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Archives for December 2018

Australian Border Force facing sexual harassment, bullying: Report

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Canberra, Australian Border Force (ABF) staff are regularly subjected to sexual harassment and bullying at work, an internal review has found.

The 2017 review of ABF culture, published by the Guardian Australia on Friday, uncovered “alarming levels of sexual harassment and bullying” within the organization, Xinhua news agency reported.

It revealed that the ABF was fostering a culture of nepotism and favouritism since it was established as an amalgamation of customs and immigration in 2015.

The report concluded that women, older employees, people with disabilities and ethnically diverse people were being unconsciously discriminated against at the ABF.

A separate report published by Fairfax Media earlier in December revealed that 22 per cent of ABF staff said they had experienced bullying or harassment at work in a 12-month period.

Over 100 children from 2 K’taka schools fall sick after consuming mid-day meals

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District officials said that the Akshaya Patra Foundation had provided mid-day meals to one of the schools.

Over 100 students of government schools in Ballari and Bagalkot districts and around 25 students of a government primary school in Hagalur village in Ballari fell ill after consuming separate mid-day meals on Thursday.

According to Arun Rangarajan, the Superintendent of  Police of Ballari, several students saw a lizard in the meal, which was reported to the teacher. Soon after the incident was reported, several children in Classes 2, 3 and 4 began to vomit. They were immediately rushed to the local Primary Health Centre where they were treated for food poisoning.

“In Hagalur, the meal was prepared in the school itself. The lizard must have fallen into the sambar pot as it was not closed. All the children are out of danger and safe now,” SP Arun said.

In a similar incident in Bagalkot, over 90 children from classes 4, 5 and 6 of the Chikkamagi Government School fell sick after eating the mid-day meal. According to the Bagalkot District Health Officer Ananth Desai, the children began vomiting and a few of them fell unconscious after eating the mid-day meal on Thursday.

“Initially around 35 children began vomiting and three children fell unconscious. They were rushed to the primary health centre. As more children started falling sick, we had to transfer them to the district hospital (Bagalkot District Government Hospital). In total, 105 children have been treated for food poisoning. They were all discharged from the hospital this morning (Friday),” DHO Ananth Desai said.

Ananth Desai said that the mid-day meal was provided by the Akshaya Patra Foundation to the Chikkamagi School. Akshaya Patra had recently come under the government’s scanner after the state Food Commission had found discrepancies in the quality and quantity of food provided by the NGO.

K’taka Food Commission had stated that Akshaya Patra’s food was bland and monotonous as they did not use onion and garlic in the meals. This had led to children not eating the food. The commission had also noted that Akshaya Patra was not providing an adequate quantity of food as prescribed by the Karnataka government.

On Wednesday, the state food commission had met with representatives of Akshaya Patra in Bengaluru. “Akshaya Patra representatives said that they would find nutritional replacements for onion and garlic. They denied allegations of the food being bland. The government is testing the food quality and taste in every district. Once the test results are out, we will know how to proceed further,” said Krishnamurthy, the Chairman of the Food Commission.

UP home guard shot dead

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Lucknow,  A Home Guard on patrol was shot dead in Budayun district of Uttar Pradesh early on Friday, police said.

Chatrapal, 36, was patrolling on foot near a petrol pump in Udhaiti along with his platoon commander Rajendra, when he signalled two bikes to stop, Superintendent of Police (Rural) S.P. Singh said.

Instead the four men on the two bikes opened fire at him, killing him on the spot. 

The incident happened near Mangal Bazaar on the Budayun-Bijnore highway around 4.30 a.m. 

A combing operation was underway to nab the unidentified gunmen. Major entry and exit points in the area have been barricaded.

Centre suspends IPS officer Rajnish Rai

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New Delhi, The Union Home Ministry has suspended Gujarat-cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rajnish Rai for his alleged role in “abdicating” his office on November 30 as the Inspector General and Principal of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) training school at Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh.

The 52-year-old 1992-batch IPS officer, who had arrested D.G. Vanzara and two other IPS officers in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged fake encounter case in 2007, was placed under suspension as per December 17 order passed by the Home Ministry under the provisions of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules. 

He was serving as Inspector General and Principal of the Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorism (CIAT) School of the CRPF. 

