Priyanka Chopra receives Mother Teresa Memorial award for social justice page no. 02
13/12/2017, wednesday Edition: Ahmedabad
RNI NO.: GUJENG/2014/59629
Ajinkya Rahane’s omission from 1st ODI is baffling, to say the least page no. 03
ENGLISH DAILY MORNING REPUTED NEWS PAPER, AHMEDABAD Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
Short News TN honour killing: Father-in-law, 5 others get death for murdering man
Tirupur: Six people were sentenced to death by a court in Tirupur on Tuesday in connection with the suspected honour killing of a 22-year old Dalit man in full public view in nearby Udumalpet in March last year. Those sentenced to death included the father of the woman, who had married the Dalit man despite opposition from her family. Tirupur Principal District and Sessions Judge Alamelu Natarajan also sentenced another accused to life term and another to five years imprisonment in the case. The judge acquitted three other accused, including the mother of the woman, a Caste Hindu. During the trial, the prosecution has argued that it was a case of honour killing.
Hyd doctor forced to work for free, not allowed to leave Saudi; wife seeks MEA help
Hyderabad: A Hyderabad-based doctor has appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the safe return of her husband stranded in Saudi Arabia after his employer has allegedly been delaying his return. “My husband left for Saudi in 2012 to work in a Dentoplast centre as he is an orthodontist, the centre is owned by a doctor named Ali. In 2014, he renewed his contract and in 2016 it was finished. Even after completion of the contract, the employer is just postponing his exit,” Dr Pavithra Mallam, wife of Anil Mallam Balaiah (doctor) said. She said that when her husband Balaiah asked the reason for the delay, he was told by the employer that in March a few patients sued the centre for not providing free treatment. “The patients were treated by my husband.
We don’t create differences between Muslims, Hindus in Bengal: Mamata Kanksa (West Bengal): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said her government would not let anyone create differences between the Hindus and Muslims in the state and slammed the BJP for resorting to a “false propaganda” to malign her party. Banerjee’s comments came in the backdrop of a brutal killing of a labourer from the state in Rajasthan last week. “One person from our state was burnt alive in Rajasthan. How long will this keep happening? I do not want to know whether he was Muslim or Hindu. In West Bengal, we do not create differences between Hindus and Muslims, between Sikhs and Christians. We consider everybody as our family members,” she told a public meeting at Kanksa in West Bengal.
Modi’s last day of Guj campaigning: A sea-show, prayers at Ambaji temple
Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, concluded the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) election campaign in Gujarat with prayers at Ambaji temple in Banaskantha. He flew to the district in India’s first seaplane. Modi took a flight to Dharoi Dam in Mehsana district from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad. He went to Banaskantha from Mehsana via road and offered prayers at the famous Ambaji temple. He will again take the seaplane to return to Ahmedabad. After the Ahmedabad police had cancelled his roadshow over security, and law and order concerns, Modi announced on Monday that he would instead visit Ambaji temple. “Tomorrow for the first time in the history of the country a seaplane will land on the Sabarmati River. I will go to Ambaji in the sea-plane after landing in Dharoi dam and come back,” Modi announced at a poll rally in Ahmedabad. “Our party had planned my road show tomorrow. However, the administration has not given permission and I had time so I decided to go to Ambaji in the seaplane,” Modi said.
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December 13, 2017, wednesday
Avalanche in J&K’s Gurez sector; five soldiers missing New Delhi : Five soldiers are missing in north Kashmir’s Gurez and Nougam sectors after avalanches got triggered due to the heavy snowfall. The army has begun rescue operations and pressed specialised teams into operation. “Two
soldiers slipped down the slope in Naugam sector and three soldiers went missing from a forward post in Kanzalwan sub – sector (Gurez Sector) of Kupwara district during heavy snowfall in last 24 hours,’’ Defense spokesman, Col
Rajesh Kalia said. He said that search and rescue operations are underway. The upper reaches of Kashmir Valley has been receiving heavy snowfall from Monday and there is prediction from the MET department that more
snowfall is expected in the upper areas of Kashmir. On Sunday evening, both MET department and Army’s – Snow Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) had warned about avalanches in the upper regions of the Valley.
Defamation case
Arun Jaitley accuses Delhi CM of committing perjury, Kejriwal terms it ‘baseless’
The strongest Opposition voice in the country: Why ‘silent’ Manmohan Singh worries the BJP
New Delhi : It’s an irony that the man who was ridiculed for his silence, the man who was accused of being weak has now become the Opposition’s strongest voice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The `Accidental Prime Minister’ has proved the power of his silence by speaking out aggressively – in his own carefully chosen words – against the policies of the BJP government. Each time Dr Manmohan Singh has spoken, the BJP appears rattled. Everyone from the PM and Finance Minister downwards has come out to counter him. The BJP and its top leaders ridiculed him at every opportunity they got during his tenure as prime minister – they called him the weakest PM, ham-handed, a puppet and disparaged him as “nikamma”.
