1)KCR-Sonia meeting spurs talk of merger
A meeting between Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Congress president Sonia Gandhi here on Sunday raised expectations in political circles of a possible merger or electoral alliance between the two parties. With the Election Commission expected to announce the general election schedule and the time-table for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly poll in the first week of March, discussions for electoral match-making and mergers are on.
2)LPG supply may be hit as dealers support strike call
The supply of LPG cylinders is likely to be disrupted from Tuesday as dealers in the State have announced their support to the all-India strike call given jointly by the All India LPG Distributors Federation and Federation of LPG Distributors of India, urging the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to accept their demands. In a seven-point agenda, the distributors have contended that the multiple pricing policy for domestic subsidised, domestic non-subsidised and commercial cylinders had led to diversion for which the distributors are being blamed.Voicing concern over the implementation of Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2014 that imposes heavy financial penalties and termination of dealerships, N. Sathyan, secretary of All India LPG Distributors Federation (Karnataka Circle), told presspersons here on Sunday that the guidelines have been issued to overcome the “shortcomings ( sic ) of the oil marketing companies”.“The termination clause in guidelines has to be removed and there should be a provision for third party appeal. Financial penalties should not be levied,” he said.Opposing the appointment of new distributors, he said that the average monthly refill sale is about 7,000 (for each distributor), with which distributors are unable to meet their expenses. “The move to appoint 4,200 new distributors across the country will make LPG trade unviable making it difficult for many distributors without much sales,” he said.The demand also includes ensuring fool-proof delivery system. The distributors have said that the sale of 2 kg, 3 kg and 5 kg cylinders should be stopped, as unauthenticated cylinders are being sold openly in the market by unscrupulous elements.The federations are also urging the oil marketing companies to provide pilfer-proof seal to ensure the right quantity of gas in cylinders.However, sources in the Indian Oil Corporation expressed the hope that a solution could be found at Monday’s meeting with the dealers.
3)Our concerns met at G20: Chidambaram
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Sunday expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the G20 meeting and said India’s concerns over withdrawal of the U.S. stimulus and the need to expedite the IMF quota reforms have been taken on board by the group of rich and developing nations.
4)India ranks 7th among countries affected by banking Trojans, says report
Increasing Internet penetration in India and the rising trend of ‘armchair banking’, has led to a rise in cyber criminals targeting financial institutions to commit fraud. According to a recent white paper released by Symantec, India ranks seventh among countries affected by banking Trojans with 84,000 compromised computers.Last year, banking Trojans targeted over 1,400 financial institutions and compromised millions of computers around the globe. The U.S. topped the list with one million compromised computers, followed by Japan, U.K., Germany, Canada, Australia, India, Italy, Mexico and Brazil.“The security threat landscape is changing at a rapid speed globally and the scenario in India is no different. According to Symantec’s ‘The State of Financial Trojans of 2013’, India ranks number 7 in the number of computers compromised by banking Trojans in 2013,” Ritesh Chopra, Country Manager, India & SAARC, Norton by Symantec said.With the increase in Internet-connected devices, broadband penetration and connected population in India, Internet has laid out a huge canvas for cybercriminals to play with, he pointed out, adding that this power of instant access was being utilised by Indian users less judiciously and even critical functions such as online financial transactions or mobile banking or e-commerce, were being carried out with least caution.According to the latest Norton Report, 42 per cent consumers access their bank account over an unsecured Wi-Fi connection, 51 per cent of parents let their kids play, download and shop on their work device, and 55 per cent consumers admit the convenience of being constantly connected outweighed the potential security risks.While attackers prefer to target institutions in developed countries, they are also entering new markets, expanding operations and seeking out new targets where existing techniques can be applied. “Regions such as the Middle East, Africa and Asia are being increasingly targeted,” the white paper says.The world of financial Trojans is a thriving industry.“Attackers of all skill levels can enter the arena of financial fraud, as the underground marketplace is a service industry that provides an abundance of resources.” it states.Cybercriminals today have more than one outlet for reaching a user, making the entire system vulnerable to security breaches. They are not just taking advantage of newer banking services, such as mobile banking, emerging cryptocurrencies, the most prominent of which is Bitcoin, are also attracting attackers’ interests.
