25-bed hospitals in Karnataka get nod to harvest organs

Taking a major step to facilitate organ donation, the Karnataka government has permitted small hospitals with a capacity of 25 beds to harvest organs.

This means that hospitals which have an operation theatre and intensive care unit (ICU) need not shift braindead patients to bigger hospitals for organ retrieval. "This is definitely a giant step towards saving human lives by transplanting organs from a brain-dead person. The government has liberalized transport and transplant of organs," M Madan Gopal, principal secretary, health and family welfare department, told TOI.

Fearing that freeing up norms would lead to organtrade rackets, the state government had not given permission to small hospitals so far.

Time matters most

Madan Gopal, principal secretary, health and family welfare, said he would write to the DG&IG, asking police to cooperate in shifting bodies soon after an accident. If the dead person is shifted quickly to a non-transplant human organs retrieval centre (NTHORC), organs can be retrieved. The current procedure followed by police after accidents results in a loss of organs.

Transplant not possible

The government order, issued on October 31, says if neurosurgeons or specialists are not available in non-transplant human organs retrieval centres (NTHORC), these hospitals can utilize the services of specialists from the brain stem death committee of the hospital, registered under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA).

All that NTHORC has to do is apply for brain death certification to the appropriate authority. But these centres cannot perform actual transplantation of human organs.
At present, there is no established procedure or guidelines to deal with situations that arise when brain deaths occur in NTHORC, even when the families of brain-dead persons wish or consent to donate the organs of the deceased . "Considering the fact that a large number of brain deaths occur in NTHORC, it is imperative to permit organs to be retrieved when there's a willingness to donate organs at those centres which have the facilities to maintain brain-dead deceased donors, so that more lives or organ failure patients can be saved," Gopal said.

The Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka (ZCCK) has been constituted to ensure effective implementation of Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, and also promote cadaver organ transplantation in the state. Although ZCCK has been able to facilitate multi-organ donations, cadaveric organ donation programme was hit because of a delay in certifying brain deaths by hospitals.

Jency Antony, chief transplant officer, ZCCK, said permitting NTHORCs to retrieve organs is an important milestone in organ transplantation.

TIMES VIEW
Given the high demand for organs, the government's decision to allow smaller hospitals to retrieve them from brain-dead or donors will benefit a lot of patients. It's up to the medical fraternity to ensure there are enough checks and balances so that unscrupulous persons don't misuse the provisions of the move by cashing in on the desperation of poor persons willing to sell their organs and equally desperate patients who are ready to fork out huge sums of money. The black market in human organs puts both donors and recipients at great risk and the government's plan to spread the organ harvesting pool will hopefully end this menace.

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/25-bed-hospitals-in-Karnataka-get-nod-to-harvest-organs/articleshow/25474940.cms

India Mars probe makes first engine burn

The probe performed the firing with its liquid fuel thruster at 19:47 GMT on Wednesday (Thursday 1:17 IST).

The aim is to gradually build up the necessary velocity to break free from our planet's gravitational pull.

If the firings succeed, the spacecraft will travel for 300 days, ready for entering Mars orbit in 2014.

K. Radhakrishnan, head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), told the Times of India that the spacecraft was in "excellent health".

After lift-off, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was placed into an elliptical parking orbit around Earth with a perigee (the point in the orbit closest to Earth) of 248.4 km and an apogee (the point farthest away) of 23,550 km.

The six major thruster firings are designed to manoeuvre the MOM into a so-called hyperbolic trajectory so that the probe escapes the Earth's sphere of influence.

After a 10-month journey, the probe will arrive at Mars on 24 September next year. The engine will be fired again to slow down the spacecraft, enabling it to be captured by the planet's gravity and place it into Martian orbit.

Four further manoeuvres between 8 and 16 November will raise the craft's apogee to 192,000km.

"It's going to be a large sequence of events," said Mr Radhakrishnan.

On 1 December, the engine will be fired again for its "trans-Martian injection", sending the craft on its way to the Red Planet.

The moment of lift-off

This week, Prof Andrew Coates, from University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, told BBC News that the planned mechanics for getting to Mars were on a sound footing, and that the probe stood a good chance as long as its engines fired correctly.

But any delay in these operations would require precious extra fuel to be used to catch up with the desired path to Mars.

India's PSLV rocket - the second choice for the mission after a beefier launcher failed - was not powerful enough to send the MOM on a direct flight to Mars.

So engineers opted for a method of travel called a Hohmann Transfer Orbit to propel the spacecraft from Earth to Mars with the least amount of fuel possible.

At a cost of about $72m (£45m), the MOM is extremely cheap by the standards of planetary missions.

Even so, some commentators have questioned whether India should be spending its millions on a planetary mission when a significant part of its population are in poverty and figures for childhood malnutrition are some of the highest in the world.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24851242

Malvinder Singh under cloud over Ranbaxy imbroglio

After India-based pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy pled guilty to seven felonies and agreed to cough up $500 million to U.S. authorities in May this year, information on wrongdoing within the company has continued to trickle out, including most recently compelling evidence that erstwhile CEO and billionaire owner Malvinder Singh was alerted to the fraud years ago.

In a recent series of news reports by CBS News here, the whistleblower in the case and former Ranbaxy Director Dinesh Thakur said that when his suspicions were initially raised and he set out to look for more data, he was met with resistance and “It was a lot of trying, like pulling teeth.”

In the case of at least 15 new generic drug applications, auditors were said to have found more than 1,600 data errors, implying that these drugs were “potentially unsafe and illegal to sell.”

The CBS reports also carried statements by Kathy Spreen, who was hired by Ranbaxy in 2004 to help the company comply with FDA regulations, who said that she became alarmed when inspecting bio-equivalence data for a Ranbaxy diabetes drug, because “The data from the generic and the brand were identical,” and “Any time you see perfect data, you’re probably looking at false data or inaccurate data or made-up data. I started asking, ‘I need the data. I need the initial raw data”.

However, Dr. Spreen said she could not get it, and went right to the top, to Malvinder Singh and when she did that, “He held my hand and he told me to just be patient and everything would be taken care of.” Yet nothing came of that promise.

Import alert

Despite Ranbaxy’s felony charges earlier this year, a potential indicator of continuing malpractice came as recently as September when the FDA again issued an import alert against the company, this time on drugs made at its Mohali plant.

More: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/malvinder-singh-under-cloud-over-ranbaxy-imbroglio/article5330450.ece

Don’t rule out an Indian win at Delhi Golf Club

Sometimes there is a major mismatch between the way one plays and the way one scores. The last two days have been somewhat like that. I don't think I am playing badly, it is just that the scorecard tells a different tale. The net result has been that after rounds of 77 and 72, I am out for the week at the 50th edition of the Hero Indian Open.

Missing the cut is never a pleasant feeling, no matter how big or how small an event is. Professional golfers tee up with just one goal in mind – and that is to win.

On Friday I started well with birdies on first and third and I had a good feeling that I could fight back. Then the bogey on seventh and birdie on eighth still kept me in, even though some of the shots were not coming off and the putting didn't work.

A double bogey on 14th, which is normally a birdie hole put a lid on my challenge. That double was like a swing of three shots and if there was any chance of making the cut at two-over, this one hole ended it.

This is just one of those weeks, that I will have put behind me and work on things for the coming events.

If you think the pressure of playing the Hero Indian Open got to me, I don't think so. Because even though there is premium on the National Open, once you tee up all such thoughts go to the back of the mind.

It is nice to see Rahil Gangjee up there at eight-under though he has a couple of holes to play, and SSP Chowrasia has made a good comeback with 69-68 and has a good shot at the DGC where he has done so well.

Talking of doing well at the DGC, Siddikur is having a great time. Two rounds of 66 is superb and he is in command at 12-under and right behind him is Chapchai Nirat, who once shot 32-under at Classic, when I was second behind him. It should be a good battle between both. But believe me, an Indian win cannot be ruled out. Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur, Chiragh, Jyoti are all capable of pulling their weight on the last two days. Then there are the likes of Shankar Das, always a dangerous player.

Scores: -12 Mohd. Siddikur (BAN) (66, 66); -10 Chapchai Nirat (THA) (66, 68); -8 Adam Groom (AUS) (69, -5*), Rahil Gangjee (IND) (66, -2*); -7 Angelo Que (PHI) (69, 68), SSP Chowrasia (IND) (69, 68), Shankar Das (IND) (67, -2*)

*Second round incomplete

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/don-t-rule-out-an-indian-win-at-delhi-golf-club/1192739/0

It is experience vs youth as Viswanathan Anand takes on Magnus Carlsen

Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen. The world champion vs the World No. 1; the King vs the Crown Prince. This is the chess battle of this century, As the first game of the World Chess Championship unfolds at Hotel Hyatt Regency here on Saturday, history is in the making over the next three weeks. If Carlsen wins, he would herald a new era in World Championship. If Anand wins, he would be rated along with Garry Kasparov as the most successful world champion in modern chess.

