The News Today

Heavy rain throws life out of gear in Mumbai

2009-07-14T02:32:00.000-07:00

Normal life was thrown out of gear in the city on Tuesday due to heavy overnight rain that led to severe water logging in many parts and badly disrupted road, rail and air traffic.

The heavy downpour accompanied by gusty winds since Monday evening led to traffic snarls at various places. Suburban trains were also running late by 30-45 minutes due to waterlogging on the tracks.

Central railways was running 30 to 45 minutes late while Harbour line and Western lines are running 10 to 15 minutes, the railways said.

Several low lying areas including King's circle, Sion, Andheri Milan subway, Hind Mata were inundated and traffic police said the movement on western and eastern highways were affected badly.

According to Mumbai International Airport Limited, visibility at the airport has been reduced to 800 ft. Incoming flights were delayed by 15 minutes while the departure of the flights was more or less on time.

The rainfall recorded till 5.30 am was 93.4 mm at Colaba in south Mumbai and 125.6 mm at Santa Cruz in western suburbs.

Water logging was also reported at Wadala truck terminus, Maratha Mandir, Khar-Andheri subways, Deonar colonies and some parts of Govandi. Several trees were also uprooted due to strong winds in the city.

The weather bureau said frequent spells of heavy to very heavy rain with strong winds will continue.

High Tide Warning - Mumbai

2009-07-14T02:17:00.000-07:00

Floods in Mumbai are attributable to simultaneous occurrence of rainfall and high tides. If, the rainfall is in excess of 200 mm in a day (24 hrs), floods can occur anytime irrespective of tides. However, if there is moderate rainfall but the tide is in excess of 4.50 meters at the same time, the city of Mumbai is sure to get flooded.

Accordingly, heavy floods are anticipated on the following days in Mumbai, if there is excessive rainfall at the time of high tides, since the tides are extremely high on these days: -

Date	Day	Time	Ht. of Tide (m)
24th June 2009	Wednesday	1:41 PM	4.95 m
25th June 2009	Thursday	2:24 PM	4.97 m
23rd July 2009	Thursday	1:23 PM	5.01 m
24th July 2009	Friday	2:03 PM	5.05 m
25th July 2009	Saturday	2:43 PM	4.94 m

BMC has already planned to keep the schools closed on 24 July 2009 since the tide level is record high of last 100 years on this day.

Mumbaites are, therefore, requested to cooperate with the administration by restricting their movements and certainly not to take their vehicles out on the roads these days.

There are speculations about very high waves on 22 July 2009 due to solar eclipse.

Public should, therefore, keep away from the beaches that day.

Forecast | Heavy rainfall disrupts normal life in Mumbai

2009-07-14T02:15:00.001-07:00

Heavy monsoon disrupts life of Mumbai, all you see is flooded streets with pedestrians walking through knee-deep water facing lots of difficulty in commuting.

Many commuters were stranded on the flooded streets as their vehicles broke down. Traffic Jam is also a major problem.

Some educational institutes in the city declared holiday, in afternoon on account of heavy railfall since morning.

According to the municipal officers of the city, about 1 billion rupees are spent each year on bracing the city for the monsoon downpours. Yet rains continue to disrupt normal life.

People in low lying areas, and special those living near sea shore like Parle (W), Santa cruz (W), area start searcing for High and Low tides in Mumbai.

Mamata's izzat, yuva, turant bonanza

2009-07-04T00:08:00.001-07:00

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has delivered a please-all railway budget; there's no increase in passenger or freight fares and there's a massive list of amenities and concessions.

But Mamata's speech in Parliament was also a very political one with frequent references to her campaign slogan Ma Mati Manush and a host of benefits for West Bengal.

Her trademark jhola on Friday carried the budget papers, Mamata walked in to present her vision of railways 2009.

Life's journey is one of dignity and train journey is also like that and Didi didn't disappoint.

Her main focus

Passenger, freight fares unchanged
Focus on amenities, cleanliness, safety, punctuality
Izzat scheme: 25-rupee monthly tickets for 100 km travel
Yuva trains for youngsters: Rs 299 for 1,500 km
Turant Scheme: 12 non-stop express trains
Special battalion, more women commandos for women travelers

And of course, Mamata's bag of goodies for West Bengal.

Mamata's Bengal express

18 new trains
Model stations for Lalgarh, Singur
90 new stations in West Bengal

"Priorities for the railways are safety, good food and punctuality," said Mamata Banerjee.

A budget that earned her praise and a good word even from unexpected quarters.

"All that was being claimed about Railways in the last five years, has been exposed today," said Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Bihar.

There was the obvious opposition but by and large Mamata Di's budget was approved by most.

"If the promises are fulfilled, only then does the budget have any relevance," said Brinda Karat, Leader, CPM.

There could be some revision in passenger fares and changes in the Tatkal scheme to make it more passenger friendly.

So, while Lalu ensured that economically the railways stayed healthy, Mamata Banerjee is now trying to give it a human face.

Postpone IPL till after polls, says P Chidambaram

2009-03-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

Home Minister P Chidambaram has told NDTV that IPL should be postponed until the General Elections are over.

The minster thinks that sharing security between polls and IPL is a matter of concern and has asked the Union Home Secretary to discuss new possible dates with the IPL organisers.

Commenting on the Lahore attack, the minister told NDTV group editor Barkha Dutt that it came as a result of Pakistan's policy on terror. "We are concerned it could spill over to India," he added.

PTI adds: P Chidambaram expressed shock over the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan.

"We condemn the incident. We are sorry for the Sri Lankan team. We hope that the players, I read two three names - Samarveera, Mendis, I hope they are safe and will recover. We are shocked by that incident," he said in New Delhi

Terror Targets Cricket

2009-03-03T05:55:00.000-08:00

Down but not injured: Ajantha Mendis, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana and team coach Paul Farbrace got injured during the attack. (AFP)

Lankan team attacked in Lahore, Pak tour called off

2009-03-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

Five Sri Lankan cricket players have been injured in a terror attack in area around Liberty Market near Gaddafi stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. Those who have been injured are Ajantha Mendis, Tharanga Paranavitana, Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene and team coach Paul Farbrace.

The injured players are back in their hotel. Earlier, they were taken to hospital in the city.

The 4th umpire Ahsan Raza has also been injured and has been reported to be critical.

According to the team manager, the incident took place when the team was heading for the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan has been cancelled and the team has been called back.

Five policemen in Pakistan have been killed in the attack. The entire area around Liberty market has been cordoned off.

According to the Pakistan police, 12 terrorists were involved in the attack on Lankan team. The terrorists were armed with rockets, grenades and AK-47s.

Police has arrested four suspects in the Model Town area of Pakistan.

Pakistan sports minister has apologised to Lanka government for the gruesome attack.

"We are assessing the situation," Pakistan cricket board chief Ejaz Butt said.

According to the reports, army helicopter airlifted the Lankan players to Lahore airport. The team will fly back to Colombo via Abu Dhabi. Three doctors are accompanying the Sri Lankan team till Colombo.

Sri Lanka has sent foreign minister Rohitha Bogollegama to Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan army chief has met Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari.

India look to decode Murali, Mendis

2008-07-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

With the famed Indian batting order's reputation in tatters, a dejected India captain Anil Kumble on Saturday said his side will have to find ways to take on the Lankan spin duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis if they have to come back in the second Test.

Muralitharan and debutant Mendis shared 19 wickets between them to hand the Indians a humiliating innings and 239 run defeat in the first Test here.

"We were not good enough against the spinners. We just capitulated (to them). We have made comebacks in the past. It is just a matter of getting together, but we have to look at the way of tackling both Murali and Mendis," Kumble said at the post-match press conference.

Kumble rued the dropped catches early in the Lankan first innings which had contributed to the hosts' mammoth 600 for six which made it a Herculean task for the famed Indian batting order to save the match.

"Obviously 600 on the board did not help us. We had a good opportunity in the beginning when they were about 100 for 2. We dropped a few catches. Warnapura was dropped, Mahela Jayawardene was dropped a couple of times, though it's tough to bowl first on a wicket which is dry at the start," he said.

"Nothing went right for us in the match. Other than planning, it is important to do well in fielding," he added.

The Indian captain also rued on a few dismissals which did not go his team's way when reviewed by the experimental referral system.

"A few dismissals were obviously negated under the referral system. The new system is something that we have to take forward. It definitely requires a review but it is too early to say."

Kumble denied his team was under prepared for the Sri Lankan tour and said a lot of planning had gone through ahead of the visit.

"We have people who have played Test cricket for more than 15 or 20 years. You can't find a better experience batting line up. We hope to cope with the spin in second Test."

Asked if India paid the price for not focusing on Ajantha Mendis, Kumble said, "Murali and Chaminda Vaas are probably the bowlers we were looking for. Nothing has changed and obviously he (Murali) is the champion bowler."

An elated Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene was a bit surprised by the collapse of the Indian batting and said he did not expect the victory would come so soon on the fourth day.

"When you see that (Indian) batting line up you would not expect them to buckle and (expect them to) give you a fight. That is a surprising factor. I am sure they will come back strongly at us," he said.

The home captain said though they will celebrate their victory but "can't stop working hard and have to try and maintain standards".

'Mystery' spinner Mendis said he had hoped to do well in the debut match but did not expect to take so many wickets.

"The senior players guided me," he said.

Muralitharan said if Mendis keeps his calm and go on learning he would get a lot of wickets in international cricket.

The champion off-spinner said the umpiring referral system was helpful for cricket as there could be "no more excuses" (for defeats).

thanks to ndtv

SpiceJet renegotiating Boeing deal

2008-07-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Faced with huge losses owing to a slowdown in passenger traffic and higher fuel and operating costs, the Delhi-based low cost air carrier SpiceJet on Saturday said it was re-negotiating its deal with Boeing.
"We are re-negotiating our deal with Boeing now. We prefer sub-leasing aircraft either through wet sub-lease or dry sub-lease," said Samyukta Sridharan, a senior executive officer of SpiceJet. Wet sub-lease comes with pilot and crew while in case of dry sub-lease, it is only the aircraft.

This move to step back from earlier decision to buy aircraft from Boeing comes despite the US billionaire investor W.L. Ross infused Rs.34.5 billion ($821.4 million) in the airline July 16. SpiceJet is understood to have delayed the purchase of seven of the 30 aircraft it ordered in 2005.

The airline is currently operating 14 planes, delivered between 2005 and 2007. SpiceJet's load factor last month was 78 percent against 90 percent in June last year.

Earlier this week, Boeing senior vice-president Dinesh Keskar here ruled out any Indian carrier deferring on deliveries of new aircraft. SpiceJet had ordered all its aircraft from the Boeing.

According to airline sources, a few other Indian low-cost airlines also plan to cancel or cut deliveries of new aircraft or to sub-lease them.

However, scheduled carriers like Air India and Jet Airways are expected to take deliveries of its new aircraft as scheduled.

But the Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines has reportedly deferred plans to buy 29 narrow-bodied A320s, which it committed to purchase from Airbus last year.

The company is in talks with international carriers to sell two of the five A340-500 aircraft it had committed to buy from Airbus last year. The airline may also defer taking deliveries of 29 narrow-bodied A320s, airline sources said.

Kingfisher spokespersons were not available for comment. The airline has about 20 deliveries scheduled every year till 2012, but schedules would be revised.

Kingfisher currently has 84 aircraft, next only to the fleet strength of the Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet Airways, which has 87 aircraft.

thanks to ndtv

2008-07-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 27, 2008 (New Delhi)

The serial blasts in Ahmedabad on Saturday come a day after the blasts in Bangalore. In fact, there seems to be some similarities in the strikes.

While Bangalore was rocked by eight blasts, in Ahmedabad, there were 16 explosions.

The blasts in both the cities were of low-intensity and were planted in crowded places.

And both the states, Karnataka and Gujarat are ruled by the BJP. Party's senior leader LK Advani refused to comment on whether BJP-ruled states were being targeted. However, he demanded that the Centre must have stringent anti-terror laws in place.

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8 foreigners kidnapped in Nigeria released

2008-07-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 27, 2008 (Port Harcourt (Nigeria))

A Nigerian military spokesman says eight foreigners kidnapped have been released unharmed.

State military spokesman Sagir Musa says no ransom has been paid to obtain the release of the eight oil workers.

They were released at around 8:30 pm on Saturday after being abducted early in the morning off of a tanker.

Musa says six unidentified gunmen in a speed boat took the oil workers at gunpoint. He says the nationalities of the oil workers is not known.

thanks to ndtv

Kidnappings are common in the West African nation's oil-rich region. Hostages are usually returned unharmed after a ransom is paid.

Delhi Metro revenues to exceed Rs 21 bn by 2011

2008-07-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 20, 2008 (New Delhi)
Revenue earnings of the Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) are likely to touch Rs.21 billion ($500 million) in the next three years, an increase of 194 percent, said an industry body report. The study, conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), says that through rentals alone, DMRC's revenue generation from leading corporate outlets and ATMs would go beyond Rs.8.5 billion. Through sale of tickets, DMRC is expected to earn nearly Rs.7 billion and about Rs.6 billion from space allocation to corporate advertisers. Releasing the report, Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said: "In percentage terms, DMRC would earn 39 percent of its revenues by leasing out space to corporates for commercial use and about 33 percent and 28 percent respectively by sale of tickets and space allocations for advertisers." In 2007, DMRC revenue earnings stood at Rs.7.3 billion. Since the metro has a huge space in its possession, it will generate large rental revenues from outlets, malls by leasing out to domestic and overseas corporates. This revenue would go up once the new projects are completed before the 2010 Commonwealth Games. According to Assocham estimates, the number of working people using the public transport system in the National Capital Region (NCR) is seven million. The figure is likely to go up to over nine million by 2011.

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Water rafting kick-starts in Kashmir

2008-07-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 19, 2008 (Sonmarg)

Sixteen teams including Czech Republic, Ukraine are vying for top honours in the first Kashmir Cup International Rafting Championship that began at the Sonmarg Hill Resort in the Kashmir.

Johana Kuceroba, Czech Republic captain said, "The river is colder than Czech republic because it is glacier river and we don't have glaciers there. It is beautiful, it has nice waves and it has beautiful surroundings, it is marvellous that is why we enjoyed being here in Kashmir."

"It is nice adventure and here you can enjoy other things like horse riding and going to mountains." Czech Republic team member Hana said.

Three local teams will also rub shoulders with the foreign as well as national teams.

Abid Bhat, Assistant Director J&K Tourism, objective of this championship is to bring Kashmir to the international rafting map. "We have got ex-world champion Czech republic in the championship here after this championship we can get more international events here"

With the holding of events like this, the state government aims at promoting adventure tourism in Kashmir.

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Maharashtra faces severe drought

2008-07-19T23:22:00.001-07:00

Sunday, July 20, 2008 (Beed)

The monsoon clouds seem to have drifted away from Maharashtra. Almost 16 out of state's 34 districts have hit a serious dry patch with less than 50 per cent of the rainfall they usually get by this time each year.

The government has announced a drought like condition in the state. In Beed district people are thirsting for the sight of water tankers.

The tanker gets a hero's welcome. Seven minutes, that is all it took for the tanker to empty itself and these seven minutes are the most important in the life of these villagers because if they don't cut through the competition, they go thirsty.

Armed with pots and pipes, people rush to collect water. This after all is the only source of water for villagers in Chandan Sawargaon in Beed district.

Sixty-year-old Suru Bai makes several trips to the tanker but manages to get less than 10 litres of water. The water lasts barely 6 hours.

''The water gets over in five to six hours,'' said Suru Bai, a villager.

''Every person gets five to six litres in a day,'' said Dattatray Kulkarni, Village head.

Beed has received less that 50 per cent of the rainfall it normally gets every year. The ground water has dried up. Over 200 tankers have been deployed in the district but what people get is precious little.

''According to the health manual, in villages people require 40 litres per head per day,'' said Dwarkadas Lohia, water management expert.

Most water supply projects in the district have been exploited way above their capacity and many are completely dry.

The drought like situation is already affecting agricultural production. And the fear is, the last drop of drinking water could soon dry up.

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Army Major killed in Rajouri encounter

2008-07-19T23:20:00.002-07:00

Sunday, July 20, 2008 (Jammu)

An Army Major has been killed and two jawans injured in encounter with militants in Rajouri district in Kashmir.

Major Bhanu Pratap of 43 Rashtriya Rifles was killed during an encounter with 5 militants holed up in the forest area.

Head constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Police has also been killed.

The encounter that began on Saturday night still continues. The Army got a tip off and began looking for militants in the area, that's when they came under heavy firing from the militants.

Although the firing has stopped now, the army and the police have cordoned off the area and are searching the area.

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Robot to hunt down illegal immigrants in UK

2008-07-19T23:20:00.001-07:00

Sunday, July 20, 2008 (London)

A Robot, having the size of a briefcase, has been introduced by the UK Border Agency to nab illegal immigrants trying to cross into the country.

Fitted with powerful searchlights and high-resolution video cameras, the robot - codenamed Hero - carries out detailed searches of the undersides of lorries and coaches.

