Today's Hot Stories - April 03, 2014 - PT education

Today's Hot Stories - April 03, 2014

10 Headlines for Today

(1) Gay sex: SC agrees to consider curative petition in open court
(2) Union minister KS Rao resigns over Andhra division
(3) Pervez Musharraf survives assassination attempt
(4) IDFC surges on bank licence; peers fall
(5) Home buyers may soon get 90% loan
(6) Novartis's top Japan executives quit over cancer drug scandal
(7) Ronaldo equals Messi record in Real win
(8) Tennis: Venus twirls into Charleston 3rd round
(9) Hockey: New FIH rules to be introduced from June 1
(10) SeaWorld lobbies against California bill to ban 'Shamu' shows

5 Stories for Today

(1) Kolkata in grip of mystery fever
(2) US secretly created ‘Cuban Twitter’ to stir unrest
(3) Extend anti-dumping duty on raw silk imports from China: Assocham
(4) GM boss 'deeply sorry' after deadly crashes
(5) Wealth tax scope to boost revenues, say experts

(1) Kolkata in grip of mystery fever


An ailment with symptoms that are close to scarlet fever has struck in Kolkata. Even though experts are yet to confirm an outbreak, it could well be the disease, they say. Hundreds of children, aged between three and 10 years, have been affected in the last couple of weeks. A change in humidity could be the trigger, believe doctors, since the fever has got nothing to do with rising temperature.

When three-year-old Ayush Verma developed rashes, his mother Bharti thought it had been caused by the heat. But soon, the infant had high fever and nausea. "The doctor prescribed antibiotics and said it could be scarlet fever. We were scared, but thankfully the fever subsided in a couple of days and the rashes disappeared," said Bharti, a resident of Taratala.

In many cases, the symptoms have been far more severe. "The fever has been taking longer to subside and the rashes have been more severe. I have sent several blood samples for a culture and am waiting for the reports to confirm it as scarlet fever," said Arunalok Bhattacharya, paediatrician at the Institute of Child Health. Dozens of children with identical symptoms have been reporting to the hospital for treatment, said Bhattacharya.

Scarlet is an infection that most commonly affects children aged between four and eight years. Symptoms include sore throat, fever and a characteristic red rash. It is usually spread by inhalation. There is no vaccine, but the disease is effectively treated with antibiotics. It is triggered by erythrogenic toxin, a substance produced by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes.

Before antibiotics came into use, scarlet fever was a major cause of death. It also sometimes caused complications leading to heart valve diseases that often proved fatal.

The rash is the most easily identifiable sign of scarlet fever. It usually begins looking like a bad sunburn with tiny bumps and it may itch. The neck and the face are usually the first to be affected, often leaving a clear unaffected area around the mouth. It then spreads to the chest and back region, then to the rest of the body. In body creases, especially around the underarms and elbows, the rash forms red streaks. Areas of rash usually turn white when you press on them. By the sixth day of the infection the rash usually fades, but the affected skin may begin to peel. "It's rarely fatal, but the way the fever has been spreading is a matter of concern. Precautions need to be taken immediately," said paediatrician Shantanu Ray.

Some like Bhattacharya believe it could also be a virus similar to scarlet. "In many cases, the rashes are appearing after the fever has subsided. This never happens in scarlet fever. It usually starts with the rashes and the fever follows. But we need blood culture reports for a confirmation. Unfortunately, most patients are being brought to us after an antibiotic dose. This is making it difficult to screen the bacteria," said Bhattacharya.

But the outbreak has got nothing to do with heat, said doctors. "A sudden alteration in humidity might have activated the bacteria. But scarlet outbreaks happen in cold climates as well. It is quite common in UK," said Debashish Basu, preventive medicine specialist.

Source: The Economic Times

(2) US secretly created ‘Cuban Twitter’ to stir unrest


The Obama administration secretly financed a social network in Cuba to stir political unrest and undermine the country's communist government.

An Associated Press investigation found the programme evaded Cuba's internet restrictions by creating a text-messaging service that could be used to organize political demonstrations. It drew in tens of thousands of subscribers who were unaware it was backed by the US government.

Documents and interviews show the US Agency for International Development went to extensive lengths to conceal its involvement in a so-called Cuban Twitter. They set up front companies overseas and routed money through a Cayman Islands bank to hide the money trail.

The project was launched shortly after American contractor Alan Gross was arrested in Cuba for undertaking covert work to expand internet access.

Source: The Times of India

(3) Extend anti-dumping duty on raw silk imports from China: Assocham


To boost domestic silk production, Assocham has urged the government to extend anti-dumping duty on raw silk imports from China, which have grown by 7 per cent during the last 12 years, till December 2015.

The Government had imposed antidumping duty on imports of Mulberry Raw Silk of 2A grade and below from China in January 2003, which remained in force until January 2008 and was subsequently extended till January 2014 after a sunset review.

“Silk import restrictions have two facets; one is concern of sericulture farmers opposing cheap Chinese raw silk imports threatening their livelihood, while the other issue is of the weaving community which requires raw silk to meet the rising demand,” Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said.

“There is a need to strike a balance between these two warring sections by periodically reviewing the import policy for raw silk, taking into account balanced interests of both sericulturists and export manufacturers,” he emphasised.

