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Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev’s social outfit Watches Replica, the Bharat Swabhiman Trust, has initiated a training programme for young volunteers from across the nation to campaign against ‘corrupt and tainted’ political leaders during the upcoming five-state assembly polls.

Ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls, Ramdev and his brigade of dedicated volunteers have stepped up their efforts to make good of their promise and to spread awareness and mobilise the voters on the issue of graft and black money.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Ramdev’s close aide Acharya Balkrishna revealed the plans of the Bharat Swabhiman Trust.We are imparting training to volunteers for campaigning in the upcoming assembly polls that are to be held in five states of the country. We want them to ensure that 100 percent voting takes place and people vote for only good, honest and clean candidates,” said Balkrishna.

Balkrishna further stressed that their exercise was not in favour of any single political party.

“We are not doing this in favour of any political party. We are doing this in favour of national interest. The Bharat Swabhiman Trust’s aim is to ensure that people elect only clean and honest candidates, for national interest,” said Balkrishna.

Ramdev shot into political scene after he went on a fast against black money and corruption in June 2011, adding to the woes of an embattled government following the nationwide agitations spearheaded by veteran social activist Anna Hazare.

However, his fast was stopped by Delhi Police, which swooped on the protesters with batons in a pre-dawn raid that triggered a fierce public and political outcry.

Following the police crackdown Replica Watch, Ramdev vowed to campaign against the government in the elections, indicating full support from his followers and volunteers in the ‘fight against corruption.’ (ANI)

By Matt Townsend and Chris Burritt Watches Replica

(Updates stock price in seventh paragraph.)

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) — Altria Group Inc., the largest seller of tobacco in the U.S., promoted Vice Chairman Martin J. Barrington to chief executive officer as Michael E. Szymanczyk retires.

Barrington, who also will become chairman, has held various positions since 1993, including general counsel of the U.S. and international tobacco units, Altria said in a statement today. David Beran, 57, vice chairman for business operations, was named president and chief operating officer.

Barrington, 58, will take over as Altria’s top-selling Marlboro cigarettes lose smokers to less-expensive brands, leading to a 0.7 percentage point drop in market share to 41.6 percent in the quarter. Shipment declines by Altria’s Philip Morris USA, which makes about half of the cigarettes sold in the U.S., deepened after the federal government boosted taxes by 62 cents a pack in 2009.

The promotions of Barrington and Beran bring “a unique and balanced approach to the management of the business,” Vivien Azer, an analyst at Citigroup Inc. in New York, wrote today in a note to clients. She rates Altria “neutral.”

Szymanczyk’s retirement will be effective after the annual shareholders’ meeting in May.

Altria also forecast 2012 earnings per share of $2.17 to $2.23, excluding some items Replica Watch, up as much as 9 percent from last year. Analysts projected $2.19, the average of 13 estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Altria dropped 1.8 percent to $28.14 at the close in New York. The Richmond, Virginia-based company’s shares gained 20 percent last year.

The company announced in October plans to cut 15 percent of its cigarette-related salaried jobs as shipments of Marlboro and other brands tumbled.

–With assistance from Cecile Daurat in Wilmington. Editors: Kevin Orland, James Callan

To contact the reporters on this story: Matt Townsend in New York at mtownsend9@bloomberg.net; Chris Burritt in Greensboro at cburritt@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Robin Ajello at rajello@bloomberg.net

Business Exchange E-mail Print READER DISCUSSION

By Josue Leonel and Gabrielle Coppola

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) — Brazil’s real gained for a fourth day as investors wagered European leaders will make progress in talks to tame the region’s debt crisis at a meeting today and a government report will show inflows into Latin America’s largest economy grew last week.

The real advanced 0.2 percent to 1.7520 per U.S. dollar at 11:49 a.m. in Sao Paulo, from 1.7552 on Jan. 20. The yield on the Brazilian interest-rate futures contract due in January 2013 rose two basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, to 9.84 percent after earlier falling as much as four basis points.

