Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Daily Latest News

Daily Latest News

Pop singer Shakira has been doing her hip-shaking dance since the age of four.

Posted: 25 May 2010 12:48 PM PDT

shakira3

shakira3

As a child, Shakira wrote her first poem at the age of four
. “I was four when I realised I could do those hip movements. I loved Arabic rhythms. I danced like that every Friday at a school concert,” thesun.co.uk quoted her as saying.

It was called ‘La Rosa De Cristal’ (‘The Crystal Rose’). At the age of seven, she was given a typewriter as a Christmas gift and her poems soon evolved into songs. When one of her half-brothers was killed in a motorcycle accident,Shakira’s father wore shades to hide his emotions and Shakira’s first song was entitled ‘Tus Gafas Oscuras’ (‘Your Dark Glasses’).

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Brand to marry in front of Presley’s impersonator

Posted: 25 May 2010 12:03 PM PDT

London, May 26 (IANS) British comedian Russell Brand says he wants to marry fiancé Katy Perry in Las Vegas in front of an Elvis Presley impersonator.

“Now we’re talking, the drive-through chapel. A Vegas wedding, married by Elvis Presley, or even better, Aaron Presley in his unnourished form,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted him as saying.

Russell reveals he has left the planning of the wedding completely on Perry.

“If you’re getting married, the girl does it. I’m just looking out the window,” he added.

Modi’s stunning charges against Manohar, Srinivasan

Posted: 25 May 2010 11:58 AM PDT

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS)Shetty has been asked to look into the the records because many of the documents are missing. Every day the income-tax department is asking for records and we don’t have them in our custody.” Lalit Modi, the suspended chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Tuesday came up with startling disclosures of serious misuse of power by Indian cricket board president Shashank Manohar and secretary N. Srinivasan, pointing out their culpability in a number of decisions, which he alleged were illegal and fradulent.

Modi asked Manohar and Srinivasan to recuse themselves from all proceeding regarding showcause notice to him and to constitute an independent panel to adjudicate as they are party to all the decisions as IPL Governing Council members.

As IANS reported May 14, Modi had prepared a long charge-sheet against Manohar and Srinivasan along with his reply to the showcause notice slapped on him on April 26.

After waiting for ten days for the chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take a view on it, Modi sent out his 14-page charge-sheet against the two top officials to all GC members.

Modi in his letter pointed out how Manohar was solely invovled in some charges levelled against himself in the BCCI notice. He pointed out that the controversial decision to scrap the initial opening of tenders was taken by Manohar and it was he who went out of his way to entertain former minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor and accept the Kochi bid much after the lapse of deadline.

Modi’s charges against Srinivasan were much more serious. He accused the BCCI secretary of manipulating the minutes of the board meetings, players’ auction for the third edition and the appointment of umpires in the second IPL in South Africa to help his team, Chennai Super Kings, misusing his office as the board secretary.

Modi revealed another startling fact, which was part of former BCCI president A.C. Muthiah’s contention before a court: That the BCCI’s constitution to allow Srinivasan to own an IPL team was never amended, and that he has submitted a false affidavit in the court to justify his dual status, with the connivance of Manohar and IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah.

“Muthiah has raised the issue relating to conflict of interest. It is unfortunate that to protect the position of Mr. Srinivasan, false statements have been made in pleadings filed in court.”

~ Rest Continues Below ~

“No such amendment was ever made and the secretary has filed false affidavits in the Hon’ble High Court to support his own case. In the proceedings filed by Mr. Muthiah, it has been stated by the Honorary Secretary on oath that the Regulation 6.2.4 was amended after an action taken report was filed by the two-member committee consisting of Mr. Shashank Manohar and Mr. Niranjan Shah recommending amendment,” Modi said.

“I state that no such committee was ever appointed, no recommendation was ever made, no special general body meeting approving such report and such amendment ever took place, and hence Mr. Shashank Manohar (the present president), Mr. Niranjan Shah, the Vice Chairman IPL and Mr. N.Srinavasan have connived and played not only on the members of the board but also on the Hon’ble Court,” Modi claimed.

“I further state that the minutes of the Annual General Body Meeting dated 28th September, 2008, were written up by the honorary secretary in a manner to reflect a position which is simply not true, when the same were presented for approval in the A.G.M in September, 2009.”

