jai's bin

Tendulkar's request for higher sightscreen addressed

2010-08-03T08:37:00.002+05:30

The Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club authorities have accommodated Sachin Tendulkar's request for a higher sightscreen at the Air Force Flats End, but not without a cost. The sightscreen at the end in question is shorter than the one at the Press Block End, and usually sports two permanent advertising hoardings above it. Tendulkar is shorter than an average batsman, and he has to look up to spot the ball, and because of the angle created he is believed to have found that the sightscreen didn't completely cover his view.

On Sunday, two days before the match, Tendulkar was seen having a long chat with Anurudda Polonowita, the curator, gesturing towards the sightscreen, and pointing towards the height issue. The next day MS Dhoni explained why Tendulkar wanted the height of the sightscreen increased.

"We have requested the screen to be increased in height," Dhoni said, "because Sachin is quite short and when you have a taller bowler bowling to him at an angle, at times the hand crosses the sight screen. We have requested before the game so that no complications arise later."

No complications arose as far as the game is concerned. By 7.30pm, the sightscreen had grown up by about 15 feet. "We did it like that," said Tone Perera, CEO of Tamil Union, snapping his fingers. "We were under pressure because the match referee had asked us for this."

Other senior club officials, though, had to suppress their disappointment at financial losses that covering the hoardings would incur. The hoardings advertised a bank and a milk product company. The bank sponsors the club team too, which according to the officials, is a main source of their revenue. The officials said that the sightscreen had always been similar and no one had made such a request until Tendulkar did.

Tendulkar, though, is known to be a perfectionist when it comes to everything around his batting. More famous among his requests for sightscreen heights to be increased are Mohali, 2005 and Karachi, 2006. In an unrelated chat, on the eve of his becoming the most capped Test player in the world, Tendulkar spoke about his preparations. Even during the SSC Test, where he scored a Test-saving double-century, Tendulkar asked for advertisements above the sightscreen to be covered.

"I am not saying cricket is simple, but everything around it, if you keep simple, it becomes relatively easy," Tendulkar said. "For that, the pre-match preparation is extremely important. In that factor, I feel I have always been prepared. Sometimes I was able to achieve results, sometimes I wasn't, but my preparations were always there."

Diego Forlan leaves 40,000 spectators spellbound

2010-08-02T11:32:00.002+05:30

Having witnessed Diego Maradona [ Images ] in front of them, the football-crazy people of Kolkata [ Images ] saw another Diego, when 2010 World Cup golden ball winner Forlan left a 40,000-plus spectator spellbound in the floodlit Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

With percussionist Sivamani setting up the tone with some lively performances, Forlan added colour to the evening as he kicked off the grand finale of 'The Match', a football reality show by Mahuaa Bangla that has brought the Uruguayan sensation and Brazilian icon Branco to the city.

After arriving in the stadium around 5.30pm, Forlan kicked off the match between Mohun Bagan XI and Challengers XI, a team groomed and coached by Branco in his 20-odd days stay.

Challengers lost the 70-minute match 0-2 but they stole the hearts of the thousands of football lovers gathered to see Forlan who sat in the dug-out giving tips, sharing his experiences with the Challengers led by Dipyendu Biswas.

To their utmost surprise, Forlan made an appearance in the lemon break and uttered few Bengali words. Waving to the crowd, Forlan said "Jamiyedin-Saradin (Live up, everyday)."

He also thanked the crowd for their huge jubilation from the stands cheering and waving Forlan, Forlan.

The Uruguayan star sat through the entire match and by the time he left the stadium, everybody was just spellbound.

In between, Bengal Sports minister Kanti Ganguly and Mohun Bagan officials felicitated Forlan in a traditional Bengali way, giving him Uttario, as the Latin American star kept on obliging the autograph-hunters.

Firecrackers lit up the YBK skyline as Forlan bid adieu to the city of football with a live performance by Bengali band, Bhoomi, who sang 'Hare Krishna Hare Rama'.

Earlier Sivamani, accompanied by more than 100 traditional drummers (dhakis) gave a live performance to set the tone of the evening.

In December 2008, legendary Diego Maradona had set his foot at the same venue with a similar experience that will stay etched in a football-lover's heart forever.

Simbu to perform on ‘Endhiran’ stage

2010-07-23T10:48:00.002+05:30

After changing his name to STR aka Silambarasan is striving to be busier than ever. Even as his verbal was with Lingusamy not yet over, STR is taking his next action to KL, Malaysia.

News coming in from our sources says Silambarasan will be performing on the stage in KL, Malaysia during the launch of ‘Endhiran’ audio. He will be dancing to a number from ‘Endhiran’ film itself. Is it a solo number or a duet and if so who is partnering him on stage all these details are yet to be revealed.

The function is on July 31 and it is going to be one of the biggest ever Kollywood event in any part of the world.

The event will be attended by Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan, Ajith and other celebrities from India and abroad. Of course the ‘Endhiran’ team comprising Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Shankar. A R Rahman and others will also be there.

Delhi airport, Air India close to mega deal

2010-07-23T10:47:00.002+05:30

Delhi [ Images ] International Airport Ltd, the consortium operating Delhi airport, is close to signing a mega deal with Air India [ Images ], which is making the new terminal its operational hub.

The consortium is working out the broad contours of the deal, according to sources close to the negotiations. A DIAL spokesperson said he was not aware of the development and AI's spokesperson declined to comment.

The sources said DIAL was expected to offer AI a discount of 20 to 30 per cent on airport charges, on a commitment that the carrier would increase the number of its passengers there to 3,000 an hour, a four to five-fold increase from the current numbers, within two years. The airport charges include landing and takeoff charges, parking, usage of aerobridges and usage of airport terminal, among others.

AI has also committed to go in for a three-fold increase in its deployment of flights in and out of Delhi, from 480 a day to 1,200, starting from the next summer schedule. Currently, AI operates a little over 800 flights a day across the network.

These translate to AI bringing 10-13 million passengers annually at the airport's new Terminal 3, a third of its annual handling capacity of 34 million passengers.

AI will initially get nine dedicated aerobridges of the 78 in operation and 56 check-in counters of the total of 168.

"DIAL, along with us, plans to do a joint marketing campaign to bring more passengers to the airport," said an AI official, who did not want to be identified.

He explained that people from Nepal, for instance, go to Dubai [ Images ] to take a flight for US or European destinations. If Delhi offers that service, people would come here to take the connecting flight.

International operations at the new terminal start from July 25 and domestic operations from August 27.

However, the low-cost carriers will shift to the new terminal only by March next year. DIAL, a consortium led by the Bangalore-based GMR Group and comprising Airports Authority of India, Fraport AG and Eraman Malaysia, built the new terminal at a cost of Rs 12,700 crore in over three years.