European officials are crafting a long-term plan to tackle the region’s debt crisis in Brussels as Greece and private bondholders said they had made progress in negotiating a debt swap during talks over the weekend in Athens. Investors also bought the real on wagers the government’s weekly trade report, to be released later today, will show an increase in inflows during the past week, said Jose Carlos Amado, currency trader at Renasenca DTVM Ltda. in Sao Paulo.

“The dollar is on a downward trend with this respite in Europe,” Amado said in a telephone interview. “There’s a lot of talk about inflows, particularly into equities.”

The real underperformed most major and emerging-market currencies, a signal that investors are still wary the central bank may intervene to cap the currency’s appreciation, Amado said.

“The market is still being cautious and the dollar could react on any comment about intervention from the central bank,” Amado said.

Consumer Inflation

Consumer prices, as measured by the IPC-S index, rose 0.93 percent in the month ended Jan. 22, compared with a 0.97 percent increase in the prior period, the Rio de Janeiro-based Getulio Vargas Foundation said today. That compares with a median estimate of 1.02 percent among 12 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

“The IPC-S showed a reversal in the trend” of faster inflation, Luis Octavio de Souza Leal, chief economist at Banco ABC Brasil SA, said by phone from Sao Paulo. “There’s a positive expectation that we’re going to see budget cuts this week.”

President Dilma Rousseff may announce budget cuts as soon as today, Sao Paulo-based newspaper Estado de S. Paulo reported, without saying where it obtained the information.

Rousseff may announce as much as 70 billion reais ($40 billion) in cuts to the 2012 budget, the newspaper reported.

An official at the Finance Ministry in Brasilia Watches Replica, who asked not to be identified in accordance with government policy, declined to comment on the report.

“Any number above 60 billion reais, the market will see that as more space to cut rates,” Souza Leal said.

Economic Outlook

Economists covering Brazil cut their forecast for inflation this year for an eighth week Replica Watch, even after the central bank lowered its benchmark lending half a percentage point for a fourth straight meeting last week.

Consumer prices will increase 5.29 percent this year, according to the median forecast in a Jan. 20 central bank survey of about 100 economists published today, down from an estimate of 5.30 percent the previous week.

Policy makers brought the benchmark rate to 10.5 percent last week as part of efforts to shield the second-largest emerging market from Europe’s debt crisis.

Economists expect policy makers to cut the benchmark rate to 9.5 percent by the end of the year, and to raise it back to 10.25 percent in 2013, the survey found.

–With assistance from Matthew Bristow in Brasilia. Editors: Brendan Walsh, Richard Richtmyer

To contact the reporters on this story: Josue Leonel in Sao Paulo at jleonel@bloomberg.net; Gabrielle Coppola in Sao Paulo at gcoppola@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Papadopoulos at papadopoulos@bloomberg.net

Business Exchange E-mail Print READER DISCUSSION

By Tommaso Ebhardt

Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) — Eni SpA Chief Executive Officer Paolo Scaroni said the company’s priority in Libya is increasing natural gas production as it will take between six and 18 months to restart oil output.

Scaroni wants to boost gas production before the winter hits in Italy Replica Watch, a country that gets much of its natural gas supply from Libya.

“Before I go to bed at night, the last thing that I think about are Italian gas supplies for winter,” Scaroni said after meeting Libyan Transitional Council Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril in Milan.

Eni will begin supplying the council with gasoline and diesel fuel in the coming days that would eventually be paid for with crude oil Fake Watches, Scaroni said.

Eni, the biggest foreign investor in Libya, saw most of its prodcution halted by the six-month conflict to oust Muammar Qaddafi.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tommaso Ebhardt in Milan at tebhardt@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Davis at abdavis@bloomberg.net

Business Exchange E-mail Print READER DISCUSSION

OFFICERS from the riot squad have been sent in to contain about 100 angry protesters as workers try to remove fig trees in a Newcastle street. Replica Watch

Lord Mayor Councillor John Tate said residents were furious to see the avenue of 14 fig trees go.

"People are just devastated. There was a lot of tension in the air," Mr Tate said. "They are hacking limbs off as fast and furious as they can so there’s no way back."