BJP has lost its position: Rahul Gandhi confident of winning Gujarat polls Ahmedabad: A day after being elected unopposed president of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over what he said was their silence on corruption. Addressing media on the last day of campaigning for the ongoing Gujarat Assembly elections, ahead of the second and final phases of voting Rahul Gandhi said, “PM has not spoken a word about corruption and is silent on Jay Shah and Rafale deal.” “Earlier Modiji used to talk about corruption everywhere. But
since we raised the issues of Jay Shah (BJP President Amit Shah’s son) and the Rafale defence deal (with France), he stopped talking about corruption,” the Congress leader said. “The PM is either talking about Congress or himself during his public meetings,” Rahul added. Talking about the internal conflict in the Congress following Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remarks, Rahul Gandhi said he had made his position clear. “We took action against him. But what Modiji has been saying about Dr Manmohan Singh is also not acceptable.
New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday denied before the High Court that he instructed his counsel, Ram Jethmalani, to use derogatory words against Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Kejriwal was replying to an August 23 notice issued by the court on a plea filed by Jaitley against him. In the petition, Jaitley sought action against Kejriwal for making a false statement during cross-examination in a defamation suit against the CM and five other leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party. Jaitley, who has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation
Modi had on Sunday claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Aiyar’s house on Dec 6.
Modi allowed Pak’s ISI to ‘picnic’ in Pathankot airbase, gave Sharif gifts: Lalu
Patna: In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday accused the PM of “allowing Pakistan’s notorious agency ISI to picnic in the sensitive Pathankot airbase”. Accusing the Prime Minister of hypocrisy, Lalu said Modi went to Pakistan uninvited and also called Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Saharif to his oath taking ceremony. “He goes uninvited to Pakistan,allows
it’s notorious agency ISI to picnic in our sensitive Pathankot airbase, calls Pakistan PM in oath ceremony, gifts him generously, still Pakistan is bad,” Lalu tweeted.
“If you hate Pakistan then why don’t you end Most Favoured Nation status given to Pakistan?” he added. In a sharp counter-offensive on Prime Minister Narendra
Modi over his “conspiracy with Pakistan” remark, former premier Manmohan Singh on Monday said he was setting a “dangerous precedent” with his “ill-thought transgression” and asked him to apologise to the nation. Modi had on Sunday claimed that some Pakistani officials and Manmohan Singh met at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s house over dinner on December 6, a day before Aiyar’s “neech” jibe against the PM.
Kejriwal has filed his written submission on court notice issued to him in a second civil defamation suit against him, filed by Jaitley seeking Rs 10 crore as damage.
Delhi HC dismisses Kejriwal’s plea to strike down Jaitley’s reply New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed Arvind Kejriwal’s plea to strike down Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s reply filed in response to his written submission in the second Rs 10 crore defamation suit against the Chief Minister. Justice Manmohan held that the averments in the replication, or Jaitley’s reply to Kejriwal’s written submission, “crystalise” the Union Minister’s stand on an important issue and are relevant to the case. The court also observed that the submission of the Union Minister in his replication “is not inconsistent, is not frivolous and also not abuse of the process
Mo : 98250 98053
of law”. The court, however, granted four weeks’ time to Kejriwal to file his response to the new facts introduced by Jaitley in his replication. The court’s order came on the Delhi Chief
Minister’s plea seeking to strike out the entire reply of Jaitley filed in response to Kejriwal’s written submission. Kejriwal claimed that Jaitley’s replication contained additional allegations which did not
form part of the plaint, and hence, the chief minister did not have a chance to rebut them through his written statement. Kejriwal has filed his written submission on court notice issued to him in a second civil defamation suit against him, filed by Jaitley seeking Rs 10 crore as damage. Later, Jaitley was asked to file his reply to Kejriwal’s submission. The second suit claimed that the then counsel of the Chief Minister, Ram Jethmalani, made derogatory remarks against Jaitley in the proceedings of another defamation suit between the two and five other AAP leaders.
suit against the AAP leaders, then moved a fresh application, alleging the CM had falsely denied that he instructed his counsel to use derogatory remarks against the Union minister, which was opposed by Jethmalani two days later. Kejriwal, in his response, filed through advocate Anupam Shrivastav, denied he had committed any perjury or made any false statement under oath. “It is denied that the senior advocate representing the defendant 1 (Kejriwal) on instructions had used abusive, offensive and per se defamatory words against the applicant/ plaintiff (Jaitley).
