the hindu imp. news feb. 12th 2012

8/3/2019 The Hindu Imp. News Feb. 12th 2012

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A goal is a dream with a deadline.

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THE HINDU

Imp. News

Feb.12th

2012

Page-1

Bribing of voters to be made a cognisable offence:

The Union Law Ministry has reportedly accepted a proposal of the Election Commission to

amend the law to make bribing of voters, in cash or kind, a cognisable offence. It has written to

the Union Home Ministry asking for an ordinance to amend IPC Section 171(B), under which the

bribe giver is now booked, to make it a cognisable offence. It would also apply to those who

take bribes. With the amendment, law enforcing agencies would have arresting power. Persons

convicted under the section can be jailed up to one year or be fined or both. According to

Section 123(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, acceptance of money to vote is acorrupt practice. Section 171B(1) in IPC, 1860 reads: Whoever - (i) gives a gratification to any

person with the object of inducing him or any other person to exercise any electoral right or of

rewarding any person for having exercised any such right; or (ii) accepts either for himself or for

any other person any gratification as a reward for exercising any such right or for inducing or

attempting to induce any other person to exercise any such right, commits the offence of

bribery provided that a declaration of public policy or a promise of public action shall not be

an offence under this section.

59 per cent turnout in U.P. phase II polls:

About 59 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the second round involving 59 Assembly

constituencies in nine districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The State Chief Electoral Officer

Umesh Sinha said that it was not the final figure of vote percentage as full details were awaited

from some of the districts.

Probe ordered into accidental J&K killing of young man by Army:

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday ordered a magisterial inquiry into

the accidental killing of a youth in Baramulla district by the Army. An Army release said initial

investigation of the incident revealed that on the basis of intelligence which indicated the

presence of terrorists in the village, a column of 32 Rashtriya Rifles established a cordon near agroup of houses. The presence of the Army created some panic in a house, which led to the

accidental discharge of a weapon in the hands of a Rashtriya Rifles soldier. The single bullet

which was discharged hit Rather, who expired on the spot, the statement said, adding that Lt.-

Gen. Hasnain confirmed this version of events. The Army has promised a job to a male member

of the family.


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India, U.S. work for Maldives coalition:

After India did the ground work of talking long hours to all parties to the conflict in the

Maldives, the United States has stepped in to ensure that the new government sticks to its

professed mandate of forming a unity government. Both M. Ganapathi, Secretary (West),

Ministry of External Affairs, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central AsiaRobert O' Blake held meetings with the former President, Mohammed Nasheed, the new

President, Waheed Hassan, and other players. They stressed that the formation of a truly

rainbow coalition was in the best interests of the people. The Maldivian Democratic Party of

Mr. Nasheed will also talk to the new regime on joining the government.

INTERNATIONAL

Early elections unlikely in Maldives:

Mr. Nasheed's main demand that presidential elections have to be held has found no

acceptance with the new government, opposition parties, civil society or the international

community that matters here. Because of the impasse that this has led to, India was in favour

of more discussions. While India does not have a definitive view, officials pointed out that

according to Article 124 of the Constitution, elections will have to be held in November 2013.

Right now the emphasis is to help them come up with a working government that is broadly

acceptable to all parties, the official added.

Both India and the U.S. expressed the hope that the party that Mr. Nasheed belongs to would

form the new government of national unity. I can tell you that a number of good ideas are now

being explored to try to find ways to bring the MDP into this national unity government, said

Mr. Blake. But it is upto the parties themselves to decideI think in a situation like this, if youwant to form national unity government that has the participation of all parties, including the

MDP, I think everybody has to compromise.

General killed in Damascus:

Gunmen assassinated an Army general in Damascus on Saturday in the first killing of a high

ranking military officer in the Syrian capital since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's

regime began in March, the staterun news agency said. SANA news agency said three

gunmen opened fire at Brigadier General Issa alKhouli in the morning as he left his home in

the Damascus.

More Sun journalists held:

In further embarrassment for Rupert Murdoch's British media group News International

embroiled in the phone-hacking scandal, five senior journalists from The Sun were on Saturday

arrested over allegations of paying bribes to police for information. According to Sky News,

part-owned by Mr. Murdoch, those arrested included The Sun 's deputy editor Geoff Webster,


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picture editor John Edwards, chief reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker,

and reporter John Sturgis. Editor Dominic Mohan said he was shocked'' while some journalists

alleged that the newspaper was a victim of a witchhunt''. I'm as shocked as anyone by today's

arrests but am determined to lead The Sun through these difficult times. I have a brilliant staff

and we have a duty to serve our readers and will continue to do that. Our focus is on putting

out Monday's newspaper, said Mr Mohan. News Corporation remains committed to ensuringthat unacceptable news-gathering practices by individuals in the past will not be repeated and

last summer authorised theManagement and Standards Committee (MSC) to co-operate with

the relevant authorities. The MSC will continue to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to

protect legitimate journalistic privilege and sources, private or personal information and legal

privilege,'' it said.