Mr Tate said workers had moved tree removal equipment into the area, north of Sydney, around 4am (AEDT) today and then began sawing the limbs off the 80-year-old trees just before 6am accompanied by a "heavy police presence".

"We don’t allow the first garbage trucks to start that early," he said. "These are the sorts of things that really get to people."

Officers including Newcastle police Replica Watches, the operational support group and members of the public order and riot squad, have been sent to Laman Street to "prevent any breaches of the peace or the removal process", a police spokeswoman said.

Greens councillor Michael Osbourne said there were up to 60 police officers as well as security at the removal site.

"There are two layers of steel fencing there and police and security are in between the two layers, with work occurring inside," he said.

"I think the council has underestimated the value of the trees to the community.

"There would be a lot of people that wouldn’t have turned up (to the protest) because it’s too depressing."

Furore over the trees has been dragging on for more than two years, with calls for an independent review into their safety rejected by council, Mr Tate said.

He predicted all trees would be decimated within a day or two.

The council website states the trees have an "absence of adequate structural support roots".

The removal of the figs marks the end of a two-year battle between the community and Newcastle Council.

MANILA, Philippines – Philppine Long Distance Telephone Co.’s net profit  in the  first quarter went up by 19% to P11.4 billion, driven by higher contributions from its broadband and internet services.

Its first quarter earnings were also partially boosted by foreign exchange and derivatives gains.

The company’s core net profit, which does not not include currency and derivatives-related items, rose by 3% to P10.5 billion, compared to P10.2 billion a year ago.

PLDT’s consolidated service revenue slightly dipped by 1% to P36 billion in the first quarter, as the growth in voice revenue was offset by a 4% decline in data and ICT services.

In the first quarter, PLDT’s growing broadband and internet services contributed an aggregate of P3.9 billion to total revenue, 22% higher during the same period in 2009.

The total broadband subcriber base is at 1.85 million.

"With the cellular market maturing, we are more determined than even to continue developing broadband as our growth sector. Accordingly, the bulk of our investments will be made in this space," said Orlando B. Vea Fake Watches, chief wireless adviser of PLDT mobile phone unit, Smart.

PLDT’s fixed line business got a boost as broadband subscribers grew by 30,000 to 590, 000 Replica Watch, with revenue rising by 24% to P2 billion.

On the other hand, PLDT’s cellular subscriber base hit 43.2 million, with net additions of 1.9 million in the first quarter, 10% higher from a year ago.

Napoleon L. Nazareno, president and CEO of PLDT and Smart, said that while cellular subscriber base is growing, yields are declining, while alternative means of communication continue to put pressure on revenue and margins.

For the first time since the first quarter of 2005, cellular voice revenue was higher than cellular data/text revenue at P10.7 billion and P10.4 billion, respectively.

PLDT said cellular data/text revenue fell by 14% from a year ago despite a 24% increase in text volumes, as revenue remained under pressure from the proliferation of lower yield offerings, multiple-SIM ownership, and regulator-mandated load validity extensions.

PLDT, which is owned by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co Ltd  and Japan’s NTT Communications  and NTT DoCoMo, earlier set a full-year 2010 guidance for core net profit of  a little over P41 billion, flat from last year as it expects competition to temper its earnings.

"When we presented our financial results for 2009 last March, I indicated that 2010 would be somewhat of a bridge year for the group. Capital investments would remain on the high side at P28.6 billion, as we further expand and improve our infrastructure and platforms," said PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan.

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs took another step toward securing home-court advantage throughout the NBA postseason with a 111-102 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Fake Watches

Having wrapped up the top seeding in the Western Conference, the Spurs are 1.5 games ahead of Eastern Conference leaders Chicago, with the Bulls having three games left to play.

San Antonio seized control of a close first half with a 15-2 run that straddled halftime, and held off a surge by the Jazz early in the fourth that saw the Spurs’ lead narrowed to 91-85.

Richard Jefferson scored 20 points and Tony Parker had 13 as all five Spurs starters scored double digits despite seeing limited action after opening up a large lead.

