Saturday, October 26, 2013
Surgery gives fresh lease of life to mother-son duo
For teenager Vibhuti Deshmukh (13) and her mother Sujata (names changed), life was a constant struggle due to obesity until bariatric surgery turned life around for them. Vibhuti and Sujata shared more in common than just blood, as prior to surgery both weighed around 105 kg. However, post-surgery, Vibhuti now has dropped nearly 35kg.
“The family first approached us for bariatric surgery for the daughter. Her mental health had started getting affected because of her weight. We did a complete and thorough evaluation of the patient before taking up the surgery,” said Dr Jayashri Todkar, bariatric surgeon, who is a consulting obesity surgeon at the International Centre of Excellence at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Powai and Kohinoor Hospital, Kurla.
Once Vibhuti underwent the surgery, her mother got inspired and underwent bariatric surgery a month ago. Sujata said, “I am a diabetic and my weight was causing me a lot of aches and joint pain. The pain has reduced by almost 80% after the surgery. But the real wonderful change has come in my daughter, who is now happy instead of being depressed all the time as she was before. We struggled as a family for nearly two years with all kinds of weight-loss techniques, but finally opted for the surgery and we are happy.”
A study by the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation showed that children of overweight mothers are more likely to be overweight.
“The family first approached us for bariatric surgery for the daughter. Her mental health had started getting affected because of her weight. We did a complete and thorough evaluation of the patient before taking up the surgery,” said Dr Jayashri Todkar, bariatric surgeon, who is a consulting obesity surgeon at the International Centre of Excellence at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Powai and Kohinoor Hospital, Kurla.
Once Vibhuti underwent the surgery, her mother got inspired and underwent bariatric surgery a month ago. Sujata said, “I am a diabetic and my weight was causing me a lot of aches and joint pain. The pain has reduced by almost 80% after the surgery. But the real wonderful change has come in my daughter, who is now happy instead of being depressed all the time as she was before. We struggled as a family for nearly two years with all kinds of weight-loss techniques, but finally opted for the surgery and we are happy.”
A study by the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation showed that children of overweight mothers are more likely to be overweight.
Strictly follow anti-ragging norms: Governor Ram Naresh Yadav
Governor Ram Naresh Yadav during a meeting of state-level ragging monitoring cell on Saturday directed vice-chancellors and higher education officials to implement guidelines of anti-ragging on the campus. He also expressed his concern over findings of anti-ragging committee of Barkatullah University where 19 departments out of 23 were found not properly following guidelines of anti-ragging, sources said.
Expressing concern, the governor said, "Students take admission in educational institutions with lot of aspirations. But, incidents like ragging create terror in their mind."
He directed vice-chancellors to keep abreast of information regarding students residing in private hostels and rented accommodations.
The governor suggested students should be made aware that ragging is a criminal offence .
Expressing concern, the governor said, "Students take admission in educational institutions with lot of aspirations. But, incidents like ragging create terror in their mind."
He directed vice-chancellors to keep abreast of information regarding students residing in private hostels and rented accommodations.
The governor suggested students should be made aware that ragging is a criminal offence .
Isro's Orbiter, Nasa's Maven may 'cruise together' to Mars
India's preparations for its ambitious mission to the Red Planet are proceeding almost simultaneously with the American project on similar lines. On Sunday, Isro completed the process of mating the 1,340kg Mars Orbiter with the PolarSatellite Launch Vehicle, marking a major step in the Rs 450-crore mission. An Isro official told TOI that the process began on October 18.
On Monday, American space agency Nasa moved the Atlas V rocket's payload to the clean room in preparation for the mating of the spacecraft-Mars Atmosphere And Volatile Evolution Mission (Maven)-with the launcher, which is scheduled to start in early November. Isro's next step will be the closure of the heat-shield on Tuesday, when the launch authorization board will also reconvene at Sriharikota to firm up the launch date.
On the same day, in the US, Nasa's Maven will undergo a spin test without the propellant to assess whether the spacecraft, with all the payloads, is ready.
The Indian Mars Orbiter's launch was postponed by about a week because SCI Nalanda,one of the two Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) vessels designated to track the launch from Fiji was delayed.
SCI officials told TOI that SCI Nalanda had arrived in Fiji on Monday. Besides this vessel, SCI Yamuna too is now berthed in the Fijian capital of Suva. The two ships are currently being fitted out for tracking the mission.
Nasa's Maven is scheduled to be launched on November 18.
Indications are that Isro's Mars Orbiter and Nasa's Maven will arrive at the Red Planet almost at the same time in September 2014.
On Monday, American space agency Nasa moved the Atlas V rocket's payload to the clean room in preparation for the mating of the spacecraft-Mars Atmosphere And Volatile Evolution Mission (Maven)-with the launcher, which is scheduled to start in early November. Isro's next step will be the closure of the heat-shield on Tuesday, when the launch authorization board will also reconvene at Sriharikota to firm up the launch date.
On the same day, in the US, Nasa's Maven will undergo a spin test without the propellant to assess whether the spacecraft, with all the payloads, is ready.
The Indian Mars Orbiter's launch was postponed by about a week because SCI Nalanda,one of the two Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) vessels designated to track the launch from Fiji was delayed.
SCI officials told TOI that SCI Nalanda had arrived in Fiji on Monday. Besides this vessel, SCI Yamuna too is now berthed in the Fijian capital of Suva. The two ships are currently being fitted out for tracking the mission.
Nasa's Maven is scheduled to be launched on November 18.
Indications are that Isro's Mars Orbiter and Nasa's Maven will arrive at the Red Planet almost at the same time in September 2014.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton qualify in second and third places for 2013 Indian Grand Prix
Talking about his performance, Nico Rosberg, said,”We have tried a lot of different things in the practice sessions this weekend to try and find an extra one or two tenths and I found a good set-up with my guys so I’m happy with our work so far. I just wanted to qualify ‘best of the rest’ today so I’m really happy with second place and starting on the front row. The race will be tough against Mark tomorrow, though, as he has the quicker car and is on a different strategy, but we’ll give it our all. For our team, the most important thing is to score as many points as possible so we can secure second place in the Constructors’ Championship at the end of the year.”
Lewis Hamilton said,”I’m pleased with third place today as it’s been a tough weekend to get the car set up and squeeze as much performance as possible from it. The team have done a great job to make progress since Friday and I’m delighted for everyone to see both Nico and I in the top three today. It was a good lap although I lost maybe a little bit of time at the last corner. Of course, tomorrow is what counts and the race will be difficult with the different strategies and tyre choices. We’ll hope for a good start, get rid of the softs early and then focus on pushing as hard as we can on the primes.”
Ross Brawn said,”That was as good a qualifying session as we could have hoped for. It built to a nice crescendo in Q3 and we made the right moves, managed things well and put in our best laps at just the right time having saved a new set of option tyres for the end of Q3. Obviously, we are committed to starting on the option tyre with both cars but we have them in good positions and can be pleased with that achievement this afternoon. It’s been a pretty tough weekend getting the car set-up right so far and the engineers and drivers have together done a thoroughly good job. Now we need to finish that job with a strong race tomorrow.”
Toto Wolff , said,”Second place with Nico and third with Lewis are satisfying positions after a pretty challenging weekend so far. It’s fair to say that we probably wouldn’t have been quite so high up the grid if everybody had run the option tyre in Q3, but equally we would not have been far off. The engineering team has done a good job to dial the car into the circuit, which continued to ramp up strongly during the qualifying session. The mix of strategies in the top ten will make for an interesting race tomorrow which could only unfold at the very end.”
Lewis Hamilton said,”I’m pleased with third place today as it’s been a tough weekend to get the car set up and squeeze as much performance as possible from it. The team have done a great job to make progress since Friday and I’m delighted for everyone to see both Nico and I in the top three today. It was a good lap although I lost maybe a little bit of time at the last corner. Of course, tomorrow is what counts and the race will be difficult with the different strategies and tyre choices. We’ll hope for a good start, get rid of the softs early and then focus on pushing as hard as we can on the primes.”
Ross Brawn said,”That was as good a qualifying session as we could have hoped for. It built to a nice crescendo in Q3 and we made the right moves, managed things well and put in our best laps at just the right time having saved a new set of option tyres for the end of Q3. Obviously, we are committed to starting on the option tyre with both cars but we have them in good positions and can be pleased with that achievement this afternoon. It’s been a pretty tough weekend getting the car set-up right so far and the engineers and drivers have together done a thoroughly good job. Now we need to finish that job with a strong race tomorrow.”
Toto Wolff , said,”Second place with Nico and third with Lewis are satisfying positions after a pretty challenging weekend so far. It’s fair to say that we probably wouldn’t have been quite so high up the grid if everybody had run the option tyre in Q3, but equally we would not have been far off. The engineering team has done a good job to dial the car into the circuit, which continued to ramp up strongly during the qualifying session. The mix of strategies in the top ten will make for an interesting race tomorrow which could only unfold at the very end.”
BCCI terminates contract with Sahara, Pune Warriors out of IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is back to being an eight-team affair. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has decided to terminate its agreement with the Sahara Pune Warriorsfranchise on account of the latter failing to provide the necessary bank guarantee as directed by the Bombay High Court early this year.
The Working Committee (WC) of the Board met in Chennai on Saturday to discuss Sahara's "default" in not submitting the bank guarantee of Rs 170 crore for the seventh edition of the IPLscheduled next year. The Board has claimed that as per the terms of its franchise agreement, this bank guarantee was due for delivery in March 2013, more than six months ago.
The BCCI also says that in August this year, pending arbitration, Sahara had moved the Bombay HC seeking injunction on the cricket board's right to terminate the franchise. In its order, dated September 5, the court, however, had ruled that BCCI would not terminate the agreement only if Sahara ended up paying the required bank guarantee.
The BCCI now says it wrote to Sahara on five separate occasions in the last six months - between April and October - asking for the bank guarantee to be submitted, but their continuous refusal to do so has led to the termination now.
Sahara had bought the Pune franchise in 2010 through a bidding process for a whopping $370m, the payment for which had to be done in 10 installments of $37m per year.
"In order to proceed with the preparations for the 2014 season, it is important that BCCI now has certainty as to whether the Pune franchise will comply with the terms of its franchise agreement," the board said in a statement issued on Saturday. "Given Sahara's continued position that it would not deliver the bank guarantee, the WC unanimously determined to terminate the franchise agreement, while taking whatever action was necessary to protect the BCCI position," the statement added.
The BCCI is unlikely to float another tender this year to replace the Pune franchise and therefore, when fresh player auctions are held in 2014 ahead of the league's seventh season, only eight teams will be in the fray.
'Withheld bank guarantee because of BCCI's betrayal of trust'
Sahara Group on Saturday sought to defend its decision to not furnish the bank guarantee, saying it was forced to do that as the Board "has always acted in betrayal of trust and not fulfilled its part of obligations".
Sahara Group said the "arbitrary" reduction in the number of IPL matches by the BCCI from the number stipulated in the franchise agreement was at the centre of the whole dispute.
"BCCI had made pre-bid representations that 94 matches will be held in every season and then arbitrarily reduced the number of matches from 94 to 74 & then 76. Sahara had placed its bid for IPL franchise based on the representations of BCCI which were false," the Sahara group said in a release.
"The reduction in the number of matches has had a substantial financial impact due to the reduction in the central revenues under the Franchise Agreement. Sahara had raised the issue regarding significant reduction in the number of matches which was one of the most important basis and criteria for the bid, since 2011," it said.
"BCCI did not want to honour their promises. Therefore due to non fulfillment of reciprocal obligations of BCCI and failure to keep its promises as given in February 2012, Sahara was left with no option but to hold back the Bank Guarantee till promises and obligations were fulfilled. But instead of fulfilling its promises and obligations, BCCI went ahead and terminated the contract, which itself is in breach."
Trimmed SA tour blamed on Sahara!
Chennai: In the working committee meeting, the decision to finish the South Africa tour by December end was too blamed on Sahara. It was told to the members that Sahara's sponsorship deal with the Indian team ends by the end of the year and it's certain that they won't renew the contract.
"It wouldn't have been feasible to have two sponsors for the team in the same series. That is one of the main reasons we have to finish the South Africa tour by December 31," a source said.
Elaborating on the curtailment of the South Africa tour, the working committee members were told that the entire country, including Sachin Tendulkar, wanted his 200th Test to be in India. That's why the BCCI decided to have the West Indies series in India in November.
The Working Committee (WC) of the Board met in Chennai on Saturday to discuss Sahara's "default" in not submitting the bank guarantee of Rs 170 crore for the seventh edition of the IPLscheduled next year. The Board has claimed that as per the terms of its franchise agreement, this bank guarantee was due for delivery in March 2013, more than six months ago.
The BCCI also says that in August this year, pending arbitration, Sahara had moved the Bombay HC seeking injunction on the cricket board's right to terminate the franchise. In its order, dated September 5, the court, however, had ruled that BCCI would not terminate the agreement only if Sahara ended up paying the required bank guarantee.
The BCCI now says it wrote to Sahara on five separate occasions in the last six months - between April and October - asking for the bank guarantee to be submitted, but their continuous refusal to do so has led to the termination now.
Sahara had bought the Pune franchise in 2010 through a bidding process for a whopping $370m, the payment for which had to be done in 10 installments of $37m per year.
"In order to proceed with the preparations for the 2014 season, it is important that BCCI now has certainty as to whether the Pune franchise will comply with the terms of its franchise agreement," the board said in a statement issued on Saturday. "Given Sahara's continued position that it would not deliver the bank guarantee, the WC unanimously determined to terminate the franchise agreement, while taking whatever action was necessary to protect the BCCI position," the statement added.
The BCCI is unlikely to float another tender this year to replace the Pune franchise and therefore, when fresh player auctions are held in 2014 ahead of the league's seventh season, only eight teams will be in the fray.
'Withheld bank guarantee because of BCCI's betrayal of trust'
Sahara Group on Saturday sought to defend its decision to not furnish the bank guarantee, saying it was forced to do that as the Board "has always acted in betrayal of trust and not fulfilled its part of obligations".
Sahara Group said the "arbitrary" reduction in the number of IPL matches by the BCCI from the number stipulated in the franchise agreement was at the centre of the whole dispute.
"BCCI had made pre-bid representations that 94 matches will be held in every season and then arbitrarily reduced the number of matches from 94 to 74 & then 76. Sahara had placed its bid for IPL franchise based on the representations of BCCI which were false," the Sahara group said in a release.
"The reduction in the number of matches has had a substantial financial impact due to the reduction in the central revenues under the Franchise Agreement. Sahara had raised the issue regarding significant reduction in the number of matches which was one of the most important basis and criteria for the bid, since 2011," it said.
"BCCI did not want to honour their promises. Therefore due to non fulfillment of reciprocal obligations of BCCI and failure to keep its promises as given in February 2012, Sahara was left with no option but to hold back the Bank Guarantee till promises and obligations were fulfilled. But instead of fulfilling its promises and obligations, BCCI went ahead and terminated the contract, which itself is in breach."
Trimmed SA tour blamed on Sahara!
Chennai: In the working committee meeting, the decision to finish the South Africa tour by December end was too blamed on Sahara. It was told to the members that Sahara's sponsorship deal with the Indian team ends by the end of the year and it's certain that they won't renew the contract.
"It wouldn't have been feasible to have two sponsors for the team in the same series. That is one of the main reasons we have to finish the South Africa tour by December 31," a source said.
Elaborating on the curtailment of the South Africa tour, the working committee members were told that the entire country, including Sachin Tendulkar, wanted his 200th Test to be in India. That's why the BCCI decided to have the West Indies series in India in November.
Vettel takes India pole faster than ever
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel put himself on pole position for a fourth successive Formula One crown after lapping the Indian Grand Prix circuit faster than any driver ever before on Saturday.
The German, whose lightning lap of one minute 24.119 seconds maintained his record of being on pole in every Indian race since the first in 2011, will have compatriot Nico Rosberg alongside for Mercedes on the front row for what should be a title-clinching race.