'We couldn't have scripted it better' - Sangakkara

2010-07-23T10:41:00.002+05:30

'There will be just one Murali' - Kumar Sangakkara© Associated Press

Malinga's marvellous comeback

2010-07-23T10:40:00.002+05:30

Muttiah Muralitharan's farewell and 800th wicket dominated the Galle Test, but Lasith Malinga's contribution to Sri Lanka's victory was critical

Lasith Malinga ended India's chances of drawing the Test by dismissing MS Dhoni in his first over of the final day© Associated Press

Related Links
Bulletin : Murali gets 800, Sri Lanka win by ten wickets

Players/Officials: Lasith Malinga
Matches: Sri Lanka v India at Galle
Series/Tournaments: India tour of Sri Lanka
Teams: Sri Lanka

One of the greatest virtues of Muttiah Muralitharan is the big turn he gets on any surface, to almost take those 22 yards out of the equation. In his farewell match, with the kind of reception he got and the way he took the last Indian wicket to reach 800, it is easy to forget the other man to whom the pitch matters little. Lucky is the captain who has both Lasith Malinga and Murali in the same XI. The giant cut-outs on the Galle Fort might have been Murali's, but the most important impact on the match was Malinga's.
There were fears before this Test that, like other out-and-out fast bowlers in the world, Malinga might have made up his mind to concentrate just on limited-overs cricket. Tests can be cruel and thankless. Twenty20s bring more money and fame. It is a tempting choice for a fast bowler, perhaps the most injury-prone breed in non-contact sport. If you see a fast bowler out of Tests for two-and-a-half years, you fear the worst. Kumar Sangakkara, his captain, says, perish the thought.
"We've been trying to get Lasith fit for all forms of cricket for two years now," Sangakkara said. "We believe in him immensely. He's a fighter, works as hard as anyone I have seen. He prepares well to play matches for Sri Lanka." Sangakkara was betting on the right horse: in Malinga's first Test back, all that the captain needed to do was throw the ball his way, and something would happen, often as early as the first over.
The other question was whether a bowler used to Twenty20s for two years would have the patience to work for wickets on flat Sri Lankan pitches. Two balls into his Test comeback, the question became, would he need patience? Does the pitch matter?
The first of those balls, bear in mind it was bowled to an opener who had been on the field for 124 overs in the heat, was on target, full, and swinging in towards middle and leg stump. Gautam Gambhir actually did well to keep it out but Malinga was at him again. From that height, at that pace, swinging in, to a tired batsman who knows the best he can achieve he is a draw, it was too much.
Malinga showed patience when he worked VVS Laxman over in the first innings with bouncers. He wasn't getting reverse-swing then, but he was prepared to set a field and bowl to it. The top edge duly arrived.
In the second innings Malinga was deadlier. Gambhir lasted one more delivery than he did in the first innings. This time he edged one swinging away from him, after the ball pitched in an area similar to where it had swung in from in the first innings. Still, following that, it seemed Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid had pitched tents on the pitch and with every passing delivery on the fourth day the draw kept becoming the favoured result.
The partnership lasted 42.1 overs. Malinga had to be brought back for one final sling before stumps and he slung like he would end the game on the fourth evening. Malinga's attacking fields are as different as his action is. When he is reversing the ball, he doesn't need slips. Yorkers push batsmen back. Short midwicket, short square leg, and backward square leg await any shot that comes off a delivery that is shorter than expected. It happened to Dravid, in the first over of a new Malinga spell again. Tendulkar missed a low full toss that was slower than expected. Yuvraj Singh looked like he would get out every ball in those dying moments of the day.
The work was not done yet, though, and Malinga was to make impact again. In his first over of the final morning, he removed MS Dhoni with a full ball that angled in, pitched around the crease, and then moved away. Better batsmen than Dhoni have been done in by those.
Dhoni paid rich tribute to his conqueror. "Somebody like Malinga - the kind of action he has - even if you are set, if he comes for a fresh spell, it can be the second spell or the third spell, you can't really say you are set," Dhoni said. "You have to start all over again because he has got a unique action. The way he bowled, he normally used to bring the ball in, but in this match we saw he could take it away also, so if you don't pick [even] a single delivery of his, you can be in trouble."
It was to happen once more. Again in the first over of a new spell, like five of his seven wickets in the match, Malinga bowled an unplayable yorker to Abhimanyu Mithun, who had fought well with Laxman for 17.3 overs. It was the first delivery Malinga had at Mithun. As Dhoni said, if you don't pick one ball, you are gone.
Thankfully for Murali's fans, Malinga went off the field. Worriedly we looked again. Had the strain been too much? Sangakkara calmed the fears, saying Malinga was just feeling a little stiff. "We don't want to bowl him into the ground," Sangakkara said. "You know, we've done it with Murali for so many years.
"Test cricket is like that. It's a hard place for bowlers. Everyone forgets how difficult it is to be in the sun and bowl constantly on, sometimes, wickets that give you very little. With our board, we have been discussing to introduce a bonus scheme for bowlers who play an x number of games per year. At the end of the day, an injury will end your career. This is the prime form of the game and we need everyone hungry to play in this form."
Malinga hasn't played more than nine Tests in a row. He strikes every 50 deliveries, and only recently has he been at his best. During his first match back, while nobody noticed, he moved closer to 100 wickets, becoming Sri Lanka's third-highest wicket-taker. His biggest challenge right now is to play more matches without suffering an injury. His captain seems to understand the need of using Malinga in spurts, of respecting his body. If he can put another string of nine Tests together, on evidence of this match, those figures of 98 wickets at a strike-rate of 50 will look remarkably different.

Murali's romanticised farewell

2010-07-22T16:50:00.000+05:30

The script couldn't have been more ideal. Murali needed eight wickets, it came down to the final wicket and the catch was taken by his favourite slip catcher. Perhaps it was all contrived to end this way
http://www.flvpro.com/?aff=8878_generic

At 1.55pm, Murali reached the magical figure of 800 and better still, he had set up Sri Lanka's win © Cricinfo Ltd

A peculiar witch dashes into the outlook.

2010-07-20T12:19:00.001+05:30

A peculiar witch dashes into the outlook.

White House shifts Afghanistan strategy towards talks with Taliban

2010-07-20T11:54:00.002+05:30

Senior Washington officials tell the Guardian of a 'change of mindset' over Obama administration's Afghanistan policy

Any negotiations with the Taliban would be conducted largely in secret, through third parties, Washington sources reported. Illustration: Saeed Achakzai/Reuters

The White House is revising its Afghanistan strategy to embrace the idea of negotiating with senior members of the Taliban through third parties – a policy to which it had previously been lukewarm.

