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Sunday, 31 August 2014

Maruti Hopes to Get Clearance for Gujarat Plant

BANGALORE: Passenger car maker Maruti Suzuki Limited (MSL) has stated that they are confident of getting shareholder approval for their Gujarat Plant.

R C Bhargava, Chairman of Maruti Suzuki India said that the company does not have a ‘plan B’ on the issue. “We are thinking of getting voting (done) in October. There is no plan B, I can’t see why it should not happen,” Bhargava was quoted as saying by agencies.

The parent company, Suzuki Motor Corp (SMC) had decided that one of its subsidiaries would set up the third plant of the company in India reducing Maruti India to become a trading channel.

Dispelling the controversy, Bhargava reportedly said, “essentially, what has driven the decision to let Suzuki to finance the Gujarat plant is really that Suzuki now understands that their future as a global car maker is going to be increasingly dependent on India.”

He added that Maruti contributes around 40 per cent of the total sales volume of Suzuki and 25 per cent of the profit last year, it was reported. “In all respects, the Gujarat plant will function as a Maruti plant; we control when the production lines are established, when we need more capacity, we will determine what needs to be produced and how much is to be produced,” agencies quoted Bhargava.

The plant is expected to be commissioned by mid-2017 and will double their capacity from 1.5 million currently to 3 million.

“Our estimate is that the first unit to commission will cost about Rs 3,000 crore and at today’s cost we think the subsequent units each would be about Rs 2,500 crore,” Bhargava said on the likely investments for the plant.

Govt targets UPA nominees on PSU boards

NEW DELHI: After sacking four independent directors of IOC, the Narendra Modi-government is now seeking to remove nine similar Congress-appointees from the board of ONGC, HPCL and MRPL.

After getting Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest oil firm, to drop four independent directors and Engineers India to boot out two, it is now seeking to sack former power secretary P Uma Shankar, chartered accountant S Ravi and former BPCL chairman R K Singh from the board of ONGC.

It also wants chartered accountant Rohit Khanna to be removed from the board of Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL). Also, chartered accountant C L Shah, former IAS officer Neela Gangadharan, IISc Professor Jayant M Modak, professor of marketing at Banaras Hindu University Usha Kiran Rai and ship master captain John Prasad Menezes are being sought to be removed from board of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL), a subsidiary of ONGC.

Explosion fells building outside Paris, killing at least 2

ROSNY-OUS-BOIS France (Reuters) - A four-storey building in a Paris suburb collapsed after an explosion on Sunday morning, killing a child and an elderly woman, and emergency teams were searching the rubble for others still missing.

About 150 emergency workers were on hand with sniffer dogs trying to find six people unaccounted for, said the prefect of Saint-Seine-Denis, Philippe Galli.

An 8-year-old child died in the building's collapse, and firefighters found an unconscious 80-year-old woman in the debris who died while being taken out, fire department spokesman Gabriel Plus said.

Ten people, four of them seriously wounded, were pulled out of the rubble, he said.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking to reporters at the scene, said the explosion at around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) appeared to have been caused by a gas leak.

"We should be prudent, because there are investigations ongoing. There is no certainty," he said.

One side of the building in the suburb of Rosny-Sous-Bois was ripped off completely, exposing the interiors of the apartments. Local authorities said the structure itself appeared to conform to building codes.

Local residents who rushed to help in the moments after the blast described a bloody scene.

"We tried to take people out," said Arafet Brahim, who said he and his friends pulled out some children who appeared to be in good shape.

"But we also took bodies out," he said. "Frankly it was horrible, I don't know how to describe that moment," he said.

(Reporting by Morade Azzouz; Writing by Alexandria Sage; Editing by Andrew Roche)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Australia suffer historic three-wicket loss to Zimbabwe in tri-series shock

DaClarke in doubt for Pakistan Test series

Australia have suffered a shambolic defeat at the hands of cricket minnows Zimbabwe in front of a rocking crowd at Harare Sports Club.

The No.10-ranked African nation exposed Australia for their poor batting, lack of spin options and mistakes in the field in a fairy tale three-wicket triumph.

Injured again: Michael Clarke drives on the off side before retiring hurt. Photo: AP

It's just Zimbabwe's second ever win against Australia in ODI cricket - the last time it happened was at the 1983 World Cup.

When No.9 batsman Prosper Utseya brought up the winning runs with a towering six with 12 balls remaining, teammates flooded the pitch in celebration.

The embarrassing result for the world No.1 Australians means they aren't yet assured of qualifying for Saturday's tri-series final against South Africa.