It was the 26-year-old's 43rd career pole and seventh in 16 races so far this season.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, 90 points behind in the standings with four races to go and the only driver who can put Vettel's celebrations on hold, qualified only eighth on a hazy afternoon following early morning smog that delayed final practice.
Lewis Hamilton will line up third for Mercedes, with Vettel's Australian team mate Mark Webber starting in fourth place after he and Vettel had been one-two in every practice session.
However, Webber may have an ace up his sleeve even if Vettel starts in clean air.
The veteran will be the only driver on the front two rows starting on the slower but more durable medium tyres while the other three opted for the soft option and will have to pit earlier.
"Obviously Mark is on a different strategy so we'll see what the race brings tomorrow," said Vettel, who is chasing his sixth successive win as well as an Indian hat-trick at a circuit where he has led every race lap to date.
"In the end I think the strategies shouldn't determine the result that much," added the German, who is set to become the youngest ever quadruple champion as well as the first to win his first four titles consecutively.
ANOTHER WORLD
Rosberg said he had been pushing the limits to get the most out of a car that has been no match for the Red Bull in recent races.
"We're - I'm - completely on a knife's edge. Really pushing the limits this weekend, just trying to extract that little tenth more out of the car. Trying different things, new ways, new setups and until now it works," he said.
Alonso, who must finish in the top two to have any hope of staying mathematically in contention after the weekend, also qualified on the medium tyres and recognised it was a 50-50 gamble.
"If the soft lasts in good conditions and good pace long enough, the people in front of us have not many problems," the Spaniard told reporters, for once holding back on the criticism of supplier Pirelli.
"If the soft has some problems and they start pitting and go in a heavy traffic, maybe the race win will be between Webber and me," he added. "If the soft tyres are lasting longer than expected and they go much longer, it will be difficult to recover places."
Hamilton, whose team are fighting Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship that Red Bull could wrap up on Sunday, was focused on that battle.
"They (Red Bull) are in another world but we'll try to stay ahead of the rest," said the 2008 champion.
The big loser was Romain Grosjean, who led the previous race in Japan and has finished on the podium in the last two grands prix but failed to get his Lotus through the first phase of qualifying.
The Frenchman paid a heavy price for going out on the medium tyre when others were lapping on the softs and will start back in 17th.
"We just missed the cut-off time, everyone went quicker than we thought. Today, for some reason, the mediums were not quick enough. It's a decision we took together, we were confident we could do enough with them but we got it wrong," he said.
Team mate Kimi Raikkonen will start sixth, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa in fifth - after qualifying on softs - and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg a strong seventh for Sauber. The two McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10 behind Alonso.
Perez, whose place at the team for 2014 has yet to be confirmed, sounded more optimistic about a Sunday than he has for some time in a season that has yet to see McLaren finish on the podium.
"I think this can be McLaren's best race of the season," the Mexican told reporters.
The German, whose lightning lap of one minute 24.119 seconds maintained his record of being on pole in every Indian race since the first in 2011, will have compatriot Nico Rosberg alongside for Mercedes on the front row for what should be a title-clinching race.
It was the 26-year-old's 43rd career pole and seventh in 16 races so far this season.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, 90 points behind in the standings with four races to go and the only driver who can put Vettel's celebrations on hold, qualified only eighth on a hazy afternoon following early morning smog that delayed final practice.
Lewis Hamilton will line up third for Mercedes, with Vettel's Australian team mate Mark Webber starting in fourth place after he and Vettel had been one-two in every practice session.
However, Webber may have an ace up his sleeve even if Vettel starts in clean air.
The veteran will be the only driver on the front two rows starting on the slower but more durable medium tyres while the other three opted for the soft option and will have to pit earlier.
"Obviously Mark is on a different strategy so we'll see what the race brings tomorrow," said Vettel, who is chasing his sixth successive win as well as an Indian hat-trick at a circuit where he has led every race lap to date.
"In the end I think the strategies shouldn't determine the result that much," added the German, who is set to become the youngest ever quadruple champion as well as the first to win his first four titles consecutively.
ANOTHER WORLD
Rosberg said he had been pushing the limits to get the most out of a car that has been no match for the Red Bull in recent races.
"We're - I'm - completely on a knife's edge. Really pushing the limits this weekend, just trying to extract that little tenth more out of the car. Trying different things, new ways, new setups and until now it works," he said.
Alonso, who must finish in the top two to have any hope of staying mathematically in contention after the weekend, also qualified on the medium tyres and recognised it was a 50-50 gamble.
"If the soft lasts in good conditions and good pace long enough, the people in front of us have not many problems," the Spaniard told reporters, for once holding back on the criticism of supplier Pirelli.
"If the soft has some problems and they start pitting and go in a heavy traffic, maybe the race win will be between Webber and me," he added. "If the soft tyres are lasting longer than expected and they go much longer, it will be difficult to recover places."
Hamilton, whose team are fighting Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship that Red Bull could wrap up on Sunday, was focused on that battle.
"They (Red Bull) are in another world but we'll try to stay ahead of the rest," said the 2008 champion.
The big loser was Romain Grosjean, who led the previous race in Japan and has finished on the podium in the last two grands prix but failed to get his Lotus through the first phase of qualifying.
The Frenchman paid a heavy price for going out on the medium tyre when others were lapping on the softs and will start back in 17th.
"We just missed the cut-off time, everyone went quicker than we thought. Today, for some reason, the mediums were not quick enough. It's a decision we took together, we were confident we could do enough with them but we got it wrong," he said.
Team mate Kimi Raikkonen will start sixth, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa in fifth - after qualifying on softs - and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg a strong seventh for Sauber. The two McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10 behind Alonso.
Perez, whose place at the team for 2014 has yet to be confirmed, sounded more optimistic about a Sunday than he has for some time in a season that has yet to see McLaren finish on the podium.
"I think this can be McLaren's best race of the season," the Mexican told reporters.
Bigg Boss 7: Model Asif Azim evicted from the house
Asif Azim was evicted from the "Bigg Boss- Saath 7" house Saturday. He was a wild card entry. His eviction came after the mid-week ousting of yoga teacher Viveik Mishra. Unlike the other contestants on the show, Asif, who entered the show in September end, did not usually react to situations.
However, he was seen to not get along with co-contestant Armaan Kohli. Asif Azim was evicted from the 'Bigg Boss Saath 7' house Saturday. He was a wild card entry. A new living space has also been added in the 'Bigg Boss' house in the form of "The Caravan"- a motor vehicle with a living space, which was revealed Saturday.
The other celebrity inmates in the 'Bigg Boss' house include VJ Andy, Gauhar Khan, Kushal Tandon, Apoorva Agnihotri, Tanisha Mukherjee, Sangram Singh, Elli Avram, Kamya Punjabi and Pratyusha Banerjee.
Read more at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bangladeshi-model-asif-azim-gets-evicted-from-bigg-bosssaath-7/430719-44-124.html?utm_source=ref_article
Read more at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bangladeshi-model-asif-azim-gets-evicted-from-bigg-bosssaath-7/430719-44-124.html?utm_source=ref_article
YouTube readying paid music service: reports
Google's video-sharing arm YouTube is preparing to launch a paid music service this year competing against other streaming outlets, with the added feature of video, media reports have said.
The New York Times said the service designed for mobile devices would cost around USD 10 a month for an ad-free service and would compete with services such as Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody.
The report said the deal would allow record companies to get bigger royalty payments than they currently get from free services.
Billboard first reported that the music service would be modeled on Google's All Access subscription service, which is also USD 10 per month.
Billboard said a paid service would give YouTube more flexibility in packaging and selling music with fewer restrictions. It also said a premium service could be paired with other Google products in the future, including Google Glass.
Creating a paid service would help YouTube move away from the sharing of free music videos, which are often removed for copyright violations.
A YouTube spokesman, when contacted, declined to comment on the specific reports but said: "We're always working on new and better ways for people to enjoy YouTube content across all screens, and on giving partners more opportunities to reach their fans. However, we have nothing to announce at this time."
Billboard reported that YouTube was likely to offer a free ad-supported service, as well as the paid service, which would be without advertising.
One possibility for YouTube could be the ability to stream full albums, which are not usually available because artists generally select one or two tracks from any single album to feature in a music video.
The music publication said YouTube is in the process of a larger redesign of the YouTube mobile app that would offer a cleaner interface for music and playlists.
The New York Times said the service designed for mobile devices would cost around USD 10 a month for an ad-free service and would compete with services such as Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody.
The report said the deal would allow record companies to get bigger royalty payments than they currently get from free services.
Billboard first reported that the music service would be modeled on Google's All Access subscription service, which is also USD 10 per month.
Billboard said a paid service would give YouTube more flexibility in packaging and selling music with fewer restrictions. It also said a premium service could be paired with other Google products in the future, including Google Glass.
Creating a paid service would help YouTube move away from the sharing of free music videos, which are often removed for copyright violations.
A YouTube spokesman, when contacted, declined to comment on the specific reports but said: "We're always working on new and better ways for people to enjoy YouTube content across all screens, and on giving partners more opportunities to reach their fans. However, we have nothing to announce at this time."
Billboard reported that YouTube was likely to offer a free ad-supported service, as well as the paid service, which would be without advertising.
One possibility for YouTube could be the ability to stream full albums, which are not usually available because artists generally select one or two tracks from any single album to feature in a music video.
The music publication said YouTube is in the process of a larger redesign of the YouTube mobile app that would offer a cleaner interface for music and playlists.
Samsung to launch Galaxy Golden phone in India: Report
Samsung seems to be planning another big launch in the country for the coming festive season. According to a report on AndroidOS.in website, the company is all set to launch its flip phone Galaxy Golden in India.
As per the news report, "The company has already imported around 1650 units of the phone in the country, which will soon reach the retail stores." An official announcement is expected sometime next week.
Launched in South Korea in August this year, Galaxy Golden has a clamshell design and sports two 3.7" Super AMOLED displays with WVGA resolution. The phone with dual touchscreens also has a alphanumeric keypad.
Galaxy Golden is powered by a dual-core 1.7 GHz processor. On camera front, there's an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.9MP front camera. The phone runs on Android 4.2 operating system and packs 1820mAh battery.
Though there is no official word on the Galaxy Golden's pricing in India, reports suggest that the phone is likely to be priced above Rs 45,000.
Earlier this month, Samsung fan website SamMobile too reported that the company will soon launch a flip-phone in a few Asian countries, including India.
Samsung Galaxy Golden was launched in South Korea in August this year.
Samsung recently added another flip phone in its portfolio: Galaxy W789. Samsung Galaxy W789 has two 3.3-inch TFT touchscreens with 480x320p resolution. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system and runs on 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It has a 1,500mAh battery and comes with a 5MP camera. The phone was launched in China earlier this year.
As per the news report, "The company has already imported around 1650 units of the phone in the country, which will soon reach the retail stores." An official announcement is expected sometime next week.
Launched in South Korea in August this year, Galaxy Golden has a clamshell design and sports two 3.7" Super AMOLED displays with WVGA resolution. The phone with dual touchscreens also has a alphanumeric keypad.
Galaxy Golden is powered by a dual-core 1.7 GHz processor. On camera front, there's an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.9MP front camera. The phone runs on Android 4.2 operating system and packs 1820mAh battery.
Though there is no official word on the Galaxy Golden's pricing in India, reports suggest that the phone is likely to be priced above Rs 45,000.
Earlier this month, Samsung fan website SamMobile too reported that the company will soon launch a flip-phone in a few Asian countries, including India.
Samsung Galaxy Golden was launched in South Korea in August this year.
Samsung recently added another flip phone in its portfolio: Galaxy W789. Samsung Galaxy W789 has two 3.3-inch TFT touchscreens with 480x320p resolution. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system and runs on 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It has a 1,500mAh battery and comes with a 5MP camera. The phone was launched in China earlier this year.
Micromax launches Canvas Turbo at Rs 19,900
Indian handset maker Micromax, today, announced the launch of its Canvas Turbo smartphone in the market.
Canvas Turbo A250 is the first fullHD smartphone from Micromax. The phone has full aluminum casing and a 5-inch screen that offers 360-degree viewing angle. Canvas Turbo runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor coupled with 2GB RAM.
Canvas Turbo features a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. The camera offer features like 360-degree panorama, Cinemagraph and Object Eraser.
The phone comes packed with a 2000 mAh battery. The device comes preloaded with apps like BBM, Hike and Spuul among others. Canvas Turbo also has 'Blow to Unlock' feature that Micromax first introduced in its Canvas 4 handset. The connectivity options include Bluetooth v4.0 and Wi-Fi.
Micromax Turbo will be available in white and blue colours in the market at a price of Rs 19,990 from October 26.
Commenting on the launch, Rahul Sharma, co-founder, "Canvas Turbo further builds on our promise to constantly empower our users with superior technology. This is complemented by a refreshed ecosystem of applications enabling users to multitask offering great value to them."
Specs
*1.5GHz Quad Core processor & 2GB RAM, Android 4.2(Jelly Bean)
*5-inch FullHD screen
*Full aluminum casing
*13MP rear camera; 5MP Front camera, 360 degrees panorama, cinemagraph, object eraser
*2,000 mAh battery
*2 GB RAM; 16GB internal storage
*Preloaded apps: BBM, Spuul, Kingsoft Office, Blow to Unlock, Opera, Hike
Canvas Turbo A250 is the first fullHD smartphone from Micromax. The phone has full aluminum casing and a 5-inch screen that offers 360-degree viewing angle. Canvas Turbo runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor coupled with 2GB RAM.
Canvas Turbo features a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. The camera offer features like 360-degree panorama, Cinemagraph and Object Eraser.
The phone comes packed with a 2000 mAh battery. The device comes preloaded with apps like BBM, Hike and Spuul among others. Canvas Turbo also has 'Blow to Unlock' feature that Micromax first introduced in its Canvas 4 handset. The connectivity options include Bluetooth v4.0 and Wi-Fi.
Micromax Turbo will be available in white and blue colours in the market at a price of Rs 19,990 from October 26.
Commenting on the launch, Rahul Sharma, co-founder, "Canvas Turbo further builds on our promise to constantly empower our users with superior technology. This is complemented by a refreshed ecosystem of applications enabling users to multitask offering great value to them."
Specs
*1.5GHz Quad Core processor & 2GB RAM, Android 4.2(Jelly Bean)
*5-inch FullHD screen
*Full aluminum casing
*13MP rear camera; 5MP Front camera, 360 degrees panorama, cinemagraph, object eraser
*2,000 mAh battery
*2 GB RAM; 16GB internal storage
*Preloaded apps: BBM, Spuul, Kingsoft Office, Blow to Unlock, Opera, Hike
Index Outlook: Over to you, Governor
It was a suspenseful week for the Indian stock markets as the two benchmarks — the Sensex and the Nifty — did a tantalizing jig, an arm’s reach away from their life-time highs. The overwhelming pessimism in the market made the Sensex wobble nervously every time it neared the 21,000-mark and the Nifty too failed to get past 6,300.
The stage is now set for a big week, with the RBI’s monetary policy meeting, US Federal Open Market Committee meeting, F&O expiry and a Muhurat trading session thrown in. The short-term trajectory of the market will be decided by the RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan’s next move. Continuation of the policy to bring down the Marginal Standing Facility ratewhile hiking the repo rate, will result in status quo. But if the Governor chooses to do something different this time, then the indices can go to a new high or crash; depending on the nature of the surprise.
Global markets are also in a festive mood with many benchmarks, including the S&P 500, at a new life-time high. Ben Bernanke also needs to do his bit and maintain an enigmatic silence on the QE tapering to enable the rally to continue. Any hint at a new schedule for winding down the stimulus programme, can result in a fresh bout of turbulence.
FIIs are pouring in money into the Indian market. This is part of a global flow of funds into emerging markets. According to EPFR Global, flows into emerging market equity funds jumped to a 37-week high for the week ending October 23.