Rai will have to stay at the CRPF headquarters at Chittoor during the period the order remains in force, and cannot leave the headquarters without the permission of the Director General CRPF, said the Ministry order.

Rai had earlier this year sought voluntary retirement from November 30 after completing 50 years of age under the provisions of the All India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules, 1958, but the Centre rejected his request in October.

He moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Ahmedabad challenging the rejection. The CAT will be hearing the matter on January 1.

In August 2014, Rai was transferred out of Gujarat as Chief Vigilance Officer of Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) at Jaduguda in Jharkhand. In April 2015, he was transferred to the CRPF office at Shillong.

After his report on suspected fake encounters in the North-East, he was transferred to the CIAT at Chittoor and a “departmental misconduct” charge sheet was served on him, Rai had alleged.

He moved the CAT at Hyderabad against the chargesheet. The tribunal stayed the proceedings against him.


Markets open in red on Friday

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Mumbai,  The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) on Friday opened on a negative note during the morning trade session.

The Sensex of the BSE which had closed on Thursday at 36,431.67, opened on Friday at 36,449.27, touched a high of 36,450.36 and a low of 36,327.31.

The Sensex is trading at 36,394.06 down by 37.61 points or 0.10 per cent.

On the other hand, the broader 50-scrip Nifty at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) opened at 10,944.25 points after closing at 10,951.70 points.

The Nifty is trading at 10,938.20 points in the morning.

BCCI confirms Raman as next women’s team coach

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New Delhi,The BCCI has confirmed the appointment of former India batsman W.V. Raman as head coach of the women’s team.

Raman’s selection was based on recommendations of the ad-hoc committee comprising India’s first World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev, former India opener Anshuman Gaekwad and ex-women’s team member Shantha Rangaswamy.

The ad-hoc committee conducted interviews of the shortlisted candidates at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday.

According to a statement from the board, “The ad-hoc committee decided on the following three names in the order of preference:AGary Kirsten, WV Raman and Venkatesh Prasad.”

“However, Kirsten was unable to take up this assignment due to his ongoing contract with an Indian Premier League franchise, which would have entailed conflict of interest as per the BCCI constitution.”

“In view of this, the BCCI appointed Raman as the head coach of the Indian women’s team,” it added.


PKL: Delhi play thrilling tie against Jaipur

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Panchkula,  Jaipur Pink Panthers ended their home leg with a 37-37 tie against Dabang Delhi in the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League here on Thursday.

Dabang Delhi would feel disappointed as they were in control for most of the match but lost their composure in the last five minutes. 

Deepak Hooda scored eight points for Jaipur while Sandeep Dhull got a high five. Chandran Ranjit (11 points) and Pawan Kadian (9 points) were among the top scorers for Dabang Delhi.

Dabang Delhi made a strong start and led 5-0 after four minutes as they picked up a couple of raid and tackle points. 

A super tackle in the 5th minute opened Jaipur Pink Panthers’ account. Jaipur Pink Panthers were kept alive in the match because of their defence as they forced another super tackle in the 8th minute to level the match at 6-6.

Dabang Delhi took the lead once again as they inflicted an all out in the 11th minute to lead 11-7.

Selvamani’s super raid in the 13th minute got Jaipur back in the match once again. It was a see-saw of a match with Jaipur cutting the deficit every time Delhi threatened to run away with the match. 

Ajinkya Pawar’s two-point raid in the 17th minute made it a one point gap. At the end of the first half Dabang Delhi led 18-17.

Pawan Kadian made a super raid in the 21st minute to give Delhi a 21-18 lead. But Selvamani’s brilliant four-point raid in the 24th minute got Jaipur back in the match once again.

With less than five minutes to go Jaipur were trailing by five points when Ajinkya Pawar made a two-point raid to reduce the gap to three. 

In the 38th minute Jaipur inflicted an all out as they trailed 35-36 and Deepak Hooda levelled the match in the next minute with a successful raid.

PL: Jayant Yadav traded to Mumbai Indians from Delhi Capitals

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New Delhi,Mumbai Indians on Thursday completed the transfer of experienced all-rounder Jayant Yadav into their fold from Delhi Capitals.

The India discard is the second addition to Mumbai Indians through the transfer process, with South African wicketkeeper-bat Quinton de Kock being the first from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) earlier.

Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani expressed satisfaction over the transfer and feels ‘the squad is complete with the right balance in all aspects’.

“We were delighted to bring in Quinton in the pre auction transfer window. His multi-tasking abilities and recent exploits with the bat including player of the tournament performance at the recently concluded Mzansi Super League in South Africa has been a delight to watch and am sure he will carry the current form into the IPL season as well.”

On Jayant’s inclusion, Akash said: “I am delighted Jayant is now an @mipaltan. His experience and skills with both the bat and ball adds to the MI squad tremendously and I am happy to have him join us within a few days after our successful auction.”

Zero’ is Shah Rukh’s career best

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Film: “Zero”; Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma; Director: Aanand L Rai; Rating: ****1/2 (4 and a half stars)


When this achingly irreverent ode to misfits was over, I thought, how wonderful that “Zero” is dedicated to Sridevi. No more befitting homage could be paid to an entertainer who brought us smiles all through her career.

Bauua Singh of Meerut is like that only. He is a dwarf, and let’s not soften the blow by beating around the bush about his shortcoming. 

The brilliantly askew screenplay by Himanshu Sharma certainly does not shy away from addressing disabilities. This is a film that calls a spade a spade and then shovels us a welter of speckled wisdom that I last saw in “Forrest Gump”. 

“Zero” is like a box of assorted chocolates. You never know what the feeling would be in the next one.

Indeed Tom Hanks from “Forrest Gump” would have chuckled approvingly at the insolent antics of Bauua Singh and his pal Guddu Singh (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, torch in hand, hair dyed blonde) as they turn the crowded city of Meerat into their personal arena of gratification. 

The film opens with a wacky sambar-western dream sequence where we see a ‘normal’ Shah Rukh Khan taking on his worst enemy in the world his father(Tigmanshu Dhulia, doing a Sudhir Pandey) whose shrunken scrotum the dwarf hero openly blames for his shortcomings. Mom Sheebha Chadha is too jaded to be embarrassed.

This is the only time Shah Rukh stands at his actual height in the film. It reminded me of that one time in “Koyla” when the ‘mute’ Shah Rukh Khan spoke up in a dream sequence because the distributors and exhibitors wanted a ‘normal’ Shah Rukh to speak up.

Ask Bauua Singh if he cares.

“Zero” is a film that doesn’t believe in numbers. In no time at all we lose count of the number of times we loath Bauua’s self-obsession and then fall in love with his character again for doing something unexpected that nobody believes he could. 

Like that kiss which the super-hot Babita Kumari smacks on his wet lips. Or for that matter, like this completely unexpected film from a superstar who spent all his life playing only one role and has now discovered the freedom of exploring people who are flawed fractured and therefore simply fabulous.

Oh, I forgot! What is “Zero” about? Well, it is about three fractured lives , people who don’t feel sorry for their deficiencies and are never threatened to fall apart because there is really nowhere to go once you hit zero.

Rather, they pity those who waste time pitying them. Bauaa Singh in pursuit of a life partner courts and wins and loses the cerebral palsy inflicted space scientist Afia (Anushka Sharma, in an embarrassingly artificial performance) because well, he has the hots for screen-queen Babita Kumari.

As Babita, Katrina Kaif just tears the screen apart. Now where did that come from? Kaif is so stunning in her role as a dumped alcoholic actress, she gave me goosebumps every time her kohl-laden eyes swelled up with unshed tears.

In one of the film’s most enchanting episodes she drags Bauaa out of her party and then drags herself out of a relationship that has her chained to misery.

In another episode of magical misgivings Bauua woos Afia in the corridor of a posh hotel with the the colours of Holi, a symphonic orchestra and little girls creating a cascade of chorus rhapsodies that only a Bauua Singh could conceive. 

The mesmeric moments end abruptly with the hotel manager complaining about the mess on his premise.

Bathos, a word I am sure Bauua doesn’t know, rules his life. To no one’s surprise he decides to chase his lost love all the way to the US, becomes an astronaut and replaces the moody monkey that was supposed to fly to Mars.

Why would BauuaA want to be expelled to outerspace? Good question. He has a very special affinity with the stars, the ones and above. And when the stars on earth mock him for his overweening ambitions his ego, much larger than his physical stature, revolts.