BJP leader arrested in Gadchiroli for alleged sexual exploitation of minor girl
Nagpur : Gadchiroli police on Monday arrested Ajay Yanganti, a BJP leader from Sironcha tahsil of the district for allegedly sexually exploiting a minor girl for over one year. “We arrested him on Monday evening after the case was referred to us from Gadchiroli, where the girl was staying in a protection Home of District Child Welfare Committee,” Assistant Police Inspector of Asarali police station Rameshwar Darade told news agancy. Earlier, an offence was registered against Yanganti at Gadchiroli on Sunday for rape (376 of the IPC), sexually exploiting children (Prevention of Child Sexual Offence) and Prevention of Child Marriage Act. “The girl, 17, was brought to Gadchiroli about a month ago after she complained of her forcible marriage by her mother at Ankisa village. She then narrated her story to the District Women and Child Welfare Officer Anil Bhadange. Bhadange in turn approached us with a complaint. So we registered offence against Yanganti after she gave us statement.
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wednesday, 13 December, 2017
Indian diplomacy, beyond the canon
India’s intensive diplomatic engagements this week help us better frame Delhi’s unfolding multi-directional foreign policy. That India can sit with the US and its allies one day and hold consultations with the Russians and Chinese the next is certainly disconcerting to the traditionalists in Delhi. But South Block sees the new approach as reflecting a definitive pragmatism rooted in the rise of India and the emergence of multipolar world. But first to Delhi’s diplomatic calendar this week. It began with the conclusion of “Bodhi Parva” — a celebration of Buddhist heritage to mark the 20th anniversary of a Bay of Bengal Forum, inelegantly called the BIMSTEC. It brings together five South Asian nations (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and two South East Asian nations (Burma and Thailand). India’s current eastward orientation is also highlighted by a second event in Delhi this week — a conference on connecting India and the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). If cultural, digital and physical connectivity have become important themes in Indian diplomacy these days, so has the idea of minilateralism with multiple partners. Delhi’s support for the renewal of the quadrilateral security dialogue last month marked its emphasis on ad hoc and flexible arrangements to pursue India’s interests in a more complex world. Delhi is hosting the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers this week as part of a continuing trilateral engagement over the last decade and a half. It then holds another trilateral forum with Japan and Australia this week. Top diplomats from Delhi, Tokyo and Canberra have been meeting regularly over the last three years. This supplements the quadrilateral dialogue as well as the on-going trilateral engagement with the US and Japan. Delhi is also holding the firstever “two plus two” dialogue with Australia in which the foreign and defence secretaries from the two countries sit together. To add some additional spice into this mix, Delhi is welcoming the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland, this week. This follows the visit to Delhi last month by Prince Charles, when the two sides agreed to consider the prospects for India playing a larger role in the Commonwealth. The revival of the quad certainly raised political eyebrows in Delhi and beyond. Some worry about India’s commitment to non-alignment and presume an irreversible tilt towards the US. Delhi, by no means is defensive. It points to the Chinese effort to construct a “new type of great power relations” with the United States, Beijing’s quadrilateral dialogue with the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Russia’s interest in a grand bargain with America under President Donald Trump. Delhi has no reason to abandon its engagement with Russia and China. India is certainly eager to expand the sphere of cooperation with Russia and China and limit many of the divergences.
- Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
www.sunvillasamachar.com
Hollywood - Bollywood Tiger Zinda Hai director Ali Abbas Zafar:
Deepika has been mired into a huge controversy regarding her latest period drama, where she plays a Rajput queen.
‘Deepika suits historical roles perfectly’: Madhuri Dixit on Padmavati actress
Ajay Devgn is so easy to work: Ileana D’Cruz Ileana D’Cruz, who was seen with Ajay Devgn in the film Baadshaho, will now be seen sharing the screen space with him again in her next Raid. Although it is her second outing the actor, Ileana can’t stop gushing about him. She said, “It was really great shooting with Ajay again. The shooting is almost done. It went off smoothly,” she says. “Ajay is one of those people who is just so easy to work with. In fact, you forget the fact that he is a superstar,” she adds. Ajay plays a no-nonsense IT officer and Ileana is his love interest in the film. This period drama is widely shot in Lucknow. She says, “It’s a great role. The film is set in the 1980s. People really want to see good content. So I am glad I am part of this project.” Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, Raid is slated to release on March 16, 2018.
Calling Deepika Padukone among her favourites, Madhuri Dixit said the actor is a natural fit in historic characters. Deepika has been mired into a huge controversy regarding her latest period drama, ‘Padmavati,’ where she plays Rajput queen Padmini. Various fringe and political groups have raised objection at the portrayal of the Rajasthani queen in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film. Deepika and Bhansali were even subjected to death threats a few weeks ago regarding the film. When asked about her favourite female actor, Madhuri, who was present at the Lux Golden Rose Awards, named Deepika, Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra. “I like Alia, Deepika and Priyanka for different reasons. I like Alia because because she experiments a lot with her roles and she is a very good actress. She is extremely natural in front of the camera. “There’s Deepika, who is extremely gorgeous and carries off historic roles very beautifully.