There was never a match of this magnitude in chess in the last 30 years. The one closest to this was the epic battle between Russians Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik in 2000 but then it was not held under the auspices of the world chess federation (FIDE).

The Indian’s public announcement about the seconds he had worked with on Thursday was a big revelation. The team is basically Indian in nature with Krishnan Sasikiran and Sandipan Chanda, though the absence of Surya Sekhar Ganguly is still difficult to digest. It is quite possible that Ganguly must have trained with him at some point in his preparation because of his sound opening knowledge.

However, the big surprise is that Peter Leko is part of his team, though again there was a rumour that he had worked with the Indian prior to his 2012 match against Boris Gelfand too. Leko is an opening master and his games mainly are targeted at the draw result. Radislaw Wojtaszek, the Polish GM, continues to be with Anand but the full story would be available only after the match as the world champion put some riders to his honest disclosures about his seconds.

The Bobby Fischer vs Boris Spassky match in 1972 in Reykjavic was dubbed as the Match of the Century. Chess history has evolved since then. It is no longer a war between Russia and America. Fischer was the first non-Russian to win the world title and the hype around that match was understandable. Russia never stopped producing world chess champions after that – Karpov, Kasparov, Alexander Khalifman, Kramnik, Rustam Kasimdzhanov...

It was Anand who shone like a beacon in the midst of all the Russian stars. But he had to wait long enough to get his due. When he won his first world title in Tehran, his critics said he did so in the absence of Kasparov and Karpov. It was not his fault that both of them were not part of the world championship cycle. One had retired and the other had his own cycle to look after.

Carlsen is a genius, though he looked nervous in his first pre-match press conference. The Norwegian shot into fame when he was just 18 and became the world No. 1 at 19. Since then, he has not looked back. He not only kept his World No. 1 ranking to himself, he has also added one more feather to his cap: the world’s highest-ranked player ever. At 2870, he has left his predecessor Kasparov far behind (2851).

However, world titles are not won on the strength of rating. They have to be fought over the board and that is when Anand (2775), rated almost 100 points behind Carlsen, would hold all the aces. Carlsen has not played a world championship match yet while Anand is the most experienced match player at the moment.

Anand’s last opponent in world championship, Boris Gelfand, feels that Carlsen is beatable. “If there will be a real Vishy, he’ll give a fight. He has a huge match experience. In addition, Carlsen also has weaknesses. We all saw how he got nervous at the Candidates’ when not everything went smoothly... It will be really interesting to see their match.”

On the eve of the match, the big question was: what opening is Carlsen going to play on Saturday? Will he open with the King-pawn or Queen-pawn as he has almost an equal share of these two in his games archives.

Kasparov, who is backing Carlsen to win the title for the good of chess, is on his way to Chennai. He will definitely come up with some his wise cracks to make his presence felt in India.
But before that, let the games begin.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-it-is-experience-vs-youth-as-viswanathan-anand-takes-on-magnus-carlsen-1915959

When 'Prince of Kolkata' Sourav Ganguly hugged 'God of Cricket' Sachin Tendulkar

Delighted fans set Twitter abuzz with snaps of the two ace cricketers hugging each other. For many, it was their favourite moment of the match to see God(Tendulkar) being crowned with a 'pagdi' (turban) and hugged by the Ã,"Prince of Kolkata(Ganguly).

It was a memorable moment for Indian cricket fans when former captain Sourav Ganguly embraced master blaster Sachin Tendulkar during the felicitation ceremony after India defeated the West Indies by an innings and 51 runs in the first Test here at the Eden Gardens Friday.

Delighted fans set Twitter abuzz with snaps of the two ace cricketers hugging each other. For many, it was their favourite moment of the match to see God(Tendulkar) being crowned with a 'pagdi' (turban) and hugged by the “Prince of Kolkata(Ganguly).

Comments trending are: The best moment was when Sourav Ganguly hugged Sachin Tendulkar and when God met the prince.

What a moment!!! The two gr8s, Ganguly & Sachin hugging each #Goosebumps #ThankYouSachin @SouravGanguly @sachin_rt Treat to watch d scene, tweeted one.

Fans have begun to register that Tendulkar now has only one match to play before retirement.

Sachin Tendulkar has just one match left in his career. Let that sink in. #ThankYouSachin #IndvWI SACHINNNNNNNNNN SACHINNNNNNN, wrote a fan.

With the Mumbai Test drawing closer, it is a frenzy for fans to cheer for their hero one last time.

Friends the last match of @sachin_rt is too nearer !!!!! so come on lets cheer it for the "GOD OF CRICKET," said a fan.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-when-prince-of-kolkata-sourav-ganguly-hugged-god-of-cricket-sachin-tendulkar-1915807

Vijay Singh wins Mallika’s 'The Bachelorette India'

The Bachelorette India - Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika comes to an end with Vijay Singh from a Dharamsala-based model won over Mallika’s heart and emerged as a winner. From day one, Vijay was consistent and confident about his choice ad made all effort to woo Mallika’s heart. The actress was also quite impressed with Vijay when he arranged a candle light dinner for her.

"From now on I will always be there for you, I will do whatever I can to keep you happy," said Vijay, after winning the show. Vijay who is over 10 years younger to Mallika did a romantic act on "Tere naina" in the final round. Karan Sagoo an NRI restaurant owner from London, was another strong contender for the show and he performed on "Teri jhuki nazar". Malika Sherawat dressed in purple lehenga choli took to the stage and dance on the song ‘Rabbta’.

After announcing Vijay as the winner of the show, Mallika said of her choice: "I have known Vijay only in front of the camera but I want to know him without the cameras now."

When the show kick-start, Mallika Sherawat clarified that she is looking for a companion on the show and she is not promising to settle down with the winner.

"The Bachelorette India - Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika" aired on Life OK started with 30 contestants from all over India five weeks ago. Based on the internationally popular format of "The Bachelor", the show is based on finding the perfect match for the actress. The show was hosted by Rohit Roy.

For the grand finale, Mallika chose a traditional attire lehenga choli designed by popular fashion designer Anita Dongre. Several celebrity guests including Pooja Gor, Aman Verma, Hiten Tejwani, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Viraf Patel, Sana Seikh and Sukriti Kandpal were present on the final day.

More: http://www.bollywoodmantra.com/news/vijay-singh-wins-mallikas-heart-in-the-bachelorette-india/13090/

Sail HO! Look out San Francisco - 'tis the GOOGLE GALLEON

The mysterious Google vessel floating in San Francisco Bay is to feature towering sails enabling it to cruise around exhibiting the wonders of technology to an astonished coast, it has been reported.

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the barge will be an “unprecedented artistic structure” boasting about a dozen huge sails or "fins".

It is intended to “drive visitation to the waterfront," although this probably means attracting tourists, rather than summoning ghostly spirits to the shore.

The barge has previously been fingered as a floating data centre, a Google Glass shop or even a booze-cruising party boat. A statement from Google reached El Regearlier this week claiming the barges were “an interactive space where people can learn about new technology.”

The Chronicle got its hands on the plans using Freedom of Information laws. It revealed the barge will be a 50-foot-tall, 250-foot-long boat constructed from recycled shipping containers. The vessel will boast an array of sails “reminiscent of fish fins, which will remind visitors that they are on a seaworthy vessel".

Google even appear to have used a bit of rhyming slang as it prepares its ark to hit the seas. The vessel is registered to a company called By and Large, which rhymes with barge. This shadowy firm also owns a warehouse on nearby Treasure Island as well as another barge that's currently floating off the coast of Portland, Maine.

“The structure will stand out,” the B&L team said in a preliminary application filed to the San Francisco Port Authority. It will be a "studio" and "temporary technology exhibit space" designed to help "local organizations to engage with guests and gain visibility in a unique way”.

“We envisioned this space with community in mind,” By and Large wrote. “A surprising environment that is accessible to all and inspires conversation about how everything is connected — shorebirds, me, you, the sea, the fog and much more.

"The artistic structure combines innovative architecture with a bit of nautical whimsy, creating a surprising environment that inspires conversation, community and ‘a-ha’ moments.”

It will feature 50 security cameras to stop light-fingered Google aficionados from nicking anything and will sail around the Bay, parking at various spots. The sails will light up and can be taken down in the event of poor weather.

“We believe this curious and visually stunning structure will be a welcome addition to the waterfront, an experience unlike any other,” BaL continued in its proposal.

Little is known about the Google tentacle behind the barges. It was founded last year and is a "Corporation Service Company" based in Wilmington, a city in Carolina which sits on the eerily-named Cape Fear River.

There's every chance the mystery surrounding the project reveals the shadowy hand of Google's publicity department, who will want to generate buzz around its launch using as little cash as possible (and we fell for it! D'Oh! - Ed). But that likely explanation's not been enough for the internet.

The registered numbers of the barges are BAL0010 and BAL0011, with the acronym probably referring to the name of the mysterious By and Large. Then again, it could refer to Baal, who was a god to the ancient Phoenicians but a demon to Christians.

"Baal is a three-headed demon with a spider's body and tonnes of spider legs," explained one unhinged commentard on a conspiracy forum. "Folks, we have Luciferians."

