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Major fire at arms depot; 17 killed

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fire

Nagpur: At least 17 security personnel, including two young Army officers, were today killed in a major fire that broke out at the central ammunition depot in Pulgoan early this morning.

Two officers and 17 Defence Security Corp (DSC) jawans were injured in the blaze, some of them critically, an Army officer said.

“The main fire at one of the sheds has been extinguished. The situation is being stabilised. Secondary fire and explosions cannot be ruled out now,” the Army officer said.

The central ammunition depot at Pulgaon is one India’s biggest ammunition depot. Pulgaon is 110 kms from Nagpur.

PM Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident saying he was pained by loss of lives caused by fire at central ammunition depot.

He has asked Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to visit the spot to take stock of situation.

(PTI)

Iraqi army launches assault against ISIL in Fallujah

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Special forces enter “third phase” in fight to recapture the central city from ISIL, as 50,000 people remain trapped.

iraq

by Al Jazeera

Iraqi special forces launched an assault on one of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group’s most emblematic bastions, Fallujah, as the group counter-attacked in both Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

The assault was launched in the early hours of Monday morning. Troops entered the city from three directions.

“Iraqi forces entered Fallujah under air cover from the international coalition, the Iraqi air force and army aviation, and supported by artillery and tanks,” said Lieutenant-General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, the commander of the operation.

“CTS forces, the Anbar police and the Iraqi army, at around 4am (01:00 GMT), started moving into Fallujah from three directions,” he said.

“There is resistance from Daesh,” he added, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.

Al Jazeera’s Omar Al Saleh, reporting from Erbil, cited military sources saying that at least 10 Iraqi security forces and members of allied Shia militias were killed in the early hours of the offensive, while 25 more were injured.

Also on Monday in Ramadi, which is less than 100km from Fallujah, Iraqi police said that at least 15 special force soldiers were killed in an ISIL attack.

Meanwhile, at least nine people were killed and 26 were wounded in bombings north and northeast of the capital, Baghdad.

Fighting on Monday followed battles a day earlier, adding to the exodus of thousands of desperate civilians from the surrounding areas and deep concern for the many more trapped in the battlegrounds.

The week-old operation to capture Fallujah has so far focused on retaking villages and rural areas close to the central city, which lies just 50km west of Baghdad.

CTS’s involvement will mark the start of a phase of urban combat in a city where US forces in 2004 fought some of their toughest battles since the Vietnam War.

Only a few hundred families managed to slip out of the Fallujah area, with an estimated 50,000 people still trapped inside the city proper.

According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), around 3,000 people have managed to escape the Fallujah area since May 21.

The biggest wave so far arrived to camps for displaced people on Saturday night, NRC said, but a larger influx could be triggered when the urban battle between CTS and ISIL begins in earnest.

“Our resources in the camps are now very strained, and with many more expected to flee we might not be able to provide enough drinking water for everyone,” said Nasr Muflahi, NRC’s Iraq director.

“We expect bigger waves of displacement the fiercer the fighting gets.”

$48 for a kilo of rice

The Fallujah operation has come at a human cost, rights groups said, amid battles between ISIL (also known as ISIS) fighters and the advancing Iraqi army and allied Shia militia.

One Fallujah resident told Al Jazeera by phone that there is lack of medicine and fuel in the city.

“There is some food. We have vegetables, enough to survive. But there is no rice and sugar, the price for a kilo of rice here reached $48,” the resident said. “ISIL is on alert on the outskirts of the city. Its fighters have set up checkpoints and prepared ambushes, which prevent people form leaving.”

Natco Pharma – Set to take off

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Natco Pharma

Natco Pharma’s (NATP) Q4FY16 earnings hit a homerun with revenue, EBITDA and PAT catapulting 103%, 87% and 159%, respectively. The good show was primarily spearheaded by Hepatitis C portfolio where NATP enjoys first-mover advantage. Onco portfolio in domestic market jumped 30% YoY and it won a tender in Venezuela. The company guided for ~30% base business growth in FY17 without factoring any of the imminent upside from US opportunities like Tamiflu, Entocort, Copaxone, Nuvigil, Tracleer and Fosrenol. We believe FY17 and FY18 will be significant years for NATP as the US engine starts roaring. Maintain ‘BUY’ with target price of INR640. NATP is our top pick in the mid-cap pack.

