Two killed in Shimoga communal flare up; curfew clamped - 3/1/2010
SHIMOGA (KARNATAKA): Two persons were killed, including one in police firing, and four others injured on Monday in violence during protests by Muslims over publication of an article penned by controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen in a vernacular daily.
The authorities imposed dusk-to-dawn curfew in four trouble-hit localities in old Shimoga, hometown of chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.
While one died in police firing, the other succumbed to injuries sustained in stone-pelting in hospital, police said.
A 1500-strong crowd took out a procession to express their anger over the Kannada translation of Taslima's article published on Sunday in a leading Kannada daily on burqa tradition.
The procession turned violent as some persons pelted stones on vehicles. At least 20 vehicles, including eight state transport corporation buses, were damaged.
Police said as the situation threatened to go out of control, they opened fire, killing a person. Police said four others injured in stone-pelting have been hospitalised.
Prohibitory orders was also imposed on the entire city and additional reinforcements of police rushed, Superintendent of Police S Murugan said.
Hassan was also tense after 15,000 Muslims held a protest rally and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.
Several vehicles were damaged in stone-pelting and some shops were torched, police said.
Is Dubai's retail glory fading? - 2/28/2010
Rajendra K. Aneja/IANS
Dubai Feb 28: Shopping is the soul of Dubai, a place whose very name can be pronounced "Do-Buy"! Retail is a key driver of Dubai's economy. It is the major tourist attraction. Dubai lures visitors from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East since it offers very enticing shopping experiences. The city offers scintillating malls, almost every brand in the world, shopping bargains, huge discounts.
If Dubai is a very stylish car, then the two front wheels are real estate and retail tourism. Real estate is currently under pressure. Retail tourism is also likely to be under duress. In 2009, sales in many malls and retail outlets have declined 20-30 percent. Footfalls have also dropped 15-25 percent.
Retailers are wondering why and what they must do to ensure a better future.
The main reason for the decline is a drop in the number of free spending tourists from Europe and other parts of the Middle East. Sales have also eroded because countries like China, India and Pakistan are building massive shopping malls which are luring the best global brands.
So customers from neighbouring countries do not need to visit Dubai to buy a Canon zoom lens or an Apple I-phone. Prices of most electronic items, including mobile phones, are now lower in India than in Dubai. A Hermes tie is cheaper in Paris; fashionable women's clothes are cheaper in New York. This is despite the fact that Dubai is duty and tax free.
Some retailers are also suffering due to bad management. For example, when they found it was becoming expensive to hire Indians, they hired Filipinos instead. Then when the Filipinos became expensive, they hired Nepalis, Chinese, Bangladeshis.
All the time, the service conditions of the employees were getting worse -- six to eight of them were being housed in one room, each employee was being asked to work 10 to 12 hours a day.
In many instances, the staff did not receive increments for 3-4 years. Few retailers provide refreshments or lunch to their staff. Some top retailers pay as little as 10 dirhams per hour of overtime.
Added to this problem of untrained and demotivated staff members, many Dubai retailers have antiquated IT systems. So they do not know their inventory, what is selling, what is not.
But the most neglected arena in retail is basic customer service. Walk into a bookshop. The sales girls can hardly speak English and cannot spell "Monologues". They have no passion for books, yet spend their day in selling them.
The critical question is where do Dubai retailers go from here? They will have to get used to about 15-30 percent lower sales from 2006-08 levels. As of now, the management and marketing vibrancy and energy required to reverse this downward trend is missing. Unfortunately many Dubai retailers have a trading mindset, not marketing.
This could lead to closure of marginal malls and shops, which are unable to lure customers.
Retailers need to become pragmatic. Hopefully, they will focus more on service rather than be preoccupied with the marble floors of their retail outlets. They also need to worry about volume growth, rather than sheer profits, through short-term pricing policies.
Retailers should acknowledge new emerging paradigms. They should recognise the new competition from neighbouring countries. They should build strong and vibrant management teams and give up their "shopkeeper" habits. They should focus on improving customer services rapidly. These steps will enable retailers in Dubai to reverse the downward trend in sales and begin the path to recovery.
Mangalore, Feb 28: Western Institute of Technology will host a job fair on Friday April 23 and Saturday April 24 at the Dr T M A Pai International Convention Center in the city.
There is no entry fee and over 20,000 candidates from all the districts of the state, with special focus on Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Kasargod, are expected to attend the event.
Candidates from various fields such as engineering, management, medical and nursing, safety, hotel and hospitality, computer hardware and networking, and post graduates from all disciplines will participate.