There are many passages of lyrical beauty in this gem of a film, passages that may pass you by like ships sailing in the night, if you aren’t vigilant. Because, really, Bauaa, doesn’t care if you are watching or not.

“Zero” is a film made out of the impulse to woo whimsy without getting anxious over the audiences’ attention. Not all of it coheres, many sequences stand apart in stubborn isolation, and Anushka’s performance brings the narrative down considerably.

But finally “Zero” works. 

It celebrates incompleteness as no other movie in any language has ever done. Like the film, Bauaa Singh isn’t afraid to fail. He has the great immortal Sridevi telling him it’s okay to fail. I couldn’t ask for more. Can you?

Government to infuse Rs 83,000 cr in banks by March: Jaitley

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New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the government will infuse Rs 83,000 crore in public sector banks in the remaining part of the fiscal taking the total recapitalisation of banks during the year to Rs 1.06 lakh crore.

“Today we have asked for the parliamentary sanction for (issuing) additional recapitalisation bonds of Rs 41,000 crore… As of today, of the Rs 65,000 crore recapitalisation plan for 2018-19, Rs 42,000 crore is still remaining. 

“Therefore, with this additional Rs 41,000 crore, we will now have Rs 83,000 crore for the balance year and that will make this year’s recap to a total of Rs 1.06 lakh crore,” Jaitley said after tabling the Supplementary Demands for Grants in the Lok Sabha.

The second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2018-19 involving a gross spending of Rs 85,948.86 crore includes the package of Rs 41,000 crore for banks. It will not require any additional cash outgo as the capital infusion is planned through bonds.

Jaitley said the distribution process for the Rs 83,000 crore capital infusion in state-run banks will be decided on the basis of performance of banks by the Department of Financial Services (DFS). About Rs 23,000 crore have already been infused this fiscal.

Capital infusion will be done under four heads to help banks meet regulatory capital norms, help better performing banks under RBI’s Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) to get out of it, facilitate non-PCA banks that are near the “red-line” and to strengthen amalgamated banks.

Financial Services Secretary Rajeev Kumar said the capital infusion will help at least four of the total 11 PCA banks meet their regulatory capital norms. Overall strengthening of the banks will encourage lending and thereby economic growth of the country.

“We have made provisions to give capital to 4-5 banks (in PCA) depending on performance and on the Q2 and Q3 results. The figures will be decided (later) but there are chances that we equip at least 3 to 5 banks to meet the norms,” he said.

As per the current regulatory norms, the PCA banks will have to achieve 9 per cent Capital to Risk-weighted Asset Ratio (CRAR), 1.875 per cent Capital Conservation Buffer and the 6 per cent net non-performing assets (NPA) threshold to come out of PCA and restart lending.

“About the PCA banks, the performances we are looking at is the lower level and declining trend of net NPAs, whichever PCA bank has shown better performance in terms of reduction in NPAs and the improvements in return on assets. Name of these banks will be worked out.”

Kumar said there are three non-PCA banks that are near the threshold and in the danger of falling into the PCA category. These banks, including Punjab National Bank, will be provided capital to strengthen their base, he said.

There are three to four banks namely State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank that have maintained regulatory capital even higher than the prescribed minimum and would not need any capital infusion.

“The process of NPA recognition that started in 2015 is almost complete. The last quarter has showed improved performance. While recognition of NPAs peaked at 7 per cent in March 2015, it has now come down to 0.59 per cent as of September 2018,” Jaitley said.

The government had initiated a comprehensive clean-up of the banking system under its 4R’s approach of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms. Since 2015-16 till end of this fiscal, the total capital infusion in public sector banks will be over Rs 3 lakh crore.

“The NPAs recognition is complete, recapitalisation is in full swing, it has been enhanced further, recovery is also in full swing, the last H1 (April-September 2018) recovery is to the tune of Rs 60,726 crore,” Kumar said.

The trend is likely to continue as the creditor-debtor relationship has changed because of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and debarment of the connected parties, he said.

“PSBs are showing tremendous improvement in terms of recognition, in terms of provisioning, recovery, reforms and therefore this is the time that we empower them and equip them with the capital so that the banks are ready to support the fastest growing economy,” he added.

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