25 APRIL 2014 - Kothari institute INSTITUTE NEWS FROM “THE HINDU” AND “TIMES OF INDIA”[Type text] Page 3 Modi factor brings Mumbai Muslims to booths For Muslim voters of Mumbai,

KOTHARI INSTITUTE

NEWS FROM “THE HINDU” AND “TIMES OF INDIA”[Type text] Page 1

DATE- 25April 2014

Ø NATIONAL NEWS

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Clashes in Rewa over virginity test on rape victim Modi factor brings Mumbai Muslims to booths Kejriwal blames BJP for attack on Bharti Sonia tears into Gujarat model AAP candidate to contest from jail Rajiv Gandhi assassins to stay in jail, case referred to a larger constitutional bench: SC

Ø BUSINESS

iPhone strategy pays dividend for Apple in India Accenture ties up with Azure Power

Ø SPORTS

CSK wins a thriller U-17 WC: Chennai may miss out

Ø INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Obama vows to defend Japan Pakistan air strikes kill 37 rebels

Ø BUSINESS

Gasoline prices surge in Iran as subsidies cut

Ø EDITORIAL

Sustainable mining

KOTHARI INSTITUTE


NATIONAL NEWS

Clashes in Rewa over virginity test on rape victim

The conduct of the banned ‘two-finger virginity test’ on a 16-year-old rape victim in Singrauli and a police press statement that she is “habituated to sexual intercourse” led to violence in Rewa on Tuesday night.

Following the report, students from the Hostel for Scheduled Castes and Tribes gathered at Shyam Shah Medical College to meet the girl. The police denied them permission, leading to stone throwing.

No one was taken into custody, Inspector-General of Police (Rewa) Pawan Shrivastava told The Hinduon Wednesday.

The Dalit girl, who was found unconscious near Waidhan, 780 km east of Bhopal, on Sunday night, complained that she was raped by a fellow passenger of a private bus, with the connivance of the driver, the conductor and another passenger, and abandoned on the outskirts of the town.

The four suspects, who were arrested and sent to judicial custody, alleged that she cooked up the rape story after falling down from the running bus as the driver refused to take her to her stop.

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Modi factor brings Mumbai Muslims to booths For Muslim voters of Mumbai, Thursday meant a battle between Narendra Modi and themselves. A majority of people from Muslim-dominated pockets came out to cast their votes against the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate.

At Mohammad Ali Road in south Mumbai, a stream of voters gathered outside polling stations. In this lower middle and middle-class Muslim-dominated neighbourhood, most people voted for the Congress-NCP alliance.

“Almost every vote in our neighbourhood has gone to the Congress. We have voted out of compulsion to keep Modi out,” said Ishtiyaq Chaudhary, 32, who works in a furniture shop. “I would have given my vote to the BJP had it not been for the party’s PM candidate.” His friend, Jaleel Gaziani, 34, who is an electronics dealer, said Mr. Modi’s image on television was enough to gauge the man’s ideological leanings. “While campaigning, he has worn turbans of all States, has held gadas and swords, but not once has he worn our skullcaps.”

Muslims constitute 20-23 per cent of the 93 lakh-odd voters of Mumbai. Their largest concentration is in the constituencies of Mumbai South, Mumbai North Central and Mumbai North East. Congress MPs Milind Deora and Priya Dutt are contesting for their third term in Mumbai South and Mumbai North Central.

The trend of Muslims voting left of centre has not been new. But activist Farid Khan, who heads the Educational and Welfare Foundation for Muslims, said this election was different as their “survival” was at stake. “He [Mr. Modi] has made Gujarat a Hindu-only State and wants to do the same to the country.”

Similar sentiments were echoed at in Behrampada, a the Muslim neighbourhood on the edge of suburban Bandra rail train station. The slum is not alien to communal riots.

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Kejriwal blames BJP for attack on Bharti Decides to seek Election Commission’s intervention

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused the BJP of carrying out attacks against his party colleagues and decided to seek the intervention of the Election Commission.

Hours before BJP’s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi filed his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, Mr. Kejriwal addressed the media and announced that he would sit in protest at the Assi Ghat here to register his disapproval at the violent attacks.

Late on Wednesday night, Somnath Bharti of the AAP was attacked near Assi Ghat, allegedly by the BJP supporters. Mr. Bharti was participating in a TV show when the attack took place.