Hep C franchise keeps beefing domestic business

Current quarter benefitted from Venezuelan tender win; however, revenue adjusted for this grew 61% YoY. India sales jumped 155% YoY and 31% QoQ driven by Hep C franchise (INR1.5bn versus INR1.1bn QoQ) as well as Oncology (up 30% YoY). Export sales surged to INR1.05bn versus INR360mn QoQ driven by tender sales in Venezuela and higher supply of Lansoprazole. Other expenses were higher due to royalties and profit share owing to Hep C franchise. EBITDA margin at 23.9% rose ~60bps QoQ. EBITDA catapulted 87% YoY and 51% QoQ. FY17 guidance of INR13.5bn sales factors the sale of SaveMart Pharmacy, continued momentum in Hep C franchise in India and current order book for export markets. It does not factor any upside whatsoever from US launches.

Exciting US launches ahead

Apart from Doxil, NATP filed 3 P-IV ANDAs in FY16, which includes Gleevec, Tarceva and 1 injectable. Over the next 12-18 months, a series of US launches are expected viz., Tamiflu, Entocort, Copaxone 20mg, Nuvigil, Tracleer and Fosrenol. A number of other interesting products like Doxil and Vidaza could also receive approval. The company is expected to file ~6-7 ANDAs in FY17, half of which will be Onco products. By FY18, Hep C franchise will also start unlocking in RoW markets, albeit the quantum will be much smaller than India where it has made the most of its headstart.

Outlook and valuations: No dearth of catalysts; maintain ‘BUY’

NATP’s filings will continue to be differentiated and keep valuations buoyant. We maintain our estimates and ‘BUY/SO’ with target price of INR640 (20x FY18E EPS).

“My latest musical album Ishq Anokha describes love in all its true colours:” Kailash Kher

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KAILASH

“Allah Ke Bandey” fame singer Kailash Kher also happens to be a prolific lyricist and a musical composer par excellence all rolled into one. He had originally arrived in the Bollywoodian Mekkah to gain name & fame as a successful lyricist in his own right. But fate had other plans for him as he first gained instant recognition as a singer with “Allah Ke Bandey” and then as a music composer (10 films till this date) and finally as a lyricist in musical albums composed & rendered by him and now there is no looking back for him. So his extremely talent oriented musical journey continuous with the release of his latest musical album titled Ishq Anokha.

Q: You have come a long way from your hit song “Allah Ke Bandey” to your latest musical album Ishq Anokha. So how would you describe this musical journey?

A: My Illustrious musical journey was really phenomenal, of course strewn with lots of ups & downs and lots of highs & lows. But at this stage I would like to make some clarifications that originally I just wanted to be the most wanted lyricist of Bollywood. But I became a singer first, then a music composer and finally my wish came true when I became a lyricist too. Besides “Allah Ke Bandey” proved to be my first hit song but my debut song was “Dil Machal Machal Jaaye Re”. It was a duet song with Sunidhi Chauhan for the film Baaz – A Bird In Danger.
Q: Please continue!

A: The journey to Bollywood was quite interesting too. I hail from Meerut. And I wanted to come to Mumbai to write some of the best lyrics as I said earlier. But from Meerut I came along with some of my friends to Delhi where I started singing advertisement jingles. Then the same friends decided to come to Mumbai to try their hands in films. So finally I ended up coming to Mumbai and become a part of this adda, I mean circle of aspiring filmy friends.

Q: Ok! Time to reveal about your latest musical album Ishq Anokha!

