Prabhakaran shot dead while fleeing: Sri Lanka

Colombo: Velupillai Prabhakaran, the elusive leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels, was killed on Monday while trying to escape the war zone in the island's north, military sources said.

Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was in a convoy of a van and an ambulance with some of his trusted aides when the military opened fire in an isolated strip of Mullaitivu district, a military official said.

"It was confirmed Prabhakaran was killed when trying to flee in an ambulance before dawn. We are waiting for the official announcement by the President," a military source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Four other sources confirmed the account. There was no immediate official comment from the military.

There were unconfirmed reports that Pottu Amman, head of the LTTE's intelligence wing, had also been killed.

Prabhakaran's death comes shortly after soldiers stumbled upon the bodies of several key LTTE leaders, including his son Charles Anthony, who headed the group's IT wing and was being groomed to take over his father's mantle.

Afghanistan's only pig quarantined in flu fear

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By Golnar Motevalli

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's only known pig has been locked in a room, away from visitors to Kabul zoo where it normally grazes beside deer and goats, because people are worried it could infect them with the virus popularly known as swine flu.

The pig is a curiosity in Muslim Afghanistan, where pork and pig products are illegal because they are considered irreligious, and has been in quarantine since Sunday after visitors expressed alarm it could spread the new flu strain.

"For now the pig is under quarantine, we built it a room because of swine influenza," Aziz Gul Saqib, director of Kabul Zoo, told Reuters. "We've done this because people are worried about getting the flu."

Worldwide, more than 1,000 people have been infected with the virus, according to the World Health Organization, which also says 26 people have so far died from the strain. All but one of the deaths were in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak.

There are no pig farms in Afghanistan and no direct civilian flights between Kabul and Mexico.

"We understand that, but most people don't have enough knowledge. When they see the pig in the cage they get worried and think that they could get ill," Saqib said.

The pig was a gift to the zoo from China, which itself quarantined some 70 Mexicans, 26 Canadians and four Americans in the past week, but later released them.

Some visitors were not concerned about the fate of the pig and said locking it away was probably for the best.

"Influenza is quite contagious and if it passes between people and animals then there's no need for the pig to be here," zoo visitor Farzana said.

Shabby and rundown, Kabul Zoo is a far cry from zoos in the developed world, but has nevertheless come a long way since it suffered on the front line of Afghanistan's 1992-4 civil war.

Mujahideen fighters then ate the deer and rabbits and shot dead the zoo's sole elephant. Shells shattered the aquarium.

One fighter climbed into the lion enclosure but was immediately killed by Marjan, the zoo's most famous inhabitant. The man's brother returned the next day and lobbed a hand grenade at the lion leaving him toothless and blind.

The zoo now holds two lions who replaced Marjan who died of old age in 2002 as well as endangered local leopards. In all, it houses 42 species of birds and mammals and 36 types of fish and attracts up to 10,000 visitors on weekends.

(Reporting by Golnar Motevalli; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Why Tamil Nadu chose DMK, rejected Congress

Going by the trends, the people of Tamil Nadu seem to know who they did not want to win: The Congress and the Pattali Makkal Katchi.

What was already a tough battle was complicated further when Tamil organisations and the film industry raised the Sri Lankan Tamils issue during the final leg of the campaign.

"Senior Congress ministers are losing. Just like Sonia Gandhi [Images]annihilated our people in Sri Lanka[Images], the Tamil people have annihilated her party in the state. From now on the Congress will cease to exist in Tamil Nadu. We will never again allow them to come and ask for our votes," film director Seeman, who spearheaded a vigorous pro-Eelam campaign in constituencies where the Congress was contesting, said.

Thus while the Congress bore the brunt of the pro-Eelam anger, the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham quietly sidestepped the issue. The filmmakers did not campaign in places where DMK candidates were in the fray.

On why they stayed away from DMK constituencies, he said: "(DMK leader and Chief Minister M) Karunanidhi is a leader who we have followed and respected from our childhoods. Though we were sad over his behaviour we did not want to speak against him out of respect. But that does not mean that he is no guilty. We still are disappointed with him," he said.

Political analyst and editor of Thuglak weekly, Cho Ramaswamy, however, maintained that it was the unpopularity of the Congress leaders than the Sri Lankan issue that caused their downfall. "I still maintain that the Sri Lankan issue was not a plank in this election. Had that been the case, the DMK must have also lost big time. They were all along running with the hares and hunting with the wolves."