“These documents were created or fabricated only post a notice was issued by Mr. A.C Mutthaiah to the honorary president, asking the president to look into this matter and issue a show cause notice to Mr. N Srinivasan for violating the regulation 6.2.4 of the Regulations.

“Since I have been opposed to this manner of functioning from the very inception, it is obvious that to protect his position, the Hon secretary has good reason not just to defame me but also to find me guilty of these imaginary wrong doings alleged in the show cause notice.”

Modi cited innumerable cases of Srinivasan’s conflict of interest and also charged him with causing the board a loss of $60 million by allowing Zee to withdraw its tender deposit.

Modi reminded Manohar that all GC decisions were gone twice over by him as GC member as well as board president and they have all been ratified by both the bodies.

As for tender bids, Modi stated that GC and approved them after consultations among the members, including that of M/s Emerging Media and so Manohar would be a potential witness in any legal proceedings. All aspects about Emerging Media were well known to not only Manohar but also the entire GC, including that the franchisee would be an Indian company of 100 per cent subsidairy of Mauritius holding company.

Modi also countered the charge that Manoj Badale is not part of the Jaipur franchisee, saying the board chief was very much aware of his credentials as a leading businessman and that he has no direct or indirect interest in the Jaipur franchise.

As for the allegation that he failed to disclose that his co-brother Suresh Chellaram was bidding for Rajasthan, Modi clarified that he has no direct or indirect interest in the franchise.

“Mr. Suresh Chellaram is an independent business man and man of extensive financial resources. It is further submitted that he is my co-brother is known to all, including you from many years.”

Modi refuted the allegation that he tried rigging the bids in favour of two business houses for the two new teams added for the fourth edition of the IPL.

He pointed out that the bids were processed and vetted by the board’s corporate lawyers and counsel Ms Akhila Kaushik, who “also happens to be an ex-junior of your father V.R. Manohar.”

The suspended IPL chairman also reminded Manohar that he was party to the decision that the net worth of the bidder should be $ 1 billion and that he discussed the issue of deposit also with him at the GC meeting on March 7 and got his approval.

Modi said the decision to cancel the March 6 tenders was taken by Manohar “without any consultation with the GC members” and went into a lengthy explanation on how the board chief interfered with the process.

He said, in fact, it was Manohar who pitched in for Tharoor to include the bid of Rendezvous after the deadline had lapsed.

“You wanted me to wait till the Kochi bid came from Delhi,” Modi said, adding that the board chief spoke to Tharoor and his secretary several times after he refused to entertain the minister’s request for extension of deadline.

Atttacking Srinivasan for manipulating the auction of players for the third edition, Modi said the secretary used his power to alter the auction rules specifically for himself to ensure the Chennai Super Kings could retain their full purse of $2 million — although the purse available to him was only $1.85 million as circulated prior to the auction.

“Despite my opposition he used his clout as secretary to pressure the management to accept back-dated player contracts and cancel the contracts of one of his players so that he could have his full purse and thereby have a advantage in the bidding process.”

Modi alleged that Srinivasan made every effort to stop West Indies all-rounder Keiron Pollard from playing for Mumbai Indians by raising frivolous issues with the West Indies Board because his Chennai Super Kings were also interested in the player.

“Here again the actions of the Hon. secretary were a brazen act of abuse of power.”

14 killed in robbery of Baghdad jewellery shops

Posted: 25 May 2010 11:22 AM PDT

Baghdad, May 25 (DPA) An armed robbery in a commercial area in the Iraqi capital resulted in the deaths of 14 people, government sources said Tuesday.

Gunmen robbed 11 shops, including eight jewellery shops, in the district of al-Bayaa in southern Baghdad.

They shot and killed 14 people and planted bombs in several cars near the area, the sources added.

Iranian filmmaker released on bail

Posted: 25 May 2010 11:09 AM PDT

Tehran, May 25 (DPA) Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was released on bail Tuesday, the Tehran prosecutors’ office said in a statement.

Panahi had been released from the Evin prison after posting a bail of two billion rials ($200,000), ISNA news agency reported quoting the statement.

It said the case would be forwarded to the revolutionary court in charge of national security offences, but gave no court date. The judicial order allowing bail was issued Sunday.