The battery-powered robot, costing about 6,000 pounds, is also used inside vehicles as its four-wheel drive enables it to scramble over obstacles while looking for concealed people.

The robot can be fitted with heartbeat detectors as well as sensors to identify chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials being smuggled into Britain, according to a report in The Sunday Telegraph.

The news of the new device is revealed only days after a group of stowaways was found entering the country hidden on Army vehicles.

British border guards at Calais have tested the robot and senior officials may now introduce the device at other ports.

A spokesman for the UK Border Agency said: ''Last year over one million lorries were searched and we stopped a record 18,000 people. New technology is crucial in the fight against illegal immigrants.''

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Al-Maliki praises Obama's pullout plan

2008-07-19T23:19:00.001-07:00

Sunday, July 20, 2008 10:17 AM (Hamburg)

Speaking to a German magazine, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has praised a plan by US presidential candidate Barack Obama to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office.

In an interview to appear in its Monday issue, the news magazine Der Spiegel asked him when US troops should leave.

"As far as we are concerned, as soon as possible. The US presidential candidate Barack Obama has spoken of within 16 months. We think that would be the right time frame, with some slight variations," he said.

Asked if this was a recommendation to US voters to pick the presumptive Democratic nominee Obama rather than the expected Republican nominee John McCain, he said, "Whoever counts on shorter periods in Iraq today is closer to reality."

"Artificially extending the stay of the US troops would create problems. But I obviously don't want to give a voting recommendation."

"Choosing a president is the business of Americans. It's the business of Iraqis to say what they want done. The people and the government are fairly united about this. There should be a limit on the stay of the coalition forces," the Iraqi premier said.

Al-Maliki, who was due to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin Tuesday, said he expected an agreement with Washington on troop withdrawal before US President George W Bush leaves office next January.

"We are going to make a fresh start to these negotiations on a better and clearer basis, because the first draft was not acceptable to us," he said.

Al-Maliki agreed it had been a "basic problem" that the US had sought immunity from prosecution for any crimes that might have been committed by US soldiers in Iraq.

But the other issues, of how long the troops remained, and with what powers, were "just as important," he said.

Maliki's remarks were released by Spiegel just a day after Bush agreed to discuss a "time horizon" for the withdrawal of US forces.

Bush had in the past described a withdrawal timetable as dangerous, but Washington appears to have shifted ground.

The White House said Bush and al-Maliki held a video conference Thursday and agreed that because of improved security, the agreement could include a "general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals such as the resumption of Iraqi security control."

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India on top in warm-up game

2008-07-18T23:01:00.000-07:00

India started their tour of Sri Lanka on an impressive note with their bowlers putting up a tidy display to bundle out Sri Lanka Board XI for a modest 224 on a rain-truncated opening day of the three-day warm-up match here on Friday.Electing to bat, the home team never really recovered from a shaky start and could have been skittled out for a much lower first innings total had it not been for a resolute 100-run fifth wicket partnership between Thilina Kandamby (84) and Chamara Silva (68).Captain Anil Kumble (3/30) was the pick of the Indian bowlers while paceman Zaheer Khan (2/35) and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (2/52) chipped in with two wickets each at the Nondescripts Cricket Club.The Indians, playing their only warm-up game before the three-match Test series gets underway from July 23, were struggling at four for one at close with opener Gautam Gambhir back in the pavilion.The track at the NCC gave some assistance to the bowlers and the visitors exploited the conditions reasonably well to capture wickets at periodic intervals.The lanky paceman Ishant Sharma drew first blood for the Indians by getting rid of opener Mahela Udawatte (7) with wicket keeper Dinesh Kaarthick taking a smart catch.The other opener Upul Tharanga returned to the pavilion soon after to reduce the hosts to a precarious 20 for two with Zaheer, returning to international cricket after brief injury lay-off, picking up his first scalp. The home team was left gasping at 82 for four as captain Jehan Mubarak (25) and Chamara Kapudegera (1) fell in quick succession to give the Indians a firm control of the game.But Kandamby and Chamara Silva stemmed the rot with a crucial partnership as they mixed caution with aggression to bail the team out of a tight spot.Kandamby slammed 11 boundaries during his 138-ball knock while Silva hit six boundaries during his innings, which came off 108 balls.After the two batsmen were dismissed, the tail-enders caved in quickly and the innings folded up in 71.5 overs.The Indian bowlers did a good job but the fielding was not upto the mark though it improved as the match progressed.Harbhajan Singh, coming out of a five-match ban, took his own time to find his length and direction though he ended up with two wickets.Though Munaf Patel got only one wicket, he found his line and length straightaway, which should hold him in good stead for the Test series. His fellow pacer Zaheer Khan, who took two wickets, impressed from the word go and kept troubling the batsmen with his varied pace and swing bowling.But it was left to the old war horse and skipper Kumble to polish off the Board XI's innings with his immaculate bowling with the opposition batsmen finding it difficult to negotiate him.About 45 minutes of play was lost after lunch and a few minutes before the end of the day due to rain and bad light, but the thin crowd got its money's worth with as many as 11 wickets falling during the day. At the fag end of the first day, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir took the field with the latter surviving an LBW decision and then skying up a delivery off Dilhara Fernando over the third man for a four.The southpaw, however, did not get past the gully two balls later as he was lapped up smartly by Board XI skipper Jehan Mubarak for 4.Sehwag remained not out without scoring, as he did not face any delivery.Dravid, who was padded up, could not take the field after Gambhir's dismissal as the umpires called off play due to bad light.As expected, India fielded their seniors ahead of the Test, match, as many of them have not played for a while since they were not part of the Asia cup.

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Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim arrested

2008-07-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was arrested on Wednesday for questioning by police, giving a fresh twist to the political controversy over the sodomy charge against him.His car was stopped and he was picked up at 1 pm, an hour before the deadline police had given him to show up for interrogation in the case. Ibrahim was on his way back after appearing before the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) in a related case - where he had charged Attorney General Abdjul Gani Patail and the Police chief Inspector General Musa Hasan with fabricating evidence against him - NST Online said.On June 28, his 23-year-old former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan had lodged a police report alleging that Ibrahim had sodomised him.Almost three weeks later, he was Wednesday taken into a police Mitsubishi Pajero where he was seen with his face covered with a cloth and flanked by two policemen in balaclavas, the website of the New Straits Times added.His lawyer Sankara Nair said police told Ibrahim that he was being arrested for investigations under Section 377 C of the Penal Code for alleged ''carnal intercourse against the order of nature''.Asked if the leader of the PKR party was handcuffed, Nair said he was not.Anwar's wife and opposition leader in parliament Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said he had called her from the police car to say he had been arrested.''He asked me to go home to look after the children,'' she told media gathered in the parliament lobby.For Ibrahim, this is a repeat of his travails 10 years ago when he was charged with sodomy and sacked as deputy prime minister by then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.He was prosecuted and jailed. A court later acquitted him.Ibrahim heads the opposition alliance that has 82 members in parliament and controls five of the eight states. He has been threatening to pull down the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

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Sonia takes N-deal to people of India

2008-07-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

In her first public appearance after the Left's withdrawal of support, Sonia Gandhi has taken the nuclear deal to the people.At a rally in Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, Sonia said the nuclear deal was very important for India's energy needs and that future generations would realise its importance. ''The nuclear deal is in the best interest of the country. It will benefit every village, factory and farm,'' she said at the rally.There was a huge turnout of over 50,000 people. For many, Sonia's message on the deal seems to have gone down well.''I think if we have the nuclear deal, we will have less power cuts and load shedding,'' says a man present at the rally.Echoing Rahul Gandhi's view, a combative Congress president made it clear that her party was willing to put the deal over government's survival. Sonia Gandhi has certainly explained the complex nuclear deal in layman's terms. She has also not stopped short of taking pot shots at the Left for its opposition to the deal.

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India look to quickly get into Test groove

2008-07-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

After being busy in one-dayers and Twenty20s for almost three months, India will try to quickly get into the groove for the longer version of cricket as they take on Sri Lankan Board XI in a three-day warm-up match from Friday.India, who last played a Test against South Africa at home in April, took advantage of a sunny day here and got into some rigorous practice to shift into the five-day mode ahead of the first match, beginning on June 23.The match will be India's only warm-up game before the three-Test series against the host beginning July 23.India is likely to field their senior players for the match as many of them have not played for a while as they were not part of the recent Asia cup in Pakistan.Virender Sehwag, who will in all probability, open with Gautam Gambhir on Friday at the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC), kept the mediapersons on the alert by his thumping shots despite being separated by the nets and a wired fencing.Spinner Harbhajan Singh, who returned to the national team after serving a five-ODI ban for slapping S Sreesanth during an Indian Premier League match, was the cynosure of all eyes during the net session.Pace spearheads Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma also underwent strenuous work outs under the supervision of bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad. Sri Lankan Board team, however, was taking it easy on a Buddhist function day on Thursday and Jehan Mubarak will lead the side in the three-day fixture.Their 12-man squad includes four players who are likely to figure in the first Test. They are fast bowlers Dilhara Fernando and Chanaka Welagedera and batsmen Chamara Silva and Upul Tharanga.The match will be especially crucial for Tharanga, who is on a comeback trail after an ordinary run of form since the start of 2007 which resulted in his exclusion from the national team.Tharanga Paranavitana and Sachithra Senanayake, the two Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) players, would be the reserves.Paranavitana-led SSC to the Premier League Championship title, and was the top-scorer in the 2007-08 season with 893 runs at 74.41.Offspinner Senanayake has taken 65 wickets from 12 first-class matches at 16.69.India: Anil Kumble (captain), Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V V S Laxman, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, R P Singh, Munaf Patel, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Pragyan Ojha and Parthiv Patel.Sri Lanka Board XI: Jehan Mubarak (captain), Mahela Udawatte, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Chamara Silva, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushal Silva, Chanaka Welagedera, Sujeewa Silva, Dammika Prasad, Rangana Herath, Dilhara Fernando.

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Bill Clinton willing to campaign for Obama

2008-07-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Former president Bill Clinton has said he was willing to campaign for White House hopefulBarack Obama, who defeated his wife Hillary in a sometimes bitter Democratic nomination race.Asked by reporters if he would campaign for Obama, who aims to become America's first black president, Clinton said: "Whenever he asks.""He's busier than I am on politics anyway," he said.Clinton told reporters on Thursday he had a "good talk" with Obama following the marathon nomination battle, during which the former two-term president jousted repeatedly with the Illinois senator's campaign.Clinton and Obama spoke by telephone on June 30 in an effort to mend fences, three days after Hillary Clinton and the presumptive Democratic nominee appeared publicly for the first time in a show of party unity.Reports last month said that despite his wife's vow to do whatever she could to make Obama the next president, Bill Clinton was still nursing anger over the campaign, in which he was accused of playing the race card to boost Hillary's chances.The former president remains a hero to many grassroots Democrats, and could possibly help Obama in his quest to win over working class whites in key swing states that backedHillary Clinton in the primary race.Senior Democrats have long feared that lingering rancor between Obama and Clinton supporters could provide an advantage to Republican White House hopeful Senator John McCain.

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N-deal confusion for Muslims, Left in Kerala

2008-07-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

In Kerala the Left and the Muslim League may be poles apart ideologically but they have two thing in common - both are fighting US President George Bush and BJP. Muslims constitute over 24 per cent of Kerala's population, they are a majority in Malappuram and second largest community in six other districts. Therefore by saying no to Indo-US nuclear deal, the CPM tried to woo the Muslims - it passed a resolution against the deal in the Assembly and even unleashed a diatribe against Bush. But the Indian Union Muslim League is trying everything it can to upset the Left strategy. Despite having serious reservations over the nuclear deal, the League has supported the UPA, saying the BJP is a bigger threat.Kutty Ahmed Kutty, MLA , Muslim League said, ''In the name of nuclear deal we should not create a suitable environment for the BJP to come back to power. If BJP comes back to power they will throw all our concerns to winds and implement the nuclear deal even more vigorously.''Now the CPM has stepped up its attack on the BJP to block any attempt by the League to create confusion among the Muslims. The Left had won a majority of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in the last elections, trouncing Muslim League stalwarts and this is a gain they would never like to fritter away. Perhaps that's the reason why from Chief Minister to MPs and MLAs, all are trying to allay the fears of minorities.Kerala CM V S Achuthanandan said, ''The enemy no 1 of RSS and BJP is Communists and Left forces, that's what we have understood over the years. So there shouldn't be doubt. We will do whatever it takes to keep them away from power. We are quite conscious about this thing.Almost every leader in the Left is trying to convince the minorities that it's a vote against the UPA and not to bring back the BJP.''CPI MP, Panniyan Raveendran said, ''Congress is seeking a trust vote in the Parliament, BJP is not bringing a no-confidence vote. If the BJP brings a no-confidence, we are not supposed to back it.''But there are still doubts.Imam Abdul Razzak said, ''We don't agree with the Left. They have their own political interest in withdrawing support. For four and a half years they supported all bad deeds of the government and now they are pulling out, its not justified.''Both the Muslim League and the Left are creating panic among the Muslims about BJP and Bush. And the more they scare the people, the better it will be for their electoral fortunes.

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USFDA sues Ranbaxy

2008-07-12T23:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 13, 2008 (New Delhi)
American health regulator USFDA has filed a motion in a US court seeking 'certain' documents from Ranbaxy, amid reports of systematic fraudulent conduct, which the company denied.
"No legal proceedings has been initiated against us and we continue to co-operate with the Department of Justice," said a company spokesperson.
The spokesperson, however, admitted that USFDA had filed a motion in a US court seeking certain documents.
The spokesperson refused to disclose as to what the USFDFA was seeking clarifications on from the company.
A section of the media has reported that USFDA has taken Ranbaxy to the court for systematic fraudulent conduct and has asked the court to force Ranbaxy to internally review the manufacturing operations.
The spokesperson said Ranbaxy will remain committed to supply high quality generic medicine at affordable prices to US customers, the spokesperson added.

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Ganguly to play in the football I-League

2008-07-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 12, 2008 (Kolkata)

Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly will try his legs on football and will turn out for Chirag United in the I-League starting in September.

Chirag United, who were promoted to the I-League this season, will sign up Ganguly to add some "gloss" to the league.

A brand ambassador of Chirag computers, part of the RP Group, Ganguly will formally complete the formalities after he is back from the three-Test tour of Sri Lanka, Chirag chairman Kaustav Roy said.

"Ganguly's presence in a football match will be a star attraction; maybe he'll play for a two-minute slot in one of the I-League matches. Again, it all depends on Ganguly's availability from his cricketing assignments," Roy added.

Roy said they thought about this as Ganguly's presence will definitely help promote football.

Meanwhile, Chirag United played out a goalless draw against George Telegraph in an encounter of the Calcutta Football League (Premier Division) at Howrah on Saturday.

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Astronomers name asteroid after Nadal

2008-07-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 12, 2008 (Madrid)

Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has been honoured a week after his epic Wimbledon victory over Roger Federer by having an asteroid named after him.

The 22-year-old has had the asteroid - which is 4 kilometres in diameter - discovered in 2003 and previously known as 128036 named in his honour by the Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca, from where Nadal hails.

The astronomers wanted to pay homage to 'one of the greatest tennis players of all time' a spokesman for the Observatory said.

Nadal, winner of the French Open for the past four years, won what was seen as one of the greatest finals at Wimbledon last Sunday ending Federer's five-year reign with an epic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 win in the longest final - four hours and 48 minutes - in the history of the tournament.

Nadal's victory also saw him close the gap on the world number one to 545 points in the ATP rankings released last Monday.

The Spaniard could end the Swiss' stay at the top of the rankings, a position he has held for a record number of weeks since February 2004, before the end of the season.

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JMM, TDP to decide on UPA support today

2008-07-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 13, 2008 (New Delhi)

With the date of the trust vote for the UPA government coming closer, smaller parties are weighing the pros and cons of which way to go.

The Jharkhan Mukti Morcha (JMM) is meeting on Sunday in Ranchi to decide which way its five MPs would vote.

Though JMM is an ally of the UPA, it is still not clear whether it will support the Government or not.

JMM has been unhappy with the Congress leadership, as its chief Shibu Soren, was not included in the Cabinet even after he came clear in a murder case.

It is in this backdrop that party MPs would discuss whether to vote with the UPA or not.

TDP decides

The Telugu Desam will also decide on Sunday, which way the party's five MPs will vote.

The TDP politburo meet continues on Sunday, to arrive at a decision, though all indications are that they will vote against the N-deal.

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu met CPM's Prakash Karat and CPI's A B Bardhan recently though Naidu did not make his stand official.

Meanwhile, the Congress and its allies will be watching the TDP meet keenly.

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Will Somnath quit as LS Speaker?

2008-07-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 13, 2008 (New Delhi)

Somnath Chatterjee will meet veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu on Sunday on the issue of quitting the Speaker's post. The two are expected to meet at noon.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will meet Jyoti Basu ahead of the meet between the two Left leaders.

Ever since Prakash Karat gave the President a list of Left MPs who would henceforth oppose the UPA in Parliament and Chatterjee' name was on the list, there has been speculation over Chatterjee quitting the post.