Negotiating with the Taliban has long been advocated by Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and the British and Pakistani governments, but resisted by Washington.

The Guardian has learned that while the American government is still officially resistant to the idea of talks with Taliban leaders, behind the scenes a shift is under way and Washington is encouraging Karzai to take a lead in such negotiations.

"There is a change of mindset in DC," a senior official in Washington said. "There is no military solution. That means you have to find something else. There was something missing."

That missing element was talks with the Taliban leadership, the official added.

The American rethink comes in the aftermath of the departure last month of General Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan.

Barack Obama, apparently frustrated at the way the war is going, has reminded his national security advisers that while he was on the election campaign trail in 2008, he had advocated talking to America's enemies.

America is reviewing its Afghanistan policy which is due for completion in December, but officials in Washington, Kabul and Islamabad with knowledge of internal discussions said feelers had been put out to the Taliban. Negotiations would be conducted largely in secret, through a web of contacts, possibly involving Pakistan and Saudi Arabia or organisations with back-channel links to the Taliban.

"It will be messy and could take years," said a diplomatic source.

The change of heart by the US comes as Afghanistan hosts the biggest international gathering in its capital for 40 years, with representatives from 60 countries including Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general.

The dominant theme of the Kabul conference is "reintegration", which involves reaching out to low-level insurgents to encourage them to lay down their arms.

Earlier this year Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, distinguished between "reintegration", which the US supported, and "reconciliation" or negotiating with senior Taliban. Holbrooke said: "Let me be clear. There is no American involvement in any reconciliation process."

There is growing disenchantment in the US with the war in Afghanistan and members of the Senate's foreign relations committee last week questioned Holbrooke over what they described as a lack of clarity on an exit strategy.

The US has no agreed position on who among the leaders of the insurgency should be wooed and who would be beyond the pale. The Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, would be a problem as he provided Osama bin Laden with bases before the 9/11 attacks.

The US would also find it problematic to deal with the Pakistan-based insurgents led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, whose group pioneered suicide attacks in Afghanistan. The third main element in the insurgency is Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who has hinted he is ready to break ranks.

A source with knowledge of the process said: "There is no agreed US position, but there is agreement that Karzai should lead on this. They would expect the Pakistanis to deliver the Haqqani network in any internal settlement."

The US has laid down basic conditions for any group seeking negotiations. They are: end all ties to al-Qaida, end violence, and accept the Afghan constitution.

A senior Pakistani diplomat said: "The US needs to be negotiating with the Taliban; those Taliban with no links to al-Qaida. We need a power-sharing agreement in Afghanistan, and it will have to be negotiated with all the parties.

"The Afghan government is already talking to all the shareholders‚ the Taliban, the Haqqani network, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and Mullah Omar. The Americans have been setting ridiculous preconditions for talks. You can't lay down such preconditions when you are losing."

Some Afghan policy specialists are sceptical about whether negotiations would succeed. Peter Bergen, a specialist on Afghanistan and al-Qaida, told a US Institute of Peace seminar in Washington last week that there were a host of problems with such a strategy, not least why the Taliban should enter negotiations "when they think they are winning".

Audrey Kurth Cronin, a member of the US National War College faculty in Washington, and the author of How Terrorism Ends, said talks with Mullah Omar and the Haqqani network were pointless because there would be no negotiable terms.

She said there could be talks with Hekmatyar, but these would be conducted through back channels, potentially by a third party. Given his support for jihad, she said, "it would be unreasonable to expect the US and the UK to do so".

Asked how Obama's Afghan strategy was progressing, a senior former US government official familiar with the latest Pentagon thinking said: "In a word, poorly. We seriously need to be developing a revised plan of action that will allow us a chance to achieve sufficient security in a more sustainable manner."

Officials have mentioned possible roles in negotiation for the UN and figures such as the veteran UN negotiator, the Algerian Lakhdar Brahimi, who heads, along with the retired US ambassador Thomas Pickering, a New York-based international panel which is looking at such a reconciliation.

Another name mentioned is Michael Semple, an Irishman based in Boston at Harvard's Kennedy School who has extensive contacts with the Taliban.

Is Simbu's loss Vijay's gain?

2010-07-20T11:52:00.001+05:30

A sudden announcement from Simbu that he would do 'Vaanam' and his revamping of the long pending 'Podaa Podi' has given raise to a question- Will he act in Lingusamy's forthcoming project?

If sources are to be believed, the actor may not be a part of the 'Paiyaa' director's next film, and instead of him, Vijay will play the protagonist of the action-paced venture.

"Since Vijay is on the verge of completing ‘Kaaval Kadhal’ and his other movie ‘Velayudham’ which went to floors a few days ago will be completed in one ago, he has agreed to do Lingusamy's film," sources say.

The venture will be produced by Dhayanidhi Alagiri's Cloud Nine Movies, it is said. The production company run by Dhayanidhi has acquired and released ‘Paiyaa’, which recently completed 100 days, it may be recalled.

Topperspeak: From class 7, IIT was my target

2010-07-20T11:49:00.002+05:30

Vipul Singh from Bhilai (Chhattisgarh) achieved two accolades this year -- he earned the first rank in AIEEE and the fifth rank in IIT-JEE. He shares with Nitin Jindal his journey to the top, his hopes, and plans for the upcoming International Physics Olympiad in Croatia, this month.

Congratulations. Which institution are you opting for?
Computer Science branch at IIT Mumbai [ Images ] because I'm interested in things like logic and programming, and also because I'll get a good recommendation for further studies from there. Another factor is that IIT Mumbai's computer science degree has a very good value in the market.

So you plan to go for further studies after your engineering?

Yes, I plan to do my MS and PhD and get into research.

Now that the results are out are you enjoying the well-deserved break?

Not exactly. I am preparing for the International Physics Olympiad right now, which is being held from July 17-25 in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. 80 nations are participating, India [ Images ] is being represented by five students and I am one of them.

How were you selected?

I was selected by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science and Education, Mumbai. There are two national-level written rounds and the third was a camp held there. I cleared all three rounds and hence got this chance to represent India. At the camp, there were orientation lectures by professors from various colleges including IIT Kanpur [ Images ] and Guwahati. Then we had an experiment session and five tests; three experimental tests and two written theory tests.

Who inspired you? Who's your role model?

My parents have always guided me very well. They've always motivated me and inspired me a lot. There have been students earlier from Bhilai like Shashank Shekhar Dwivedi who secured AIR 1 in IIT-JEE 2003 and is currently studying in MIT Boston. Also there was Shariq Rizvi who secured IIT-JEE AIR 5 and is running his own company in the US. So from their experiences I knew it could be done.

