kothari institute captain shane watson said the spot ... unmukt chand and rajat bhatia, it ......

KOTHARI INSTITUTE

NEWS FROM “THE HINDU” AND “TIMES OF INDIA”[Type text]

DATE-18 April 2014

NATIONAL NEWS

Shobhaa De, Ritu Menon to attend Islamabad literary fest

I’ll stake claim for PM: Mulayam

BCCI convenes emergency meet

A special poll for transgenders PM not silent, made more than 1000 speeches in last 10 years, says his adviser

BUSINESS Labour trouble looms again at Bajaj’s Chakan unit HCL Tech Q3 net rises 59 per cent

SPORTS RR looks to put behind controversies

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Accord reached on Ukraine

Thailand: reporters charged over Pulitzer-winning article BUSINESS

Wal-Mart jumps into money transfer business

EDITORIAL

Haunted by inflation

Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline bribed doctors to boost sales, whistleblower says

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NATIONAL NEWS

Shobhaa De, Ritu Menon to attend Islamabad literary fest Indian authors Shobhaa De and Ritu Menon will take part in the three-day Islamabad Literature Festival from April 25 to 27. Organised by the Oxford University Press (OUP), this is the second edition of the festival.

OUP Managing Director Ameena Saiyid and Asif Farrukhi, co-founders of the Karachi Literature Festival and the Islamabad Literature Festival (ILF), told reporters on Tuesday that over 120 writers and speakers would take part in the festival. There would be 67 sessions and 14 book launches.

Two Dastangoi (storytelling) performances by Danish Husain, Darain Shahidi, Fawad Khan and Nazrul Hasan are also on the schedule. Ms. Saiyid said the festival allows writers to be freely accessible to people and in a participatory manner. Art sessions, panel discussions and interviews will take place during the festival. A photo exhibition by the Citizens Archives of Pakistan will also be held.

More than 110 Pakistani authors, poets, and academics apart from speakers from the U.K., Italy, India and Bangladesh will take part in the festival.

I’ll stake claim for PM: Mulayam

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Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh on Thursday claimed that an alternative front would form the government at the Centre with the SP as its largest component, and said he would stake claim for the Prime Minister’s post. But it would be decided by all partners, he said.

The SP supremo said that in the initial stage, leaders of like-minded parties had held interactions and it was agreed that the leader of the alternative front would be decided after the elections.

Mr. Singh said the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, was no threat to the SP. Earlier, at an election rally here, he said poor Muslims would get reservation as did backward communities, and weavers’ loans would be waived as was done for farmers. — PTI

BCCI convenes emergency meet

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Heeding the demands of some affiliated State units, the BCCI has decided to convene an Emergency Working Committee meeting in Mumbai on April 20 to take stock of the developments relating to the case before the Supreme Court regarding the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal.

“The BCCI Working Committee meeting has been convened for April 20 in Mumbai,” BCCI’s vice president Ravi Savant told PTI from Dubai where the first phase of the seventh edition of IPL commenced on Wednesday.

The meeting comes in the wake of Supreme Court making it clear on Wednesday that N. Srinivasan cannot head BCCI till he comes clean in an investigation conducted against him and 12 others, including India-capped cricketers whose names have been mentioned by the Justice Mudgal Committee report on the IPL betting and spot fixing scandal.

At least six affiliated State units, including Rajasthan Cricket Association, had sought an emergency Working Committee meeting of the BCCI on Sunday. — PTI

A special poll for transgenders Happy over being recognised as the third gender by the Supreme Court, as many as 230 trans-genders cast their votes here on Thursday.

The apex All Odisha Eunuch Association had asked all 1,300 members spread across the State to exercise their democratic right. “This is the first time we have cast our votes under the ‘others’ category. Earlier, we were casting votes in either the male or female category,” said secretary Madhuri Kinnar, who voted at the Saheed Nagar Primary School booth. Pratap Sahu, president, said the members voted enthusiastically.