This was due to strong flows in to emerging Asian country funds. The BRIC theme is, however, yet to find favour and the BRIC funds have now posted outflows in 137 of the 146 weeks since the beginning of 2011.
Oscillators on the daily chart are declining in line with the short-term weakness perceived last week. Negative divergence in the daily price rate of change oscillator reflects lack of short-term momentum.
Weekly oscillators are attempting to cut higher from the bearish zone into bullish territory. But this has not yet been accomplished.
These oscillators have been meandering sideways since April 2013, following the range-bound move in the indices during this period.
Sensex (20,683.5)
The Sensex was in a gentle slide through last week, but for the flurry of excitement on Thursday, when it crossed 21,000 briefly. The short-term trend deciding level is 20,371. Investors can buy during declines as long as the index trades above this level. If this support holds, the Sensex can attempt to move higher to 21,299, 21,467 or 22,146 in the sessions ahead.
The short-term outlook will turn negative if the index closes below 20,000.
The medium-term outlook for the index turned positive when the Sensex reversed from the low of 17,449. Extrapolation of this move gives us the targets of 21,299 and 22,537. We will stick to these targets unless the index closes below 19,960.
The Nifty ( 6,144.9) too, recorded the intra-week high of 6,252 and then went on to lose 44 points during the week. Key support for the week is at 6,045.
Investors can continue to buy for the short term as long as the index trades above this level.
Subsequent supports are at 5,980 and 5,917. The short-term trend will reverse lower only if the index closes below 5,917.
If the Nifty manages to hold above 6,044 next week, it will be able to rally to 6,252, 6,338 or 6,385 in the days ahead.
The medium-term trend in the Nifty will not be threatened unless the index goes on to close below 5,800.
Global cues
Global markets are also in an indomitable mood. The S&P 500, the DAX, KLSE Composite Index recorded new life-time highs last week and the Nasdaq is at a level last recorded in 2000.
The dollar index recorded a low of 79.1 on Friday.
Weakness in this index denotes higher risk-appetite and the possibility of increased fund flows to riskier asset classes, such as emerging market equities.
The Dow managed to close 181 points higher last week, around 200 points short of a new life-time peak. The sideways move in the narrow band of 14,500 and 15,500 will be construed as positive for the index.
It can break out to the medium-term target of 16,600, if the support at 14,500 holds.
The stage is now set for a big week, with the RBI’s monetary policy meeting, US Federal Open Market Committee meeting, F&O expiry and a Muhurat trading session thrown in. The short-term trajectory of the market will be decided by the RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan’s next move. Continuation of the policy to bring down the Marginal Standing Facility ratewhile hiking the repo rate, will result in status quo. But if the Governor chooses to do something different this time, then the indices can go to a new high or crash; depending on the nature of the surprise.
Global markets are also in a festive mood with many benchmarks, including the S&P 500, at a new life-time high. Ben Bernanke also needs to do his bit and maintain an enigmatic silence on the QE tapering to enable the rally to continue. Any hint at a new schedule for winding down the stimulus programme, can result in a fresh bout of turbulence.
FIIs are pouring in money into the Indian market. This is part of a global flow of funds into emerging markets. According to EPFR Global, flows into emerging market equity funds jumped to a 37-week high for the week ending October 23.
This was due to strong flows in to emerging Asian country funds. The BRIC theme is, however, yet to find favour and the BRIC funds have now posted outflows in 137 of the 146 weeks since the beginning of 2011.
Oscillators on the daily chart are declining in line with the short-term weakness perceived last week. Negative divergence in the daily price rate of change oscillator reflects lack of short-term momentum.
Weekly oscillators are attempting to cut higher from the bearish zone into bullish territory. But this has not yet been accomplished.
These oscillators have been meandering sideways since April 2013, following the range-bound move in the indices during this period.
Sensex (20,683.5)
The Sensex was in a gentle slide through last week, but for the flurry of excitement on Thursday, when it crossed 21,000 briefly. The short-term trend deciding level is 20,371. Investors can buy during declines as long as the index trades above this level. If this support holds, the Sensex can attempt to move higher to 21,299, 21,467 or 22,146 in the sessions ahead.
The short-term outlook will turn negative if the index closes below 20,000.
The medium-term outlook for the index turned positive when the Sensex reversed from the low of 17,449. Extrapolation of this move gives us the targets of 21,299 and 22,537. We will stick to these targets unless the index closes below 19,960.
The Nifty ( 6,144.9) too, recorded the intra-week high of 6,252 and then went on to lose 44 points during the week. Key support for the week is at 6,045.
Investors can continue to buy for the short term as long as the index trades above this level.
Subsequent supports are at 5,980 and 5,917. The short-term trend will reverse lower only if the index closes below 5,917.
If the Nifty manages to hold above 6,044 next week, it will be able to rally to 6,252, 6,338 or 6,385 in the days ahead.
The medium-term trend in the Nifty will not be threatened unless the index goes on to close below 5,800.
Global cues
Global markets are also in an indomitable mood. The S&P 500, the DAX, KLSE Composite Index recorded new life-time highs last week and the Nasdaq is at a level last recorded in 2000.
The dollar index recorded a low of 79.1 on Friday.
Weakness in this index denotes higher risk-appetite and the possibility of increased fund flows to riskier asset classes, such as emerging market equities.
The Dow managed to close 181 points higher last week, around 200 points short of a new life-time peak. The sideways move in the narrow band of 14,500 and 15,500 will be construed as positive for the index.
It can break out to the medium-term target of 16,600, if the support at 14,500 holds.
Briefly Business: Gold at R32,000 on festive demand
Gold at Rs 32,000 on festive demand
Mumbai: Gold reclaimed the psychological Rs 32,000 per 10 gm mark at the bullion market here amid swelling festive and wedding-related off-take. Standard gold rose by Rs 175 to close at Rs 32,015 per 10 grams, while pure gold of 99.9 per cent purity also rose by Rs 175 to close at Rs 32,165. Silver rose by Rs 360 to Rs 50,540 per kg.
JSW Energy Q2 profit slides 36%
New Delhi: Power producer JSW Energy on Saturday reported 36 per cent decline in net profit at Rs 162.59 crore in the three months ended September, mainly hit by forex losses. The company, part of the diversified JSW Group, had a net profit of Rs 254.04 crore in the year-ago period. In the second quarter of current financial year, the company raked in a total income of Rs 2,024.63 crore compared to Rs 2,076.53 crore in the same period a year ago.
Sundaram Home Fin Q2 profit up 12.16%
Chennai: Sundaram BNP Paribas Home Finance has reported 12.16 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 70.17 crore for the six month period ending September 30. The company, the home finance subsidiary of Sundaram Finance, said home loan disbursements during the period April to September 30, 2013 grew by 7.63 per cent to Rs 1,338.73 crore.
NLC Sept quarter net profit drops 28%
New Delhi: State-owned Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) on Saturday reported 28.3 per cent year-on-year fall in net profit at Rs 240 crore for the quarter to September due to higher expenses. PTI
Mumbai: Gold reclaimed the psychological Rs 32,000 per 10 gm mark at the bullion market here amid swelling festive and wedding-related off-take. Standard gold rose by Rs 175 to close at Rs 32,015 per 10 grams, while pure gold of 99.9 per cent purity also rose by Rs 175 to close at Rs 32,165. Silver rose by Rs 360 to Rs 50,540 per kg.
JSW Energy Q2 profit slides 36%
New Delhi: Power producer JSW Energy on Saturday reported 36 per cent decline in net profit at Rs 162.59 crore in the three months ended September, mainly hit by forex losses. The company, part of the diversified JSW Group, had a net profit of Rs 254.04 crore in the year-ago period. In the second quarter of current financial year, the company raked in a total income of Rs 2,024.63 crore compared to Rs 2,076.53 crore in the same period a year ago.
Sundaram Home Fin Q2 profit up 12.16%
Chennai: Sundaram BNP Paribas Home Finance has reported 12.16 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 70.17 crore for the six month period ending September 30. The company, the home finance subsidiary of Sundaram Finance, said home loan disbursements during the period April to September 30, 2013 grew by 7.63 per cent to Rs 1,338.73 crore.
NLC Sept quarter net profit drops 28%
New Delhi: State-owned Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) on Saturday reported 28.3 per cent year-on-year fall in net profit at Rs 240 crore for the quarter to September due to higher expenses. PTI
Weak consumer demand mars Hindustan Unilever Q2 earnings
Sales growth at Hindustan Unilever (HLL.NS) slowed for the sixth straight quarter between July and September and India's largest consumer goods maker said weak consumer demand would continue to drag until well into next year.
The company's fiscal second quarter results came after parent Anglo-Dutch consumer conglomerate Unilever (ULVR.L) (UNc.AS) warned in September that a slowdown in markets such as India had accelerated.
"The slowdown in business environment has continued in this quarter both in terms of volume and value growth," Chief Financial Officer R. Sridhar told reporters at an earnings press conference late on Saturday. "In particular, premium segments and discretionary categories are much more under pressure."
Sales volumes in the September quarter grew 5 percent, in line with market estimates of about 4-5 percent growth but slower than the 7 percent growth logged a year before.
India's economy is facing its worst downturn since 1991. That has hit discretionary consumer spending, leaving HUL's volume growth stagnant at around 5 percent for the past two quarters.
HUL said the slowdown in sales growth could last until next March although it is hopeful of a pick-up in the medium- to long-term as consumer demand improves.
HUL, which manufactures detergent brand Rin and Dove soap, said its net profit in the September quarter rose an annual 13.2 percent to 9.14 billion rupees. Net sales rose 9.6 percent year-on-year, to 67.47 billion rupees.
Analysts had on average estimated a net profit of 8.7 billion rupees on sales of 67.1 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine Estimates.
Rising inflation and meager urban salary increases have reduced incomes in Asia's third-largest economy and heated up the competition in the $13 billion consumer goods sector.
Hindustan Unilever faces a difficult choice between raising prices and retaining market share, as high promotional expenditure pinches margins and higher prices hurt volumes.
"The input cost environment was volatile this quarter due to a sharp depreciation of the rupee," said Sridhar.
The rupee fell as much as 20 percent against the dollar between May and August, which the company reckons will have a greater impact on its December quarter earnings.
Despite the weakness of its Indian business for the past few quarters, Unilever in April pumped in $5 billion to raise its stake in Hindustan Unilever, banking on the country's long-term growth.
Valued at $21.5 billion, Hindustan Unilever also makes Fair and Lovely skin cream, Clinic Plus shampoo and Lipton tea.
Higher promotional spending drove up sales in the personal care segment by 12 percent year-on-year, while the company's food business grew an annual 9 percent.
Promotional spending during the quarter grew 24 percent on year to 9.54 billion rupees.
Shares of the company have risen 13 percent so far this year, compared with a 16 percent increase in the consumer sector index .BSEFMCG of the Mumbai stock exchange.
The stock has the fourth highest forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 34.4 among top consumer product companies in the world, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine data.
The company's fiscal second quarter results came after parent Anglo-Dutch consumer conglomerate Unilever (ULVR.L) (UNc.AS) warned in September that a slowdown in markets such as India had accelerated.
"The slowdown in business environment has continued in this quarter both in terms of volume and value growth," Chief Financial Officer R. Sridhar told reporters at an earnings press conference late on Saturday. "In particular, premium segments and discretionary categories are much more under pressure."
Sales volumes in the September quarter grew 5 percent, in line with market estimates of about 4-5 percent growth but slower than the 7 percent growth logged a year before.
India's economy is facing its worst downturn since 1991. That has hit discretionary consumer spending, leaving HUL's volume growth stagnant at around 5 percent for the past two quarters.
HUL said the slowdown in sales growth could last until next March although it is hopeful of a pick-up in the medium- to long-term as consumer demand improves.
HUL, which manufactures detergent brand Rin and Dove soap, said its net profit in the September quarter rose an annual 13.2 percent to 9.14 billion rupees. Net sales rose 9.6 percent year-on-year, to 67.47 billion rupees.
Analysts had on average estimated a net profit of 8.7 billion rupees on sales of 67.1 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine Estimates.
Rising inflation and meager urban salary increases have reduced incomes in Asia's third-largest economy and heated up the competition in the $13 billion consumer goods sector.
Hindustan Unilever faces a difficult choice between raising prices and retaining market share, as high promotional expenditure pinches margins and higher prices hurt volumes.
"The input cost environment was volatile this quarter due to a sharp depreciation of the rupee," said Sridhar.
The rupee fell as much as 20 percent against the dollar between May and August, which the company reckons will have a greater impact on its December quarter earnings.
Despite the weakness of its Indian business for the past few quarters, Unilever in April pumped in $5 billion to raise its stake in Hindustan Unilever, banking on the country's long-term growth.
Valued at $21.5 billion, Hindustan Unilever also makes Fair and Lovely skin cream, Clinic Plus shampoo and Lipton tea.
Higher promotional spending drove up sales in the personal care segment by 12 percent year-on-year, while the company's food business grew an annual 9 percent.
Promotional spending during the quarter grew 24 percent on year to 9.54 billion rupees.
Shares of the company have risen 13 percent so far this year, compared with a 16 percent increase in the consumer sector index .BSEFMCG of the Mumbai stock exchange.
The stock has the fourth highest forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 34.4 among top consumer product companies in the world, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine data.
FDI in August dips 38% to $1.4 billion, lowest in last 8 months
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into India declined to 8-month low of USD 1.4 billion in August, down 38 per cent year-on-year.
FDI had touched a low of USD 1.10 billion in December last year.
In August 2012, the country had attracted foreign investment worth USD 2.26 billion.
During the April-August period of 2013-14 fiscal, FDI has grown by a meagre 4 per cent to USD 8.46 billion, from USD 8.16 billion in the first five months of 2012-13, a senior official in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said.
According to industry experts there is a need to improve business environment in the country.
"There is a need to further improve the business environment. Reforms in the recent past are welcome, but more needs to be done in order to build foreign investors confidence," Head of tax and expert on FDI with corporate law firm Amarchand & Mangaldas Krishan Malhotra said.
The sectors that helped in registering the hike during the five months include services (USD 1.19 billion), pharma (USD 1.07 billion), automobile (USD 661 million) and construction (USD 592 million).
The maximum FDI during the period came from Singapore (USD 2.37 billion), followed by Mauritius (USD 2.13 billion), the Netherlands (USD 980 million), Germany (USD 529 million), and the US (USD 475 million).
The DIPP official said the recent steps announced by the government will help improve the investment climate in the country and push up FDI inflows.
"The government has also started exercise in allowing FDI in railways sector besides liberalising FDI norms for construction and housing sector. The aim is to boost FDI inflows," the official added.
It has already relaxed FDI policy in 12 sectors, including telecom, tea and petroleum & natural gas.
FDI inflows in 2012-13 aggregated USD 22.42 billion, a decline from USD 36.50 billion in 2011-12.
India is projected to require around USD 1 trillion between 2012-13 and 2016-17, the 12th Five-Year-Plan period, to fund infrastructure growth covering sectors such as ports, airports and highways.
A decline in FDI would hurt the rupee, which had depreciated to a record low of 68.85 against the US dollar on August 28. It has strengthened since then to about 61 level.
FDI had touched a low of USD 1.10 billion in December last year.
In August 2012, the country had attracted foreign investment worth USD 2.26 billion.
During the April-August period of 2013-14 fiscal, FDI has grown by a meagre 4 per cent to USD 8.46 billion, from USD 8.16 billion in the first five months of 2012-13, a senior official in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said.
According to industry experts there is a need to improve business environment in the country.
"There is a need to further improve the business environment. Reforms in the recent past are welcome, but more needs to be done in order to build foreign investors confidence," Head of tax and expert on FDI with corporate law firm Amarchand & Mangaldas Krishan Malhotra said.
The sectors that helped in registering the hike during the five months include services (USD 1.19 billion), pharma (USD 1.07 billion), automobile (USD 661 million) and construction (USD 592 million).
