder brother who could provide a helping hand whenever needed. I can’t imagine not seeing that child-like smile anymore. It is a vacuum which will never be filled,” he says.

The master had motivated the bowler to a great extent during that Test. “It was a flat deck and I did not get a wicket in my first eight overs.

“Then, he (Tendulkar) came upto me and told me that it took him 22 years to get his first World Cup and I was only a spell old. ‘You should not be impatient, compete with yourself, do what you are doing and the result will be there if not immediately’ he said, and I ended up taking three wickets in the first innings.”

The bowler also recollected memories of his childhood hero talking about the Sharjah series in 1998: “Sachin grew up to be a man but on the field, the image of him as a 25-year-old thrashing the Australian bowlers out of the park is vivid in my mind. Maybe that is why he could never grow old for me.”

He concluded talking about the roar of the crowd inside a stadium whenever Tendulkar came to bat. “Even if you are outside the ground, the spectators will inform you that the second wicket has fallen and God is walking towards the middle. Though I will miss that frenzy, his on-field persona is forever stuck in our hearts. One cannot take Tendulkar out of us.”

Club 24
dna catches up with a few 24-year-olds, who describe how cricket will never remain the same after Nov 18, 2013

What we have witnessed was poetry in motion on the cricket pitch that lasted for 24 years. Cricket fans may turn atheist after November 18. Sachin made me a mature human being with his calm approach. He was the reason behind me not submitting my homework on time as I spent hours seeing him thrash bowlers world over. Now, I will try to find him in Virat Kohli’s drives and Rohit Sharma’s square cut



Mayur Sarfare, student, Mumbai

His fielding is one aspect nobody is talking about. I will miss that the most. Even after completing 24 years, he dives like a schoolboy. I remember copying his gestures when I played in the maidans. I have bunked school to watch him bat during the 1998 India-Australia-Zimbabwe series. Tendulkar to me is my childhood and pangs of adolescence. It will take a while for me to adjust with a team without him



Rohan Gadekar, sports consultant, Mumbai

I have cried when he got out and smiled when he scored a hundred. I used to stand in front of the mirror and imitate the way he used to adjust his abdomen guard. I even bought an MRF bat to feel close to him. Now, I will go back to Youtube and watch his knocks to feel connected to him. The only thing I will miss is people around a tea stall asking, ‘Yaar pehle ye batao Sachin kitne par khel raha hai?’



Abhiroop Mankin, student, IIM-B

When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan in 1989, Michael Schumacher was yet to race a F1 car, Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France, Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters. Time stands frozen in front of Tendulkar. I was two days old when Sachin made his debut. I grew up, went to school, finished college, have become a lawyer and Sachin is still there. I don’t think I will watch cricket anymore



Ayon Basu, lawyer, Kolkata

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-generation-t-24-year-olds-describe-how-cricket-will-never-remain-the-same-after-sachin-tendulkar-1907349

India vs Australia: India hope to strike back in MS Dhoni's hometown

After three entertaining run-feast, India and Australia head to MS Dhoni's home town Ranchi to play the fourth one-dayer of the seven-match ODI series on Wednesday. Against the odds, visitors snatched victory in the previous one-dayer thanks to poor bowling by the Indians, especially under-fire Ishant Sharma who gave 30 runs in the 48th over to turn the tide in Australia's favour. 

BCCI retained the same squad for the last four games; however, Dhoni, who has played the first three matches with an unchanged eleven, will be inclined to rejig the bowling unit that has failed to live up to expectations. ALSO SEE Where do Dhoni's problems lie? Ishant and Vinay Kumar have both been expensive, which could lead to Dhoni asking one of them to make way for Mohammad Shami or Jaydev Unadkat. Being a left-armer, Unadkat may get the nod in front of Shami to add variety to the attack. 

With the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) Stadium in Ranchi expected to help the spinners, legspinner Amit Mishra might also get a look-in ahead of one of the pacers. That will give India a combination of two pacers (Unadkat and Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and three spinners, with Jadeja being the third spinner in the eleven beside Mishra and R Ashwin. India may look to rejig their bowling unit by adding some variety in the form of left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat and legspinner Amit Mishra. (BCCI Images) As far as batting is concerned, the new ODI rules of just four boundary riders and two new balls are helping the willow-wielders enjoy on flat Indian tracks. India once again put up 300-plus in Mohali, though it was largely due to the heroics of skipper Dhoni.

 India had slumped to 76 for 4 and then were 154 for 6 at one stage when Dhoni's 139* off 121 balls helped them cross 300. ALSO SEE Aussies peppering India with bouncers Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma had an off day in Mohali and were out cheaply, which means they will be due in this pressure match. Suresh Raina once again failed to prove that he is the right man to replace Yuvraj Singh at No. 4, getting out after being set. Comeback man Yuvraj, too, has been silent after his fiery 77 not out in the one-off T20 in Rajkot, and the left-hander would be keen to get back among runs. Virat Kohli once again proved that he is the most dependable batsmen in the team as he notched up yet another fifty. He will be expected to carry his form to Ranchi as well. 

On the other hand, Australians have so far shown that they are up for the Indian challenge, and on Wednesday will be keen to extend their lead. Aaron Finch and Phillip Hughes' success at the top has given the Australian middle order confidence to go for the big shots. George Bailey has led from the front with his 220 runs so far and provided momentum needed in the death overs. Their top five have been in fine form, and in Mohali it was James Faulkner who did the damage in the dying overs to turn the match on its head with his 64* off just 29 balls. That included 30 runs in the infamous 48th over bowled by Ishant Sharma. ALSO SEE Ravichandran Ashwin - good only on spinning tracks? Australia have also looked a much better bowling unit, especially due to the pace and bounce they have been able to extract. Except the first ODI in Jaipur, their fast bowlers have bowled with purpose. 

