Friday 31 May 2013

UNICEF’s annual State of the World’s Children’s report

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Children with disabilities and their communities would both benefit if society focused on what those children can achieve,rather than what they cannot do,according to UNICEF’s annual State of the world’s children’s report.Image
New Delhi, India, 30 May 2013 – Children with disabilities and their communities would both benefit if society focused on what those children can achieve, rather than what they cannot do, according to UNICEF’s annual State of the World’s Children’s report.
Concentrating on the abilities and potential of children with disabilities would create benefits for society as a whole, says the report released today.
“When you see the disability before the child, it is not only wrong for the child, but it deprives society of all that child has to offer,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “Their loss is society’s loss; their gain is society’s gain.”
The report lays out how societies can include children with disabilities because when they play a full part in society, everyone benefits. For instance, inclusive education broadens the horizons of all children even as it presents opportunities for children with disabilities to fulfil their ambitions.
More efforts to support integration of children with disabilities would help tackle the discrimination that pushes them further into the margins of society.
For many children with disabilities, exclusion begins in the first days of life with their birth going unregistered. Lacking official recognition, they are cut off from the social services and legal protections that are crucial to their survival and prospects. Their marginalization only increases with discrimination.
“For children with disabilities to count, they must be counted – at birth, at school and in life,” said Mr. Lake.
The State of the World’s Children 2013: Children with Disabilities says that children with disabilities are the least likely to receive health care or go to school. They are among the most vulnerable to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect, particularly if they are hidden or put in institutions – as many are because of social stigma or the economic cost of raising them.
The combined result is that children with disabilities are among the most marginalized people in the world. Children living in poverty are among the least likely to attend their local school or clinic but those who live in poverty and also have a disability are even less likely to do so.
Gender is a key factor, as girls with disabilities are less likely than boys to receive food and care.
“Discrimination on the grounds of disability is a form of oppression,” the report says, noting that multiple deprivations lead to even greater exclusion for many children with disabilities.
There is little accurate data on the number of children with disabilities, what disabilities these children have and how disabilities affect their lives. As a result, few governments have a dependable guide for allocating resources to support and assist children with disabilities and their families.
About one third of the world’s countries have so far failed to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The report urges all governments to keep their promises to guarantee the equal rights of all their citizens – including their most excluded and vulnerable children.
Progress is being made toward the inclusion of children with disabilities, albeit unevenly, and The State of the World’s Children 2013 sets out an agenda for further action.
The report urges governments to ratify and implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to support families so that they can meet the higher costs of caring for children with disabilities.
It calls for measures to fight discrimination among the general public, decision-makers and providers of such essential services as schooling and health care.
International agencies should make sure the advice and assistance they provide to countries is consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They should promote a concerted global research agenda on disability to generate data and analysis that will guide planning and resource allocation, the report says.
It emphasizes the importance of involving children and adolescents with disabilities by consulting them on the design and evaluation of programmes and services for them.
And everyone benefits when inclusive approaches include accessibility and universal design of environments to be used by all to the greatest extent possible without the need for adaptation.
“The path ahead is challenging,” said Mr. Lake in Da Nang, Viet Nam, for the launch of the report. “But children do not accept unnecessary limits. Neither should we.”

Rookie Angad Cheema bags maiden professional title

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Image

Richard Stephen Hilton finishes runner-up

Jaipur, May 30, 2013: Rookie Angad Cheema of Panchkula won the second leg of the 2013 PGTI Feeder Tour at the Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur on Thursday after he fired an even-par-70 in the third and final round. Cheema totaled five-under-205 for the tournament to bag his maiden professional title. Dehradun’s Richard Stephen Hilton was the runner-up as he finished one stroke behind the winner.

Angad Cheema (69-66-70), who was overnight second, had an ordinary start to the day. He bogeyed the first and third holes after a couple of poor shots. The 23-year-old Cheema picked up his first birdie of the day with an eight feet putt on the eighth. However, he stumbled with another bogey on the ninth.

Angad then produced a far better back-nine as he birdied the 10th and 15th and made a good par to win on the 18th. Cheema, a winner of three events on the amateur circuit, landed his approach shots within five feet and two feet for birdies on the 10th and 15th respectively.