Chatterjee was reportedly disinclined to step down. So on Friday, on Karat's request, Buddhadev Bhattacharya and Nirupam Sen, both Politburo members, met Basu to request him to persuade Chatterjee to quit.

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Corruption report distorted: Olmert

2008-07-12T22:57:00.002-07:00

Sunday, July 13, 2008 (Tel Aviv)

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that accusations revealed in a broadening corruption investigation that he stole thousands of dollars from charities are ''distorted'' and ''despicable.''

Police said on Friday that they had widened an investigation against Olmert. They said Olmert was suspected before he became prime minister of asking several charities and institutions to pay for the same trips abroad.

Olmert pocketed the surplus, and used it for family trips abroad, according to the accusations.

The new allegations ''break a norm of what should be appropriate in a democratic regime,'' Olmert told reporters on his plane as he departed for a summit of Mediterranean countries in Paris. ''I was shocked by these distorted reports.''

Olmert said he felt personally affronted because he had worked so hard for the organisation named in the new accusations, which included the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, the Nazi watchdog Simon Wiesenthal Center and charities for Israeli soldiers and the blind.

''Using this matter to try to link this investigation to favours for my family is despicable,'' Olmert said.

The corruption case threatens to bring Olmert down and derail his administration's peace efforts with the Palestinians and Syria.

In reaction to the public outrage over the original case, Olmert's Kadima Party has scheduled primaries for September and analysts have said he will probably not run.

Olmert's successor at the head of Kadima would either form a new government or, if unsuccessful, run instead of Olmert in new elections.

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Pope to raise awareness on climate change

2008-07-12T22:57:00.001-07:00

Sunday, July 13, 2008 (Darwin)

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Australia on Sunday on a pilgrimage he says he wants to use to raise awareness about global warming and address the crisis of clergy sexual abuse.

Benedict's plane landed in the northern city of Darwin after a more than 20-hour flight from the Vatican. His plane was making a brief refueling stop before flying on to Sydney, where he will lead celebrations at the World Youth Day festival.

Benedict, 81, will spend three days resting at a retreat in Sydney before taking part in the festival, including a vigil service with thousands of young people and an outdoor Mass.

The pope met with reporters aboard his plane during the flight, and was asked about climate change following discussions on the environment at this month's summit of the Group of Eight industrialised nations in Japan.

There is a need to ''wake up consciences,'' Benedict responded. ''We have to give impulse to rediscovering our responsibility and to finding an ethical way to change our way of life.''

Benedict said politicians and experts must be ''capable of responding to the great ecological challenge and to be up to the task of this challenge.''

''We have our responsibilities toward Creation,'' he said, stressing, however, that he had no intention of weighing in on technical or political questions swirling around climate change.

Benedict said he also would address the problem of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy.

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Obama supports Indo-US nuke deal

2008-07-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

Obama supports Indo-US nuke deal

Press Trust of India

Friday, July 11, 2008 11:31 PM (New Delhi)

US Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has supported the Indo-US nuclear deal, saying it balances a range of important issues and he is "reluctant" to seek changes in the agreement.

The Democrat candidate, who initially had some reservations about the "original agreement", hoped the deal would be concluded before the end of the year.

The nuclear agreement effectively balances a range of issues -- from America's strategic relationship with India to its non-proliferation concerns to India's energy needs, he said.

"I am, therefore, reluctant to seek changes," the Democrat candidate told Outlook magazine in an interview.

Asked whether the deal would be reopened or scrapped if it isn't clinched this year and he became the President next year, Obama said "A final judgement on the deal ... must await the IAEA's approval of a safeguards agreement with India and changes to be agreed (upon) by the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

"At that point, the US Congress will decide whether to approve the agreement. I continue to hope this process can be concluded before the end of the year."

His comments discount the possibility of renegotiation of the deal if the Democrat administration assumes power in the US after the George W Bush regime.

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Congress gears up for trust vote

2008-07-11T22:33:00.001-07:00

Saturday, July 12, 2008 (New Delhi)

The Congress General Secretaries will meet on Saturday to finalise a strategy as the government gets ready to face a trust vote on the July 22.

A two-day session of Parliament will be called on July 21.

The Prime Minister has told the President that he wants to face a trust vote in Parliament and wants to do this as soon as possible.

On Friday, a pragmatic Sonia Gandhi had thanked not just the Samajwadi Party for their support but also the Left for helping them come to power.

She also added that it was time to move on.

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UK allows Indian professionals to return

2008-07-11T22:32:00.001-07:00

Friday, July 11, 2008 (London)

In a major policy change, Britain has decided to allow thousands of Indian professionals, who left the UK after being adversely affected by the November 2006 changes to immigration rules, to return and work here.

Over 5000 highly skilled migrants, most of them Indians, left Britain following the changes that were challenged in the High Court. The court ruled on April 8 this year that the November 2006 changes could not be applied retrospectively.

Amit Kapadia, executive director of the HSMP Forum that successfully led the legal challenge, said, ''We are happy to have fulfilled our commitment in ensuring those affected by the November 2006 illegal changes are able to return back to UK with due honour.

''Even the time they spent in their home country after the changes would be counted towards the settlement criteria on their return to UK.''

He said the forum will closely monitor the implementation of the court's judgement and would work with officials to ensure that all affected professionals were treated with respect and dignity in restoring their status as highly skilled migrants in the UK.

Kapadia added that the government's positive decision announced on Thursday was a ''great achievement'' in the context of new measures being implemented to curb immigration from outside the European Union.

Thousands of Indian professionals had to leave Britain since they did not qualify under the new criteria introduced in November 2006.

Many who applied for extension to stay were refused, and were instead served deportation orders. Many more chose not to apply since they could not meet the new criteria, and returned home.

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Obama wants Osama executed

2008-07-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 12, 2008 (Washington)

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said in interview excerpts that Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden should be executed, if he is ever captured alive.

The Illinois Senator told a TV channel that the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks in 2001 should face the full weight of US and global justice.

''I am not a cheerleader for the death penalty,'' Obama said in interview excerpts released on Friday.

''I think it has to be reserved for only the most heinous crimes, but I certainly think plotting and engineering the death of 3,000 Americans justifies such an approach.''

''I think this is a big hypothetical, though - let's catch him first,'' he said.

''We have failed to seriously go after Al-Qaida over the last five years because of the distraction of Iraq, I think we are now seeing the consequences of that in Afghanistan.''

In a debate during the Republican presidential primary season, Obama's general election rival Senator John McCain also vowed to bring bin Laden to justice, and follow him to the ''Gates of Hell.''

Obama's tough talk came after he accused the Bush administration of diverting resources from the war in
Afghanistan launched after the 2001 attacks to fight what he saw as an unnecessary war in Iraq.

He has vowed to start pulling US troops out of Iraq at the rate of one or two brigades a month, and sending more soldiers to Afghanistan, if he is elected president in November.

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Nifty below 4K, realty cracks

2008-07-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 08, 2008 (Mumbai)

Markets are trading weak in the early deals of Tuesday with the Sensex losing 385 points to 13,140 levels. The broader markets index Nifty also sheds 2.9 per cent to 3915.

Selling is evident in realty, banking, capital goods, oil & gas and metal counters by over 3.1 per cent each.

“We have seen downswing in the markets and it is not attractive to go short. The investors should bet on selective sectors and stocks. Capital goods counters are attractive at these levels. Even the PSU banks look buoyant and they can surge from here,” said Sudhanshu Pandey, Technical Analyst, LKP Shares.

Among the BSE-30 scrips, Jaiprakash Associates sheds 5.9 per cent to Rs 150 levels. Other major losers include Reliance Infrastructure, which is down 5.5 per cent to Rs 736. State Bank of India also sheds 5.3 per cent to Rs 1109.

Other Asian markets are also trading weak on Tuesday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, Japan’s Nikkei and South Korea’s Kospi are in red turf by over 2.4 per cent each.

Realty weak

BSE realty index, losing 206 points or 4.4 per cent, is the biggest loser among the sectoral indices. Akruti City, Unitech and Housing Development & Infra are the major losers of the pack.

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Dhoni pulls out of Lanka Test series

2008-07-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 07, 2008 8:13 PM (New Delhi)

India's ODI captain MS Dhoni has pulled out of Sri Lanka Test series to be held later this month.

BCCI selection committee will be meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday to pick team for Sri Lanka.

Dhoni has recently complained of fatigue, citing excessive cricket as reason. India is set to play three Test and five one-day internationals in Sri Lanka, with the first Test starting June 23. Dhoni's Indian team lost to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup finals on Sunday.

Dhoni complained about the schedule of the recently-concluded Asia Cup tournament, saying the back to back matches were taking a toll on the players.

In response to Dhoni's statements, the Board vice president Rajiv Shukla had said that players could opt out after informing the BCCI so that they could be replaced.

Dhoni was quoted as saying at a recent function that he appreciates the BCCI's decision to provide players rest when they needed it.

Aircraft scams rock the skies

2008-07-07T22:27:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 8, 2008 (Mumbai)

The seizure of Mukesh Ambani's aircrafts for alleged duty evasion could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Customs officials have told NDTV that the Civil Aviation Ministry has dashed off letters to 70 corporates across the country for the same offence.

Customs officials suspect them of evading duty worth a whopping Rs 3,800 crore on imported aircrafts and choppers since 2002.

Business houses who have been asked for an explanation include Ranbaxy, GMR, Indiabulls, Raymonds and Oberoi Hotels.

The officials also allege that the corporates evaded duty by importing aircrafts claiming they were would be put to commercial use. But later, they are diverted for personal use. This attracts duties that are 19 per cent higher.

This came to light after it was discovered that these aircrafts were barely operating passenger services despite saying they would.

Customs officials grew suspicious after noticing that the logbook of Director General of Civil Aviation did not show clear flight details of corporate aircrafts.

Now the Civil Aviation Ministry has also issued a directive to customs officials across the country to check whether corporate aircrafts are following the norms.

Sources also say that Reliance Industries - which has agreed to pay duty worth Rs 98 crore on its Airbus seized by the customs department - could face more charges.

The other aircraft which was grounded Falcon 900 could also be charged with Rs 40 crore duty evasion.

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Isolated, Left to meet today on withdrawal

2008-07-07T22:23:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 8, 2008 (New Delhi)

The Left parties will meet today to take a final decision on when to pull out.

They will decide whether to withdraw support before the Prime Minister gets back from the G8 Summit or wait for him to get back.

The Prime Minister's announcement in Tokyo that his government will go to the IAEA soon has the Left parties very angry.

Already the Forward Bloc has said it will propose withdrawing support by July 10 and bigger parties like the CPI and the CPM are also unhappy.

CPI leader D Raja has said the Left should not be blamed for whatever it decides at today's meeting.

The Left is also angry over Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's evasive reply to its July 7 deadline to let the Left know when the government planned to go to the IAEA.

In his reply to the Left ultimatum, Pranab Mukherjee has side stepped this concern instead he has invited the Left for yet another round of talks.

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ISI hand suspected in Kabul blast: Sources

2008-07-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 7, 2008 (Kabul)

In the latest update in the attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul in which 40 people were killed, sources from India say that they suspect ISI hand.

The Afghanistan sources too say that the attack was carried out in coordination and consultation with an intelligence agency active in the region.

India's Defence Attache Brig RB Mehta, an IFS officer BV Rao and two ITBP guards were killed in the suicide attack.

There are reports that the attack is a major security lapse because there was specific intelligence that the embassy would be attacked this week.

Security was upgraded and the area cordoned off yet a bomber armed with explosives could come up to the embassy gates.

He blew himself up as the car carrying the Indian officials was about to enter the gate.

Team to leave for Kabul

A high level team is leaving for Kabul to assess situation in the wake of suicide attack at Indian Embassy. In all about 40 people have been killed.

An Indian foreign ministry official said at least two Indian paramilitary troopers guarding the embassy were among those killed in the attack.

''Our information says two personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police have been killed in the attack,'' the ministry source said.

Following the blast, Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee has called an emergency meeting with Defence Minister, Defence Secretary and MEA officials.

An Afghan man at the scene said it appeared that the bomber blew up just outside the gate of the embassy, which is near the Interior Ministry.

As many as 141 people have been injured in the blast.

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Series of blasts rock Karachi, 2 dead

2008-07-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 7, 2008 (Karachi)

Two people have died and at least 40 have been injured as seven blasts rocked Karachi in Pakistan. The blasts took place hours after the Indian cricket team left Karachi on Monday morning.

The explosions were reported in Banaras, Shahra-e-Noor Jahan, Hyderi and Qasba Colony areas of Karachi.

Eight children and three policemen are among the injured.

Some of the bombs were placed on bicycles and motorbikes. Karachi is now under high alert.

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Citi may sell HDFC stake as part of cost cuts

2008-07-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 07, 2008 (London)

Vikram Pandit, the Indian-born CEO of Citi Bank, has wielded the broom to clean up his banks' losses and the pruning may affect its forays into the Indian market as well.

Citi is understood to be toying with the idea of selling its one billion pound ($2 billion) stake in Indian bank HDFC, apart from off-loading stakes in various other countries. The American giant has a 12.3 percent stake in the Indian bank, which can raise one billion pounds if sold.

The business world is eagerly awaiting the cuts announcement ever since Pandit's controversial email to every employee of Citi last week made it to the internet. In the message, he promised that Citi would become "the greatest turnaround story of our age".

The Times says that over the next few days Citi will begin signing off second-quarter results that are expected to reveal further write-downs of at least four billion pounds. That would be in addition to the 20 billion pounds of write-downs the bank has already announced. Since the third quarter of last year, Citi has sold more than 80 billion pounds of assets.

Hundreds of billions of pounds worth of assets are being put on the auction block by the world's biggest banks as the global credit crisis begins to bite deeper into the economy.

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India blown away in Asia Cup final

2008-07-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 06, 2008 (New Delhi)
Ajanta Mendis's mystery 'carrom ball' knocked India out cold and helped Sri Lanka win their fourth Asia Cup title on Sunday.

Sri Lanka won by 100 runs having scored a modest 273 all out at Karachi's National Stadium. It is the lowest score a team has defended in this tournament, and it is India's 22nd loss in their last 24 ODI finals.

The little-known seam and spin bowler was practically unplayable on the night. His figures of 8-1-6-13 are the best in Asia Cup history.

Mendis's remarkable spell began after Sanath Jayasuriya clobbered a 79-ball hundred with the Lankans in some trouble having been asked to bat by M.S. Dhoni.

Chasing 274 and their fifth Asia Cup title, India got off to another blazing start with Virender Sehwag's 60 from 36 balls. But the game turned on its head when Mahela Jayawardene brought Mendis on.

The spell that changed it all

Mendis mixes seam and spin and has a peculiar delivery, which he flicks with his middle finger, almost like hitting a striker while playing carrom.

It had helped him take 5-31 against Pakistan in a league match earlier in the tournament. With Sunday's haul, he finished with 16 wickets, the most by a bowler in one edition of the continental championship.

Mendis struck big in his first over of the game. The impetuous Sehwag stepped out to cut his second delivery, missed the line and got stumped.

Two balls later, Yuvraj Singh played around a straight ball that stayed low and was bowled for zero.

Suresh Raina then played a horrific swing across the line, missed, and was bowled.

Rohit Sharma, struggling to read the bowler's hand, fell LBW to a ball that pitched around leg and cut away from him.

Mendis's mesmerising first spell read 4-0-8-4 and Sri Lanka had one hand firmly on the trophy. From 76-1 after nine overs, India slipped to 97-5 in the 16th over.

Earlier, Gautam Gambhir had become India's first fall, when he stepped out to cut Chaminda Vaas and hit a poorly timed slash to point.

With the top order blown away by Mendis, it left Dhoni and Robin Uthappa to play damage control. It wasn't easy, since Muttiah Muralitharan bowled a miserly spell from the other end.

Uthappa's watchful 20 (41 balls, 2x4) ended when he was trapped in front by Murali.

Then, Mendis came back for a second spell and struck twice in his sixth over. Irfan Pathan, who'd had a woeful tournament, couldn't read a googly and edged it to slip.

Next ball, R.P Singh couldn't read a leg cutter and got bowled. Pragyan Ojha survived a huge leg before shout the next ball, but Simon Taufel, the umpire, wasn't keen on Mendis having his hat trick.

Mendis's figures read 6-0-9-6 at this stage.

The one man who stood between Sri Lanka and victory was Dhoni (74 balls, 4x4). And when he edged Vaas behind to Kumar Sangakkara, India's last hope departed.

Ishant Sharma and Ojha stood around, delaying the inevitable, but Nuwan Kulasekara bowled Ishant to round off a comprehensive win.

Jayasuriya: 25 going on 39

In the morning, Jayasuriya spanking 79-ball hundred led Sri Lanka's revival in the final after they'd been reduced to 66-4 at one stage.

Jayasuriya (125, 114 balls, 9x4, 5x6) batted with typical dislike for bowlers, reaching his fifty in 43 balls.

With Ishant striking thrice in a key spell, the Lankans were 66-4 in the 12th over when the veteran cut loose, become the first man to score two ODI hundreds after his 39th birthday.

Jayasuriya found an ally in Tillakaratne Dilshan (56, 74 balls, 3x4). The two added 131 runs for the fifth wicket.