As a special attraction, Western Institute is inviting companies based abroad who are looking for a work force from Karnataka. Special arrangements will be made for such companies to recruit deserving candidates directly without any agencies or middlemen.
This job fair will provide these companies a platform for recruitment and to promote their organization and thereby increase visibility with candidates and universities. Freshers and laterals will feature among the candidates.
Western Institute of Technology will also organize a career guidance and personality development programme on both days in the auditorium at the same venue between 9.00 am 1:00 pm for PUC students and from 1.00 pm to 7.00 pm for degree and PG students.
Informative seminars and fruitful interactions with reputed international and national experts and professionals experienced in varied fields of education and industry will be part of these sessions. These resource personnel will guide the students on topics such as ‘Goals of Education’, ‘Career Choice’, and ‘Scope or Demand in Various Sectors of Industries or Companies’.
About Western Institute:
Western Institute of Technology, an ISO 9001:2008 certified institute, is partnered with Chicago Training and Consultancy which is a global Registered Education Provider (REP) of Project Management Institute (PMI), an authorized IMA CMA learning system course provider, and AACEI approved education provider.
Western Institute is a collaborative training provider of University of Wisconsin, Platteville’s, Continuing Education Programs and an approved provider of Professional Development Program of Franklin University, Ohio, USA.
It is recognized by the Government of India and is registered under Directorate General of Employment and Training as vocational training provider for various courses. The academic council of Mangalore University has also granted affiliation to this institute for conducting PGDBM & PGDTHM Courses.
3 Idiots, Dev D top winners at Filmfare Awards - 2/28/2010
TOI/ ndtv
Two vastly different films swept up an equal number of trophies at the 55th Idea Filmfare Awards held at a glittering ceremony at Yash Raj Studios in Andheri on Saturday.
While Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 3 Idiots snapped up the most popular awards—Best Film, Best Director, Best Story, Best Screenplay, Best Dialogue and Best Supporting Actor —Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D won six as well. The Best Actor award went to Amitabh Bachchan for his performance as a progeriaafflicted child in Paa, while Vidya Balan walked away with the Best Actress trophy for the same film.
Led by a line-up of stalwarts who turned out in strength, the Hindi film industry raised a toast to its members who hit paydirt at the box-office and won critical acclaim as well. Much to the delight of the spectators, show hosts Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan were back after taking a break last year owing to SRK’s elbow injury. Wasting no time at all, the irrepressible duo launched their antics on the red carpet itself, and kept pulling out the gags thick and fast through the evening. In this, they were ably supported by good friend Karan Johar and actors Siddharth and Shruti.The duo’s wicked reputation has spread far and wide and the pretty blondes who were dancing with them suddenly sped away, finding more appealing options among the audience including Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi and even Shakti Kapoor. However, all was not lost for the Khans. A row of cross-dressers walked in as their consolation prize. True to style, the awards were punctuated with live performances by A-list actors Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor as well as Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline. Salman Khan may not have won a nomination for his role in Wanted but stole the show by dancing wildly to the kind of songs that front-benchers love him for. As a bevy of hopeful chorus dancers begged Baraat leke aaja, the most eligible bachelor of the industry fended them off pleading Oonchi hai building, lift teri band hai. Wearing a Superman tee, Salman moved on to You’re my love and Maria Maria before finishing in a high-energy recital of the Hanuman Chalisa from London Dreams.
Katrina Kaif was another class act with a medley of recent songs leading from Yaar nazar nahin aata and Hai junoon to her signature hit Tera hone laga hoon from Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. Kareena Kapoor sidestepped the customary medley of hits for an elaborate sequence of Zoobi Doobi from 3 Idiots. Deepika Padukone, on her part, belied her mere couple of years in the industry by performing with the ease of a veteran. Hardly missing a cue even during rehearsals, she negotiated her way through a series of tricky acrobatic moves for Uff teri ada (Karthik Calling Karthik) and Twist (Love Aaj Kal). Shahid Kapoor’s talent at dancing is a foregone conclusion and this time he chose a theme that struck an instant chord with the spectators. As he did a mean moonwalk, the audience’s thoughts went back to the colossal loss of the past year—Michael Jackson.
Another warm tribute was reserved for the living legends. The audience rose as one when actor Shashi Kapoor and composer Khayyam were awarded this year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. Both natives of undivided Punjab had started work at an early age, married into their profession and served the country for decades before retiring from the limelight. Khayyam accompanied by wife Jagjit Kaur came to accept the award. “No honour comes before its time, so I am not left with the feeling that the Lifetime Achievement has come too late. I am happy,’’ said Khayyam. In a lovely moment the wheelchair-bound but ever-charming Shashi Kapoor was escorted on stage by his nephew Ranbir and niece Kareena.
