News Hive

India vs Pakistan in ICC World Cup 2011 : Sachin Tendulkar gears up

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 11:42:00 +0000

Just one step away from his hundredth century in international cricket, Sachin Tendulkar is leaving no stone unturned while preparing for the semi-final against Pakistan here. With Pakistan possessing considerable pace and precision in its arsenal, the little master practised against the fast and rising deliveries at the PCA Stadium here on Monday.

Batting on a separate strip which had a marble slab, Tendulkar asked the net boys to bounce the ball off it at top pace. He practised his late and upper cuts for almost half an hour, asking the bowlers to change the pace accordingly.

The wicket in Mohali is known to have a fair amount of pace and carry and irrespective of any pace attack that Pakistan selects on Wednesday — Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz or Gul and Shoaib Akhtar — there will be no dearth of the short stuff.

After the outing, Tendulkar worked on his new bats with a wooden hammer, knocking out any dents and compacting the grains of the blade. The veteran opener has been working on a new set of bats for a few days now and has made its preparation an exact science.

The entire Indian team had a bowling and batting session, with only Zaheer Khan taking time out to work on some strengthening exercises. It was only after all the other bowlers had a fairly long run did the leftarm pacer decide to roll his arm over. Harbhajan Singh, who had joined the team late on Sunday after returning from his home town Jalandhar, bowled with the rest of the spinners – Piyush Chawla and R Ashwin.

The Indian team had a session with motivational expert Mike Horn late on Sunday and given the importance of the match, all help would be welcome at this point.

The Indian batting line up is slowly coming into its own in the tournament and Pakistan know that it will be a battle between their bowling and India’s batting. With pace spearhead Umar Gul troubling the batsmen with pace and swing, the new ball bowler is looking forward to his battle with the Indian top order. “I am an opening bowler and am supposed to take wickets of top order batsmen. Whether it is Sachin or Sehwag, it doesn’t really matter. My job is to take wickets,” he said after training here on Monday. “I am enjoying my bowling at the moment. It would be a good experience to bowl against India.

“I have been bowling well in this World Cup and I am at my peak at the moment. Our bowling department is also doing very well, with Afridi as the leading wicket-taker. Our bowling is good and after the last game, even our top order has started to click.”

What could make the contest even sharper is the prospect of seeing Shoaib Akhtar face of against Tendulkar for one last time, even though the possibility of that happening seems slim given the fitness issues of the pacer. Gul, however, hoped that Akhtar would play and share the load with him.

“Shoaib is a great and experienced bowler. If he plays along with me, it will be good as there will be less pressure on me. Last time, I bowled alone and the entire responsibility was on me. It’s wrong to say the team is upset with him. The team is together and there is no problem between Akthar and the management.”

Gul said that dew could be a factor in the day-night encounter, though the team hadn’t had a look at the venue after dusk. PCA curator Daljeet Singh said that over the past few days, very little dew had been witnessed and anyhow, the possibility of heavy dew this time of the year were slim.

Army general Hooda showcaused in Adarsh case

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:16:00 +0000

Major general R. K. Hooda, an additional director general with the army’s mechanised infantry, has been served a showcause notice by the Pune- based Southern Command for his alleged involvement in the Adarsh land scam.

Hooda is the only serving army officer against whom action has been taken in connection with the scam. He was the general officer commanding of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa from November 2007 till July 2010, when he joined army headquarters.

A three- member court of inquiry had been instituted to probe whether Hooda had hidden facts from his superiors, whether he had issued the mandatory “ no- objection certificate’ and how he managed to a get an apartment at the housing complex that was meant for the families of Kargil martyrs. The court of inquiry, led by Lieutenant- General J. S. Rawat, wound up two days ago.

Army sources said that Hooda has already responded to the showcause and now the “ competent authority”, the Southern Army Command, will have to decide what action would be taken against him.

DMRC chief Sreedharan not impressed with Delhi Metro Airport Express line

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:50:00 +0000

DMRC chief E. Sreedharan felt so bitter after a surprise inspection of the Airport Express line on Tuesday that he decided to make his views public.

Here’s what he didn’t like: He wants the speed of the trains increased to 120kmph from the present 105kmph He was disappointed with the present frequency of the trains moving 20 minutes apart and wants the frequency of the trains increased He was dissatisfied with passenger amenities at the stations.

The Airport Express line does not have any tea or coffee vending machines. Sreedharan felt the stations must have refreshment kiosks Lack of proper signages and mobile connectivity in the underground sections Announcements made inside the trains and at stations were not adequate and, often, inaccurate Sreedharan boarded a train at New Delhi at 9am and travelled up to Dwarka Sector 21. He got down at all the operational stations on the line and personally inspected the amenities.

“ There should be seamless platform to platform connectivity for commuters moving from the Delhi Metro network to the airport link and vice- versa at the Dwarka Sector- 21 station,” he said in a statement later.

The airport line is run by Reliance Infra-owned Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL). DMRC supervises the running of the line. Sreedharan had earlier also criticised DAMEPL when it failed to start the project on time. The airport link is the first project where the Delhi Metro has gone for a public- private partnership.

Metro’s statement following Sreedharan’s visit, however, has some positive remarks about the airport line. “ He appreciated the efforts of the staff in keeping the system neat and clean. He said the corridor was one of the most technologically advanced in the world and was at par or even better than most other airport Metro links in the other cities globally,” the statement said.

DAMEPL officials, when questioned about Sreedharan’s dissatisfaction, defended themselves and said measures were being taken to address the problems.

Hike in toll rate again on Gurgaon expressway

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:30:00 +0000

Commuters using the Gurgaon expressway will have to pay more from April 1 this year. It is for the fifth time that toll charges for the 27.7 km expressway have been increased by the authorities in the past three years.

According to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials, this is an annual practice and it was increased in 2010 as well at the same time.

According to the new rate, the cars would have to shell out Rs 21 per trip at the 32-lane toll plaza. At present, car commuters pay Rs 20 per trip at this toll plaza. Executives of DSC Limited, which collects the toll, said the user fee for cars would also increase at Kherki Dhaula and IGI toll plazas.