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dowlatabadi said Monday that Panahi would be released until ordered to appear in court.

Jafari-Dowlatabadi reportedly issued orders for more investigation into the case after meeting with Panahi.

Panahi told his wife by telephone Tuesday that he had gone on hunger strike after prison officials threatened him with the arrest and imprisonment of all his family members.

He vowed to continue the strike until allowed contact with his family, to be assured of their health and safety.

Panahi, 49, was arrested in March. The Tehran prosecutor’s office denied any political reasons, but opposition websites reported that he was arrested for planning a film critical of the Islamic regime.

In 2006, Panahi won a Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival for Offside, a film about Iranian girls who disguised themselves as boys to watch the national team in a World Cup qualification game.

A scheduled visit in February to Germany to attend the Berlin Film Festival was cancelled after Iranian authorities refused to give Panahi permission to leave Iran.

He was invited to join this year’s Cannes festival jury, but his detention kept him away, prompting calls from the French government for Tehran to release him. Several filmmakers and actors also called for his release.

He and other Iranian filmmakers supported the opposition Green Movement, led by Mir-Hossein Moussavi, before and after the June presidential election.

Panahi accused the government of electoral fraud and refused to acknowledge the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iranian filmmakers claimed that since Ahmadinejad became president in 2005, there have been more restrictions on artists and especially filmmakers.

Panahi and most filmmakers opposed to the president reportedly boycotted Iran’s International Film Festival in February.

Iran’s state television on Tuesday branded both international pleas and the calls at the Cannes festival for Panahi’s release as “political propaganda” against Iran.

A special news report accused not only the organisers of the Cannes film festival, but also ministers of French President’s Nicolas Sarkozy government, of joining the pro-Panahi campaign, which was then widely covered by Western media and used against Iran.

The report also harshly criticised Iranian filmmakers Abbas Kiarostami, who attended the Cannes festival with his latest film Certified Copy, Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Bahman Ghobadi for their open pleas for Panahi’s release in Cannes.

The report said it remains to be seen whether the release of Panahi was a result of the campaigns, indicating that the Iranian judiciary should not have given in to international pressure.

The Iranian government has also criticised the Cannes film festival organizers for their open support of Panahi.

Iranian Deputy Culture Minister Javad Shamaqdari has reportedly told Cannes festival president Gilles Jacob that involvement in political issues would damage the reputation of the renowned film festival, whose main aim is to link nations through art and culture.

Shamaqdari, who is also in charge of cinema affairs, said even if Cannes officials supported Panahi for humanitarian reasons, the way it was eventually presented in the Western media was political.

North Korea cuts all ties with South

Posted: 25 May 2010 11:06 AM PDT

Seoul, May 25 (DPA) North Korea Tuesday announced it would cut all ties with South Korea, after its neighbour accused it of the March sinking of a South Korean warship.

All South Koreans working at a joint industrial plant in the North Korean border town of Kaesong would also be expelled, the Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in a statement quoted by North Korean state media.

All problems related to inter-Korean ties would be handled under “wartime law”, the committee said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il had earlier put the Stalinist state’s army on combat alert.

A high-ranking official read Kim’s orders on national television last week, South Korea’s Economic Daily newspaper said Tuesday, citing reports by North Korean refugees.

The order was issued after Seoul said Thursday that investigations had concluded that a torpedo fired by North Korea was responsible for the March 26 sinking of the corvette Cheonan, which killed 46 South Korean sailors.

Kim did not want war but North Korea was ready to repel any attack by the South, the orders said.

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak Monday announced far-reaching trade bans and said Seoul wanted the UN Security Council to discuss Pyongyang’s “provocation”, a move supported by Washington.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Pyongyang’s actions the “most serious provocation” in the troubled Korean Peninsula and indicated his support for measures by the Security Council.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, announced joint US-South Korean navy manoeuvres that are to focus on anti-submarine drills and interdicting vessels on the high seas.

Pyongyang routinely puts its troops on high alert during those manoeuvres.

Further studies not on Miley’s cards

Posted: 25 May 2010 11:04 AM PDT

Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS) Actress-singer Miley Cyrus won’t be putting her career on hold to attend college.