The AAP leader, who takes on Mr. Modi in Varaansi, targeted the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-led state government and said there seemed to be an understanding between the two in Varanasi. He said there was delay on the part of the police and administration in taking action against the miscreants who beat up Mr. Bharti, smashed his car and attacked his driver. Mr. Kejriwal also alleged that the police asked Mr. Bharti to furnish proof of being attacked.

The AAP will ask the EC to take steps to ensure that the election in Varanasi was free and fair.

Training his guns on Mr. Modi, whom he addressed as “raja” (king), Mr. Kejriwal said: “Is this the Gujarat model… those opposing Mr. Modi will either be threatened or attacked?”

He also criticised his colleague Shazia Illmi's comments asking Muslims to be “communal.”

“As per the Election Commission, the word communal is defined as somebody trying to instigate hatred among two communities,” Mr. Kejriwal said. “If there was any indication of Ms. Shazia doing that, she would have been ousted from the party. Her use of words was not proper. We condemn that.”

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Sonia tears into Gujarat model Taking on the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on his home turf, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, addressing a rally at Kheralu village in Mehsana constituency on Thursday, mounted a sharp attack on the Gujarat model and questioned the measures the BJP had taken to tackle corruption.

The much-publicised Gujarat model was a picture of malnourishment and poverty, she said, adding that water scarcity plagued many villages in Gujarat, unemployment rate was high, lands were doled out to industrialists at throwaway prices and violence against women was on the rise. “God save the country from such a model.”.

In a speech laced with sarcasm, Ms. Gandhi countered criticism levelled at the UPA. “The Chief Minister is saying everywhere the Congress has not done anything. The dams, healthcare infrastructure, white revolution, industrial development, did all this fall from the sky? Did it all happen magically? It is all a result of Congress policies. Did the BJP start irrigation schemes? Who gave Rs. 70,000 loan waiver for farmers? But the problem is some just can't see others’ strengths and their own flaws.”

Hitting back at the BJP for attacking her son-in-law Robert Vadra over corruption allegations, Ms. Gandhi said: “I want to challenge the BJP governments to show what measures they have taken in Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. The Congress gave a strong tool of Right to Information Act.” Why was the Lokayukta post lay vacant for the past 10 years in Gujarat, and why tainted ministers were still part of the State Assembly, she asked.

Rebutting Mr. Modi’s criticism of her party, Ms. Gandhi said the BJP “has a single point agenda of making false accusations against the Congress. It has crossed all limits in attacking the Congress.”Earlier, Ms. Gandhi addressed a rally in Valsad.

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AAP candidate to contest from jail Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from the Nainital-US Nagar constituency Balli Singh Cheema on Thursday decided to contest the election from jail. Mr. Cheema was arrested and sent to the Haldwani jail on April 22 for violating Section 144 and protesting at US Nagar SSP’s residence Shamsher Singh Bisht, convener of the AAP State Campaign Committee said. On April 20 the Udham Singh Nagar police seized the vehicle on which Mr. Cheema, and other AAP members and supporters were touring the Udham Singh Nagar area. Mr. Bisht said, “The vehicle was seized for no reason. Our people went to meet the US Nagar District Magistrate who gave orders that the vehicle must be released. But the police didn’t release the vehicle.”

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

Rajiv Gandhi assassins to stay in jail, case referred to a larger constitutional bench: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday referred the case related to release of those convicted of killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to a larger constitutional bench. The convicts will not be released from prison till further orders, the court said. A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam pronounced the judgment at 10.30am on Friday. The apex court wanted the five-judge constitution bench to decide that after commutation of the death sentence to life imprisonment whether the government can further grant them remission by releasing them. The Supreme Court said that the constitution bench will also address which government has the power to exercise remission for condemned prisoners under the code of criminal procedure; whether it is the state government or the central government, or both. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at Sriperumpudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991. A special court for Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (POTA) found all the 26 persons guilty of the offence and awarded them death sentence in January 1998. On a referred appeal before the Supreme Court, the death penalties of only four — Nalini, Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan — were confirmed. Later, on the recommendation of the Tamil Nadu cabinet, the state's governor commuted the death penalty of Nalini into life imprisonment. Meanwhile, the mercy pleas of the three condemned persons pending before the President for more than 11 years were rejected, and their hanging was scheduled to be held in September 2011. It was, however, stayed by the Madras high court.