The forum nutters went on to surmise that perhaps the Google Barge signifies the coming of some sort of apocalypse. Before the world ends, they suggested, Google would back up the internet on the two barges, as well as an even creepier third one. It will then reemerge when the fires die down to form a new world order in which, presumably, everyone has a Google+ account and wears stupid-looking computers on their face.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/08/google_offers_tourists_a_trip_on_its_barge/

Elevating cyber security is a national concern: Dr Rai

Elevating cyber security has become a national concern, said Dr Gulshan Rai, Director General of Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (ICERT) as he delivered a lecture on 'Cyber Security Threat Landscape, Initiatives taken by government for Securing Cyber Space' on the first day of the 73rd annual meeting of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc) at PU on Friday.

Discussing facts regarding cyber security, Dr Rai said the number of mobile phones in the world was expected to rise to 8 billion by 2016, while the annual subscription of broadband users was rising by 40 per cent and is expected to reach 3.5 billion by 2015.

"Cyber attacks by hostile organisations, nations and criminals are on the rise, along with increase in cases of threatening governments, business and individuals by attempting to extract technical, financial, and national security information," he said.

He talked about rising security problems along with rise in importance of social media. Highlighting that specialised Trojans and malware are targeting the financial sector, Dr Rai added that sophisticated malware was being used as cyber weapons, which are capable of disrupting functioning of Industrial Control System and critical infrastructure.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/08/google_offers_tourists_a_trip_on_its_barge/

Kingfisher Airlines reports massive Rs 716 cr loss in Q2

Kingfisher Airlines, which is grounded for over a year, on Friday reported a massive Rs 716 crore net loss in the September quarter.

In the year-ago period, the airline had reported net loss of Rs 754 crore, Kingfisher said in a filing to the stock exchanges.

The airline, headed by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has been grounded after employees went on strike demanding salaries.

Despite not paying salaries for the past 14 months, the company allocated Rs 50.8 crore towards employee expenses in the reporting quarter, against Rs 59 crore in the year ago period.

Similarly, in default of debt servicing since January 2012, the crippled carrier's financial result statement shows Rs 345.5 crore towards finance costs as against Rs 421.4 crore year ago.

From January 2012, the company has not been servicing its over Rs 7,500 crore bank loans and bankers are in the recovery process. So far, banks have been able to recover only around Rs 1,000 crore by selling pledged shares.

The airline reiterated on Friday that it is exploring various options to recapitalise and resume operations and talks are on with prospective investors.

Shares of Kingfisher Airlines fell by 1 per cent to Rs 5.64 on Friday on the BSE. It is currently valued at Rs 456 crore.

On Thrusday, low-cost carrier SpiceJet reported a whopping Rs 559 crore net loss in the September quarter, while the second largest Jet Airways group last month reported a record quarterly loss of Rs 891 crore.

More: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/kingfisher-airlines-q2-net-loss-revenues-stocks/1/200438.html

Aircel conducting trials for 4G services in Andhra Pradesh circle

Mobile network operator Aircel is currently conducting trials of Long-Term Evolution (4G) services in Andhra Pradesh but it will take a while before they are commercially launched, a top official said on Friday.

"The trials are currently on but we don't have the required ecosystem, including the 4G-enabled mobile handsets, to launch the services commercially," Deepinder Tiwana, AP Circle Business Head of Aircel, told reporters here.

Aircel is only the second cellular service provider after Reliance to bag 4G licence for AP Circle.

"Data services are growing exponentially in Andhra Pradesh. About 44% of our 1.85 million subscribers in AP use data services, including 12% for 3G. This has enabled us to double our revenues in 2013 compared to the previous year," he said.

Accordingly, Aircel is coming up with new data plans as also voice plans to give more value for money to the customers, Tiwana said.

"We have identified the priority segments and are accordingly drawing up our strategies to drive future growth." The private mobile phone operator, that was making a loss of about Rs250 crore per annum till last year, is on the turnaround path.

"We will start making full-year profit from next year," Tiwana said, but did not disclose figures.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report-aircel-conducting-trials-for-4g-services-in-andhra-pradesh-circle-1915840

Indian Hotels abandons $1.2 billion bid for Orient-Express

Indian Hotels Company, owner of the Taj Mahal chain of hotels and resorts, will not pursue its USD 1.2 billion bid to acquire US luxury hotels group Orient-Express Hotels, it said on Friday, ending a year-long chase.

The company said the board had decided not to pursue the offer after taking into account all factors, including the current economic environment and other opportunities and priorities.

In October last year Indian Hotels, controlled by the USD100 billion salt-to-steel Tata Group, made an unsolicited bid to acquire Orient-Express, in which it has a 7 percent holding.

Orient-Express, which owns the Hotel Cipriani in Venice and the '21' Club in New York, rejected the bid a month later, saying it undervalued the business.

Indian Hotels' quarterly net loss widened to 3 billion rupees for the three months to September 30, compared with a net loss of 63.6 million rupees in the same period last year, after writing down the value of its investments in overseas assets including Orient-Express.

Net sales rose 3 percent to 3.9 billion rupees.

After foregoing the Orient-Express bid, Indian Hotels said it has reduced the value of its holding in Taj International Hotels (HK), the holding company for its international entities including Orient-Express, by 2.87 billion rupees.

Indian Hotels' investors had greeted its unexpected and unsolicited bid for Orient-Express with wariness because of concerns that it would add to the company's debt load.

The Indian company has bought several overseas properties, including the Pierre in New York, but they have not tended to perform as well as its domestic operations, which include its flagship Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai.

More: http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/companies/indian-hotels-abandons-1-2-billion-bid-for-orient-express_88509.html

Tata Motors posts first profit gain in a year on JLR sales

Tata Motors Ltd(TAMO.NS), India's biggest automaker by revenue, beat analyst estimates with its first quarterly profit gain in a year as buoyant sales at luxury unit Jaguar Land Rover Ltd got a lift from new models.

Tata Motors, part of the $100 billion Tata conglomerate, has become dependent on its U.K. unit to prop up profits. At home, passenger and commercial vehicle sales have suffered from an environment of high interest rates and fuel prices in an economy growing at its slowest pace in a decade.

Sales of Tata's Nano, dubbed the world's cheapest car, are well below expectations and there has not been an all-new Tata-branded passenger vehicle since 2010.

JLR, on the other hand, has been riding on resilient demand for its Jaguar XF and XJ saloons and Range Rover sport-utility vehicles, especially in China.

Net profit surged 71 percent to 35.42 billion rupees in the fiscal second quarter ended September 30 from 20.75 billion rupees a year earlier, Tata said on Friday. Revenue rose 31 percent to 568.82 billion rupees.

The mean estimates of 10 analysts were profit of 25.49 billion rupees and revenue of 539.8 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Growth came "despite weak operating environment in the India business which was more than offset by increase in wholesale volumes and richer product and market mix at Jaguar Land Rover," Tata said in a statement.

Shares of Tata, worth $18.23 billion, closed up 1.1 percent before the results whereas the Sensex ended down 0.8 percent.

DOMESTIC DECLINE

Tata and rivals such as Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd(MAHM.NS) and Maruti Suzuki India Ltd(MRTI.NS) have watched sales in India fall almost every month in the fiscal year started April 1, and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers expects sales to end the year on a negative note.

"Continued slowdown in economic activity, low level of transport freight and infrastructure activity, frequent diesel price increases and tight financing environment, have impacted the industry during the quarter," Tata said in the statement.

Tata's domestic operations posted a net loss of 8.04 billion rupees in July-September compared with a year-earlier profit of 8.67 billion rupees. JLR, however, posted a 66 percent increase in net profit to 507 million pounds.

"This year, it will be JLR that will drive Tata Motors," said KR Choksey analyst Neha Patel, who expects the domestic business to recover mildly next year as and when the economy begins to pick up.

JLR is building its first manufacturing plant outside the United Kingdom in China, which analysts widely expect to surpass the United States as the biggest premium car market by the end of the decade.

The unit, which Tata bought in 2008, expects to sell 100,000 cars in China this year compared with 77,000 cars last year.

JLR pitches its vehicles to a slightly lower, broader segment of the luxury market, helping it escape the brunt of a Chinese government crackdown on conspicuous spending that is affecting sales of rival marques such as Bentley and Lamborghini.

Launches this year of the Jaguar F-Type sports car and new Range Rover Sport SUV helped September-quarter wholesale sales of the iconic British brands rise 31.6 percent to 101,931 vehicles.

Analysts regard lacklustre performance at Tata's India business as a concern, but most recommend the stock because they expect continued strong sales at JLR.

Of 51 Tata analysts tracked by Thomson Reuters, 43 have a positive recommendation on the stock which has risen 23 percent so far this year. The main index has risen 6.4 percent.

More: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/08/tata-motors-results-idINDEE9A707L20131108

Evidence does not prove Arafat poisoning: Russian report

A Russian report quoted by Palestinian investigators on Friday said there was insufficient evidence to support the theory that Yasser Arafat died in 2004 by polonium poisoning.