“My sister went to MTSU in Nashville, so I’d probably want to be there with all my friends, but I’m not gonna go to college right now,” Hollywood.com quoted her as saying.

“I’m a firm believer that you can go back at any age you want, because my grandma went back to college at 62 years old,” she added.

Amityville Horror House priced at £800,000

Posted: 25 May 2010 10:04 AM PDT

'Amityville Horror' House

'Amityville Horror' House

Amityville Horror House the Long Island house which became so famous after being featured in the horror movie Amityville, is on sale for eight hundred thousand pounds.

Amityville the horror movie based on Lutz Family which is shown to move in the house in 1975 made this house celebrated. According to Lutzes, they realized this five bedroom house to be haunted as soon as they moved in it.

Months earlier to Lutzes moving in the house, 6 members of the family who lived there were shot and killed. Ronald DeFeo junior, the eldest of the victim family was held guilty for the murders in 1974.

Amityville Horror House is of Dutch Colonial period style. Ownership of house has changed many hands since 1970. The exorbitantly priced house has even had its address changed from 108 Ocean Avenue to 112 Ocean Avenue to keep the bystanders away from the house.

Amityville Horror House overlooks a canal and is currently under renovation to stand to the luxurious price tag.

Nivedita Choudhary and Nirupama, IAF women officers to summit Mt. Everest

Posted: 25 May 2010 09:41 AM PDT

New Delhi, (IANS) IAF Women officers are scaling heights…exactly, in preparation to summit Mt.Everest subsequent year.

Young Flight Lieutenant Nivedita Choudhary and Squadron Leader Nirupama, who are members of the all-women IAF officers’ Everest expedition, have just returned after scaling the 7,557-metre Mt. Kamet and 7,354-metre Mt.Abi Gamin respectively in Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, close to the border with China.

Choudhary and Nirupama have become the first women officers of the country’s armed forces to achieve the feat. Kamet is the third highest peak in India after Mt.Kanchanjunga and Mt.Nanda Devi.

The two officers were part of the 35-member mountaineering expedition to the two peaks that was flagged off in New Delhi Tuesday by Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal P.K. Barbora.

The team also had two Indian Army officers and four members from the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF).

The Kamet and Abi Gamin expeditions were one of the precursors to the all-women IAF officers’ attempt to scale the Everest next year, Wing Commander Tarun Singha told reporters.

The team set out on the expedition April 15.

Several IAF expeditions have been mounted since 2009 to train the IAF women mountaineering team for the Everest expedition. This was the third expedition for the team after Mt.Stok Kangri (6,153 metres) in August last year and Mt.Bhagirathi-II (6,512 metres) in September-October 2009.

New Delhi, (IANS) IAF Women officers are scaling heights…exactly, in preparation to summit Mt.Everest subsequent year.

Young Flight Lieutenant Nivedita Choudhary and Squadron Leader Nirupama, who are members of the all-women IAF officers’ Everest expedition, have just returned after scaling the 7,557-metre Mt. Kamet and 7,354-metre Mt.Abi Gamin respectively in Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand, close to the border with China.

Choudhary and Nirupama have become the first women officers of the country’s armed forces to achieve the feat. Kamet is the third highest peak in India after Mt.Kanchanjunga and Mt.Nanda Devi.

The two officers were part of the 35-member mountaineering expedition to the two peaks that was flagged off in New Delhi Tuesday by Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal P.K. Barbora.

The team also had two Indian Army officers and four members from the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF).

The Kamet and Abi Gamin expeditions were one of the precursors to the all-women IAF officers’ attempt to scale the Everest next year, Wing Commander Tarun Singha told reporters.

The team set out on the expedition April 15.

Several IAF expeditions have been mounted since 2009 to train the IAF women mountaineering team for the Everest expedition. This was the third expedition for the team after Mt.Stok Kangri (6,153 metres) in August last year and Mt.Bhagirathi-II (6,512 metres) in September-October 2009.

Man held for kidnapping, killing six-year-old girl

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:51 AM PDT

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) A man has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and killing a six-year-old girl, police said Tuesday.

Sanjay, 25, was apprehended Monday night from his rented house at Singhu village, Alipur, in north-west Delhi.

He had borrowed a huge amount of money from people and was under pressure to return it. Hence, he planned the kidnapping of his former neighbour’s daughter Rakhi, police said.