How did you come to have so much clarity at such a young age?

I knew I had to go in this field and IIT was the best in this line. I was in class VI when Shashank topped IIT-JEE. My parents also knew about IIT well and told me about it. Then I participated in National Level Science and Mathematics Olympiad and I always secured a top 25 ranking. They told me that with such a good ranking I could get in the best IIT in the country, so I knew I had to go there.

When I was in class VII I had also participated in the India Child Genius Contest conducted by Mr Siddhartha Basu, I was the national semi-finalist and the East zone runner-up. I've been to many national-level quizzes after that and it gave me a lot of confidence when I won in these where participants were from all over the country.

So I knew I was amongst the top in the nation and knew I could do it!

When and how did you start your preparation for IIT-JEE?

In class VII and VIII. I was clear that IIT was my target. In class IX I started studying advanced topics, and joined a Brilliant Tutorials correspondence course. If there was any topic in the NCERT textbook, it was covered in the Brilliant course with higher concepts.

For example, if there was something about mechanics then it used to cover Newton's Laws, which are actually taught in class XI. So I had some idea of what was going to be taught in class XI, too.

What helped you score such a high rank? Was it coaching or long years of preparation?

I was very clear from the beginning that the main part was self-study. I joined FIITJEE because the course was integrated with the syllabus at school. Computers and English were taught to me by my school teachers whereas physics, chemistry and maths were only taught to me by my FIITJEE teachers.

So, I didn't have to study these subjects separately at school and run for tuitions in the evenings.

So you saved time. How was this worked out?

They had a tie-up with our school, MGM Bhilai, with such arrangement. It is optional for the students. Actually the fees for the same is Rs 2 lakh but I got a 100 per cent fee waiver since I stood second (all-India) in a written exam conducted by them in December of class X.

So you used to study only computers and English at school and PCM at FIITJEE?

No, I was taught PCM by FIITJEE teachers inside the school campus only. So I didn't have to waste my time running here and there in the evening and therefore I could spend a lot of time on self-study. From my self-study I used to gather all my doubts and discuss them with my teachers for hours at a stretch.

The FIITJEE teachers were very good at doubt clearance too.

Did you have any separate strategy for physics, chemistry and maths?

I would give equal weightage to each of the subjects, since the questions can be from any topic.

Any difference in your preparation for IIT-JEE and AIEEE?

Actually I didn't prepare for AIEEE separately, just prepared for IIT-JEE throughout. There were some additional topics for AIEEE from maths and physics which I covered in the two weeks between IIT-JEE and AIEEE.

Is the level of questions the same for both exams?

The level is the same and also there are objective questions in both, but while in AIEEE all questions are "single-option correct questions", in IIT-JEE you have a variety like match the following, multi-correct questions, some numerical questions etc.

What was your course material?

Apart from FIITJEE's packages and Brilliant's packages, I used some books referred to by my teacher like Paula Bruice for organic chemistry in which I was weak. This I had discovered through the various national-level Olympiads I had participated in and also my exposure to organic chemistry in class X.

How did you overcome this weakness? Who helped you?

When my teacher was teaching physical chemistry, I approached him and told him my organic chemistry was weak, so he suggested I buy the book. I used to read it regularly when organic chemistry (instruction) started and discuss all my doubts with him. He helped me a lot by giving me extra papers and summaries on this topic.

Also, I was good at physics but used to score a bit less in the all-India test series in the subject. In the last 5 to 6 months, I came in touch with the HoD of physics at FIITJEE, South Delhi [ Images ] and we used to interact over the phone and e-mail. He helped me improve a lot in physics and now, I am representing India at the international level in physics, thanks largely to his efforts along with my own. I dedicated entire January 2010 to strengthening my physics.

What would you say is the mantra of your success?

Time management. Many students first go to school and study all the subjects there and then in the evening run to various teachers, typically two each for physics, chemistry and maths. For me, everything was during school hours, so I had a lot of time at home for self-study. Also I had only one teacher each for all subjects and they were all good.

You also went to Japan [ Images ] recently?

Yes I went to Japan in August 2009 to attend the Asian Science Camp where I got the opportunity to listen to 7 Nobel laureates. There was a contingent of 30 participants from India within which I was one of the 7 who had got scholarships from the Japan government for the tour. The rest 23 had been sponsored by the Indian government.

Any message you would like to give to IIT-JEE and AIEEE aspirants?

Focus on your topics and don't try to study from too many teachers. Try to gain exposure as it helps build your confidence.

Obama to sign Wall Street Reform Bill tomorrow

2010-07-20T11:45:00.000+05:30

US President Barack Obama would sign into law on Wednesday the sweeping Wall Street Reform Bill that was passed by both the Chamber of the Congress -- House of Representatives and the Senate -- last week.

The White House announced on Tuesday that Obama would sign the bill at a public ceremony to be attended by key architects of the Wall Street Reform that seeks to make financial institutions more accountable and prevent the reoccurrence of the collapse of the market as it happened in 2008.

Passed by the Congress the sweeping financial overhaul legislation is considered to be a major legislative and political victory for the US President, whose poll numbers have experienced a downward slide this year.

After the passage of the Health Care Reform Bill, this is the second major legislative achievement of his presidency this year.

"From now on, every American will be empowered with the clear and concise information you need to make financial decisions that are best for you. This bill will crack down on abusive practices and unscrupulous mortgage lenders," Obama said last week.

"It will reinforce the new credit card law we passed banning unfair rate hikes, and ensure that folks aren't unwittingly caught by overdraft fees when they sign up for a checking account," he said, adding that it will give students who take out college loans clear information and make sure lenders don't cheat the system.

"It will ensure that every American receives a free credit score if they are denied a loan or insurance because of that score.

"All told, this reform puts in place the strongest consumer financial protections in history, and it creates a new consumer watchdog to enforce those protections," he said.

Indian Shining in Islamabad

2010-07-20T11:41:00.000+05:30

In actual fact, India [ Images ] was shining in Islamabad [ Images ] by its restraint, firmness and general demeanour of reasonableness.

The Indian delegation was even better dressed at every event, with S M Krishna's [ Images ] well tailored suits and fashionable ties and Nirupama Rao's [ Images ] magnificent saris, says former diplomat T P Sreenivasan.

The breakdown of the recent talks between India and Pakistan was not difficult to predict. The expectations were low, the results were lower. It was a demonstration of deep distrust, not just deepening of the trust deficit.

Political and diplomatic careers are made and destroyed on the India-Pakistan front. The search for scapegoats follows every diplomatic fiasco. Failures are attributed to omissions or commissions on the part of the Indian negotiators even if the crass hostility of the other side was on public display.