On the front foot: Zimbabwean batsman Sikandar Raza sends one to the boundary. Photo: AP

Only three Australian batsmen made it past 20, with skipper Michael Clarke's courageous 68 not out despite aggravating a hamstring injury about all that held the total of 9-209 together - a record low score against battlers Zimbabwe.

After bucking the trend so far this tri-series and electing to bat first, Australia couldn't cope with Zimbabwe's spin battalion who combined to take 6-117 from 36 overs on a raging turner.

In response, Australia were under-equipped for the conditions, with not enough support for Nathan Lyon (4-44 from 10) in the spin department.

Michael Clarke retired injured only to return at the death for Australia. Photo: AP

Zimbabwean captain Elton Chigumbura's unbeaten 52 led his team to one of their greatest wins.

Needing 44 off 60 with three wickets in hand, Zimbabwe were given the life they needed two overs later when Chigumbura survived a running mix-up thanks to an off throw from Mitchell Starc at mid-on.

Starc (2-41) and James Faulkner cracked under pressure with wides and no balls at the death and Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya (30no) combined for the final 55 runs.

Clarke re-aggravated his hamstring when on 62 and, after getting to the point where he could barely hobble between wickets, retired hurt.

The captain will now fly back to Australia for treatment and is a serious doubt for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan.

But in another display of grit under pressure - he returned to the non-striker's end for the final two balls of the innings and then remarkably came onto field midway through the Zimbabwe innings when Australia were floundering.

He even bowled the 47th over with Zimbabwe needing 11 to win.

A fired-up and focused Clarke was dissatisfied with his team's intensity in the field after 18 overs and came from the dressing rooms barking instructions and pointing figures.

Clarke's presence had an almost immediate impact, with Zimbabwe slipping from a stronghold at 2-100 to the wobbles at 5-106.

But Australia's decision not to pick a second recognised spinner for the tour has been shown up to be a mistake - with nothing in the Harare deck for the bevy of seam bowlers.

Selectors also erred in leaving Test batsman and capable part-timer Steve Smith out of the XI on Sunday, with Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch going for plenty.

Mitchell Johnson's vicious pace could also have been handy, but he was rested.

Finch's left-arm offspin was blasted for 16 runs in the 17th over with Brendan Taylor (32) leading the way in the chase.

Australia must beat South Africa in their final pool match on Tuesday, or rely on Zimbabwe not sneaking a bonus point win over the Proteas on Thursday to ensure their place in the final.

Aaron Finch (11), Phil Hughes (10), George Bailey (1), Glenn Maxwell (13) and Mitchell Marsh (15) all departed cheaply to make it 5-97 after 29 overs.

Australia
A. Finch b Nyumbu 11
P. Hughes c Nyumbu b Utseya 10
M. Clarke not out 68
G. Bailey b Williams 1
G. Maxwell b Waller 13
M. Marsh c Utseya b Tiripano 15
B. Haddin c Waller b Tiripano 49
J. Faulkner c Nyumbu b Utseya 0
M. Starc b Williams 3
B. Cutting run out 26
N. Lyon not out 8
Sundries (2lb, 3w) 5
Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 209
Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Finch), 2-38 (Hughes), 3-39 (Bailey), 4-57 (Maxwell), 5-97 (Marsh), 5-147 (Clarke, retired not out), 6-147 (Faulkner), 7-150 (Starc), 8-201 (Cutting), 9-202 (Haddin).
Bowling: Chatara 8-0-56-0, Nyumbu 10-1-30-1, Utseya 10-0-45-2, Tiripano 6-1-34-2, Williams 10-2-21-2, Waller 6-0-21-1.

Zimbabwe
T. Mawoyo b Lyon 15
Sikandar Raza c sub (Smith) b Lyon 22
H. Masakadza b Starc 18
B. Taylor b Lyon 32
M. Waller c & b Maxwell 11
S. Williams c Clarke b Lyon 4
E. Chigumbura not out 52
D. Tiripano b Starc 3
P. Utseya not out 30
Sundries (2b, 3lb, 18w, 1nb) 24
Total (7 wkts, 48 overs) 211
Fall of wickets: 1-42 (Sikandar Raza), 2-44 (Mawoyo), 3-100 (Masakadza), 4-102 (Taylor), 5-106 (Williams), 6-142 (Waller), 7-156 (Tiripano).
Bowling: Starc 10-3-41-2, Marsh 4-2-13-0, Cutting 6-0-18-0, Faulkner 7-0-28-0, Lyon 10-1-44-4, Finch 2-0-19-0, Maxwell 8-0-41-1, Clarke 1-0-2-0.
Result: Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets.