Mitchell Johnson came to the fore in Mohali, grabbing 4 for 46, to emerge as the leader of the attack. Faulkner has supported Watson well while spinner Xavier Doherty has bowled with a lot of heart in unfavourable conditions. Shane Watson hasn't been in his elements with the ball yet, but his all-round qualities remain unquestionable. A win here for Australia will see them race to a 3-1 lead, and it would become tougher for India to bounce back by winning the remaining three ODIs. So it's a sort of must-win game for the hosts to stay close to the heels of the Australians. ALSO SEE Ishant retained, India unchanged for last four ODIs against Aus Teams: 

India: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar/Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant Sharma/Jaydev Unadkat. Australia: 1 Phil Hughes, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shane Watson, 4 George Bailey, 5 Adam Voges, 6 Glen Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin, 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty

Read more at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cricketnext/india-vs-australia-india-hope-to-strike-back-in-ms-dhonis-hometown/429886-78.html?utm_source=ref_article

Bigg Boss goes to the dogs. Bechara dog.

Last night’s episode of Bigg Boss 7 started with a shot of Armaan Kohli, he of Jaani Dushman–fame channeling Narendra Modi and saying “kutte ka baccha” though Kohli was tossing that one out amidst a bunch of expletives. Why? Who knows. Most of the time I think Kohli is suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome and needs immediate medication. But Kohli might have been foreshadowing something this time. 

For a couple of days, Salman Khan has been saying that there’s a wild card entry. And while I expected some new washed out celebrity, horror of horrors was shown the sweetest golden retriever I have seen in a while, waiting to enter the house. Now I’m a fan of films with animals. I grew up watching Born Free, Hachiko, Duma, Eight Below. Hell, I even found Cujo adorable. So you can imagine how my blood curdled when I saw this golden furball being let into what can only be described as an Ekta Kapoor-production of the Lord Of The Flies. 

The wild card entry in Bigg Boss is a Golden Retriever. In case you don’t know what goes under in this house, there are currently 12 contestants who have been chosen from the bottom of the celebrity heap. Since it’s all relative, some seem more normal than the others. But this is like saying Norman Bates is more fun to hang out with than Hannibal Lecter or the monkey from Outbreak. This is a bunch of people which includes Tanisha, sister of Kajol, who has been fighting with all the contestants for 2 weeks because she believes that they once refused to give Armaan Kohli an egg for breakfast. ONE egg. The rest of them are no better. They fight over the number of parathas, how much food the other is eating, whether there’s enough oil on their roti. It’s like looking into a soup kitchen for unruly self-centred publicity hungry people. How can you release an unsuspecting animal into their care? They’ll most probably eat up the poor dog’s quota of Pedigree and drink up his milk. 

I’d trust Armaan Kohli, Tanisha and Vivek Mishra (who in a prescient manner, taught the contestants how to do the dog posture in yoga just four days back) to look after an animal as far as I can throw them. These are people who do nothing unless they get something in return. A wagging tail isn’t going to cut it for them. Kohli might even drown the dog in one of his fits of rage. You can forget about the dog being walked or groomed. This isn’t the first time that animals have been put in the Bigg Boss house. In Season 2 of Bigg Boss, they’d sent in a four month Labrador called Kut who stayed with the contestants for two days or so and was then taken out of the house – and most probably put in therapy after seeing Payal Rohatgi and Rahul Mahajan canoodling in the pool. Big Brother has earlier had Brian the emu, Mr Tops the giant rabbit and Margaret the oyster – with whom contestants used to converse. Yes, because that’s what you should do with an oyster – talk to it. While all is fair in the world of reality TV, there really should be some lines which shouldn’t be crossed. Some parameters of compassion. 

The 13 contestants who joined the house did so of their own volition and I’m sure will be paid handsomely for making fools of themselves on national TV. What about the dog? The opening shot of the episode set the tone for how he’ll be treated – when it showed him locked up in a windowless room trying to get out. Way to go, guys. Finally the last barrier has been crossed and the producers have moved from cruelty to humans (viewers) to cruelty to animals. Where is Maneka Gandhi and PETA when you need them? PETA especially, since they’d hired Gauhar Khan and her sister to take part in their Boycott Zoos campaign. Dressing them up as tigers or was it cheetahs and placing them in cages for a photoshoot. Maybe PETA could show as much compassion for this unsuspecting dog which has been placed in what can at best be called a zoo of the dysfunctional. 

But then, PETA must be busy wondering which new celebrity to dress up as an Olive Ridley turtle. The question is what will the dog do now that it’s been let loose where the wild things are? Will it calm them down or will it fulfill one of my wishes and do to the contestants what Siegfried and Roy’s tiger did to Roy? I’m hoping for the latter. The producers might have sent the dog in to calm the frayed nerves of the contestants the way they do in detention centres and high security prisons housing murderers and rapists in the developed world. 

But who will calm the dog after it witnesses the screaming matches and the fisticuffs that take place here? What therapy will he get when he leaves the home? All in all it’s safe to say that Bigg Boss cannot claim “No animals were harmed in the shooting of this programme”. You can watch Bigg Boss 7 on Colors from Mon-Fri at 9 pm. Disclaimer: Bigg Boss 7 airs on Colors which is part of Network18 which also owns Firstpost.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/bigg-boss-goes-to-the-dogs-bechara-dog-1184065.html?utm_source=ref_article

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Gear Specs, Features and Pric

Galaxy Note 3 is nothing like its predecessors. The beautiful rounded edges, rich and vivid 5.7″ AMOLED Display and leather back were very pleasing to look and feel.

I don’t care about the flak that Touchwiz receives on the net, since I think its always possible to disable S apps, replace launcher with NOVA and install apps of your choice replacing those provided by Touchwiz. Plus you get the options of Memory card, Huge battery life and removable battery as well. All these makes me feel Samsung is really the only Android OEMs which actually knows how to build Android Smartphones.

Galaxy Watch is still not quite there but I am sure it’s very much doing the job. Of Course it’s just a watch if you tend to keep your phone inside your bag pack and forgot to carry your bag pack with you. But nevertheless its very capable of taking quick snaps though very limited in number. It can be a great companion during workouts, Can help me quickly adjust my equalizer for the music I am currently playing. Also it does some seem to be getting new apps like Evernote, Pocket, which makes me think Samsung wants to create an ecosystem of its own inside Android. Which overall is a very positive thing indeed.