We have no qualms about blaming the Indian side for not reacting with equal force to every nasty move or remark.

By all accounts, the six hours that S M Krishna and S M Qureshi spent in the privacy of their conference room were productive to the extent possible. They discussed not only terrorism, but also Kashmir [ Images ] and Siachen, and also agreed to meet again.

The problem was that Pakistan's insistence on a timeframe for resolution for some of the problems was unrealistic, particularly since there was no timeframe for punishing the terrorists or for dismantling the terrorist outfits.

When there was no joint statement, going for a joint presser was a grave error and both sides must take the responsibility for it.

Driven by the journalists, rather than by the negotiators, it opened every wound, exposed every gap in approaches and took the situation back to square one and beyond.

Qureshi emerged the villain of the piece, with his penchant for punches. His manner of speaking gave the impression that he was determined not to miss any opportunity to score points, not to salvage the gains of the talks.

The Indian side, on the other hand -- S M Krishna, Nirupama Rao and Sharat Sabharwal -- was the picture of tranquillity, poise and perseverance. Krishna spoke in measured tones, but firmly and convincingly. Except for failing to defend the home secretary, Krishna's performance was faultless.

In the case of the home secretary, Krishna was silent, perhaps because he was truthful enough not to deny that the home secretary's statement was 'unhelpful' in the context of the talks.

One feature of public opinion in India is the belief that Indian diplomats are easily outwitted by Pakistani diplomats at every step. Indians never fail to note that Pakistan is able to get support from the United States and China by hook or by crook, while India, with a much better case, is unable to secure such support.

Geopolitical considerations are never taken into account in arriving at such a judgment. But the other side of the coin is that the Pakistani public considers Indian diplomats far superior to their counterparts in Pakistan.

Neutral observers say the two sides are so well poised equally that no change is possible either between India and Pakistan or in the global attitudes to them.

Even in the present instance, some Indians insist they were impressed that Qureshi spoke well, his accent was good and his diplomatic skills were evident. But, in actual fact, India was shining in Islamabad by its restraint, firmness and general demeanour of reasonableness.

The Indian delegation was even better dressed at every event, with Krishna's well tailored suits and fashionable ties and Nirupama Rao's magnificent saris.

Nirupama Rao was the star of the show in the days following the fiasco in Islamabad, although her performance at the meeting will remain unknown to the outside world.

Instead of drawing herself into a shell for fear of being blamed for what went wrong, she took the bull by the horns by giving a series of interviews to national television channels. She outlined the Indian objectives in the talks, claimed that much was accomplished in them and played down the damage made by the press conference.

She was confident that the progress made in the talks could be salvaged and asserted that there was no breakdown of the talks, only the usual problems generated by a reluctant Pakistan.

She explained the failure to defend the home secretary as part of the 'pellmell' of the press conference. It was, of course, beyond her to justify the timing of the talks or to defend the decision to seek trust in a relationship which is patently distrustful.

S M Krishna too was his dignified self at the press conference, even after Qureshi hurled insults at him by saying that Krishna lacked a mandate and was constantly on the phone to consult New Delhi [ Images ]. A sense of disbelief rather than anger was the dominant emotion on his face when he answered Qureshi. Krishna's strength lies in some of the weaknesses the media has highlighted.

Being low key, cautious and keeping meticulously to his brief are not liabilities in diplomacy, particularly in dealing with Pakistan. In contrast to Qureshi's outspokenness and flamboyance, Krishna appeared the more seasoned and wise diplomat. His solid experience in politics and administration and his record of transforming Karnataka [ Images ] were on his side even when he faced Qureshi's ranting.

Much as he may have resented the home secretary's remarks, Krishna stoutly defended him. Krishna may have confined to his brief, but that has been his way ever since he was a young delegate to the United Nations in the eighties.

India, even as it reaffirms its intention to continue the dialogue, must have learnt its lessons from the Islamabad experience. Issues have to be addressed and resolved to establish trust, and the time of dialogue is not when Pakistan is unprepared to deal with substantive issues.

We should not close the door to dialogue, but we need not have dialogue for its own sake. Islamabad has shown that untimely dialogue can have a negative impact on relations.

Dialogue, by itself, is no panacea for the ills in India-Pakistan relations. If India has lost nothing in the recent round, it was because of the dignified and measured moves of the Indian delegation.

T P Sreenivasan is a former ambassador of India to the United Nations, Vienna [ Images ], and a former Governor for India at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. He is currently the Director General, Kerala [ Images ] International Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, and a Member of the National Security Advisory Board.

2010 FIFA worldcup awards

2010-07-12T10:33:00.000+05:30

Final Tournament Standings

Winner: Spain
Runners-Up: Netherlands
Third: Germany
Fourth: Uruguay

adidas Golden Boot

Thomas MUELLER

is the winner of the adidas Golden Shoe award

FIFA Fair Play award

Spain

Best Young Player Award

Thomas MUELLER

is the winner of the Best Young Player Award award

adidas Golden Ball

Diego FORLAN

is the winner of the adidas Golden Ball award

adidas Golden Glove

Iker CASILLAS

is the winner of the adidas Golden Glove award

Last Man of the Match

Andres INIESTA

has been elected

Man of the Match

NED

0:1

ESP

MinP	TP	GF	S	SOG	Y	R	2YC	FC	FS
120	70	1	1	1	1	0	0	4	8

Iniesta puts Spain on top of the world

2010-07-12T10:31:00.002+05:30

Champions of Europe and now champions of the world, Spain captured football's Holy Grail for the first time with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands thanks to Andres Iniesta's 116th-minute strike at Soccer City.

The solitary goal came with penalties looming as substitute Cesc Fabregas played in Iniesta and the little midfielder drove emphatically across Maarten Stekelenburg and into the far corner. With this victory – their fourth successive single-goal win in South Africa – Spain became the eighth name on the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy and also the first European team to have triumphed on a different continent. For the Netherlands, who lost defender John Heitinga to a red card in extra time, there is only the heartache of another tale of what might have been after they completed a hat-trick of Final losses.

This was a match preceded by much talk of two like-minded footballing cultures, of the influence of Dutchmen like Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels, of 'tiki taka' and Total Football. In many ways, as the first 116 minutes showed, it was also a case of the irresistible force versus the immovable object. The Dutch had won 14 straight games to get to the Final, in qualifying and the tournament proper, and Spain 15 out of 16, their only slip the defeat by Switzerland in their first game here in South Africa.