India’s silk industry provides jobs to over 7.6 million people across 51,000 villages operating over 3.28 lakh handlooms and over 45,800 powerlooms with over 8.14 lakh weavers, an Assocham study found.

“Clocking a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about eight per cent, India’s total silk imports rose from $ 124 million in 2000-01 to about $ 312 million in 2012-13, with raw silk alone comprising about 73 per cent of these imports worth over $ 227 million,” it pointed out.

China is biggest exporter of raw silk to India accounting for almost 99 per cent of exported raw silk worth $ 224.5 million as of 2012-13. Raw silk imports from China grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 7 over per cent during 2000-01 and 2012-13.

To boost domestic silk production, Assocham has suggested that state governments promote tie-up of weaver cluster with raw silk production units for establishing close linkage between forward and backward sub-systems.

Besides, the state governments should also facilitate establishment of weaver centers to empower and enlighten the producers with latest information on research and development, technological advances and new designs related to weaving techniques.

Source: The Hindu

(4) GM boss 'deeply sorry' after deadly crashes


The manufacturer is under fire for not recalling Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other General Motors models over the past decade, despite its own evidence that the defects were posing a major hazard. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the problems, and GM eventually issued mass recalls this year.

Barra said GM has acknowledged the problem, launched an exhaustive review to determine what and who is responsible, and pledged top-to-bottom changes in shifting from a "cost culture" to a focus on safety and quality.

"Today's GM will do the right thing," she told a House investigations panel in Washington.

"That begins with my sincere apologies to everyone who has been affected by this recall," she added. "I am deeply sorry."

Lawmakers pointed to internal documents showing GM at first refused to change the faulty switches because it would have been too costly.

The lawmakers, and Barra, expressed astonishment that the company went ahead with using the parts even though they did not meet GM standards. "That is not something that I find acceptable," Barra said. "Today... if we know there is a safety defect on our vehicles, we don't look at the cost but at the speed at which we can fix the problem."

Heaping pressure on the automaker, weeping relatives marched up Capitol Hill, clutching images of their loved ones, to demand accountability from GM and tell how their children died in vehicles they said the company knew were faulty.

Barra said she met privately today with crash victim relatives, some of whom watched her testify.

The auto giant faces mounting legal troubles, including a Justice Department probe and lawsuits from people injured and families of those who died in crashes allegedly tied to the ignition issue. Analysts have already speculated that the trouble could cost the company billions of dollars in penalties and damages, on top of huge recall costs.

Lawmakers argued tragedy could have been avoided if GM acted swiftly to fix a serious but inexpensive problem. "Two dollars. That's how little this ignition switch could have cost to repair," said Senator Ed Markey.

"But that was apparently $2 too much for General Motors." Also testifying was acting administrator David Friedman of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the auto safety agency under attack for not acting on its own evidence that the ignitions posed risks. But Friedman cast blame on GM, saying the company withheld crucial data that would have triggered an in-depth probe years ago.

Source: Hindustan Times

(5) Wealth tax scope to boost revenues, say experts


Raising the threshold for wealth tax from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 crore and lowering the rate of tax in the revised draft Direct Tax Code, 2013, may seem like a relaxation but it actually could offer a major boost to the government revenue if signed into law, officials and experts said.

This is because for the first time, the scope of wealth tax, which has poor compliance history and has become a focus point for the income tax department in the last one year, has been extended to cover all financial assets, including investments in shares, mutual funds and debt instruments.

Official sources said that if the proposal is implemented, receipts from wealth tax could be many multiples of now (just Rs 950 crore in FY14) and would depend on the market value of financial assets in a given year. This, despite the fact that the revised code has lowered the rate of wealth tax from 1% to 0.25%. An official estimate of the possible receipts was not immediately available.

Also, even if the next government does not take up DTC immediately, mere continuation of the existing provisions in the I-T Act would more or less take care of the super rich tax proposal. The 10% surcharge on personal income above Rs 1 crore introduced in Finance Act 2013-14 takes the total tax liability of those coming under the top 30% slab to 33%, closer to the fourth slab of 35% proposed in the revised DTC, explained a government official.

Experts said the revised version of DTC is focusing on the rich as economic growth has slowed down and is adversely affecting the pace of tax collection growth. They also said improving revenue collections from the rich was not one of the initial objectives of the DTC, which were simplification and rationalisation of the direct tax laws.

“Targeting one class of tax payers may encourage convoluted tax planning. The proposed change is not in the spirit of encouraging investments in capital markets,” said Neeru Ahuja, Partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells. As per the revised code, wealth tax would cover individuals, Hindu Undivided Families and private discretionary trusts, but not companies.

It, however, remains to be seen whether the revised DTC would be taken up by the next government if there is a change in the ruling coalition. “After all, DTC is a document. Discussions on various proposals and responses have certainly helped in policy making. Many of the DTC proposals are already part of the Income Tax Act,” said a government official.

Already, the government has made changes in the income tax return to make it compulsory for tax payers to declare their assets and liabilities. The idea was to zero in on individuals, mainly traders and businessmen, who disclose modest income, but own fancy SUVs, houses at posh locations and other assets that clearly do not agree with their reported income.

The proposed 10% surcharge on those receiving dividend above Rs 1 crore would be levied at the hands of the recipient, who now are exempt from any tax as the 15% dividend distribution tax is paid by the company that pays the dividend.

Source: The Indian Express

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