The transgenders demanded the immediate setting up of a Hinjara Welfare Board and reservation for them in elections and jobs. — PTI

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THE TIMES OF INDIA PM not silent, made more than 1000 speeches in last 10 years, says his adviser NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made more than 1000 speeches in last 10 years, Pankaj Pachauri, communications adviser to the PM, said on Friday. Countering the charge that Manmohan Singh has not communicated with the public as much as he should have been, Pankaj Pachauri said, "It's not that the PM has not been talking, but because of the nature of the media, his messages have not reached the general public." Pankaj Pachauri was speaking to mediapersons in New Delhi. He also said that newspapers tend to cover the Prime Minister more than TV channels. Pankaj Pachauri also added that in the last five years, there was not much scope for the Prime Minister to speak in Parliament. When asked that the PM hadn't been seen much in Congress's poll campaign, Pankaj Pachauri replied that Manmohan Singh has addressed four rallies so far in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "It is the Congress party which decides about the PM's election rallies," he said. On the issue of writing a memoir, Pankaj Pachauri said, "I have been offered to write a book." It may be recalled that two recent books, one by former PM media adviser Sanjaya Baru and other by former coal secretary P C Parakh, have alleged that the PM failed to assert his authority on critical issues and it was Congress party president Sonia Gandhi who wields ultimate authority in the UPA. BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi has been attacking the PM over a book written by Baru, saying the current Lok Sabha poll was all about a "decisive"

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Prime Minister. "This election is for a decisive and accountable Prime Minister. A Prime Minister who has a voice in his own government," Modi said at a recent election rally in Erode. Modi's remark was an obvious dig at Singh in the wake of a book by Sanjaya Baru where he had claimed that the Prime Minister had been "defanged" by Congress in his second term with party president Sonia Gandhi deciding on key appointments to Cabinet and PMO as he seemed to "surrender" to her and UPA partners.

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BUSINESS

Labour trouble looms again at Bajaj’s Chakan unit The worker’s union has given an indefinite strike call from April 28

The Chakan factory of Bajaj Auto in Pune, which witnessed a 50-day closure in June 2013, is bracing for another bout of trouble as the same worker’s union has given an indefinite strike call from April 28, 2014.

The union, Vishwa Kalyan Kamgar Sanghatana (VKKS), is headed by Dilip Pawar, and has about 850 members affiliated to it out of the 1,300 workers at the Chakan factory.

Bajaj rolls out its premium bikes, such as the Pulsar, Avenger and KTM, from the Chakan plant.

The union’s demands include a wage hike and the allotment of 500 Bajaj Auto shares to all permanent employees at Rs. 10 per share. (The company’s shares closed at Rs. 2,013.4 on the BSE on Thursday).

Talking to this correspondent, Dilip Pawar of VKKS said, “we want them to implement the CSR activity, and spend 1 per cent on the Adivasis and 1 per cent on the welfare of the worker’s children. We want them to set up a Jamnalal Bajaj Museum in the Chakan premises.”

The wage hike issue is pending before the Bombay High Court. “We can move production to our other plants as we almost did the last time around,” Kailash Zanzari, Vice-President (Manufacturing), BAL, told this correspondent. Last year, the management took a hard stance and threatened to move production from the Chakan plant to other Bajaj factories in Waluj and Pantnagar if the workers did not resume duties.

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HCL Tech Q3 net rises 59 per cent HCL Technologies on Thursday reported a 59 per cent growth in net profit at Rs.1,624 crore for the third quarter ended March 31, 2014, on increased demand for outsourcing services against Rs.1,021 crore in the year ago period. The company follows July-June fiscal.

The company announced an interim dividend of Rs.4 per share of the face value of Rs.2. Revenue rose 29.8 per cent to Rs.8,349 crore from Rs.6,430 crore.

In dollar terms, the net profit grew 39.9 per cent to $264.2 million, while revenue rose 14.3 per cent to $1.36 billion.

“We continue on our growth momentum with a strong revenue growth. The Application Services business registered a robust performance… Infrastructure Services have continued to punch their weight in the market,” HCL Technologies President and Chief Executive Officer Anant Gupta said. Mr. Gupta said he was confident that the company would continue to win deals, especially in the re-bid market. About the business environment, Mr. Gupta told The Hindu that “My market outlook continues to be extremely positive. When you dig deeper there will obviously be variations depending on services, service mix, verticals…but largely on an overall level I see the market to by buoyant…it is not an inhibiting factor.”