“The toll charge for cars at Kherki Dhaula would be Rs 27 against the present fee of Rs 25. Similarly, we propose to increase the toll at IGI plaza from Rs 13 to Rs 14 per trip,” an executive said.

A DSC spokesperson said commuters can buy discounted smart tags at Rs 1200 as against their normal price of Rs 1500. The scheme is now available till April 15, 2011. During this period, the company would also provide a free replacement of all faulty tags provided they have not been damaged or tampered with, he added.

The calculation for revised toll has been done based on the provisions of the concession agreement.

IAF nod to night take-offs for India Pakistan match at Mohali

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:45:00 +0000

India's top corporate bosses and Bollywood stars can heave a sigh of relief as Indian Air force authorities ( IAF) have permitted late night take- offs for their private jets/ chartered flights from the restricted Chandigarh airport.

VIPs and business tycoons will be in the city on Wednesday to watch the high voltage India-Pakistan World Cup semi- final at Mohali.

They will, however, not be allowed to park their aircraft at the defence airport because of limited bays. The private jets will have to drop their passengers, fly back to Delhi, Ambala or Amritsar and pick them up late in the evening.

It was earlier reported that the IAF was “not too happy” about extending night operations to accommodate private flights for the day and night cricketing spectacle. The airport shuts down after 8 pm, but top business tycoons were keen to fly back the same night.

“ As it is an international event, the airport will be open after 8 pm, till the early morning hours. The request for private aircraft/ chartered flights has increased to around 40,” a senior IAF official said.

According to Airport Authority of India / IAF officials, the chartered aircrafts will be accommodated between the slots available to scheduled flights. Business houses which have put in requests include Reliance Group, Jindal and Bhushan Steel.

RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani, along with his family members is expected to be present for the high profile event.

DDA application status now available for the applicants

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:23:00 +0000

Delhi Development Authority (DDA) working on its own pace has now made available the application status of the applicants who applied for the draw of 16,000 flats in the last month of 2010. Applicants can now check their application status on the official website of DDA to make sure that application has been accepted and would be featuring in the draw which is scheduled in the last week of April, 2011.

DDA officials earlier had made it mandatory that the deposit and then the complete amount are only made from a single bank account. “ The income tax department will be apprised of all the buyers’ details. If discrepancies are noticed in the forms, we will forward the details to police,” said a DDA official.

The flats on offer are lucrative as they are below the prevailing market rates by 50 to 80 per cent, officials said. While the cheapest flats are available at Rs 1,536 per square feet, the expensive ones are priced at Rs 6,069 square feet. The draw for the flats will be held by April 2011.

While 17.5 per cent of the flats were reserved for Scheduled Castes, 7.5 per cent of them will go to Scheduled Tribes and 1 per cent each for war widows, physically handicapped and ex- servicemen.

No official information has been made public on the number of forms which are rejected due to the discrepancy found in the information entered in the forms.

Joseph Lelyveld new book claims Mahatma Gandhi was bisexual, racist

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:55:00 +0000

A new book by Pulitzer Prize winning author Joseph Lelyveld titled Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India, claims that Gandhi was bisexual and left his wife, Kasturba, to live with Hermann Kallenbach, the German- born Jewish architect who became his acolyte and financier of the Tolstoy Farm near Johannesburg.

Joseph Lelyveld’s hypothesis that Mahatma Gandhi left Kasturba to spend two years with his architect associate Hermann Kallenbach to further an alleged homosexual relationship, exposes a complete disregard for facts.

The Mahatma, according to Australian Gandhian scholar Thomas Weber, shared Kallenbach’s house, six miles from Johannesburg, at the height of his agitation against the racist Transvaal Asiatic Registration Act, which was enacted to get rid of Indians from South Africa. To concentrate on his campaign, Gandhi cut back on his hugely successful law practice, which partly funded the movement, and abandoned his Johannesburg home in a fashionable neighbourhood to keep his expenses down.

Like all decisions Gandhi took in his public life, it was driven by pragmatism. And Kasturba, as South African historian Kalpana Hiralal of the University of Kwazulu-Natal has shown, took charge of the Phoenix Settlement near Durban because her husband had no time for it.

When the Transvaal government incarcerated Gandhi for two months in January 1908, Kasturba, “in solidarity with her hus- band, lived on a diet of unsalted, unsweetened, unflavoured cornmeal mush or ‘mealie pap’.”

When he heard Kasturba’s health had deteriorated, Gandhi wrote from jail: “A great pain nibbles my heart. I am full of sorrow yet I cannot come and serve you.” These are not the words of a man who had deserted his wife to be with his “male lover”.

A wealthy architect who had developed upscale townships around Johannesburg, and financed the 1,100-acre Tolstoy Farm as a community for satyagraha volunteers and their families, Kallenbach met Gandhi in 1903. The man who brought them together was a barrister and co-secretary of the Natal Indian Congress, R.K. Khan. Gandhi made Kallenbach, a lifelong bachelor who called Kasturba ‘Mother’ and doted on the Mahatma’s four sons (his friend banned him from giving his children expensive toys!), give up his expensive ways as well as turn his back on alcohol and tobacco.

Writing in 1929 about their time together, Gandhi recounted how, under his influence, Kallenbach “reduced himself to such simplicity” that his monthly expenses on himself came down from Rs.1,200, “over and above house rent”, to Rs.120.

In The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi says Kallenbach was convinced he “must carry out in his life the changes I was making in mine”. Referring to their time together in his other book, Satyagraha in South Africa, he writes: “He would be hurt if I offered to pay him my share of the household expenses, and would plead that I was responsible for considerable savings in his domestic economy.”

Had the hyper-confessional Gandhi nurtured any feelings for Kallenbach other than bonhomie, he would have devoted reams on the subject. Instead, he just presents a loving account of their friendship that lasted much after he had left South Africa.