In a departure from tradition, the Best Debut awards this year were given to talented diretors instead of actors—Zoya Akhtar for Luck By Chance and Ayaan Mukherji for Wake Up, Sid. The title sponsor of the awards was Idea Cellular Ltd, and the associate sponsors were PC Jewellers and Voice of India. The telecast partner is Sony Entertainment Television. The rest of the sponsors were as follows. Energy Drink Partner: XXX Energy Drink; Travel Partner: SpiceJet; Beverage Partner: Whyte & Mackay from United Spirits; Outdoor Partner: Bright Outdoor Media Pvt Ltd; Publicity Partner: Orienta Cine Advertising Pvt Ltd; Multiplex Partner: Big Cinemas; Food Partner: BJN Group; Partner Maya for wedding and occasions from Gitanjali Lifestyle; Bezel Watches from Gitanjali Lifestyle; English News Channel Partner: Times Now; Radio Partner: Radio Mirchi; Gift Partner: Fantasie Chocolates; Trophy Partner: The Award Gallery; Show Direction and Scripting: Cineyug; Event Consultants: Oxygen Entertainment; and Event Management: 360 Degrees Experience.
ROLE OF HONOUR
Best Film| 3 Idiots
Best Director RAJ KUMAR HIRANI | 3 Idiots
Best Actor (Male) AMITABH BACHCHAN | Paa
Best Actor (Female ) VIDYA BALAN | Paa
Best Supporting Actor (Male ) BOMAN IRANI | 3 Idiots
Best Supporting Actor (Female ) KALKI KOECHLIN | Dev D
Best Music A R RAHMAN | Delhi 6
Best Lyrics IRSHAD KAMIL | Aaj din chadya, Love Aaj Kal Best
Playback (Male) MOHIT CHAUHAN | Masakali, Delhi 6
Best Playback (Female ) KAVITA SETH | Iktara, Wake Up Sid REKHA BHARDWAJ | Genda phool, Delhi 6
Critics’ Award for Best Director NANDITA DAS | Firaaq
Critics’ Award Best Actor (Male) RANBIR KAPOOR | Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem, Rocket Singh
Critics’ Award for Best Actor (Female ) MAHIE GILL | Dev D
Best Story ABHIJAT JOSHI, RAJ KUMAR HIRANI | 3 Idiots
Best Screenplay ABHIJAT JOSHI, RAJ KUMAR HIRANI, VIDHU VINOD CHOPRA | 3 Idiots
Best Dialogue RAJ KUMAR HIRANI & ABHIJAT JOSHI | 3 Idiots
Best Production Design & Art Direction HELEN JONES, SUKANTA PANIGRAHI | Dev D
Best Editing SREEKAR PRASAD | Firaaq
Best Cinematography RAJEEV RAVI | Dev D
Best Visual Effects GOVARDHAN VIGHARAN, VINAY SINGH CHUPHAL | Kaminey
Best Action VIJAYAN MASTER | Wanted
Best Choreographer BOSCO-CAESER | Chor bazaari, Love Aaj Kal
Best Background Score AMIT TRIVEDI | Dev D
Best Sound Desig n MANAS CHAUDHARY | Firaaq
Best Costumes VAISHALI MENON | Firaaq
R D Burman Award for New Musical Talent AMIT TRIVEDI | Wake Up Sid, Dev D
Best Debut AYAAN MUKHERJI | Wake Up Sid
ZOYA AKHTAR | Luck By Chance Lifetime Achievement Awards SHASHI KAPOOR, KHAYYAM
Mangalore: University College students boycott classes in protest against teacher - 2/27/2010
Mangalore, Feb 27: The Students Union led a boycott of classes at University College, Mangalore, protesting against an English teacher, H. Pattabhirama Somayaji, who participated in a protest against the ban on cow slaughter and delivered a speech in front of the DC’s office on Thursday. The protestors shouted slogans against the English teacher.
When members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) forced students to attend the classes, Ashwath, the president of the students’ union, said that protest was led by the Students’ Union and that the ABVP had nothing to do with it.
The union submitted a letter to Laxminarayana Bhat, the principal of University College, stating that, according to the college rules, students are not allowed to join any organization that is against the interests of the college. They demanded that the same rule should apply to Mr. Somayaji too.