So what keeps me away from using these top of line devices? The price.

The current pricing of the Note 3 and Smartwatch are way beyond the reach of many users considering how limited the smartwatch currently is. Did you try Galaxy Gear 3? What are your thoughts on price?

Written by timetravellersince87

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Specs

• Full HD super AMOLED Technology
• 16M Colour Depth
• 5.7″ Size
• 1920 x 1080 Resolution
• Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
• 3,200mAh Standard Battery
• CMOS, 2MP Megapixels Camera Resolution (Front)
• CMOS, 13MP Megapixels Camera Resolution (Rear)
• Power HCRI LED (1EA) Flash
• Auto Focus available

Samsung Galaxy Gear Specs

Connectivity

• Bluetooth® v 4.0

Memory

• 4GB Internal memory + 512MB (RAM)

Physical Specifications

• Dimension: 56.6 x 36.8 x 11.1mm
• Weight: 73.8g
• Audio and Video
• Video Playback Codec : H.264Video Playback Format: MP4
• Video Recording: 720p@30fps
• Audio Playback Codec: AACAudio Playback Format: M4A

Display

• Type: sAMOLED
• Size: 1.63″ (41.4mm)
• Resolution: 320 x 320

Camera

• 1.9MP, BSI Sensor
• Auto Focus, Sound & Shot available

Battery

• Capacity: 315mAh
• Standby Time: Up to 150 Hours
• Typical Usage Time: Up to 25 Hours

Others

• 2 Microphones (Noise Cancellation)
• 1 Speaker

Chipset

• 800MHz Processor

Sensors

• Sensor Hub, Accelerometer, Gyro-sensor

Services and Applications

• Samsung Services: Samsung Apps, ChatON
• Additional Features: Smart Relay, S Voice, Memographer, Voice Memo, Auto Lock, Find My Device, Media Controller, Pedometer, Stopwatch, Timer, Safety Assistance

More: http://societyandreligion.com/samsung-galaxy-note-3-gear-specs-features-price/

Swore at, Mallika Sherawat stalls Bachelorette India shoot for 3 days

Actress Mallika Sherawat halted the shoot of her show The Bachelorette India – Mere Khaylaon Ki Mallika for whole three days after one of the contestants reportedly used a cuss word against her.

In what was supposed to be the gathering of affable suitors on the sets of the dating reality show, the contestants entered into a verbal spat over difference of opinion on the actress.

During the brawl, one of the contestants cast aspersions on Mallika reducing her to tears, even as celebrity guest Mahesh Bhatt was watching on, sources said.

Mallika left the shoot immediately, sources said, adding that she was very upset and refused to shoot for the show.

The cast and crew did their best to convince her, however, the actress did not relent and stalled the shoot for three days.

She agreed to shoot only after intervention by top bosses of the production house, sources said.

The Bachelorette India -Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika is a spin-off from the American competitive reality dating game show.

The series revolves around a bachelorette and a pool of romantic interests, trying to impress her.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-swore-at-mallika-sherawat-stalls-bachelorette-india-shoot-for-3-days-1907308

Nokia's Stephen Elop defends move into tablet market

The former Chief Executive of Nokia, Stephen Elop, has defended the company's move into the tablet market, as it unveils its new devices.

He resigned as Chief Executive when it was announced that the Finnish firm would sell its hardware unit to Microsoft.

He is now Nokia's head of Devices and Services.

Jonathan Frewin spoke to him at the firm's technology gathering in Abu Dhabi.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24630760

Jignesh Shah refuses to budge, won't quit MCX board

While several board members of the Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) on Tuesday demanded that Jignesh Shah resign from the board, Shah held on to his position. Shah is the promoter of Financial Technologies — the holding company of the National Spot Exchange (NSEL) —currently embroiled in a R5,600-crore payment crisis.

MCX board members sought Shah's resignation in an attempt to insulate the commodity futures exchange from the ongoing settlement crisis at the NSEL. Shah, however, countered the demand for his resignation as a permanent director on the board of MCX saying the Forward Markets Commission (FMC) had granted him two more weeks to reply to a show cause notice questioning the 'fit and proper' status of Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL), Shah and two more ex-directors of the MCX.

Jignesh Shah and Joseph Massey had to step down from the board of MCX-SX earlier this month. Recent changes in regulation also mandate that no shareholder director can occupy a board seat as a permanent director without a re-appointment, suggesting that Shah would need to be re-appointed if he has to stay on the board.

The other two individuals that also are facing scrutiny regarding their 'fit and proper' status have already in the recent past left the MCX board. Joseph Massey, a retiring director, withdrew his consent for re-appointment before the annual general meeting of the company on September 30,2013. On Saturday, Shrikant Javalgekar, submitted his resignation as MD and CEO of the company.

According to sources, the MCX board approved appointment of three shareholder directors including P Paramasivam of Corporation Bank, Sanjay Agarwal of bank of Baroda and KN Raghunathan of UBI .

Recently, FMC approved the appointment of two new independent directors — G Anantharaman and Pravir Vohra — on the MCX board, taking the total number of independent directors to six.

Eight board members of the exchange have left the board in the last one-and-a- half month due to tighter norms prescribed by the FMC in the aftermath of the R5,600-crore settlement scam at NSEL. Six board members resigned early in August 2013, with four members including Venkat Chary, then chairman of the board, vacating the post due to FMC's guidelines on age and term limits.

FTIL, which holds 26% in MCX, currently has two representatives on the board. In the light of the recent changes in regulation, the number of representatives needs to be brought down in proportion to their shareholding, which, in this case, will allow one FTIL representative on the board.

Separately, the board also formed a five-member oversight committee with Pravir Vora as the chairperson. Deputy MD Praveen Singhal will continue to oversee functions of an MD till a new appointment is made.

More: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/jignesh-shah-refuses-to-budge-wont-quit-mcx-board/1185876/2

Cairn Q2 net jumps 46 pc to Rs 3,385.08 crore

Cairn India on Tuesday reported a 46 per cent jump in its September quarter profit on the back of record oil and gas production and high oil prices.