The maximum FDI during the period came from Singapore (USD 2.37 billion), followed by Mauritius (USD 2.13 billion), the Netherlands (USD 980 million), Germany (USD 529 million), and the US (USD 475 million).
The DIPP official said the recent steps announced by the government will help improve the investment climate in the country and push up FDI inflows.
"The government has also started exercise in allowing FDI in railways sector besides liberalising FDI norms for construction and housing sector. The aim is to boost FDI inflows," the official added.
It has already relaxed FDI policy in 12 sectors, including telecom, tea and petroleum & natural gas.
FDI inflows in 2012-13 aggregated USD 22.42 billion, a decline from USD 36.50 billion in 2011-12.
India is projected to require around USD 1 trillion between 2012-13 and 2016-17, the 12th Five-Year-Plan period, to fund infrastructure growth covering sectors such as ports, airports and highways.
A decline in FDI would hurt the rupee, which had depreciated to a record low of 68.85 against the US dollar on August 28. It has strengthened since then to about 61 level.
Bangladesh opposition begins three-day general strike
Bangladesh's main opposition party and its allies have begun a three-day strike over the government's failure to set up a caretaker cabinet in the run-up to the country's general elections.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, is calling for the government to step aside ahead of the polls due in January.
The strike is going ahead despite pleas from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In comes after at least six people were killed during fresh unrest on Friday.
The violence flared as police and protesters clashed in some parts of the country, leaving more than 100 injured.Rare phone call
The strike began at 06:00 (00:00 GMT), with the BNP and its Islamist ally the Jamaat-e-Islam hoping to bring the country to a standstill.
They want to force the prime minister to allow a neutral caretaker administration to oversee the election process.
But Ms Hasina, who heads the Awami League, has rejected such a plan saying there is no scope for unelected people to supervise the vote.
Khaleda Zia announced that the national shutdown would be going ahead from Sunday, despite a rare phone call with Ms Hasina in which the the prime minister asked her to call off the strike.
It is thought to be the first time the bitter rivals have spoken directly for a decade.
The BNP and its allies are refusing to participate in elections under current constitutional provisions, which do not allows for a neutral, caretaker government, or require the incumbent prime minister to step down during the interim period.
The opposition fears the government will rig the polls if it remains in power.
Bangladeshi opposition supporters gathered for a rally in Dhaka on Friday
Sabir Mustafa of the BBC's Bengali Service says there is great deal of concern among the public about what might happen in the days ahead, especially if the opposition and government supporters come face-to-face in the street.
Friday's violence came as security officials opened fire on opposition supporters trying to defy a ban on protests.
Two people were killed in the coastal district of Cox's Bazar, according to reports.
Local media said at least two people had died in the central district of Chandpur, while protesters also died in the northern town of Jaldhaka and the northern district of Nilphamari.
Demonstrators set vehicles on fire in the capital Dhaka.
A series of rulings against Jamaat have led to violent protests across Bangladesh, with more than 150 people killed in clashes with police since the beginning of this year.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, is calling for the government to step aside ahead of the polls due in January.
The strike is going ahead despite pleas from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In comes after at least six people were killed during fresh unrest on Friday.
The violence flared as police and protesters clashed in some parts of the country, leaving more than 100 injured.Rare phone call
The strike began at 06:00 (00:00 GMT), with the BNP and its Islamist ally the Jamaat-e-Islam hoping to bring the country to a standstill.
They want to force the prime minister to allow a neutral caretaker administration to oversee the election process.
But Ms Hasina, who heads the Awami League, has rejected such a plan saying there is no scope for unelected people to supervise the vote.
Khaleda Zia announced that the national shutdown would be going ahead from Sunday, despite a rare phone call with Ms Hasina in which the the prime minister asked her to call off the strike.
It is thought to be the first time the bitter rivals have spoken directly for a decade.
The BNP and its allies are refusing to participate in elections under current constitutional provisions, which do not allows for a neutral, caretaker government, or require the incumbent prime minister to step down during the interim period.
The opposition fears the government will rig the polls if it remains in power.
Bangladeshi opposition supporters gathered for a rally in Dhaka on FridaySabir Mustafa of the BBC's Bengali Service says there is great deal of concern among the public about what might happen in the days ahead, especially if the opposition and government supporters come face-to-face in the street.
Friday's violence came as security officials opened fire on opposition supporters trying to defy a ban on protests.
Two people were killed in the coastal district of Cox's Bazar, according to reports.
Local media said at least two people had died in the central district of Chandpur, while protesters also died in the northern town of Jaldhaka and the northern district of Nilphamari.
Demonstrators set vehicles on fire in the capital Dhaka.
A series of rulings against Jamaat have led to violent protests across Bangladesh, with more than 150 people killed in clashes with police since the beginning of this year.
NSA spying: Americans protest near Capitol Hill post Merkel row
Under fire from foreign allies after fresh revelations of the National Security Agency spying on them, the US is now facing protests at home as well with thousands of Americans marching near the Capitol Hill in Washington in protest of the nation’s clandestine surveillance programme.
Amid the increased furore created by fresh revelations that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone must have been spied upon since 2002 as reported by Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, the US is now under mounting pressure from its allies who are seeking an explanation for the spying revelations.
The German spy chiefs are set to visit US next week to demand clarifications from the US intelligence over spying claims on Merkel's mobile phone.
Expressing support for the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, protesters in thousands converged on Capitol Hill with banners that read "Thank you, Edward Snowden", “Stop Watching US”, “Stop Mass Spying”, ”Spying is censorship”.
The protest is being sponsored by a group known as “Stop Watching Us” which is an umbrella group of over a hundred public advocacy groups and it demands the Patriot Act to be reformed.
The Patriot Act was passed in 2001 with an aim to provide legality for undercover spying operations in a bid to thwart terror attacks.
The protest rally coincided with the 12th anniversary of the Patriot Act, which according to the demands of the “Stop Watching US” must be repealed now.
The rally also saw the presence of Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardian reporter who exposed the details of NSA surveillance as leaked by Edward Snowden.
Other than Merkel, it has been revealed that he US eavesdropped on 35 national leaders, according to a document released by Edward Snowden.
Recently, the US was ubder fire from Mexico and France over reports that it spied on millions of phone calls there.
The issue was also brought up in the EU summit in Brussels where Merkel made it clear that “spying among friends is not at all acceptable”.
"We need to have trust in our allies and partners, and this must now be established once again. I repeat that spying among friends is not at all acceptable against anyone, and that goes for every citizen in Germany," she said.
She had called up Obama on Wednesday seeking answers on the spying claims.
The White House in a statement had assured Merkel that the US is not and will not monitor her phone calls.
Reacting to Merkels’ objections, Obama had reportedly said that he had no clue that Merkel’s communications were being spied upon and he would have ordered the process to stop had he been in the know of it.
Amid the increased furore created by fresh revelations that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone must have been spied upon since 2002 as reported by Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, the US is now under mounting pressure from its allies who are seeking an explanation for the spying revelations.
The German spy chiefs are set to visit US next week to demand clarifications from the US intelligence over spying claims on Merkel's mobile phone.
Expressing support for the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, protesters in thousands converged on Capitol Hill with banners that read "Thank you, Edward Snowden", “Stop Watching US”, “Stop Mass Spying”, ”Spying is censorship”.
The protest is being sponsored by a group known as “Stop Watching Us” which is an umbrella group of over a hundred public advocacy groups and it demands the Patriot Act to be reformed.
The Patriot Act was passed in 2001 with an aim to provide legality for undercover spying operations in a bid to thwart terror attacks.
The protest rally coincided with the 12th anniversary of the Patriot Act, which according to the demands of the “Stop Watching US” must be repealed now.
The rally also saw the presence of Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardian reporter who exposed the details of NSA surveillance as leaked by Edward Snowden.
Other than Merkel, it has been revealed that he US eavesdropped on 35 national leaders, according to a document released by Edward Snowden.
Recently, the US was ubder fire from Mexico and France over reports that it spied on millions of phone calls there.
The issue was also brought up in the EU summit in Brussels where Merkel made it clear that “spying among friends is not at all acceptable”.
"We need to have trust in our allies and partners, and this must now be established once again. I repeat that spying among friends is not at all acceptable against anyone, and that goes for every citizen in Germany," she said.
She had called up Obama on Wednesday seeking answers on the spying claims.
The White House in a statement had assured Merkel that the US is not and will not monitor her phone calls.
Reacting to Merkels’ objections, Obama had reportedly said that he had no clue that Merkel’s communications were being spied upon and he would have ordered the process to stop had he been in the know of it.
House panel questions EC jurisdiction on social media
A parliamentary panel on Saturday questioned the Election Commission’s jurisdiction on its latest guidelines to political parties and candidates for regulating their online and social media content during elections.
The chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on law and justice, Shantaram Naik, said he has asked the commission to quote the provisions of law under which it had issued these guidelines.
“I have requested the EC to inform us about the provisions of law which empower it. Some of the instructions may be desirable, but one cannot understand the logic of issuing guidelines much after the date of announcement of elections when it had enough time to do it before it,” Naik said.
“Whenever the commission officials have appeared before the standing committee, we have expressed reservations on the manner in which instructions are issued without quoting the law. In the present case also, the committee expresses its disapproval,” he said.
The panel chairman said the EC has created a new law which has not been passed by Parliament and its guidelines also do not form part of its rule making powers, provided to the commission by the government.
“The EC has caught the political parties and candidates by surprise without even having consulted them on this issue,” Naik said.
“Such matters cannot be left to be regulated in the names of instructions,” the chairman said.
The commission had on Friday issued detailed guidelines bringing the online and social media content posted by political parties and candidates under its model code of conduct.
The chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on law and justice, Shantaram Naik, said he has asked the commission to quote the provisions of law under which it had issued these guidelines.
“I have requested the EC to inform us about the provisions of law which empower it. Some of the instructions may be desirable, but one cannot understand the logic of issuing guidelines much after the date of announcement of elections when it had enough time to do it before it,” Naik said.
“Whenever the commission officials have appeared before the standing committee, we have expressed reservations on the manner in which instructions are issued without quoting the law. In the present case also, the committee expresses its disapproval,” he said.
The panel chairman said the EC has created a new law which has not been passed by Parliament and its guidelines also do not form part of its rule making powers, provided to the commission by the government.
“The EC has caught the political parties and candidates by surprise without even having consulted them on this issue,” Naik said.
“Such matters cannot be left to be regulated in the names of instructions,” the chairman said.
The commission had on Friday issued detailed guidelines bringing the online and social media content posted by political parties and candidates under its model code of conduct.
Central team in Odisha to assess flood situation
A central team will visit Odisha Monday to assess the damage caused by cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods, as the toll in flood-related incidents rose to 60, an official said here Sunday.
The 12-member inter-ministerial team, led by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Rashmi Goel, will be in the state until the end of the month. During their stay they will make an on-the-spot assessment of the damage, a senior official of the office of the state's special relief commissioner said.
The team shall be divided into two groups and will visit the most affected districts like Ganjam, Puri, Balasore and Mayurbhanj, he said.
The severe tropical cyclone Phailin in the Bay of Bengal devastated lives and damaged properties in more than half of Odisha. It made landfall Oct 12 night near Gopalpur in the state's southern Ganjam district, which took the maximum brunt of the cyclone and subsequent floods.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the state was experiencing heavy rainfall and flooding first due to the cyclone and now because of the low pressure over the Bay of Bengal.
"These rains have been continuing since Oct 10 and besides causing heavy damage to public and private property, the loss to the standing crop has been severe," he told reporters here.
Authorities Saturday confirmed seven more deaths in flood-related incidents, taking the toll to 60.
The 12-member inter-ministerial team, led by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Rashmi Goel, will be in the state until the end of the month. During their stay they will make an on-the-spot assessment of the damage, a senior official of the office of the state's special relief commissioner said.
The team shall be divided into two groups and will visit the most affected districts like Ganjam, Puri, Balasore and Mayurbhanj, he said.
The severe tropical cyclone Phailin in the Bay of Bengal devastated lives and damaged properties in more than half of Odisha. It made landfall Oct 12 night near Gopalpur in the state's southern Ganjam district, which took the maximum brunt of the cyclone and subsequent floods.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the state was experiencing heavy rainfall and flooding first due to the cyclone and now because of the low pressure over the Bay of Bengal.
"These rains have been continuing since Oct 10 and besides causing heavy damage to public and private property, the loss to the standing crop has been severe," he told reporters here.
Authorities Saturday confirmed seven more deaths in flood-related incidents, taking the toll to 60.
Change in scenario justified deal with Hindalco: Govt
The government hopes to counter CBI's charge of malafide intent in altering a coal block allocation to favour industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla's Hindalco by arguing that decisions are "not cast in stone" and can be revisited in view of changed scenarios.
A "brief" based on official reasoning recorded in the Hindalco file — now with the CBI — makes the point that the Talabira II coal block allocation dragged on — since 1996 — for almost a decade in which time business plans and economic priorities changed.
Reiterating its defence that the coal ministry was swayed by Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's advocacy for Birla's Hindalco, the government's case underlines that state governments must be given due weightage in federal framework.
The government is also arguing that the interests of Neyveli Lignite were protected even though it had to split the coal block with Hindalco in a joint venture proposed by former coal secretary P C Parakh, who is under the CBI scanner along with Birla.
The ministry of coal's reasoning on file in September, 2005, indicates Parakh depended heavily on Patnaik's backing for Hindalco in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to justify altering the decision of the steering committee on coal allocations.
The steering committee, headed by Parakh, had found Hindalco ineligible for Talabira II as it had failed to utilize a previous coal block allocation. Hindalco later said this was due to a bauxite lease failing to fructify.
Patnaik, said Parakh, had indicated a clear preference for allocation to Hindalco in the interest of creating more employment and growth of manufacturing in Odisha. Although Hindalco's "satisfaction level" was higher than NLC, the public sector unit will get the same amount of coal as Birla's firm.
NLC's full requirement would be met by the reserves allotted to Mahanadi Coalfields, another public sector firm. Mahanadi was made the third partner in the JV along with NLC and Hindalco.
Additional reasoning in support of the coal ministry's decision is that the total demand of NLC, Hindalco and Odisha sponge iron and steel for 503 million tonnes of coal is met by Talabira II and III blocks that have 553 million tonnes of reserves.
A "brief" based on official reasoning recorded in the Hindalco file — now with the CBI — makes the point that the Talabira II coal block allocation dragged on — since 1996 — for almost a decade in which time business plans and economic priorities changed.
Reiterating its defence that the coal ministry was swayed by Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's advocacy for Birla's Hindalco, the government's case underlines that state governments must be given due weightage in federal framework.
The government is also arguing that the interests of Neyveli Lignite were protected even though it had to split the coal block with Hindalco in a joint venture proposed by former coal secretary P C Parakh, who is under the CBI scanner along with Birla.
The ministry of coal's reasoning on file in September, 2005, indicates Parakh depended heavily on Patnaik's backing for Hindalco in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to justify altering the decision of the steering committee on coal allocations.
The steering committee, headed by Parakh, had found Hindalco ineligible for Talabira II as it had failed to utilize a previous coal block allocation. Hindalco later said this was due to a bauxite lease failing to fructify.
Patnaik, said Parakh, had indicated a clear preference for allocation to Hindalco in the interest of creating more employment and growth of manufacturing in Odisha. Although Hindalco's "satisfaction level" was higher than NLC, the public sector unit will get the same amount of coal as Birla's firm.
NLC's full requirement would be met by the reserves allotted to Mahanadi Coalfields, another public sector firm. Mahanadi was made the third partner in the JV along with NLC and Hindalco.
Additional reasoning in support of the coal ministry's decision is that the total demand of NLC, Hindalco and Odisha sponge iron and steel for 503 million tonnes of coal is met by Talabira II and III blocks that have 553 million tonnes of reserves.