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On February 18 this year, the apex court commuted their death sentence into life imprisonment, saying inordinate and unexplained delay in disposing of their mercy pleas by the President would be a valid ground for commuting their sentence. On February 19, Tamil Nadu chief minister, J Jayalalithaa, announced their immediate release from prison prematurely by invoking provisions of the code of criminal procedure. Assailing the decision, the Centre rushed to the Supreme Court, which stayed their release on February 20. Last week, Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam, on a visit to Coimbatore, had told a group of reporters there that verdict on the validity of their premature release will be given before his retirement, which is on April 26. Taking exception to the announcement and apprehending a motive at the timing of such a disclosure, former chief minister M Karuananidhi had said the CJI ought not to have discussed such a thing in public, that too while the elections in the state were round the corner.

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BUSINESS

iPhone strategy pays dividend for Apple in India Apple’s heavy marketing blitz, combined with its continued emphasis on lower-end models, has continued to pay off in India, according to the company’s recent earnings call.

According to Luca Maestri, Vice-President of Finance and Corporate Controller, the iPhone continued to perform “exceptionally” well in many developing markets.

“In Greater China, Brazil, Indonesia, Poland and Turkey, iPhone sales grew by strong double-digits year-over-year, and in India and Vietnam sales more than doubled,” Mr. Maestri said, while briefing analysts on the company’s second quarter results.

The last one year has seen Apple double down on its India focus as well as start a spree of buy-back and discount schemes that have pushed volumes at the expense of margins. India has traditionally been ignored by Apple, which saw greater potential in China, with CEO Tim Cook saying that the cost of distribution in India “was too high and complex.”

According to Mr. Cook, the company continues to ship products like the iPhone 4S, which come at an affordable price point, because it is “proud to ship that product.” Apple has come under criticism from analysts for re-introducing models like the iPhone 4 line in India at around Rs. 22,000.

Emerging markets

“I think that this quarter…hopefully this quarter demonstrates to you that we can do well in a number of geographies from emerging markets to develop markets,” he said.

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“Some of the numbers that we've experienced just to quote some of the more historic prepaid market through the first-half of 2014; Brazil was up 61%, Russia 97%, and India 55%,” he added.

‘In Greater China, iPhone sales grew by strong double-digits year-over-year. In India sales more than doubled’

Accenture ties up with Azure Power Accenture on Thursday said it had bagged a deal from solar power producer Azure Power to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. Accenture said it would provide implementation services in support of the SAP solution to Azure to help it strengthen business processes and improve planning, budgeting, forecasting, supply chain and revenue projections. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. — PTI

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SPORTS

Santosh

CSK wins a thriller

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STANDING TALL:Ravindra Jadeja did the star turn for Chennai Super Kings, hitting an unbeaten 36 and then snaring four Rajasthan Royals batsmen.— Photo: Sportzpics/BCCI

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Chennai Super Kings clinched victory over Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League cliff-hanger at the Dubai cricket stadium on Wednesday night.

In a low-scoring contest, the southern side ably defended it modest total of 140 for six, cutting short the rival’s chase at 133 for nine, the Royals inching this close thanks to Dhawal Kulkarni’s valiant 28 not out off 19 balls, studded with two sixes.

Ravindra Jadeja, wrecker in chief for the men in yellow with a splendid four for 33, drew level with Lakshmipathi Balaji as leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with a bag of half a dozen scalps so far.

The urge for the big hit proved to be the undoing of both Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson, the former caught by mid-wicket Mithun Manhas off R. Ashwin and the latter by long-off Hilfenhaus running towards the sight screen in a well-judged effort off Jadeja. Sanju Samson seemed to be shaping up well, lofting Hilfenhaus over the long-on signboards twice. Foxed by a delivery from Jadeja that kept low, he spooned a catch back to the bowler.

As the Royals’ response staggered, the last recognised pair of Stuart Binny and Steven Smith tried to stem the rot, but in vain.

Binny was bitten by the big-hit bug too and departed after heaving to Faf du Plessis at long off. Smith survived when Mohit Sharma couldn’t hold on to a tough chance in the long-off region.

Such lapses were unlikely from du Plessis, stationed at long-off where he snapped up another Smith offering, the ball sailing straight into his hands off Jadeja. In a late order, lost-cause slog, Rajat Bhatia slammed a six and a four.

The Royals won the toss and chose to field, their lone change being Tim Southee making the squad in place of an unwell Kane Richardson. Both the openers, Dwayne Smith and Brendon

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McCullum, faltered, with the latter skying one to mid-wicket. A trio of Royals fieldsmen went for it, but Smith managed to keep his eye on the ball and take the catch.

Save for a rap on the helmet from Kulkarni that amused him more than rattled him, Smith was on song.

His first two sixes off Faulkner and Southee were sweetly struck, and tensile forearms forged the third off Binny over mid-wicket.