Net profit in July-September at Rs 3,385.08 crore, or Rs 17.72 per share, was 46 per cent higher than Rs 2,322.18 crore, or Rs 12.17 a share, in the same period a year ago, the company said.

The profits were up as Cairn produced a record 213,229 barrels of oil and oil equivalent gas from its three primary oil and gas fields - Rajasthan, Ravva off the east coast and Cambay off the west coast.

The firm had produced 207,245 barrels in July-September 2012 and 212,442 barrels in April-June quarter of current fiscal.

Also, the price realised was $2 higher at $95.3 per barrel in the second quarter of current fiscal.

Revenue was up 5 per cent at Rs 4,650 crore in the second quarter.

Cairn said it was on track to achieving the year-end target of 225,000 barrels of oil and oil equivalent gas per day. Of this, over 200,000 bpd will come from Rajasthan oilfields, which in second quarter produced 175,478 barrels of oil and oil equivalent gas.

The company had started with production of 3,000 barrels in 1994 from Ravva fields off the Andhra coast and in less than two decades production has risen several times.

Cairn contributed $1 billion in royalty, sales tax and profit petroleum to Central and state governments during second quarter -- the highest ever. Of this, over 40 per cent would have flowed to the Central exchequer as the government's share of profit from oil and gas Cairn produced.

Since winning approval to drill exploratory or probe wells in an already producing field in June this year, the company has drilled 6 wells on the Rajasthan fields, four of which have yielded hydrocarbon discoveries.

Of the four, "a declaration of potential commerciality for the Raageshwari S-1 discovery in has been submitted," the statement said.

The company plans to drill a total of 100 well on Rajasthan block over the next three years.

Cairn India chief executive and director P Elango said, "We are focused on enhancing the recovery efficiency from our producing fields through the use of cutting edge enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. We have also been extremely active with the drill bit as we continue to aggressively develop our world class resource base."

The recently announced policy on the Integrated Development Plan will help the cut the lead time in bringing discoveries to production by half to 18-24 months.

The company also said it has made a formal application for an extension of the licence for Rajasthan and Ravva blocks beyond 2019.

The committee constituted by the Oil ministry to "look into the production sharing contract (PSC) extension is expected to submit its report shortly," it said.

More: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/cairn-q2-net-jumps-46-pc-to-rs-3385.08-crore/1/199926.html

CBI pulls PMO into probe, asks for Odisha coal files

The CBI on Tuesday asked the prime minister’s office (PMO) for all records related to the allocation of Odisha’s Talabira coalfield to a private firm, three days after the top office said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved it on the basis of "merits" of the case placed before him.

“If and when required by the probe, we will seek clarifications from anybody including concerned PMO officials,” a CBI official told HT.

The move came on the day the agency submitted, in a sealed cover, a status report to the Supreme Court on the 14 FIRs and five preliminary enquiries (PEs) it has lodged in the coal allocation scam, which has come to be known as Coalgate. The apex court is monitoring the probe.

In its letter to the PMO, the CBI has asked for files regarding allocation of Talabira coalfield to an Aditya Birla Group firm, Hindalco, in 2005. It has sought records of all correspondence the PMO had with then Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and Hindalco allegedly before the mine was allocated by the then coal secretary PC Parakh in November 2005, a CBI official said.The agency told the court that last Tuesday it named Parakh, Hindalco, and Aditya Birla Group’s chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, along with unidentified “others”, in the FIR for alleged irregularities in the 2005 allocation of Talabira coalfield.

Parakh allegedly allocated a 15% share in the coalfield to Hindalco by overturning the “considered deliberations and recommendations” of the inter-ministerial 25th screening committee that was chaired by him and had rejected the firm’s application, says the FIR.

According to CBI director Ranjit Sinha, the agency is not probing any quid pro quo in the case. Birla had twice sent requests for allocation to the PMO that were forwarded to the coal ministry and he also met Parakh prior to the allocation, the FIR claims. Patnaik had allegedly recommended Hindalco to the PMO for the allocation.

Reacting to the FIR, minister of state in the PMO V Narayanasamy said, “We have nothing to hide and have already given thousands of documents to the agency.” The CBI has made it clear it will probe every aspect of the case before taking any further action.

Coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal labelled Parakh as a ‘Sheikh chilli’ (a daydreamer) for his reported comments that the PM was equally responsible for alleged irregularities in Talabira allocation. Jaiswal backed the statement made by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), which said Singh had taken the decision based on the merits of the case.

In the status report, the CBI also apprised the court of the progress in its probe into the missing coal files, which seek to establish if there was any element of criminal conspiracy involved. The files, which include details of screening committee meetings during which allocation decisions were taken, have been described as vital for the probe by the CBI.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cbi-pulls-pmo-into-probe-asks-for-odisha-coal-files/article1-1138571.aspx

Indian firms in the line of global fire

In yet another setback for an Indian pharma company abroad,Wockhardt’s manufacturing plant in Kadaiya, Daman, has come under the scrutiny of the UK health regulator. This is the company’s third facility to face regulatory heat within a space of a few months. Wockhardt, which recently restructured its debt to set its house in order, is among a string of drug companies to face action from international regulators in recent times.

After it announced the UK’s health regulator — the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) — had withdrawn the good manufacturing practice (GMP) certification for the Kadaiya plant, the company’s shares crashed more than five per cent on the BSE to hit Rs 455 apiece. The scrip closed at Rs 458 on the NSE, down 4.3 per cent from its previous close.

While withdrawing the previously-issued GMP certificate to the company’s manufacturing facility at Kadaiya, MHRA decided to issue a restricted GMP certificate. Under this, products can be manufactured at a plant to avoid shortage of medically-essential products.

ALSO READ: US court turns down Apollo plea for Cooper suit dismissal

At the Kadaiya plant, Wockhardt manufactures tablets for Europe (not exported to the US). “The impact on the existing business will only be known once the company receives further communication from UK MHRA,” a Wockhardt statement said.

