KOLKATA, June 16: A section of insurance employees has demanded that four PSU general insurers—National Insurance, Oriental Insurance, New India Assurance and United India Insurance—be merged into one to bring down costs.
The President of All India Insurance Employees Association, the largest body of insurance employees, Amanullah Khan said that unhealthy competition among the four PSUs would prove detrimental to the interest of the public sector institutions.
“The government should take a call and initiate immediate steps for merger of the four PSU general insurance companies into a single corporation akin to LIC,” Khan told reporters here last night.
The four companies together collected a premium of Rs 30,560.74 crore in the financial year 2011-12, an increase of Rs 5,408.49 crore over the previous year, registering a combined growth of 21.50 per cent.
These four PSUs posted a combined gross profit of Rs 1334.19 crore for the financial year 2011-12 as against a loss of Rs 24.73 crore in the previous year.
The public sector general insurance industry has retained the market dominance with a share of 58.46 per cent, he said.
The association also opposed the proposed move of the government to disinvest public sector general insurance companies.
He said that PSU insurers were financially very sound and they have a large asset base and reserves. They are capable of meeting the capital needs through internal resources as and when required. (PTI)
Insurance employees seeks merger of four PSU firms
HC cautions flat buyers to verify properties before purchase
MUMBAI, June 16: Disposing of a clutch of petitions seeking regularisation of illegal floors in a building at Navi Mumbai, the Bombay High Court has cautioned the flat buyers to verify properties they intend to buy before purchasing them and refrain from approaching the courts to seek redressal.
The observation was made by Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice S S Shinde on June 11 while hearing petitions filed by a developer and some others seeking regularisation of “illegal” structures/floors in building ‘Green Heritage’ at Khargar in Navi Mumbai, near here.
Referring to an earlier judgement of the same court, the bench held that although flat buyers may be aggrieved but their interests cannot override those of the members of public at large. Their individual rights and interests are subservient to the concerns for public health and safety.
“Ultimately, if they purchase flats without bothering to make inquiries and seeking details of the construction at site, then, they are themselves to blame”, the judges said.
“In this era, where science and technology have advanced to a great extent so enactments such as Right to Information Act are in place, it is not unreasonable to expect that the flat purchasers should avail of the same and seek appropriate and relevant details of the construction before booking and purchasing flats in large scale building projects”, the bench opined.
If they (flat buyers) are carried away by the brochure and the public advertisements and do not make such inquiries, then, they cannot turn around and seek assistance of the Courts, the bench said. (PTI)
Presidential candidate
Deck seems to have been cleared for Pranab Mukherjee to move into the Rashtrapati Bhavan after President Patil relinquishes the office this month. For last couple of weeks there has been large scale speculation about who would be the next incumbent of Presidential House. Several names propped up, including that of the Prime Minister at a later stage. Eyes were focused on two mainstream parties namely Congress and BJP to announce their candidates. But strangely entire exercise of choosing a candidate was wrapped in an air of widespread speculation and guess work. Only now has the Congress Chairperson come out with the nomination of Pranab Mukherjee. The BJP has still not been able to nominate their candidate. It shows how much a divided house picture emerges from BJP sources.
Pranab Mukherjee is a veteran politician who has spent his whole life in politics. He has been called the troubleshooter in Congress. Owing to his vast experience as a parliamentarian and as minister, he is best qualified to hold the prestigious office of the President of India. Soon after his name was announced by the Congress Chairperson, SP and BSP both endorsed it without loss of time. This strengthened the position of Pranab Mukherjee (respectfully called Pranab Da). Among strong leaders only Mamta Banerjee remains to announce her support to the candidature of Pranab Da.
Pranab Mukherjee is known to be a pragmatist and realist in the context of contemporary Indian politics. He has carved out his way for the distinguished position of President through dedication and a sense of great responsibility. The most endearing thing about him is that he can handle critical situations with finesse and has been called the troubleshooter of Congress party. He will be assuming the office at a time when India is passing through a very critical stage of post-independence period. We really needed a person of his stature and standing to be the President of India.
Militancy down not out
Of late political observers have held that militancy is down in Kashmir but it is not out. Various reasons are given for the downward graph of militancy. But notwithstanding that, the gun remains the source of threat to the civilians. Gunning down of National Conference office bearer Abdul Rahman Ganai in Natipora by two bike riding gun shooters shows that militants have changed tactics of carrying out fatal attacks and secondly they have moved their operative base to the peripheries of Srinagar city.