Happy 67th Birthday Rajinikanth: Thalaiva’s 10 hilarious memes!
Editor
Another pregnancy hint from Khloe Kardashian? Mumbai: Superstar Rajinikanth has turned 67 today and the fans all over the world are celebrating their favourite stars’ special day with great enthusiasm and love. Over the years, the megastar of South Indian cinema, Rajinikanth has acquired a definite cult status and a place in popular culture. For his fans, there is absolutely nothing that he can not do. The once viral memes of his is the proof of how much fans adore him for his larger than life persona. On his 67th birthday, we take a look at Thalaivar’s collection of humor images shared by Internet users around the world.
Salman and Katrina are so comfortable offscreen, their chemistry blooms on camera
Tiger Zinda Hai, a film about two spies — one Indian and the other Pakistani — is largely a story about humanity, says its director Ali Abbas Zafar, who feels handling sensitive topics can be a “doubleedged” sword these days. Even at the best of times, tackling a movie with Indian and Pakistani protagonists can be tricky. How did he handle it? “The film is a very human story… it is not political at all. The idea is that when there is a fight between right and wrong, what is at stake is humanity. And there’s nothing bigger than humanity,” Zafar told news agancy over phone from Mumbai. Given the current times, there’s a question mark on the creative freedom of filmmakers in India, especially when it comes to sensitive topics. What does he have to say on that “It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “As a filmmaker and a creative person, I need to be sensitive to what is happening around me. I always personally think that no matter what happens, everything can be solved through dialogue. We should not take ourselves too seriously. At the end of it, it is a film… We work because of our conviction… at the same time it should not offend anyone.” Tiger Zinda Hai is the sequel to the 2012 actioner Ek Tha Tiger, which was directed by Kabir Khan. The film featured superstar Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif as Indian and Pakistani agents, and the two stars are back on-screen after five years in the same roles.
Priyanka Chopra receives Mother Teresa Memorial award for social justice
Global star Priyanka Chopra has received Mother Teresa Memorial award for Social Justice. Angelina Jolie, the Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, was among the first to take up the cause of fighting for the rights of refugees and displaced people. Global superstar Priyanka Chopra now takes the baton ahead as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Touched by her compassion and kindness, the international superstar’s deep connect with the young generation has earned her Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice. Priyanka received an invitation by the Harmony Foundation for lending her support and contribution towards social causes. However, her mother Dr Madhu Chopra collected the award on her behalf. Madhu Chopra said, “I humbly accept the award on her behalf. As a mother, I am immensely proud to have a child who is so compassionate and has so much kindness in her.
Richa, Pulkit film surpasses Fukrey’s lifetime collection, earns Rs 37.30 crore
People have been guessing that Khloe Kardashian is pregnant with boyfriend Tristan Thompson’s child since September, through source reports. The reality star has been dropping hints ever since, indicating the same, and now, she’s done it again! JustJared. com reports that earlier this week, Khloe posted a photo on her Instagram account of her modeling a look from her Good American collection. In the comments of the photo, Khloe posted tagged Tristan and wrote, “hey daddy” with heart emojis.
Fukrey Returns starring Richa Chadha, Varun Sharma, Ali Fazal, Manjot Singh and Pulkit Samrat is having a healthy run at the box office. The sequel of 2013 film Fukrey collected Rs 5.10 crore on Monday, taking its total collection to Rs 37.30 crore so far. It successfully surpassed its prequel’s lifetime collection (Rs 36.50 crore) on Monday. While Fukrey Returns accumulated Rs 32.20 crore in its opening weekend, Fukrey had collected a paltry Rs 9.82 crore. This surely makes the second film in the franchise, a bigger hit. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted the latest figures. He wrote, “#FukreyReturns is having a DREAM RUN… Mon biz proves the film is all set for a long, healthy run at the BO… Expected to cross ₹ 50 cr in Week 1, as per current trends… Fri 8.10 cr, Sat 11.30 cr, Sun 12.80 cr, Mon 5.10 cr. Total: ₹ 37.30 cr. India biz.” Like its original, Fukrey Returns has also been directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba. One of its producers and acclaimed filmmaker Farhan Akhtar tweeted his gratitude on Monday. “Thank you all for the love you’re showing our film #FukreyReturns .. we’re happy you’re happy. Big hug,” he said.