It was the Spanish found their stride first, living up to their pre-game billing as favourites. Vicente del Bosque's side dominated possession and created the early chances. With the Dutch penned inside their half, goalkeeper Stekelenburg had to make a save after five minutes, diving low to stop a Sergio Ramos header from Xavi's free-kick from the right. Gerard Pique looked poised to follow up only to be denied by a combination of Joris Mathijsen and Dirk Kuyt.

Ramos came again in the tenth minute, beating Kuyt on the right and driving in a low centre that Heitinga deflected behind. From the corner came another scare for the Netherlands. Xavi played the ball back to Xabi Alonso whose cross went beyond the far post to David Villa but the in-form No7 sliced his volley into the side-netting. After those near things, however, both defences got on top with none of the flair players on either side able to take a grip on proceedings. Instead the yellow-card count began to rise with Nigel de Jong becoming the fifth player in Howard Webb's notebook by the time the half-hour mark arrived.

With the orange sections of the 84,490 Soccer City crowd finding their voice, Bert van Marwijk's men almost gave them something to sing about from a corner in the 37th minute. Robben rolled the ball to Mark van Bommel on the edge of the box and although he failed to make a clean connection he unwittingly diverted the ball on to the unmarked Mathijsen but the defender missed his kick. As half-time approached, Iker Casillas had barely had a save to make but entering stoppage time, he had to be alert to deny Robben at his near post as a spell of Dutch pressure ended with the winger spearing in a low shot from the corner of the box.

Puyol, Spain's semi-final matchwinner, showed his aerial threat once more minutes after the restart when he rose above Heitinga and headed to the far post but Joan Capdevila failed to make contact. The game was gradually opening up and the Dutch spurned a golden opportunity in the 62nd minute when Wesley Sneijder sent Robben running clear. Casillas came to Spain's rescue, deflecting the shot behind with his right foot when falling the wrong way.

Spain coach Del Bosque had already sent on Jesus Navas for Pedro on the hour and the winger helped pick a hole in the Dutch defence in the 70th minute. Xavi sent him flying down the right into the box and when Heitinga failed to deal with Navas's low cross, the ball fell to Villa who looked odds-on to score only to see his effort deflected behind. Ramos was equally profligate after 78 minutes when he headed over a Xavi centre when unmarked, after Villa had forced another corner.

Spain were looking the more likely winners and it took Sneijder of all people to foil Iniesta with a smart tackle after his jinking run into the box. Yet Robben's pace was a persistent threat and theOranje No11 almost embarrassed Puyol in the 82nd minute, speeding clear of the Spain defender when second-favourite to reach a through-ball. Resisting Pique's attempt to tackle too, he was foiled only by Casillas, the captain saving at Robben's feet as the Dutchman tried to round him.

Extra time began with opportunities for Spain. Xavi failed to connect when well positioned and when the ball ran to Villa, his shot went wide off an orange shirt. Substitute Fabregas then broke clear on to Iniesta's through-ball but was foiled by Stekelenburg. Mathijsen headed wide from a corner but like waves, Spanish attacks kept rolling on to the Netherlands back line and Navas was close with a shot deflected into the side-netting.

Fernando Torres replaced Villa midway through the extra period and Spain gained a man advantage four minutes later with Heitinga's dismissal for pulling back Iniesta on the edge of the box, the offence earning him a second yellow. Iniesta would not be denied, however, and his fine late strike put Spain into the history books and left a Dutch dream shattered.

7 ways to improve infrastructure in Indian cities

2010-07-12T10:30:00.002+05:30

The challenge for India is to write a new chapter in low-cost urban development, the way it has done in wireless telephony and automobiles, says Subir Roy.

Most of the additional 250 million Indians who will look for an urban habitat in the next 20 years will do so in existing towns and cities whose healthy and orderly growth will define the quality of Indian urban life.

McKinsey & Co has estimated that this will cost a colossal $1.2 trillion in capital expenditure alone (about India's current GDP).

Booz & Co has estimated that the government will have to spend $1 trillion in capital expenditure, not in 20 but 10 years! Plus a sharp improvement will be needed in urban governance.

While the latter is not negotiable, the former is, and the challenge for India is to write a new chapter in low-cost urban development, the way it has done in wireless telephony and automobiles (Nano).

Conventional urban solutions put in place so far are high-cost - metro rail, elevated expressways, flyovers and bringing drinking water to cities over large distances - and also ineffective. Traffic congestion keeps getting worse, water remains scarce and slums, despite some redevelopment, keep growing.

The first pillar on which low-cost urban development can be built is to look not at the top cities but the bottom ones.

The hierarchy of cities in terms of size - from metros at the top to say tier III cities at the bottom - also holds in terms of costs. McKinsey estimates that Mumbai will need more than twice the per capita investment than Patna will in the next 20 years. So, strengthen smaller cities first. Precisely the opposite is being done today with enormous Central government help for metro rail in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

Linked to this is the second pillar - make mass bus transit, not metro rail transit (the latter costs ten times more), the cornerstone of the solution to traffic and transportation, the number one problem afflicting Indian cities today.

With an efficient public transport system, the need for cars will go down, reducing the pressure on roads and need for flyovers, etc.

More and more Indian cities over time will have to get their drinking water from faraway places via costly water transportation systems (pipelines plus pumping stations), something in which Bangalore is the unfortunate leader today.

So, the third pillar is an affordable water solution based on extensive rainwater harvesting and recycling of waste water.

The fourth pillar is a different solid-waste disposal system. The compostable part of it has to be turned into energy and the rest incinerated to the extent possible. This will truncate the huge problem of locating adequate dumping grounds for waste.

The solution has to begin with waste segregation at the household level. Commercially successful, simple, off-the-shelf solutions are available for households to use their biodegradable waste to make compost at home.

So, tomorrow's affordable city will be relatively small, where the roads will be full of buses, bicycles and walkers and relatively fewer cars, with every building having a rainwater harvesting system, most with solar power panels on the roof and streets made bright with LED lighting.

Its leitmotif will be a Ginger hotel, not a Taj or Oberoi property. Booz outlines a range of "intelligent" IT-enabled, cost-effective solutions across sectors for Indian cities which are city-size neutral. But the big plus of a small city is that it is softer - less built up - and, therefore, cheaper to rebuild. It is cheaper to widen a road or build a bus terminus in a small city than a big one because land prices are lower in the former.

Incremental urban growth implies notifying over time more and more peripheral areas of existing urban bodies for inclusion in them. Currently, as a city spills over into a non-urban area beyond its limits and gets built up (de facto urbanised), its boundary is extended to include the new reality.

Solution (fifth pillar): keep notifying swathes of non-urban land beyond a city before these get built up, that is while they are still soft, so that there can be some planned development. This is cheaper than trying to reshape a hard area.