The partnership notwithstanding, Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals.

Their in-form opener Kumar Sangakkara was run out in the second over. His miscommunication with Sanath Jayasuriya saw him out of the non-striker's end when Suresh Raina's direct hit homed in.

Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene cut straight to point to give Ishant his first wicket.

Chamara Kapugedera mistimed a drive off Ishant to cover, while, in the same over, Chamara Silva played on.

Here, Jayasuriya hit R.P. Singh for 26 in an over that read 6, 6, 4, 4, 0 and 6. R.P had dropped Jayasuriya in the previous over at mid on. He misjudged the flight of the catch while running back and missed it completely. From 35/2 in eight overs, Sri Lanka moved to 116/4 in 16.

Jayasuriya battled exhaustion and dehydration. He finally holed out to deep midwicket off the part-time fare of Virender Sehwag, who bowled well in tandem with Pragyan Ojha and Rohit Sharma.
The three spinners conceded less than four an over in their 21 overs, while Irfan Pathan and R.P. Singh gave away runs in oodles.

Dilshan fell caught behind off Pathan, while Chaminda Vaas was bowled by R.P.

Kulasekara threw around his bat at the end for a run-a-ball 29 that took Sri Lanka to a respectable score.

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Venus wins fifth Wimbledon title

2008-07-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 5, 2008 (New Delhi)

Venus Williams beat sister Serena 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday for her fifth Wimbledon title and seventh Grand Slam championship.

This was Venus' first victory over her younger sibling in a Grand Slam final since the 2001 U.S. Open, and it evened their career record at 8-8.

"I can't believe that it's five," Venus said. "But when you're in the final against Serena Williams, five seems too far away. She played so awesome, it was really a task to beat her."

Venus came from 3-1 down in the first set to turn around the match, breaking Serena four times while dropping serve twice in a final that produced breathtaking tennis despite swirling wind.

This was more than a matchup between siblings; it was a contest between two of the hardest-hitting, most athletic players in the world at the top of their game.

Venus broke to finish the match, with Serena hitting a backhand wide on the second match point. The sisters embraced at the net, and Venus kept her celebrations in check as she twirled and waved to the Centre Court crowd.

Venus accepted the winner's trophy a sterling silver salver aptly named the Venus Rosewater dish from the Duke of Kent.

"It's so rewarding to perform here," Venus said. "Every time I come back I know I have the chance to play well and make history. My first job is big sister and I take that very seriously."

Watching from the players' box was the sisters' mother, Oracene. Their father, Richard, had flown back to the United States because he can't stand to watch his daughters play each other.

Referring to the mixed feelings of her family about who to support, Venus said, "It's hard for all of them, but I like to think they want me to win."

The 26-year-old Serena accepted her runner-up trophy and paid tribute to her 28-year-old sister.

"I'm so happy that at least one of us was able to win," Serena said. "She's played great this year. We're just glad to be in the finals again."

The sisters were set to return later to Centre Court to play for the women's doubles title, joining forces to face Lisa Raymond of the U.S. and Samantha Stosur of Australia in the final.

"Serena deserves to win something, so I'll try even harder for that," said Venus, who collected a winner's check of $1.49 million.

Venus, appearing in her seventh Wimbledon final, avenged her two losses to Serena in the 2002 and 2003 title matches and stopped her sister from winning her ninth Grand Slam.

Many all-Williams finals have been awkward affairs that didn't live up to expectations, with the sisters having trouble playing their best. But this final featured long, corner-to-corner rallies, booming serves and winning shots flashing all over the court.

Both sisters struggled in the wind, with Venus repeatedly stopping to catch her service toss and rallies often disrupted by sudden gusts.

"It was so not easy," Serena said. "Every time I tried to hit a shot, the wind would blow it."

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Nadal dethrones Federer in Wimbledon epic

2008-07-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 6, 2008 (London)

Rafael Nadal dethroned five-time champion Roger Federer as king of Wimbledon on Sunday with an epic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (8/10), 9-7 win in one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time.

The Spaniard, who had squandered two match points in a nerve-shredding fourth set tie-breaker, added a first All England Club title to his four French Opens, shattering Federer's dreams of an historic sixth successive Wimbledon trophy.

"It's impossible to explain what I felt when I won. I'm just very happy to win this title. I never thought I could win but to do so is a dream," said Nadal who had lost the last two finals to Federer.

"I had match points but Roger is very tough. I want to congratulate Roger because he is great for tennis, win or lose.

"He's still the number one, he's still the best. He is a five-time champion and I have just the one."

Federer admitted he had been beaten by the better man on the day.

"I tried everything," he said. "Rafa is a deserving champion -- he just played fantastic.

"It is a pity I did not win but I will be back next year."

Victory made the 22-year-old Nadal only the third man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season, and the first since Bjorn Borg in 1980, while giving Spain its first men's champion here since Manolo Santana in 1966.

The win also ended Federer's six-year, 65-match winning streak on grass.

At four hours and 48 minutes, it was the longest final in Wimbledon history beating the 4:16 it took Jimmy Connors to beat John McEnroe in 1982 and ended in murky Centre Court darkness at 2116 local time (2016GMT).

Nadal shrugged off a rain-enforced 35-minute delay to the start to break first to lead 2-1 with Federer desperately chasing the Spaniard's power-packed forehands.

The 22-year-old then fought off a break point in the next game to back up his advantage which stretched to 4-2 as the Spaniard edged the world number one in some brutal exchanges in tricky, gusty conditions on Centre Court.

Nadal unleashed a 96mph forehand to claim the opening set, the first set Federer had dropped in the 2008 tournament.

The 26-year-old Swiss star shook off his inhibitions to sneak to a 3-0 lead in the second set before Nadal battled back from 1-4 down to open up a two-set lead when Federer netted a simple-looking backhand.

Nadal saved a break point in the fourth game of the third set and four more in the sixth as the London skies and Federer's mood darkened.

The top seed saved three break points to lead 4-3 and was 5-4 ahead when heavy rain sent the players off court for 80 minutes.

On the resumption, a reborn Federer grabbed the third set with an ace in a tense tiebreak before serve dominated the fourth set leading to another tiebreak.

Nadal went to 5/2 in the breaker but the champion stormed back to lead 6/5 and claim a set point which Nadal saved.

Incredibly, Federer then saved two match points and grabbed another set point at 9/8 before levelling the final when Nadal, stunned by his failing nerve, went long with a forehand.

At 2-2 in the final set, more rain caused a 30-minute suspension.

On their return, Nadal saved a break point in the eighth game while Federer fought off two in the 11th and three more in the 15th but cracked to give the Spaniard an 8-7 lead.

Nadal went to a third match point which was saved with a inch-perfect backhand.

An unreturned serve gave him a fourth match which he converted to victory when Federer netted a backhand.

thanks to ndtv

Statistics
Centre Court	Gentlemen's Singles - Finals
Set	1	2	3	4	5
R.Federer SUI (1)	4	4	7	7	7
R.Nadal ESP (2)	6	6	6	6	9

Elapsed Time by Set: 48, 46, 61, 58, 75

Match Summary

	Federer (SUI)			Nadal (ESP)
1st Serve %	128 of 195 = 66 %			159 of 218 = 73 %
Aces	25			6
Double Faults	2			3
Unforced Errors	52			27
Winning % on 1st Serve	93 of 128 = 73 %			110 of 159 = 69 %
Winning % on 2nd Serve	38 of 67 = 57 %			35 of 59 = 59 %
Receiving Points Won	73 of 218 = 33 %			64 of 195 = 33 %
Break Point Conversions	1 of 13 = 8 %			4 of 13 = 31 %
Net Approaches	42 of 75 = 56 %			22 of 31 = 71 %
Total Points	204			209
Fastest Serve	129 MPH			120 MPH
Average 1st Serve Speed	117 MPH			112 MPH
Average 2nd Serve Speed	100 MPH			93 MPH

Faith overrules terror as Urs arrives

2008-07-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 7, 2008 (Ajmer)

The annual Urs in memory of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is now attracting a huge turn out.

A prime symbol of India's composite culture, the Ajmer Dargah, had suffered a terrorist blast in 2007, raising worries that the Urs this time may be a low-key affair.

But in a triumph of faith over fear, countless devotees are now pouring into Ajmer.

Ignoring safety worries and security hassles, thousands of devotees are now flocking to the Ajmer Dargah. Given the terrorist blast at this Sufi shrine in October 2007, many had predicted that the turn out for the annual Urs may be rather dismal. But faith in Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti has helped pilgrims to overcome all fears.

''Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz gives us courage and fills our hearts with faith. We will never sit at home because of fear of terrorists. No matter what they do, we will always come to this Dargah. Nothing will ever stop us,'' said a devotee.

For nearly 800 years, people of all castes and religions have been to Ajmer to seek the Khwaja's blessings. And the Khadims, the traditional servers of the Dargah, say the Khwaja will never allow terrorists to succeed in their divisive designs.

''Despite the plans of terrorists, the bomb blast at this Dargah did not lead to a big tragedy. In that way, Khwaja Sahab had already responded to the terrorists. And now by turning up in large numbers, the devotees have given a fitting reply to terrorists,'' said Irfan Rizvi, senior Khadim of the Ajmer Dargah.

And as the Khwaja's favourite Qawaali echo in all corners of the Dargah, it is clear that faith has scored a resounding victory over terrorist fears.

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PM-Bush meet at G8 may break the N-ice

2008-07-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 7, 2008 (Washington, Hokkaido)

The most powerful men and women in the world will meet on the island of Hokkaido in Japan on Tuesday.

The G8 is made up of the world's eight richest countries, USA, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Japan. In 2005, they extended an invitation to India, China, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico, the fastest developing economies in the world.

The focus of the Hokkaido meeting is expected to be on the global food and fuel crises and climate change.

However, for India, the Prime Minister's attendance there has taken on another dimension this year. His going to the G8 is being seen by the Left as a step forward for the Indo-US nuclear deal.

It is an annual gathering of the world's most powerful leaders, the Group of Eight - G8 for short. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be joining this gathering in Hokkaido on Tuesday.

The official theme of this G8 summit is climate change. But for the Prime Minister, the most important meeting will be on Wednesday with US President George W Bush. The meeting could chart the course of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

With time running out for India, a joint Manmohan-Bush plan will be essential for steering the deal through the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and then the US Congress.

With clean energy high on the G8 agenda, the Prime Minister can point to India's need for nuclear energy to argue that the NSG must okay nuclear trade with India.

World leaders attending the G8 summit in Hokkaido will discuss climate change as part of the official agenda. But rising crude prices and the spectre of global inflation is widely expected to figure.

Several countries are arguing to cut down their dependence on fossil fuels not only because of the harmful carbon emissions but also because it is increasingly becoming unaffordable.

India, for example, wants to develop nuclear energy and Prime Minister will take up the Indo-US nuclear deal during his meeting with Bush on July 9.

Many believe the UPA government may well indicate its next step following the meeting between the two leaders on an issue that has been at the heart of a political crisis for the past three weeks.

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UNESCO adds three new heritage sites to its list

2008-07-06T22:23:00.001-07:00

Monday, July 7, 2008 (Quebec City)

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee has added three new sites to its heritage list, including a former slave hideout in Mauritius, the Nabataean archaeological site in Saudi Arabia, and China's Fujian Tulou earthen houses.

The Archaeological Site of Al-Hijr, the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan, is the first World Heritage site in Saudi Arabia.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization also chose the Morne Cultural Landscape, a rugged mountain jutting into the Indian Ocean in southwestern Mauritius that was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries.

Also making the heritage list were the Fujian Tulou property of 46 houses built between the 12th and 20th centuries as homes to entire clans in south-west of Fujian province, inland from the Taiwan Strait.

The three new entries bring UNESCO's World Heritage List to 854 sites in more than 140 countries around the world.

The 21-member World Heritage Committee meeting until 10 July is considering another 40 candidate sites to its World List.

Canada is presiding at this year's meeting as Quebec City celebrates its 400th anniversary.

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19 dead in Pakistan suicide attack

2008-07-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 6, 2008 (Islamabad)

A suicide attack in the heart of Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday left at least 19 dead including ten policemen and injured 40 others. The injured have been rushed to hospital.

On this day last year General Pervez Musharraf's soldiers stormed the Lal Masjid in Islamabad killing at least 100 people. On Sunday, a suicide bomber blew up ten policemen close to the mosque.

The police have cordoned off the area and emergency services have been set up at the spot and emergency has been declared at all hospitals in Islamabad.

The security was put on high alert in Karachi as well, where Asia Cup final was played between India and Sri Lanka. The entrances to the Karachi stadium were also blocked.

The Islamabad police chief has said that the blast at Lal Masjid was a suicide attack. Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raja Gillani has condemned the attack and has also ordered inquiry into the incident.

The blast has occurred on the anniversary of Pakistan Army's crackdown on Lal Masjid in 2007, wherein, 100 people were killed.

PTI adds

The powerful blast, which was heard from several kilometres away, occurred as a large crowd of slogan shouting and flag waving people, including madrasa students and outlawed extremist groups like the Sipah-e-Sahaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, began dispersing at about 7.50 pm.

Witnesses said the explosion occurred in the vicinity of a petrol station near Melody Market, which is located adjacent to the Lal Masjid and created panic among the people who ran back towards the mosque.

Body parts and pools of blood lay strewn all over the area, which was cordoned off by the police. Nine of the dead were policemen.

The blast targetted the site where a large number of policemen had gathered as part of the security arrangements for the meeting where several clerics made hard-hitting speeches criticising the arrest of former Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz as well as the government's plans for reforming madrasas.

''Musharraf, Aftab Sherpao (then interior minister) and others responsible for the bloodbath should be tried and hanged publicly,'' Islamist leader Idrees Haqqani said as the crowd raised their hands in approval chanted slogans like ''Allah-o-Akbar'' (God is great).

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Retail leads business activities in Delhi

2008-07-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 05, 2008 (New Delhi)

Among all commercial activities in the national capital, more people were engaged in retail and wholesale trade than any other enterprise, Delhi Finance Minister A.K. Walia said in New Delhi on Friday.

While releasing a report on the Fifth Economic Census of Delhi carried out in 2005, Walia said there were 370,000 retail outlets, accounting for 48.86 per cent of the 758,000 commercial establishments in the capital.

This is higher than the national average of 41.83 per cent engaged in retail trade, he said.

Retail was followed by the manufacturing sector, which had 112,000 establishments accounting for 14.76 per cent of all commercial activity in Delhi.

The national average was 2.38 per cent.

About 433,000 (57.11 per cent) establishments worked without any power connection, while near 314,000 (41.39 per cent) did not have hired worker.

Around 115,000 (15.22 per cent) were floating establishments - without any premises - while around 8,000 (1.13 per cent) were seasonal.

Walia said there were 758,000 establishments in Delhi in 2005 providing employment to 3.6 million people, as compared to 686,000 establishments in 1998 at the time of the Fourth Economic Census.

The Directorate of Economics and Statistics conducted the economic census in collaboration with the Central Statistical Organization during May-July 2005.

The first economic census was conducted in 1977, and subsequently in 1980, 1990, 1998 and 2005. It covers all entrepreneurial activities in both non-agriculture and agriculture sector except crop production and plantation.

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Wimbledon final: It's Federer vs Nadal

2008-07-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 4, 2008 (New Delhi)

After all the upsets in the Wimbledon, the final equation was quite predictable. Like the last two years, it's Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal.

In the semi-finals, Roger Federer beat Marat Safin 6-3 7-6(3) 6-4 while Nadal ousted Rainer Schuettler 6-1 7-6(3) 6-4. It was a convincing victory and Federer must not take his clay nemesis lightly. Nadal romped over German.

Schuettler had spent three more hours than Nadal getting to the semi-final, including tying the record for the second longest men's match in Wimbledon history in getting past Arnaud Clement in the last eight.

That was five sets taking five hours and 12 minutes spread over two days. On Friday, he was a set down in only 23 minutes with Nadal breaking in the first, third and seventh games to threaten a Centre Court rout.

This is for the third time in a row that these two players would be meeting each other in the wimbledon final. Roger Federer would be taking the court with the sixth Wimbledon title hopes. Rafael Nadal, who has an upper hand on the clay court, would want to extend his dominance over the World Number one on the grass court as well. He has been improving on grass and last year he had streched the wimbledon final to the fifth set.

On his way to final, Federer clinched the first set 6-3 in just 24 minutes, before being pushed into a tie-break in the second. Safin though couldn't capitalise on the momentum that he had built up. Fedex closed out the set 7-6. The third one was another easy win for the Swiss maestro.

Federer is looking to equal Bjorn Borg's record of 6 straight Wimbledon titles. So along with the 3rd all Williams final, tennis fans will have the 3rd straight Federer-Nadal final.

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Inflation takes away earnings from farmers

2008-07-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 5, 2008 (Narayngaon, Maharashtra)

You may be paying through your nose for your vegetables, but it is not getting translated into bigger returns for the farmers who grow them.

Eight-month-old Kanishka tries to bite into a freshly-plucked tomato but she is blissfully unaware of the tension her 68-year-old grandfather Pandurang Gade is going through.