"Certain Congress leaders were hugely unpopular in their constituencies. A person like Chidambaram is losing despite spending huge sums of money. His unpopularity could not be masked by money power," he said.

For the PMK, a party that has been accused of switching alliances far too many times and always staying in power, this election proved to be one time too many.

"We advised (PMK leader) Dr S Ramadoss not to switch alliances. But the decision was his. You see the results now," an advisor to the PMK chief said.

"The moment the PMK left the alliance, it was evident that Karunanidhi would stop at nothing to defeat the PMK," he said.

The DMK fielded the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, an ally that stuck to the DMK in two of the PMK bastions in north Tamil Nadu. "The people have also rejected what they saw as an opportunistic party," he added.

Another reason is the lack of chemistry and the wrong alliance partner. "It is clear that the alliance with the AIADMK has not worked. In 2006, there was resentment against the incumbent and the PMK capitalised on it. This time, everything worked against the party," he said.

Here, too, Cho Ramaswamy disagreed. Even at the national level, parties keep switching alliance partners. "It would be unfair to criticise the PMK alone for that," he said.

On the party always having been with the winning side, he said: "They had been lucky all along. This time it was not so."

Layoffs at Capgemini continue

CHENNAI: Consulting and outsourcing firm Capgemini has laid off nearly 100employees at its Chennai centre. The pink slips were issued for employees mostly in the middle management positions. This comes on the back of reports that said Capgemini sacked 600 employees in Hyderabad and Pune. The company has nearly 20,000 people working in India. An employee said the layoff across centers was because of the overall economic slowdown, which was impacting the company’s project flow and clients. “While some clients have ramped down on the size of contracts, other projects, like theLehman Brothers account closed after the company’s collapse. Apart from the middle management, some employees on probation were also asked to leave,” said the employee at one of the company’s locations, who did not wish to be named.

When contacted, Capgemini India’s chief people officer Cyprian D’Souza told ET through e-mail, “India is central to our global delivery model and we are in the process of mapping our existing skills with the business in hand and the business outlook. The economic condition is tough and no company is immune to its effects.”

Mr D’Souza added that the industry was seeing an overhaul within all the affected verticals. “The process though tough, has to be undertaken to align our business with global economic realities, optimise operational efficiency, ensure financial health and enable future growth.”

For the first quarter of 2009, Capgemini group posted consolidated revenues of Euro 2,205 million, up 0.9 % compared with the year-ago period.

US consulate denies H1B visa curtailment for Indians

The US Consulate on Wednesday denied any curtailment of H1B visas to Indians.

"Due to economic slowdown world over, the US government has taken a decision to tie up its unemployment problem which is nine per cent. But, there was no significant change in visa policy," US Consulate General, Hyderabad, Cornelis M Keur said.

"We continue to issue H1B visas with little more scrutiny", Keur told reporters at 'Meet the Press' programme organised by Press Club Hyderabad.

At the same time, the US Government has framed a policy for the companies to give preference to native Americans in employment, he added.

Obama administration has taken up a practical approach in establishing relations with the countries while there were efforts for strengthening relations with India because of the "Brain Borrowing", he said.

Making a special reference about the Andhraites whose presence can be marked in various fields in the US including IT, Keur said, "There are three million Indians in United States who are contributing to its prosperity."

The Hyderabad Consulate, the fourth in the country, was established due to the growing trade and development in the State in the fields of IT, Pharma and Biotechnology, he added.

CBI officer arrested for taking bribe from witness

Mumbai: A Sub-Inspector with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of CBI was on Thursday arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a witness in a case, officials said.

"Sub-Inspector Deepak Kumar had demanded bribe of Rs 50,000 from a witness in a bank fraud case which he had investigated and had threatened to arrest him if he failed to pay the amount," Superintendent of Police (CBI Anti-

Corruption Bureau), Pravin Salunkhe told PTI.

Kumar had allegedly been harassing the complainant for the last six months, Salunkhe said.

On Monday, Kumar had gone to Pune where he allegedly spoke with the complainant, a resident of Pune, and threatened him that if he didn't pay an initial amount of Rs 10,000 at the earliest, he would be arrested.

The CBI has already filed chargesheet in the bank fraud case and the matter in going on in a Pune court.

"The complainant approached us yesterday and filed a complaint. Kumar called him yesterday and told him to come to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to pay the amount," he said.