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Sports Special
Ashes 2017: Our duty to rebuild trust and faith within England team, says Jonny Bairstow
Perth : Johnny Bairstow accepts that accusations of poor behaviour by England players have dented their trustworthiness in the eyes of fans but believes the team can rectify that by winning the third Ashes Test. England need to at least draw the Test in Perth to stay alive in the five-match series after they lost the first game in Brisbane by 10 wickets and the second in Adelaide by 120 runs. Off-the field incidents over the last few months, however, have also dogged the team and blighted the team’s image. Already missing allrounder Ben Stokes pending the outcome of a police investigation into an incident in Bristol in September, Bairstow was accused of ‘headbutting’ Australia’s Cameron Bancroft in a Perth bar early in the tour. Ben Duckett, who was part of the England Lions side also in Australia, was then stood down after he poured a drink over a team mate — reported to be bowler James Anderson — in the same Perth bar ahead of a warmup game before the third Test. “There
are things that have been blown up,” the wicketkeeper told British media ahead of the third Test. “That is part and parcel of it and we need to rebuild the trust we have built over the last few years as a team. “It’s taken a bit of a hit, but it’s our job and our duty to rebuild that trust and faith within the England cricket team. That starts on
Thursday. You rebuild it by winning games of cricket.”Bairstow, however, said the team’s focus was now on ensuring they retained the Ashes. “As a group of players, those things have been addressed and we need to move forward,” he said. “As players we get back into training, and that is at the forefront of our mind.
www.sunvillasamachar.com
Shubhankar Sharma wins title, place in The Open
New Delhi: Shubhankar Sharma was all of 11, with stars in his eyes when he turned up for an Ernie Els clinic at the Delhi Golf Club in 2008 as the club hosted the Emaar-MGF Masters, the first-ever European Tour event in India. Nine years later, Sharma became the first Indian to win in South Africa at the Joburg Open. He won by three shots to secure his maiden international win as a pro. It also earned him a spot for the 2018 British Open, which will be his first major. At the clinic in 2008, when Els asked if anyone wanted to hit a shot or two,
Sharma volunteered. Clad in casuals, Sharma whacked the ball hard and long on the range, where a bucket was placed as a target of sorts. “Twice, he (Shubhankar) hit past that target,” recalled Col. M.L. Sharma, who encouraged his son to turn professional even before he had turned 16. At the end of the session, Els gave the young Sharma his visiting card, and said something like, “When you become a big pro and want anything, call me.” Sharma never forgot that and kept the card. In fact, he framed it. Interestingly, at that event S.S.P. Chawrasia beat a star-studded field for
his big breakthrough. “What happened in 2008 obviously changed everything for me. I was so happy and I framed the card. It just shows that small things from great players like him go a long way. I was only an 11-year-old boy back then,” recalled Sharma after his win in Joburg. Sharma met Els again in Macao two years ago. Sharma is the youngest Indian to win on European Tour, and the second youngest Indian to win on Asian Tour — that being Gaganjeet Bhullar, who was 21 years and three months, when he won the Indonesia President Invitational in 2009.
Ajinkya Rahane’s omission from 1st ODI is baffling, to say the least Dharamsala : At 29/7, India were wilting under the precision and relentless accuracy of Suranga Lakmal & Co., and without MS Dhoni’s solo act, they would have plummeted to their lowest total in ODIs. In the end, 112 would prove to be grossly inadequate in the cooler climes of Dharamsala. India’s capitulation in the first ODI against Sri Lanka speaks volumes about their batsmen’s inability to counter quality swing and seam bowling. A glance at their batting line-up suggests inexperience and a tinge of fragility in the middle order, something the Lankans exploited to the hilt on Sunday. Barring the openers (Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan) and Dhoni in the middle order, there’s hardly any experience in this playing line-up. Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey have been around for some time, but they have not had a sustained run in this format, while Shreyas Iyer is a relative greenhorn, having featured in only three T20s before coming to Dharamsala. After India’s seven-wicket loss in his first ODI as captain, Rohit Sharma said that playing in such conditions was an “eye-opener” for his team. He also admitted the team missed the skill and technique of Ajinkya Rahane on such tracks. “I think we made it clear in Sri Lanka that he is an opening batsman and we don’t want to keep changing his batting slot. It plays on anyone’s mind, not just his, if one’s batting order is kept on changing.
business
Breathtaking natural beauty and exciting Adventurous games
South African Tourism sets it’s focus on Indian Markets & Gears up to Welcome Gujarati Tourists.
Gujarat : South Africa is a country on the southernmost tip of the African continent, marked by several distinct ecosystems.. The Western Cape offers beaches, lush winelands around Stellenbosch and Paarl, craggy cliffs at the Cape of Good Hope, forest and lagoons along the Garden Route, and the city of Cape Town, beneath flat-topped Table Mountain. South Africa is ranked sixth out of the world‘s seventeen megadiverse countries [4] and is home to a large variety of animal life. Among the large mammals found in the northern bushveld include the concept of BIG 5’s which includes the Lions, Leopards, Rhinoceros (both black and white species), Elephants, and Cape buffalos. Other wonderful animal life includes. blue wildebeest, kudus, impalas, hyenas, hippopotamuses and giraffes. The country is also particularly rich in plant diversity, with a wide variety of biomes found across the country. These include the grasslands in the Highveld, the succulent Karoo in central South Africa, and the endemic fynbos biome, constituting the majority of the area and plant life in the Cape floristic region of the Western Cape. This rare vegetation is protected as part of the Table Mountain National Park (which also includes the iconic flat-topped Table Mountain), which was the most-visited national park in South Africa in 2014/15, with a total of 2 677 767 visitors. South Africa is a tourist destination and the industry accounts for a substantial amount of the country‘s revenue. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the tourism industry directly contributed ZAR 102 billion to South African GDP in 2012, and supports 10.3% of jobs in the country.