The police found out that he killed Rakhi a few hours after kidnapping her.

“He kidnapped the girl at 8.30 p.m. Sunday when she was playing outside her house and demanded Rs.3 lakh from her father, Dharambir. He killed her after a few hours as she was crying a lot,” a police official said.

The accused was earlier Dharambir’s neighbour at Krishna Nagar, Singhu border, Narela, but later shifted to Singhu village.

Complainant wants two-year jail for Rathore, may appeal

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:50 AM PDT

Chandigarh, May 25 (IANS) Anand Prakash, the main complainant in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, Tuesday said he may move higher courts for sentencing disgraced former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore to two-year jail instead of 18 months.

A local court here Tuesday enhanced the jail sentence of Rathore in the nearly 20-year-old molestation case from six months to 18 months and ordered his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“I am very happy that the court has enhanced the sentence but at the same time there is some disappointment in my heart as court can also award him the maximum punishment of two years for molesting Ruchika,” Prakash, the main complainant in this case, told IANS.

“Our fight is still on and we will go to high court and even the Supreme Court seeking maximum jail sentence in this case. We will discuss this issue with our lawyers in the coming days,” he said.

The order of the court came after Rathore filed a plea in January this year challenging his conviction by a CBI special court here for molesting 15-year-old Ruchika Aug 12, 1990.

Ruchika committed suicide three years after Rathore molested her in Panchkula town, adjoining Chandigarh.

Rathore was sentenced to six months’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs.1,000 by the CBI special court Dec 21 last year. However, he was immediately granted bail.

Madhu Prakash, wife of Anand, told IANS: “We are happy that once again the court has marked a stamp on the fact the Rathore is a culprit. There is a provision of two-year jail for this offence but I think that judge had taken into consideration poor health of Rathore while announcing the verdict.”

“But still three other cases are pending against Rathore and court can award him 10 year jail in the case registered under abetment to suicide,” stated Madhu.

Madhu Prakash’s daughter Aradhna, who has now migrated to Australia, was the only witness in this case. She was a close friend of Ruchika.

Rathore, 68, was taken into custody by the CBI soon after the district and sessions court rejected his appeal against his December 2009 conviction. He was taken to Burail prison here.

This is the first time that Rathore has been formally arrested in the Ruchika molestation case.

Sahara ties up with Israeli firm for solar technology

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:37 AM PDT

Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) Sahara India Power Corp, a subsidiary of the Sahara India group, Tuesday said it has tied up with Israel-based Safesky Software to manufacture advanced solar power technologies.

The companies will also set up a demonstrative solar power plant of 5 MW at a Sahara India owned location in India.

“Safesky has advanced technologies in Solar Power, Medical, Communication and Water which will be available to Sahara India Power Corporation for marketing and manufacturing in India,” said a Sahara statement.

“This new technology is definitely going to benefit our country in a very big way. In our country, particularly in rural areas with 500 million people, the power deficit is very high and I am sure this product will definitely help our country immensely,” said Saharasri Subrata Roy, chairman, Sahara India Pariwar.

Chidambaram asks Assam rebels to surrender or face offensive

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:37 AM PDT

Guwahati, May 25 (IANS) Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram Tuesday toughened New Delhi’s stand on countering insurgency in Assam, saying security offensives would continue in full steam until rebel groups lay down arms and sit for peace talks.

“Security forces have been asked to take all measures against the insurgents. Insurgency has no place and, therefore, they must lay down arms and surrender. Or else security forces have been instructed to deal with them firmly,” he told reporters on a visit here to review the security situation.

“I must say there has been a dramatic improvement in the security situation in Assam with many top leaders of major insurgent groups apprehended,” the home minister said.

Chidambaram held separate meetings with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi besides chairing a meeting of the Unified Command Headquarters with top army and paramilitary commanders, besides police and civil officials.

“The political process with the militant groups would be taken up by the chief minister and he would decide whom to talk to and what are the conditions to be accepted or not in consultation with his council of ministers,” the home minister said.

“The centre will give all possible support in taking any peace process forward,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the home minister visited Mizoram’s capital Aizawl and reviewed the situation, mainly the issue relating to repatriation of 37,000 tribal Reang refugees sheltered in six Tripura refugee camps for the past 13 years.