Ranjit Kapadia of Centrum Broking said: “There are more sellers for Wockhardt stock nowadays. Though MHRA actions may not have much impact on the company’s revenue (revenue from UK is much lower than from the US), such actions affect its image and reputation among investors.”

Of the company’s Rs 5,610-crore revenue, the US market accounts for about Rs 2,900 crore, while UK sales stand below Rs 1,000 crore. Wockhardt’s international business, primarily the US and UK, constituted about 83 per cent of its total revenues in 2012-13. The company had received its first blow in July after an import alert was issued by the US Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) and UK MHRA on its Waluj plant in Aurangabad. On July 11, the MHRA said it had told Wockhardt to recall all unexpired stock of 16 products that had been manufactured at Waluj.

Just last week, MHRA had withdrawn its earlier GMP certification for Wockhardt’s Chikalthana factory, where the FDA had earlier reported quality concerns. That plant makes metoprolol, a generic version of the heart pill Toprol-XL sold by AstraZeneca Plc. Its Chikalthana plant generated sales of about $280 million in 2012-13.

Then, Wockhardt had estimated a one-time impact of about £1 million on account of a recall of certain products produced at the Chikalthana plant from the UK market. Though the company was asked to recall five drugs, it was allowed to manufacture and supply products critical to public health.

In India, the US and Europe, Wockhardt owns 14 manufacturing facilities that are US FDA, UK MHRA and EMEA -compliant. Its plants in India include Waluj, Chikalthana and Shendra (Aurangabad); Bhimpore and Kadaiya (Daman); and Ankleshwar and Baddi (Himachal Pradesh). In addition, it has facilities in the US, UK and Ireland.

The Waluj and Chikalthana plants, both under regulator scrutiny, are major suppliers to the US and UK markets. Its Bhimpore plant supplies tablets and capsules to the UK while the one at Baddi sells liquids and suspensions to the US. Its export-oriented unit for injectibles in Aurangabad had in April received Form 483, which is issued when US FDA inspectors believe a facility has violated the US rules.

Last month, the US drug regulator had blacklisted Ranbaxy Laboratories’ Mohali plant, stopping supplies to the US. Since 2008, several facilities of Ranbaxy, including Dewas, Paonta Sahib and Mohali, have come under the scanner. Earlier this year, the company had also pleaded guilty in the US of fraudulent activities and agreed to pay a penalty of $500 million to US authorities.

According to a recent study by CphI, during January 2010-June 2013, about 66 companies, such as Ranbaxy, Novartis, Sanofi Aventis, Merck KGaA and Wyeth, had received warning letters from US FDA. In 2012, 12 per cent of these were received by Indian companies, which account for 40 per cent of drug master files (DMFs; for selling drug ingredients) and 37 per cent of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs; for selling formulations).

However, industry experts argued these regulatory moves were not targeted specifically at Indian companies. DG Shah, secretary-general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, the largest body for Indian pharma companies, said: “The adoption of progressively higher standards of safety and quality has led to a greater focus on data integrity and GMP compliance, but the pharmaceutical industry’s lack of awareness and inadequate appreciation of these continually evolving standards has resulted in many companies failing to meet requirements.”

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REGULATORY SCALPEL

• May 14: US FDA issues import alert on Waluj plant for not meeting manufacturing norms
• Jul 11: Asked to recall 16 products manufactured at Waluj plant from UK market
• Jul 18: US FDA issues warning to Waluj plant
• Oct 17: Asked to recall 5 brands manufactured at Chikalthana plant from UK market
• Oct 21: UK MHRA withdraws good manufacturing practices approval for plant in Kadaiya, Daman

TROUBLED OUTINGS

US FDA imposes import alert on two of Ranbaxy’s India facilities in 2008 and one in 2013

US FDA issues warning letter to Strides Arcolab’s injectible arm for violation of good manufacturing practices norms

US FDA issues warning letter to RPG Life Sciences for violating good manufacturing practices norms

Lanco Infratech’s Australian arm has to pay $3.5 billion to settle lawsuit filed there by Perdaman Chemicals over coal supply issues

GMR’s contract for an international airport in the Maldivian capital cancelled

JSPL terminates a $2.1-bn contract to develop mines in Bolivia in 2012 and faces a huge backlash

Essar’s $750-mn takeover of Zimbabwe’s Zisco Steel faces roadblocks from a coalition partner of the Mugabe government

More: http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/indian-firms-in-the-line-of-global-fire-113102200909_1.html

'White Widow' wrote an ode to bin Laden

The British woman wanted for alleged terror offences in Kenya, dubbed the "White Widow", wrote an ode to the late al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden proclaiming her love for him, a report said Tuesday.

Samantha Lewthwaite's clumsy poem, littered with spelling mistakes, was found by British police investigators after they examined a computer hard drive found at a house in the Kenyan town of Mombasa, Sky News television said.

"Oh sheik osama my father, my brother / My love for you is like no other / Oh Sheik Osama now that you are gone / The muslims must wake up they must be strong," it begins.

Bin Laden was killed by US troops in May 2011 in Pakistan.

It continues, "Al-Qaeda are stronger and fiercer than ever/ Thinking in the end you are stupid it will NEVER / Be over until the day that we see our lands returned and governed by He Allah the almighty,/ Whose law is complete.

"So make your plans and He is the best of planners./ Their was no victory for you Mr (US President Barack) Obama / The honour is his on martyred Osama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Lewthwaite is the widow of Germaine Lindsay, one of four Islamist suicide bombers who attacked the London transport network on July 7, 2005, killing 52 innocent people.

The 29-year-old Muslim convert is the subject of an Interpol "red notice" warrant for her detention, issued at Kenya's request after Islamist gunmen massacred at least 67 people at a Nairobi shopping mall last month.

The notice did not specifically mention the mall siege, saying instead Lewthwaite was wanted on charges of being in possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony dating back to December 2011.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/white-widow-wrote-an-ode-to-bin-laden/1186000/

Wipro profit flies on better utilisation

On a high after restructuring and with several large deals in hand, Wipro, India’s third-largest IT services company, on Tuesday reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,942 crore for the quarter ended September, up 19% over the previous quarter and 28.6% on-year.