Intel input to Rahul Gandhi: Nothing official about it, say experts
Even as the Congress on Friday defended its vice-president Rahul Gandhi for revealing in public contents of a meeting with an intelligence officer, the issue has divided the intelligence community.
While two former chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau, Arun Bhagat and AK Doval, questioned the rationale of such a meeting with a politician not bound by the oath of secrecy, there are others who recounted incidents in the past, describing it a routine exercise to keep top political leadership abreast with national security issues.
“Only recently, the National Security Adviser had a series of meetings with BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and LK Advani on the issues related to Bangladesh water and land agreements, LoC tensions and earlier also on nuclear issues,” said a government source.
On Thursday, while maintaining that the BJP was igniting communal fires across the country, Rahul triggered a political storm by stating that “an intelligence officer came into my room and told me that people from Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are talking to a few Muslims boys whose relatives were killed in Muzaffarnagar riots.”
Interestingly, the Congress had raised hackles against the then defence minister George Fernandes during the Kargil crises in 1999 after he sent top army commanders to the BJP headquarters to apprise BJP and RSS leaders about the preparedness and the then on-going operations.
Government sources told dna that Rahul was briefed by a UP state police official working in the state intelligence bureau. An IB official, preferring to remain off the record, said there were official and unofficial channels to brief political leaders. “Many times, senior political leaders plead for such meetings, particularly when there are issues related to countries like Pakistan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh,” said the source.
A former home secretary, who found nothing unusual in briefing Rahul, was, however, aghast at his going public. “Going public with this information means compromising your intelligence source and assets. Ideally, security agencies should have put tabs on such potential youth and rounded up those putting them in touch with ISI,” he said. Former IB chief Bhagat also agreed that people who occupy higher positions have to be very careful with their words.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Friday petitioned the Election Commission against Rahul’s statement.
The grounds on which it sought action refer to the code that prohibits acts that aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, criticism of other parties based on unverified allegations or distortions and appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes.
The Congress, however, maintained that the BJP was out to create a climate of hatred, communal strife. Party spokesman and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala defended Rahul meeting intelligence officer, saying that such informal briefing were nothing new as he himself used to get such briefings when he was an MLA.
While two former chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau, Arun Bhagat and AK Doval, questioned the rationale of such a meeting with a politician not bound by the oath of secrecy, there are others who recounted incidents in the past, describing it a routine exercise to keep top political leadership abreast with national security issues.
“Only recently, the National Security Adviser had a series of meetings with BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and LK Advani on the issues related to Bangladesh water and land agreements, LoC tensions and earlier also on nuclear issues,” said a government source.
On Thursday, while maintaining that the BJP was igniting communal fires across the country, Rahul triggered a political storm by stating that “an intelligence officer came into my room and told me that people from Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are talking to a few Muslims boys whose relatives were killed in Muzaffarnagar riots.”
Interestingly, the Congress had raised hackles against the then defence minister George Fernandes during the Kargil crises in 1999 after he sent top army commanders to the BJP headquarters to apprise BJP and RSS leaders about the preparedness and the then on-going operations.
Government sources told dna that Rahul was briefed by a UP state police official working in the state intelligence bureau. An IB official, preferring to remain off the record, said there were official and unofficial channels to brief political leaders. “Many times, senior political leaders plead for such meetings, particularly when there are issues related to countries like Pakistan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh,” said the source.
A former home secretary, who found nothing unusual in briefing Rahul, was, however, aghast at his going public. “Going public with this information means compromising your intelligence source and assets. Ideally, security agencies should have put tabs on such potential youth and rounded up those putting them in touch with ISI,” he said. Former IB chief Bhagat also agreed that people who occupy higher positions have to be very careful with their words.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Friday petitioned the Election Commission against Rahul’s statement.
The grounds on which it sought action refer to the code that prohibits acts that aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, criticism of other parties based on unverified allegations or distortions and appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes.
The Congress, however, maintained that the BJP was out to create a climate of hatred, communal strife. Party spokesman and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala defended Rahul meeting intelligence officer, saying that such informal briefing were nothing new as he himself used to get such briefings when he was an MLA.
Jagan slams Cong at rally
Over two lakh people attended Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's public meeting for 'United Andhra' at L B Stadium on Saturday even as pro-Telangana groups questioned the government's decision to give permission to hold such a meeting in Hyderabad.
This was the first time that a political party held such a massive public meeting in the state capital against the decision to divide the state.
The Kadapa MP attacked the Congress and alleged that the state was divided for the benefit of a few Lok Sabha seats in Telangana.
In a vitriolic attack on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Jagan Mohan said that the fight for a united state will continue till New Delhi stops its divisive tactics, and called upon all national parties to join the fight as the same injustice could happen in any state.
"Without considering the consequences, Congress has divided the state. Seemandhra is going to be devoid of water. There is no clarity on water and resource sharing but the Congress is in a hurry to break the state for its gains. Educational institutions and employment opportunities have been created only in Hyderabad....We cannot become pawns in the games of someone sitting in Delhi,'' he said.
Touching on the issue of Seemandhra people being asked to go away from Hyderabad, he asked, "Will Sonia Gandhi be prepared to go back to Italy if a Bill is passed that all persons who acquired citizenship should return to their native land.''
While the LB stadium was packed with over 60,000 people, thousands more gathered outside on the roads, watching the proceedings live on screens. A majority of the people arrived from Coastal and Rayalaseema districts in the last two days and camped in the city.
This was the first time that a political party held such a massive public meeting in the state capital against the decision to divide the state.
The Kadapa MP attacked the Congress and alleged that the state was divided for the benefit of a few Lok Sabha seats in Telangana.
In a vitriolic attack on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Jagan Mohan said that the fight for a united state will continue till New Delhi stops its divisive tactics, and called upon all national parties to join the fight as the same injustice could happen in any state.
"Without considering the consequences, Congress has divided the state. Seemandhra is going to be devoid of water. There is no clarity on water and resource sharing but the Congress is in a hurry to break the state for its gains. Educational institutions and employment opportunities have been created only in Hyderabad....We cannot become pawns in the games of someone sitting in Delhi,'' he said.
Touching on the issue of Seemandhra people being asked to go away from Hyderabad, he asked, "Will Sonia Gandhi be prepared to go back to Italy if a Bill is passed that all persons who acquired citizenship should return to their native land.''
While the LB stadium was packed with over 60,000 people, thousands more gathered outside on the roads, watching the proceedings live on screens. A majority of the people arrived from Coastal and Rayalaseema districts in the last two days and camped in the city.
Priyanka Chopra's Ram-Leela item number crosses one million hits
Actress Priyanka Chopra seems to be on a roll with her latest Ram-Leela item number Ram Chahe Leela crossing over one million hits in just three days. She says she is overwhelmed by the love and loyalty bestowed upon her by her fans.
Priyanka took to Twitter to thank her fans for liking her new dance number from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie, as well as her international single Exotic.
She is also happy with the viewership of the trailer of her next film Krrish 3, which releases on November 1.
"Milestones..Yesterday 'Exotic sales'! Today 'Ram Chahe Leela' (crosses) one million (hits) in just three days and 'Krrish 3' trailer (crosses) 17 million hits! Woohoo! Thank you all so much," she posted on the microblogging site on Saturday.
Talking about how different Ram Chahe Leela is, she said that she did a mujra in the song, but in a contemporary format.
Priyanka took to Twitter to thank her fans for liking her new dance number from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie, as well as her international single Exotic.
She is also happy with the viewership of the trailer of her next film Krrish 3, which releases on November 1.
"Milestones..Yesterday 'Exotic sales'! Today 'Ram Chahe Leela' (crosses) one million (hits) in just three days and 'Krrish 3' trailer (crosses) 17 million hits! Woohoo! Thank you all so much," she posted on the microblogging site on Saturday.
Talking about how different Ram Chahe Leela is, she said that she did a mujra in the song, but in a contemporary format.
Social democrats win Czech Republic elections
The CSSD Social Democratic Party has won the legislative elections held in the Czech Republic with 20.5% of the vote, the office of statistics in Prague said Saturday.
Behind the CSSD, which dropped 1.6% compared with the 2010 elections, came a surprise challenge from the new populist ANO party, once the ballots were counted from 99.3% of the polling stations. Coming in third was the KSCM Communist Party, with 15%, while the the party that was in power until recently, the liberal Top 09, was left with 11.9%. Also finding a place in the 200-seat parliament was the liberal ODS party, which crashed from 20% in 2010 to 7.7% this time out.
Also rising above the required minimum of 5% of the vote were two other parties that have been on the outside until now - the conservative Christian Democrat KDU-SCL with 6.8%, and the new Dawn of Direct Democracy party of the senator and businessman of Japanese origin, Tomio Okamura, with 6.9%.
Participation in these elections, which began Friday and ended Saturday at 2 p.m., reached 59%, three% less than in 2010.
The fragmented result points to considerable complications in forming a government, since the left does not have a majority of seats in parliament.
Behind the CSSD, which dropped 1.6% compared with the 2010 elections, came a surprise challenge from the new populist ANO party, once the ballots were counted from 99.3% of the polling stations. Coming in third was the KSCM Communist Party, with 15%, while the the party that was in power until recently, the liberal Top 09, was left with 11.9%. Also finding a place in the 200-seat parliament was the liberal ODS party, which crashed from 20% in 2010 to 7.7% this time out.
Also rising above the required minimum of 5% of the vote were two other parties that have been on the outside until now - the conservative Christian Democrat KDU-SCL with 6.8%, and the new Dawn of Direct Democracy party of the senator and businessman of Japanese origin, Tomio Okamura, with 6.9%.
Participation in these elections, which began Friday and ended Saturday at 2 p.m., reached 59%, three% less than in 2010.
The fragmented result points to considerable complications in forming a government, since the left does not have a majority of seats in parliament.
All eyes on Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan in sleepy Lahli
Haryana captain-coach Ajay Jadeja will also add to star value in high-profile game.
Sachin Tendulkar (L) and Zaheer Khan during a practice session on the eve of the Ranji Trophy match against Haryana in Lahli. - PTI
Defending champions and 40-time winners Mumbai will begin their Ranji Trophy campaign against Haryana in the sleepy little town of Lahli on Sunday. The four-day match, to be played at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium, is a precursor to Sachin Tendulkar’s final days as an international cricketer. The batting legend will pad up for his beloved Mumbai one last time as he prepares for the two-match Test series against the West Indies next month.
In Lahli, Tendulkar will have the company of good friend and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan. The fit-again left-armer, who will lead Mumbai in the absence of newly-appointed skipper Rohit Sharma, is also hoping to make a comeback into the Test side. The domestic giants will also enjoy the services of Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, Abhishek Nayar and Dhaval Kulkarni.
What’s more, Haryana will be captained and coached by Ajay Jadeja. The 42-year-old former India batsman, who last played first-class cricket in 2007, seems to be enjoying his new role.
TEAMS (FROM)
Haryana: Ajay Jadeja (Captain & Coach), Avi Barot, Sanjay Budhwar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Dalal, Rahul Dewan, Ashish Hooda, Joginder Sharma, Abhimanyu Khod, Harshal Patel, Sachin Rana, Nitin Saini (WK), Sandeep Singh, Mohit Sharma, Sunny Singh, Jayant Yadav
Mumbai: Zaheer Khan (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Abhishek Nayar, Vishal Dabholkar, Iqbal Abdulla, Wasim Jaffer, Javed Khan, Aditya Tare (WK), Dhaval Kulkarni, Siddhesh Lad, Kaustubh Pawar, Ajinkya Rahane, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Hiken Shah, Sufiyan Shaikh (WK)
ELSEWHERE...
Group A: Jharkhand vs Delhi in Jamshedpur, Punjab vs Odisha in Chandigarh, Vidarbha vs Gujarat in Nagpur
Group B: Bengal vs Baroda in Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh vs Railways in Indore, Saurashtra vs Rajasthan in Rajkot, Services vs Tamil Nadu in New Delhi
Group C: Assam vs Kerala in Guwahati, Himachal Pradesh vs Goa in Dharamsala, Hyderabad vs Andhra in Hyderabad, Maharashtra vs Tripura in Pune
Sachin Tendulkar (L) and Zaheer Khan during a practice session on the eve of the Ranji Trophy match against Haryana in Lahli. - PTI
Defending champions and 40-time winners Mumbai will begin their Ranji Trophy campaign against Haryana in the sleepy little town of Lahli on Sunday. The four-day match, to be played at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium, is a precursor to Sachin Tendulkar’s final days as an international cricketer. The batting legend will pad up for his beloved Mumbai one last time as he prepares for the two-match Test series against the West Indies next month.
In Lahli, Tendulkar will have the company of good friend and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan. The fit-again left-armer, who will lead Mumbai in the absence of newly-appointed skipper Rohit Sharma, is also hoping to make a comeback into the Test side. The domestic giants will also enjoy the services of Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, Abhishek Nayar and Dhaval Kulkarni.
What’s more, Haryana will be captained and coached by Ajay Jadeja. The 42-year-old former India batsman, who last played first-class cricket in 2007, seems to be enjoying his new role.
TEAMS (FROM)
Haryana: Ajay Jadeja (Captain & Coach), Avi Barot, Sanjay Budhwar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Dalal, Rahul Dewan, Ashish Hooda, Joginder Sharma, Abhimanyu Khod, Harshal Patel, Sachin Rana, Nitin Saini (WK), Sandeep Singh, Mohit Sharma, Sunny Singh, Jayant Yadav
Mumbai: Zaheer Khan (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Abhishek Nayar, Vishal Dabholkar, Iqbal Abdulla, Wasim Jaffer, Javed Khan, Aditya Tare (WK), Dhaval Kulkarni, Siddhesh Lad, Kaustubh Pawar, Ajinkya Rahane, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Hiken Shah, Sufiyan Shaikh (WK)
ELSEWHERE...
Group A: Jharkhand vs Delhi in Jamshedpur, Punjab vs Odisha in Chandigarh, Vidarbha vs Gujarat in Nagpur
Group B: Bengal vs Baroda in Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh vs Railways in Indore, Saurashtra vs Rajasthan in Rajkot, Services vs Tamil Nadu in New Delhi
Group C: Assam vs Kerala in Guwahati, Himachal Pradesh vs Goa in Dharamsala, Hyderabad vs Andhra in Hyderabad, Maharashtra vs Tripura in Pune
NCP will contest 22 LS seats, says Ajit Pawar
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar Saturday said the Nationalist Congress Party would fight elections from 22 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
In 2009 general elections too, the party had fielded candidates at 22 constituencies as part of the seat-sharing arrangement with alliance partner Congress. "The NCP will fight on 22 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming elections," Pawar said while addressing a party meeting in Satara.
There are 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. In 2009, the Congress had won 16 seats, while the NCP had won eight. This time, there had been demands from within the Congress to get more than 26 seats. State Congress president Manikrao Thakre had even said the party deserved to contest 29 seats, leaving the remaining 19 seats with the NCP. However, the NCP was unwilling to part with its share, though it was open to swapping certain seats.
In 2009 general elections too, the party had fielded candidates at 22 constituencies as part of the seat-sharing arrangement with alliance partner Congress. "The NCP will fight on 22 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming elections," Pawar said while addressing a party meeting in Satara.
There are 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. In 2009, the Congress had won 16 seats, while the NCP had won eight. This time, there had been demands from within the Congress to get more than 26 seats. State Congress president Manikrao Thakre had even said the party deserved to contest 29 seats, leaving the remaining 19 seats with the NCP. However, the NCP was unwilling to part with its share, though it was open to swapping certain seats.
Modi's 'hunkar' in Nitish's turf: will BJP's PM candidate launch direct attack on Bihar CM
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi will address the 'Hunkar' Rally in Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan on Sunday.
Media reports are suggesting that Modi's first target could be Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, while the second will in probability focus on denouncing the state's progress in the last eight years and outline his strategy to expedite the process.