Cheema said, “The turning point for me was the birdie on the 15th as that gave me a two shot lead. I also made a good chip-putt for par to win on the 18th. My putting was much better as compared to last week’s event in Faridabad where I missed the cut. After the poor performance in Faridabad, I came to Jaipur just to prove to myself that I can play much better golf. I wanted to get in the right frame of mind before the season’s bigger events.

“I knew I would do well at the Rambagh Golf Club as I had won a team event at this venue during my amateur days. It’s great to win my first title within five months of turning professional. This victory is of huge significance to me.”

Angad Cheema is now placed second on the PGTI Feeder Tour Order of Merit behind Arjun Singh Chaudhri who won the first leg of the season at Faridabad last week.

Richard Stephen Hilton (68-69-69) was the runner-up with a four-under-206 total. The 25-year-old Richard made four birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey in his final round of one-under-69. Hilton, playing in his second season as a professional, posted the best ever result of his professional career after he finished second at Jaipur.

Overnight leader Honey Baisoya of Delhi secured tied third place along with Amardeep Rawat of Lucknow at three-under-207. Baisoya shot a three-over-73 in the final round.

Vishal Singh of Jaipur and Chandigarh’s Roop Singh were in tied fifth place at one-under-209.

Thursday 30 May 2013

HP Enhances Coca-Cola’s Biggest-Ever Personalized Brand Campaign Across Europe
HP Indigo Digital Presses achieve record-breaking productivity to produce 800 million personalized labels in 32 countries


India 29 May, 2013- — HP today announced its record-breaking, long-run production of personalized labels on HP IndigoWS6000 series Digital Presses for Coca-Cola’s biggest-ever personalized brand campaign. 

The campaign, Share a Coca-Cola, was launched across Europe on May 1.

The campaign is designed to help Coca-Cola engage directly with its consumers in 32 countries. It substitutes the iconic Coca-Cola logo on bottles of Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola light and Coca-Cola Zero with 150 of the most popular first names, nicknames and terms of affection in each country. Supported by a fully integrated marketing program to connect consumers online, the campaign reinforces Coca-Cola’s position as an innovator within the consumer retail space.

The project combined conventional printing technology with HP Indigo Digital Printing to create 800 million high-quality personalized labels. 

“Packaging plays a critical role in the Share a Coca-Cola campaign because it connects the physical bottle with online communication channels, including social media and user-generated content sites,” said Marit Kroon, marketing manager, Europe, Coca-Cola. “The ability to personalize such a high volume of labels with HP Indigo Digital Presses, while achieving the quality and consistency that Coca-Cola requires, opens up new possibilities for creative campaigns moving forward.”

Maintaining productivity and quality with HP Indigo

The project was led by Peter Overbeek from ESHUIS, a label converter based in Dalfsen, Netherlands. It consisted of eight label converters across Europe who coordinated production of the personalized labels on 12 HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses. The presses ran 24 hours per day for approximately three months to produce almost 800 million labels, the largest job on record for the HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses.

“During the months of continuous printing, the HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses have proven to be exceptionally reliable, achieving record productivity and press uptime of 86 percent,” said Peter Overbeek, managing director, ESHUIS. “With such a strong European network of PSPs using HP Indigo digital presses, the opportunities for brand owners like Coca-Cola are endless.”

The static content on the labels for this project was first printed conventionally on a 38-micron BOPP wraparound material and then personalized with the names using HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses. All of the HP Indigo Digital Presses used for this project were set to the same configuration and settings for complete alignment and consistency during production.

Additionally, to ensure the Coca-Cola brand color was maintained across all machines, HP Indigo formulated the Coca-Cola Red Ink. This ink served as the benchmark for all of the conventional and digital printing for the Share a Coca-Cola campaign. It also will serve as the reference color for Coca-Cola in the future.

Along with the physical Coca-Cola packages, the portal www.shareacocacola.com provides a platform for consumers to experience the Share a Coca-Cola campaign virtually with friends and family across the world. Consumers can use the website to create and personalize virtual cans to send to Facebook friends. They also can share content and find out about local Coca-Cola events.