Kumar then called the complainant and told him to come to his residence at the CBI official quarters in suburban Ghatkopar, he added.

Amar meets Rajnath Singh, calls him 'elder brother'

New Delhi: Will it be the mother of all political marriages? Or is it the art of political doublespeak?

Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh met BJP President Rajnath Singh at a wedding ceremony and came back saying that Rajnath was like his elder brother.

He then added that Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee too was like his elder brother, saying his relationship with Mukherjee was constant even when their two parties were at loggerheads with each other.

"I went for a wedding ceremony where I met Rajnath Singh was there. He is like my elder brother, we are not enemies, but so far the BJP is untouchable," he said.

However, the Samajwadi Party leader clarified on Friday that his meeting with Rajnath Singh was of a "social" nature and he did not touch politics.

"He (Rajnath Singh) is a close friend. I know him rather well. It was a wedding ceremony and was a social meeting with him. I have not opened any channel of communication with the NDA," motherfucker Amar Singh told reporters, referring to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Amar Singh, however, added that his party would not align with the BJP "as long as Ram temple remained their core issue".

He also spoke about CPI(M) General SecretaryPrakash Karat saying that though Karat was not an obstruction, he could not always keep his personal and political relations separate.

However, Rajnath Singh contradicted Amar Singhsaying, "It is natural that when two political leaders meet, there will be some political talks. NDA will emerge as the single largest party. We have the support of many other parties and we will form the government and L K Advani will be the prime minister."

Satyam may lay off over 12,000 employees

Satyam Computer Services, which is now controlled by Tech Mahindra, is planning to lay off 12,000 to 14,000 employees.

Sources said that the new management made a formal announcement before senior management personnel on Thursday on the issue of reducing manpower by up to 14,000 people.

Satyam currently has just over 40,000 employees, of which 19,000 are 'billing employees,' while just over 20,000 are 'non-billing' staff. Almost everyone currently on the 'bench' is in danger of losing employment at Satyam, a source said.

Of these 20,000-odd non-billing staff, around 12,000 employees are those who work on various projects onsite or the foot-soldiers; while some 7,000-odd are from general management, operations, HR, and other competencies.

Sources say that 80 per cent of the foot soldiers and 50 per cent of the management staff among these will be asked to go on a 'sabbatical', an industry euphemism used to sugar-coat a brutal lay off.

The junior staff that would be asked to take a sabbatical will get a compensation of six months of basic pay, while the seniors would be given three months of basic pay. Basic pay ranges between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of total salary.

Ever since Tech Mahindra took control of Satyam in April, there were apprehensions among the Satyam employees on whether the new management would resort to manpower cuts.

Earlier this month Satyam board chairman Kiran Karnik had said that there had been no layoffs in the company, but it was essentially up to the new owners to take any such decision.

Industry sources say that the decision to lay off almost a third of the workforce points to the new management's desperation to try and get the company back on track following the destruction of its goodwill by its founder chairman B Ramalinga Raju and the continuing economic recession.

The company stands to save substantially through these retrenchments.

However, others are of the opinion that Tech Mahindra is looking at very short-term solutions to a problem that needs a long-term redressal strategy.

Experts say that the new management might have missed a trick or two in assessing the true strength of Satyam which, they say, lies in its excellence at delivery of complex services.

They say that laying off employees on the bench who primarily are involved with the company's delivery areas might weaken its core strength and turn it into an IT entity that looks mainly at low value-chain business. With giants like TCS, Infosys and Wipro already holding sway over that space in India, Satyam might find the going very difficult, they say.

Notwithstanding Karnik's statement that there had no layoffs at Satyam, company insiders say that the last two weeks have seen the maximum attrition at the company: even more than when the scandal first came to light.

Another source said that the layoffs, or sabbaticals, that will now be forced upon the employees could have come much earlier but for the Lok Sabha elections.

She said that the Satyam issue is very close to the heart of the people of Andhra Pradesh and any retrenchments before the country went to polls could have had a major impact on the outcome of the election.

She added that the Congress had earlier intervened and 'not allowed Satyam staff from being sacked to keep the Andhra story going.' But now with the elections over, the axe is about to swing freely in Satyam.

Satyam Computer had plunged into a crisis after its founder B Ramalinga Raju in January admitted to having cooked the books of the company for years.