It is true that security bandobasat has been tightened for the city of Srinagar and militants are unable to find opportunity of attacking their targets. They might have chosen to move out of city but not to very far off places and after striking go back to their hideouts. Whatever the case, the big question that springs from sporadic acts of militancy is whether it is feasible to withdraw bulk of troops from the summer capital and also focus on withdrawal of AFSPA. Gunning down of the NC activist is not the lone case. In the last month, there have been some cases of militancy in the valley. Early this month, militants shot at a former militant commander, Ghulam Hassan Mir, at Saderbal, Srinagar. Hailing from Tral area, he had shunned the path of violence and was doing his business in Saderbal. Last month, militants also fired at Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at Khanyar injuring 7 CRPF men.
According to informed sources militants are under pressure from their handlers to be pro-active in Kashmir. Therefore these attacks take place sporadically to disrupt peace and normalcy. It is true that voluntary recruitment to the rank and file of militants has dried up just because they have understood the futility of fighting against the might of the state. Moreover easy movement across the LoC has been manifestly arrested by the border security force personnel. Many misguided youth still lured to gun culture have lost their lives either because of the vagary of weather and hardship of the mountainous trekking or by the retaliatory and effective action of the security forces. Return of some militants from PoK along with the families they raised during the past two decades is also indicative of bad treatment they are receiving at the hands of their handlers and mentors in Pakistan. Recently the supremo of the Jihad Council in Muzaffrabad lamented that Pakistan had backed out from her commitment of support to jihad in Kashmir. He said that his jihadis would continue their mission in Kashmir. Occasional incidents of violence could also be the sequel to the desperation overtaking the remnants of militant organizations. Nevertheless, our security forces and civilian administration cannot afford to lower the guard. State Government would be well advised not to push the matter of withdrawal of bulk of army and security forces from Kashmir back to barracks that soon.
A serious situation caused by the militants is the threat they are handing over to the elected Panchs and Sarpanchs. It is a direct challenge to the democracy and freedom of the state to run its administration judiciously. We are told that as many as 15 Sarpanchs have decided to resign owing to threatening from the militants, mostly in South Kashmir. These instruments of democracy are scattered over the length and breadth of rural Kashmir. Is it possible to provide security to each of them? No not so. Therefore the Government will have to do some serious thinking on the question of functioning of Panchayats without the fear of gun. Challenging the administration and the Government is clear indication that law and order in the state are still deficient of teeth and claws. The Government must come down with a heavy hand against those who want their writ to run in the State. Elected bodies need to be assured that nothing will be allowed to disrupt their social or political activities. One cannot rule out the possibility of militants trying to re-group at new venues and new hideouts and also adopting different strategy. Busting a militant module some days ago in the same vicinity where Abdul- Rahman Ganai was gunned down should have been taken very seriously. Deep probing into that incident might have helped security forces and the police to tumble on other conspiratorial plans of the militants including one that took the precious life of Abdul- Rahman Ganai.
Lucky to be part of ‘Les Miserables’: Hugh Jackman
LOS ANGELES, June 16: Actor Hugh Jackman says he still can’t believe his luck in landing the role of Jean Valjean in upcoming film adaptation of “Les Miserables”.
The 43-year-old said he is enjoying each day of shooting the film alongside Amanda Seyfried, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway, reported Access Hollywood.
“It’s great. We have one more week of filming and I pinch myself every day. It’s the first time a movie-musical has been done with live singing. We are singing every single take of the song,” he said.
A Tony Award-winning Broadway star, Jackman is no stranger to singing and was happy to bring music to the big screen.
“As a performer, it’s fantastic. It’s challenging, especially when the call is at 8 in the morning, but it is so immediate. ‘Les Miserables’ is one of the greatest stories ever told, and it really is an uplifting story about the human spirit. It is a rare feeling to be in something that you know you will look back on as one the highlights of your life,” he added.
“Les Miserables” is slated for theatrical release on December 14. (PTI)
Madonna takes team of 200 people on tour
LONDON, June 16: Queen of pop Madonna reportedly takes an entourage of 200 people on tour, including 30 bodyguards, personal chefs, an acupuncturist, a yoga instructor and an on-site dry cleaner.
The 53-year-old, who is currently on her ‘MDNA’ world tour, also requests 20 international phone lines backstage and insists on only vegan snacks, reported Contactmusic.
Madonna is also said to be particular about the look of her dressing room, which must be draped in a particular fabric and filled with white and pale pink roses and lillies, with the stems on each flower trimmed to exactly six inches.
The singer also has her own furniture shipped into the hotel suites.
“Madonna requires all furniture be removed from the rooms and replaced with her own pieces that she has shipped in,” a source said. (PTI)
Seventeen killed in violent land eviction in Paraguay
ASUNCION, June 16: At least eight police officers and nine peasant farmers were killed in armed clashes during a land eviction in Paraguay, marking one of the worst such incidents in the country for two decades.
Leftist President Fernando Lugo deployed troops to support local police. He ruled out any links between the incident and the Paraguayan People’s Army, a small leftist group that has staged a series of raids on rural police posts in recent years.