The findings were far weaker than those of a Swiss laboratory announced with fanfare on Wednesday by Arafat's widow and Qatar-based al-Jazeera television.

Palestinians remained unfazed by the results - which dampen but don't definitely disprove the possibility of death by poisoning - and officials continue to blame arch foe Israel.

Samples were extracted from Arafat's corpse last November by Swiss, French and Russian experts after an al-Jazeera documentary revealed unusually high amounts of the deadly Polonium isotope on his clothes.

"The outcome of the comprehensive report on the levels of Polonium-210 and the development of his illness does not give sufficient evidence to support the decision that Polonium-210 caused acute radiation syndrome leading to death," said Dr. Abdullah Bashir, quoting the conclusions of the Russian report.

But Dr. Bashir said that both the Swiss and Russian reports found "large amounts" of the radioactive isotope in his remains.

The Russian findings were significantly more cautious than Swiss conclusions which said that its tests "moderately support the proposition that the death was the consequence of poisoning with Polonium-210", though the evidence was not conclusive.

Arafat, a guerrilla leader who became the Palestinians' first president affectionately known by the nom de guerre Abu Ammar, contracted a sudden and mysterious illness while surrounded by Israeli tanks in his compound in Ramallah.

Palestinians have long blamed Israel for his death - a charge it denies - but a local investigation committee has made little tangible progress in explaining the case.

"Palestinians should stop leveling all these groundless accusations without the slightest proof because enough is enough. We have strictly nothing to do with this and that is all there is to it," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told Reuters.

"MARTYR'S SOUL"

Tawfiq Tirawi, intelligence chief at the time of Arafat's death and now head of the Palestinian committee, began Friday's press conference at the compound where Arafat first fell ill with a prayer for what he called "the martyr's soul".

"Abu Ammar did not die of age, or sickness or from a natural death," Tirawi said.

"Our efforts are ongoing ... to find out who stands behind the death of Yasser Arafat and who has the technical and scientific means for this. We consider Israel the first, fundamental and only suspect in Yasser Arafat's assassination."

He brushed off as "rumors" speculation by some Palestinians that members of Arafat's entourage killed him, saying his committee deals only in facts and evidence.

Arafat's widow, not mentioning Israel at all, explicitly accused members of his "close circle" in a Reuters interview.

Israel and the Palestinians resumed peace talks in July to try to resolve their long conflict and live side-by-side in two sovereign states.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/08/us-palestinians-arafat-russians-idUSBRE9A70EK20131108

China's leaders open key meeting to set reform agenda

Chinese leaders began a four-day secret meeting on Saturday to set a reform agenda for the next decade as they try to steer the giant economy towards more sustainable growth after three decades of breakneck expansion.

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang must unleash new growth drivers as the world's second-largest economy loses steam, burdened by industrial overcapacity, piles of debt and soaring house prices.

The meeting will show just how committed the new leadership is to reform after formally taking power in March.

Economic reforms will dominate the meeting of the 205-member Central Committee of China's ruling Communist Party. Little if any news will be released during the secret gathering, although traditionally official news agency Xinhua releases a long dispatch on the last day.

State television's English-language news channel said the meeting had begun. It gave no other details.

Beijing has tightened security in the run-up to the meeting, and authorities have been more jittery than usual after a vehicle ploughed into a crowd last week on the northern end of Tiananmen Square, an event the government blamed on Islamist extremists.

While some social and political issues could be tackled, such as corruption and pollution, Western-style political reform is certainly not on the agenda.

Yu Zhengsheng, the fourth-ranked member in the elite Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party, said last month the meeting would deliver "unprecedented" economic and societal reforms.

Analysts have cautioned against high expectations as stability remains the watchword for the leadership, even amid media reports top policymakers could take bold steps to deal with entrenched vested interests, such as state monopolies.

The government has pledged to allow market forces to play a bigger role in setting the price of capital, energy and land, and to cut red-tape.

That suggests the biggest changes may be fresh measures to free up interest rates and fiscal changes to allow local governments to manage their debt better and move away from reliance on land sales for revenues.

The meeting may also decide to loosen the household registration system, which blocks migrant workers and their families from access to education and social welfare beyond their home villages.

The system is seen as an impediment to attracting more people to urban areas, a trend the government seeks to encourage to boost consumption.

The leaders may also push land reforms to allow farmers to sell land when they leave their villages. Currently, they cannot sell land freely and many do not leave their farms for fear local governments could grab them for development.

Historically, third plenums in China have served as a springboard for key economic reforms. New leaderships usually spend the first few months in office getting familiar with issues, building consensus before unveiling policy initiatives.

Former leader Deng Xiaoping launched historic reforms to open the economy to the outside world at a third plenum in 1978.

That was followed by a third plenum in 1993 that endorsed the "socialist" market economy, paving the way for sweeping reforms spearheaded by then Premier Zhu Rongji, which led to China's entry into the World Trade Organization.

But the third plenum, in 2003, under Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao - predecessors of Xi and Li - failed to yield key reforms. In 2008, they unveiled a 4 trillion yuan ($656 billion) stimulus package, which fuelled a property frenzy and saddled local governments with debt of more than 10 trillion yuan that the economy is still trying to absorb today.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/09/us-china-reform-idUSBRE9A802E20131109

Hopes rise for Iran nuclear accord soon; Netanyahu warns against 'very bad deal'

Western diplomats and Iran appear to be inching toward a breakthrough agreement that could slow the nation's suspected progress toward a nuclear bomb while easing some sanctions that have hobbled its economy.

Top diplomats from the United States, France, Great Britain and Germany rushed to Geneva on Friday to see whether they could close the deal, which has emerged suddenly after years of frustrating stalemates and Western suspicions of Iranian cat-and-mouse games with international weapons inspectors.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov may join them on Saturday, Russia's state-run Ria Novosti news service reported. China's foreign minister is also headed to Geneva, according to Press TV.

The planned arrivals Saturday of those officials suggested negotiations did not reach a deal Friday night, as the chief Iranian negotiator -- Prime Minister Javad Zarif -- had earlier predicted.

Negotiations on Saturday will include a meeting of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Zarif.

"The negotiations have reached (a) critical, very sensitive situation, and it needs decisions at higher levels," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters in Geneva.

The emerging deal would ease some sanctions on Iran if it stops enriching uranium to 20% purity -- a key step on the path to a nuclear weapon -- destroys its existing stockpile and takes other steps, according two senior U.S. administration officials.

For years, international leaders have suspected Iran of working toward nuclear weapons, fearful of the instability such a scenario could bring to the already tense Middle East.

Those fears include the possibility of a pre-emptive Israeli strike that could spark a broader conflict. In the past, Iran has threatened Israel with military attack.

Iran has denied working toward a nuclear weapon, and has said it will not submit to any plan that would totally eliminate its nuclear program.

Despite those issues, Zarif said a deal is within reach.

"We are at a very sensitive stage of negotiations, and it is best if these negotiations are done at the negotiating table rather than on live television," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "But I can tell you that we are prepared to address some of the most immediate concerns that have been raised, and we expect reciprocally our concerns to be met by the P5+1."

He had earlier predicted the talks could produce a deal by Friday night.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is not involved in the talks, warned that the proposed agreement is "the deal of a century for Iran" but a "very dangerous and bad deal for peace."

"It's a very bad deal," he said. "Iran is not required to take apart even one centrifuge. But the international community is relieving sanctions on Iran for the first time after many years. Iran gets everything that it wanted at this stage and pays nothing."

British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted Friday that he had discussed the talks with French President Francois Hollande and they agreed the talks "offer an opportunity to make real progress."

Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' atomic watchdog agency, announced its director will travel to Iran on Monday to meet senior Iranian leaders. The agency's nuclear experts will meet the same day with their Iranian counterparts in Tehran, the agency said.

Despite the progress, officials said much work remains to be done.

Kerry said "some important gaps" remain in the negotiations, echoing earlier comments from his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius.

U.S. officials outline possible deal

Two senior U.S. administration officials said that, under the potential deal, Iran would agree:

-- to stop enriching nuclear fuel to 20% purity;

-- to render unusable most of its existing stockpile of such fuel;

-- to agree not to use advanced IR-2 centrifuges, which can enrich nuclear fuel five times faster than older centrifuges;

-- not to activate a plutonium reactor at Arak.

In turn, the P5+1 would agree:

-- to unfreeze some Iranian assets held in banks overseas;

-- to consider easing sanctions banning trade in gold, precious metals and petrochemicals.

Other sweeteners were also under consideration, they said.

One of the officials said the deal is designed to "stop Iran's progress by stopping the shortening of time by which they could build a nuclear weapon" while also providing temporary, reversible sanctions relief to Iran.

That official cautioned the deal is not done, but said it could happen if the Iranians agree to the P5+1's demands.

Most sanctions to stay in place

Speaking to NBC on Thursday, Obama said the United States would retain its "core sanctions" in place against Iran while granting "very modest relief" from economic sanctions.