Gade's tomatoes make their way from Narayngaon in Mahahrashtra'a Pune district to distant Punjab. But with prices rising, it seems Maharashtra's farmers are making a neat profit. For instance, tomato prices have almost doubled since January this year, when inflation began to rise.

From Rs 90-125 kg in January, it has reached to Rs 180-225 kg now.

But still, farmers like Gade are worried. You maybe paying more for your vegetables but it's not like farmers are laughing their way to the bank. In today's times, the vegetable farmer along with being a producer is also a consumer.

''We are paying so much more for labour, seeds, fertilisers, packing and transport and returns don't match,'' said Pandurang Gade.

Gade employs farm labourers to cultivate his fields, but instead of paying Rs 60 per head like last season, he is shelling out Rs 90.

Similarly, fertilisers worth Rs 1,200 were enough for this two-acre plot last season. This time, they cost Gade over Rs 2,000.

And if Gade, who owns 30 acres in Narayangaon is facing difficulties, smaller farmers like Juman Pathan in Wadgaon, about 50 kms away, just can't seem to make the arithmetic work.

Pathan has invested Rs 6,000 on his 2-acre ridge gourd patch but he has not earned back even half that sum.

''If we earn Rs 2 more because of better prices we also spend Rs 10 more for other overheads. Where does that leave us?'' said Juman Pathan, small farmer, Wadgaon.

Experts point out that vegetable farmers are increasingly at the mercy of the market.

''Vegetables are a perishable commodity and the farmer is at the mercy of the trader because if he waits for a better price then he may not get even what he is being offered,'' said Dr Nagmani Rao, Karve Institute of Social Service, Pune.

So as your pay more for your greens, it is the trader not farmer, who's laughing all the way to the bank.

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Army's new flying machine for high altitudes

2008-07-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 5, 2008 (Tangdhar)

India's indigenously built flying machine, Dhruv, recently cleared for high altitude flying in Kashmir, is making Army's counter-insurgency operations easier.

Dhruv is an Indian helicopter, made for India's towering mountains. At present, it is making sorties at about 14000 feet in Tanghdar.

It has even flown to a record height of above 27000 feet, where no other helicopter has gone.

Earlier, the Army used the Cheeta helicopter, but Dhruv is a multi-purpose flying machine. It can ferry more men and machines to the snow covered peaks and can also double up as a flying ambulance.

''We had the Dhruv helicopter flying over head and giving surveillance of the area. It also was useful in transportation of material and personnel and with its capability to fly at high altitude and its all weather capability it definitely was a force multiplier,'' said Colonel Arjun Segan, Commanding Officer, 22 Rajasthan Rifles.

Having better load carrying capacity at high altitudes and in difficult terrain, this Army's new flying machine is becoming its main weapon against infiltration.

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Netherlands bans Iranian students from N-studies

2008-07-04T22:08:00.001-07:00

Saturday, July 5, 2008 (The Hague)

The Netherlands will ban Iranian students from studying nuclear technology, a source of tension between Iran and world powers, at its universities, the government has said.

''It is forbidden... to grant Iranian nationals access to special training or teaching that could contribute to nuclear proliferation activities in Iran and the development of systems for transmitting nuclear arms,'' the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Some powers including the United States suspect Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb. Iran insists its nuclear programme is aimed at producing energy to serve a growing population.

Friday's measure adds to a Dutch decree adopting international sanctions against Iran that were put in place last year.

It bans Iranians notably from the nuclear reactor in Borssele in the southeastern Netherlands, and from a test reactor at the Delft University of Technology.

The ministry said the ban does not cover undergraduate studies up to bachelor's degree level, which are considered not to be specialised, and that it will consider requests for exceptions to be made.

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Recognise me as Prez or no talks: Mugabe

2008-07-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 5, 2008 (Harare)

Robert Mugabe ruled out the prospect of talks with his opponents on ending Zimbabwe's political crisis unless they acknowledged his victory in a one-man presidential election.

Speaking to thousands of supporters after flying home from an African Union summit, Mugabe said opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai should not ''delude'' himself into thinking the result of the June 27 poll could be expunged from the record books and should renounce his claims to the presidency.

''I am the president of the republic of Zimbabwe and that is the reality,'' he said at Harare airport where some 4000 supporters had gathered to welcome him back from the AU summit in Egypt.

''Everybody has to accept that if they want to dialogue.

''If they agree on that, and we are satisfied, then we shall go into dialogue and listen to them by way of ideas (but) those votes can never be thrown away.''

Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party denounced the pre-condition as a joke.

''This is an unrealistic precondition and we are not going to accept it,'' said party spokesman Nelson Chamisa.

The run-off election, boycotted by Tsvangirai after deadly attacks on his supporters, was widely denounced as a sham by Western governments.

However, 84-year-old Mugabe, the continent's oldest leader, escaped serious censure from his peers at this week's summit which instead ended with relatively bland calls for the formation of a national unity government.

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Federer, Nadal cruise to semis with ease

2008-07-03T21:32:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 3, 2008 (London)

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal comfortably mowed down quarter-final opposition in dominating style on Wednesday as the pair of powerhouse players edged closer to their third potential final at the Wimbledon Championships.

Federer, aiming for a sixth straight title at the All England Club after holding off Nadal for the last two years, scythed through the last man to beat him on grass six years ago with a 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 defeat of Mario Ancic.

The drubbing put the top seed into his 17th straight Grand Slam semi-final.

Nadal was merciless with home hope Andy Murray, crushing the Scot 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

"I thought I played very well," said Nadal after posting his 54th win of the season. "It was probably my best match here, especially against a difficult opponent like Andy.

"A win like this always surprises me, Andy was coming in with confidence after his unbelievable comeback."

Murray, seeded 12th was likely feeling the pain from an heroic rally 48 hours earlier from two sets to love down 48 hours against Richard Gasquet.

Nadal still does not know his opponent, as German Rainer Schuettler and Frenchman Arnaud Clement finbished for the day square at 6-3, 5-7 due to darkness with their match to be concluded on Thursday.

Federer stands 9-2 over semi-final opponent Safin, but lost to the Russian three years ago in an Australian Open final where Safin lifted his second title at a major after the 2000 US Open.

"I really feel like I'm playing as good as the last few years," said Federer after winning his 39th straight at the event where he has claimed the last five titles to stand 43-4.

"I've had some tougher draws over the years here at Wimbledon. I was able to come through all of them the last five years, so I'm happy that this time it's worked out again as good."

The world number one, on track for a 13th Grand Slam title, rocketed over three aces in the final game as he served out his success in on hour, 41 minutes, clocking 15 aces and a mere six unforced errors.

"I feel so comfortable on this Centre Court that my confidence level is obviously very high."

Ancic admitted he was well and truly beaten in a match with a 20-minute first set followed by a two-hour rain pause.

"He makes you play the hardest as you can, and on the other hand you can't give him anything. There's not one point you get for free.

"That is the toughest to balance. You have to play hard, you have to go for your shots. You have to play difficult.

"And, on the other hand, you're not allowed to miss if you want to win."

Safin, who has never been this far at Wimbledon and has often voiced a distaste for grass, has ridden an injury and motivational rollercoaster during his career.

"I'm surprised that I'm still here, I'm surprised that I won two Grand Slams. But I have to deal with the things that I have in my life: a lot of injuries left and right.

"I'm tired of making comebacks every year. It's annoying, but that's my career. That's my life for the good and for the bad. But I'm managing to enjoy it."

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India thump Lanka, enter Asia Cup final

2008-07-03T21:30:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 03, 2008 (New Delhi)

In a contest where bowlers and fielders on both sides looked pedestrian, India came off looking better and, with it, entered the final of the Asia Cup.

Sri Lanka cashed in on India's fielding lapses and toothless bowling to make 308-8 after batting first. But their own bowling lacked depth, and India needed just 46.5 overs to finish off the chase and win by six wickets at the National Stadium in Karachi.

With it, Pakistan have been knocked out and for the sixth time since 1988, it would be an India-Sri Lanka Asia Cup final.

India's chase was led, first by another scorching pace-setting partnership between Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, then controlled ably by Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni.

Sehwag pushed his luck often, and was lucky to survive a couple of run out chances. He made 42 (34 balls, 6x4, 1x6) before giving away his wicket in careless fashion - with a poorly timed scoop to short line leg. The opening partnership yielded 92 in 11.4 overs.

Gambhir (68, 61 balls, 11x4) batted in typically aggressive fashion, reaching his second fifty of the tournament. He became Muttiah Muralitharan's first victim of the night, trapped LBW.

Dhoni (67, 62 balls, 5x4, 1x6) added 99 runs with Raina (54, 66 balls, 3x4).

Raina was run out going for a tough second run, while Dhoni missed the line of a Murali delivery.

The wicket offered no help to the bowlers, and India exploited Sri Lanka's inexperienced bowlers to the hilt.

Even as Dhoni and Raina fell in quick succession, Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma knocked off the remaining 56 runs with ease since the required run rate had not being a problem.

Earlier, Sri Lanka cashed in on another poor effort on the field from India. India have now conceded 300 or more three times in their last four Asia Cup matches.

India's bowling lacked bite while several misfields hurt their case further. There were meaty contributions all round from Sri Lanka's batsmen.

After Sanath Jayasuriya set the tone with a 37-ball 43 with eight fours, their captain, Mahela Jayawardene joined in with 50 (63 balls, 4x4) while Chamara Kapugedera made 75 (78 balls, 7x4, 1x6).

Chamara Silva capped the innings with 50 (56 balls, 2x4, 1x6).

India made a good beginning by sending back Kumar Sangakkara, who has made three centuries so far in the tournament.

The opening batsman made 7 (10 balls, 1x4) before miscuing a pull off Ishant Sharma behind to India captain M.S. Dhoni.

Jayasuriya fell in similar fashion, to the same bowler.

Jayawardene, who found himself in sublime touch stroking the ball beautifully, mistimed a loft and holed out to long off, just after reaching his 50.

Kapugedera, who looked good for a century, was caught adjacent by a straight ball from Praveen Kumar.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (15, 19 balls, 2x4) mistimed a pull shot off a long-hop from Pathan, and R.P Singh timed his jump to perfection at the long leg boundary to take the catch.

Silva had scored his 50th run and was running back to the striker's end for his 51st, when he was run out by a flat throw from R.P. Singh at thirdman.

R.P. then took his first wicket of the innings in the 49th over when the left-handed Kaushalya Weeraratne holed out to long-on.

The left-arm seamer was India's most economical bowler on the day, with figures of 10-0-44-1.

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British graduates seek jobs in India

2008-07-03T21:29:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 3, 2008 (London)

Professionals and graduates from elite British universities are making a beeline for India because of its booming economy, closer trade relations between the two countries and the numerous job opportunities.

Thousands of people face the prospect of losing their jobs due to the current credit crunch and a downturn in the British economy. A steep rise in the cost of living in recent months has further prompted professionals to look beyond borders.

Fresh MBA graduates from the University of Oxford's Said Business School have taken the initiative to organise recruitment fair in Mumbai on July 30 and 31. They have already received an enthusiastic response from potential recruiters.

Apart from Britons and British-Asians seeking employment abroad, professionals leaving the country include many among the recently arrived highly skilled migrants from Poland, Nigeria and Australia.

The Institute of Public Policy Research says that they may have better job prospects back home, where they can also avoid Britains spiralling cost of living.

Private hospitals in India often recruit doctors working in the National Health Service (NHS). These include Indian doctors who came to the UK some years ago and are now choosing to return home for better working conditions.

A recent survey revealed that British graduates were prepared to fill nearly 200,000 jobs in Indian call centres by 2009. Several Indian and British call centres recruit British graduates from regions that have large Asian population. Their accent helps them interact with British customers while working in call centres in India.

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Jammu shutdown extended till July 6

2008-07-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 4, 2008 (Jammu)

Rejecting Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's appeal, protesters on Thursday evening decided to extend the Jammu shutdown till July six to press their demand for restoration of land allotment to the Amarnath shrine management.

''We will continue our protest shutdown till July 6,'' said Leela Karan, chairman of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti.

He said the Congress government had ''ditched'' the people of Jammu and ''humiliated Hindus'' by revoking the May 26 cabinet order, which had granted 40 hectares of forest land in north Kashmir to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) for setting up pilgrim facilities.

Various groups supporting the shutdown call and demanding restoration of land to the shrine board rejected the chief minister's appeal for peace.

Azad earlier told a hurriedly convened press conference that the government decision was not ''succumbing to pressure from terrorists or separatists''.

He said the government would acquire as much land as needed to provide facilities to the pilgrims visiting the cave shrine of Amarnath.

Describing it as a ''win-win situation'', he said this was a reason for celebrations for one and all, but regretted that politics of inciting communal passions was on to gain political mileage.

However, Shiv Sena leader Shamsher Singh said, ''All this is eyewash. We reject this. He should restore the land to the shrine board, the rest is misleading propaganda.''

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Rushdie favourite to win 'Best of Booker'

2008-07-03T21:26:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 3, 2008 (London)

India-born author Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children is the clear favourite to win the 'Best of the Booker' Prize with bookmakers closing betting on the prize that is scheduled to be announced here on July 10 following a global public voting.

''The voting pattern has been well established now and will not change,'' a senior executive of bookmakers William Hill said on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the prize, however, insisted that trends in betting are not a direct indication of the pattern of voting.

The winner is to be formally announced on July 10 as part of the London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre here.

Public voting for the award is officially open until 8 July, but William Hill have 'closed the book', and have stopped accepting bets. Rushdie was the firm favourite at 6/4 when the betting was closed.

Millions of people voted for the one-off award on the Internet, including from India, through online partnerships, with national and international media, with libraries, reading groups and book retailers.

Besides Rushdie's Midnight Children, the other five contenders are: Pat Parker's The Ghost Road, Peter Carey's
Oscar and Lucinda, J M Coetzee's Disgrace, J G Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur and Nadine Gordimer's The Conservationist.

The award celebrates the 40th anniversary of the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

The only time that a celebratory award has previously been created was in 1993, its 25th anniversary, when Rushdie won the 'Booker of Bookers' award with Midnight's Children.

The story, however, was different in the village of Comrie in Perthshire, when the BBC's 'Culture Show' flooded villagers with hundreds of copies of the six short-listed books, and asked whether the villager's choice will be the same as the actual winner.

In the village, it was a closely fought battle for the first place as Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur narrowly beat Rushdie's Midnight's Children.

Farrell's satirical novel, detailing the siege of an Indian town during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 told from three perspectives, emerged the most popular Best of Booker title in Comrie.

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Hostages rescued from FARC in Colombia

2008-07-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 3, 2008 (Bogota)

A high-profile hostage rescued from Colombian rebels after over six years in captivity on Wednesday said that on the morning of her rescue she put herself in the ''hands of God.''

Former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt was among a group of hostages freed in an operation on Wednesday, that President Alvaro Uribe described as a ''military success and a tribute to human rights.''

Not a single shot was fired in Wednesday's rescue mission, which snatched from the group four foreigners, including Betancourt, who was one of the most high profile hostages to be held by FARC.

Betancourt was abducted in February 2002 and three Americans - Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell - were captured a year later when their drug surveillance plane went down in rebel-held jungle.

Eleven Colombian police and soldiers, some of whom had been held for a dozen years, were also freed in Wednesday's operation.

The French-Colombian Betancourt wore a floppy camouflage hat as she arrived in Bogota and hugged her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, and her husband, Juan Carlos LeCompte.

Breaking into tears, she thanked the military for securing her release.

''Thank you to the army, from my country of Colombia, thank you for your impeccable operation. The operation was perfect,'' she said.

She went on to thank the French government and the people of France for their support.

''I am Colombian, but I am also French. My heart is shared. I carry all of you in my heart. I thank all of you for your prayers. I thank you for the time you have devoted to me. I thank you for the fight that you have given in my defence, the protection and love that you have given to my children.''

''Very soon I will be with you. I dream of being in France. I want to embrace you. I want to tell you that I am there with you,'' Betancourt added.

Her two children and sister, Astrid, were expected to arrive early Thursday from France, where they live with her ex-husband.

Later, speaking at a celebratory news conference flanked by hostages, Uribe said he wasn't interested in ''spilling blood'' and he wanted the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC to know that he sought ''a path to peace, total peace.''

Betancourt broke into tears several times - first on arrival and later at Uribe's side during the news conference.

She thanked Uribe, against whom she was running when she was kidnapped, and said he ''has been a very good president.''

Uribe used the news conference to give some details of the rescue.

''We did not fire against the group of guerrillas who remained on the ground for various reasons. First, we were interested in freeing the hostages, not spilling blood,'' said the Colombian President.

''Secondly, there are compatriots who remain kidnapped and we wanted to send a message, not with words, but with facts, so that those compatriots are treated well and are returned to freedom, it was also because of that that we did not fire'' he said.

Congratulations swarmed in for Uribe and his military from around the world, including from French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had made Betancourt's liberation a priority of State.

Betancourt, a dual French national who grew up in Paris, had become a cause celebre across Europe, where scores of cities had adopted her.