How he words his criticism of the Bihar government's development claims will be crucial, because if he goes at it too hard, the ruling Janata Dal-United could use it to box the BJP into a corner pointing out that the latter was in the government till June 2013 before the 17-year-old alliance between the two parties broke.
The much-hyped BJP's rally is seen as a bid to mobilise support and strengthen the support base in the state.
Eleven special trains, 6,000 buses, 20,000 SUVs, a gizmo-laden stage with a 30-feet dynamic screen as background, scores of LED screens on the ground and an undefined amount of loose change – nothing is being spared to make Modi's rally a roaring Sunday show in Nitis's turf.
Although Bihar is not among the states going to the polls in November, Modi is making a detour to prove a point or two, as it’s the first BJP rally since its divorce with the JD (U). The split was triggered by Modi’s elevation as head of the BJP election campaign committee.
The rally in Patna promises to trigger a realignment of political forces in Bihar, a state that sends 40 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
Former fisheries minister Giriraj Singh of the BJP said on Saturday he expected a ‘spontaneous turnout of seven lakh people’ for the event, which will mark Modi’s debut appearance in Bihar after he was named his party’s PM nominee.
“It will be spoken of in the same breath as Bihar movement leader Jaya Prakash Narayan’s historic rally at the same venue, Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, on June 5, 1974, which attracted a sea of humanity,” Singh said.
If the rally does, indeed, turn out be such a blockbuster of an event, it may encourage many leaders of parties opposed to the BJP to switch over to its side ahead of the Lok Sabha poll.
Two sitting JD(U) MPs, Jainarain Nishad (Muzaffarpur) and Purnmasi Ram (Gopalganj) have been placed under suspension after they met Parshottam Rupala, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat in New Delhi recently.
“Cross party movements may certainly be expected in the run up to the poll”, said Bihar BJP president Mangal Pandey. But he declined to go into specifics.
However, intelligence sources put the expected rally attendance figure in the range of “two lakh or so”, modest in comparison to Giriraj Singh’s claim of 7 lakh.
But more than political niggling, the money being spent on the show – Rs. 10 crore, according to a state intelligence official -- has raised quite a few eyebrows.
JD (U) general secretary KC Tyagi said on Friday that he had asked the IT authorities to keep an eye on the expenditure. Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey responded: “The income tax authorities are welcome.”
Asked where the money is coming from, Vinay Kumar Singh, BJP MLA and chief organiser of the rally, said it would be raised through contributory coupons of R50 to Rs. 1,000 released through the party’s district presidents, 12 Lok Sabha MPs and 91 MLAs.
But on how much the coupons might fetch, Singh sounded defensive. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I have the details,” he promised, but never got back.
Bihar transport federation president Uday Shankar Prasad Singh estimated the cost of hiring 6,000 buses at Rs. 3 crore, while hiring 20,000 SUVs could cost Rs. 4 crore. “But such plain vanilla calculation can be misleading as vehicles are often hired out to political parties at highly concessional rates,” he said.
East Central Railway Zone (Hajipur) chief public relations manager Amitabh Prabhakar said the average cost of hiring a special train with 18 compartments was Rs. 8.5 lakh. So, having 11 trains will cost aboutRs. 93.50 lakh.
But no cost estimate for the jazzy stage could be obtained as an executive of the company that will manage the event refused to answer any question.
“The problem with this rally is it has measure up to the big hype that has preceded it”, said DM Diwakar, director of AN Sinha institute of social sciences, a leading Patna think tank.
“Just as success of the rally will act as elixir for the BJP, any disappointment in the Sunday show may give something for our opponents to latch on to,” confessed a senior BJP leader.
Already, four sitting BJP MLAs – Amarnath Gami (Hayaghat), Rana Gangeshwar (Mohiuddinnagar), Vijay Kumar Mishra (Jale) and Avanish Kumar Singh (Chiraiya), have been indicating a preference for the JD(U).
The public response to the rally, sources said, would also play a role in firming up electoral alliances in Bihar. It may, for instance, help decide if the Congress goes with Nitish’s JD(U) or revive its earlier alliance with Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP.
The perception that the Congress and JD(U) were drawing closer has taken a hit in recent weeks after the JD(U) seemed to be warming up to the idea of a third front and Congress leaders making remarks critical of the Bihar regime.
Besides, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav is believed to be strongly opposed to his party’s alliance with the Congress. A call on this issue will be take at the JD(U) ‘chintan shivir’ which gets underway at Rajgir on Monday.
The BJP is organizationally strong in Bihar and having constituted 56,000 booth level committees with at least between five and 10 members each, it is better prepared than its rival for any election or a rally such as this one.
The problem for the BJP is it does not have any single state-level leader who can match the stature of Nitish Kumar. This is why it needs the ‘aura’ Narendra Modi to take on its rivals.
“I have nothing to do with the BJP. But I back Modi for the PM’s post”, said Upendra Kushwaha, a former JD(U) MP who resigned his Rajya Sabha seat a few months ago following differences with chief minister Nitish Kumar.
More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/myindia-myvote/chunk-ht-ui-myindiamyvote-countdownto2014/modi-s-hunkar-in-nitish-s-turf-will-bjp-s-pm-candidate-launch-direct-attack-on-bihar-cm/sp-article10-1141006.aspx
Media reports are suggesting that Modi's first target could be Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, while the second will in probability focus on denouncing the state's progress in the last eight years and outline his strategy to expedite the process.
How he words his criticism of the Bihar government's development claims will be crucial, because if he goes at it too hard, the ruling Janata Dal-United could use it to box the BJP into a corner pointing out that the latter was in the government till June 2013 before the 17-year-old alliance between the two parties broke.
The much-hyped BJP's rally is seen as a bid to mobilise support and strengthen the support base in the state.
Eleven special trains, 6,000 buses, 20,000 SUVs, a gizmo-laden stage with a 30-feet dynamic screen as background, scores of LED screens on the ground and an undefined amount of loose change – nothing is being spared to make Modi's rally a roaring Sunday show in Nitis's turf.
Although Bihar is not among the states going to the polls in November, Modi is making a detour to prove a point or two, as it’s the first BJP rally since its divorce with the JD (U). The split was triggered by Modi’s elevation as head of the BJP election campaign committee.
The rally in Patna promises to trigger a realignment of political forces in Bihar, a state that sends 40 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
Former fisheries minister Giriraj Singh of the BJP said on Saturday he expected a ‘spontaneous turnout of seven lakh people’ for the event, which will mark Modi’s debut appearance in Bihar after he was named his party’s PM nominee.
“It will be spoken of in the same breath as Bihar movement leader Jaya Prakash Narayan’s historic rally at the same venue, Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, on June 5, 1974, which attracted a sea of humanity,” Singh said.
If the rally does, indeed, turn out be such a blockbuster of an event, it may encourage many leaders of parties opposed to the BJP to switch over to its side ahead of the Lok Sabha poll.
Two sitting JD(U) MPs, Jainarain Nishad (Muzaffarpur) and Purnmasi Ram (Gopalganj) have been placed under suspension after they met Parshottam Rupala, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat in New Delhi recently.
“Cross party movements may certainly be expected in the run up to the poll”, said Bihar BJP president Mangal Pandey. But he declined to go into specifics.
However, intelligence sources put the expected rally attendance figure in the range of “two lakh or so”, modest in comparison to Giriraj Singh’s claim of 7 lakh.
But more than political niggling, the money being spent on the show – Rs. 10 crore, according to a state intelligence official -- has raised quite a few eyebrows.
JD (U) general secretary KC Tyagi said on Friday that he had asked the IT authorities to keep an eye on the expenditure. Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey responded: “The income tax authorities are welcome.”
Asked where the money is coming from, Vinay Kumar Singh, BJP MLA and chief organiser of the rally, said it would be raised through contributory coupons of R50 to Rs. 1,000 released through the party’s district presidents, 12 Lok Sabha MPs and 91 MLAs.
But on how much the coupons might fetch, Singh sounded defensive. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I have the details,” he promised, but never got back.
Bihar transport federation president Uday Shankar Prasad Singh estimated the cost of hiring 6,000 buses at Rs. 3 crore, while hiring 20,000 SUVs could cost Rs. 4 crore. “But such plain vanilla calculation can be misleading as vehicles are often hired out to political parties at highly concessional rates,” he said.
East Central Railway Zone (Hajipur) chief public relations manager Amitabh Prabhakar said the average cost of hiring a special train with 18 compartments was Rs. 8.5 lakh. So, having 11 trains will cost aboutRs. 93.50 lakh.
But no cost estimate for the jazzy stage could be obtained as an executive of the company that will manage the event refused to answer any question.
“The problem with this rally is it has measure up to the big hype that has preceded it”, said DM Diwakar, director of AN Sinha institute of social sciences, a leading Patna think tank.
“Just as success of the rally will act as elixir for the BJP, any disappointment in the Sunday show may give something for our opponents to latch on to,” confessed a senior BJP leader.
Already, four sitting BJP MLAs – Amarnath Gami (Hayaghat), Rana Gangeshwar (Mohiuddinnagar), Vijay Kumar Mishra (Jale) and Avanish Kumar Singh (Chiraiya), have been indicating a preference for the JD(U).
The public response to the rally, sources said, would also play a role in firming up electoral alliances in Bihar. It may, for instance, help decide if the Congress goes with Nitish’s JD(U) or revive its earlier alliance with Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP.
The perception that the Congress and JD(U) were drawing closer has taken a hit in recent weeks after the JD(U) seemed to be warming up to the idea of a third front and Congress leaders making remarks critical of the Bihar regime.
Besides, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav is believed to be strongly opposed to his party’s alliance with the Congress. A call on this issue will be take at the JD(U) ‘chintan shivir’ which gets underway at Rajgir on Monday.
The BJP is organizationally strong in Bihar and having constituted 56,000 booth level committees with at least between five and 10 members each, it is better prepared than its rival for any election or a rally such as this one.
The problem for the BJP is it does not have any single state-level leader who can match the stature of Nitish Kumar. This is why it needs the ‘aura’ Narendra Modi to take on its rivals.
“I have nothing to do with the BJP. But I back Modi for the PM’s post”, said Upendra Kushwaha, a former JD(U) MP who resigned his Rajya Sabha seat a few months ago following differences with chief minister Nitish Kumar.
More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/myindia-myvote/chunk-ht-ui-myindiamyvote-countdownto2014/modi-s-hunkar-in-nitish-s-turf-will-bjp-s-pm-candidate-launch-direct-attack-on-bihar-cm/sp-article10-1141006.aspx
Doctors clueless about compensation refund
A day after the historic judgment in the Anuradha Saha death case, the doctors held guilty were not sure if they will get a refund of the additional amount they paid as compensation to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) in 2011.
While two of the doctors - Dr Balaram Prasad and Dr Baidyanath Haldar - paid Rs 26 lakh each, senior medic Dr Sukumar Mukherjee had paid Rs 40 lakh. The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Balaram Prasad and Sukumar Mukherjee to pay Rs 10 lakh each while Baidyanath Haldar's penalty was fixed at Rs 5 lakh. AMRI Hospital, where Anuradha Saha had received a steroid overdose while being treated by the three doctors was asked to pay Rs 5.96 crore along with a 6% interest to be calculated from 1999. The judgment actually came as a relief to the doctors who were earlier made to pay a heavier fine.
"It's obviously a financial relief. I am due to receive a refund Rs 16 lakh, but I am not sure whom to approach for the money. My lawyer believes the AMRI Hospital will have to refund the additional amount. I am trying to find out more about the procedure but am still not sure," said Prasad.
Sukumar Mukherjee, too, was in the dark about the refund system. He has been in touch with his lawyer but Mukherjee failed to procure a copy of the judgment till Friday afternoon. "The best thing about the judgment is that I will get a part of the money back. But so far I have failed to find out if that will at all be possible. I guess it is mentioned in the judgment, so I am waiting for it," said Mukherjee.
Law expert Prabir Basu, however, said the doctors will have to file an "execution appeal" with the NCDRC for a refund. "Since the case was originally filed with the commission, the appeal has to be placed with them. The case had gone to the Supreme Court after the NCDRC had awarded a smaller compensation to Kunal Saha which the latter had disputed. It was the Supreme Court that had directed the NCDRC to determine the compensation amount that was again contested by Saha. The doctors, however, had to pay the fine two years ago. Since they had paid to the NCDRC, only the latter can return the additional amount," he said.
While the AMRI authorities refused to comment, Basu said the hospital may still seek a review of the Supreme Court order. "They can appeal for a review but in case the decision goes against them yet again, they will have to pay an even higher penalty for the interest will keep accruing," added Basu.
The landmark judgment evoked mixed reactions in the medical community. While some felt the decision will act as a wake-up call for both doctors and hospitals, others pointed out that the stiff penalty may prompt doctors to stick to safe treatment. "There are occasions when a doctor has to take a calculated risk. It may or may not work, but such measures are essential if patients' lives are to be saved. Now, this judgment will make doctors think twice before taking such steps. Eventually, most will refuse to go ahead with such measures that will affect treatment. I hope this judgment is reversed by the Supreme Court," said P K Nemani, Kolkata executive committee member of the Indian Medical Association.
Cardiac surgeon Kunal Sarkar felt it was time for both hospitals and individual doctors to be more accountable and transparent in their treatment practices and follow laid-down norms. "Unfortunately, we are still stuck with a primitive system in which norms and procedures remain secondary. Also, we need to activate peer groups like the IMA and state medical council and get them to try cases like these. Unfortunately, people have no faith on them and so they rush to the court at the drop of a hat," said Sarkar.
While two of the doctors - Dr Balaram Prasad and Dr Baidyanath Haldar - paid Rs 26 lakh each, senior medic Dr Sukumar Mukherjee had paid Rs 40 lakh. The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Balaram Prasad and Sukumar Mukherjee to pay Rs 10 lakh each while Baidyanath Haldar's penalty was fixed at Rs 5 lakh. AMRI Hospital, where Anuradha Saha had received a steroid overdose while being treated by the three doctors was asked to pay Rs 5.96 crore along with a 6% interest to be calculated from 1999. The judgment actually came as a relief to the doctors who were earlier made to pay a heavier fine.
"It's obviously a financial relief. I am due to receive a refund Rs 16 lakh, but I am not sure whom to approach for the money. My lawyer believes the AMRI Hospital will have to refund the additional amount. I am trying to find out more about the procedure but am still not sure," said Prasad.
Sukumar Mukherjee, too, was in the dark about the refund system. He has been in touch with his lawyer but Mukherjee failed to procure a copy of the judgment till Friday afternoon. "The best thing about the judgment is that I will get a part of the money back. But so far I have failed to find out if that will at all be possible. I guess it is mentioned in the judgment, so I am waiting for it," said Mukherjee.
Law expert Prabir Basu, however, said the doctors will have to file an "execution appeal" with the NCDRC for a refund. "Since the case was originally filed with the commission, the appeal has to be placed with them. The case had gone to the Supreme Court after the NCDRC had awarded a smaller compensation to Kunal Saha which the latter had disputed. It was the Supreme Court that had directed the NCDRC to determine the compensation amount that was again contested by Saha. The doctors, however, had to pay the fine two years ago. Since they had paid to the NCDRC, only the latter can return the additional amount," he said.
While the AMRI authorities refused to comment, Basu said the hospital may still seek a review of the Supreme Court order. "They can appeal for a review but in case the decision goes against them yet again, they will have to pay an even higher penalty for the interest will keep accruing," added Basu.
The landmark judgment evoked mixed reactions in the medical community. While some felt the decision will act as a wake-up call for both doctors and hospitals, others pointed out that the stiff penalty may prompt doctors to stick to safe treatment. "There are occasions when a doctor has to take a calculated risk. It may or may not work, but such measures are essential if patients' lives are to be saved. Now, this judgment will make doctors think twice before taking such steps. Eventually, most will refuse to go ahead with such measures that will affect treatment. I hope this judgment is reversed by the Supreme Court," said P K Nemani, Kolkata executive committee member of the Indian Medical Association.