Gilani pads up for India Pakistan Semi Final at Mohali

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:52:00 +0000

Paksitani Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani will visit India to watch the World Cup semi- final in Mohali on Wednesday, President Asif Ali Zardari’s aide said. Farhatullah Babar, Zardari’s spokesman, said Gilani’s visit was finalised late on Saturday after the PM met the president following his return from Uzbekistan.

Sources in the presidency said Gilani and Zardari discussed the invitation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to both. “ Protocol suggests that Gilani should visit as the invitation has come from the Indian PM,” a source said, describing how the decision was made. They also discussed whether the visit should be kept informal or made a substantial event to take forward the process of bilateral dialogue.

“ The visit will be utilised to expedite the process of normalisation of Indo- Pak ties and as a precursor to the resumption of the composite dialogue,” the source said. The other issue discussed was whether Gilani should take a sizeable delegation with him.

“ This has been left undecided for now and will be finalised after talks between members of the federal cabinet, the ruling coalition and the Opposition parties,” the source added. “ The PM may ask some senior Opposition politicians to accompany him.” Indian government sources said they expected at least a dozenmember strong delegation with Gilani. The team may include Pakistan’s minister of state for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, foreign secretary Salman Bashir and information minister Ashiq Awan.

This could mean India may send foreign secretary Nirupama Rao with the PM to watch the match. Analysts have welcomed the developments. “ Even if the visit ends up as a symbolic gesture, I support it because it is coming after the two sides have shied away from direct bilateral visits at the highest level for many years,” Dr Hasan Askari Rizi, a political scientist based in Lahore, said.

“ Cricket being the common passion, the match should become an occasion where the two sides start seeing how much we have in common and how much we lose by stressing upon differences,” Dr Muhammad Waseem, another Lahore- based analyst, said.

Graeme Smith short of words : Chokers choked yet again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 04:02:00 +0000

South Africa captain Graeme Smith didn't have enough words to eplain to what happened when his team choked again — for the umpteenth time — and their dream of winning a World Cup title remains. The fireworks that went off at the Sher- e- Bangla Stadium immediately after they lost to New Zealand in the quarter- final here on Friday seemed to be mocking them for failing to win a match that they should have easily clinched.

On Friday, the South African batsmen failed to come good chasing 221 after their bowlers had so beautifully set up the game. Full credit to all- rounder Jacob Oram for capturing four crucial wickets and Jesse Ryder for scoring a fine 83 that guided New Zealand to a 49- run win with 6.4 overs to spare. The victory took them to their sixth semifinal in the premier tournament.

New Zealand won the toss and posted 221 for eight wickets, with Jesse Ryder (83, 121 balls, 8x4s) and Ross Taylor (43, 72 balls, 1x4, 1x6) being the top scorers. Morne Morkel took three wickets for South Africa. Chasing, South Africa were all out for 172 in 43.2 overs, with Jacques Kallis being the top scorer with 47 (75 balls, 3x4s).

New Zealand bowlers bowled with purpose and the fielders gave it their all, diving and stopping with their full might. Determination oozed in their efforts and it paid rich dividends. They held some crucial catches too, like the brilliant one by Oram that dismissed dangerman Jacques Kallis.

New Zealand had lost in the semifinal in the 2007 World Cup and now Daniel Vettori’s boys have an opportunity to attempt to win the first title for their country. In the first semifinal in Colombo on Tuesday, the Kiwis will play the winner of the England- Sri Lanka quarter- final on Saturday, also to be played in Colombo.

In the five editions before this one, South Africa were eliminated thrice in the semi- finals, once in the quarter- final and on one occasion they exited from the first round. South Africa have a strong enough batting line- up, but on the day of reckoning they failed to deliver. They lost their last eight wickets for 64 to lose the match abysmally.

Earlier, New Zealand batsmen again failed to exploit the advantage of batting first as speedsters Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn checked their progress. Jesse Ryder was the only batsman who managed to cross the half- century mark (83, 121 balls, 8x4s) while Ross Taylor (43, 72 balls, 1x4, 1x6) came close to it.

New Zealand's batting had let them down in the group stage and only twice before did they manage to post 300- plus totals and only once a 200- plus score. Their best batting performance came against Pakistan and they also managed to win that game.

Like South Africa, New Zealand too were hit by the lack of good partnerships. And a middle order collapse, in which they lost six wickets for 80 in 15.5 overs, further hampered their progress. The Kiwis would have been in a more precarious position had it not been for the lone meaningful partnership for the third wicket between Ryder, who crossed 1,000 ODI runs during his innings, and Taylor.

They were instrumental in taking the Kiwis to a respectable, if not a competitive, total as they scored 114 in 27 overs for the third wicket.

The quick departures of Taylor and Ryder — only 23 runs were scored between their dismissals — put paid to the Kiwi hopes of a big total. The rest of the middle and lower order simply failed to rise to the occasion.

Sucker Punch Movie Review, Rating

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:34:00 +0000

Every time Zack Snyder directs a new film, ghosts of his 2006 cult hit, 300 , return. Snyder must live with that burden of comparison till he has made a better film than 300. Sucker Punch is not that film.

Coming from the man who also gave us Watchmen in 2009, the new film does reaffirm Snyder’s craft of mixing dark fantasy and stylish violence. But the effect, wild as ever, does nothing new to push the envelope on the filmmaker’s cinematic idiom beyond what we have already seen.

Snyder, like most makers of dark capers in Hollywood right now, has never ignored the importance of eye candy. Watchmen had some, by way of Malin Akerman and Carla Gugino in the butt- kick mode — suitably dressed in slinky tights to augment sex appeal. Fast zoom- ins balanced with sleek slow- mo action makes for a spectacle if the stunts are canned on PYTs. And Sucker Punch gives you an adventure of five heroines (with an eye at the lucrative Oriental market, one among the wild five is Korean- American actress Jamie Chung).

Nattily, the five girls have been given ‘ hot chick’ names too. Emily Browning plays the heroine Baby Doll. Her sidekicks are Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens, who isn’t blonde by the way) and Amber (Jamie Chung).