The stunning caper involved months of intelligence gathering, dozens of helicopters on standby and a strong dose of deceit: The rebels shoved the captives, their hands bound, onto a white unmarked MI-17 helicopter, believing they were being transferred to another guerrilla camp.

It was the most serious blow ever dealt to the 44-year-old FARC, which is already reeling from the recent deaths of key commanders and thousands of defections after withering pressure from Colombia's US-trained and advised armed forces.

FARC battlefield losses and widespread desertions have cut rebel numbers in half to about 9,000 as the United States has poured billions of dollars in military aid into Colombia in support of Uribe.

In March, co-founder leader Manuel Marulanda died of a reported heart attack, and two other top commanders were killed, one by a turncoat bodyguard.

Many Colombians believe the end is near for the FARC, whose ranks are filled with poor peasants resentful of government neglect but who are criticised for their ransom and political kidnappings and reliance on cocaine trafficking.

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Younis takes Pak to a big win

2008-07-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 (New Delhi)

Pakistan batted with supreme authority in a must-win game, and beat India by eight wickets chasing 309, and avenged the thrashing India had given them in the previous game, where they chased 300 runs in just 42 overs.

The home team needed to win this Karachi fixture by a big margin to stay alive in the Asia Cup. Thanks to Younis Khan's 123 not out - his second century against India in a month - Pakistan needed just 45.3 overs to win.

It was advantage India going into the game. Pakistan lost the services of their captain Shoaib Malik, who collapsed from exhaustion in a pre-match fitness test and had to be rested.

India elected to bat and blazed away. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag added 88 in just 10.3 overs, while fifties from skipper MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who has been out of touch, and a quick 38 from Irfan Pathan, took India past 300.

Pakistan's openers, Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed, batted like men possessed and took Pakistan to 65 runs in the first eight overs.

Butt, who has five ODI centuries against India, was the first to go. He was run out for 36.

Jamshed attacked India's seam bowlers and reached 53 from 43 balls before he retired hurt due to exhaustion.

Piyush Chawla has been targeted repeatedly by Pakistan's batsmen and today was no different. Today, he switched to bowling around the wicket - something Anil Kumble has tried against Pakistan and had moderate success - and managed to bowl Mohammad Yousuf around his legs.

Thereon, the stand-in captain Misbah-ul Haq stitched a 144-run partnership in just 20.2 overs with Younis and took Pakistan home.

Mid-innings collapse cost India vital runs

After the opening partnership, India had a mini collapse, where they lost four quick wickets to the seam bowling of Abdur Rauf and Rao Iftikhar, who took 3-51.

Gambhir made 35 (32 balls, 4x4) before holing out to cover to give Iftikhar his first wicket.

Sehwag went four balls later, caught behind off Rauf for 49 (33 balls, 6x4, 2x6).

In the same over, Suresh Raina, who had come out one-down, played a rash shot to deep mid wicket and was out for 1.

Yuvraj Singh began to repair the innings with skipper M.S. Dhoni but he edged one behind to Sarfraz Ahmed, who dived to his left to take an acrobatic catch.

Rohit got out trying to hook Iftikhar and top-edged a catch to Rauf.

Yusuf Pathan, sent ahead of his more experienced brother Irfan, made 0 before he holed out to long off trying to up the run rate.

Dhoni, who batted 96 minutes in sapping heat, finally played a tired shot in the penultimate over. His runs (96 balls, 4x4) had been made with some furious running.

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Zimbabwe opposition rejects unity government call

2008-07-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 3, 2008 (Harare)

Zimbabwe's opposition leader rejected calls to form a national unity government, saying it would not solve the country's crisis after Robert Mugabe's widely condemned one-man election.

Speaking the day after an African Union summit called for a unity government, Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday said it would merely accommodate Mugabe after much of the world had labelled his regime illegitimate.

''A government of national unity does not address the problems facing Zimbabwe or acknowledge the will of the Zimbabwean people,'' Tsvangirai told reporters.

''The resolution does not recognise the illegitimacy of the June 27 election and the fact that most African leaders refused to recognise Mugabe as head of state.''

The Movement for Democratic Change leader added that it does not acknowledge ''that the MDC, as the winner of the last credible election, on March 29, should be recognised as legitimate government of Zimbabwe.''

Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in the first round of the presidential election in March, but official vote totals showed him just short of an outright majority.

The opposition leader subsequently pulled out of last Friday's run-off, saying nearly 90 of his supporters had been killed and thousands injured in violence he blamed on pro-Mugabe militia.

His comments yesterday came after Mugabe's regime hailed the AU resolution, describing it as an echo of the 84-year-old leader's call for dialogue. ''Government is ready for dialogue with whoever, a dialogue for national unity in Zimbabwe,'' Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said.

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VHP nationwide bandh begins

2008-07-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 3, 2008 (Ahmedabad)

In response to the Bharat bandh call by VHP, normal life was affected in different towns of Punjab and Haryana. Reports of protest are coming in from Bhatinda, Rajpura, Jallandhar, Karnal.

Protestors near Rajpura have blocked Delhi-Amritsar highway. Schools and colleges remain closed in Bhopal also.

There are very few private vehicles on road. And according to reports, windows of buses have been broken in some areas.

The VHP had given the call for Bharat bandh on Wednesday following the revocation of land transfer by the J&K Cabinet to the Amarnath Shrine.

The ruling BJP in Gujarat had said it will not join the nationwide bandh scheduled for July 3.

''The decision of not joining the bandh was taken by the party, keeping in mind the efforts put in by the organisers and devotees of Rath Yatra, to be taken out in more than 150 places across the state on July 4,'' state BJP president, Purshottam Rupala had said.

Rupala said the decision of not joining the bandh was taken after discussing with the national BJP president Rajnath Singh.

However, the VHP in Gujarat on Wednesday extended support to the nationwide shutdown call on July 3 by its central leadership.

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Markets weak; metal hit

2008-07-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 03, 2008 (Mumbai)

The markets are trading weak in the early deals of Thursday with the Sensex shedding 382 points, or 2.8 per cent, at 13, 281 levels.

The broader market Nifty also losing 2.7 per cent or 108 points and it is trading at 3984.

Selling is visible in realty, banking, metal, capital goods and IT counter by over 1.5 per cent each.

“The markets trend looks weak and the Nifty can test 3800 levels in this weak. If this is broken, then it can fall up to 3600. On the upside, it has resistance at 4150 levels. The rise in oil prices is negative for the market’s sentiment,” said Hardik Jain, Technical Analyst, ISJ Securities.

Other Asian markets are trading mixed on Thursday. While Japan's Nikkei is trading in the green, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and South Korea’s Kospi are in red turf by over 0.3 per cent each.

Tata Motors at Rs 393, down 4.9 per cent is the biggest loser among the BSE-30 scrips. Other major losers in this pack are Reliance Infrastructure, Housing Development Finance and M&M.

Metal dips

BSE metal index, shedding 612 points or 4.6 per cent, is the biggest loser among the sectoral indices. JSW Steel, Sterlite Industries and Jindal Steel & Power are the major gainers of the pack.

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Markets weak amid volatile trade

2008-07-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 02, 2008 (Mumbai)

The markets are weak on Wednesday with the BSE Sensex shedding 128 points, or 1 per cent, to trade at 12,833 levels. The broader market Nifty is also in red turf, down 1.2 per cent, or 46 points, to 3850 levels.

While buying is evident in IT counters, selling is visible in realty, FMCG, capital goods, oil & gas and metal counters by over 1.9 per cent each.

“The Nifty has support at Rs 3830 levels. If it breaks this level, then the next support comes at 3750. FMCG, IT and pharma counters are good for buying at the current levels,” said Salil Sharma, Partner, Kapur Sharma & Co.

Other Asian markets are trading weak on Wednesday with Japan's Nikkei, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and South Korea’s Kospi in the red by over one per cent each.

Wipro jumped 3.1 percent, is the biggest gainer among the BSE-30 scrips. Other major gainers in this pack are Satyam, Housing Development Finance and Infosys.

IT firm

BSE IT index, advanced 82 points or 2.1 per cent, is the biggest gainer among the sectoral indices. Wipro, Satyam and Mphasis are a major gainers of the pack.

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Paes-Dlouhy enter Wimbledon semis

2008-07-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 (London)

Leander Paes and his partner Lukas Dlouhy pulled off an impressive straight sets win over third seeds Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich to book a semifinal berth in the men's doubles event at Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday.

The ninth seeded Indo-Czech pair took one hour and 46 minutes to outplay the Israeli duo 6-3 6-3 6-3 in the quarterfinal.

Conversion of breakpoints made the difference between the two teams with Paes and Dlouhy converting four out of the six that came their way while their opponents squandered all eight points.

Paes-Dlouhy pair will next take on the winners of the other quarterfinal match between second seed Canadian-Serbian duo of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic and Kevin Anderson of South Africa and Swede Robert Lindstedt.

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Oil price hike: Truckers go on strike

2008-07-01T23:00:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 (New Delhi)

Truckers across the country are on an indefinite strike from Wednesday to push their demand for abolishment of toll tax and rationalization of duty of diesel, the transporters' apex body said on Tuesday.

''We will go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday. All the transporters will down their shutters and there will be no movement of goods on the roads till our demands are met by the government,'' All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) President Charan Singh Lohara told reporters.

AIMTC, which hold an agitation in the capital on Tuesday, claimed the support of all state transporters' association with a combined fleet size of 48,00,000 trucks.

''We want the advalorem duty on diesel to be replaced with fixed rate of duty on per litre of the fuel,'' Lohara said.

He alleged that the government is encashing the international crisis on crude oil prices many-fold and forcing the truckers to buy premium diesel at higher and unregulated prices.

He also said that the government is also using the toll taxes on highways as a tool to earn extra revenue by continuing to charge the tax even after the recovery of investment in construction of highways. The government also increased the tax by 50 per cent of in February 2008 instead of removing the tax.

Asked about the service tax relief given by the government to the transporters recently, Lohara said, ''The exemption is an eyewash. We are still being sent service tax notice by including us in other categories''.

However, the strike can be withdrawn if the government concedes to their demand. AIMTC representatives will meet the Finance Minister P Chidambaram in due course to discuss their demand. ''We will meet the Finance Minister in the afternoon to present our demand. We will not withdraw our strike call till our demands are met,'' he said.

The transport industry provides employment to two crore people directly and gives bread and butter to another 10 crore people by including their family members, Lohara said.

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Amarnath row: Jammu comes to a standstill

2008-07-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 (Jammu)

Jammu has come to a virtual standstill on Wednesday after curfew was clamped in several areas following violent protests.

Everything is shut and extra police personnel have been deployed.

After the state Cabinet's decision to cancel the transfer of land to the Amarnath shrine board, the city and surrounding areas witnessed high-pitched battles. Seventy-five people were injured in the violence.

BJP and Bajrang Dal activists, however, are defying prohibitionary orders and are protesting in several parts of the city.

They are protesting in curfew as well as non-curfew areas.

Curfew was clamped in violence-hit parts of Jammu on Tuesday evening as the city and surrounding areas witnessed high-pitched battles during protests against the government's decision to revoke the order on transfer of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.

The protests were part of the 72-hour shutdown call given by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena and the Bajrang Dal.

Hundreds took to the streets as the police tried to control stone-pelting mobs in the Kashmiri Pandit-dominated areas of Muthi and Domanna. The police opened fire and three persons were injured. A policeman, who opened fire, was beaten up by a mob.

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Mugabe-Tsvangirai to share power?

2008-07-01T22:57:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 (Egypt)

African leaders have called for dialogue between Zimbabwe's political foes and a national unity government following President Robert Mugabe's widely discredited re-election.

A two-day African Union summit agreed ''to encourage President Robert Mugabe and the Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai to initiate dialogue with a view to promote peace, stability,'' in a final resolution.

The summit, held amid mounting Western calls for sanctions, also decided ''to support the call for the creation of a government of national unity, to support SADC (Southern African Development Community) facilitation''.

The SADC regional body has already been leading mediation efforts between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. According to host country Egypt, Mugabe did not object to the resolution.

''We didn't hear Zimbabwe say 'no' to the resolution. They did not object to the resolution,'' foreign ministry spokesman Hossan Zaki told reporters in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday as African leaders left for home.

''Mugabe didn't leave before the resolution was adopted. He said there is an ongoing dialogue with MDC as we were speaking,'' Hossan Zaki said.

Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, speaking to the French radio RFI, said his South African counterpart Thabo Mbeki had proposed in the closed-door talks that Mugabe share power with Tsvangirai.

In Harare, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said his opposition group would also carefully examine the resolution. ''We need to understand the resolution first, then we will issue a full statement,'' he said.

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13 civiians killed in Mogadishu clashes

2008-07-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 (Mogadishu)

At least 13 civilians were killed in fighting that erupted after Islamist insurgents attacked bases housing Somali, Ethiopian and African Union forces in Moadishu, residents have said.

The fatalities occurred in three southern neighbourhoods of the Somali capital on July one, after more than two hours of clashes punctuated by machine-gun fire, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

A mortar shell landed in a house in K4 district, killing six family members, after fighting erupted when insurgents attacked AU peacekeepers and Somali forces camped in the area.

''Six family members were killed when a mortar shell landed in their house. We do not have a place to take them now because every street was closed,'' said Ahmed Ali Nur, a family member.

Amina Moalim Dahir, a resident of Bulohube district, said a woman and three children died when a mortar crashed into their houses when another batch of rebels attacked an Ethiopian army base nearby.

Four children were killed in Waberi district in artillery duels between the Ethiopians and the rebels, bringing the death toll to 13.

''I lost two children when a mortar shell landed in my house. Seven people were wounded in my house,'' said Halima Aden, who was injured by shrapnel.

Another Waberi resident, Abdikadir Nunow, said: ''Two children, aged between seven and 12, were killed in crossfire.''

Several other civilians were wounded, with fears that long-range shells might have caused deaths elsewhere, the residents said.

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Sensex plunges below 13K, Nifty 3900

2008-07-01T03:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 01, 2008 (Mumbai)
The markets plunged sharply in the afternoon deals of Tuesday, with the Sensex and Nifty breaching the psychological marks of 13000 levels and 3900 respectively. Heavy selling is evident across most sectors particularly in realty, banking and metal counters.
“We are in the bear market. Heavy selling will be evident on every rise. So, the investors need to be cautious and bet on selective counters,” said Sudhanshu Pandey, technical analyst, LKP Shares.
Other Asian markets are trading mixed on Tuesday with Japan's Nikkei and South Korea’s Kospi are in the red by over 0.1 per cent each.
Reliance Communication, losing more than 7 per cent, is the biggest loser among the BSE-30 scrips. Other major losers in this pack are Reliance Infrastructure, ICICI Bank and Jaiprakash Associates.
Realty tanks
BSE realty index, shedding 260 points or 5.7 per cent, is the biggest loser among the sectoral indices. Indiabulls Real Estate, Kolte-Patil and Phoenix Mills are among the prominent losers in this pack. Indiabulls Real Estate lost more than 10 per cent to dip to Rs 243.

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Sania-Mattek in Wimbledon quarters

2008-07-01T03:28:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 (London)

Sania Mirza and Bethanie Mattek set up a quarterfinal clash with American sisters Venus and Serena Williams after getting past the Uzbek-Belarussian pair of Akgul Amanmuradova and Darya Kustova in the third round of Wimbledon Championships here.

The 13th seeded Indian-American pair was leading 4-6 6-4 2-0 when their opponents forfeited the match.

The Williams, seeded 11th and both of whom are already in the singles quarters, swept aside the fifth seeded Spanish pair of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascul 6-1 6-4 in their third round match.

With yesterday's win, Sania has reached Wimbledon doubles quarters for the first time.

The best that she had managed before this win was a third-round appearance last year, when she had teamed up with Israeli Sahar Peer.

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Amarnath row: J&K govt revokes land transfer order

2008-07-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 (Srinagar)

The J&K Cabinet has finally revoked Amarnath land transfer order. The disputed land will now be handed over to the tourism department.

The government had earlier imposed Section 144 in Jammu, restricting assembly of people.

The decision came after the J&K Cabinet was likely to revoke the order to transfer land to the Amarnath shrine board besides allocating key portfolios that fell vacant after resignations by PDP ministers.

The Cabinet met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad during which a discussion was held on the order to hand over 39.88 hectares of land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and a decision taken on it, official sources said.

The state government had already written to Governor NN Vohra, who is also the Chairman of SASB, that it was in a better position to provide facilities to the pilgrims on a larger scale following which the shrine board gave up the claim on the land - an issue which had led to a series of protests in the valley.

This will be for the first time that the cabinet is meeting formally without PDP ministers, who resigned during the weekend to protest over the proposed land transfer to the shrine board - a move which surprised the Congress as the proposal was mooted by two ministers before the state cabinet and both of them belonged to the PDP.

The cabinet will also decide on the allocation of portfolios vacated by PDP ministers. Finance and planning already has been assigned to revenue minister and former bureaucrat B R Kundal.

Meanwhile, the situation in Srinagar continued to be tense but under control with police and para-military forces patrolling the streets following a call given by separatist leaders for a rally at the downtown Jama Masjid today.