During the quarter, the company added 1,858 employees (net).

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SPORTS

RR looks to put behind controversies One of the worst hit teams in last year’s spot-fixing scandal, Rajasthan Royals will be keen to clear its off-field image with good on field performances when it begins its IPL campaign by taking on a formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Friday.

The Royals were left feeling betrayed when errant Indian pacer S. Sreesanth and two other teammates — Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — were arrested for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing in at least three IPL matches last season. But they hardly let that hamper their performance on the field.

Ironically, RR ended up being the third best team in last year’s event. Led by veteran Rahul Dravid, it dominated the sixth edition, despite lack of big names in its ranks.

New captain Shane Watson said the spot-fixing controversy last year was the case of a couple of bad apples in the side, and assured that the team had got over the distraction and was concentrating on giving its best. This year, RR has managed to put together a well balanced side. While it picked up players like Steven Smith, Tim Southee, Unmukt Chand and Rajat Bhatia, it managed to retain match-winners such as Watson, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Sanju Viswanadh, James Faulkner and Brad Hodge.

Watson has always been a key player for the Royals and the team is expected to excel under his leadership.

The Sunrisers team, which went down to the same opponent — Rajasthan Royals — in the Eliminator last season, will be looking to avenge its defeat.

The Sunrisers’ fourth finish stunned everyone considering it was their debut season in the last edition.

Sunrisers have already showed their brilliance at the auction, where they have bought some talented players to assemble a strong unit.

The team has Shikhar Dhawan, Aaron Finch and David Warner at the top, while there is Darren Sammy down the order along with India youngsters — Ricky Bhui and Manpreet Juneja.

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Its bowling will be spearheaded by South Africa’s Dale Steyn along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, while Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma form a great spin attack in the company of Parveez Rasool.

With both teams looking solid on paper, a keen battle is on the cards. — PTI

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INTERNATIONAL

Accord reached on Ukraine Ministers agree on de-escalation plan at Geneva talks

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton speak to the media after talks on Ukraine, in Geneva on Thursday.— PHOTO: Reuters

Russia, the United States, the European Union and Ukraine have agreed on a plan to resolve the crisis in Ukraine through a constitutional reform that would grant more powers to Russian-speaking regions. After eight-hour talks in Geneva, the Foreign Ministers of the four nations signed a joint statement on de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the document calls for disarming all irregular forces and vacating seized buildings across Ukraine. It also provides for amnesty for all protesters, except those who have committed “grave crimes”.

Russia, the U.S. and the E.U. have called on Ukraine to launch a broad national dialogue involving all political forces and all regions with the aim of undertaking a constitutional reform. It was agreed that the constitutional process should be “inclusive, transparent and accountable,” Mr. Lavrov said.

The constitutional reform should provide for “decentralisation” of authority, election of regional bodies of power and guaranteeing the language rights of Russian-speakers, he said.

The plan, at least on paper, has incorporated Russia’s main demands for a settlement in Ukraine.

Mr. Lavrov said he had U.S. assurances that it would see to it that the settlement plan is carried through.

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The four-party talks took place against the backdrop of a serious aggravation of the situation in eastern Ukraine, where three people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in an attack on a military outpost.

The assault was denounced by protesters as a “provocation.”

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said its troops late on Wednesday repelled the attack by pro-Russian forces on the outpost in Mariupol, a city in the southeast.

Anti-government protesters who control the city hall in Mariupol said they had not authorised the attack. Activists said the attack appeared to have been the work of provocateurs from the fascist Right Sector, who led a crowd of Mariupol residents to the outpost and hurled Molotov cocktails inside.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that 63 people had been held in Mariupol.