Cardiac surgeon Kunal Sarkar felt it was time for both hospitals and individual doctors to be more accountable and transparent in their treatment practices and follow laid-down norms. "Unfortunately, we are still stuck with a primitive system in which norms and procedures remain secondary. Also, we need to activate peer groups like the IMA and state medical council and get them to try cases like these. Unfortunately, people have no faith on them and so they rush to the court at the drop of a hat," said Sarkar.
Protein can lead to drug treatments for chronic pain
Scientists have created a new bio-therapeutic molecule that could be used to treat neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.
Scientists from 11 research institutes, including Dr Enrico Ferrari from the University of Lincoln, UK, created and characterised a new molecule that was able to alleviate hypersensitivity to inflammatory pain.
By separating elements of clostridium botulinum and clostridium tetani neurotoxins, commonly known as Botox and tetanus toxin respectively, the scientists were able to develop a model to re-join the molecule proteins yielding new biomedical properties, without unwanted toxic effects.
While the Botox element is able to block neuronal communication - and therefore pain signals - for months, the tetanus component targets the engineered toxin to the central nervous system, rather than stopping at exterior neurons that are the normal target of Botox.
The combination of the two effects is of great interest for neuroscience and can be applied to the treatment of several neurological disorders, particularly chronic pain conditions.
Botox and tetanus neurotoxins hold great promise for clinical applications, but since they are the most lethal proteins known to man, their paralytic activity was a stumbling block until now, researchers said.
"The toxins were split into parts so they were unable to function. Then later they were reassembled using a 'zipping' system so they can operate in a safe way," said Ferrari, one of the lead authors of the study.
"The re-engineered chimera toxin has very similar characteristics to Botox and is still able to block neurotransmission release, but the paralytic effect is a lot less. We then added a tetanus molecule which targets the chimera to where the pain signals travel towards the central nervous system," he said.
Preliminary data on animal models has now been collated at University College London and future clinical trials are expected to fully characterise the new bio-therapeutic.
"Many painkillers relieve the pain temporarily and have various side effects. The selling point of this molecule is that the pain relief could last up to seven months, in a similar way that Botox injections for removing wrinkles last for several months," Ferrari said.
The study was published in the scientific journal Bioconjugate Chemistry.
Scientists from 11 research institutes, including Dr Enrico Ferrari from the University of Lincoln, UK, created and characterised a new molecule that was able to alleviate hypersensitivity to inflammatory pain.
By separating elements of clostridium botulinum and clostridium tetani neurotoxins, commonly known as Botox and tetanus toxin respectively, the scientists were able to develop a model to re-join the molecule proteins yielding new biomedical properties, without unwanted toxic effects.
While the Botox element is able to block neuronal communication - and therefore pain signals - for months, the tetanus component targets the engineered toxin to the central nervous system, rather than stopping at exterior neurons that are the normal target of Botox.
The combination of the two effects is of great interest for neuroscience and can be applied to the treatment of several neurological disorders, particularly chronic pain conditions.
Botox and tetanus neurotoxins hold great promise for clinical applications, but since they are the most lethal proteins known to man, their paralytic activity was a stumbling block until now, researchers said.
"The toxins were split into parts so they were unable to function. Then later they were reassembled using a 'zipping' system so they can operate in a safe way," said Ferrari, one of the lead authors of the study.
"The re-engineered chimera toxin has very similar characteristics to Botox and is still able to block neurotransmission release, but the paralytic effect is a lot less. We then added a tetanus molecule which targets the chimera to where the pain signals travel towards the central nervous system," he said.
Preliminary data on animal models has now been collated at University College London and future clinical trials are expected to fully characterise the new bio-therapeutic.
"Many painkillers relieve the pain temporarily and have various side effects. The selling point of this molecule is that the pain relief could last up to seven months, in a similar way that Botox injections for removing wrinkles last for several months," Ferrari said.
The study was published in the scientific journal Bioconjugate Chemistry.
New cancer risk gene found
A new cancer risk gene has been discovered which explains the early-onset in some multiple-case breast cancer families.
The international team of investigators led by the University of Melbourne, identified rare mutations in the RINT1 gene to increase risk of breast and many other cancers.
"This discovery will assist some more women learn the genetic explanation for their breast cancer risk and which of their family members are at high risk of developing cancer. Currently only about 35 per cent of the familial risk for breast cancer has been explained," Professor Melissa Southey from the University's Department of Pathology, said. "Although mutations in RINT1 are rare, it is most likely
that the remaining unknown breast cancer susceptibility genes will account for similar small proportions of the disease," said co-researcher Dr Daniel Park.
Rare mutations in RINT1 were identified in three of 49 families participating in a multiple-case breast cancer family study. The study applied the latest technology to search for unidentified breast cancer susceptibility genes.
The researchers then assessed the association between RINT1 mutations and breast cancer risk by conducting a population-based case-control study that identified 23 mutation carriers in a sample of 1,313 women diagnosed with early-onset breast cancer and only 6 mutation carriers in 1,123 unaffected women, demonstrating a significant association between mutations in RINT1 and risk of early onset breast cancer.
Further research included testing an additional 684 affected women from multiple-case breast cancer families for RINT1 mutations and six additional families were found to carry mutations in RINT1.
The international team of investigators led by the University of Melbourne, identified rare mutations in the RINT1 gene to increase risk of breast and many other cancers.
"This discovery will assist some more women learn the genetic explanation for their breast cancer risk and which of their family members are at high risk of developing cancer. Currently only about 35 per cent of the familial risk for breast cancer has been explained," Professor Melissa Southey from the University's Department of Pathology, said. "Although mutations in RINT1 are rare, it is most likely
that the remaining unknown breast cancer susceptibility genes will account for similar small proportions of the disease," said co-researcher Dr Daniel Park.
Rare mutations in RINT1 were identified in three of 49 families participating in a multiple-case breast cancer family study. The study applied the latest technology to search for unidentified breast cancer susceptibility genes.
The researchers then assessed the association between RINT1 mutations and breast cancer risk by conducting a population-based case-control study that identified 23 mutation carriers in a sample of 1,313 women diagnosed with early-onset breast cancer and only 6 mutation carriers in 1,123 unaffected women, demonstrating a significant association between mutations in RINT1 and risk of early onset breast cancer.
Further research included testing an additional 684 affected women from multiple-case breast cancer families for RINT1 mutations and six additional families were found to carry mutations in RINT1.
South Africa beat Pakistan by innings and 92 runs in Dubai to square series vs Pakistan
South Africa kept their seven-year unbeaten away record intact with an innings and 92-run win over Pakistan in the second and final Test in Dubai on Saturday, squaring the two-match series 1-1.
It was a thorough and professional comeback by the world number one Test team after going down in last week's first Test by seven wickets, but the Proteas out-batted and out-bowled Pakistan at Dubai stadium.
The win was completed with a day and 9.5 overs to spare when Pakistan were bowled out for 326 in their second innings after they conceded a big 418-run lead in the first innings.
But Pakistan did not go down without a fight as Asad Shafiq (130) notched his fourth Test hundred and, along with skipper Misbah-ul Haq (88), frustrated the South Africans during a 197-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir finished with 3-98 and took a total of eight wickets in the match, while part-time right-arm offbreak bowler Jean-Paul Duminy took Shafiq's wicket on the way to career best figures of 3-67.
South African skipper Graeme Smith praised his team.
"It was an outstanding four days for us, to respond in these conditions where I don't think Pakistan have lost before. We got most things right in this game. Anytime you bowl a team out for 99 you've gone way ahead in the Test match," said Smith.
Smith's counterpart Misbah rued their first innings failure.
"I am disappointed not to have won the series in these conditions," said Misbah. "We couldn't recover after being bowled out for 99. Smith and AB de Villiers batted really well."
However, South Africa's deserved win was tainted by a ball-tampering row on Friday, when Faf Du Plessis was caught on television cameras scratching the ball on the zip of his trousers.
The on-field umpires Rod Tucker of Australia and Ian Gould of England along with television umpire Paul Reiffel warned Smith, changed the ball and gave five penalty runs to Pakistan.
The ICC (International Cricket Council) match referee David Boon of Australia then fined Du Plessis 50 percent of his match fee on Saturday.
Pakistan were left to rue their low score of 99 in the first innings which never allowed them to add to their only series win over South Africa in 2003 and, after their rivals piled up a mammoth 517 runs in reply, the writing was on the wall.
But when it looked like Misbah and Shafiq would guide Pakistan towards safety, the Pakistani skipper fell to a smart move by his counterpart Smith, who brought on part-timer Dean Elgar, and the left-hand slow bowler did not take long to make an impact.
Misbah's miscued drive off Elgar was well caught by Jacques Kallis, ending a 349-minute vigil in which he hit six boundaries and a six off 218 balls.
Shafiq reached his hundred with a superb on-drive off Duminy for his 11th boundary to complete his second hundred against South Africa.
In the morning, Misbah and Shafiq had added injury to South Africa's insult by batting with a resolve to fight hard after they resumed at 132-4.
Shafiq, on 36, got a reprieve early in the day when a leg-before decision by Australian umpire Rod Tucker was overturned on review. The unlucky bowler was paceman Vernon Philander in the fifth over in the day.
Shafiq, who scored 54 in Pakistan's seven-wicket win in last week's first Test in Abu Dhabi, reached his ninth Test fifty when he guided Duminy towards third man.
In all Shafiq batted for seven hours, hit 15 boundaries and a six in a 320-ball knock, improving on his highest score of 111 made against the same opposition in Cape Town earlier this year.
Misbah followed Shafiq, reaching his 22nd half-century at Test level with a single towards third man off paceman Morne Morkel.
The highlight of the match was Smith's epic 234 and AB de Villiers' 164 during their all-time South African Test record stand for the fifth wicket of 338.
The two teams now play a five-match one-day series, the first of which will be in Sharjah on Wednesday. They will also play two Twenty20 internationals.
It was a thorough and professional comeback by the world number one Test team after going down in last week's first Test by seven wickets, but the Proteas out-batted and out-bowled Pakistan at Dubai stadium.
The win was completed with a day and 9.5 overs to spare when Pakistan were bowled out for 326 in their second innings after they conceded a big 418-run lead in the first innings.
But Pakistan did not go down without a fight as Asad Shafiq (130) notched his fourth Test hundred and, along with skipper Misbah-ul Haq (88), frustrated the South Africans during a 197-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir finished with 3-98 and took a total of eight wickets in the match, while part-time right-arm offbreak bowler Jean-Paul Duminy took Shafiq's wicket on the way to career best figures of 3-67.
South African skipper Graeme Smith praised his team.
"It was an outstanding four days for us, to respond in these conditions where I don't think Pakistan have lost before. We got most things right in this game. Anytime you bowl a team out for 99 you've gone way ahead in the Test match," said Smith.
Smith's counterpart Misbah rued their first innings failure.
"I am disappointed not to have won the series in these conditions," said Misbah. "We couldn't recover after being bowled out for 99. Smith and AB de Villiers batted really well."
However, South Africa's deserved win was tainted by a ball-tampering row on Friday, when Faf Du Plessis was caught on television cameras scratching the ball on the zip of his trousers.
The on-field umpires Rod Tucker of Australia and Ian Gould of England along with television umpire Paul Reiffel warned Smith, changed the ball and gave five penalty runs to Pakistan.
The ICC (International Cricket Council) match referee David Boon of Australia then fined Du Plessis 50 percent of his match fee on Saturday.
Pakistan were left to rue their low score of 99 in the first innings which never allowed them to add to their only series win over South Africa in 2003 and, after their rivals piled up a mammoth 517 runs in reply, the writing was on the wall.
But when it looked like Misbah and Shafiq would guide Pakistan towards safety, the Pakistani skipper fell to a smart move by his counterpart Smith, who brought on part-timer Dean Elgar, and the left-hand slow bowler did not take long to make an impact.
Misbah's miscued drive off Elgar was well caught by Jacques Kallis, ending a 349-minute vigil in which he hit six boundaries and a six off 218 balls.
Shafiq reached his hundred with a superb on-drive off Duminy for his 11th boundary to complete his second hundred against South Africa.
In the morning, Misbah and Shafiq had added injury to South Africa's insult by batting with a resolve to fight hard after they resumed at 132-4.
Shafiq, on 36, got a reprieve early in the day when a leg-before decision by Australian umpire Rod Tucker was overturned on review. The unlucky bowler was paceman Vernon Philander in the fifth over in the day.
Shafiq, who scored 54 in Pakistan's seven-wicket win in last week's first Test in Abu Dhabi, reached his ninth Test fifty when he guided Duminy towards third man.
In all Shafiq batted for seven hours, hit 15 boundaries and a six in a 320-ball knock, improving on his highest score of 111 made against the same opposition in Cape Town earlier this year.
Misbah followed Shafiq, reaching his 22nd half-century at Test level with a single towards third man off paceman Morne Morkel.
The highlight of the match was Smith's epic 234 and AB de Villiers' 164 during their all-time South African Test record stand for the fifth wicket of 338.
The two teams now play a five-match one-day series, the first of which will be in Sharjah on Wednesday. They will also play two Twenty20 internationals.
Sachin's WMD! Tendulkar to beat all odds with special bat in final Test
Sachin Tendulkar will be playing his career's final test match, his 200th one, in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in a few days from now, and one corner of Jalandhar which holds a special place for him has made a last offering to him in the evening of his career. A Jalandhar-based sports company, which has supplied bats to Sachin for most of his cricketing career, has now made its final gift to him in the form of two bats which have been specially crafted for the master blaster.
According to Somi Kohli, partner of Beat All Sports, he has ensured that the two special bats are at least 35-40 grams lighter than the bat which is normally used by Sachin and also that the length of the bat is also lesser. "Sachin has been associated with us for nearly 20 years and has not changed one bit. He is not fussy at all and seldom asks for changes in his bat. On this special occasion I have designed an English willow bat for him with slightly changed specifications as compared to what he is used to," says Kohli. He hopes that the lighter bat will help Sachin get a special edge to his innings in the test match and make a high score.
Kohli's association with Sachin has seen many ups and downs in the latter's career. Such has been the attachment taht Somi Kohli also designed a special pair of batting gloves for Sachin some time back when he was not faring well and failed to score in a one-day match with South Africa in Mohali. "I told Sachin that he needed something that would ward of the 'evil eye' from him and because of his fair complexion, I designed a pair of gloves with one finger coloured black and a black wrist band. Since then Sachin has been wearing those gloves," said Kohli.
Posters of Sachin adorn the factory at each nook and corner and their is a tinge of sadness too. Ramesh Kohli, elder brother of Somi says that it is sad to see the career of a cricketing great come to an end. Says a forlorn Somi, "I told Sachin that now that he was retiring, I too will retire from this business of making bats,". Having see Sachin reach the pinnacle of his career, Somi and Ramesh now hope to see Sachin use their bat in the final test match, score a century and ride into sunset in a blaze of glory.
According to Somi Kohli, partner of Beat All Sports, he has ensured that the two special bats are at least 35-40 grams lighter than the bat which is normally used by Sachin and also that the length of the bat is also lesser. "Sachin has been associated with us for nearly 20 years and has not changed one bit. He is not fussy at all and seldom asks for changes in his bat. On this special occasion I have designed an English willow bat for him with slightly changed specifications as compared to what he is used to," says Kohli. He hopes that the lighter bat will help Sachin get a special edge to his innings in the test match and make a high score.
Kohli's association with Sachin has seen many ups and downs in the latter's career. Such has been the attachment taht Somi Kohli also designed a special pair of batting gloves for Sachin some time back when he was not faring well and failed to score in a one-day match with South Africa in Mohali. "I told Sachin that he needed something that would ward of the 'evil eye' from him and because of his fair complexion, I designed a pair of gloves with one finger coloured black and a black wrist band. Since then Sachin has been wearing those gloves," said Kohli.