‘India Inc’s Nov M&A deal tally grows 55 per cent to USD 3 billion’
New Delhi: India Inc’s merger and acquisition activity registered a growth of 55 per cent year- on-year in November with deals worth USD 3.2 billion, powered by big-ticket transactions and revival in cross-border activity, says a report. According to assurance, tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton, cross-border deal tally logged an over seven-fold increase in value terms in November. The month recorded four crossborder transactions valued at over USD 100 million compared to only one such deal in November 2016. In November, there were 39 M&A transactions worth USD 3,217 million while in the same period last year, there were 45 deals worth of USD 2,074 million. “Aggregate value of M&A transactions increased by over 50 per cent despite a minor dip in transaction volumes. This increase was primarily driven by a couple of cross-border transactions in telecom,
pharma, healthcare and biotech sectors aggregating USD 1.9 billion,” said Prashant Mehra Partner at Grant Thornton India LLP. Compared to October 2017, the M&A deal space in November has been encouraging with an 8 per cent jump in volumes while the value dropped by 15 per cent on account of reduced bigticket transactions. November did not see any deal in the billion dollar category compared to one in October. In January-November, there were 389 merger and acquisition deals worth USD 39.86 billion, registering a 7 per cent decline in value terms and 20 per cent fall in terms of number of transactions over the equivalent period last year. Sector-wise, pharma and healthcare led the counter in November, accounting for 42 per cent of total deal value, driven by Fortis Healthcare’s acquisition of Indian portfolio of RHT health trust for USD 715 million.
RIL owes over Rs 1,900 crore in surcharge dues to MMRDA: Devendra Fadnavis Nagpur: Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) owes “additional surcharge” of more than Rs 1,900 crore to state- run agency MMRDA for delay in development of plots in Mumbai, the Maharashtra Assembly was informed on Tuesday. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave this information while responding to a query by MLA Sharad Sonawane during the Question Hour of the Winter Session, which is held in Nagpur. The MLA from Junnar in Pune district had sought to know the names of the companies which have not paid surcharge for delay in plot development to the MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority). In a written reply in the Lower House, Fadnavis said: “Construction in the G-block of Bandra Kurla Complex owned by MMRDA was not completed by some firms within the (stipulated) four-year period. Hence, additional surcharge for such a delay has not been paid yet by some companies, including RIL.” “The dues include Rs 441.08 crore for plot number C-66 and Rs 1,538.73 crore for plot number C-64 from RIL alone,” said Fadnavis, who is also Chairman of the authority. RIL is constructing a convention-cumexhibition centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, an upscale business district in Mumbai’s suburbs. There was no immediate comment from RIL on the issue. Fadnavis said the other companies which have “not yet paid their dues are the Indian Newspaper Society (Rs 56.02 crore for plot number C-63, Jamunaben Foundation (Rs 24.09 crore for plot numbers SF 7 and 9B), Talim Research Foundation (Rs 33.39 crore for plot number SF 6) and Naman Hotel Rs 31.68 crore for plot numbers C-57 and 58”.
ONGC seeks access to data room to fix HPCL acquisition price
New Delhi: State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has sought access to a data room to help fix the price at which it can acquire government’s 51.11 per cent stake in HPCL. India’s largest oil and gas producer has so far been given an information memorandum (IM) by government’s transaction advisor which ONGC feels is not sufficient to arrive at a valuation of Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), sources privy to the development said. ONGC, they said, wants to better understand HPCL’s financials, particularly the investments it has committed in projects like a greenfield refinery at Barmer in Rajasthan, before it embarks on buying the government stake which at today’s price is worth over Rs 32,600 crore. Sources said ONGC wants to do a proper due diligence on HPCL and access to data room is a prerequisite for that. HPCL already has a data room and will give access to the same to ONGC if the seller (government) so desires, a company official said. The official said the company has already shared information with government’s transaction advisor and it is ready to share more if the need arises. Previously, the government was of the view that ONGC should arrive at a valuation of HPCL based on the publicly available information..