The medium-pacer got him, though, as Smith, going for another big one, played into the hands of mid-off Watson.

Raina left soon, Kulkarni raking up the catch at short third man off Bhatia.

Bhatia had a hand in du Plessis’s exit too, the latter backing up and paying the price for deserting the safer confines of the non-striker’s crease as the ball ricocheted into the stumps under the umpire’s nose.

U-17 WC: Chennai may miss out Recent internal squabbles and dissensions in the Tamil Nadu Football Association (TFA) may have put Chennai, which has previously played host to the Nehru Cup and SAF Games, in a position of disadvantage.

The city, after failing to find buyers for a franchisee in the inaugural Indian Super League, is now almost sure to miss out on the opportunity to host any matches of the FIFA under-17 World Cup, slated to be held in India in 2017. The TFA had expressed its interest to hold matches for the event way after the initial deadline.

“We got the TFA’s letter of interest after the deadline had expired. But, we made an exception and asked them to submit the required documents related to the host city agreement,” AIFF secretary Kushal Das said. “But till date they have not submitted any of the documents and we can safely assume they are out of contention.”

Every host city-designate needs to furnish a memorandum of understanding relating to stadium, practice pitches, other infrastructure and also an undertaking on security from the local government.

The FIFA delegation, headed by Inaki Alvarez, deputy director and head of event management (competitions division), made an initial inspection of the eight proposed venues — Kolkata, Kochi, Guwahati, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai and Goa — in February and has suggested a

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slew of measures to the local organisers to improve pitch conditions, training facilities and organisational capabilities.

Work to do

“All the cities have quite a bit of work to do in terms of training sites. Some of the cities have considerable work to do in terms of getting their stadiums ready. Then there is the work of developing the necessary organisation too,” Alvarez told The Hindu . The FIFA team is expected to come for its second visit sometime in October and announce the six host cities by March 2015.

Talking about the possibility of other cities, apart from the eight above, winning the right to host matches, Alvarez said: “We are only looking at the eight at this point of time as they have been part of the bidding process. However, depending on the responses of the eight to the first visit and the extent of work, additional options always exist.”

A tiny ray of hope for Chennai!

Latching on to such hope, TFA Secretary Ravikumar David said: “We have gone about with the process of sending in the guarantees as required by FIFA to the AIFF. The matter is now with the legal section and once the elections are over, we hope to submit everything to the Federation. As far as we are concerned, Chennai has the best facilities and we should not be overlooked when the FIFA team visits the country again.” However, Das was quick to kill any such optimism.

“We are confident of finding the six cities from the proposed eight. The state associations and local governments will soon start work based on the initial FIFA assessment,” he said. “Stadiums in each of these eight cities, which will also host the ISL teams, will benefit from the complete overhaul package IMG-Reliance has planned.”

A key official at IMG-R told The Hindu that the company is expected to invest at least a few hundred crores by September to improve the stadium conditions in each city. It is expected to relay or improve existing turfs, and also construct FIFA-standard dressing and other official rooms.

(with inputs from S.R. Suryanarayan)

KOTHARI INSTITUTE


INTERNATIONAL

Obama vows to defend Japan Asks Beijing to help stop N. Korea’s ‘dangerous’ n-programme

U.S. President Barack Obama vowed on Thursday to defend Japan if China attacks over a tense territorial dispute, but also urged Beijing to help stop North Korea from forging ahead with its “dangerous” nuclear programme.

Mr. Obama described as “critically important” China’s role in keeping its wayward ally in check after South Korea said heightened activity at the North’s main nuclear test site could point to an imminent test — its fourth.

“China’s participation in pushing the DPRK (North Korea) in a different direction is critically important,” the president told a joint press briefing with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“It is the most destabilising, dangerous situation in all of the Asia-Pacific region.”

Despite his call for China’s help, Mr. Obama also underlined U.S. support for Japan, saying that islands at the centre of its bitter territorial dispute with Beijing are covered by a defence treaty that would oblige Washington to act if they were attacked.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing are at their lowest point for years. Some observers warn they might come to blows over the islands, where ships from both sides lurk to press claims for ownership.

Mr. Abe’s position on historical issues also annoys the Chinese, who accuse him of playing down Japanese atrocities.

They are particularly upset by visits he and his cabinet ministers have paid to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours war criminals among other fallen warriors.

In another sign of history influencing the present, China on Thursday said it had released a Japanese ship seized after its owner paid $28 million compensation in a business dispute dating to Japan’s occupation of swathes of the country in the 1930s.