Consolidated revenue, at Rs 10,991 crore, was up 13% on-quarter and 19% on-year.

Earnings before interest and tax, or Ebit, margin also grew around 250 basis points on-quarter to 22.5%, as rupee-depreciation benefits and improved execution offset the impact of wage hikes given out in June and September.

“IT services revenue came in at $1,631 million, up 2.8% on-quarter in dollar terms versus expectation of around 3% growth, though in constant currency terms, revenues grew 3.2% – the highest in the last seven quarters,” said Ankita Somani of Angel Broking. The result was broadly in line with estimates in terms of revenue, though it exceeded expectations on both operational and bottomline fronts, she said.

The performance, however, came up short in comparison with its top three peers, TCS, Infosys and HCL Technologies, which logged dollar-revenue growth of 5.4%, 3.8% and 3.6%, respectively.
The company gave a dollar-revenue guidance for its mainstay IT services business during October-December – a seasonally weak quarter – to 1.8-3.6%, a notch above analyst expectations of 1.5-3.5% growth.

Wipro said revenues from its 10 biggest customers rose 4.1% over the previous quarter, faster than its overall IT services sales growth of 2.7%.

During the quarter, Wipro added 45 new clients, but the active clients decreased to 942 from 946 in the last quarter.

“Wipro’s margins were higher than expectations despite wage hikes, partly due to a marginal reduction in employee strength, and improved utilisation levels during the quarter. The company’s focus on mining existing clients and winning large deals seems to be yielding results,” said Dipen Shah, head of private client group research, Kotak Securities.

Hiring during the quarter declined marginally to 147,216 from 147,281 in the last, while attrition stood at 15.4%, compared with 13% the previous quarter.

Utilisation increased 140 bps to 66.1% from a historic low of 64.7% in the last quarter. However, this number is still much lower than Wipro’s peers, whose utilisation ranges between 75-85% currently.

“We see modest changes to our FY14/15 estimated earnings of ~Rs 30/35,” said Dhananjay Sinha of Emkay Global Services, pointing out that the results were better than expected and there were “better margin assumptions ahead.”

In terms of geography, APAC and emerging markets led the growth for Wipro at 6.3%, while the US grew 2.9% on-quarter, and Europe grew 2.3% in the quarter. Surprisingly, despite several large deal wins in the Middle East, Wipro’s revenues from India and the Middle East grew the slowest at 2.2%. Vertical-wise, healthcare continued to lead revenue growth at 5.5%, followed closely by retail, BFSI and manufacturing, while telecom continued to decline at 1.1%.

“Consistent growth in line with industry peers, in the future, can lead to better valuations for the company,” said Shah.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-wipro-profit-flies-on-better-utilisation-1907453

US defends drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen

The US has defended its drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan, saying it takes "extraordinary care" to ensure they comply with international law.

The unmanned raids targeting terror suspects were a "course of action least likely to result in the loss of innocent life", the White House said.

It follows allegations by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International of the unlawful killing of civilians.

Pakistan's PM on Tuesday urged the US to end drone attacks in his country.

Speaking at the start of a visit to the US, Nawaz Sharif said the attacks violated his country's sovereignty.

He added that the raids were a "major irritant" in relations with Washington.

Drone warfare has become common in the US pursuit of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Few details are known about these covert operations, which are directed remotely from control rooms, often on other continents.

Senior militant leaders have been killed but civilians have also died, causing outrage in Pakistan, where many assert that the strikes cause indiscriminate deaths and injuries.

'Strongly disagree'

In a new report released on Tuesday, Amnesty said it reviewed nine of 45 recent drone strikes in North Waziristan and found a number of victims were unarmed.

In a separate report looking at six US attacks in Yemen, Human Rights Watch says two of them killed civilians at random, violating international law.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Washington was "reviewing the reports carefully".

"To the extent these reports claim that the US has acted contrary to international law, we would strongly disagree.

"The administration has repeatedly emphasised the extraordinary care that we take to make sure counter-terrorism actions are in accordance with all applicable law," he said.

In the report, Will I Be Next? US Drone Strikes in Pakistan, Amnesty called on the US to disclose information and the legal basis for strikes carried out in Pakistan.

It said US President Barack Obama's pledge earlier this year to increase transparency around drone strikes had not been fulfilled.

It called on the governments of Pakistan, Australia, Germany and the UK to investigate drone strikes or other abuses that may constitute human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said in its report that six US drone attacks in Yemen had killed 82 people, including at least 57 civilians.

It added that two of the strikes killed innocent people indiscriminately.

Last week, a UN investigation found that US drone strikes had killed at least 400 civilians in Pakistan, far more than the US has ever acknowledged.

UN special rapporteur Ben Emmerson accused the US of challenging international legal norms by advocating the use of lethal force outside war zones.

A controversial aspect of the US policy is that drone attacks are carried out not by the military but by the Central Intelligence Agency.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has argued in favour of the policy, saying that the US will continue to defend itself.

President Obama has insisted the strategy was "kept on a very tight leash" and that without the drones, the US would have had to resort to "more intrusive military action".

Syria talks in London agree on no future role for Bashar al-Assad

Western and Arab powers agreed with Syrian opposition leaders Tuesday that President Bashar al-Assad should play no future role in government, but they struggled to convince the rebels to attend key peace talks in Geneva next month.

The rebels, who met with the so-called Friends of Syria group of 11 countries in London, said they would not take part in the Geneva conference in late November if any regime members were there, and insisted that Assad's departure was essential.

But a defiant Assad still showed no sign of backing down after a two-and-a-half-year civil war that has left more than 115,000 people dead, saying that he was ready to run for re-election as president in 2014.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the London meeting had urged the Syrian National Coalition - the main opposition umbrella group - to "commit itself fully" to the so-called Geneva 2 talks.

Hague said the Friends of Syria agreed that they would put their "united and collective weight" behind efforts to form a transitional government and that "Assad would play no role in that future government of Syria".