“There’s a tremendous opportunity for companies like Coca-Cola to better engage their customers by making their brand and product stand out on store shelves through customized packaging,” said Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, Indigo Division, HP. “The HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Presses proved their long-run production capabilities by meeting the needs of a project of this scale on time and aligned with Coca-Cola brand standards.”

Wednesday 29 May 2013

Organizing for Action Naresh --

Trying to get Congress to pass good, progressive legislation isn't easy -- we know that pretty well by now.

That's why this is so important: Right now, Congress is closer to passing comprehensive immigration reform than they've been in a generation.

Last Tuesday, a smart, bipartisan bill for comprehensive immigration reform moved ahead toward a full vote in the Senate -- and that vote could happen in just a matter of weeks.

If there was ever a time to get off the sidelines, it's now.

Simply add your name and say you'll join our fight for immigration reform today.

Just as we're going to rail on Congress when they cave to pressure from special interests and fail the people who sent them there, we're going to rally behind them when they start getting things done.

The organizing on the ground, the Days of Action, the tweets, Facebook posts, and calls to Congress are working -- but we absolutely can not let up now.

If we fail, it might be years before we get anywhere near this close again.

Keep going.

Add your name today:

http://my.barackobama.com/Comprehensive-Immigration-Reform

Thank you,

Jon

Jon Carson
Executive Director

bsnl & DIMENSION DATA launch cloud services powered by ‘global cloud exchange’

29 05 2013
New corporate logo
bsnl AND DIMENSION DATA launch enterprise cloud services powered by first of its kind ‘global cloud exchange’
Acquires 15 user enterprises across Private and Government sectors

New Delhi, 28 May, 2013 – Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India’s leading telecommunication services provider and Dimension Data, the leading global ICT solutions and services provider today jointly announced the launch of their Enterprise Cloud Services in India. Based on Dimension Data’s Managed Cloud Platform™ (MCP), BSNL forays into the Enterprise Cloud services space through its Internet Data Centres (IDCs). The launch was presided over by Shri Kapil Sibal, Hon’ble Minister for Communications and IT who witnessed the signing-on of 15 user enterprises across Financial Services, IT / ITES, Education and Government sectors.
Based on a standardised architecture, the MCP offers enterprises the advantage of being able to support public, private and hybrid cloud models. All MCPs are enterprise-ready, offering multiple layers of security, administrative controls, highest availability SLAs, 24/7 phone support and integrated management capabilities.
Specifically architected for Large Enterprise needs, these services have already been acknowledged as ‘Leaders’ in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Cloud IaaS, and have more than 1,000 clients globally.
Commending the launch of BSNL’s cloud services, Shri Kapil Sibal, Hon’ble Minister of Communications and IT, said, “I compliment BSNL and Dimension Data on being able to successfully launch enterprise class cloud services following up on their earlier initiative of building world-class Internet Data Centres. With the central, as well as State governments strategically investing in strengthening their E-Governance initiatives to benefit citizens, this public-private partnership to offer cloud services is another step towards realising the larger goal of bridging the gap between citizens and the government.”
Shri R. K. Upadhyay, Chairman & Managing Director, BSNL, said “The IDC and Cloud Services have not only enabled us to build and add new strategic capabilities to our portfolio, but also, it has benefited our clients who can leverage our flexible sourcing options or simply host their entire IT assets within our secure environment and with expert care. The fact that we have already signed on 15 leading organizations is a clear indicator of the value we are delivering.”
Further elaborating on the launch, Kiran Bhagwanani, CEO, Dimension Data India said, “India is a key market for Dimension Data and we continue to make significant investments here. Our partnership with BSNL to build the IDCs and offer world-class Cloud Services is testimony to our commitment to the region. We offer a wide range of Cloud Services that support our clients at every step of their cloud journey, be it implementing private clouds or offering public cloud services, very often ending up with a hybrid model for enterprise clients. Our highly secure, enterprise-class, globally connected cloud platform is positioned in the ‘Leaders’ quadrant of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Cloud IaaS with more than a thousand global clients already on board.”
-ENDS-