“Already 209 Bru (Reangs are also known as Bru) families have moved to Mizoram and I was made to understand by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla that over a period of time all the refugees will be taken back,” Chidambaram said.

White House celebrating Diwali last year

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:34 AM PDT

Washington, May 25 (IANS) After celebrating Diwali last year by lighting a ceremonial diya, US President Barack Obama celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with bhangra beats that he said had probably not been heard in the White House before.

“I want to thank DJ Rekha (Malhotra) who’s been spinning a little East Room bhangra for everybody – mixing a hip-hop beat with the sounds of her heritage; making a uniquely American sound that may not have been heard in the White House before,” Obama said greeting guests Monday amid loud applause and laughter.

“But you know, that speaks to the promise of this country – a nation that welcomes contributions from all people, all colours, all creeds,” added Obama, who last October became the first US President to celebrate Diwali in the White House with Vedic chants by a Hindu priest and a performance by Penn Masala, the world’s first Hindi cappella group formed by Pennsylvania University students.

“We draw strength from the rich tradition that everybody can call America home because we all came from somewhere else except for the first Americans; E Pluribus unum, Out of many, one. And there’s no better example of this than the communities that are represented in this room,” he said.

Obama acknowledged the significant number of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who work in his administration, several of whom were present at the event, led by the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders Kiran Ahuja.

Also present were other senior Indian-American White House officials like Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, Counsel and Senior Adviser to the White House Office of Management and Budget Preeta Bansal and Kal Penn, actor-turned-associate White House director for public engagement.

“Your role in America’s story has not always been given its due. And many Asian American and Pacific Islanders have known a tremendous unfairness and injustice during our history,” said Obama.

“But we also know that generations of Asian American and Pacific Islanders helped to build this country, defend this country, and make America what it is today,” he said.

“And, obviously it’s personal for me, since you need to look no further than my family-my sister Maya (Soetoro Ng), my brother-in-law Konrad (Ng), and my two mischievous nieces, Suhaila and Savita-to know that it is part of America’s past but is also going to be part of America’s future,” he said.

“And, for this reason, we are here today to celebrate these contributions. But we’re also holding this event because I want to make sure we are hearing from you-so that the government does its part on your behalf, just as you’re doing your part on America’s behalf,” said the president.

GPT Infraprojects targets Rs.500 crore in 2010-11

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:32 AM PDT

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) GPT Infraprojects Tuesday said it is expecting strong growth and has set a topline target of Rs.500 crore for 2010-11.

“During FY 2009-10, we have also received a private equity investment, which has added to the strength of our balance sheet and reflects the confidence of the investor community in the inherent strength of our business.

“Going forward, we expect to maintain the strong growth momentum, and have targeted a topline of Rs.500 crore for FY 2010-11,” said Chairman D.P. Tantia in a statement.

The company has clocked a turnover of Rs.349 crore for 2009-10 as against Rs.228 crore for 2008-09, posting a growth of 53 percent year-on-year.

The company currently has an order book in excess of Rs.1,700 crore.

GPT executes civil engineering projects primarily for central and state governments, railways and public sector units.

It is also engaged in manufacture of railway concrete sleepers in South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Myanmar.

Bisht, Rana advance in Asian Junior tennis

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:31 AM PDT

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Fifth-seeded Ronit Bisht glided past compatriot Sai Teja Paladugu 6-1, 6-1 to enter the second round of the Asian Tennis Junior Championships here Tuesday.

Bisht was fluent with his groundstokes and came up with some good returns even as Paladugu, who had the game to match Bisht, lapsed into a rash of errors.

Bisht, who reached the semifinals of the ITF juniors here last week, now plays compatriot Sai Saran Reddy, who rallied to beat Trivesh Singh of India 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

Sixth-seeded Vaidik Munshaw, Saurabh Singh, Shahbaaz Khan, Mansingh Athare, Yash Deshpande are the other Indians who made it to the second round on the second day of the championships that included the backlog matches of the first day that could not be played due to floodlight failure.

In the girls’ first round, India’s Shweta Rana overcame the Philiphines’ Anna Clarice Patrimonio 6-4, 7-5 and will meet eighth-seeded Uzbek Sabina Sharipova.