As a preventive measure, police has restricted the movement of some of separatist leaders including Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Shabbir Shah.

Police had to fire in the air near Baltal in Sonamarg when some people tried to block army vehicles en-route to Leh.

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Mumbai: Trains affected due to heavy rain

2008-07-01T03:20:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 (Mumbai)

Heavy rain lashed Mumbai on Tuesday morning and caused flooding in several parts of the city and its suburbs, disrupting normal life with rail, road and air services getting badly affected.

According to the Regional Meteorological Department, Colaba in South Mumbai recorded a heavy rainfall of 200 mm while Santacruz (suburbs) recorded 142.9 mm.

Water logging up to one and a half feet was reported in Bandra, Sion, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Andheri and several low lying areas. Besides, landslides in the Mumbai-Pune expressway disrupted the vehicular traffic.

Rail services were badly affected with the Central Railway services coming to a complete halt due to water logging between Kurla and Vidyavihar suburbs. However, trains on the Western and Harbour lines are running late by 15 to 20 minutes, according to railway sources.

Traffic snarls were also reported across various junctions in the city with several low-lying areas inundated by water, police said.

Flights from the international airports were delayed by an hour and a half, according to the Mumbai International Airport Website.

This is the second spell that the city has received this season.

Last year too, the city and its suburbs got paralyzed due to incessant rains.

Some of the national and international flights have been delayed between one and half hours and four hours.

The Jet Airways flight from Bhavnagar took off at 0840 hrs, almost two hours behind schedule. Similarly, the Jet Airways flight for Nagpur scheduled for 0705 hrs, took off at 0800 hrs and a flight from Dubai scheduled to arrive at 0325 hrs landed in Mumbai at 0735 hrs, the website reported.

Many schools in the city have declared a holiday and children who have already reached the institutions have been asked to return home.

The drains, nullahs and rivers are already in spate as the city received copious rainfall since midnight last.

According to the disaster management cell of the local civic body, high tide will be at 1100 hrs while low tide will be at 1600 hrs, which is expected to create more problems as flood waters are unlikely to recede fast.

Sources in the meteorological department said that monsoon has arrived on time and the city has already received more than 10 per cent of rainfall during this season.

Mumbai was earlier badly hit on July 26, 2005 when rains virtually flooded India's financial capital and life there came to a standstill for few days with all major routes submerged in floodwater.

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UK expert bids for 'Scottish Bangalore'

2008-07-01T03:04:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 (London)
A top legal expert on outsourcing is in the process of setting up a think tank that will seek to replicate the Bangalore model of information technology activity in Scotland to attract global business.Called 'Scottish Bangalore', expert Andrew Rigby believes that Scotland could build on its existing strengths in call centres and financial services, and replicate Bangalore's prosperity based on outsourcing by global companies.Rigby is in the process of bringing together Scottish government officials, economic development and inward investment agency executives and leading business figures to bring a coordinated approach to the enterprise.''Leaders across the political spectrum have been supportive of his moves,'' he told The Herald. Rigby believes that while Scotland is recognised as a significant player in the call centre industry, it must move up the value chain and become a major player in the global ''business process outsourcing'' and even more sophisticated ''knowledge process outsourcing'' arenas.Scotland, he said, must persuade big global providers of outsourced services to set up base there and also encourage the development of home-grown players in this sector to grab the opportunity which this fast-growing market presents.In this regard, he pointed to the decision of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) decision to locate in the English Midlands as a missed opportunity for Scotland.TCS works in close collaboration with the Coventry-based Warwick Manufacturing Group led by Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya.

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Heat reaches uncomfortable levels in the UAE

2008-07-01T03:02:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 (Dubai)
A heat wave has hit the UAE, making temperature rise to uncomfortable levels. The Met office in the Dubai International airport said the comfort level has dropped to a six. The index takes into account temperature and humidity and rates the conditions on a scale of one to ten. Anything above five is termed dangerous.Temperatures in the UAE surged as high as 51.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology said.At a time like this heat strokes become very common in the Emirates leading to hospitalisation in extreme cases. The government hospitals in Dubai have begun registering heat-related illnesses. Workers are not allowed to work between 12- 4 and companies found flouting these rules will come under severe scrutiny, said authorities.The two-month midday break, during which time labourers are not allowed to work, begins on Tuesday. The Ministry of Labour implemented the rule, in its fourth year, to prevent heat-related illnesses due to working during the hottest part of the day.The hot spell has also lowered the air quality that could trigger breathing problems in elderly people and asthma patients. ''Everybody needs plenty of water to avoid dehydration as the conditions are dangerous, particularly for the field workers and elderly people,'' said Dr Imran Ali, a physician at a government hospital.

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Realty cracks in early trade

2008-06-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 30, 2008 (Mumbai)
Markets are trading flat in the early deals of Monday with the BSE Sensex losing 0.1 per cent, or 16 points. It is trading at 13,785 levels.
The broader market benchmark Nifty is also trading in red turf at 4127 levels, shedding 9 points or 0.2 per cent.
The major Asian markets are also trading flat on Monday. While Japan's Nikkei is trading the green territory by 0.2 per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng and South Korea’s Kospi are in the red by over 0.1 per cent each.
“I am seeing some positive divergence on the charts and believe that selling has been over done, though the global indicators are not positive,” said Salil Sharma, Technical Analyst, Partner, Kapur Sharma & Co.
Tata Motors is the biggest loser among the BSE-30 scrips, losing Rs 10 and it is trading at Rs 439 levels. Other major losers in this pack are Grasim Industries, Housing Development Finance and ICICI Bank.
Realty cracks
BSE realty index shedding 101 points or 2.1 per cent is the biggest loser among the sectoral indices. Puravankara Projects, Unitech, Mahindra Lifespace and Indiabulls Real Estate are the prominent losers in this pack.

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Sangakkara propels Lanka to a 64-run win

2008-06-29T22:08:00.001-07:00

Sunday, June 29, 2008 (New Delhi)

With a pulverizing knock from Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the last match of the group stage of the Asia Cup by 64 runs in Karachi. The inconsistent Pakistan failed to record a win despite fighting knocks from Misbah-ul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Younus Khan and a five-wicket haul from Sohail Tanvir.Pakistan faltered in the very first over of their innings as Sri Lanka pacer Chaminda Vaas castled opener Salman Butt off the very first delivery. After an early jolt, Younus Khan and Shoaib Malik built a partnership of 72 runs for the second wicket. Kulasekara broke that partnership and deprived Younus of his 35th half-century. Ajantha Mendis picked four crucial wickets of Shoaib Malik (52), Mohd Yousuf (19) and Mansoor Amjad, Misbah-ul Haq (76). Shahid Afridi disappointed yet again as Jayasuriya sent him back without scoring. Lower in the order, Misbah put up a heroic show but it came too late. He made 76 runs with the help of three fours and three sixes. He was bowled by Mendis.Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara played a superb knock to take Sri Lanka's score to 302 runs at loss of seven wickets in their Asia Cup match against Pakistan. This was Sri Lanka's best score against Pakistan on the hosts' soil.Sangakkara anchored the Lankan innings after the early loss of Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene, and batted for 47 overs. He built crucial partnerships and kept one end intact. He slammed his ninth ODI century, which was also his second against Pakistan. Losing Jayasuriya early, the vice-captain added 40 runs with skipper Jayawardene. He then added 88 runs with Kapugedera for the third wicket. Kapugedera (43) missed out on his fifty and perished as debutant Mansoor Amjad's first international wicket.Sohail Tanvir was pick of the bowlers for Pakistan as he gave early breakthroughs and justified their decision to bowl. He took his first five-wicket haul. Tanvir first caught Jayasuriya plumb for just 8 runs at the National Stadium. He later picked Jayawardene for 29 runs, Chamara Silva for 46 runs, Kumar Sangakkara for 112 runs and Thilan Thushara.Thilan Thushara scored a quick 28 runs before Wahab Riaz took a fantastic running catch off Tanvir. Riaz then bowled Dilshan for 8 runs.

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Spain crowned European Champions

2008-06-29T22:07:00.001-07:00

Monday, June 30, 2008 (Vienna)
Spain ended their 44-year wait for a major international title with a 1-0 victory over Germany at the Euro 2008 final here on Sunday.Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the game in the first half as football's perennial underachievers finally banished that unwanted tag to the history books.It was the first time Spain had won the European title since 1964 and their first final since 1984.They seemed to start tentatively and a mistake from Sergio Ramos gave Miroslav Klose a glorious opportunity after just four minutes, but after taking the ball past Carles Puyol his next touch was too strong and he ran the ball out of play.Spain gradually started to settle but three-time champions Germany still had the next chance, Thomas Hitzlsperger hitting a tame shot straight at Spain captain Iker Casillas.Just before the quarter-hour mark Jens Lehmann came to Germany's rescue as a cross from Andres Iniesta deflected off Christoph Metzelder's boot and only a stunning reaction save from the Arsenal stopper prevented a goal.Spain were starting to take control and Torres headed a Xavi free-kick over the bar.On 23 minutes Sergio Ramos cut in from the right and crossed to the back post where Torres climbed above the considerably taller Per Mertersacker; his downward header beat Lehmann but unfortunately for Spain not the base of the post.Up the other end Spain's slightly suspect defence was struggling to cope with the direct running of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski but Germany created little despite captain Michael Ballack's volley being blocked by Sergio Ramos.Then on 33 minutes Torres put Spain ahead with a moment of sublime quality. He latched onto a piercing through ball from Xavi, outpaced Philipp Lahm and chipped the ball over the advancing Lehmann with a flicked shot that could have threaded the eye of a needle.Spain were suddenly rampant and Iniesta crossed to the back post where the unmarked David Silva had a rush of blood to the head and lashed a volley wildly over.Spain seemed brimming with confidence at the start of the second period and both Xavi and Silva went close with long range efforts before Torres again outpaced the German defence but couldn't quite reach the ball before Lehmann came out to smother.Germany coach Joachim Loew responded by sending on a second forward in Kevin Kuranyi to replace midfielder Hitzlsperger.That immediately shifted the momentum of the game and on the hour a mistake from Puyol was almost punished as Ballack fired just wide; moments later Casillas came storming out of goal to take a cross from Ballack off Kuranyi's head.Spain remained dangerous and Sergio Ramos forced Lehmann into a fine block with a powerful header from a Xavi free-kick before Torsten Frings cleared a shot from Iniesta off the line.Brazil-born Marcos Senna came within inches of settling the game in the final 10 minutes but he couldn't quite stretch his leg out far enough to meet substitute Daniel Guiza's downward header with the goal at his mercy.

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BJP calls for Jammu bandh today

2008-06-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 30, 2008 (Jammu)
The BJP has called for Jammu bandh on Monday and protestors have burned tires on the Jammu Pathankot highway.While J&K government's Sunday move to take over the Amarnath yatra may have helped in bringing some respite to the Valley after the week-long protests, anger is still brewing in Jammu.Other Jammu-based parties such as the Lok Jana Shakti, Panthers Party and Panun Kashmir, the party of Kasmiri Pandits, have accused the government of bowing to pressure from parties from the valley and not keeping the sensibilities of Hindu minority in mind.

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Orissa: 36 jawans feared dead in Maoist attack

2008-06-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 30, 2008 (Malkangiri)
In a major Maoist attack, over 36 jawans of the elite anti-Naxal force are feared dead in Orissa's Malkangiri district.Around 65 people, most of them belonging to Andhra Pradesh's greyhound force were travelling to Chirakonda by a motor boat across the Balimela reservoir on the Orissa-Andhra border.They came under fire from the Maoists from a hill-top while 28 of them swam to safety, others remain missing.

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Japanese oppose lifting NKorea sanctions

2008-06-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 30, 2008 (Tokyo)
More than 60 per cent of Japanese oppose lifting sanctions against North Korea even though Pyongyang has agreed to reopen an investigation into Japanese abductees, according to a new poll on Sunday.Japan has taken the hardest line in six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament due to the dispute over the fate of its citizens kidnapped by Pyongyang's agents, an emotionally charged issue in Tokyo.But Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's government earlier in June decided to lift some sanctions on North Korea, after the communist state agreed to reopen the case of the Japanese abductees.North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had kidnapped Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies in Japanese language and culture. It returned five of them and said the case was closed.The survey by the Nikkei business daily found that 61 per cent of votes oppose lifting the sanctions while 25 per cent support the move.Among those who support Fukuda's cabinet, 44 per cent are opposed to loosening sanctions against Pyongyang, while more than 39 per cent are in favour. Fukuda has been criticised by families of abduction victims, threatening a backlash that could further erode support for his unpopular government.Families of the victims have also expressed disappointment at the US decision to remove North Korea from a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, after the North handed over an accounting of its nuclear programmes.Japan had been using the prospect of getting North Korea off the list as leverage to press Pyongyang on the abduction issue.

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Zimbabwe poll result not legitimate: Ban

2008-06-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 30, 2008 (United Nations)
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has criticised Zimbabwe's presidential run off election in which President Robert Mugabe won another term, saying the outcome does not reflect the ''true and genuine'' will of the people nor produce a ''legitimate result.''The observers, Ban said, confirmed that conditions were not in place for a free and fair election and the process was ''deeply flawed.''''The Secretary-General encourages efforts of the two sides to negotiate a political solution that would end violence and intimidation. He (Ban) supports the efforts of the African Union and Southern African Development Community (SADC) to promote an agreement
acceptable to the people of Zimbabwe,'' his spokesperson Marie Okabe said in Tokyo.Ban is currently on a tour to Japan.Mugabe had earlier lost the first round to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who pulled out of the election citing a campaign of violence agaist his supporters.

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Sania through to doubles third round

2008-06-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 28, 2008 (London)
Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie Mattek sailed into the third round of Wimbledon women's doubles event after a comfortable straight-set win over Russian-Italian pair of Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta on Saturday.Seeded 13th, Sania and Mattek handed a 6-3, 6-4 thrashing to their unseeded rivals in little over an hour.The Indo-American pair will take on the winners of the match between the British duo of Anne Keothavong and Melanie South and the Uzbek-Belarussian pair of Akgul Amanmuradova and Darya Kustova.In a lopsided encounter, Sania and Mattek dominated the proceedings from the word go as they broke their rivals once before wrapping up the first set in just 33 minutes.The second set followed a similar script and Sania and Mattek could have sealed it off earlier than 44 minutes, had they converted the break points that came their way in abundance.

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India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets

2008-06-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 28, 2008 (New Delhi)

Bolstered by the knocks from Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir, India achieved the target of 284 runs comfortably and beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in their Asia Cup encounter in Karachi.Suresh Raina, continuing with his purple patch, slammed his second ODI hundred and saw India home along with Yuvraj Singh. He hit eleven fours and three sixes. Raina had struck his maiden hundred against Hong Kong earlier in the tournament. For his consistent run, Raina picked his third 'Man of the Match' award.Coming at a crunch situation, Raina added 139 runs with Gautam Gambhir for the third wicket and reinforced India's position before Gambhir fell to Farhad Reza. Playing an anchor's role for India after early shocks, Gautam Gambhir made 90 runs. After Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh came into bat and lived up to his reputation of a finisher. He made 36 runs with the help two fours and two sixes.Bangladesh's pacer bowler Shahadat Hossain gave double blow to India early in their innings. Opening in place of Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa failed to survive and was bowled for just two runs. Rohit Sharma was next to depart. He made 22 runs and added 42 runs with Gautam Gambhir.Earlier, with the help of 115 runs from Alok Kapali, Bangladesh made a challenging total of 283 runs against India at the loss of six wickets in Karachi. This was Bangladesh's highest total against India.Alok Kapali (115) slammed his maiden One-Day International hundred. He struck boundaries at his will and slammed the fastest hundred by any Bangladesh batsman. Indian fielding was as helpful to him as his own luck. He survived a couple of chances. He had a 112-run partnership with Mahmudullah for the sixth wicket. Kapali's whirlwind innings was put to an end only in the last over by Manpreet Gony.Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha made an impressive international debut as he picked two wickets and took three good catches. Raqibul Hasan was his first victim whom he removed for 25 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim fell as his second wicket for 22 runs.Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal smashed his second ODI half-century against India before Ishant Sharma dismissed him. His first fifty had come against India for a winning cause in the World Cup 2007 that had seen India out of the tournament.

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Bush declares state of emergency for California wildfires

2008-06-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 29, 2008 (San Francisco)
US President George W Bush declared a state of emergency in California and ordered federal aid to help authorities battle more than 1,000 wildfires burning out of control.''We have over 1,000 fires burning in northern California alone, our resources are stretched extremely thin,'' said Cheri Patterson, a spokeswoman for the state's fire department, Calfire.''Our biggest concern is we don't have any of the fires under control,'' she said and welcomed the federal resources ordered by Bush.The state's more than 12,000 firefighters have been battling the fires, many of which were sparked by lightning from dry thunderstorms, for more than a week now, stretched thin by the sheer number of blazes.Patterson said that while they were making progress to contain some of them, more thunderstorms were expected this weekend, including dry lightning later today that risked provoking more fires.California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had urged Bush earlier to call a federal emergency, saying the fires were ''of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state.''Around 265,000 acres (107,000 hectares) of tinder-dry forest and parkland have burnt across northern California since the fires erupted on June 20, his office said. Schwarzenegger warned that ''federal assistance is necessary to save lives.''Last October, devastating wildfires were among the worst in California history, leaving eight people dead, destroying 2,000 homes, displacing 640,000 people and causing one billion dollars in damage.