About BSNL:
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. is the world’s seventh largest telecommunications company, providing a comprehensive range of telecom services in India: Wireline, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier services, MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VoIP services, IN services etc. Presently it is one of the largest and leading public sector units in India. Scaling new heights of success, the present turnover of BSNL is around US$ 6 billion in last financial year. The turnover, nationwide coverage, reach, comprehensive range of telecom services and the desire to excel in new upcoming fields has made BSNL the leading Telecom Company of India. With this new business of Datacenter, Cloud services and IT solutions suites BSNL has further diversified its business portfolio. For more information, please visit http://www.bsnl.co.in

About Dimension Data
Founded in 1983, Dimension Data is an ICT services and solutions provider that uses its technology expertise, global service delivery capability, and entrepreneurial spirit to accelerate the business ambitions of its clients. Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Group.

In Asia Pacific, we operate in over 60 offices across 13 countries. We help clients plan, build, support, manage, improve and innovate their ICT infrastructures. It combines an expertise in networking, security, data centre solutions, Microsoft solutions and converged communications and contact centre technologies, with advanced skills in consulting, integration, training and managed services. www.dimensiondata.com
Hindalco reports Standalone and Consolidated audited results for year ended 31 March 2013
Ø  First Metal tapped at Mahan Aluminium Project
Ø  Utkal Alumina Project under commissioning
Ø  Consecutively 4th quarter of improved performance

Financial Highlights

STANDALONE
CONSOLIDATED

Q4FY13
Q3FY13
Q4FY12
FY13
FY12
FY13
FY12
(In Rs. crore)






 
Revenue from Operations
   6,994
   6,872
   7,647
 26,057
 26,597
 80,193
 80,821
EBITDA
      644
      582
      864
   2,204
   3,105
   7,837
   8,184
Other income
231
      318
      161
      983
      616
    1,012
      783
Profit Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation & Amortisation
      875
      900
   1,025
   3,187
   3,721
   8,849
   8,967
Depreciation
      173
      188
      166
      704
      690
    2,861
   2,864
Finance Costs
      158
      169
        80
      436
      294
    2,079
   1,758
Profit before tax
      544
      543
      779
   2,047
   2,737
   3,909
   4,345
Tax Expenses
        62
      109
      139
      347
      500
       886
      786
Net profit before Minority Interest and Share in Associates
      482
      434
      640
   1,699
   2,237
   3,023
   3,559
Share in Profit/ (Loss) of Associates (Net)





(16)
        50
Minority Interest





(20)
      211
Net Profit for the Period
      482
      434
      640
   1,699
   2,237
   3,027
   3,397
Basic EPS
     2.52
     2.26
     3.34
     8.88
   11.69
    15.81
   17.74
Note:   Certain descriptions and /or figures of earlier periods have been changed/regrouped to conform to current practices

Hindalco Industries Limited, the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, today announced its standalone and consolidated audited financial results for the year ended 31 March, 2013.
Standalone results
Quarterly Results
The operational results for the Quarter ended on 31st March 2013 showed significant improvement over the previous quarter – EBITDA surged by over 10%. The Company has delivered sequentially an improved EBITDA in every quarter of this year.  The operating margin of the Company also grew in this quarter by 72 basis points due to operational efficiencies.
As a result, Net profit has risen by over 11% at Rs. 482 crore.
 Aluminium sales grew by 8% to Rs. 2,396 crore from Rs. 2,215 crore in Q3FY13 on the back of higher volumes. The Segment results before Interest and Tax soared by 37% to Rs. 284 crore.  The Company was able to register a significant increase of 250 basis points in its EBIT margin in Aluminium business.
Alumina and Aluminium Production in Q4’13 at 330 Kt and 142 Kt respectively have also been higher over Q3FY13.
The Capital employed in the Aluminium Business stood at Rs. 31,942 crore as on March 31, 2013, which included around Rs. 22,500 crore relating to the Greenfield investments, viz., Mahan, Hirakud Flat Rolled Products and Aditya Aluminium Projects.
Copper The EBIT of Copper Business posted a growth of 15% to Rs. 259 crore while Capital employed in Copper Business remained at Rs 5,916 crore.  The Company achieved an 80 basis point increase in EBIT margin in Copper business.