Natasha Palha, who impressed by making the ITF juniors quarters last week, showed she had the potential to get the measure of higher ranked players when she fought her way to beat Anastasya Prenko 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

Vidya Bharat and Vaniya Dangwal were the other Indians to advance to the second round.

Results:

Girls' singles: Shweta Rana [IND] beat Anna Clarice Patrimond [PHI] 6-4, 7-5; Ayaka Okuno [JPN] beat Manya Nagpal [IND] 6-0, 6-1; Natasha Palha [IND] beat Anastasya Prenko [TKM] 7-5, 4-6, 6-1; Sharon Sanchana Paul [IND] W/O against Vidya Bharat [IND]; Riko Sawayanagi [JPN] beat Ankita Bhatia [IND] 6-4, 6-2; Vaniya Dangwal [IND] beat Nattawadee Kotcha [THA] 6-3, 6-2

Girls doubles: Sanae OTA [JPN]/ Tanaporn Thongsing [THA] beat Shreya Pasricha [IND]/ Megha Sherawat [IND] 6-2, 6-0; Aishwarya Agarwal [IND]/ Kyra Shroff [IND] beat Nidhi Chilumula [IND]/ Amrita Mukherjee [IND] 6-0, 6-0; Namita Bal [IND]/Prathana G. Thombare [IND] beat Rajbir Kaur [IND]/Preethi Ujjini [IND] 6-0, 6-1; Ratnika Batra [IND]/Sharon Sanchana Paul [IND] beat Sowjanya Bavisetti [IND]/Ikttesh Chahal [IND] 6-3, 6-3; Natalia Khaniejo [IND]/Ushna Suhail [PAK] beat Zainab Ali Sajjad [IND]/Ankita Bhatia 2-6, 7-6 (4), 10-6; Nova Patel [IND]/Rishika Sunkara [IND] beat Bhuvana Kalva [IND]/Natash Palha [IND] 6-2, 6-3

Boys singles: Saurabh Singh [IND] beat Rithwik Rajshekhar Raman [IND] 6-2, 6-1; Mansingh Athare [IND] beat Anirudh Jain [IND] 6-1, 6-0; Shahbaaz Khan [IND] beat Yuki Muramatsu [JPN] 1-6, 6-4,6-4; Wen-Chun Liang [TPE] beat Abhimanyu Singh[ IND] 6-2, 6-2 ;Yash Deshpande [IND] beat Arpit Sharma [IND] 7-5, 7-5; 8 Seed – Warit Sornbutnark [THA] beat Vilasier Khate [IND] 6-3, 6-0; 5 Seed – Ronit Singh Bisht [IND] beat Sai Teja Paladugu [IND] 6-1, 6-1; Vaidik Munshaw [IND] beat Pulok Bhattacharya [IND] 6-1, 6-1; Leander Lazaro [PHI] beat – Garry Singh Amor [IND] 6-3, 7-6; Artem Tarasov [UZB] beat Maninder Singh [IND] 6-0, 6-0; Chih-Jen HO [TPE] beat Rishabh Mehra [IND] 6-0, 6-Sai Saran Reddy Byreddy [IND] beat Trivesh Singh [IND] 5-7, 6-2, 6-4; Justin To [HKG] beat Ajay Yadav [IND] 6-2, 6-0

Boys doubles: Kunal Anand [IND]/Ronit Bisht [IND] beat Suraj Konwar [IND]/Saurabh Patil [IND] 3-6, 6-3, 11-9.

WADA asks BCCI to fall in line by Nov 2011

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:28 AM PDT

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has set November 2011 as the deadline for the Indian cricket board to comply with its controversial whereabouts clause.

WADA director general David Howman said if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not meet the deadline, it would be declared “non-compliant”.

Howman made it clear that cricketers will not get any concession and they will have to be available 24×7 for testing.

“We will not hesitate from declaring the BCCI as non-compliant. But their participation and eligibility should be done by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA),” said Howman.

Howman said it is the responsibility of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to make sure that all the member associations accept the clause.

“If the member countries don’t agree to the clause, the ICC will be declared as non-compliant and the sport will face the consequences. Thirteen thousand athletes have accepted the whereabout clause and there has been no breach of privacy, it is not a big deal,” he said.