A: My latest musical album Ishq Anokha is an amalgamation of ode to love which traverses the varied emotions that a person goes through when they are in love. The musical album Ishq Anokha has a mix of varied moods and will make the listeners feel the true essence of Kailasa. In fact the title track “Ishq Anokha” perfectly describes the total intensity of being in love, from anxiously waiting for love to expressing undying love to experiencing severe heartbreak to finally feeling eternal bliss. So this particular song itself will ensure that the listeners have a tune to hum to all the times in all the situations.

Q: So what according to you is the USP of your musical album Ishq Anokha?

A: The USP of my musical album Ishq Anokha are all its song in totality. You see we all believe in love. We all fall in love with someone yet many of us do not know how to express our love and that is why every Ishq is Anokha. Which is so beautifully depicted in all its songs like “Ishq Anokha”, “O Jogi”, “Meherbani Teri”, “Berukhiyan”, “Vaari Vaari”, “Siyah Tara”, “Guru Ghantaal” & “Turiya Turiya” and all the songs have been written, composed & sung by me. Actually speaking I was planning to have the title of this musical album Ishq Anokha as Thagonki Basti as I totally believe that each & everyone of us cheats on his or her lover when in love at some time or the other.

Q: As a parting shot can you enlighten us about the highlights of your latest musical album Ishq Anokha?

A: My latest musical album Ishq Anokha solely written, sung & composed by me and released on music label Saregama with 9 lovable & enjoyable tracks also boasts of many firsts. As it is for the first time that I have seamlessly fused the modern with the traditional by using varied specialised forms of music pieces like Flamenco, Saxaphone et al. In fact Ishq Anokha describes love in all its true colours.

Movie Review: ‘Veerappan’ is one more damp squib film from the RGV camp which can be skipped easily

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veerappan

Producer: Ram Gopal Verma
Director: Ram Gopal Verma
Star Cast: Sandeep Bhardwaj, Sachiin J Joshi, Usha Jadhav, Lisa Ray et al
Music: Shaarib – Toshi & Jeet Ganguli

Director Ram Gopal Verma’s earlier claim to fame have been films like Satya, Sarkar, Rangeela et al. But alas! his directorial downfall started with mad capper films like Aag, Satya 2 et al. But now with a film like Veerappan he seems to have gone completely off his rockers. May be taking a little sabbatical from film making will be good for his health including the audiences & the critics too.

The plotted scenario of Veerappan starts off with the ruthless & the brutal killing of police officers in the dense jungles of Satyamangalam, situated in Southern India. This is followed by a narration of flashback of events by STF officer Kannan (Sachiin J Joshi), wherein he traces the past of Veerappan (Sandeep Bhardwaj) and the incidents that led him to become the most notorious criminal ever. The flashback states that Veerappan made his 1st killing when he was in his pre – teens. Once he tasted blood & money, there was no looking back for him. Despite being an illiterate, his sharp mind & meticulous planning could put anyone & everyone to shame, so much so that, even the combined police forces of Karnataka & Tamil Nadu always ended up being unsuccessful in nabbing him. Looking at the recurring gruesome & heartless killings, the sole purpose of Kannan’s life becomes to nab Veerappan by hook or by crook. During one such search operation, even though Kannan and his team become unsuccessful in nabbing Veerappan, they end up getting hold of his dutiful wife Muthulakshmi (Usha Jadhav). That’s when Kannan hatches a masterplan with Priya (Lisa Ray), who agrees to be a part of the plan, because Veerappan had killed her husband as well. As per the plan, Priya poses as a landlord of a big house, where Muthulakshmi is brought in as a tenant. Priya then, befriends her with her sweet talks & caring nature. As days pass by, Muthulakshmi falls for Priya’s sweet talks and gradually discloses the whereabouts of her husband Veerappan. Around that time, she also discloses many unknown facts about Veerappan’s life to Priya, who becomes shell shocked after knowing the bare facts.

