Eyeing cabinet berths, Karunanidhi and relatives meet Manmohan, Sonia

New Delhi: A day ahead of the crucial meeting of pre-poll UPA allies, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi yesterday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi amid speculation that the DMK is eyeing meaty cabinet portfolios.

Karunanidhi was accompanied by his son M.K. Azhagiri, daughter Kanimozhi, grandnephew Dayanidhi Maran, a former telecommunications minister, and T.R. Baalu, also a former minister in the UPA government. A beaming Sonia Gandhi greeted the DMK patriarch at her 10, Janpath residence and wrapped a shawl around him in a gesture of respect. After meeting Gandhi, Karunanidhi met Manmohan Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence.

The issue of cabinet formation will figure prominently in the first meeting of the pre-poll allies of the Congress party here today. Defying pollsters and widespread speculation that his rival Jayalalithaa would sweep the state, the DMK put in a surprise performance, winning 18 of the state’s 39 seats. The DMK is said to be demanding six to seven cabinet berths, which the Congress considers unreasonable. Karunanidhi is keen that Azhagiri, Kanimozhi and Maran are accommodated in the new cabinet, which is likely to be announced later this week.

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Ukrainians injured as police dismantle Kiev 'tent city'

At least 10 demonstrators have been injured in clashes with Ukrainian police and another 100 detained in the capital Kiev after authorities began dismantling a makeshift "tent city" protesting against corruption. The tent city was set up in October by supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili, a former president of Georgia who has become an opposition politician in Ukraine. Saakashvili, a critic of corruption in Ukraine, was deported to Poland in February. He said he was "kidnapped" by Ukrainian authorities and removed from the country against his will. Andriy Kryshchneko, police chief of police, said at the camp on Saturday that "two court decisions" allowed authorities to search and dismantle the camp. Police said that explosives and other weapons were found at the scene

ASSIGNING OF PREFERENTIAL NUMBERS FOR LG POLLS COMPLETED

The Election Secretariat announced that assigning preferential numbers for candidates of the Local Government election to be held for 67 bodies has been completed. Preparations are currently underway to hold the polls under the 2010 electoral register, Additional Elections Commissioner W.P. Sumanasiri said. The electoral register of the year 2010 is scheduled to be certified on June 31.

In abrupt turnaround, Olympus admits it hid losses

Japan's Olympus admitted on Tuesday it hid losses on securities investments dating back two decades, bowing to weeks of pressure to explain a series of baffling transactions that have put the future of the firm in doubt. The revelations by the 92-year-old company appear to vindicate ex-CEO Michael Woodford, who has staged a campaign since being sacked on October 14 to force the firm to come clean on nearly $1.5 billion in questionable payments. Olympus President Shuichi Takayama blamed Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who quit as president and chairman on October 26, Vice-President Hisashi Mori and internal auditor Hideo Yamada for the cover-up, saying he would consider criminal complaints against them. The admission after weeks of denials shocked investors, sending shares in the endoscope and camera maker skidding almost 30 percent and prompting the biggest non-Japanese shareholder to demand the replacement of the entire board. "Ignorance is no defense," said Jo...

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