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Tokyo warned earlier this week that the seizure could have a chilling effect on the huge trade relationship between China and Japan.

Meanwhile, progress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — a proposed 12-nation free trade bloc — was stalled.

Mr. Obama said the two sides had still yet to find common ground, with high tariffs on Japanese agricultural products among the key sticking points.

“Now is the time for bold steps,” he said. — AFP

Pakistan air strikes kill 37 rebels Early morning air strikes by Pakistan fighter jets in Khyber agency on Thursday killed 37 rebels and injured 18, according to military sources.

The air strikes hit terrorist hideouts and the sources said those who were killed were involved in the recent bomb blast in Sabzi Mandi in the capital, the bombing of policemen in Charsadda and the killing of security officials in Peshawar.

The air strikes come after a meeting to review the future of the peace dialogue with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). While the TTP has distanced itself from the Sabzi Mandi blast, it has refused to extend the ceasefire which ended on April 10. Wednesday’s meeting decided to make contact with the Taliban shura once again and try and address grievances of both sides.

AFP reports from Karachi: Meanwhile, a suicide bomber blew himself up near a local police official, killing four people and wounding 15 others in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Thursday, police said.

The explosion took place near a tailor’s shop in the old vegetable market in a neighbourhood to the east of the city.

“The blast killed police official Shafiq Tanoli and three others and wounded 15 others including Tanoli’s three guards,” senior local police official Tanvir Ahmad Tunio told AFP.

He said Tanoli was the target. A local senior police official, Raja Umar Khitab, confirmed that it was suicide attack.

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BUSINESS

THE TIMES OF INDIA

Gasoline prices surge in Iran as subsidies cut

DUBAI: Gasoline prices in Iran leapt by up to 75 percent at midnight on Thursday, as state subsidies were cut, a risky move that President Hassan Rouhani hopes will improve an economy battered by western sanctions. The price hikes will test Rouhani's support among a population fed up with the high inflation that he has pledged to reduce as he pursues talks with world powers aimed at ending sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear programme. Iranians rushed to the pumps to fill their cars before the price surge, but there were no immediate reports of unrest, unlike in 2007 when there were riots at some gas stations when cheap fuel was rationed for the first time.

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Editorial

Sustainable mining The Supreme Court’s verdict permitting resumption of iron-ore mining in Goa with a temporary cap of 20 million tonnes per annum is welcome for more reasons than one. First, the lifting of the mining ban will restore livelihoods to a vast number of people in a State whose economy is powered by the twin engines of mining and tourism. By the Court’s own finding, more than 1.5 lakh Goans depend on the mining industry directly, and then there are downstream beneficiaries such as truck operators and other service providers. The State’s economy has suffered, as indeed the country’s exports, due to the 18-month ban. The verdict represents an acknowledgement that the problem with mining is not the activity itself; rather, it is illegal and unregulated mining that needs to be clamped down upon. The problem in Goa, as also in Karnataka, began with the unscrupulous activities of some mining companies which pushed the boundaries of their operations, literally and figuratively, beyond legal limits. Mining in areas outside the lease territory, under-reporting production both in quantitative and qualitative terms and showing scant regard for the environment were the reasons that attracted action from the NGOs and the public and caused the courts to step in with a ban. It is shocking that the exports of iron ore exceeded official production figures in each of the five years between 2006-07 and 2010-11. This is evidence of illegal mining.

The Supreme Court has now defined the framework, inclusive of directions to the Centre and the State government over the promulgation of rules and adherence to them. It has also acknowledged the concerns of environmentalists by prohibiting mining within a kilometre of the boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries in Goa. By directing the Centre to notify eco-sensitive zones around national parks and sanctuaries within six months, the Court has ensured that the mining industry’s territory is clearly marked out and there is no possibility of harm being caused to the ecology and environment. The interim solution of allowing up to 20 million tonnes of ore to be mined per annum until the expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court comes up with its final report in the next 12 months, is a fair one as it takes into account the interests of both the mining industry and the environment. With the State government now being permitted to grant fresh leases as per its own policy, whether by auction or other means, the onus is now clearly on it to move quickly in framing a transparent policy in this regard. A well-regulated mining industry that is also environmentally sustainable is not a difficult goal to achieve if the government sets its mind to it.

Documents

25 APRIL 2014 - Kothari institute INSTITUTE NEWS FROM “THE HINDU” AND “TIMES OF INDIA”[Type text] Page 3 Modi factor brings Mumbai Muslims to booths For Muslim voters of Mumbai,