Director Ram Gopal Varma while making Veerappan has clearly forgotten to include the long drawn out kidnapping episode of Kannada Cinema’s matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar maybe the inclusion of this thrilling & captivating scenario of almost 90 days would have made the film worth wathing to some extent. All said & done Ramu may have made one more damp squib film like Veerappan but the devil must be given his due credit as Veerappan excels in the technical department. So a special noteworthy mention goes to R. D. Tailang for his script, John Stewart Eduri for his background music, Aniket Khandagale for his cinematography & Anwar Ali for his editing.
Performance wise Sandeep Bharadwaj has delivered an excellent performance. His looks, behaviour & body language matches perfectly with the original Verrappan and he is really convincing & resounding like the real Veerappan. Sachiin J Joshi is superb in his role of an STF officer. Usha Jadhav is okay as Veerappan’s wife. Lisa Ray is convincing in her role of a journo.

Tail Piece: Veerappan is a violent film that may not cater to the niche audiences but it will prove to be a delight for the comman man who relishes such films.

Bharat Electronics – Spectacular show

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Bharat Electronics

Strong beat on EBIDTA margin (~600bps better) enabled Bharat Electronics (BEL) post 10/21% higher EBIDTA versus our/consensus estimates in Q4FY16. Despite low revenue growth of ~7%, FY16 EBIDTA/PAT jumped 28/17% led by better product mix. The company’s FY16 order intake catapulted 3x to INR170bn led by 2 large projects (total INR99bn), propelling order book to INR320bn (up 48% YoY). BEL has been focusing on core competence—electronic systems, components—which coupled with sharpened focus on R&D & innovation imparts it a substantial competitive edge. Maintain ‘BUY’ with target price of INR 1,550 as we roll forward to FY18E earnings, estimating 13% EPS CAGR and reasonable 22% RoCE.

Execution of high value add projects aid OPMs; sales growth tepid
BEL posted a strong EBIDTA margin beat led by better–than-expected profitability in several large value executions like Akash missiles and high value ad radars which formed a major chunk of FY16 sales. Thus, despite lower–than-expected sales growth of 6%, FY16 EBIDTA jumped a strong 28% YoY driven by 300bps margin spurt. However, BEL missed its 8-10% revenue guidance for FY16.

R&D focus lends competitive edge; revenue visibility improves
While BEL’s order book catapulted 48% YoY to INR310bn, the company is eyeing sizeable value of projects going ahead both in its conventional areas (Akash, missiles etc) and several first-of-its-kind projects like TCS etc. Further, the company’s new R&D integrated centre at Bengaluru, we believe, is a step in the right direction as it reinforces its capability versus any possible threat/competition going ahead. We expect BEL’s revenue growth to pick up gradually with improved integration capability, execution and delivery of several key projects over the next 2-3 years.

Outlook and valuations: Attractive bet; maintain ‘BUY’
Despite an anticipated surge in private sector component players triggered by government’s thrust like IDDM and Make in India, we expect BEL’s position to strengthen as a lead integrator given its focus on and investment in core business. Rising capability of Indian private sector component players will complement BEL in a larger part of its business imparting a much higher growth. We maintain ‘BUY/SO’.

FCEL forays into dry fruit segment with the launch of karmiq

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Karmiq

Bengaluru: Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd (FCEL), a part of Future Group announced its foray into the dry fruit segment with the launch of a new brand ‘KARMIQ- Food that celebrates your youth’. Being India’s largest sourcing-to-supermarkets FMCG company, FCEL plans to expand its consumer product portfolio from Foods and Spice, Snacks and Beverages to Quality Dry Fruits. With this launch, the company has introduced a range of products such as- KARMIQ California Almonds, Pistachios and Walnut Kernels and Cashews.

Speaking about the launch Mr. Devendra Chawla, President, food and FMCG, at Future Group, said “Young India is increasingly becoming attentive towards their well- being thus leading to an increase in health food consumption. Post doing an extensive study on our customer needs, we are proud to present KARMIQ. It is a blend of nutrition and health combined with great taste. This is what our brand propagates – food that celebrates youth”.