5)Ukraine’s new leaders tighten grip on power
Ukraine’s opposition on Sunday moved to consolidate its victory over President Viktor Yanukovych, voting to appoint newly elected Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov as Interim President and moving to form a new government.Mr. Yanukovych, who fled Kiev for Kharkiv in pro-Russian East on Friday, defied the Parliament’s decision to sack and impeach him, denouncing it as a “coup.” However, his whereabouts were unknown on Sunday amid reports he tried to leave the country but his plane was stopped by border guards in Donetsk, an industrial city close to the border with Russia. Mr. Turchinov is a close ally of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was jailed for abuse of office two years ago but set free on Saturday by the Parliament’s decision.Addressing cheering crowds in Kiev’s Maidan square on Saturday night, the fiery “princess” of the 2004 “orange revolution” declared, as 10 years ago, “the end of dictatorship” and called for trying Mr. Yanukovych and “his clique” by “people’s court.”The opposition leaders said they are seeking the arrest of former senior officials, including the Incomes Minister, Prosecutor General and Interior Minister.The three were reportedly stopped Saturday by border control from leaving the country by plane.Maidan or Independence Square was the epicentre of three-month-long anti-government protests that turned violent in recent weeks, claiming more than 80 lives in clashes between protesters and police.Armed radical protesters have replaced police in Kiev and many pro-opposition cities in Ukraine’s western provinces.Mr. Tymoshenko announced her decision to run for President in snap elections the Parliament has scheduled for May 25 and is already tipped to win.The Parliament on Sunday declared null and void a 2012 law that approved the use of the Russian language in courts, schools and other government institutions in provinces where Russian-speakers accounted for more than 10 percent of the population.The move may further alienate Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions, which on Saturday refused to recognise the legitimacy of new authorities in Kiev and abide by their orders.Opposition leaders admitted Sunday that Ukraine faced bankruptcy.“There is absolutely no money on the treasury account,” Speaker-cum-Interim President Turchinov told Parliament, accusing the Yanukovych government of “robbing” the country.Ukraine’s Parliament on Sunday decided to form an inter-party commission that will try to form a new “national unity government”.
6)Survey shows high infant and child mortality in Pakistan
One in every 14 Pakistani children dies before reaching the age of one and one in every 11 does not survive his or her fifth birthday. With infant and under five mortality rates at 74 and 89 deaths respectively per 1000 live births in the five -year period before the latest 2012-2013 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey(PDHS), the country’s chances of meeting the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) looks very dim.Tanvir Kiyani, director (research and survey), National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) which carried out the survey, said the MDGs had set IMR at 40 per 1000 live births and Pakistan was a long way off. For the first time, questions on domestic violence were included in the survey, she pointed out.One-third of married women or 32 per cent have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 and one in five women experienced physical violence in the last 12 months. Women in poorest households are more vulnerable — 25 per cent — and violence in most cases — 79 per cent — is perpetrated by the husband. Eleven per cent women also experienced violence during pregnancy. Almost 40 per cent of women have suffered abuse from their husbands at some point in their life and one-third of them reported some form of physical or emotional violence by their husbands in the last 12 months.There was huge resistance to including questions on sexual violence, which was dropped, and even the domestic violence questionnaire was inserted with great difficulty, Ms. Kiyani said. Women do not have the power to make decisions and more than one-third of them have no say on health care, or visits to family or relatives or on major household purchases. About 43 per cent women and one-third of the men agree that a husband is justified in beating his wife if she argues with him, neglects the children or in-laws, refuses to have sex, goes out without telling the husband, or burns food. About 34 per cent women agree that if they argue with their husbands, it is justified if they are beaten.Key findings of the survey presented at a recent meeting at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute indicated that Pakistan was lagging behind in various health indicators and there is urgency for planners to take stock of the situation and implement policies. The PDHS survey reported that 45 per cent children under five are stunted or too short for their age, indicating chronic malnutrition and 30 per cent are wasted or too thin for their age. Only 14 per cent women are thin while 40 per cent are overweight or obese.Abdul Basit Khan, executive director of NIPS, said lack of education, financial constraints, wars and religious extremism had contributed to the situation and instead of fighting with India, Pakistan should learn from it on the health front.Children in rural areas are more likely to die young, with under five mortality at 106 per 1000 live births, while in urban areas it is 74/1000 live births, the survey said.Neonatal mortality at 55 deaths per 1000 live births has remained unchanged for the last 20 years. Ms. Kiyani said a national representative sample of 13,558 married women between 25 to 49 and 3134 men in one-third of the selected households were interviewed.Pakistani households consist of an average of 6.8 persons and about 39 per cent of the population is under 15. Only 11 per cent of households are headed by women, the survey says.Fertility has decreased from 5.4 births per woman to 3.8 in the last 23 years. Women who have a higher education have a fertility rate of 2.5 while for illiterate women it is 4.4. Thirty-five per cent of women were married at 18 and more than half — 54 per cent — by the age of 20.Knowledge of family planning methods is universal with 99 per cent women and 95 per cent men knowing at least one modern method of family planning.
7)The arrival of a brand new vector of e-commerce
Nineteen billion dollars. A figure, high as it is, that has left market analysts gasping, investors beaming, and entrepreneurs hopeful. When news of Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp broke, the comparisons and judgments were, perhaps, inevitable.