The film unfolds as an action fantasy that mostly takes place in the vivid imagination of Baby Doll. The girl must conjure a world of dreams to escape the sordid reality at hand and become a hero by busting the evil forces. The five girls have been locked away in an asylum against their will. As the lines between real and fantasy blur, Baby Doll takes it on herself to lead a fight to escape their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac) and Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino).

They must retrieve five items that will help them break free.

That brief synopsis could give you the idea Snyder’s Sucker Punch is influenced by Guillermo del Toro’s global Spanish hit Pan’s Labyrinth , which was about how a little girl lapses into an eerie fantasy world to escape real- life miseries and become a hero in her own eyes by performing three gruesome tasks.

The similarities between Sucker Punch and Pan’s Labyrinth begin and end with the basic idea. Snyder’s comicbookish outlook is very different from del Toro’s gritty style.

This isn’t an incredible film. With a script that is not wholly original, Sucker Punch rides some sexy SFX and sexier heroines as the action, at times bordering on gore, unleashes every imaginable warfare tool from swords to snakes.

Snyder and his co- writer Steve Shibuya reportedly took five years to complete this script. In various interviews the director has said Baby Doll’s spurts of fantasy, which form the backdrop for all the violence to evolve, were inspired by Hamlet ’s ‘ play within a play’ concept. It would have come across more finely if Snyder and company’s focus was less on close- ups of women in tights and more on the film’s potential subtexts.

Rating - 3 / 5

Fans had a blast in Motera, now awaits Mohali cricket stadium

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:03:00 +0000

All roads in Ahmedabad were leading to one place on Thursday, the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera that witnessed a fierce quarter- final battle between India and Australia.

With colourful turbans and tricolours in their hands, people of all ages and sections of society marched their way into the venue to watch another episode in one of the most talked- about rivalries in recent times. There were thousands of people on the streets and the cops had a difficult time controlling the traffic in sweltering heat. In fact, even the Indian team bus was made to wait for some time outside the venue with a big crowd around the main gate of the stadium.

“ We expected India to play either Pakistan or Australia here and we have got the best match of the World Cup so far,” said a college student who had come along with his friends to watch the match. “ We want to see an Indian victory here and a special knock from Tendulkar will be icing on the cake,” he added.

Everybody looked in festive mood with a possible 100th international century for Sachin Tendulkar being the talk of the town. While those with tickets looked to be the most satisfied lot on earth, there were those as well who hung around the stadium in hope of getting one from somewhere at the last moment.

There was a lot of activity in the stadium with a huge 15- feet bat being the cynosure of all eyes. It had messages from the fans, wishing luck to the home team. However, it took just a few minutes for the crowd to settle down in the 48,000- capacity Motera stadium with more than an hour left for the first ball of the match to be bowled. The stand at the pavilion end almost turned blue like the sea with Indian fans choosing to be in that colour to support their team.

The vociferous crowd ensured that every Australian wicket was well cheered but the loudest cheer came when Tendulkar came in to bowl the 30th over. It is rarely that Tendulkar is seen bowling these days and his last over in international cricket came 14 matches back. While it was easy to figure out which team the crowd was supporting, it still applauded Ricky Ponting’s 30th ODI century.

India vs Australia: Fans await Tendulkar landmark

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:12:00 +0000

When India play mighty Australia in the second quarter-final of ICC World Cup 2011, the biggest interest among fans in the last league game will be whether Sachin Tendulkar, the most decorated cricketer of all time, will score his 100th international century.

The maestro has 48 centuries in 449 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 51 in 177 Test matches, but none of the one- day tons have come at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here. So, it will be only fitting for the Mumbaikar to become the world’s first player to reach the landmark at a venue where he hasn’t performed as well as he has done on many of the 95 others.

Tendulkar, 37, has managed only 188 runs in five ODIs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and his highest score has been 68. Even the senior pro is aware that his Chennai fans deserve to see a 24- carat innings from him.

With probably that in mind, on Saturday he had a long and serious batting stint at the pitch adjacent to the main one, even practising reverse sweeps — a shot that he rarely plays.

In 38 ODIs against the West Indies, Tendulkar has made four centuries with a tally of 1,571 runs at 54.17. Like all his team ates, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni too admitted that he was lucky to have a player like Tendulkar to play alongside.

India captain Mahendra Singh Singh said that team along with Sachin are focused more towards getting ahead in the competition rather than thinking about the records. Dhoni feels that the inexplicable batting collapse against South Africa & West Indies was an aberration and his batsmen are experienced enough to realise their mistakes and refrain from committing them again against Australia here on Thursday.

Dhoni refrained from admonishing his batsmen for capitulation where India lost the last nine wickets for a mere 29 runs in nine overs. South Africa won that game by three wickets with two balls to spare.

US dubbed NDA IC-814 trade off as ‘defeat’

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:33:00 +0000

An ignominious decision, and defeat — this is how the US described the NDA government’s trade- off of three dreaded terrorists for the 194 passengers and crew of Indian Airlines flight IC- 814 in 1999.

That the US government was itself hardly interested in sharing information pertaining to the hijack plot when the UPA government came to power in 2004 is another matter. These are the latest revelations pouring out of the secret cables released by WikiLeaks.

“ The previous NDA government’s decision to trade IC-814 passengers for terrorists in Indian jails was an ignominious decision, and defeat. The UPA wants at least to learn what the hijackers, who they believe are in our custody, know of the operation,” wrote US official Robert Blake in a cable on November 18, 2005.

In 2005, India sought information on Mansoor Akhtar, minister in Afghanistan’s Taliban government, and Akhtar Usmani, Taliban corps commander in Kandahar.

The Union government wanted to ascertain the role played by Afghan Taliban authorities in the plot. It wanted the US to provide the photo of IC-814 conspirator Abdul Rauf and evidence relating to the landing of the hijacked plane in Lahore.

But the US cables showed that the Americans were not keen to divulge the details, and called the Indian requests fishing expeditions. “ We need to bring an end to this cycle of requests, and a clear negative response would be preferable to a fruitless dialogue. The FBI will not agree to requests it deems fishing expeditions,” a US cable of May 13, 2005, said.