KARMIQ – the power house of nutrition aims to cater to the health conscious young consumers and focuses on the joy of eating healthy. Apart from the dry fruit range, KARMIQ also has three variants of olive oils under its portfolio along with canola oil and ricebran oil.

KARMIQ California range of dry fruits is currently available across India. The packaging design is bright and each pack comes with a zip lock. Vacuum packs are available for cashews and walnut kernels that help prevent infestation, maintain freshness and crispness of the nuts. All KARMIQ products are available in pack sizes of 200 gms and 500 gms with a starting price of 300.

328 bonded labourers rescued from brick kiln in Tamil Nadu

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brick kiln

Chennai: A raid by authorities rescued 328 bonded labourers, including 106 children, from a brick kiln in Thiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu.

The labourers rescued hail from Odisha and were allegedly made to work for 12 hours per day on a salary of Rs 20, officials said.

The raid was conducted by a district administration team led by revenue official S Jayachandran on Saturday based on inputs from an NGO, International Justice Mission, about the plight of the labourers.

Those have been provided Rs 1,000 each by the district administration which has requested the Southern Railway to attach three extra bogies in a train to send them to Odisha this evening, Jayachandran told PTI.

According to a bonded labourer, they were promised salaries of Rs 350-Rs 400 per day for construction work taken up at Pudhukuppam in Thiruvallur district.

“But, we were working (in the brick kiln) here on a mere salary of Rs 20 per day for 12 hours,” another bonded labourer said.

“We had to work for long hours. Most of us were not allowed to access basic food and toilet facilities,” the labourer said.

He claimed that some of the labourers were working for several months. Some of the rescued children were below the age of 15, he added.

The owner of the brick kiln, who had employed the labourers, is absconding and a case has been registered, an official said.

(PTI)

Video mocking Lata, Sachin: Sena, BJP seek action against AIB

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Tanmay Bhat

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena and BJP today demanded action against AIB and comedian Tanmay Bhat for a video in which he allegedly mocked singing legend Lata Mangeshkar and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

The Sena asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take stringent action against AIB and Bhat for allegedly seeking to vitiate social harmony through videos on Mangeshkar and Tendulkar.

Party leader Neelam Gorhe has written to Fadnavis seeking action against those behind the video which she alleged was made by people with “deranged mentality”.

“Such people try to misuse the popularity of icons like Sachin and Lata tai for their own publicity,” Gorhe told PTI.

“I have also written to Mumbai Police Commissioner seeking action against Tanmay Bhat and AIB,” the Sena leader said.

Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar spoke to the Police Commissioner and requested that a police complaint be filed against Tanmay Bhat and AIB.

The MNS had also earlier said it will lodge an FIR against Tanmay and demanded that the video uploaded by him be removed immediately.

Titled “Sachin v/s Lata Civil War”, Tanmay is seen in the video taking jibes at the 86-year-old melody queen and the 43-year-old cricketing legend.

Actors Anupam Kher, Riteish Deshmukh and Celina Jaitly had yesterday criticised Bhat for roasting Tendulkar and Mangeshkar, calling the video “not funny”.

(PTI)

Narendra Modi’s govt 2nd anniversary “Ek Nayi Subah” starts at India Gate

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modi-amitabh

IANS: A gala event “Ek Nayi Subah” was being held at the India Gate lawns here on Saturday to mark the completion of two years of the Narendra Modi government. The event is being held in “talkathon” format with ministers answering queries put to them.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore were among the ministers to take part in the initial part of the programme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to come towards the end of the event.

The Talkathon format allows participants in the social media space to post questions on Twitter which are answered by the guests in real-time.

The programme is being telecast live on various channels of Doordarshan including DD National and mediapersons have not been invited for the coverage.

“Media has not been invited for coverage. The event is being held in a studio format,” an official of the Information and Broadcasting ministry said.

The government has hired Geometry Global Encompass Network, an event management company, for the programme.

The government had also organised a “Talkathon” last year to mark its first anniversary.

(IANS)

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