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Rajkumar involved in Noida murders: CBI

2008-06-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 28, 2008 (Ghaziabad)
The CBI claims that Rajkumar has confessed to his involvement in the Aarushi-Hemraj murders. Raj Kumar, the domestic help of the Talwars' friends the Duranis was arrested on Friday. According to the CBI, Rajkumar has admitted to destroying Aarushi Talwar's mobile phone. The CBI has told the court that they need his help to recover the murder weapon.A Ghaziabad court on Saturday remanded Rajkumar, domestic help of Durranis, family friends of Talwars, to 14-day CBI custody to enable it to carry out a detailed interrogation of the accused in connection with the Arushi murder case.On Friday, the CBI had said they had recovered a bloodstained T-shirt from Rajkumar's room, but its not yet confirmed whose blood it is.The CBI produced Rajkumar, arrested by the agency on Friday, in the designated court of Sapna Mishra and requested for his 14 days custody. Rajkumar was produced before the Duty Magistrate in Ghaziabad court on Saturday.He was arrested on Friday by the Central investigating agency after bloodstained T-shirt was found from his room.Rajkumar had been picked up frequently for questioning by the CBI. The T-shirt recovered from him has been sent to Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics for DNA profiling of the bloodstains as to whether they were that of Aarushi or the domestic help Hemraj.PTI adds: The CBI investigations focused on Rajkumar after Krishna, compounder of Dr Rajesh Talwar (already in judicial custody), had told his questioners during a narco-test that Raj Kumar was ''after'' Aarushi, official sources said.The CBI was also looking for any other substantial evidence which came in the way of forensic expert's opinion on his ''washed T-shirt''.CBI sources claimed that Hemraj, Rajkumar and possibly Krishna had consumed alochol before the domestic help of the Durranis tried to molest Aarushi.

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Andhra most popular with Indian tourists

2008-06-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 28, 2008 (New Delhi)
Andhra Pradesh attracts the maximum number of domestic tourists while national capital Delhi gets the most foreign travellers, say official figures.In 2006, while 111.7 million Indian travellers visited Andhra Pradesh, famed for its temples - especially the Tirumala Tirupati shrine, 1.9 million foreign tourists came to Delhi.
These findings were put out by the Ministry of Tourism's annual publication India Tourism Statistics and were based on statistics collected from hotels and other accommodation.
Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Rajasthan were the top five destinations for domestic tourists in India in 2006. For foreigners, they were Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, the report said.
"The five states accounted for about 73 percent of the total domestic tourist visits in the country," the report said.
"In respect of foreign tourist visits in 2006, the top five states are Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, with the total share of these states being 64.31 percent," the report said.
In 2006, Uttar Pradesh attracted 105.5 million domestic tourists, Tamil Nadu 58.3 million, Karnataka 36.1 million and Rajasthan 23.4 million.
In the same year, the number of foreigners visiting Maharashtra was 1.7 million, Uttar Pradesh 1.33 million, Tamil Nadu 1.32 million and Rajasthan 1.2 million.
The report said the year 2006 witnessed a growth of 17.8 percent in domestic tourist visits over the previous year, which was considerably higher than the growth of seven percent in the year 2005 over 2004.
During 2006, the visits by foreign tourists showed an increase of 18.1 percent over 2005 as compared to an increase of 19 percent in 2005 over 2004, it said.
The report showed that very few tourists - both domestic and foreign - visit the northeast states.
In 2006, 80,137 domestic tourists visited Arunachal Pradesh, while only 607 foreigners could travel to this state. Similarly, Manipur attracted 116,984 domestic tourists as compared to 295 foreign ones, while Meghalaya had 401,529 domestic tourists and 4,287 international travellers.
Mizoram got 50,987 domestic travellers and 436 foreigners, while 15,850 domestic tourists and 426 foreigners visited in Nagaland. Sikkim got about 292,486 domestic visitors and 18,026 foreigners in 2006.
Assam was the only state that attracted both domestic and international tourists in 2006 in sizeable numbers. While 2.7 million domestic tourists went to the state, about 10,374 foreigners visited it, the report said.

India not to show mercy against B'desh

2008-06-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 27, 2008 (Karachi)

With Indian captain M S Dhoni keen to maintain the momentum, Bangladesh should not expect any mercy when they take on the tournament favourites in the super four stage of the Asia Cup cricket tournament here on Saturday.

Dhoni and his men pummelled minnows Hong Kong and mighty Pakistan with identical ruthlessness and Bangladesh would require a miracle of sort to halt the Indian juggernaut on Saturday.

Sensing that a sense of complacency might creep in among the ranks, Dhoni has already warned his teammates not to lower the guard on Saturday and the Indian captain is not ready to underestimate Bangladesh either.

"Cricket is a cruel game and you cannot afford to relax. We are here like the others to try to win this tournament as it is a big one from the Asian point of view," Dhoni said.

"We have to win all our matches for we want to carry the momentum to the final. I'm happy with the bowlers' performance, while the batsmen too are on song," Dhoni said.

For India, Irfan Pathan is still recovering from the side strain that saw him missing the first two matches and the left-arm seamer is likely to sit out on Saturday as well even though his absence was never felt.

After thumping Hong Kong in the first match, India sent a warning to all by chasing down a 300-run target against Pakistan, which speaks volumes of the team's batting strength.

Pakistan amassed 299 and hoped India would crumble under the pressure but with Virender Sehwag continuing to torment the Pakistanis and in-form Suresh Raina deciding to make up for his prolonged absence in the national team, India made it look like a stroll in the park and cantered to a six-wicket win.

The big-hitting Indian batsmen already have developed a liking for the National Stadium track and Dhoni reckons 300 may seem a difficult target for others, but surely not for his team.

"I always knew that a target of 300 here was always chaseable. The track was fantastic, one of the best in Pakistan. Maybe 340-350 would have been the right score," a confident Dhoni said.

Irrespective of whether they are setting the target or chasing, India got off to flying start with Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina continuing their red hot form.

Though Gautam Gambhir followed up his fifty against Hong Kong with a single digit score against Pakistan, the attacking left-hander would definitely be tempted to go after the inexperienced Bangla attack on a batting-friendly track on Saturday.

Sehwag has been his usual attacking self, while his aggression seems to have rubbed off on Raina as well as runs continue to flow from their blades.

Though Rohit Sharma is yet to replicate his Twenty20 form in the One-dayers, Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's presence ensures there is no major hiccup down the order.

Despite Irfan's side strain, there is no major worry in the bowling department and though they allowed Pakistan to post 299 last night, it was more because of the nature of the track than any lapse on their part.

In contrast, the Mohammad Ashraful-led Bangladesh will bank on their limited resources to put up some semblance of a fight against their fancied opponents.

Their bowling attack is decent and fielding is also reasonably good but the batting order sports a brittle look and the Indian attack would prove quite a handful when they take strike on Saturday.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Manpreet Gony, Ishant Sharma, R P Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar.

Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (C), Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Alok Kapali, Dolar Mahmud, Farhad Reza, Mahmudullah, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Mosharraf Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nazimuddin, Raqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal.

India, Pak talk to set realistic goals

2008-06-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 27, 2008 (New Delhi)
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held talks with Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi on Friday on the peace process.A large focus of the discussion was the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.Qureshi has said that New Delhi does not have the luxury of delaying a decision since energy prices are so high.Both sides also discussed Kashmir with Islamabad emphasising the need for a serious look at the issue and India stressing on fighting terror unambiguously.With so much internal turmoil in both India and Pakistan, the Foreign Ministers simply got down to some realistic business.The visiting Pakistani minister, on his first official visit, listed out the doables like Siachen and Sir Creek, but he also made a strong case for speeding up the IPI gas pipeline with a veiled warning.''We don't have luxury of time to discuss anymore, have to move quickly,'' said Qureshi.While price issues are more or less sorted out, India is still worried about the pipeline's security.The minister also urged New Delhi to seriously look at the Kashmir issue, saying this was the best opportunity for peace. Whereas, Mukherjee reminded Pakistan of its promises on terrorism.''No matter what our political differences, we have to fight terror unambiguously,'' said Mukherjee.Even before Friday's meeting, both sides played down expectations of major breakthroughs and with so much political instability in both countries, New delhi and Islamabad have set realistic goals.

Bush administration lifts trade sanctions against N Korea

2008-06-27T22:24:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 27, 2008 (Washington)

President George W Bush on Thursday lifted trade sanctions against North Korea and moved to remove it from the US terrorism blacklist.The announcement at the White House came after North Korea handed over a long-awaited accounting of its nuclear work to Chinese officials on Thursday, fulfilling a key step in the denuclearisation process.Bush called the declaration a positive step along a long road to get the nation to give up its nuclear weapons. Yet, he remained wary of the regime, which has lied about its nuclear work before. And North Korea's declaration, received six months late, falls short of what the administration once sought, leaving it open to criticism from those who want the US to take an even tougher stance against the regime.''We will trust you only to the extent you fulfill your promises,'' Bush said in the Rose Garden. ''I'm pleased with the progress. I'm under no illusions. This is the first step. This isn't the end of the process. It is the beginning of the process.''Specifically, Bush erased trade sanctions imposed on North Korea under the Trading With the Enemy Act, and notified Congress that, in 45 days, it intends to take North Korea off the State Department list of nations that sponsor terrorism.

Sensex plunges 600 points on inflation worries, weak global cues

2008-06-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: The stock markets witnessed a bloodbath on the first day of new derivatives series on Friday as benchmark Sensex lost over 600 points to hit a 10-month intra-day low on extremely weak global cues amid worries about a further rise in inflation. Marketmen said inflation is expected to jump sharply for the week ended June 14, the data for which will released by noon today. The 30-share index of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) touched the intra-trade low of 13,830.62 for the first time after August 22, when it hit a low of 13,870.70.

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw passes away

2008-06-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

WELLINGTON (TN): Former Army Chief Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw passed away at Military Hospital in Wellington, the Defence Ministry said on Friday. ( Watch ) The Padma Vibhushan and Military Cross awardee, who was admitted in the hospital for some time for "progressive lung disease", had slipped into a coma earlier in the day and the end came just after midnight at 00:30 am, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Manekshaw, who had led India to victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, had developed "acute broncho pneumonia" with associated complications and his condition had been serious for the past four days. Manekshaw assumed charge of the Indian Army, as the 8th Chief of Army Staff, on June 07, 1969. Born in Amritsar, Punjab in April 1914, he completed his schooling in Amritsar and Sherwood College, Nainital. He then joined the first batch of 40 cadets at Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehra Dun on 01 October 1932. He passed out of the IMA in December 1934 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Indian Army. He held several regimental assignments and was first attached to the Royal Scouts and later to the 12 Frontier Force Rifles. Manekshaw succeeded General Kumaramangalam as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in June 1969. For his selfless service to the nation, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and was conferred with the honorary rank of Field Marshal in January 1973. He retired a fortnight later on 15 January 1973, after completing nearly four decades of military service.

Sania knocked out of Wimbledon's singles event

2008-06-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

LONDON, June 26: India's Sania Mirza crashed out of Wimbledon as her gutsy fightback against Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ended in a heartbreaking 0-6, 6-4, 7-9 defeat on Thursday. ( Watch ) Mirza, the 32nd seed, lost the first eight games of the second round tie but recovered well enough to earn four match points in the final set. In pics: Wimbledon Day-4 But with a first ever place in the Wimbledon last 32 within touching distance, the 21-year-old was unable to complete her remarkable revival. Martinez Sanchez eventually sneaked through to face either defending champion Venus Williams or Britain's Anne Keothavong. Mirza only returned to the tour two weeks ago after a three-month absence following surgery on her right wrist. She had also needed treatment for a back problem during her first round win over Catalina Castano. Martinez Sanchez, ranked 101st, was in the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time, but it was Mirza who struggled to find any rhythm at the start. She was broken three times to giftwrap the first set for her opponent. When a shell-shocked Mirza double faulted again to give Martinez Sanchez an early break in the second set, the match seemed to be heading for a quick conclusion. But Mirza finally stopped the rot by getting on the scoreboard in the ninth game. Suddenly Martinez Sanchez was wilting and Mirza, backed by huge Indian support on a packed Court 11, sensed an opportunity. Hitting with renewed authority she converted her fourth set point with a superb lob. Mirza broke in the second game of the final set but just as she had control, the Indian stumbled, with series of unforced errors giving Martinez Sanchez a quick break back. She kept pounding away from the baseline and broke again only for Martinez Sanchez to break back once more. Mirza had four match points on Martinez Sanchez's service, first at 5-4 and then three more at 6-5, but couldn't convert. She was made to pay for those misses as Martinez Sanchez broke for an 8-7 lead and then closed out a remarkable match.

Sehwag century propels India to big win over Pakistan in Asia Cup

2008-06-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Hard-hitting opening batsman Virender Sehwag scored 119 runs off 95 balls on Thursday as India defeated injury-hit Pakistan by six wickets in a high-scoring Asia Cup Group B match.
Sehwag hit 12 fours and five sixes in his ninth limited-overs century to help India make 301-4 in 42.1 overs. Sehwag's hundred overshadowed Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik's 125-run effort off 119 balls in Pakistan's total of 299-4 off its 50 overs. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26 not out) hoisted Younis Khan for a big six to give India the victory, with Yuvraj Singh also getting48 off 47 balls.
Pakistan's bowling suffered when Malik developed cramps in his legs while scoring his first one-day century in two years, and paceman Umar Gul limped off the field with a side strain in the third over.
Misbah-ul-Haq took a stunning one handed catch in gully to dismiss Gautam Gambhir (12) off medium fast Rao Iftikhar (2-61) before Pakistan bowlers faced the onslaught of Sehwag and in-form Suresh Raina.
Both batsmen shared a match-winning 198-run second wicket stand off 149 balls as none of the second-string Pakistan bowlers could stop the flurry of boundaries.
Raina departed after playing a casual drive straight to covers to give Iftikhar his second wicket while Sehwag lofted Shahid Afridi (1-64) to deep long on after an explosive innings. Malik hit 16 fours and a six for his sixth limited-overs century third against India before having to retire hurt after the 40th over with the score at 219-1.
Mohammad Yousuf (30 off 20 balls) and Misbah-ul-Haq (31 not out) added late runs to bolster Pakistan's total.
Malik, who won the toss and elected to bat, combined with Salman Butt (35) to provide Pakistan with an ideal platform after beginning cautiously against medium fast bowlers Praveen Kumar and R.P. Singh. They put on 90 runs off 130 deliveries before leg-spinner Piyush Chawla (1-52) broke through in the 22nd over when Butt mistimed a short delivery and was neatly caught by Raina at midwicket. Younis Khan (59) and Malik then added a brisk 129 off 110 balls. Khan reached his half century off 53 balls with four boundaries, including two reverse-swept fours off spinner Yusuf Pathan. Sloppy Indian fielding twice let Malik off the hook in one Pathan over. Chawla misjudged a skier when Malik was on 116 and five runs later Gautam Gambhir could not hold a straightforward catch at deep midwicket.
Four runs later, after Malik went off the field, Raina brilliantly caught Khan to give some consolation to Pathan (1-52). Both teams had already qualified for the Super Four stage after beating Hong Kong the third team in their group. India now carried two crucial point in the Super Four stage with victory against Pakistan where both teams would meet Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in round robin league starting from Saturday.

Marat Safin defeats Novac Djokovic in Wimbledon's Second Round

2008-06-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

Novak Djokovic was upset in straight sets by Marat Safin in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday, ending the Serb's chances of testing his theory about Roger Federer's vulnerability.The No. 75-ranked Safin won 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-2, stunning the 21-year-old Serbian who was ranked third and came into Wimbledon full of confidence after beating top-ranked Federer in the semifinals at the Australian Open en route to his first Grand Slam title.But Djokovic came up against one of the toughest second-round opponents he could have drawn.Former No. 1 Safin has won two Grand Slam titles and also had an upset against Federer in Australia, beating the Swiss star in the semifinals there in 2005.Djokovic had said Federer, bidding for his sixth consecutive Wimbledon crown, was vulnerable after his recent lopsided French Open loss to No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal.The hype surrounding those comments set up an enticing semifinal. Now, it will be Safin who tries to go down that path.Djokovic seemed to be vulnerable himself, playing on a surface he his not entirely comfortable on and struggling with his serve in a blustery breeze. After saving three match points, he served a double-fault to give Safin a fourth, then double-faulted again to concede.He shook his head as he walked forward, and hugged Safin across the net.Grass is not Safin's favored surface, either. Wimbledon is the only major where he has not advanced beyond the quarterfinals. But he is a dangerous opponent now.Safin said he came in under the radar, with Djokovic under all the pressure."He's the one who has to win matches. For me, nobody expects anything," said Safin, who admitted he had not dared look beyond the second round. "Now, I'll have to check the way I'm playing now, I could go far."