Greece faces uncertain future:

With six Cabinet members resigning in protest against an unpopular new austerity package,

continued clashes between police and demonstrators in the streets of Athens and other major

Greek cities, increasing pressure from Germany, France and other EU biggies, Greece finds itself

faced with an uncertain future that could still lead to default and the consequent unravelling of

the Euro zone. Greece must meet debt repayments of 14.5 billion Euros by March 20 to keep it

head above water. Despite the resignation of the six members and continued street protests,

Prime Minister Papademos said a failure to pass the package could lead the country down an

unknown, dangerous path. He fears, quite rightly, that Greece could face deeper recession and

international isolation if it fails to act.

Sudan, S. Sudan sign pact:

Sudan and South Sudan have signed a treaty of non-aggression on their disputed border onFriday in Addis Ababa, where African Union-led negotiations are being held. The two countries

agree to non-aggression and cooperation, chief negotiator Thabo Mbeki, former President of

South Africa, told reporters. The two sides agreed to respect for each other's sovereignty and

territorial integrity and to refrain from launching any attack, including bombardment. Border

tensions have mounted since South Sudan split from Sudan in July, becoming the world's

newest nation. Negotiations between the two former civil war foes have been marred by

eruptions of violence along the border, including in the contested Abyei and Blue Nile states.

A bitter pill for Republicans:

Every woman should be in control of the decisions that affect her own health, Mr. Obama

said at a briefing, however adding, But if a woman's employer is a charity or a hospital that has

a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan, the

insurance company... will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care free

of charge, without co-pays and without hassles.


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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is Catholic, described the policy as the Obama

administration's attack on the Catholic Church; former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick

Santorum, another Catholic, characterised the Obama administration as trying to use their

power to force people to violate their beliefs; and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt

Romney, who is usually attacked by conservatives for his positions on both religious and

healthcare-related issues, called the policy an assault on religion... and a real blow ... to ourfriends in the Catholic faith.

Thousands cheer Suu Kyi:

Supporters waving her political party's flag came out in force to catch a glimpse of the 66-year-

old Nobel Peace laureate as her convoy crawled from the main city Yangon to Kawhmu, a poor,

rural district to the south. I acknowledge there are difficulties, said Ms. Suu Kyi. But let

others know we need the people's support. Let us overcome the hurdles together. The April

vote is being held to fill 48 parliamentary seats.

Author Zaslow is dead:

Best-selling author Jeffrey Zaslow was killed when he lost control of his car on a snowy road

after promoting his latest book in the state of Michigan. He was 53. Mr. Zaslow, co-author of

the million-selling inspirational book The Last Lecture, was also a former columnist for The

Wall Street Journaland former advice columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times .

Users will face the music: Beyonce:

In a bid to protect their month-old daughter's name Blue Ivy Carter, R&B star Beyonce and

rapper Jay-Z have applied for a patent.

The 30-year-old mother and Jay-Z (43) have filed an application with the U.S. Patent and

Trademark Office to protect their daughter's name, reported Us magazine. The music

superstars intend to use Blue Ivy as a potential brand name for a line of baby products,

including carriages, diaper bags and baby cosmetics.

Teenage suicides shake up Russia:

A 15-year-old girl jumped from the 23rd floor of her apartment house in Moscow on Saturday.

It was the sixth teenage suicide reported this week. On Tuesday, two girls aged 12 and 14,

jumped from the roof of a 14-story building in Lobnya, just outside Moscow. The next day a 14-

year-old boy jumped to death from the balcony of his 12th-floor flat in Moscow. Two boys

hanged themselves in Yakutia and Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. The immediate reasons for the suicide

were different, ranging from fear of punishment for skipping classes to a quarrel with parents

or a ban on using computer.


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BUSINESS

ITC rejigs non-notebook stationery business model:

ITC was importing non-notebook education stationery items such as colour pencils, erasers,

sharpeners, geometry boxes et al from China. A combination of factors ranging from risinglabour cost in China, unfavourable fluctuation in Chinese currency and duty on import of

stationery items have all forced ITC to dump the Chinese import and look for options within the

country.