AAP

Pakistan Protesters Clash with Police as Calls for Sharif’s Ouster Grow

Omar Waraich @OmarWaraich

12:00 PM ET

Supporters of Tahir ul-Qadri, Sufi cleric and leader of political party Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), carry an injured fellow protester during the Revolution March in Islamabad, Aug. 31, 2014.Zohra Bensemra—Reuters

Three die in violence as opposition leaders demand Pakistani prime minister resign over electoral fraud claims

There is an old joke about Islamabad, the sleepy and verdant capital of Pakistan: It is half the size of a Arlington National cemetery, it goes, but twice as dead. On Saturday night, however, the quiet streets near the government buildings in Islamabad were transformed into what many observers compared to a warzone, as anti-government protesters clashed for hours with the police amid clouds of tear gas. Three people are reported to have died, and hundreds wounded.

The clashes have dimmed hopes of an agreement being reached between the embattled government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the tens of thousands of protesters led by former cricket legend turned opposition leader Imran Khan and his ally, cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri.

Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, contends the elections last year which brought Sharif to power for a third time were rigged. He is demanding the resignation of Sharif and fresh elections. Qadri wants nothing less than a complete overhaul of the political system through a “revolution”. Until Saturday, authorities had generally tolerated the crowds of protesters who began gathering in Islamabad Aug. 14 for mostly peaceful demonstrations.

But as Khan and Qadri make clear that they will not settle for anything short of Sharif’s resignation, the deadlock has raised the prospect of an increasingly dangerous confrontation that could bring down the 15-month-old civilian government.

The two sides blame each other for the violence. Late on Saturday, Khan and Qadri urged their followers to enter the highly fortified “Red Zone” of the capital, a security-sensitive area at one end of Islamabad that is home to the presidential palace, parliament, the Prime Minister’s house, the Supreme Court, and many foreign embassies. The government says that it was forced to respond after the protesters cleared away shipping containers used as barricades and advanced toward the prime minister’s residence.

Doctors treating the injured said that the police had used several rounds of tear gas, baton charges and even rubber bullets. Images circulating on social media showed the bodies of protesters bearing bloody and livid scars from the apparent use of rubber bullets. At the same time, the police said that they were confronted with a contingent intent on carrying out violence against state institutions, armed with large sticks, hammers and iron rods. Some of the protesters cut the gates at parliament, letting hundreds enter into its lawns and parking area.

Pakistan’s journalists were caught in the middle of the clashes. Geo TV, one of Pakistan’s largest news channels, claimed that its offices were attacked by protesters, broadcasting images of large holes in its glass building. The standoff between the government and the protesters has sharply polarized Pakistan’s lively and excitable news media, with prominent news anchors taking vocal positions on both sides of the divide.

Sharif’s government has attempted to engage with the demonstrators. Earlier in the week, the army chief General Raheel Sharif—no relation to the prime minister—had been asked by the government to step in and mediate an end to the protests. But neither Khan nor Qadri seem prepared to compromise on anything short of their exacting demands.

The government says that it is prepared to give Khan all he has asked for, including a high-profile judicial inquiry into allegations of electoral fraud, except Sharif’s resignation. But on Sunday morning, the onetime cricket star appeared emboldened by the protests, calling on supporters around the country to convene on Islamabad for a fresh night of protests.

Not all of Khan’s allies believe that’s the best approach. Javed Hashmi, a widely-respected member of Khan’s party, spoke out Sunday against the decision to advance on the prime minister’s residence and parliament. “This kind of behavior is not seen in any country in the world, where people pick up sticks and protest outside the prime minister’s house,” Hashmi said. He added that if martial law is imposed in the country, Khan will bear the blame for leading Pakistan to that fate.

Sharif, meanwhile, remains determined to stay in power. But Saturday night’s violence, with the threat of another confrontation Sunday, may have eroded his authority further. Up to now, analysts believed that Sharif’s premiership would withstand the demonstrations, despite being weakened by them. On Sunday morning, however, several commentators on Pakistani news channels have been drawing comparisons with 1977, when anti-rigging protests and police brutality against the backdrop of failed negotiations led to a military coup.

DU halts MTech admissions

Bijnor-resident Akansha Rajput, who applied for an MTech in nuclear science and technology, was interviewed at the department of physics and astrophysics, DU. The department was supposed to declare the list of selected candidates on June 18. But when Akansha went there to check, she found out that there were no admissions, she says.

"I could not stay in PG accommodation without knowing what to do next." She did not apply to any other university for the MSc programme, preferring DU's Master's due to the global exposure it promises."Now I have to take the Joint Admission Test for MSc (at IITs and IISc) next year in February to enrol in another university."