The US was also frustrated with the CBI not passing on information about the hijack to it. The US wanted to try the plotters on its soil as one of its citizens was on the plane. To date, no one has been indicted in the US in the IC-814 case.

India too hasn’t been able to get to the real masterminds.

GRP vows to streamline body claiming process

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:28:00 +0000

With Railways becoming synonymous with accidents and deaths, the bodies of the unfortunate victims are not getting identified and therefore failing to get respectable final rites. The top brass of Maharashtra Government Railway Police (GRP), have chalked out an ambitious initiative to end this malaise.

To make it feasible for relatives of the dead to claim the bodies, the state police will soon flag off a special drive and provide vital inputs to close kin to help them identify the deceased. The officials revealed that almost 40 per cent of the deceased fail to get identified due to the severity of the accident.

GRP officials stated that several people die untimely death in railway accidents, the major reasons being getting hit by a pole, electrocution, falling down from a moving train etc. Raj Khilnani, Additional Director General of Police (Railways) said, " There has been a slight improvement in the number of bodies getting claimed, however, we want to further raise the bar and hence would start a special drive to help the kin of the deceased."

The officials claimed that they would make a detailed record of information of those who have died in an accident. The record will include details of the physical description, luggage, any other belongings found, and identification marks of the deceased. In case the face is not distorted, the face will be photographed for further reference.

The officials revealed that similar details were collected on smaller scale earlier, but the uniqueness of this drive will be that the above mentioned points would be penned down as official record which will help the police streamline the earlier vague process.

Central Government employees gets 6% hike in dearness allowance (DA)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:33:00 +0000

Central Government employees and pensioners will get a mid year bonanza with the Union Cabinet approving a six per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA) to compensate for the rising prices.

The move, which comes just ahead of the elections to five state assemblies, would benefit over 50 lakh employees in addition to 38 lakh pensioners. The decision to hike DA was taken by the Union Cabinet at its meeting in on Tuesday.

Sources said that the new DA, which would come into effect from January 1, would increase the DA benefits from the present 45 per cent to 51 per cent of the basic pay.

The relief comes as retail prices are ruling high on over nine per cent inflation. The combined impact of the hike will be Rs. 5,715.90 crore per annum.

Amitabh Bachchan in Rajnikanth new film Rana

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:22:00 +0000

A new film Rana will see two Bollywood supremos on the big screen, together. For, Amitabh Bachchan is all set to do a cameo in a film which has Rajnikanth as its lead. This will bring the two superstars together on the screen after a span of 20 years.

Rumours suggest that Big B will do a few scenes in the second half of the film. But no other detail about his character has been made public, yet. According to the buzz, after Robot, Rajnikanth has started to work on K. S. Ravikumar’s Tamil action epic Rana , in which he will don three roles.

In the film, he will be seen opposite three actresses — Deepika opposite the young Rajni, Vidya opposite the middle-aged Rajni and Rekha with the old one.

Rajnikanth and Big B’s friendship dates back to their younger days when the two appeared together in films such as Andha Kanoon and Giraftar . The last time the two biggies came together in a film was in 1991 when they appeared in Mukul Anand’s Hum . Those who had expected to see Amitabh and Rekha’s sizzling chemistry once again in Rana , are in for disappointment as Rekha will be seen in the frame with Rajnikanth, alone.

Govt gives Rs 1,071 cr boost to Delhi Metro under Delhi Budget 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:16:00 +0000

The Delhi Metro Metro will soon have another 103 km on its network, as construction under its ambitious Phase- III project will start this year, Sheila Dikshit announced on Tuesday. The chief minister, while presenting the state budget, allocated Rs. 1,071 crore for the Delhi Metro during 2011- 12.

The Delhi chief minister’s announcement is expected to breathe fresh life into the Phase- III project that has been delayed for quite some time because of the unavailability of funds.

Dikshit announced that the third phase of the Metro would involve a total cost of about Rs. 32,000 crore. Of the Rs. 1,071 crore that has been earmarked for the development of the Metro, Rs. 708 crore will be utilised for Phase- III while the remaining Rs. 363 crore will be the balance for Phase- II, officials said.

In her budget speech, the CM said the completion of the Phase- II of the Metro had evoked a “ huge response” from passengers. More than 16 lakh passengers commute on the Delhi Metro’s 186-km lines daily, she said.

Officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said they welcomed the allocation, though they were yet to analyse the details. “ It is a positive step, though we are awaiting the details of the allocation,” a DMRC officer said.

Earlier, the Union government had promised an allocation of Rs. 1,453 crore to the Delhi Metro in its budget. Of this, Rs. 580 crore has been earmarked for Phase-III. Of the rest, Rs. 771 crore will be spent on Phase- II and the rest for the Airport Express line.

Salman Khan to host Khatron Ke Khiladi 4 replacing Akshay Kumar ?

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:17:00 +0000

Has Salman Khan replaced Akshay Kumar as the host of the new season of Khatron Ke Khiladi ? The buzz doing the rounds suggests that Khatron Ke Khiladi 4, which was supposed to be anchored by the original action hero Akshay, will now be hosted by Salman.

What’s interesting is that Akshay has not been told about this latest development by the channel Colors , which plans to air the show after the conclusion of the upcoming IPL season.

The channel has remained tight- lipped about the development and has not yet confirmed if Salman has officially replaced Akki, who had hosted the first two seasons of the adventure show based on the international hit Fear Factor . Sources close to Salman said the actor has been shooting in Bangkok for his next film Ready , and the production unit of Khatron Ke Khiladi has approached him to appear in the promotional videos for the show.

Interestingly, Salman’s year on the small screen is packed. He has already been signed for Bigg Boss 5 , also aired on Colors . Salman’s popularity was judged by the decent viewership achieved by his previous reality show Bigg Boss 4 , while Akshay’s TV outing in Master Chef India on Star Plus had received only a lukewarm response from the audience.