Copper Cathode production in Q4’13 at 84.6 Kt is higher compared to 83.7 Kt in Q3’13.
Thus there was an all-round improvement in performance in volumes, margins and results in both the businesses of the Company.
Annual Results
Financial Year 2013 was marked by consistently low aluminium LME and constantly increasing costs. As a result, aluminium companies across the globe suffered during this year. However, Hindalco was able to mitigate impact of the above factors by improved efficiencies and higher volumes. Consequently, the Company’s results in this business segment stand out on almost every parameter in the peer group – both domestic as well international.
The Company closed the year with stand alone revenues at Rs. 26,057 crore, Profit before Depreciation, Interest and Tax at Rs.3,187 crore and Net Profit at Rs 1,699 crore.
Consolidated results
Despite a sluggish market and headwinds in all businesses of the Company, the Consolidated Revenue as well as Profit before Depreciation, Interest and Tax for the year at Rs 80,193 and Rs 8,849 crore respectively compare well with last year’s corresponding figures. With regard to segment results, Aluminium Segment has done particularly well by maintaining its EBIT at Rs 4,388 crore on consolidated basis.
Novelis Inc (wholly owned subsidiary)

The performance of Novelis was negatively impacted by pricing pressures from competitors, supply chain disruptions due to implementation of a new ERP system in two North American plants, as well as production challenges and softer demand.

Shipments of flat rolled products are marginally lower at 2,786 Kt for the year ended 31March, 2013, compared to 2,838 Kt in the prior year. Net sales were 11% lower primarily driven by a 15% decline in average aluminium prices and a fall in flat rolled product volumes by 2%.

 

Aditya Birla Minerals Limited (51 per cent subsidiary)
The company’s copper production expanded by 16% mainly on account of restart of Mt Gordon mine. Sales volume is up by 14% compared to the previous year. The revenue in value terms was sustained. Profitability was adversely affected given lower realisation of copper compared to the previous year and higher average unit cost of production, because of higher volume from Mt Gordon operations at higher cost.

At Nifty, the ore mined was 2.27 million tonnes up by 8% over the previous year. At Mt Gordon, the ore mined was 1.10 million tonnes representing a step up of 59% over the previous year.

Mount Gordon mine’s operations are currently placed under care and maintenance.
Dividend
The Board of Directors of the Company have recommended a dividend of Rs. 1.40 per share aggregating to Rs. 313.6 crore (including dividend distribution tax of Rs. 45.55 crore) for the year ended 31st March, 2013.
Projects – in India


Estimated Capacity
Actual or estimated
Location
Description of Expansion
(at full capacity)
Commission Date/ Progress Update
India



Hirakud, Odisha
Smelter Expansion
52 Kt
Under Commissioning
Captive Power Plant Expansion
100 MW



Rolling Plant
135 Kt
Partially Commissioned




Rayagada, Odisha
(Utkal Alumina)
Alumina Refinery)
1500 Kt
Under Commissioning
Captive Power Plant
90 MW




Mahan, Madhya Pradesh
(Mahan Aluminium)
Aluminium Smelter
360 Kt
First Metal Tapped, commissioning being undertaken in phased manner
Captive Power Plant
900 MW




Lapanga, Odisha
 (Aditya Aluminium)
Aluminium Smelter
360 Kt
2013
Captive Power Plant
900 MW
 
All these ongoing projects of the Company with a cumulative investment of around Rs 28,000 crore have either been commissioned or are in advanced stages of commissioning/implementation.

Projects - Overseas



Estimated Capacity
Actual or estimated

Location
Description of Expansion
(at full capacity)
Commission Date/ Progress Update
North America




Oswego, NY
Automotive sheet finishing plant
200 kt
Mid CY2013






Europe




Nachterstedt, Germany
Recycling expansion
250 kt
Mid CY2014






Asia




Ulsan & Yeoungju, South Korea
Rolling expansion
350 kt
Mid CY2013

Yeoungju,South Korea
Recycling expansion
265 kt
Oct-12

Changzhou, China
Automotive sheet finishing plant
120kt
End CY2014






South America




Pinda, Brazil
Rolling expansion
220 kt
Dec-12

Pinda, Brazil
Can coating line
100 kt
End CY2013

Pinda, Brazil
Recycling expansion
190 kt
End CY2013







 

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