Posters of Sachin adorn the factory at each nook and corner and their is a tinge of sadness too. Ramesh Kohli, elder brother of Somi says that it is sad to see the career of a cricketing great come to an end. Says a forlorn Somi, "I told Sachin that now that he was retiring, I too will retire from this business of making bats,". Having see Sachin reach the pinnacle of his career, Somi and Ramesh now hope to see Sachin use their bat in the final test match, score a century and ride into sunset in a blaze of glory.
Sebastian Vettel takes India pole faster than ever
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel put himself on pole position for a fourth successive Formula One crown after lapping the Indian Grand Prix circuit faster than any driver ever before on Saturday. The German, whose lightning lap of one minute 24.
119 seconds maintained his record of being on pole in every Indian race since the first in 2011, will have compatriot Nico Rosberg alongside for Mercedes on the front row for what should be a title-clinching race. It was the 26-year-old's 43rd career pole and seventh in 16 races so far this season.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, 90 points behind in the standings with four races to go and the only driver who can put Vettel's celebrations on hold, qualified only eighth on a hazy afternoon following early morning smog that delayed final practice.
Lewis Hamilton will line up third for Mercedes, with Vettel's Australian team mate Mark Webber starting in fourth place after he and Vettel had been one-two in every practice session. However, Webber may have an ace up his sleeve even if Vettel starts in clean air.
The veteran will be the only driver on the front two rows starting on the slower but more durable medium tyres while the other three opted for the soft option and will have to pit earlier. "Obviously Mark is on a different strategy so we'll see what the race brings tomorrow," said Vettel, who is chasing his sixth successive win as well as an Indian hat-trick at a circuit where he has led every race lap to date.
"In the end I think the strategies shouldn't determine the result that much," added the German, who is set to become the youngest ever quadruple champion as well as the first to win his first four titles consecutively.
Rosberg said he had been pushing the limits to get the most out of a car that has been no match for the Red Bull in recent races.
"We're - I'm - completely on a knife's edge. Really pushing the limits this weekend, just trying to extract that little tenth more out of the car.
Trying different things, new ways, new setups and until now it works," he said. Alonso, who must finish in the top two to have any hope of staying mathematically in contention after the weekend, also qualified on the medium tyres and recognised it was a 50-50 gamble.
"If the soft lasts in good conditions and good pace long enough, the people in front of us have not many problems," the Spaniard told reporters, for once holding back on the criticism of supplier Pirelli. "If the soft has some problems and they start pitting and go in a heavy traffic, maybe the race win will be between Webber and me," he added.
"If the soft tyres are lasting longer than expected and they go much longer, it will be difficult to recover places." Hamilton, whose team are fighting Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship that Red Bull could wrap up on Sunday, was focused on that battle. "They (Red Bull) are in another world but we'll try to stay ahead of the rest," said the 2008 champion.
The big loser was Romain Grosjean, who led the previous race in Japan and has finished on the podium in the last two grands prix but failed to get his Lotus through the first phase of qualifying. The Frenchman paid a heavy price for going out on the medium tyre when others were lapping on the softs and will start back in 17th. "We just missed the cut-off time, everyone went quicker than we thought.
Today, for some reason, the mediums were not quick enough. It's a decision we took together, we were confident we could do enough with them but we got it wrong," he said.
Team mate Kimi Raikkonen will start sixth, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa in fifth - after qualifying on softs - and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg a strong seventh for Sauber. The two McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10 behind Alonso.
Perez, whose place at the team for 2014 has yet to be confirmed, sounded more optimistic about a Sunday than he has for some time in a season that has yet to see McLaren finish on the podium. "I think this can be McLaren's best race of the season," the Mexican told reporters.
119 seconds maintained his record of being on pole in every Indian race since the first in 2011, will have compatriot Nico Rosberg alongside for Mercedes on the front row for what should be a title-clinching race. It was the 26-year-old's 43rd career pole and seventh in 16 races so far this season.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, 90 points behind in the standings with four races to go and the only driver who can put Vettel's celebrations on hold, qualified only eighth on a hazy afternoon following early morning smog that delayed final practice.
Lewis Hamilton will line up third for Mercedes, with Vettel's Australian team mate Mark Webber starting in fourth place after he and Vettel had been one-two in every practice session. However, Webber may have an ace up his sleeve even if Vettel starts in clean air.
The veteran will be the only driver on the front two rows starting on the slower but more durable medium tyres while the other three opted for the soft option and will have to pit earlier. "Obviously Mark is on a different strategy so we'll see what the race brings tomorrow," said Vettel, who is chasing his sixth successive win as well as an Indian hat-trick at a circuit where he has led every race lap to date.
"In the end I think the strategies shouldn't determine the result that much," added the German, who is set to become the youngest ever quadruple champion as well as the first to win his first four titles consecutively.
Rosberg said he had been pushing the limits to get the most out of a car that has been no match for the Red Bull in recent races.
"We're - I'm - completely on a knife's edge. Really pushing the limits this weekend, just trying to extract that little tenth more out of the car.
Trying different things, new ways, new setups and until now it works," he said. Alonso, who must finish in the top two to have any hope of staying mathematically in contention after the weekend, also qualified on the medium tyres and recognised it was a 50-50 gamble.
"If the soft lasts in good conditions and good pace long enough, the people in front of us have not many problems," the Spaniard told reporters, for once holding back on the criticism of supplier Pirelli. "If the soft has some problems and they start pitting and go in a heavy traffic, maybe the race win will be between Webber and me," he added.
"If the soft tyres are lasting longer than expected and they go much longer, it will be difficult to recover places." Hamilton, whose team are fighting Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship that Red Bull could wrap up on Sunday, was focused on that battle. "They (Red Bull) are in another world but we'll try to stay ahead of the rest," said the 2008 champion.
The big loser was Romain Grosjean, who led the previous race in Japan and has finished on the podium in the last two grands prix but failed to get his Lotus through the first phase of qualifying. The Frenchman paid a heavy price for going out on the medium tyre when others were lapping on the softs and will start back in 17th. "We just missed the cut-off time, everyone went quicker than we thought.
Today, for some reason, the mediums were not quick enough. It's a decision we took together, we were confident we could do enough with them but we got it wrong," he said.
Team mate Kimi Raikkonen will start sixth, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa in fifth - after qualifying on softs - and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg a strong seventh for Sauber. The two McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10 behind Alonso.
Perez, whose place at the team for 2014 has yet to be confirmed, sounded more optimistic about a Sunday than he has for some time in a season that has yet to see McLaren finish on the podium. "I think this can be McLaren's best race of the season," the Mexican told reporters.
Sahara Pune Warriors' IPL contract terminated by BCCI
The BCCI today terminated Pune Warriors from the IPL after the Sahara-owned franchise defaulted on its payments and refused to furnish the bank guarantee for the next season.
The decision was taken at the Cricket Board's all-powerful working committee meeting here, a top BCCI official told PTI. The Pune Warriors have been on collision course with the BCCI after the Board encashed its bank guarantee due to non-payment of franchise fee. The Sahara group announced its pull-out from the IPL after that even though that is yet to be formally conveyed to the BCCI, which in turn wanted the team to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 170.2 crore to remain a part of the league next year. The BCCI, after reportedly reminding Sahara about the payment several time, has now terminated it from the IPL.
IPL governing council members were also present in today's meeting where the Board issued a 30-day termination notice to Pune Warriors. Sahara has been demanding the completion of the arbitration proceedings on the issue of franchise fee, which, it feels, should be lowered since the BCCI did not deliver on its promised number of IPL matches for the team.
The arbitration process has not yet started because of the differences between BCCI and Sahara over the judges to be appointed for it. Pune, bought by Sahara for USD 370 million (approx Rs 1702 crore) in 2010, was the most expensive franchise on the IPL roster and its termination would cause substantial financial loss to the BCCI.
The decision was taken at the Cricket Board's all-powerful working committee meeting here, a top BCCI official told PTI. The Pune Warriors have been on collision course with the BCCI after the Board encashed its bank guarantee due to non-payment of franchise fee. The Sahara group announced its pull-out from the IPL after that even though that is yet to be formally conveyed to the BCCI, which in turn wanted the team to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 170.2 crore to remain a part of the league next year. The BCCI, after reportedly reminding Sahara about the payment several time, has now terminated it from the IPL.
IPL governing council members were also present in today's meeting where the Board issued a 30-day termination notice to Pune Warriors. Sahara has been demanding the completion of the arbitration proceedings on the issue of franchise fee, which, it feels, should be lowered since the BCCI did not deliver on its promised number of IPL matches for the team.
The arbitration process has not yet started because of the differences between BCCI and Sahara over the judges to be appointed for it. Pune, bought by Sahara for USD 370 million (approx Rs 1702 crore) in 2010, was the most expensive franchise on the IPL roster and its termination would cause substantial financial loss to the BCCI.
The Fifth Estate: Benedict is a good egg
You’d think a movie about media mavericks would be a breathless ride in 70-point bold in a gothic font — think All the President’s Men, Citizen Kane or The Killing Fields. Unfortunately, The Fifth Estate about WikiLeaks founder and editor Julian Assange is none of these. It is confused, sitting-on-the-fence narrative, which is all terribly tiresome.
The nerdy stuff with geeks in the accepted uniform of thick glasses, mussed up hair and jerseys is plain annoying. And then there is ethical hacking and all those 21st century buzz words. The German film 23 was far more effective and thrilling. You don’t get to care for any of the characters. Assange is a cipher and his associate Daniel Domscheit-Berg is even more of blank. The chronology seems all skewed and the quick cuts and the great revelations, all lead nowhere.
Based on Domscheit-Berg’s book, Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, The Fifth Estate is directed by Bill Condon who earlier directed the Twilightmovies, Breaking Dawn 1 & 2. Perhaps he should be forgiven for making such a gooey mess of a movie — it takes time to recover from vampires who are bad actors.
The two things The Fifth Estate has going for it are Benedict Cumberbatch and the title sequence. Cumberbatch who made intelligent sexy with the television series, Sherlock and was extraordinary as Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness, makes for a compelling Assange, only because he is so eminently watchable. Incidentally, that other hottie from British telly, Dan Stevens (Matthew in Downton Abbey) is also floating about fixing people with his glittering eyes. Laura Linney, David Thewlis and Stanley Tucci glide in and out of the story looking rather confused. The title sequence that tells the history of spreading news from Egyptian hieroglyphics to the present was super fascinating.
Assange apparently was very upset with the movie describing it as lie upon lie and a serious propaganda attack. He needn’t worry about The Fifth Estate harming his cause, by the time it tediously meanders to its portentous end, people would heave a sigh of relief and rush out of the theatre wondering why Assange’s hair is white.
Genre: Thriller
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney.
Storyline: WikiLeaks founder and editor, Julian Assange’s war against secrecy
Bottomline: Boring but for Benedict
The nerdy stuff with geeks in the accepted uniform of thick glasses, mussed up hair and jerseys is plain annoying. And then there is ethical hacking and all those 21st century buzz words. The German film 23 was far more effective and thrilling. You don’t get to care for any of the characters. Assange is a cipher and his associate Daniel Domscheit-Berg is even more of blank. The chronology seems all skewed and the quick cuts and the great revelations, all lead nowhere.
Based on Domscheit-Berg’s book, Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, The Fifth Estate is directed by Bill Condon who earlier directed the Twilightmovies, Breaking Dawn 1 & 2. Perhaps he should be forgiven for making such a gooey mess of a movie — it takes time to recover from vampires who are bad actors.
The two things The Fifth Estate has going for it are Benedict Cumberbatch and the title sequence. Cumberbatch who made intelligent sexy with the television series, Sherlock and was extraordinary as Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness, makes for a compelling Assange, only because he is so eminently watchable. Incidentally, that other hottie from British telly, Dan Stevens (Matthew in Downton Abbey) is also floating about fixing people with his glittering eyes. Laura Linney, David Thewlis and Stanley Tucci glide in and out of the story looking rather confused. The title sequence that tells the history of spreading news from Egyptian hieroglyphics to the present was super fascinating.
Assange apparently was very upset with the movie describing it as lie upon lie and a serious propaganda attack. He needn’t worry about The Fifth Estate harming his cause, by the time it tediously meanders to its portentous end, people would heave a sigh of relief and rush out of the theatre wondering why Assange’s hair is white.
Genre: Thriller
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney.
Storyline: WikiLeaks founder and editor, Julian Assange’s war against secrecy
Bottomline: Boring but for Benedict
Sutta Kadhai: The surreal deal
Subu, the writer-director of Sutta Kadhai, has a superb eye for the absurd. The film is filled with borderline-surreal non sequiturs, some of which are downright Monty Pythonesque. A cop (Balaji Venugopal, who with his pencil moustache resembles a swashbuckling Ranjan-era villain) steps into the scene of a murder and gets down to his interrogation. His first question: What is your national bird? Elsewhere, another cop (Venkatesh Harinathan) asks the dead man’s offspring what the father was doing before he died. The answer: He was living.
We get comedies all year round, yet I manage — at most — a smirk, a grin, whereas I burst out laughing at the scene where the policeman played by Nasser sits down to demonstrate the drinking habits of people in Russia, Canada, South Africa... And the bits featuring re-enactments of scenarios from the Sambasivam Crime Comics are a scream. (The casting of the fearsome “Killer Kabali” is a sight joke in itself.)
The tea shop whose signboard in Tamil and English features slightly different names (Paradise/Paradesi), the obese man who asks his daughter if he is wearing a belt, the drunk at the bar who keeps slamming into a door... I could go on. The problem is that there’s no connective tissue. No, scratch that. The problem is that the director feels compelled to connect these bits through a “story,” and the plot, even at an hour and forty-five minutes, is a major drag.
We want more of those absurd sketches, and we’re saddled, instead, with a tribal woman (Lakshmi Priyaa) who wants to avenge her father, a quack (named Oliver Twist!) peddling potency pills, and a nutso “king” (MS Baskar) who’s a little too trigger-happy. Most unforgivably — especially given a sensibility so out-of-the-box — we get the old song-and-dance in a bar.
Still, I wouldn’t want to be too hard on a film that milks laughs from the ubiquitous P James. In a comedy culture that hinges almost entirely on one-liners, you’re grateful for something different, even if it’s only some of the time.
Genre: Absurdist comedy
Director: Subu
Cast: Balaji Venugopal, Venkatesh Harinathan, Lakshmi Priyaa
Storyline: A murder investigation... or something.
Bottomline: A drag of a story livened by some great absurd bits.
We get comedies all year round, yet I manage — at most — a smirk, a grin, whereas I burst out laughing at the scene where the policeman played by Nasser sits down to demonstrate the drinking habits of people in Russia, Canada, South Africa... And the bits featuring re-enactments of scenarios from the Sambasivam Crime Comics are a scream. (The casting of the fearsome “Killer Kabali” is a sight joke in itself.)
The tea shop whose signboard in Tamil and English features slightly different names (Paradise/Paradesi), the obese man who asks his daughter if he is wearing a belt, the drunk at the bar who keeps slamming into a door... I could go on. The problem is that there’s no connective tissue. No, scratch that. The problem is that the director feels compelled to connect these bits through a “story,” and the plot, even at an hour and forty-five minutes, is a major drag.
We want more of those absurd sketches, and we’re saddled, instead, with a tribal woman (Lakshmi Priyaa) who wants to avenge her father, a quack (named Oliver Twist!) peddling potency pills, and a nutso “king” (MS Baskar) who’s a little too trigger-happy. Most unforgivably — especially given a sensibility so out-of-the-box — we get the old song-and-dance in a bar.
Still, I wouldn’t want to be too hard on a film that milks laughs from the ubiquitous P James. In a comedy culture that hinges almost entirely on one-liners, you’re grateful for something different, even if it’s only some of the time.
Genre: Absurdist comedy
Director: Subu
Cast: Balaji Venugopal, Venkatesh Harinathan, Lakshmi Priyaa
Storyline: A murder investigation... or something.
Bottomline: A drag of a story livened by some great absurd bits.
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