Kenya polls On inspite of violence in Mobasa

Hours after several policemen were killed in the port city of Mombasa, long lines of Kenyans queued from far before dawn was a common sight there as polls opened on Monday for hard-fought elections.The elections are the first since bloody post-poll violence five years ago in which over 1,100 people were killed, and observers have repeatedly warned of the risk of renewed conflict.

However, voters were standing in line several hundreds of metres long and crowded peacefully outside polling stations including capital Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and the western town of Kisumu.

People started lining up outside polling stations from as early as 4:00am to cast their vote in the historic election, with polls officially opening at 6:00am (0300GMT), although there were short delays reported in some areas.

Kenyan police chief David Kimaiyo said there had been "casualties from both sides" when an armed gang ambushed police officers in Kenya's second city.

"There was a clash between people we suspect are MRC attackers," Kimaiyo said, referring to the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), a group seeking the secession of the popular tourist coastal region.

In Nairobi's shanty town Kibera, scene of some of the worst ethnic clashes during the heavily contested 2007 elections, thousands waited to vote.

"I got here at 3:45am, I came early as I wanted to avoid the long queues," said Denis Kaene, 34 years, an unemployed resident of Kibera.

"It's a very good day, because we are looking for a change. It will be a very calm day, I want peaceful elections. We have been waiting for this moment for five years. It is time for new leaders," said 38-year old high school teacher Timothy Njogu.

Panasonic gears up for summers- Expands ECONAVI range of Air Conditioners

• Launches 26 new models for this summer season
• Unveils new ad campaign with Katrina Kaif, announcing 4^th year of association with the starlet
• Aims to capture 20% market share in Split AC segment in FY 2013
• Planning to invest 120 crores for the AC segment in FY 2013

City, Date, 2013: Panasonic India, today expanded their range of ECONAVI air conditioners for the approaching summer season, based on their unique energy saving concept that makes the brand stand out from others. The ECONAVI range has now expanded to 7 categories and 19 models. In addition to the new product line up, Panasonic India has also released a new advertising campaign featuring Katrina Kaif. With this new campaign, the company hopes to make its presence felt as the innovator, the change-maker.

The ECONAVI technology along with revolutionary ‘Inverter Technology’ helps the air conditioning unit reach the desired temperature faster and also operate much efficiently than other air conditioners. With its new ‘Temperature Wave feature’ the ECONAVI AC’s now helps in energy savings up to 38%. The enhanced nanoe-G air purification system now comes with In-Filter Deactivation feature to give you a healthy life. These new models are available from January 2013 and priced between Rs. 21,990 to Rs 78,490. The other features include:

·         Enhanced ECONAVI and nanoe-G on Premium Models

·         Advance Features like Inverter Strength Indicator that measure air conditioner’s performance

·         Introduction of a Standard 5 Star – Sapphire with Anti-Bacterial Filter

·         Pearl and Ivory advances with new colors & Temperature Display along with other features

This is the time of the year when manufacturers rev up the marketing strategies around their summer centric products and with the kind of upsurge in competition in the segment, Panasonic has started early. The company also released a new advertising campaign featuring Katrina Kaif. Panasonic plans to run the TVC during major upcoming sporting events, budget session in the next few months. The campaign for 2013, focuses on leveraging the benefits of a very successful campaign in the year gone by, and taking it a notch up to further strengthen its product promise ‘One touch to change the future’.

The TVC will be supported with an extensive BTL activity throughout. There will be four edits of the Ad ranging from 45 sec to 10 sec. Please find the link for TVC (English, 45 sec) - http://we.tl/JZIaMYLGEZ

Commenting on the expansion, Mr. Manish Sharma – Managing Director, Panasonic India stated, “We are quite excited about the new and improved AC line up of ECONAVI products. Panasonic aims to achieve our dream of becoming the No.1 market share in Split AC in year 2013 moving from the 14 percent market share in 2012 to 20 percent in 2013.” He further added that, “The new showcase is based on a good deal of research which simplifies the product promise further by making it more relevant and a part of something which the consumer experiences on a daily basis; Change. Thus, the new communication sincerely explains how the ECONAVI AC with just a touch of a button changes as per change in its environment, resulting in comfort and savings.”