Priyanka Chopra had snatched the reins of Khatron Ke Khiladi from Akki last season, anchoring the show during its third season. While the first two seasons featured female contestants, season three saw an all- male participant roster, which was the reason behind roping in Priyanka.

However, since her presence By Priyanka Srivastava in New Delhi did not help the show much, the channel had made plans to bring back Akki. But now it seems the channel wants to stick to Salman, who has a knack for raising the entertainment quotient on the small screen.

For his part, Akki is said to be none too pleased with this latest development. Compounding his confusion is the fact that the news is doing the rounds, but there has been no official intimation given to him by the channel.

“ Till now, the channel has not given any official intimation to the production unit. Officially, it is Akshay who is anchoring the show,” a channel spokesperson said, on condition of anonymity.

Looks like Salman has a new rivalry brewing with another superstar after his much- publicised feud with Shah Rukh Khan.

Water in Delhi found on toxic high on World Water Day 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 04:12:00 +0000

The quality of drinking water in Delhi has gone from bad to worse, a study has revealed. The revelations — coming on the eve of World Water Day — have been made by Hazard Centre, a Delhi- based NGO. Two years ago, the same organisation had conducted a similar study and concluded that water provided to most residents in the Capital is unfit for consumption.

This time, Hazard Centre conducted the study at resettlement colonies in Bawana and Bhalaswa, which have a combined population of more than four lakh people. Officials from the NGO collected drinking water samples from the area two months ago. The samples were then sent for testing.

The results? All samples were found to contain dangerously high levels of pesticide and heavy metals. The levels were even higher than what was obtained in the previous study.

“ We will come up with the final report by April. It will contain additional details about the extent and toxicity of other pollutants present,” Hazard Centre director Dunu Roy said. “ There is no denying that things have gone from bad to worse.” Activists of the Bhalaswa Lok Shakti Manch, a women’s group which works among the community in Bhalaswa, don’t question the findings.

“ The water, which we receive through MCD ( Municipal Corporation of Delhi) pipelines, resembles the colour of cola. Sometimes it turns yellow,” Manch head Pushpa, who prefers to use only one name, said.

“ Most of the people in the area develop skin problems, diarrhoea and rashes drinking this water,” she said. Pushpa added that residents such as herself who have an option prefer to get drinking water from other parts of the Capital where the quality is relatively better.

In 2009, Hazard Centre and Water Aid India had jointly conducted a similar study, collecting water samples from 53 different locations across Delhi.

The findings threw up a shocker — the only people who got water fit for consumption were those who lived in Gokulpuri ( near Bhagirathi water treatment plant), Mahavir Vihar and Kanjhawala.

The rest of the Capital was consuming water laced with fluoride, which is present mostly in chemical waste emitted by factories. The samples also contained other harmful contaminants such as lead, arsenic and cadmium. Besides, 38 samples showed the presence of faecal bacteria, 10 others had high amounts of pesticides.

Also, many sites that were classified as getting good quality water by the Central Ground Water Board were found to be actually getting non- potable water in the report.

Further blow to Delhi University semester switch

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 05:44:00 +0000

Two days after the semester system was shot down by teachers, a meeting of the committee of courses (syllabus making committee) of the English department, too, resolved that it is “ unviable to introduce the semester system in undergraduate BA English (Hons) courses” this year.

English has now become the third department — apart from Sociology and History — to deal a blow to Delhi University’s plan to switch over to semester system this year. Last year, DU had introduced semester system in 13 undergraduate science programmes.

However, at the same time, the department has ratified the revision of all concurrent (read compulsory) papers of English offered by all other undergraduate programmes of Delhi University as per semester mode.

In the resolution, which had 11 out of 15 votes in favour, the committee has cited lack of “ public discussion on the pedagogical and academic implications of semesterisation” as the reason for rejecting the implementation of semester system at the honours level this year.

“ The teachers have raised several academic arguments against why the English course is not suited for semesterisation, but we’ve never received a satisfactory reply from the university. So we have urged the university to initiate a process of discussion which could pave the way for its implementation,” a member of the committee, who did not wish to be identified, said.

In response to the vice chancellor’s proposal to simply bifurcate the syllabus to fit the academic calendar of two semesters, the resolution states: “ We also strongly feel that any attempt to bifurcate the BA English Honours syllabus would be harmful to realizing the pedagogical objectives of the programme and thus would adversely affect the interests of the students.” In an order issued to the head of the English department, the registrar has directed him to record the names of teachers who vote for and against the semester mode. The English committee of courses passed a separate resolution condemning this order.

The above decisions were being made in room number 50 of the Faculty of Arts. Teachers of English and other subjects staged an academic vigil outside to reiterate their rejection of the semester proposal.

“ The Faculty of Arts was out of bounds for us teachers and the proctor told us that this was because the university did not want the proceedings of the committee to be disrupted,” Nandita Narain, a professor of mathematics from St. Stephen’s College, who was part of the vigil outside the Faculty of Arts said.

India vs West Indies in ICC World Cup 2011 : India look to regain strength

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 19:34:00 +0000

Indian Cricket team is now feeling the pressure of the expectations of its over 100 crores fans. Team would have to do everything right in every match they play starting from competition against West Indies today as it is very important to go into knock outs with positive frame of mind and win this cup from there onwards, not for nation, not for fans, even not for themselves but for the legendary Tendulkar who has been fighting for the last 22 years to witness the moment.

Amidst of all this, reports of coming up about a fracas between the president elect of the BCCI and the chief selector ranged on one side and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the other over the composition of the team to play the West Indies in Chennai on Sunday?

Indian cricket, I would like to believe, however, has moved ahead from such feudalism since. In the present situation, talk of this whole ‘Chennai connection’ between the president-elect, the chief selector, the captain and two players seems just too pat.

I must qualify though that I write this on surmise based on what’s appeared in the media and with no first-hand information. If indeed, the agenda of the celebrated meeting in Chennai conforms to speculation, then my vote goes clearly to Dhoni. Once the squad has been chosen, the captain takes over as the custodian. For better or for worse will, of course, determine his future.