US Secretary of State John Kerry took a similar position, saying that Assad had "lost all legitimacy".

But he too urged the opposition to go to Geneva, saying Syria was at risk of "implosion" if the civil war continued and said the only alternative to a negotiated settlement was "continued if not increased killing".

The Syrian opposition is due to meet at the start of November to finalise their position on the Geneva talks, which are a follow-up to a peace conference held in the Swiss city in June 2012.

The head of the national coalition, Ahmad Jarba, appeared to be in no mood to compromise on his demands.

"There will not be negotiations at all without making sure that this meeting, Geneva 2, is basically to make sure there's a transitional period and for Assad to go," said Jarba, speaking in Arabic through a translator.

He added that there "must not be any people there that will represent the Syrian people except the group that is here".

Jarba also rejected hints by Hague and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that Iran could play a role if it backs the plan for a transitional government.

'I don't see why I shouldn't run in the next election'

The London talks grouped Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates and the United States, together with Syrian opposition leaders.

Notably absent from the London's meeting is key Syria ally Russia, which has dismissed such gatherings in the past, saying they do not represent all Syrian people.

Hague and Kerry warned of the need to bolster moderate forces in Syria, where Islamist rebel groups linked to Al Qaeda are gaining strength at the expense of the more secular Free Syrian Army.

The United States and Russia have been trying to organise the Geneva conference on the heels of the deal they reached for the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons in the wake of a deadly poison gas attack in August widely blamed on Damascus.

But Assad dealt an early blow to peace hopes, saying in an interview Monday that the factors are not in place for the conference to succeed.

"No time has been set, and the factors are not yet in place if we want (Geneva 2) to succeed," Assad told Lebanon-based pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Mayadeen, adding that there was no guarantee about "which forces are taking part".

UN and Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi will meet again in early November with US and Russian officials to prepare for the Geneva talks, the UN announced Tuesday.

The meeting will be held on November 5 and will be followed by a meeting with the other three permanent members of the UN Security Council -- France, Britain and China, according to UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

Meanwhile Sigfrid Kaag, the chief of the United Nations and Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons joint mission, said Tuesday that the Syrian government had so far "fully cooperated" in destroying its massive chemical arsenal.

Analysts said Assad looked increasingly strong, having managed to stave off possible Western military action in retaliation for the gas attacks.

"It's no mistake he's feeling more confident than ever," said Shadi Hamid, director of research for the Brookings Doha Centre.

Assad gave no hint of releasing his grip on power during Tuesday's interview.

"I don't see any reason why I shouldn't run in the next election," he declared.

More: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/syria-talks-in-london-agree-on-no-future-role-for-bashar-al-assad-435938

Justice GS Singhvi: The quiet judge & unquiet times

The jury will be out for a long time on Justice Ganpat Singh Singhvi’s rulings on how the government of India and India Inc do business.

But there’s a striking unanimity of views on how Justice Singhvi, who retires on December 11, conducts his judicial business – tough but soft-spoken on the bench, a fine judicial mind, a judge of enormous personal integrity and unafraid to take big calls on big issues involving big names.

In January 2012, Justice Singhvi, along with Justice AK Ganguly, was to deliver the ruling on the Prime Minister’s role in the 2G telecom licence policy. The government, political class and media held their breath. The bench said the PM was ‘poorly advised’. UPA avoided a major crisis. But it was a close thing.

And after that, the 2G bench, in a decision that changed Indian telecom and government approach to resource allocation, cancelled all 2G licences issued during A Raja’s tenure as telecom minister in 2008.

The drama and tension of those weeks was a fine demonstration of how influential JusticeSinghvi has been since he took over Supreme Court duties in November 2007. The judge, born on December 12, 1948, will retire a day before his 65th birthday.

A short list of Justice Singhvi’s major judgments (See graphic) represent a long line of worries for India Inc and GoI. Justice Singhvi is also hearing the appeal against Delhi high court’s decriminalisation of homosexuality, the PIL against ‘improper’ use of red lights and beacons on VIP vehicles, appeals against new official drug pricing formulas and the ban on ‘gutka’.

Here is a judge whose impact will be felt long after he retires. Justice Singhvi’s many admirers, some of whom disagree with his landmark rulings, hope that certain standards of conduct he has established also survive his retirement. His son practices only in the Delhi High Court.

That a senior Supreme Court judge’s lawyer-son would avoid the apex court is rare example of legal propriety these days, many members of the legal establishment point out.

Retired Justice Ganguly, the second member of the now famous 2G bench, told ET, “He (Justice Singhvi) has very strict views on moral principles. He sets very high standards.”

Son of a prominent criminal lawyer in Rajasthan, Singhvi was famous as a lawyer who never charged high fees. “He would take what his clients could give,” said a lawyer who worked with him before Singhvi became a judge.

It was typical of Justice Singhvi, senior lawyers and some fellow judges say, that about a fortnight back he himself stepped down from the telecom bench, citing insufficiency of time given his December retirement and the complex nature of cases. Justice HL Dattu has been appointed in Justice Singhvi’s place.

Justice Dattu, given the succession order in the Supreme Court, should be appointed Chief Justice in the near future. Justice Singhvi, second in the Supreme Court pecking order, will retire without having the top legal job listed in his otherwise impressive curriculum vitae.

He isn’t retiring as Chief Justice of India because, “he stood up for striking judges in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in mid-2005… when they were protesting against the then High Court Chief Justice,” says Additional Solicitor General and one-time junior of Justice Singhvi, Paras Kuhad. “It was an act of courage and conviction that cost him the top job,” Kuhad says.

Many senior members of the legal establishment confirm this, though they are unwilling to go on record on the matter of Supreme Court succession.

Many more speak of his generosity as a host. A diabetic who also underwent an angioplasty, Justice Singhvi is restricted to a simple diet, but his visitors are served delectable munchies, says a junior.

There’s an open door policy at the judge’s bungalow. Birds, stray dogs…no one is turned away. “How many VVIPs in New Delhi do you think would take care of a stray,” asks a senior lawyer, adding that such kindness is typical of the man.