"So that if it turned out during the course of the six months when we're trying to resolve some of these bigger issues that they're backing out of the deal, they're not following through on it, or they're not willing to go forward and finish the job of giving us assurances that they're not developing a nuclear weapon," Obama told NBC, "we can crank that dial back up."

Broader implications

The strategy of pursuing a phased deal "is a sensible way for the administration to proceed," said Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to NATO.

And if it works, reaching a deal with Iran would be "stunning," said Jane Harman, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center and a former member of the House Intelligence Committee.

"This is way beyond the initial deal that people speculated about," she said on CNN's "New Day" on Friday.

"If this can work, if they can get to this agreement today, I see all kinds of advantages for other issues pending in the Middle East, like Syria," she said.

Iran's cooperation could be key to ending the civil war there, she said.

'Getting to the root of the problem'

The details were hashed out during a bilateral U.S.-Iran meeting -- part of an apparent effort on each side to mend fences -- which lasted about an hour on the sidelines of broader talks under way in Geneva.

The U.S. delegation was led by Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. The Iranian delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Araqchi.

"The main issue is getting to the root of the problem, which is the enrichment issue and all things that lead from that," Michael Mann, spokesman for Ashton, said on the sidelines of negotiations.

Moments later, the Iranian state-run Fars News Agency tweeted a quote from Araqchi: "Enrichment is our red line, and its suspension is unacceptable."

When CNN asked Araqchi about the issue of uranium enrichment, he declined to answer.

"The talks are extremely complex and are now going into a serious phase," Mann said. "We want to focus on substance and hope there will be concrete progress over the next couple of days."

Zarif said Iran's nuclear program would continue in some form.

"There won't be a suspension of our enrichment program in its entirety," he said. "But we can deal with various issues. Various issues are on the table."

History of the issue

The sudden progress in meetings between Iran and the group of nations known as the P5+1 or EU3+3 -- United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany -- comes after years of stalemate between Western nations and Iran over its nuclear program.

It also follows a slight thaw in relations between Iran and the West under newly elected president Hassan Rouhani.

Iran has always maintained its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes, despite repeated findings by U.N. weapons inspectors that the country appeared to be conducting nuclear weapons research.

In August, the International Atomic Energy Agency --the U.N. nuclear watchdog -- estimated that since declaring its nuclear program, Iran has processed 10 metric tons of uranium to 5% purity, the level used for nuclear power plants.

The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that Iran has a stockpile of 410 pounds (185 kilograms) of uranium at 20% purity.

Weapons experts warn that this uranium could be further refined for use in a nuclear warhead.

Although experts suggest that amount would not be enough for a single warhead, the IAEA has warned that it believes Iran's nuclear program could have "possible military dimensions."

Iran has been under crippling U.N. sanctions related to its nuclear program since 2006. The United States first sanctioned Iran over its nuclear program in 2000.

Resolutions and sanctions passed by the United Nations in 2006 called on Iran to halt all enrichment activities and clarify that its nuclear facilities were being used for peaceful purposes only.

More: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/08/world/meast/iran-nuclear-talks/

Troubled Maldives holds make-or-break vote

Voting got underway in the Maldives Saturday in its third bid to choose a president and end unrest sparked by the toppling of their first freely-elected leader 21 months ago. "Voting began at 475 polling booths across the Maldives and several foreign capitals where Maldivians live," Elections Commission official Aishath Reema told AFP.

She said balloting will continue for eight and a half hours for the 239,105 electorate to vote. Results are expected Sunday and if none of the three candidates get more than 50 percent, a run-off is due for Sunday.

The Indian Ocean archipelago, whose turquoise seas have long been a draw for foreigners, has been the focus of intense diplomatic pressure since judges annulled the results of an election on September 7.

When new polls were scuppered six weeks later, suspicions grew that authorities were determined to prevent opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed from returning to power at any price.

The 46-year-old -- a one-time political prisoner and environmental activist -- won the first multi-party elections in 2008, bringing an end to 30 years of iron-fisted rule by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

But after clashing with key institutions, including the judiciary and security forces, he was forced to resign in February 2012 in what he has always maintained was a "coup".

Nasheed is expected to win having secured a clear lead over his two challengers on September 7, albeit falling five percentage points short of an absolute majority.

The Supreme Court however annulled those results on the grounds that the voter lists were flawed, even though the outcome was given a clean chit by international observers.

His two challengers, who include Gayoom's half brother Abdulla Yameen, and business tycoon Qasim Ibrahim thwarted the rescheduled vote on October 19 by refusing to endorse an updated electoral roll as required by law.

Organisers were furious when police refused to distribute ballots to voting stations sprinkled across the network of Indian Ocean atolls.

But on Saturday, Ibrahim was among the first to vote in the capital Male.

Under the terms of the constitution, a new president must be sworn in by November 11.

Nasheed's hopes have been boosted by outgoing President Mohamed Waheed's decision not to stand after he got just five percent in September.

Nasheed fell out with his one-time vice president after being succeeded by Waheed in February 2012. But following Waheed's decision to drop out of the race, the party that backed him has joined Nasheed.

A host of Western diplomats have flown from their base in Sri Lanka to ensure there are no last-minute hitches.

"Since the September 7 first round of elections were annulled via questionable tactics, we have been actively engaging with all political parties and independent institutions to encourage a way forward," the US embassy said in a statement this week.

"Time is of the essence," it said, adding any further delay "could result in damage to Maldives' international reputation".

During his rule, Gayoom packed the judiciary and security forces with his supporters and there is a suspicion they still want to thwart Nasheed.

"Even if Nasheed wins over the weekend, I still have doubts he will be allowed to take power," a Colombo-based European diplomat told AFP before he flew to the Maldives. "It could get very messy."

Nasheed is hoping that anger against his rivals for blocking the previous votes will increase his tally among the 239,000-strong electorate.

In his final campaign speech Friday, Nasheed eyed a clear victory.

"God willing, we will win this election in one round," he said at a rally in the capital Male.

Nearly one million holidaymakers visited the Maldives last year but the tourist industry dreads the prospect of more instability after suffering mass cancellations after Nasheed's downfall.

Nasheed resigned on February 7, 2012, in a statement made on national television in the aftermath of a police mutiny. He later claimed he and his family had been threatened with violence.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/troubled-maldives-holds-make-or-break-vote/article1-1149019.aspx

Rain fury: Andhra Pradesh seeks Rs. 4600 crore package, Chief Minister to meet PM today

Andhra Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today to seek a Rs.6400 crore package after there was widespread damage to crops due to torrential rains in the state.

In a year when farmers in Andhra Pradesh were expecting a bumper crop, nearly 30 cent of the standing crops is estimated to have been damaged in rains that lashed the state last month.

Even as there is a lot of speculation on why Mr Reddy is in Delhi, sources said he is meeting the Prime Minister to seek the Centre's help for the huge losses.

Unseasonal rains in Andhra Pradesh have wreaked more havoc than tropical storm Cyclone Phailin, which pounded the east coast last month, destroying crops over 12 lakh hectares in the state, with cotton and paddy crops being the worst-hit.

"The paddy crop is gone. I was expecting a good crop till rains destroyed everything. It is a huge loss,'' Narasimha, a farmer in Nalgonda district said.

Village head E Kavita says the government has done nothing so far. "They come and enumerate but no farmer has got any help so far,'' she says.

"Initial estimates show a minimum of 50 per cent of area covered by fields may be damaged. The actual figures may vary from district to district but the damage overall appears to be substantial," Madhusudan Rao, Andhra Pradesh's Agriculture Commissioner said.

Over 50 people have died in the state so far, with at least three farmers committing suicide.

Nearly 5200 villages in 16 districts have been affected, with over 42,000 houses damaged and over two lakh people evacuated to relief camps.

More: http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/rain-fury-andhra-pradesh-seeks-rs-4600-crore-package-chief-minister-to-meet-pm-today-443708

Right to propagate party ideology: Rahul Gandhi to Election Commission

Congress V-P Rahul Gandhidefended his allegations against BJP in his reply to an Election Commission show-cause notice for breach of model code. Gandhi — who had in speeches in electionboundMadhya Pradesh and Rajasthan accused BJP of indulging in politics of hatred — told EC that he had the right to propagate his party ideology.

Gandhi denied the charge he had intended to exploit communal sentiments and added he was "referring to divisive politics." Gandhi said he was "legally entitled to talk about his party's ideology and about rivals" but made no mention of his comments on ISI.

Gandhi's reply reached Nirvachan Sadan just before the 11.30 am extended deadline set by the panel. EC's notice followed a complaint by BJP that alleged he had violated the model code by 'appealing for votes on communal lines' and 'incited hatred' among different communities. After receiving Gandhi's reply, CEC VS Sampath held a discussion with the other two ECs. EC's decision is expected in the next couple of days.

The EC, after examining Gandhi's speeches made in Churu and Indore, had asked him to explain why action should not be initiated against him for prima facie violation of the model code.