The sixth pillar is for city planners, in both mega and smaller cities, to promote as much of mixed-use development as possible. Incentivise developments which have both office and residential spaces, so that some of those who work in the new offices can live next door and not have to make long commutes. This is easier done in urban peripheral areas and smaller cities as developing residential space in large cities and central business districts is prohibitively costly.

The seventh pillar and perhaps the most critical is promoting low-cost housing within cities. This is easier said than done. The first step is to redo inner city slums (install sewerage, sanitation, water supply, etc.) and then build living units of maybe 300 sq ft carpet area which those with records of residence there can own by paying the construction cost through housing loans.

EMIs will be paid with what was paid earlier as rent. Success will hinge on keeping builders out and getting contractors to deliver to specifications on a cost-plus basis.

The new owners will sell off and go to newer slums? No matter, develop them too. Public expenditure will be manageable as slums are usually on public land or owned by slumlords who hold either fake titles or none at all.

The key is to trigger development with little public investment and city dwellers, there for jobs, largely paying for their electricity, health care, education and the like.

Oranje edge five-goal thriller

2010-07-07T10:41:00.000+05:30

The Netherlands will face either Spain or Germany in the Final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ after beating Uruguay by the odd goal in five in the first of the tournament’s semi-finals at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium. Bert van Marwijk’s side were worthy of their victory but were made to work hard for it in an eventful last four encounter punctuated by excellent goals from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Diego Forlan, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Maximiliano Pereira.

Having gone into this match on a record 24-match unbeaten streak, the Dutch started as favourites, and it was a tag they would justify during an entertaining first half. Van Marwijk’s side certainly began in positive fashion, with Robben darting beyond his marker at the first opportunity inside four minutes. Sneijder profited from his former Real Madrid team-mate’s dynamism, curling in a right-foot cross that, following an unconvincing punch from Fernando Muslera, was hurriedly controlled and volleyed just over by the lively Dirk Kuyt.

It was an early moment of concern for La Celeste, but they recovered admirably and, with the pace of the game dropping, looked to be comfortably holding the Oranje at bay. With the Dutch threat minimal, the Uruguayan defenders would have been forgiven for not sensing any immediate danger when Van Bronckhorst picked up the ball over 30 yards from goal, close to the left touchline. Yet it was from this seemingly unthreatening position that the Dutch captain unleashed a stunning left-foot shot that Muslera, despite applying a despairing touch, could only divert into the top corner via the inside of the post.

It was a magnificent strike, a cast-iron contender for goal of the tournament, and it gave the Netherlands an advantage they continued to prove worthy of as the half progressed. However, the Dutch were not the only team capable of conjuring a goal out of nothing, with Forlan providing an equally unexpected equaliser four minutes before the break.

Uruguay’s captain for the night had hitherto been relatively subdued, but the Dutch defence made the mistake of affording him too much space 25 yards from goal – and were ruthlessly punished. Shaping to spread the ball wide, Forlan instead turned inside on his left foot and curled in a superb left-foot shot that, thanks partly to a slight deflection off the head of John Heitinga, deceived the wrong-footed Maarten Stekelenburg.

Uruguay started the second half with something to build on, therefore, and they looked the more threatening of the two sides early on, with Van Bronckhorst forced to head off the line from a Pereira effort and Stekelenburg parrying clear a goal-bound Forlan free-kick.

The Dutch were unruffled, however, and their patient probing at the other end almost paid dividends when Robin van Persie’s intelligent reverse pass teed up substitute Rafael van der Vaart for a shot from the left-hand edge of the box. With the strike accurate and firmly struck, Muslera could only parry clear, but Robben proved unable to gobble up the rebound, blazing over from an acute angle.

Denied on this occasion, the Dutch moved in front a couple of minutes later, as Sneijder scored his fifth goal of the tournament, again benefiting from a telling deflection, this time off the thigh of Pereira, that sent his 20-yard shot spinning past Muslera. Uruguay needed a response, and quickly, but with 17 minutes remaining their hopes were all but ended when Robben doubled the Netherlands’ advantage.

A terrific goal it was too, with the Dutch winger sneaking in unnoticed to bullet a textbook header in off the base of the left-hand post from a measured Kuyt cross. Pereira did score an equally excellent consolation, converting expertly with a curling left-foot shot from a quickly-taken free-kick, but this injury-time effort was to prove too little, too late for the last of the non-European representatives.

Galle Test to be Muralitharan's last

2010-07-07T10:39:00.000+05:30

Muttiah Muralitharan, the leading wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs, will retire from Test cricket after the first Test against India in Galle, which begins on July 18. While he will not play the subsequent tri-series, and will pick and choose which ODIs to play in, Murali will be available for selection if the team needs him for the 2011 World Cup, which Sri Lanka is co-hosting.

Cricinfo has learnt that Murali met Aravinda de Silva, the chairman of selectors, and captain Kumar Sangakkara over the weekend to discuss his future. He was asked to consider playing the full series against India, but he was unsure about being at his best if bowled heavily throughout the series.

"Murali has been thinking for some time about the right time to go," a source close to the offspinner told Cricinfo. "All along he has been determined to go while he is still performing rather than just hanging on. He made the decision last week after the Asia Cup and met with the selectors and captain over the weekend to explain to them his position. He is really keen to play on to the World Cup but at the same time he does not want to stand in the way of younger talent. So he will see how things go over the next few months."

Kushil Gunasekara, Murali's manager, said the unscheduled Test series against India had made Murali fast track his decision to retire. "The selectors want Murali to be around just in case they don't find a suitable replacement for him for the 2011 World Cup," he said. "They probably want the spinners to work around Murali."

Murali also considered a stint in county cricket, playing for Surrey, but that is unlikely because Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) doesn't want him to play too much cricket before the World Cup. Cricinfo also learnt that the selectors and management have privately communicated their desire for him to play on until the World Cup, counting on his experience in the big tournament.

About a year ago, Murali had announced he would retire after the home series against West Indies late this year, but in last November he said he could advance the Test retirement. "I am 37 years old and I can't bowl as much as those days because I get tired after 15-16 overs," he had told Cricinfo then. "But I will try and play a little bit of one-day cricket - that's only 10 overs to bowl. If I find everything is not going well I might retire from both forms of the game before the World Cup."

Murali has taken 792 wickets in 132 Tests and 515 wickets in 337 ODIs. Galle will be an interesting shot at retiring with 800 Test wickets.