4 / Dt. 13-12-2017, wednesday, Ahmedabad
Married woman found murdered in Surat village
SURAT: A 35-year-old woman was found murdered in a farm near Kosamada village in Kamrej district of Surat on Monday. The woman was strangled with a piece of cloth and her throat had been slit with a sharpedged weapon. Police have got specific leads that the woman had gone to meet an acquaintance before her body was found. Body of Varsha Zala, a resident of Varachha, was found in the sugarcane farm of Jayanti Patel at Kosamada village. A knife and a cutter were found near the body besides the mobile phone of the deceased. Police contacted relatives of the deceased from the phone diary. The woman left home on Sunday afternoon informing her daughters that she was going out for some work and will return soon. When she did not return till late night, her husband Pravin lodged a missing persons complaint at Varachha police station. Varachha police failed to locate the woman. “We passed on the message to nearby police stations, but no immediate information was received,” the police said. Varsha’s body was not properly covered with her sari. Police sent the body for postmortem and investigating if she was raped before her murder.
BJP under pressure but still ahead in Gujarat
Ahmedabad : This past week, as we travelled for our #ElectionWithTimes programming through the areas of Gujarat that went in for polling in the first phase on December 9, meeting hundreds of people, a few things emerged, clearly. One, there are definite signs of anti-incumbency. Not surprising, after all the BJP has been in power in the state for 22+ years. Two, what overall impact it would have may not be known yet, but Hardik Patel has surely emerged as a major factor. And three, and most importantly, despite the noises created by the Congress, Rahul Gandhi is a non-issue. Antiincumbency is an issue. Most lamented the lack of development. This must be seen in relative terms, for Gujarat is visibly more developed than most parts of the country, but the feeling of being let down by their governments was quite strong among the people we met. This angst was most visible in the traditional entry point to Saurashtra: Viramgram in Ahmedabad district, which is also Hardik Patel’s hometown.
A recurrent highlight is the Gujarati youth’s curiosity about the world of white-collar jobs and their sense of astonishment over the perks and privileges that come with it.
In Gujarat, a recurring question, where have the jobs gone?
Gujarat : The state highways are smooth but the journeys are long and arduous. So they take refuge in their smartphones, mostly encased in plastic, shutting themselves off from the rest of the world. The occasional chuckle from the youngsters and the sound leaking from ear plugs give some hint about the source of entertainment – mostly video clips of Bollywood flicks, regional albums or comedy clips. Prince Parmar is on one such bus, travelling to Gandhidham, a town in Kutch district, from Patan town. The 23-year-old youth, son of a landless
farmer, works as a “supervisor” in a garments company in Gandhidham for a meagre salary of Rs 10,000 per month. “And they deduct half the salary if you take even three days off,” Parmar, a Dalit, says. While sharing his angst and frustration, Parmar suddenly asks, “How much do you earn? What did you study?” As Gujarat prepares to vote in the second and last phase of the election on
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December 14, Parmar’s question takes on added import, reflecting not just the many worries of youth in the state but also sending out a message for parties competing for power. A recurrent highlight of a nearly 550-km road trip across north Gujarat is the Gujarati youth’s curiosity about the world of white-collar jobs and their sense of astonishment over the perks and privileges that come with it.
Gujarat polls: 16 seats up for grabs in Ahmedabad mega city
AHMEDABAD: As the clock ticks for the second phase of Assembly polls in central and north Gujarat on December 14, all eyes are on 39 lakh voters of 16 seats in the mega city, considered a stronghold of the BJP since the 90s. During the 2012 Assembly polls, the BJP won 14 seats here, including Ghatlodia, Jamalpur-Khadia, Vejalpur, Vatva, Ellisbridge, Naranpura, Nikol, Naroda, Thakkarbapa Nagar, Bapunagar, Amraiwadi, Maninagar, Sabarmati and Asarwa(SC), while the Congress won two seats-Dariyapur and Danilimada(SC). Like other cities of Gujarat, the voters of this bustling urban centre have been standing firmly behind the BJP since the early 90s. At least five seats - Ghatlodia, Nikol, Maninagar, Sabarmati and Thakkarbapa Nagar -
Gujarat elections: EC orders repolling in six booths on December 14
Ahmedabad : The Election Commission on Tuesday ordered repolling in six booths that went to polls in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly Elections on December 9, official sources said. The reason behind repolling was that presiding officers had not removed the mock poll data before the commencement of the actual elections. These polling booths are part of four of the 89 first phase assembly constituencies where votes have already been cast. It includes Ghunda and Manohar polling stations of Jamjodhpur seat in Jamnagar district, Bandharda and Gangda polling booths of Una seat in Gir Somnath district, Chorvad polling booth in Nizar (ST) seat of Tapi district and Chanod Koloni booth in Umbergaon (ST) seat of Valsad district. The repolling in these polling booths will be held on December 14 along with the second phase of polls in the state.
international Bomber held after blast in New York subway
Bangladesh : An ISISinspired Bangladeshiorigin man, wearing a homemade device, triggered a blast at a metro station in New York City during the morning rush hours, injuring four persons and causing chaos in one of the busiest commuter hubs in the metropolis, officials said. Akayed Ullah, the 27-yearold suspected bomber, had wires and a pipe bomb strapped to his body. The device prematurely exploded between two subway platforms near Port Authority, which is America’s largest bus terminal, police said.