The peasants shot at the officers when they arrived to evict them from a privately owned farm in the Canindeuyu district, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the capital, and they returned fire, officials said yesterday.
‘Up until now we’ve seen about nine deaths among the peasant farmers who were occupying the property,’ Interior Minister Carlos Filizzola told reporters before handing in his resignation over the incident.
Early reports of seven police officer deaths were later updated to include an eighth who died of his wounds while being helicoptered to the hospital for treatment.
National Police Commander Paulino Rojas also stepped down. Lugo accepted both resignations, Education Minister Victor Rios told reporters after an emergency cabinet meeting.
The army chief said 150 soldiers had been sent to the rural area near the Brazilian border, dominated by sprawling soy fields, cattle ranches and illegal marijuana plantations.
The roughly 2,000-hectare (4,900-acre) farm where the violence took place is owned by a local businessman who complained that a group of about 100 families had invaded his property about three weeks ago.
Peasant rights group say the land was distributed during the 35-year dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner, when allies of his regime were rewarded with vast tracts of prime farmland in the landlocked nation of six million people.
Conflicts over land have increased in recent decades due partly to increased soybean farming in the world’s No. 4 exporter of the oilseed. Ranching has also spread into areas that used to be relatively free from large-scale agriculture.
Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop who spent years serving in the north of the country, suspended his agenda and called a cabinet meeting to evaluate the violence.
One of his election pledges was sweeping agrarian reform but his plans to redistribute land stalled as the state struggled to reach agreement between peasant farmers demanding specific tracts and landholders willing to sell them.
The opposition’s hold on Congress has also complicated his reform agenda.
(agencies)
Frustration at lack of international support
REYHANLI, TURKEY, June 16: When the Syrian army rolled into his hometown to crush rebellion there, Omar, an orthopaedic surgeon, knew it was only a matter of time before his field hospital was discovered by President Bashar al-Assad’s troops.
For four days he hid inside the makeshift clinic in the northern town of Idlib, continuing to treat the sick and wounded along with the other staff, but as the soldiers drew closer Omar made his escape to Turkey.
“It was not a choice to come here. I was forced. The army came into Idlib. We kept working until they got too close. We worked until the last minute,” said Omar, 28, who did not give his full name because his relatives are still inside Syria.
From a small, windowless basement apartment in Turkey’s southern Hatay province a few hundred metres from the border, Omar now gathers drugs and medical supplies from all over Turkey to be smuggled to colleagues inside Syria.
The slick operation, set up by a union of expatriate Syrian doctors and involving some 60 smugglers, is only one of a large network of informal supply chains along the Syrian border that serve as a lifeline to those caught up in the violence.
“They need everything. All their supplies have been destroyed. Assad’s army has destroyed four of our stores and four field hospitals. This is only in our area. They are destroying many others elsewhere,” said Omar.
Donations come mainly from Syrian doctors living in Gulf Arab countries or in Europe, and the amounts vary significantly. Omar said they received a quarter of a million dollars one month but then only 50,000 dollar the next. Last month they got 30,000 dollar.
The money buys drugs and medical equipment ranging from antibiotics to bandages and from syringes to large anaesthetic machines. The supplies are then packaged and smuggled across by foot, donkey or motorcycle depending on where they are headed.
SYRIAN DRUGS
In three small rooms, boxes of medicine, bandages and gauze are stacked neatly onto shelves stretching up to the basement’s low ceiling and are kept cool by an air conditioner fixed to the wall.
Omar points to the Arabic writing on the boxes of medicine and grins. These are all from Syria, he said.
“Buying the medicine from inside Syria was my idea. Everyone thought I was crazy,” said Omar.
In Syria the drugs can be bought in bulk for a tenth the price in Turkey – although they are still out of reach for many Syrians impoverished by the conflict or physically unable to get to stores to buy them.
They are smuggled into Turkey and then repackaged into smaller boxes and dispatched back over the border.
“It saves a lot of money,” said Omar.
But with supplies running low inside Syria, Omar estimates they have only one month left before they will have to switch completely to foreign products.
Specialist drugs and medical equipment is sourced from inside Turkey, often at a discount. One company in Ankara supplied some medical equipment free of charge when it found out where it was going, said Omar.
“If we have the money, then we can get whatever we want.
The Turkish government has helped us a lot. They do not try to restrict our work. We are all illegal here. They have rules here but they are helping us. We appreciate that,” said Omar.
Omar is interrupted every few minutes by a mobile phone in another room or by a steady stream of visitors whom he greets with a warm hug and a kiss on both cheeks.
FRUSTRATION
With his slicked back hair, designer glasses and candid smile, Omar still looks a young man, but the last 15 months since the uprising in his homeland started have taken their toll.