"We had conducted the interviews and we were about to announce the list for students when we were asked to put admissions on hold. This programme has been on since 2008. We have had excellent placements under the MTech programme," says RK Shivpuri, former advisor, and founder-director, Centre for Detector and Software Technology, DU.

The MTech programme has been running in DU since 2008.However, the University Grants Commission (UGC) came out with a notification dated June 5, 2014, instructing all departments to go by global standards following standard nomenclatures and duration of programmes. According to the UGC notification, a university cannot come up with new nomenclature for degrees unless there is a strong reason.However, if it does, then the authorities have to approach the commission six months before starting the programme and en sure proper approval of the respective academic bodies. Minimum standards of instruction and prescribed norms to grant degrees need to be maintained.

"The MTech programmes don't have AICTE approval and are of three years' duration.Generally, the MTechMSc all over India are two-year programmes. Since the UGC has issued a notification, we have to comply. We have left it to the departments to come up with their strategy," says K Sreenivas, senior member, MTech managing and coordination committee, DU. The other MTech programmes are in nanoscience and nanotechnology and in chemical synthesis and process technology.

DDA to ready Rohini flats by Oct

NEW DELHI: DDA, which is building 10,000 one-bedroom flats in Rohini, has finished work on hundreds of them and is planning to complete many more before the results of its 2014 housing scheme draw are announced in October-end.

The housing agency has promised to use state-of-the-art technology in the construction of these flats in Rohini's sector 34 and 35. Some of them are autoclave aerated concrete blocks to regulate temperature and reflect heat; fly ash bricks to keep rooms cool, and provisions for rain water harvesting.

The rooms are 28 square metres large. All the buildings in the complex have four storeys with two flats on each floor.

The flats are easily accessible as verandas have been constructed to connect the buildings. Engineers in the area say that construction has been going on without a pause. "The major civil construction work has been completed in most of the flats. We have to finish the rest of them and take up auxiliary work like electricity and landscape".

As a safety measure, DDA has installed fire hydrants in every building. The flats will go on sale for Rs 14.5-Rs 16.5 lakh when the housing scheme opens in the beginning of September. This scheme?DDA's 43rd?has close to 95% of its houses for the poor and low-income group. This is for the first time since DDA began offering houses through schemes.

Another category of flats?which might become one of the most sought after sections?will be the two-bedroom apartments in Mukherjee Nagar, Narela, Rohini and Kalyan Vihar. At Mukherjee Nagar, the flats with plinth area of 126 square metres will go for close to Rs 70 lakh. There are 112 flats on offer in this complex, which has 10 storeys, a lift and CCTV cameras.

However, residents of Mukherjee Nagar who had bought flats in DDA's last housing scheme in 2010 offer a word of caution.

"Scaffolding in the complex has been falling off. Three cars were recently damaged and we have been told that fresh tenders have been issued to repair the portions of the building. Not even five years have passed since occupants started moving in and the complex is already crumbling," a resident said.

Narendra Modi takes Kyoto lesson for Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at State Guest House in Kyoto on Saturday. (Photo: AP)

Kyoto: A day after India signed a pact to develop Varanasi on the pattern of Kyoto Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a presentation from Kyoto Mayor Daisaka Kadokawa on how the ancient tradition of Japan’s cultural capital has been preserved while building it into a modern city.

During the over 40-minute presentation on Sunday, Mayor Kadokawa explained how Kyoto was cleaned up by its citizens.

He told Mr Modi that local students actively participated in cleaning up the city and reducing the garbage to 40 per cent.

Posters and billboards were discouraged and on Sunday the two remaining posters will be removed in the city, he said, adding that this exercise has been going on for several years.

Modi, who represents Varanasi constituency in the Lok Sabha, wants to develop the sacred Indian city into a ‘smart city’ by using the experience of Kyoto.

Mr Modi presented a book to the Mayor in which he wrote, “I represent Benaras. I came to know how the city of Kyoto was developed.”

Later Mr Modi said, “the reason I came to Kyoto was primarily cultural. Kyoto has maintained its cultural heritage despite troubles. It has incorporated modern needs with its cultural heritage. This city was built on the foundation of its cultural heritage. In India, we are also trying to create a heritage city.”

Kyoto, with around 2000 temples and shrines, has been at the crossroads of history since the end of the Nara Period (794 A.D.). It was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years till the Emperor moved to Tokyo.

A Partner City MoU was signed by Indian Ambassador Deepa Wadhwa and Kyoto Mayor Kadokawa at a ceremony attended by Mr Modi and Shinzo Abe on Saturdahy.

The MoU, provides for cooperation in heritage conservation, city modernisation and cooperation in art, culture and academics.