YouTube Also Hacked, Google Claims Its Fixed

2010-07-06T13:16:00.000+05:30

Youtube also had its share of hackers this weekend. These hackers placed several off-colour pop ups redirecting to adult content. They also used advantage of a cross-site scripting vulnerability to leave flaming comments on various users. Justin Bieber seemed to be the most unfortunate victim. Google temporarily shut down its comment section following this. Google says its officially taken care of this and plugged the holes the hackers used to get in.

Blackberry Goes Royal

2010-07-06T13:10:00.000+05:30

While Queen Elizabeth was in Canada, she hung out for a bit at the country's most successful company, Research in motion. she got a white Blackberry Bold 9700 She's not the only person in the British royal family to have a Blackberry. Prince Charles has a Storm 9520.

HTC Smart Mobile Phone

2010-07-06T13:07:00.000+05:30

HTC has had quite a bit success with their slew of Android devices that seem immensely popular with all demographics. However so far, they haven’t really been able to tap into the budget segment i.e. under Rs. 10,000 , the Smart is undoubtedly their attempt to bridge the gap. This is their cheapest Smartphone yet and here’s my opinion on whether or not it’s worth the money and lives up to its name.

Form Factor
The Smart is a pretty sleek new handset that’s got just that right amount of weight (108g) for good balance. It’s just 12.8mm thin so it’s easy to carry around without leaving a bulge in your pocket. HTC has gone with a 2.8-inch resistive touch screen that has a 240 x 320 pixel resolution. Although it’s not too visually appealing I have no complaints about the overall clarity even in the bright outdoors, wherever you can find it these days.

The button set up is not one of my favourite things about the handset. It has a small key just below display that’s can pull up the menus, it’s quite tiny. The large ‘Arrow’ key is for returning to the previous menu or if pressed and held will return you directly to the main desktop menu. A 3.5mm handsfree port is located at the top with a mini USB (although it may look like one) port at the bottom. The volume keys are neatly camouflaged along the chromed border and a camera shutter release is located on the other side in the same way. A hot swap MicroSD card slot is located just under the rear panel on one side.

It’s a simple yet professional looking handset.

Features and Performance
Interface
The Smart is running on a new OS designed by Qualcomm, called Brew Mobile which comes off as quite Android-ish complete with multiple desktops, full page widgets, shortcuts etc. The settings options and other subtle functions all appear that way too. Nevertheless it’s easy to manage, customize and navigate. It’s fluid and the Smart’s 300MHz processor enables speedy delivery of access to the various features and functions. I like the layout, it’s comfortable, however multitasking is not the handset’s strongest point. A standard mobile keypad of the virtual variety obviously is available, however you do have the option of switching to landscape with a QWERTY option as well. Don’t let the small keys fool you, if you’ve calibrated the screen properly, it’s very handy for speedy typing.

If you’re used to hitting the ‘Call End’ to return to the main screen you’ll have to re-learn that habit. The Smart’s end key will lock the screen, so you’ll have to press and hold the Arrow button to return to the main desktop.

Media
Unfortunately, just like the Android’s player, this one is also strictly play and listen with no customizable options to alter audio output. However, on the plus side, the tone quality is really good and the decibel level is high enough for you to listen to your music peacefully even in the obnoxiously loud local trains at peak hour. Playlists can be created on the device itself but it doesn’t allow for individual folder viewing/playback in case that’s how you categorize your music. The FM radio worked out really well with clear reception almost everywhere I went. It scanned and saved all available stations in about 8 seconds which is quite impressive. Video Playback is limited to just 3GP and standard mobile MPEG 4 formats. Playback and viewing is quite comfortable on the 2.8-inch display. Large JPEG files may take a little while to load but that’s only to be expected for lower end handsets.

World Cup boosts May UK retail sales

2010-07-06T12:34:00.002+05:30

UK retail sales rose strongly in May, with analysts citing the World Cup as the main reason for the pick-up.

Sales volumes rose by a bigger-than-expected 0.6% from April, helped by a 1.7% jump in household goods sales and a 1% increase in food sales, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Analysts said sales of televisions and food ahead of the World Cup had boosted the figures.

However, the ONS revised down its sales growth figure for April.

It said retail sales failed to grow in April compared with the previous month, down from the 0.3% growth initially reported.

The ONS data showed that sales volumes in May were up 2.2% from the same point last year.

"It looks like consumer spending is on course to make a decent contribution to GDP growth in the second quarter," commented Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight.

"The breakdown of the May sales data suggest that there was a boost from the World Cup as household goods sale... were likely lifted markedly by sales of widescreen TVs so that fans could enjoy the football more."

UK economy continues to grow, says BCC

2010-07-06T12:32:00.000+05:30

The UK economy continued to grow in the second quarter of this year, according to a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

The organisation, which collected data from 5,600 businesses across the country, predicted growth for the three months to the end of June of between 0.6% and 0.7%.

However, serious concerns over sustained recovery remained, it warned.

It found that the service sector presented the biggest worry.

The BCC's members reported sluggish growth in retail and services, which account for around three quarters of the country's gross domestic product.

Another, more tangible problem was the rising cost of raw materials, cited by 80% of its manufacturing members as putting pressure on prices.

Set against that, manufacturing export sales rose to their highest level in almost four years, largely thanks to what the BCC called a "more competitive exchange rate".

Employment also rose within the manufacturing sector.

David Frost, the director general of the BCC, said: "With very austere times ahead, no one should kid themselves into thinking that the UK's economic recovery is totally secure."

The survey comes two days before the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, which is responsible for setting interest rates, is due to give its latest decision on what they should be.

Vodka skin

2010-07-06T12:29:00.002+05:30

Preparation time: less than 30 mins

Cooking time: no cooking required

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 lemon, two strips zest only
50ml premium vodka
15ml pomegranate syrup
twist of grapefruit zest, to garnish

Preparation method

Add the lemon zest, vodka and pomegranate syrup to a cocktail shaker.
Add the crushed ice and shake well. Strain the mixture into a martini glass.
To serve, garnish the glass with a twist of grapefruit peel.

Spiced fish omelette

2010-07-06T12:28:00.001+05:30

Preparation time: less than 30 mins

Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ onion, peeled, grated
5 curry leaves
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled, crushed
1 birds' eye chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
200g/7oz cooked salmon, flaked
100g coconut cream, grated
6 free-range eggs, beaten
1 tbsp double cream
1 tsp turmeric

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Heat the mustard seeds in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat until they begin to pop. (CAUTION: Keep the pan well away from eyes and face.) Add the vegetable oil, onion and curry leaves and fry for 4-5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chilli and garam masala and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the flaked salmon and coconut cream.
Meanwhile, beat the egg, double cream and turmeric together in a bowl until well combined and pour into the frying pan, stirring a little. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to the oven to bake for 4-5 minutes, or until the egg is cooked through.