Mr. Bhat said that he would submit a report to the university regarding these developments
Exam Fear Kills Two Girls In A Day In Bangalore - 2/27/2010
Bangalore, Feb.26: Two girls killed themselves on Thursday, unable to cope with exam stress, reports Mirror.
Police believe Priyal Sheth (17) and Manasa Avinash Babu (19), preparing for their exams, were overwhelmed by fear of failure.
Priyal is the second daughter of Ashith V Sheth who works for a private company in Peenya. She used a shawl to hang herself from a fan in her room. The family lives at Quilp Apartments in Banasawadi’s Chairman’s Layout.
She has left a goodbye note to her friends Saddy, Michael and Kate. “Hope you will succeed in life,” was her parting message. She wanted to become a radio jockey, and was tuned in to a keen listener of FM radio all the time.
At 4.30 pm, Priyal’s grandmother entered her room, and was shocked to see her hanging from the ceiling fan.
The family brought Priyal down and rushed her to Sathya Nursing Home in Banasawadi, where she was declared dead on arrival. Banasawadi police told Bangalore Mirror that Priyal was an average student who had scored 45 per cent in her ninth standard exams. She had done badly in the preparatory exams recently.
Unable to cope up with academic pressure, she killed herself, they said. Meanwhile, Clarence School, where she was studying, declared a holiday on Friday.
The second suicide took place in Frazer Town.
The victim was Manasa, daughter of Avinash Babu, a senior officer in BBMP. Her mother Gowri went inside her room to give her a cup of coffee. The door was ajar, and Manasa had allegedly killed herself by hanging from the ceiling fan.
Her family rushed her to a nearby hospital but doctors said she was already dead. When Manasa’s family was about to conduct the last rites, police reached their house and sent her body for post-mortem.
Manasa’s uncle Bhojaiah said, “She wanted to study MBBS and become a doctor. She must have died trying to figure out how to commit suicide.”
She has left a suicide note citing academic pressure: “Exams are nearing and nothing is going into my head. Sai Baba should take care of me.”
’Godman’ nabbed with six women, sex racket busted - 2/27/2010
NEW DELHI: Deb.27: Delhi Police on Friday claimed to have busted a sex racket allegedly run by a ’godman’, Shiv Murat Dwivedi (39). One of the godman’s aides and six women, including two airhostesses, have been arrested along with the godman.
According to police, the godman had set up a temple, out of which he ran his prostitution business, in south Delhi’s Khanpur area. The accomplice, who police say is a pimp, has been identified as Praveen Kumar (28).
The godman’s disciples call him Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale.
According to DCP (south) H G S Dhaliwal, of the six women, two are air-hostesses, one an MBA student and another an aspiring Bollywood actress. The aspiring actress has been taking regular acting classes. All the girls are between the ages of 22 and 25.
’’The godman supplied high-class escorts. His clients often flew down to Delhi and stayed in five-star hotels,” said Dhaliwal.The entire gang was nabbed on Thursday after police received information that some pimps and sex workers were coming to PVR Saket to strike a deal. A sub-inspector was sent as a decoy customer. A deal was struck and the gang arrested.
According to Dhaliwal, Dwivedi comes from Chitrakoot in UP. He came to Delhi in 1988. ’’He started working as a security guard at the Park Royal in Nehru Place and later shifted to a massage parlour in Lajpat Nagar. In 1997, he was arrested for being involved in prostitution. He was again arrested for receiving stolen property in 1998,” said Dhaliwal.
It was then that Dwivedi disguised himself as a godman and a disciple of Sai Baba. He constructed a 200-bed hospital and a temple in Chitrakoot.
The two airhostesses who were arrested have worked with leading Indian and international airlines and were living in huge apartments in posh south Delhi colonies
Wipro changes controllership team after probe into scam - 2/27/2010
Bangalore, Feb 27 (PTI)
Software major Wipro today said its internal investigation into embezzlement of funds by a company employee, who allegedly committed suicide after the scam came to light in December last, found that the amounts involved 'were not material'
The Bangalore-based firm also announced changes in certain key positions in the controllership team, but did not reveal the amount of money involved in the fraud.
Wipro said the probe concluded that "while the matter should be taken seriously, the amounts embezzled were not material from a financial reporting perspective, given the company's size and scale of its operations". Company sources had earlier said the embezzlement was to the tune of Rs 32 crore.
The investigation revealed that the embezzlement involved only one employee who transferred funds from company's bank accounts to his personal account in several transactions over a three-year period from November 2006, it said.