"The EC is prima facie of the view that your aforesaid speeches are violative of above-referred sub paras (1), (2) and (3) of Para 1 of the Model Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates," the EC notice served on him had said.

The model code prescribes that "no party or candidate shall indulge in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic".

More: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/right-to-propagate-party-ideology-rahul-gandhi-to-election-commission/articleshow/25466158.cms

Pakistani 'mole' in Delhi helped 26/11 attackers, claims book

A Pakistani mole in the Indian security agencies code named 'Honey Bee' had helped his Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) handlers in identifying the landing site for 26/11 terrorists in Mumbai, claims a book by two British journalists.

The information on Badhwar Park, the landing site, was shared by ISI operatives with Pakistani-American Lashkar operative David Headley who had checked it out while conducting recce of the area, it says.

The book 'The Siege' by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark claims that Headley was subjected to undergo a two-year course on surveillance and counter-intelligence by Pakistan's espionage agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

His handler, Major Iqbal of ISI, gave him what he described as classified Indian files that he said had been obtained from within Indian police and army, which revealed their training and limitations.

"The Major boasted that they had a super-agent at work in New Delhi who was known as Honey Bee. The Major revealed while he would guide Headley, the Mumbai operation would be run by Lashkar," the book claimed.

The book claims, that before leaving Pakistan, Headley met up with Major Iqbal who gave him a bundle of counterfeit Indian currency.

"Honey Bee, the ISI double agent, who had provided the classified Indian training manuals had come up with a potential landing area, in Badhwar Park, a fishing colony in South Mumbai, reporting that it was only patchily patrolled and was shielded from the road."

"He should check it out," was the suggestion made out by Major Iqbal to Headley as per the book.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and the then Intelligence Bureau Chief P C Haldar refused to comment on the claims saying they were yet to read the book.

A group of 10 terrorists of LeT including Ajmal Kasab, who was captured by Mumbai Police and hanged, had landed at Badhwar Park on November 26, 2008 and launched an attack in the city in which 166 people including Mumbai police Anti-terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare died.

The book while concluding says till date the handler of Headley, Major Iqbal, Honey Bee and Abu Qahafa have not been identified.

Listing their sources, the authors, who write for British newspaper 'The Guardian', said they had gone through classified documents of Indian, the USA and the British security sources, thousands of unpublished court documents and confidential annexure submitted to the Pradhan Commission which went into the lapses on part of the Mumbai police.

More: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/pakistani-mole-in-delhi-helped-26-11-attackers-claims-book-443689

Mobile phone alerts, reminders help keep sugar levels in check

Mobile phone texting can prevent a high-risk person from getting diabetes, says a study published in a recent medical journal.

The study involved 537 men aged 35 to 55 years across India who were at high risk of developing diabetes and were followed up for two years. Dr Sudhindra Kulkarni, consultant endocrinologist of Fortis Hospital, said: “It definitely improves patient compliance. I have seen that in my patients.”

The researchers prepared 60 to 80 messages for each stage and these were delivered cyclically, diminishing the possibility of receiving the same message twice in six months.

‘Exercise regularly’, ‘Get off the bus one or two stops ahead and walk to your destination’, ‘Eat fruits instead of drinking juice’ and ‘Don’t snack while watching TV, you may overeat’ are some of the messages which the target group received.

The researchers wanted to investigate whether mobile phones could be used to spread lifestyle messages effectively because traditional lifestyle-modification programmes are often labour-intensive. The study was funded by the UK India Education and Research Initiative and the World Diabetes Foundation.

Dr Manoj Chawla, consultant diabetologist at Asian Heart Hospital, said: “The benefits of mobile phones are huge. One can set reminders, use health apps and try to bring discipline in one’s lifestyle.”

Experts said targeted text messaging intervention could also be used to prevent other lifestyle-related, non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension and obesity, and to improve chronic care in diabetes and hypertension. “The challenge was to identify the group to whom the messages should be sent,” said Dr Chawla.

Dr Kulkarni said people have a tendency to forget little but important things related to health. “Many people forget to take medicines. Timely messages by relatives makes a huge impact,” said Dr Kulkarni.

Traditional cure
A pilot study by Dr Hemraj Chandalia, Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India, demonstrates that early intervention with methi powder and yoga in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) can significantly reduce the number of those patients who subsequently develop type 2 diabetes. The organisation is now conducting a nationwide study for which it has received grants from international agencies doing research on diabetes.

At your fingertips
Eat fruits, instead of drinking juice

Don’t snack while watching television

Exercise regularly

Get off the bus one or two stops before destination

Targeted text messaging intervention can prevent many lifestyle diseases

Text messaging can be effective in fighting obesity as well

In numbers
In India there are more than 61 million people who have diabetes and more than 545 million
have mobile phones

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-mobile-phone-alerts-reminders-help-keep-sugar-levels-in-check-1915957

Trailer: Madhuri Dixit charms with her beauty in 'Desh Ishqiya'

Welcome back to the extraordinarily fraught world of Khalujan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) in Dedh Ishqiya. Keeping the twosome company this time are Begum Para (Madhuri Dixit) and Munira (Huma Qureshi).

The trailer begins with Khalujan and Babban being released from a prison. They go to the manor of Begum Para, a woman of fine taste in aesthetics, dance, music and poetry. Alongside the Begum is the beautiful Munira. Thereafter begins the love story and we are told of the seven stages of love.

The seven stages are Dilkashi (attraction), Uns (attachment), Mohabbat (love), Akidat (trust), Ibadat (worship), Junoon (obsession) and finally Maut (death).

“Isme toh sex hai hi nahin,” rues Babban. So the terrific twosome tweaks the stages: Dilkashi-sex, Uns-sex, Mohabbat-sex and so on.

Enter other characters to ruin the duo’s romantic idyll. Vijay Raaj is the sword-wielding, slaphappy baddie. Things go for bad to worse and the twosome finds themselves at the seventh stage of love: Maut.

The story of Dedh Ishqiya is by Dirab Farooqui; screenplay is by Vishal Bhardwaj and Abhishek Chaubey.

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey and produced by Vishal Bhardwaj, Dedh Ishqiya is set to release on January 10, 2014.

Check out the first trailer featuring Madhuri Dixit, Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Huma Qureshi.




More: http://www.apunkachoice.com/content/slide_show/sid100017183-trailer_madhuri_dixit_charms_with_her_beauty_in_desh_ishqiya/

We have lots to learn from India: Darren Sammy

"Our batsmen were not patient enough including me. Prior to the match, I had said hopefully the Indian batsmen will play lot of shots but it,'s our batsmen who ended up playing loose shots," said Sammy after his team went down to India by an innings and 51 runs inside three days.

Darren Sammy

Admitting that West Indies were completely outplayed in the Eden Gardens Test, skipper Darren Sammy Friday credited the Indians for their performance and said there was a lot to learn from them.

While he blamed his batsmen for playing rash shots, Sammy heaped lavish praise on Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin for their batting and seamer Mohammed Shami for his bowling.

"It was a disappointing loss. We are a much better team than how we played. But the credit must go to India the way used the old ball especially Shami who got to reverse the ball quite well.

"Our batsmen were not patient enough including me. Prior to the match, I had said hopefully the Indian batsmen will play lot of shots but it’s our batsmen who ended up playing loose shots,” said Sammy after his team went down to India by an innings and 51 runs inside three days.

“We have not batted well at all. Our batsmen, including me, played lot of rash and bad shots.

"We are not occupying the crease as much as we should. Test cricket is about patience and we saw how Rohit and Ashwin occupied the crease and we should take lessons from them on how they batted. They played ball by ball and that one partnership batted us out of the game,” said Sammy about the record 280 runs partnership between Rohit and Ashwin.

Sammy was also all praise for debutant Shami who returned match figures of 9/118.

“Credit goes to Shami, first game, very impressive. He showed us how to bowl on Indian wickets. He bowled dead straight and on to the stumps getting the ball to reverse. Most of his wickets were bowled or LBW.

“While our bowlers too were getting the ball to reverse but the difference between them and Shami was the length that he bowled. He started on good length with the ball coming in to the stumps while our bowlers were too full and inconsistent. He showed us how to do it."

Apart from accusing his batsmen of not applying themselves unlike their Indian counterparts, Sammy also blamed his bowlers including himself for not being able to keep things tight when offie Shane Shillingford was bowling well.

“I am disappointed with how I and Veerasammy Permaul bowled. We could not do what Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha did when Ashwin was bowling well," he said.

He also rued the absence of pacer Kemar Roach who had sit out the match due to injury.

Sammy though hoped of making a comeback in the next Test at Mumbai.