Panasonic Home Appliances’ Brand Ambassador, Ms. Katrina Kaif added, “In my 4^th year, I am delighted to be associated with Panasonic’s eco-friendly endeavors to change the way consumers use today’s technology. I had a lot of fun shooting the new ad and love the idea of portraying change which I am sure with resonate with the audience.”

Speaking on the expansion, Mr. Suresh Kumar Bandi – Divisional Deputy Managing Director, Home Appliances Business, Panasonic India said, “Panasonic continues to revolutionize the AC market in India with more and more innovative additions to our already expansive portfolio. With ECONAVI we further commit to helping consumers save energy and create a better and greener planet. And the new campaign is fresh and based on the idea of change which is a constant in today’s world and suits our message and audience.”

In addition to new ECONAVI technology, Panasonic products also come with revolutionary ‘Inverter Technology’ that helps the air conditioning unit reach the desired temperature faster and also operate much efficiently than non-inverter air conditioners. The company is all set to create revolution in the air-conditioning market of India with this wide range of innovative new products catering to the diverse needs of consumers by setting new benchmarks in energy saving measures and environment protection in India. Today’s launch of all new range of air conditioning solutions is a step to reinstate the same. Looking at the market potential in India, Panasonic intends to develop more and more products that can enhance and improve quality of life and address specific requirements of our Indian customers.

Panasonic Corporate Vision

Panasonic has a vision to become the No. 1 Green Innovation Company in the electronics industry by 2018 (fiscal 2019), when Panasonic will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Panasonic aspires for global excellence as a Green Innovation Company and encompasses two goals: Green Life Innovation to realize green lifestyles to enrich people’s lives and Green Business Innovation to bring forth innovation in our business styles.

About Panasonic India

Panasonic makes available in India its wide range of consumer electronics and home appliances like LCD & Plasma TVs, DVD players, home theatre systems, cameras, camcorders, car audio systems, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, automatic cookers, vacuum cleaners and the like. The Company has a workforce of about 12,650 in India and estimated to do a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore in FY 2013. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand in India, please visit http://panasonic.co.in.

Issued by Panasonic India | For media queries, please contact:

Panasonic India | Richa Sethi | +91 9560498765 | richa.sethi@in.panasonic.com

Genesis Burson-Marsteller | Malvika Sinha | +91 9873382955 | malvika.sinha@bm.com

Posted 5 minutes ago by Sagar Media Inc

Borneo clash: 5 Malaysian policemen killed


Mar 3
Five Malaysian policemen and two gunmen have been killed in a fresh clash on Borneo.

Malaysian police said today that the shootout late on Saturday in the town of Semporna followed a firefight the day before, between Filipino followers of a self-proclaimed sultan and Malaysian security forces that left 12 intruders dead along with two police officers.

The new clash in Semporna, 300 kilometres from the site of the three-week standoff, occurred when police were ambushed by gunmen during a security sweep.

Malaysian media also report that police were pursuing yet another group of armed men in Kunak, another town in the area.

An estimated 100 to 300 Filipinos have been surrounded in a farming village by Malaysian police and military in the state of Sabah since landing by boat from the nearby Philippines on February 12 insisting the area belongs to their Islamic leader.

The leader, Jamalul Kiram III, 74, claims to be the heir to the Islamic sultanate of Sulu, which once controlled parts of the southern Philippines and the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo.

The Sulu sultanate's power faded about a century ago but it has continued to receive nominal payments from Malaysia for Sabah under a historical lease arrangement passed down from European colonial powers.

Kiram's people are demanding Malaysia recognise the sultanate owns Sabah and share profits from economic development in the state.