CROs need new ways to raise funds:

GVK Biosciences, a contract research organisation (CRO), is optimistic that the level of influence

of CROs in the development of new drugs is going to grow significantly in the coming days. The

role of CROs that were considered service providers in past is changing with clients seeking new

models for value addition of their products. The research and development budget on a global

scale was close to $120 billion. Out of which 60 per cent was earmarked for clinical

development trials and the rest spent on discovering new models. That is the market we are

addressing, he said stressing the need for innovating and evolving new business models for

raising capital.

Cethar to make foray into healthcare:

Drawing up ambitious plans to venture into newer areas, leading private boiler manufacturer

Cethar Limited has decided to make foray into the healthcare sector in a big way and in the

information technology field soon. The Tiruchi-headquartered company, which has positioned

itself as one of the leaders in power plant equipment manufacture, has already embarked onconstructing a 30-bed hospital here with specialities in women and childcare and

gastroenterology. To help the poor patients, a separate trust would be started in which a

certain portion of the company's profit would be deposited to foot their full medical expenses

after obtaining their credentials, he said. Mr. Subburaj said the idea of venturing into the

healthcare sector was his long-cherished vision adding that dedicated software would be

developed with respect to hospital management system and insurance claims. The company

also plans to venture into the information technology (IT) sector by starting a marketing office

in the U.S. in July, he said.

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President urges J&K youth to stay on path of non-violence:

Urging them to pursue education and steer clear of trouble-makers, President Pratibha Patil on

Saturday interacted with a group of youngsters from Jammu and Kashmir and told them that

India depends on them to contribute to the country's progress.


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The youngsters who met the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan here are part of the Watan Ko

Jano programme conducted by the Union Home Ministry and the State Rehabilitation Council

of Jammu and Kashmir. The President was very sad to learn that these youngsters have been

affected by militancy in the region and almost all of them have lost a family member because of

extremism. She encouraged these youngsters to study and not to listen to those who are

misleading people on the State's concerns. She said India looks towards them for its progress,and that therefore they must pursue their education, said an official of the President's Office.

During their interaction with the President, the youngsters shared their experiences with her

and spoke about the new things that they had learnt about the country during their trip. The

youngsters are between 15 and 20 years of age, 127 boys and 31 girls. The youngsters have

been divided into groups that were taken to Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore,

Hyderabad, Mumbai and Jaipur. The programme which was flagged off by Jammu and Kashmir

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on January 31 concluded with the meeting with the President

and a tour of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The programme is aimed at exposing these youngsters

to places of historical, cultural and educational values. They have also had an opportunity to

interact with the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Union Minister for New and

Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah. They also participated in extra-curricular activities like

debates and sports, the official said.

Page 9

A shot in the arm for Kaiga protesters:

Agitating residents of villages in the vicinity of the Kaiga atomic power station have got support

from unexpected quarters. The former project director of the plant, Paramahamsa Tewari, who

helped to set up the installation in the early 1990s, has expressed support for the demands ofthe struggle committee of villagers within five km of Kaiga plant,' whose protest at Karwar

entered the 65th day on Tuesday. I also plan to write to the authorities about this issue, he

said.

Contractors stall relocation'-

The Karnataka government has forwarded a Rs.191-crore proposal to the National Disaster

Management Authority for the construction of roads, pipelines and footbridges in six villages in

the vicinity of the Kaiga atomic power plant. But the agitators say it will cost half the sum to

relocate the villagers by giving compensation to those whose land was acquired for the plant.

But the proposal has caught the attention of big civil contractors. They are using their political

influence to stall any move to relocate the villagers without whom the project will have no

meaning, says Yamuna Gaonkar of the struggle committee. The State government recently

roped in Manipal University and the Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute for conducting a

study to assess the impact of radiation.


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SPORT

Contrasting wins for Rushmi, Saketh:

It took all of 57 minutes for Saketh Myneni of Andhra Pradesh to become the new men's

National champion, while Rushmi Chakravarthi of Tamil Nadu required a record three hours toregain the women's title after a gap of four years.

The singles finals of the Indian Jute National grass-court tennis at the famed South Club centre-

court witnessed contrasting scenes where two generations of tennis talents clashed for

supremacy.

Looking for her sixth National title 34-year-old Rushmi scripted a rare essay of tact and

endurance to better the 16-year-old Sri Vaishnavi and realise her dream.

The results (finals):

Women's singles: Rushmi Chakravarthi (TN) bt Sri Vaishnavi Peddi Reddy (AP) 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 7-

5.

Men's singles: Saketh Myneni (AP) bt A.S. Suresh Krishna (AP) 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles: Mohit Mayur Jayaprakash & Mohamed Fariz (TN) bt Rupesh Roy (Ben) & Christopher

Marquis (Mah) 6-3, 6-4.

the hindu imp. news feb. 12th 2012

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