“We could learn a lot from India the way they played and look to implement that in our next match (Mumbai). Lot to think about but all is not lost. We have one more match and hope to come back much stronger than what we did here,” said Sammy.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-we-have-lots-to-learn-from-india-darren-sammy-1915860

Film Review: 'Satya' was a gamechanger, 'Satya 2' is not even in the game

Cast: Puneet Singh Ratn; Anaika Soti, Mahesh Thakur, Aradhna Gupta

Director: Ram Gopal Varma

The Indian Express Rating: *

When 'Satya' came out, it changed the way Indian cinema did crime. Ram Gopal Varma borrowed liberally from the robust gangsta genre from Hollywood, and made it his own. He set his story in the dark mazes of Mumbai, and gave us a bunch of characters Indian cinema hadn't seen. Mobsters who had lives and wives and weight issues. Who cracked jokes and killed people on orders from powerful unseen 'bhais'.

If 'Satya' (1998) was about the foot-soldiers of the Mumbai mafia, 'Company', which came a few years later, was about the guys who pressed the buttons. I liked the latter better. It was cleaner, classier and sharper. But 'Satya' announced the arrival of Ramu, a director who had chutzpah and daring and was happy to go out on a limb in order to give us an intriguing view into the crime jungle that had hierarchies and lived by its own rules.

Many directors tried to copy RGV's style, but he was the King Of Bollywood's Omerta gang, just the way Bhiku Mhatre wanted to be the King Of Mumbai, in an unforgettable scene in the first film.

I flashbacked to that one as I began watching 'Satya 2', which in every way is as forgettable as the original was memorable. It is a disaster, not just as a sequel, but as a stand-alone, and it makes me nostalgic for the RGV that used to be.

This Satya (Ratn) zooms right up the scale—from a wet-behind-the-ears, tousle-haired rookie to a man who heads up a 'Company', the most confused conglomerate of crime and punishment to grace Bollywood-- so fast that you wonder where that Ramu has gone, the guy who had a sense of plot development, and the unfolding of a story, and the placing of foot-tapping songs-and-dance. For a man who is made to scale up so quickly, Ratn is remarkably unremarkable as an actor. Not a dead loss, but nothing that your eye rests on, not the way, for example, Vivek Oberoi's explosive Chandu, in 'Company'. Or the wonderful Bhiku Mhatre-Manoj Bajpai in 'Satya'.

The rest of the plot is laughable. It involves a silly sweetheart from the village (Soti), a best buddy and his wannabe Bollywood starlet, a property czar with criminal intent (Thakur) and several others play-acting at the 'Bhai' thing. The acting is equally laughable, interspersed with a great deal of hamming and sticking sharp objects into bodies, making blood spurt at frequent intervals.

By calling his hood's company, 'Company', is RGV being meta? Or just smirking? You can draw parallels from this maverick director's film trajectory, which has yo-yoed between the very good and the very bad and some indifferent stuff, to this Satya Number Two's 'Company', which, in his words, is more a 'soch' (thought) than anything else. You want to ask RGV: what was he thinking? Or has he abandoned it altogether now?

'Satya' was a gamechanger. 'Satya 2' is not even in the game. 'Goli maar bheje mein'.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/film-review-satya-was-a-gamechanger-satya-2-is-not-even-in-the-game/1192414/0

Narendra Modi and Manish Tewari in war of words over media coverage of speeches

An advisory issued by the I&B Ministry to television channels last month on the portrayal of BJP's prime ministerial candidateNarendra Modi vis-a-vis coverage of official functions of the PM/President has become the latest ground for a fresh war of words between the Congress and the BJP.

I&B Minister Manish Tewari had defended the October 21 circular on Thursday claiming that not only it is not binding on channels but it also pertains to special days like August 15 and January 26 when the addresses of the President and the Prime Minister are in their capacity as leaders of the nation and not as representatives of political parties. Modi hit back in his speech at Bahraich Friday, saying the real reason for the government's concern was not "belittling" of the Prime Minister but concern that Modi's rally in Patna might get prominence over that of Rahul in Delhi on October 27.

"The advisory was ordered not for showing the Gujarat CM along with PM on TV screens on Independence Day, they were not worried about the dignity of the PM but they were worried that on October 27, Modi and Rajnath were speaking in Patna and the Congress's shehzada was speaking in Delhi. TV channels were live with Modi's speech and not with Rahul's rally," Modi said.

Issued more than two months after Independence Day, the circular in question refers to the coverage of the Prime Minister's speech alongside that of "other political leaders". It says: "Whereas the telecast of this kind of programme on a day when entire nation was celebrating its 67th Independence Day is highly objectionable. The PM spoke from the ramparts of Red Fort as the PM of the country and not as a leader of a political party. Therefore, on such a solemn day to put him in an artificial competition with anyone is not appropriate. On Independence Day when the Prime Minister addresses the nation and the country is united in the emotions of national integrity, patriotism and national fervour, the attempt by certain TV channels to denigrate the status of the Prime Minister can best be described as sensational against all norms of ethical journalism."

Insinuating that the juxtaposition of the PM to other leaders amounted to a violation of the programme code, the circular went on to add that any further violation could invite penal action against offending channels.

Tewari punches holes in Advani's Patel claim

Punching holes in claims made by BJP patriarch L K Advani who quoted from a book to say that Jawaharlal Nehru had called Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel a "total communalist", Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari has said this was yet another instance of how the BJP "does not let facts stand in the way of its myth making".

He said he had checked up the credentials of the author in question, M K K Nair, and given his year of birth and the purported year he joined the civil service, it was unlikely that at the time of the police action in Hyderabad, he was in a position to be privy to proceedings in the cabinet.

"Mr Advani for whom I have a lot of respect and who is a very senior leader of India, referred in his blog to an officer of the civil service called M K K Nair and said that in his book Nehru is quoted as having made this remark. I checked up on Google and found an officer who was born in 1930 and joined the service in 1950," Tewari said at a press conference to announce the upcoming International Film Festival of India on Thursday. "How come he had access to what happened in the cabinet before he joined? If for argument sake we say this is a different man and there was somebody who had joined the service in 1947, even then he would have been too junior a year later to sit in the cabinet."

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/narendra-modi-and-manish-tewari-in-war-of-words-over-media-coverage-of-speeches/1192617/0

Centre to move SC against Gauhati high court order on CBI today

The Centre will move the Supreme Court on Saturday to challenge the Gauhati high court's sensational judgment declaring that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was not set up legally and had no power to investigate an offence, arrest accused and file charge-sheet.

Minister of state for personnel V Narayanaswamy met attorney general G E Vahanvati on Friday to fathom the legal basis of the HC judgment and both agreed that an appeal should be filed in the SC by Saturday, pointing out the errors apparent in the verdict.

Even if the Centre files the appeal on Saturday, it is likely to be listed for urgent mentioning before the SC on Monday. The Centre will request the SC to stay operation of the HC judgment as an immediate measure to keep the CBI functional.

The AG is understood to have conveyed to the government that the HC had erred in inferring that the CBI was set up without legal sanction and that the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act did not support the existence of the premier investigating agency.

The Centre's lawyers, who will be burning the midnight oil to get the appeal ready and get it vetted from authorities in time to reach the apex court registry on Saturday, feel Section 2 of the DSPE Act provided the source of authority to the CBI to function as a police organization and exercise its powers akin to state police under the Criminal Procedure Code.

Section 2 empowers the Union government to set up a special police force to investigate notified offences and members of such special force would enjoy "in relation to the investigation of such offences and arrest of persons concerned in such offences, all the powers, duties, privileges and liabilities which police officers" are generally conferred with.

In contrast, the HC had focused on the 1963 resolution of the home ministry and termed it legally insufficient as it had not received the assent of the President. Moreover, it had said that the DSPE Act nowhere talked of an organization named CBI.

On November 6, a Gauhati HC division bench of Justices I A Ansari and Indira Shah had upheld the constitutional validity of DSPE Act but ruled that "the CBI is neither an organ nor a part of the DSPE and the CBI cannot be treated as a 'police force' constituted under the DSPE Act".

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-to-move-SC-against-Gauhati-high-court-order-on-CBI-today/articleshow/25458731.cms

Kamal Hasaan's Vishwaroopam VFX Making - Watch

Ranbaxy Laboratories got USFDA nod with no data or fraudulent data

India's drug major Ranbaxy Laboratories used "fraudulent" data to get USFDA nod to sell its generic drugs, according to whistleblower Dinesh Thakur, who has also accused the drug-maker of faking test results.

In a interview to a news agency, he said: "The data is important because the FDA or other agencies globally look at that information to give you marketing authorisation to sell the drug."

An ex-employee of the company, Thakur, who was tasked with investigations of alleged malpractices in the Ranbaxy, further said: "We started getting the files, and, lo and behold, we find that none of that exists in the first place....It means that we've gotten approvals from the FDA to sell drugs that were based on no data, or data that was fraudulent."

Pointing out how test results were allegedly manipulated, he said: "When you find a blood sample rework for one patient copied 23 times because there are 24 patients needed to prove bioequivalence, that's not an error."

Comments from Ranbaxy Laboratories could not be obtained as spokespersons could not be reached.

Elaborating how the company's drug failed to provide relief, he said: "The expectations is the drug is supposed to work as intended...What we saw in this particular case is that trust was broken."

Recounting an incident where his son was prescribed a Ranbaxy antibiotic for a fever, Thakur said: "He (son) kept getting worse, so we got another company's formulation and the fever went away."