The employee was a junior member of the company's controllership team and the embezzlement was first discovered by other employees, Wipro said in a statement here.
Wipro appointed an internal investigation team into the embezzlement under the direct supervision of the company’s Audit Committee, it said.
"The employee who engaged in the embezzlement unfortunately chose to end his life a few weeks after his actions came to light", Wipro said.
The body of Anup Kumar Agarwal (26), who allegedly embezzled funds, was found on railway tracks on Dec 23, according to police. A chartered accountant by profession, he was assistant manager at Wipro Finance.
Asia braces for tsunami after Chile quake - 2/27/2010
Wide swaths of the south Pacific, Asia and Australia braced for a tsunami after a devastating earthquake hit the coast of Chile on Saturday.
Officials in Japan and Australia warned a tsunami from the earthquake was likely to hit Asian, Australian and New Zealand shores within 24 hours. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami warning that included Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, and many island nations in the Pacific. A lower-level advisory that a tsunami was possible was issued for northern Pacific locations, including the U.S. West Coast and Alaska.
“Sea-level readings confirm that a tsunami has been generated which could cause widespread damage,” the center said in a bulletin after the 8.8-magnitude quake. “Authorities should take appropriate action to respond to this threat.”
The center noted that the first waves after a quake are not necessarily the largest and said tsunami wave heights are difficult to predict because they can vary significantly along a coast due to the local topography.
Earthquakes across the Pacific have had deadly effects on Asia in the past.
A tsunami after a magnitude-9.5 quake that struck Chile in 1960, the largest earthquake ever recorded, killed about 140 people in Japan, 61 in Hawaii and 32 in the Philippines. That tsunami was about 3.3 to 13 feet (one to four meters) in height, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.
The tsunami from Saturday’s quake was likely to be much smaller because the quake itself was not as strong.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK quoted earthquake experts as saying the tsunami would likely be tens of centimeters (inches) high and reach Japan in about 22 hours. A tsunami of 28 centimeters (11 inches) was recorded after a magnitude-8.4 earthquake near Chile in 2001.
The Meteorological Agency said it was still investigating the likelihood of a tsunami from the magnitude-8.8 quake and did not issue a formal coastal warning.
Australia, meanwhile, was put on a tsunami watch.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for a “potential tsunami threat” to New South Wales state, Queensland state, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Any potential wave would not hit Australia until Sunday morning local time, it said.
The Philippine Institute of Vulcanology and Seismology issued a low-level alert saying people should await further notice of a possible tsunami. It did not recommend evacuations.
The earthquake that struck early on Saturday in central Chile shook the capital for a minute and a half.
Highlights of the Economic Survey - 2/26/2010
yahoo
Following are the highlights of the annual Economic Survey for the current fiscal tabled by the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha on Thursday:
- Total water in reservoirs 90.48 billion cubic metres, which is lower than the 10-year average
- Improve food production, productivity and stock management
- Adequate stock of foodgrain to meet requirements under welfare schemes during current fiscal
- Outlook for India's trade sector in 2010 has brightened
- Bank credit to the commercial sector, shows revival since November 2009
- Proposal to double the target of rural houses to 12 million through the Indira Awaas Yojana in the next five years
- Stimulus package major cause for lower indirect receipts
- Employment increases by 500,000 in July-September quarter compared to first quarter of current fiscal
- Core industries, infrastructure services show recovery signs in the middle of overall industrial growth
- Gross domestic product expected to grow 8.25-8.75 percent in 2009-10
- Economic growth during next fiscal may cross 9 percent
- Government should free grain stocks if food prices rise
- Delay in market release of imported sugar led to high prices
- Calibrate exit strategy from fiscal stimulus
- Centre, states need to begin fiscal consolidation, cap debt levels
- Poverty levels too high for growing nation like India
- Food subsidy should be given to households, instead of routing through public distribution system
- Poor families should be given food coupons to buy at discount from any shop
- Reduce excise duty to boost exports
- Liberalise foreign investment norms in education, healthcare sectors
- Sustaining current levels of domestic petroleum prices not viable
- Expenditure restraint can help contain deficit at budgeted levels
- High inflation due to supply-side bottlenecks
- Growth in telecom to continue with monthly additions exceeding 17.6 million connections
- Share of central government expenditure on social services up by 19.46 percent in current fiscal
- Foreign exchange reserves rise to $31.5 billion in current fiscal to $283.5 billion till end December 2009
- Balance of payment situation improves due to surge in capital flows and rise in foreign exchange reserves, accompanied by rupee appreciation