8)Beyond the interim budget
Days after the interim budget, there have been question marks over the accuracy of its key numbers. For instance, the fiscal deficit numbers, both for the current year (2013-14) and the next year (2014-15) at 4.6 per cent and 4.1 per cent, respectively, are, in the eyes of rating agencies and brokerages suspect. Fiscal consolidation might well take place this year, in fact, the deficit is expected to be even better than the “red line: of 4.8 per cent (of GDP) which the Finance Minister had promised will not be breached.The scepticism is on two counts: (a) that a fair bit of window dressing — subsidies getting rolled over into next year and taking credit for dividends that would normally accrue next year — have improved public finance for this year but correspondingly made the task of the next finance minister that much more difficult, (b) more substantial is the criticism that the deficit has been pegged down by cutting down on productive capital expenditure even while leaving the subsidies untouched.
9)Devvarman waltzes to the title
10)Australia capitulates to a 231-run defeat
11)Vijay Zol suspended
India’s under-19 captain Vijay Zol has been suspended for one match, while off-spinner Aamir Gani has been reprimanded after being found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup quarterfinal match against England.Zol was found to have breached Article 2.2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language or gesture(s) that is seriously obscene, seriously offensive or of a seriously insulting nature to another Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person during an International Match”.Gani was found to have breached Article 2.1.4 of the Code, which relates to “using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International Match”.Graeme La Brooy of the ICC Regional Referees Panel imposed the sanctions after both the players pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the proposed sanctions. — PTI
12)Moments of magic that have made the Sochi Games memorable
ON A HIGH:Norway’s Ole Einar Bjoerndalen became the greatest ever Winter Olympian by taking a record 13th medal with gold in the mixed relay at the Sochi Games— PHOTO: AP
Ten magic moments from the Sochi Winter Olympics:
Married bliss: Russian snowboarder Vic Wild won gold in the men’s parallel giant slalom just minutes after his wife Alena Zavarzina took bronze in the women’s event.
“For both of us to have success on the same day is just incredible. I don’t know how this happened, it’s too good to be true,” said Wild, who was granted Russian citizenship in 2012, a year after the couple were married.
Cool Runnings: Jamaica’s laid-back bobsleigh team, whose predecessors once inspired the Hollywood smash hit Cool Runnings , returned to the Olympics after a 12-year absence. Despite vocal support from the crowd, pilot Winston Watts and brakeman Marvin Dixon finished second from bottom at the Sochi sliding centre in their distinctive yellow, green and black sled.
Record breaker: Norwegian veteran biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen became the greatest ever Winter Olympian by taking a record 13th medal with gold in the mixed relay at the Sochi Games.
The 40-year-old has overtaken his compatriot, the cross country ski legend Bjoern Daehlie, who won 12 medals in his career. Bjoerndalen has eight golds, equalling Daehlie’s record.
Dutch delight: It wasn’t so much a competition as a coronation for the Netherlands’ speed skaters, who made off with 23 of the 36 medals on offer — including eight golds from 12 events.
“We have a lot of great skaters. There’s a lot of high-level competition and that is why we keep improving,” said Ireen Wust, who won five medals in Sochi.
Wacky weather: Competitors stripped down to T-shirts and shorts as the Sochi Games basked in glorious spring weather that forced some minor rejigging of ski schedules.
The snow suffered as temperatures nudged 20 Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) in the mountains.
But it was dense fog that caused the biggest headache for organisers, forcing them to postpone some events.
Smashing time: US bobsleigh competitor Johnny Quinn became an instant internet hit after he smashed through his jammed bathroom door, with a picture of his handiwork going viral.
Just two days later the accident-prone competitor found himself stuck in a lift on a media tour of the US networks to explain how he had managed to smash the gaping hole in the Sochi door.
Sister act: The three Canadian Dufour-Lapointe sisters took sibling rivalry to a new level in the final of the women’s moguls competition, where the youngest, Justine, 19, won gold. “My sister is my best friend and believe it or not, we don’t have a rivalry” she said after beating Chloe, 22, into second place. Maxime, 25, finished 12th.
Spirit of the Games: Canadian coach Justin Wadsworth showed the true spirit of the Olympics by handing a replacement ski to Russian cross country skier Anton Gafarov, who had broken his in a crash.
“It is just the essence of the Olympic Games, the Olympic spirit, in its core. So I think that is great,” said Sochi 2014 spokeswoman Alexandra Kosterina.
Gold for grieving Ukraine: With their country wracked by violence, Ukraine raced to gold in the women’s team biathlon relay, dedicating their inspirational performance to a nation in grief.
The president of Ukraine’s Olympic Committee, former pole vault great Sergey Bubka, said the victory could help unite his country and bring peace after deadly clashes between security forces and protesters.
Ski cross scramble: It was undignified but effective. Russia’s Egor Korotkov snatched a place in the men’s ski cross semifinals in a photo finish after a three-way tumble for the line. Korotkov’s arm-stretch proved decisive as he slid across on his on his side, edging out Sweden’s Victor Oehling Norberg and Jouni Pellinen of Finland, who were on their backs.
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