In May this year, Ranbaxy had pleaded guilty to 'felony charges' for violating manufacturing norms and agreed to pay USD 500 million penalty to US authorities. The settlement was the largest-ever with a generic drug-maker over drug safety, according to the US government.

It included USD 150 million in payments for a criminal fine and forfeiture and USD 350 million in payments for civil claims.

Thakur was awarded USD 48.6 million by a US court for the role he played in exposing malpractices in the company.

The USFDA had banned Ranbaxy in 2008 from shipping 30 generic drugs to the US from its two units in India – Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh and Dewas in Madhya Pradesh.

In an earlier interview to PTI in July, Ranbaxy Laboratories CEO and Managing Director Arun Sawhney had said that the company has rectified past "shortcomings" and the firm has invested more than 300 million dollars in recent years in infrastructure of manufacturing, quality, resourcing and training to strengthen its system to prevent such incident happening again.

More: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ranbaxy-laboratories-got-usfda-nod-with-no-data-or-fraudulent-data/1192035/0

DRDO is still a subcontractor for Isro programmes

India’s space programme has both strategy and stardust in its eyes. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), it is often forgotten, helped develop India’s strategic missiles and provided satellite and telecom support to the military.

In the 1960s and 1970s, when India worked to develop a space rocket for launching satellites, there was widespread recognition that this capability could also be used to develop a ballistic missile.

The SLV (satellite launch vehicle), subsequently developed by Isro, is described by Bharat Karnad in his history of India’s nuclear deterrent as “the building block for all long-range missiles” created by India. The SLV became the first stage of the Agni missile, the cornerstone of India’s long-range nuclear deterrent.

India’s limited resources in those days meant that it developed many dual-use technologies – those that had both military and civilian uses – in civilian bodies and then transferred them to a military agency or vice versa. Former Isro chief Satish Dhawan was quoted in Raj Chengappa’s book Weapons of Peace as saying, “Like nuclear energy, we could cross the divide whenever we wanted.” The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in effect, was Isro’s sister organisation.

The imposition of international sanctions on India only strengthened this symbiotic link: both Isro and the DRDO faced the same bans and had to pool resources.

Over time, as financial constraints became less of a problem, both agencies sought to develop independent capabilities and by the 1990s they only shared a propellant factory. This was cleared at the prime ministerial level, says K Santhanam, former DRDO number two. “They shared this facility for about five to seven years,” he says. “Otherwise, their relationship was reduced to peer reviews of each other’s work.”



Isro, in particular, wanted a “pristine image”, says Santhanam. Isro officials say that breaking off their military ties became important as the agency became commercialised and sought greater international cooperation. This proved useful when the Indo-US nuclear deal paved the way for the ending of international sanctions. As a prerequisite, the deal required the firewalling of the civilian rocket and military missile programmes – a standard global practice.

Isro continues to provide lesser services to the military though it prefers not to speak about it publicly. The Rs. 180-crore GSAT-7 was built by Isro with defence applications in mind. Says defence expert brigadier-general Gurmeet Kanwal (rtd), “This satellite had a platform exclusively for naval communications.” Even here, however, the Indian military are seeking their own independent capability. He says the army is building up a satellite ground station near Bhopal that will allow Isro to cease to provide such services to the military.

The separation of the civilian and military space programmes still has vestigial traces. The DRDO remains a subcontractor for Isro programmes to this day and, presumably, absorbs the resulting technical knowledge. But nowadays, say Kanwal and others Isro officials prefer to downplay their role in building India’s nuclear delivery system as it positions itself as a globally competitive space agency.

More: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/drdo-is-still-a-subcontractor-for-isro-programmes/article1-1148548.aspx

Chelyabinsk meteor: Space rock hit-rate 'underestimated'

The threat of another asteroid strike like the one that hit Russia earlier this year is much higher than was previously thought, a study suggests.

Researchers have found that space rocks of a similar size to the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk are hurtling into the Earth's atmosphere with surprising frequency.

Scientists say early warning systems need to be put in place.

The study is published in the journal Nature.

Lead author Professor Peter Brown, from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, told the BBC World Service's Science in Action programme: "Having some sort of system that scans the sky almost continuously and looks for these objects just before they hit the Earth, that probably is something worth doing.

"In the case of Chelyabinsk, a few days' to a week's warning would have been valuable."

Fireball

The asteroid that exploded over Russia on 15 February this year was estimated to be about 19m-wide.

It hit the atmosphere with energy estimated to be equivalent to 500,000 tonnes of TNT, sending a shockwave twice around the globe. It caused widespread damage and injured more than 1,000 people.

Now though, scientists say there could be many more space rocks like this one on a collision course with the Earth.

An international team looked at the last 20 years of data collected from sensors used by the US government and infrasound sensors positioned around the globe.

These detectors are in place to detect the threat of nuclear weapons, but they can also capture the blasts caused by asteroid impacts.

The researchers found that during this time about 60 asteroids up to 20m in size had smashed into the Earth's atmosphere: far more than was previously thought

Most went undetected because they exploded over the ocean or in very remote areas.

Prof Brown explained: "We were able to capture the occurrence rate you would expect of things like Chelyabinsk and smaller impacts. When you compare that to the numbers you get from telescopic [observations], our numbers are several times higher."

Archive: Divers recently recovered a large piece of the Chelyabinsk meteorite from a lake

This suggests that the risk from asteroids of this scale has been underestimated. The team estimates that the strike rate of asteroids that are tens of metres in size is between two and 10 times higher than was previously thought.

"Something like Chelyabinsk, you would only expect every 150 years on the basis of the telescopic information. But when you look at our data and extrapolate from that, we see that these things seem to be happening every 30 years or so," said Prof Brown.

An event such as the Tunguska impact in 1908, where an asteroid flattened thousands of square kilometres of forest in Siberia, would probably happen every few hundred years rather than every few thousand years, he added.

Prof Brown said more effort should be made to create early warning systems.

"There are literally millions of objects in the tens-of-metres-of-size range that we suspect are near Earth asteroids, that can get close to the Earth," he said.

"We have only discovered over 1,000 of these. There are many more of these to find, but it would be very expensive to find all of these and it probably wouldn't make a lot of sense because the atmosphere largely stops them.

"But what might make sense are systems that find something a few days or weeks before they hit... to tell you where on the Earth and when they will hit. That would allow some warning to be given to the civil defence authorities."

In another study, also published in Nature, scientists believe they have traced the asteroid that the Chelyabinsk meteor splintered off from.

They think it is a fragment of a 2km-wide rock called asteroid 86039.

Professor Jiri Borovicka, from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, said the orbits were "conspicuously similar", although the team could not prove "the common origin with absolute certainty".

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24839601

India to host men`s Hockey World Cup in 2018

India will be hosting the men`s Hockey World Cup for the third time in 2018, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) said.

India first hosted the showpiece event in 1982 in Bombay where Pakistan emerged as the champion. The 2010 World Cup was also hosted by India as a part of test events for the Commonwealth Games and it was won by Australia.

While Hockey India (HI) won the bid for the men`s tournament, the women`s event went to England in a glittering ceremony at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Lausanne Thursday evening.

The women`s tournament in England is scheduled to take place from July 7-21 in 2018 and men`s event will be held later that year, Dec 1-16.

"I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to England Hockey and Hockey India on their successful bids to host the Hockey World Cups 2018," said FIH president Leandro Negre.

"The quality of both bids was truly extraordinary, and the FIH is greatly looking forward to bringing its top properties to England and India. I would also like to congratulate all of the National Associations that submitted bids for these events. The standard was exceptionally high, making the decision extremely hard for the FIH Executive Board," he added.

Alongside the Olympic Games, the Hockey World Cups are the most coveted tournaments. Held every four years, they bring together the world’s greatest teams and most skilful players for the toughest, most competitive international hockey event imaginable.

Both the men`s and women`s Hockey World Cups will feature an increased 16-nation field of participants.

Next year`s hugely anticipated Rabobank Hockey World Cup, which takes place in The Hague, Netherlands during the first two weeks of June, will see 12 men`s and 12 women`s teams competing in a mammoth double event.

“The decision certainly was not an easy one to make. All of the bids that we received were exceptional, being completely in line with our strategy to deliver the most entertaining, exciting and inspiring hockey events in the world. The FIH Executive Board were hugely impressed by the bids from England Hockey and Hockey India,” said FIH Chief Executive Officer Kelly Fairweather.

The FIH has been meticulous in its approach to choosing the hosts for the 2018 showpiece events. As part of the bidding process, the FIH requested that bid questionnaires were submitted before a deadline of Aug 31.

The second phase of the process saw each bid evaluated in detail, as well as further discussions, clarifications, site visits and negotiations taking place with the respective National Associations.

The final decision was made by the FIH Executive Board in Lausanne Thursday, bringing the process to an end by naming England and India as the host nations of hockey’s top properties.

More: http://zeenews.india.com/sports/others/india-to-host-men-s-hockey-world-cup-in-2018_772681.html