Omar was taking exams to study in the United States when the protests started. He fled Syria without even going home to say goodbye to his parents and since his escape has only been back once. That was to bury his cousin, a rebel fighter shot and killed by Assad’s troops.
Omar says his age helps him to stay focused on his work.
“I am not married. It is good for me. To do this job you have to be free. I don’t have to think about a wife or children. Some of my friends here have children at home and they are always worrying,” he said.
Omar exhibits a familiar and increasing frustration directed at the international community and its reluctance to help him and others in the Syrian opposition.
Western nations say they are supporting the opposition with non-lethal aid. Some rebels have reported receiving weapons from private donors in Gulf Arab states, and Assad’s government insists it is fighting terrorist groups armed from abroad.
But for many rebel Syrians like Omar the foreign help is too little, too late.
“We wanted the world to help us but they do nothing. This is creating a bad feeling among Syrians. This just gives Assad more time to kill us. They just talk. No medical support, no humanitarian support, just talking,” said Omar.
“It has been more than a year now. We don’t want anything. We are just thinking about ourselves now. I think they want Assad to stay.”
Omar is interrupted once more as a group of men pour into the apartment and begin lifting boxes of medicine onto a tractor waiting to take the next batch of supplies to the border.
“I’m sorry,” said Omar, “I have to go.” (agencies)
NNNN
Stuntman Nik Wallenda completes tightrope walk across Niagara Falls
NIAGARA FALLS, NY, June 16: Nik Wallenda, a member of the famed “Flying Wallendas” family of aerialists, completed a historic tightrope crossing through the mist over Niagara Falls Gorge, stepping from a (5 cm) onto safe ground in Canada to wild cheers from a crowd of thousands.
Wallenda made the walk from the US side of the falls to the Canadian side, a journey of (550 meters) over treacherous waters and rocks, in a little more than 25 minutes yesterday.
More than a century ago, an aerialist known as the Great Blondin walked a high wire strung farther down the gorge, but a trek over the brink of the falls had never before been attempted.
Along the way, suspended over the falls, Wallenda, 33, took small, steady steps on a slick cable through swirling winds.
“Oh my gosh it’s an unbelievable view,” he said as he crossed over the falls. “This is truly breathtaking.”
ABC, the television network that broadcast the event with a five-second delay, occasionally interviewed him along the walk, asking him about conditions and how he was coping.
“That mist was thick and it was hard to see at times,” he said later in the walk, when he was asked about the greatest challenge. “Wind going one way, mist another. It was very uncomfortable for a while.”
The network had also insisted he wear a safety tether – a first for the performer – that would connect him to the cable should he fall, and said it would stop broadcasting if he unhooked it.
Wallenda fought the condition at first, eventually agreeing. But he gave himself an out: he would unhook only if directed to do so by his father, who designed the harness and acted as his safety coordinator.
As it turned out, the tether was never tested. Wallenda walked the wire with what appeared to be perfect balance and confidence.
There were 4,000 tickets that sold out in less than five minutes when they went on sale in recent weeks, and crowds began gathering early on Friday.
“Hopefully it will be very peaceful and relaxing,” Wallenda said beforehand. “I’m often very relaxed when I’m on the wire.” He added, “There may be some tears because this is a dream of mine.”
Since the Great Blondin took his high-wire walk, a ban had been in place on similar stunts over the famed falls. Wallenda waged a two-year crusade to convince US and Canadian officials to let him try the feat. A private helicopter rescue team was part of the 1.3 million dollar that Wallenda said he had spent on the walk.
Kathy Swoffer, of Port Huron, Michigan, who had set up a lawn chair hours before the event, said she had seen the Wallendas perform years earlier in Detroit.
“I think it’s a person wanting to do what they do for a living and fulfilling a lifelong dream,” she said.
Wallenda’s great-grandfather Karl Wallenda died in 1978 during a walk between two buildings in Puerto Rico at age 73. Wallenda repeated that walk last year with his mother.
Wallenda said he had obtained permits for a future walk over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, which would be the first ever attempted and roughly three times longer than the walk over Niagara Falls.
(agencies)
Japan approves 2 reactor restarts, more seen ahead
TOKYO, June 16: Japan today approved the resumption of nuclear power operations at two reactors, the first to come back on line after they were all shut down following the Fukushima crisis.
The government’s decision to restart two reactors operated by Kansai Electric Power Co at Ohi in western Japan was announced by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at a meeting with key ministers.
Despite protests against the move and public safety concerns, the decision could open the door to more restarts among Japan’s 50 nuclear power reactors.
The decision is a victory for Japan’s still-powerful nuclear industry and reflects Noda’s concerns about damage to the economy if atomic energy is abandoned following the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
The push to restart the two Ohi reactors, before a potential summer power crunch, also underscores the unpopular premier’s eagerness to win backing from businesses worried about high electricity costs that could push factories offshore.
(agencies)