"All year long, and pretty much most of my career, whenever I score big numbers it’s because my teammates got me the ball Replica Watch," said Jefferson, who connected on 4-of 7 from three point range.

"A lob from Gary Neal, some passes from Tony Parker early really got me going. Last year I struggled a little bit, especially from the 3-point line.

"This summer when I worked with the coaches I really focused in on that because that was my role. It’s really helped me this season."

The Spurs bench added 44 points, led by Tiago Splitter’s 13 and Gary Neal added 12 points, as San Antonio cruised to their fourth win in a row.

"I feel that is what makes their team so special," Jazz forward Paul Millsap said. "They have guys that can come off the bench and score the basketball. They truly play basketball out there."

Al Jefferson led the Jazz with 23 points.

For more NBA action, watch the games on Studio 23 free TV. The games will also be shown on cable channel Basketball TV (BTV).

NEWARK Replica Watch, New Jersey – Argentine playmaker Manu Ginobili scored 22 points and Tim Duncan added 15 points and 11 rebounds to spark the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs past the New Jersey Nets 102-85.

French guard Tony Parker contributed 13 points Fake Watches, six rebounds and seven assists for the Spurs while DeJuan Blair added 10 points and 11 rebounds to help San Antonio win for the 17th time in the past 20 games.

Ginobili joined Parker and Duncan in powering a 28-12 run to close the second quarter that gave San Antonio a 59-48 lead then scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to secure a triumph that lifted the Spurs to 46-9.

San Antonio’s record is the best this far into the season since Dallas held the same record in 2007.

Brook Lopez and Travis Outlaw each scored 11 points to lead the Nets, who fell to 17-39. Lopez also grabbed 10 rebounds for New Jersey, which never led after the first 15 minutes and shot only 35 percent from the field.

LOS ANGELES – In a Christmas message on Twitter Replica Watch, 84-year-old Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner said Sunday he had proposed to girlfriend Crystal Harris, a former Playmate of the Month 60 years his junior.

"When I gave Crystal the ring, she burst into tears. This is the happiest Christmas weekend in memory," Hefner tweeted.

Hefner sent a second message on Sunday to clear up any lingering doubts about his intentions.

"Yes Replica Watch, the ring I gave Crystal is an engagement ring. I didn’t mean to make a mystery out of it. A very merry Christmas to all," it said.

Harris, a stunning 24-year-old blonde, did not explicitly confirm she had accepted his Christmas Eve proposal but, encouragingly, retweeted his messages.

If the nuptials transpire, Harris will become the third wife of an ageless lothario who has used a whiff of sex and his own suave mystique to create the world of the consummate Playboy over the past six decades.

Known for his his trademark red-satin smoking jacket and black silk pyjamas, "Hef," as he is commonly known, incarnates the rakish lifestyle he popularized in another era.

Seemingly intent on passing on the message of upmarket hedonistic fun to a new generation, Hefner has outlived not just the sexual revolution he fought from the vanguard but also some of his famous pin-ups.

He boasts the outfits, the bevy of blonds, an open respect for the wonders of Viagra and, of course, the famed Playboy Mansion, which has become headquarters to an anachronistic holdout from the swinging 1960s.

The father of four takes much responsibility for sparking the sexual revolution that allowed Western society to embrace sex as normal and fun while shrugging off the prudish shackles of the 1950s.

The Chicago-born Hefner set up Playboy magazine in 1953 and remains its chief creative officer. Harris appeared as the centerfold in the December 2009 edition when she was Playmate of the Month.

While well past retirement age, Hefner still takes an active role in running the magazine editorially, choosing the covers, Playmates and cartoons each month, while daughter Christie handles the business empire.

Hefner has over the years admitted affairs with dozens of Playmates and enjoyed the company of endless blondes at his sprawling, decadent mansion in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.

Hefner and Harris have reportedly been an item since April.

The Playboy founder first married at 23 to Mildred Williams, a fellow student at Northwestern University in Illinois, where he briefly studied women and gender issues.

Hefner’s second wife was Playmate of the Year Kimberley Conrad. He has two children from each marriage.