Four weeks into the World Cup, the line-up of teams for the quarter-final is still uncertain (at least from Group B), but the future of the one-day game seems secure.

In fact, it would be fair to say that because of the first premise, the second is true. One tied game, two upsets (Ireland and Bangladesh both beating England), a couple of last-over finishes and several close matches have captured the imagination of the spectators and viewers while leaving the suspense and tension about qualifiers lingering till the very end.

Stadiums have been jampacked wherever India has played, but there have been decent crowds to watch other major teams play too. As I write this, the Wankhede Stadium appears more than three fourths full for the New Zealand-Sri Lanka match. Considering that tickets have not come cheap, this is a very healthy turnout.

From the quarter-finals, I reckon there will be capacity crowds everywhere. Television ratings suggest that viewership has been the highest ever for any World Cup – but for key matches, not those involving some of the weaker teams. The performance of the minnow teams has been spirited, but the argument against so many of them being part of such a significant tournament does not get any weaker for that. Ten teams seems the optimum for 2015.

Before the start of this tournament, concern over the one-day game was widespread. It hardly needs reiterating that the Twenty20 format has been so engaging – for fans and sponsors – that it had become invasive, eating massively into the turf of ODIs. The T20 format – and the IPL certainly — cannot be wished away. But this World Cup has offered a lifeline to the one-day game. It was thought that ODIs had become predictable and boring, but with greater use of technology and innovations like Batting Powerplays, fresh life has been infused into the 50-50 game.

India will looking to regain its strength by introducing its well awaited trump card Ashwin in the tie against West Indies. Looking at the performances of all the other teams, I must say India is not far behind we just need to save some runs with our 4th mainstream bowler and that is only struggling point. Batting doing very fine and hopefully will be putting up a even better show. Zaheer doing well, Munaf doing fine with new ball but not fit to bowl death overs. Bhajji looking to come back in form. Fielding would remain the same as captain has already outlined.

Happy Holi : Use Natural Colours, better to celebrate Holi with SMS & Wishes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Colours, water guns, and gujia are the essence of Holi, the exuberant festival of colours. Though it’s fun to play with colours and water, the aftershocks are skin, hair and eye problems such as rashes, itching, allergies, corneal abrasion and dryness.

However, that does not mean you avoid joining in the excitement. It would be better to go the tech way and use the modern day amenities to wish and celebrate holi, however if you can't resist, just follow a few precautions to keep those health hazards at bay. “ Always pick up natural colours such as gulaal made from flowers such as rose and marigold.

Stay clear of heavy colours such as purple, electric blue, green and black since these often contain harmful metal oxides such as lead oxide, which are extremely harmful for the skin. The chemicals in these colours cause contact dermatitis and skin allergies,” says Dr Chiranjiv Chabbra, dermatologist, Skin Alive Clinic.

One also runs the risks of getting dry skin and pigmentation since some colours are photosensitive. When they come in contact with sunlight, they burn the skin. This leaves deep pigmentation, which in rare instances can even lead to skin cancer.

Washing and scrubbing the skin to get the colours off leads to an even more severe problem. The best way to protect your skin from the impact of colour is to apply coconut oil or vaseline an hour before you start playing. These act as a barrier against the colours by blocking the skin pores. The same rule applies to your hair, which also absorb colour in the roots and becomes weak and brittle. To prevent this, use baby oil or coconut oil.

People tend to use soaps to remove colours, which can be harmful since soaps contain esters that erode the skin layers and often cause a rash. It’s better to wash with plain water and use a soap- free cleanser.

Homemade besan and flour mixed in milk cream is also good for skin cleansing. Moisturise your skin generously after the bath and also use sun screen lotion since the dyes present in colours makes the skin more vulnerable to sun burns, darkening and rashes. If you feel slight irritation, apply calamine lotion.

Colour lodged in the nails is hard to deal with since it binds with the skin under the nail and you can end up with pink or green- coloured nails. Here again the best bet is to use petroleum jelly to prevent this. Also avoid a pedicure or manicure for a day or so. These treatments can either damage the nail or the cuticle, which is a covering between the skin and the nail. This way if the colour is lodged inside, it would be pushed deeper.

Health hazards at bay as you revel and rejoice during the colour riot During Holi, there is a need to save your eyes from irritants as well since colours are full of harmful compounds. The colours that stick to the inner surface of upper eyelid need to be removed by an ophthalmologist.

“ When coloured powder gets rubbed in the eye, it can lead to corneal abrasions, corneal ulcers and even tattooing of the cornea leading to a permanent fall in vision.

“ Wash the eye immediately and if vision is blurred rush to your nearest doctor. Don’t wait because the injury would not go away with time, it would only get worse,” Dr Deepak Vohra, senior dermatologist, Fortis Healthcare, said.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand : Both teams look for momentum ahead of the quarter finals

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:02:00 +0000

Perhaps the biggest talking point in the Sri Lanka- New Zealand clash is that the co- hosts are being made to play away from home. Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan have earlier said that playing at the venue of the World Cup final serves as an ideal preparation, but on Thursday, captain Kumara Sangakkara said they would miss their home crowd in Friday’s Group A match.

“ I think it’s always nice to play at home, in front of your home crowd and it’s the same situation for New Zealand and Sri Lanka for this game. Wickets in India seem to be more balanced than wickets in Sri Lanka. Here batting first or chasing is not much of a disadvantage, whereas in Sri Lanka the conditions do change to give the advantage to a certain side. And the totals seem to be higher here,” Sangakkara told reporters on the eve of the match in Mumbai.

“ Sometimes at certain stages when you don’t have that huge (crowd) presence, the huge expectations — maybe it is a bit easier. But they are very interested and are watching from home. We miss them greatly, at the same time we know if we win tomorrow we can give them something special.” Momentum is an oft- used word, but in a match where both teams have qualified for the quarterfinals, Sangakkara believes victory or defeat will not be as crucial. “ Every side likes to build momentum and take it in to the important stage. At the same time the side which does not win some first round games might win the final. The quarters, semis and finals are what really count — where it’s do- or- die,” he said.