The suspect was taken into custody after the device partially exploded. The subway station was evacuated and Port Authority terminal was shut down. Ullah
was alone, the police said, adding that the explosion was recorded on surveillance video. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far, though
it was being treated as terror-related. “This was an attempted terrorist attack. Thank God he did not achieve his goal,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters.
have a sizable population of Patidars. These areas witnessed violence and arson during the quota agitation led by Hardik Patel two years back. Four seats - Jamalpur-Khadia, Dariyapur, Danilimada and Vejalpur - have a considerable number of Muslim voters. The Maninagar constituency, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi thrice from 2002 till 2014 as then MLA and Gujarat chief minister, can easily be termed as the city’s most high profile seat and a bastion of the BJP. In 2012, Modi won by a margin of over 86,000 votes. Following Modi’s resignation from Maninagar after becoming the prime minister in 2014, BJP candidate Suresh Patel won the byelection from the seat, having around 52,000 Patidar voters, by a majority of over 49,000 votes.
Alpesh Thakor not bringing many new votes to Congress, even in own seat Mehsana : Among the two youth community leaders, Hardik Patel (Patidar) and Alpesh Thakor (OBC), Hardik seems to have more of a hold among his community across Kheda, Arvalli, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Patan and Sabarkantha districts in North Gujarat, which go to polls on December 14. Alpesh, who has joined the Congress, doesn’t seem to have swung many supporters to the party even in Radhanpur Assembly constituency of Patan district, where he is contesting. “Alpesh is new to politics. I have no reason to follow him,” says Rambhai Thakor, in his late 30s, who runs an animal feed shop at Radhanpur says. A few of his customers, also Thakor, from nearby Maghapur-Ramnangar village, nod, saying their votes remain with the BJP despite Alpesh being in the race. Bharat Parmar, a Thakor in his mid30s, at Rudan village of Mehmedabad Assembly segment in Kheda, calls himself a loyal BJP man. “We are not guided by Alpesh. In fact, he should not have joined politics. By joining politics he has betrayed the community,” Parmar says.
No winds of change likely in Vadodara
VADODARA: The cultural capital of Gujarat —Vadod ara —-is not likely to vote for change as state goes for the second phase of polling on Thursday. Vadodara district, which has 10 Assembly segments, has been a BJP bastion for decades and looks set to vote for the saffron party once again this time. It has been a VIP constituency of sorts since the time the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi decided to contest the 2014 parliamentary elections from Vadodara. Congress has not been able to build its party base in the district. In 2012, of the 10 Assembly segments, BJP cornered nine seats and one
(Savli assembly segment) was won by an independent, Ketanbhai Mahendrabhai Inamdar. Congress is facing
a tough fight in all seats this time. The party is banking on its booth-level workers to mobilise voters, but it does not have much of a presence here. Five of the 10 seats -Vadoadara City, Sayajigunj, Akota, Raopura and
Manjalpur -- are urban seats where the party has always been weak. In Sayajigunj seat, an independent, Rajesh Ahire, has queered the pitch for Congress’ Narendra Rawat, who wasn’t the party’s first choice of candidate. The urban constituencies have been uneasy with the introduction of Goods and Services Tax but with the recent lowering of rates, the grievances have been largely addressed. The only Assembly segment Congress has an edge is Dabhoi, a seat which has never repeated an MLA or a party. Congress’ former state unit chief Sidharthbhai C Patel, son of ex-CM Chimanbhai Patel, is taking on BJP’s Shailesh Mehta.
A group of 54 Democratic Congresswomen seek investigation into sexual misconduct allegations levelled against Trump.
Women lawmakers seek probe in Trump’s sexual misconduct
Washington: A group of nearly 60 Democratic Congresswomen has sought a thorough investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations levelled against US President Donald Trump. In a letter sent to Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reforms, the 54 women lawmakers who signed it noted that in the time of “Me Too”, women across the US were coming forward with their own harrowing stories of sexual harassment and assault. “Members of Congress have also come under scrutiny and investigation, with some resigning, for improper sexual conduct,” the letter said.“We cannot ignore the multitude of women who have come forward with accusations against Mr Trump. With that said, the President should be allowed to present evidence in his own defence,” it said. Three of Trump’s accusers at a news conference on Monday, demanded
the US Congress investigate their allegations against the US President. Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand even went to the extent of demanding Trump’s resignation. “President Trump should resign. But, of course, he won’t hold himself accountable. Therefore, Congress should
investigate the multiple sexual harassment and assault allegations against him,” Gillibrand said in a tweet. “The American people deserve a full inquiry into the truth of these allegations,” said Congresswoman Lois Frankel, head of the Democratic Women’s Working Group (DWWG).
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