In April, IT firm Tech Mahindra announced to acquire a 51 per cent stake in the beleaguered firm for Rs 2,900 crore (Rs 29 billion).

'For 42 years, film stars ruled Tamil Nadu. It's time others took over'

There is no dearth of political parties in Tamil Nadu. The Kongunadu Munetra Peravai-- with as many as 12 candidates this Lok Sabha election -- is the latest entrant. Having fielded all candidates from Kongunadu -- western Tamil Nadu -- the party's first public meeting in Coimbatore recently created a storm in political circles.

The KMP is a political party formed by the affluent and dominant Gounder community, which comprises 20 per cent of the electorate. It was a deadlock between farmers and industrialists over disposing effluent waste from dyeing units in Tirupur that led to the launch of the new party. Then it stole the thunder when it supported the practice of toddy-tapping , which is banned in Tamil Nadu.

Leading the Gounders from the front is'Best' Ramasamy. The tag 'Best' comes from the brand of his highly popular textile venture.

Contesting from Pollachi, 'Best' Ramasamy is the party's star campaigner, crisscrossing all the constituencies where it has candidates.

All the 12 candidates are Gounders, barring in the Nilgiris, a reserved constituency.

'Best' Ramasamy spoke to A Ganesh Nadar about his party and its plans.

Why did you start a political party?

It was our people's wish. For decades, we have waited for politicians to do something for us. They have done nothing. Now we have decided to do it ourselves. For that, we need political power. So we decided to enter electoral politics. We are honest, hardworking, simple people.

We have been taken for a ride for too long, but not anymore.

You said that you want to put an end to star politics in Tamil Nadu?

Yes, I did. For 42 years, film stars ruled Tamil Nadu. Either they were scriptwriters like C N Annadurai and Karunanidhi[Images] or stars like the late M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa [Images]. And look where it has landed us. It's time others took over.

You have also asked for a separate state, Kongunadu?

That is the last resort. Many projects have been pending for years here. Our needs and demands have not been met. If the state doesn't fulfill our aspirations, then we will have no choice, but to demand a separate state.

This belt is one of the most prosperous regions in Tamil Nadu. How can you call it neglected?

This is the belt that generates maximum revenue for the state and central governments. We contribute 42 percent of the state revenue in taxes. But the spending is not proportionate. Our funds are being used elsewhere. We have no issues with the state using the money as it wishes, but it should first fulfill our needs.

In what way do you think that you can do better than the Congress and the Dravidian parties?

We can do better with hard work. They are not doing anything for industry or agriculture. We will do what is necessary to promote both. This area is ahead in industry and agriculture. With good government support, it can reach greater heights.

When will caste-based and communal politics end in Tamil Nadu?

I don't know about the others, but we are not a caste or communal-based party. Ours is a region-based party. We represent the people of Kongunadu.It doesn't matter which caste or religion they belong to.

Why did you support the toddy-tappers's agitation?

That was a matter of principle. The government is selling brandy and whisky in the state. So, why not toddy? We will stop supporting the toddy-tappers if the government stops selling liquor. Let them introduce total prohibition and we will support them.

What happens if you lose? Will you still be in politics?

100 percent. We will involve ourselves in politics. You may think that we are a new start-up and we will shut shop soon. But, we won't.

Our Sangam has been in existence for the last 25 years. We have been involved in community work. We have just added politics to its agenda. It's been around for a long time and it will be around for a long time.

By the way, who said we will lose? We will win and send our representatives to the Lok Sabha.

Accenture sets up unit for low-priced contracts

BANGALORE: Accenture, the world’s third-largest IT services major known for premium pricing of its services, has formed a separate unit to handle the low-priced contracts it has been securing. The name of the unit is not known, but the move underlines the growing reality in the IT services market, where newer contracts are coming at lower price-points, thanks to the continuing slowdown. IT majors like Accenture are left with little choice but to bid for such projects, people familiar with the development said.

Accenture’s new unit will handle all low-priced projects, especially the ones that are below its benchmark pricing. Accenture normally charges about $27-28 per hour from its premium clients. The new contracts are believed to be about 10% cheaper. The company did not respond to a detailed e-mail sent by ET last Friday.

Accenture is regarded as a premium pricing player, with the ability to get a higher price on IT contracts vis-à-vis its competitors. Industry observers say Accenture has been able to do this due to its strength in consulting, which is almost about 20% higher than the existing rates.