That the same counsel, an expert in corporate affairs, especially in telecom matters, also criticises Justice Singhvi’s 2G judgment tells you that even in these charged times, the judge’s personal qualities are of such high order that they survive harsh opposition to some of his judicial pronouncements.

It’s always tough to decode a Supreme Court judge’s personal political philosophy. But those who have followed Justice Singhvi’s career closely say he is a judge whose sympathy lies with those lower in the pecking order.

“He thinks India’s is a deeply iniquitous society…he thinks the law, properly applied, can be a corrective…but he is an optimist about India,” said a senior lawyer who has known Justice Singhvi for years.

“He didn’t distinguish properly between the causes of corruption and the outcome of corruption,” said another senior counsel, critiquing Justice Singhvi’s rulings on cases involving government-business policy interactions. Activistlawyer Prashant Bhushan said, “it’s hard to find a judge like Justice Singhvi…others have to follow his standards”.

Deeply divided opinions on Justice Singhvi’s landmark rulings are as common as deeply fond recollections of his personal traits.

“He starts reading his case papers at 5.30 am,” says Kuhad, “and you simply can’t be late or ill-prepared when working with him.” “His memory is amazing,” said Rajiv Dhavan, a noted constitutional expert.

“It’s when he smiles that you have to be mostcareful,” said a lawyer who’s appeared many times before Justice Singhvi. “When he smiles, and speaks softly, you know something’s coming your way,” he said.

In the few weeks left of his time as aSupreme Court judge, India Inc, GoI, and many others would carefully watch out for that smile. Expect Justice Singhvi, in his own quiet way, to make a few more headlines – and leave a lot of more questions for some of India’s most powerful to deal with.

For Narendra Modi's Jhansi rally, BJP to ferry crowds from MP

The success of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi'sKanpur rally, which saw a huge gathering Saturday, has set a challenge before the party to ensure the presence of a similar crowd in Modi's next rally scheduled in Bundelkhand's Jhansi district on October 25. For this, the party is hopeful of getting crowds from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh where Assembly elections have been announced.

At the Kanpur rally, there was a gathering of around 1.25 lakh, although the party had claimed it to be more than four lakh. Sources said the party has set a target of two lakh people for the Jhansi rally.

Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson Vijender Singh Sisodia said, "Party workers from various districts of Madhya Pradesh bordering UP will definitely go to Jhansi to hear Modi. The message that Modi ji will give in Jhansi will make an impact on the Assembly elections of Madhya Pradesh."

While notification for the Assembly elections in MP is going to be issued on November 1, the party is yet to declare candidates. "Party leaders seeking tickets from MP's assembly constituencies bordering UP will definitely take people to Jhansi rally," said a UP BJP leader who recently visited some districts of MP including Datia to mobilise workers to attend Modi's Jhansi rally. Datia is about 25 km from Jhansi.

A major worry for the party for the Jhansi rally is low population density in the region as compared to Kanpur. In Kanpur, which is hub for industries and education, youths and labourers formed the major part of the crowd.

"There are no major industry or educational institutions in Bundelkhand which can cater crowd to Jhansi rally. Majority of the population here are farmers. The party has a target of two lakh people for the rally, but that may go up," said Babu Ram Nishad, BJP's Bundelkhand region president.

He said the UP BJP has not invited any worker from Madhya Pradesh, but there will be no restriction if people from there came to hear Modi in Jhansi.

Bundelkhand has four Lok Sabha and 19 assembly seats. The BJP has no Lok Sabha member there and only three MLAs — Uma Bharti from Charkhari, Ravi Sharma from Jhansi and Sahdvi Niranjan Jyoti from Hamirpur.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/for-narendra-modis-jhansi-rally-bjp-to-ferry-crowds-from-mp/1186020/2

Panel recommends 10% jobs for muslims in Maharashtra, BJP calls it a pre-election ploy

Mehmood-ur-Rahman committee has recommended Muslims be given 8% to 10% reservation in education and jobs in Maharashtra. Set up by the state governmentin 2008 to study the economic and social backwardness among Muslims, the panel submitted its report to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Monday.

The committee report says that out of the one crore Muslims, about 60% are living below the poverty line (BPL) .

The committee notes that more than 70% Muslims in urban areas, face serious problems of housing and do not have any access to the government programmes. Only 2% Muslims are able to graduate from colleges and 1.4% Muslim women reach the graduation level.

The report expressed concern over alarmingly low representation of Muslims in government jobs. Their share in the Indian Administrative Service in Maharashtra is reported to be under 1%, and in the police force just about 4 %.

The Rahman committee has recommended that an equal opportunities commission be set up to ensure that Muslims get a fare share in social development. It says 8%-10% reservation should be given to Muslims in education and jobs.

The report has also recommended immediate vacation of unauthorized occupation of Waqf properties and release of outstanding rents by the government offices. It also recommended creation of the Waqf Service and construction of the Waqf house in Mumbai.


The BJP in Maharashtra has slammed the timing of the report. “The committee was set up five years ago, why has it submitted this report just before elections. The Congress is trying to ensure that Muslims vote for them. A carrot is being extended by the Congress,” said Madhav Bhandari, state spokesperson of the BJP.

“This report will be sent to the concerned ministry and a proposal will then be put before the cabinet. A detailed discussion will happen before any decision about its partial implementation,” said a senior minister who belongs to the Congress.

The committee has also highlighted the difficulties that Muslims face while seeking permission for building mosques, and for getting approval for burial grounds. “The police department in the state creates a lot of hurdles in the way when community members seek permission for building mosques.

This not only violates the basic constitutional rights but it is also very discriminatory behaviour,” the report states.

The Rahaman committee comprises of several retired bureaucrats and was set up byVilasrao Deshmukh under the chairmanship of senior academician Dr. Mehmood-ur-Rahman.>

More: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/panel-recommends-10-jobs-for-muslims-in-maharashtra-bjp-calls-it-a-pre-election-ploy/articleshow/24564194.cms