Thailand: reporters charged over Pulitzer-winning article Two journalists, including an Australian editor, were ordered on Thursday to stand trial in Thailand on defamation charges linked to a Pulitzer Prize-winning article alleging Thai military involvement in people smuggling. Alan Morison and his Thai colleague Chutima Sidasathian could face up to two years’ imprisonment for defamation and five years for breaching the Computer Crimes Act if the court in Phuket finds them guilty.

The charges relate to an article in July last year by the Phuketwan news website, quoting an investigation by Reuters news agency which said some members of the Thai military were involved in trafficking Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers who had fled Myanmar.

Thailand ranked 130th out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. — AFP

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BUSINESS

Wal-Mart jumps into money transfer business

Wal-Mart will now offer money transfer service to customers in its stores.

AP | Apr 18, 2014, 12.19AM IST

NEW YORK: Wal-Mart is offering another incentive to its customers to spend more time at its stores. The world's largest retailer introduced a new money transfer service today that it says will cut fees by up to 50 per cent compared with similar services elsewhere. The Walmart-2-Walmart service is being rolled out in partnership with Ria Money Transfer, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide Inc. Shares of MoneyGram and Western Union plunged almost immediately today after the announcement.

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Drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline bribed doctors to boost sales, whistleblower says

Jarek Wisniewiski, the whistleblower, claims that money put aside to teach patients in Poland about an asthma drug, Seretide, actually went

towards paying doctors to prescribe more of the medicine. (Getty Images photo)

Chloe Hamilton, The Independent | Apr 16, 2014, 04.32PM IST

LONDON: Britain's biggest drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, allegedly bribed doctors in Poland using money that was meant to be spent on educating patients, according to new evidence revealed today by the BBC Panorama programme. A GSK whistleblower claims that money put aside to teach patients in Poland about an asthma drug, Seretide, actually went towards paying doctors to prescribe more of the medicine. Jarek Wisniewiski, who was with the company for eight years until 2012, worked on a marketing programme across the country in 2010 to push the asthma drug.

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Editorial

Haunted by inflation Price rise is one of the key issues in this election, and the latest data on inflation spell bad news for the incumbent UPA government; the monster is rearing its head again after lying low over the last three months. Retail inflation, specifically food price inflation, has rebounded in March on the back of rising prices of vegetables and fruits. Wholesale food prices rose 9.9 per cent with rice shooting up 12.6 per cent and vegetable prices showing an inflation of 8.6 per cent in March. As a whole, retail inflation was higher at 8.31 per cent compared to 8.1 per cent in February, while wholesale price inflation hit 5.7 per cent in March compared with 4.68 per cent in the previous month. After a period of soft prices for vegetables and fruits, courtesy the winter season, prices have started moving up again. Given that we are still in early summer, food prices are bound to shoot further upwards, as they always do during the season. With unseasonal rains and hailstorm in parts of the country during spring, it is feared that the rabi crop may have suffered damage. This means that foodgrain prices will join the inflation party, cutting deep into people’s pockets. The rebound in inflation only serves to underline the problem of rising prices half-way through the election season, and it spells trouble at the hustings for the UPA government.

The current dispensation will be handing over a troubled legacy to the new government in the form of inflation caused largely by structural problems, especially in agriculture. Food prices have been rising inexorably in the last few years, save brief and intermittent spells of softness due to seasonal factors. It is clear that there are serious issues on the supply side when it comes to food commodities, which the government has failed to address. Tackling these issues will obviously be a priority for the new government. The inflation in respect of manufactured products is a matter of concern indeed, coming as it does on the back of a persisting weakness in industrial output. The latest data have obvious implications for monetary policy, and the Reserve Bank of India, which has now shifted to the consumer price inflation as its benchmark, will be watching closely indeed. It is logical to expect that rates will be on hold until the underlying trend manifests itself clearly. The coming monsoon will be critical in determining near-term inflationary trends, but there are worries there as well with experts talking about the El Nino effect this year. In the past, El Nino has resulted in sub-optimal monsoons in India and policymakers must be hoping that the predictions are wrong. What all this means is that the new government will not have much time to settle down in managing the economy and will need to hit the ground running.

kothari institute captain shane watson said the spot ... unmukt chand and rajat bhatia, it ......

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