Thursday marked the 15th anniversary of Sri Lanka winning their first, and only, World Cup, and the captain said they were using the victory of Arjuna Ranatunga’s team as an inspiration. “ That was inspiring to the whole country at that time. We look to it at certain times to learn things but we’ve got to forge own future,” he said.

The batting powerplay has proven to be a bit of a gamble at this World Cup, but Sangakkara believes there’s no point dwelling too much on it. “ One shouldn’t let the powerplay dominate too much of your thought and strategy. I think sometimes you can get too caught up in that. Every team which thinks of doing too much — it can cost you and turn games. You can use it to bowl out key bowlers of the opposition and you can use it to gather momentum. Scoring a huge amount of runs is not the only thing you can do with the powerplay.” For his part, Kiwi all- rounder Nathan McCullum believes making the quarter- finals alone is not satisfactory for the team.

“ We are excited to be there, but the job is not done. We are going into this match and the future games with the purpose of winning. We have a proud record in multi- team tournaments, but we haven’t won anything for a long time, so we are striving for consistency in all departments,” McCullum said.

The off- spinner believes Muttiah Muralitharan is the biggest threat to his team. “ Obviously Murali is a huge threat on any wicket. We played on this wicket on Sunday and we expect it to change a bit — I think it’s going to slow up, and tackling him will be the key,” he said.

DMK candidate list ignores alliance, Fickle Jaya rattles own boat in TN

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 03:32:00 +0000

The star studded alliance that AIADMK supremo Jayaalithaa had forged for the April 13 assembly poll has hit the bump with the allies threatening to part ways over seat-sharing. The allies have indicated that they may form a third front, jolted by the AIADMK’s unilateral announcement of candidates for 160 seats even before identifying constituencies for its allies.

The former Tamil Nadu chief minister stands isolated as all the constituents of the combine, barring a Muslim outfit, have joined hands and held discussions over the possibility of parting ways with the AIADMK-led alliance. Thursday’s developments hold ominous portends.

It was a severe shock to the AIADMK as Jayalalithaa would have least expected the revolt. Angry cadres of actor Vijaykant’s DMDK burnt her effigy in the city while flex boards and banners of Jayalalithaa were torn to pieces by irate CPM workers in the distant Dindigul. Already a sulking MDMK has stayed away from the seat- sharing negotiations as what was on offer was said to be a pittance.

The party which contested 35 seats last time was offered nine seats by the AIADMK on Wednesday evening. Another ally, Karthik, a popular romantic hero, has already parted company.

Wednesday’s announcement has only added to the heartburn among the allies — DMDK of actor Vijaykant, the two Left parties, AISMK of actor Sarath Kumar, Puthiya Thamizhgam of Dr Krishnasamy, the Forward Bloc and another Thevar party, who were none too happy about the number of seats they have got.

“ There is no possibility of remaining in the AIADMK alliance,” said CPI state Secretary D. Pandian. “ It is not the correct approach,” said his Marxist counterpart G. Ramakrishnan, who was taken aback by the AIADMK’s decision.

The Left parties held consultations and then gathered at the CPM office. They soon left to meet Vijaykant at his party office.

There is a strong possibility of the emergence of a third front now. There were reports that the front would rope in other small outfits to broaden its base. At the end of the confabulations, Vijaykant said: “ We will take a decision by tomorrow.” None of the constituents in the AIADMK- led combine is happy at the way seat- sharing was concluded.

Adding insult to injury was the AIADMK taking away plum seats considered to be the strongholds of these parties. The CPM and CPI were deprived of six seats each they held in the outgoing assembly. They were forced to settle for 12 and 10 seats respectively. The DMDK found to its dismay that 21 of the seats on its wish list for its share of 41 being taken away. Similar was the case with Sarath Kumar and Krishnasamy.

The revolt has thrown a spanner in ‘Amma’s’ plans. She has postponed the launch of her poll campaign on Friday from Madurai, which she considers lucky.

Ireland vs Netherlands : Minnows are fully charged

noreply@blogger.com (Nivedita Sharad) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:56:00 +0000

Some may feel that motivation might be a factor for Ireland when they take on co- associates Netherlands, but skipper William Porterfield feels that pride will be at stake when they face the Dutch in what could be their last appearance at the showpiece event.

Speaking on the eve of the encounter at the Eden Gardens, Porterfield said a World Cup match would always remain special even if it might have no consequence on the team’s fate.

“ We might have failed to qualify for the knockout stages, but a World Cup match’s significance will always remain the same. If playing in the biggest tournament of the 50- over game doesn’t motivate us, what will? “ A match against an associate team will pump us further. We will play for pride and go back with our heads held high. Even fans back home wouldn’t expect anything less than a win from us,” the Irish skipper said.

However, the team would approach Friday’s game just like any other. “ There would be no change in approach from our side. We will remain as fiercely competitive as we have been right through the tournament,” he said.

Commenting on the positives for the team from this tournament, Porterfield said: “ The fact that our fierce commitment while we are fielding has been noticed by all the top teams and critics is something we appreciate. We have put in a lot of effort on the field and getting recognised makes us feel good.” Coach Phil Simmons feels the basic change between the past Irish teams and the present one is the way the opposition looks at them. “ Earlier we weren’t considered much of a threat and were mere pushovers. But now we have started to earn the respect of the big teams. While we played to compete earlier, we play to win now,” he said.

“ It would be great if we get to play more matches.” Meanwhile, Netherlands captain Peter Borren feels having wasted a few opportunities, Friday’s game would give them a great chance to register their first win of the tournament.

“ We want to go back with our heads held high. While we failed to contain the English batsmen in our opening match after putting runs on the board, our middle- order crumbled in the match against Bangladesh. So we would look to win our first match of the tournament,” he said.

“ We are not going to hold back. We will come hard against the Irish guys and if they think they will have it easy, they can be complacent at their own cost. “ Our record against Ireland hasn’t been something to write home about in the last few encounters, but we would like to change that.”