Howman said that he would be happy to discuss the issue with cricketers and pointed out that the BCCI should liaise with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and form an anti-doping programme.

“We need to have similar programmes for South Africa, England and the West Indies. (Anil) Kumble is a member of WADA and he understands the rules. We need to give more informtaion to players and administrators to make them aware of the situation,” he said.

Howman also expressed his disgust at the fact that WADA has no information on the testing pool of cricketers.

“We don’t have any knowledge of whereabouts of players, no list of players for the testing pool in competition testing. We generally carry it out on fast bowlers because they are the ones who can benefit out of it. Out of the 14,000 samples collected this year, 200 were from cricket in Indian Premier League (IPL) and other domestic events,” he said.

Howman also said the underworld was playing an important role in the sale of EPOs and Human Growth Hormone to athletes.

“The challenge for WADA is to curb the sale of these substances. We are working with the Interpol to develop laws so this challenge can be met. Underworld is also working and is chanelising the money from match fixing in the sale of these banned energy enhancing substances,” he said.

Pakistan Supreme Court sets Saeed free, India disappointed

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:27 AM PDT

Islamabad/New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) The Thimphu thaw showed its first signs of strain Tuesday when Pakistan’s Supreme Court set free from house arrest Hafiz Saeed, who India says masterminded the Mumbai carnage, citing lack of evidence. New Delhi voiced disappointment and asked Islamabad to take “meaningful action against such elements”.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed the appeals by the federal and Punjab provincial governments against a Lahore High Court order, freeing Saeed from house arrest on grounds of “insufficient evidence”.

When the matter came up for hearing Tuesday, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk heard the case.

A. K. Dogar, a defense lawyer, said the court ruled that the government had failed to produce any evidence that Saeed, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder, played a role in the attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.

The judges said in their remarks that no citizen could be deprived of his freedom on presumptions as no solid proof was presented regarding Saeed’s links with Al Qaeda or his involvement in Mumbai attacks.

The Lahore High Court had overturned Saeed’s arrest in June 2009, saying the evidence against him was insufficient.

The federal and Punjab provincial governments had appealed against this but the Supreme Court had indefinitely put off hearing them.

India was quick to convey its concerns and saw in it as a setback to the Thimphu spirit of bridging trust deficit that emerged after the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Thimphu last month on the sidelines of the SAARC summit.

“There is a sense of disappointment. Everybody in India feels this disappointment,” Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters in New Delhi. “We regard Saeed as one of the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks. He has openly declared jihad against India,” Rao said.

“Enough evidence has been given by India,” Rao said while referring to detailed evidence against the anti-India ideologue provided to Pakistan during the Feb 25 foreign secretary-level talks.

“We hope Pakistan will be sensitive to our concerns and take meaningful action against such elements,” she said.

India had pressed for “concrete action” against Saeed yet again when Manmohan Singh met Gilani in Thimphu last month.

“PM (Manmohan Singh) mentioned deep concern about Hafiz Saeed and the way he is allowed to roam free and engage in communication not conducive (to the relationship between India and Pakistan),” Rao had said after that crucial meeting.

Gilani, on his part, “did mention that they have difficulties in their legal system” to prosecute Saeed.

Despite India’s repeated calls for action, the release of Saeed is set to cast a shadow on the meeting between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad July 15. The two foreign ministers have been mandated by their leaders to meet and work out the modalities of restoring trust between the two countries.

Saeed, who had declared a jehad against India in February, was placed under house arrest in December 2008 after the UN, acting under US and Indian pressure in the wake of the Mumbai assault, proscribed the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD), an Islamic charity that the LeT had morphed into after the Dec 13, 2001 attack on the Indian parliament.

Ra.One’ will be path-breaking: Arjun Rampal (Movie Snippets)

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:26 AM PDT

Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) Shah Rukh Khan’s dream project “Ra.One” might be taking some time on the technical front due to its unusual theme, but Arjun Rampal feels if all goes well, the sci-fi thriller will be “path-breaking”.

Arjun plays a villain in the Anubhav Sinha directed movie.

“We have been working very hard to bring a vision together. I think Shah Rukh is very clear about his vision, so is Anubhav. We are working as a team to achieve it. And if we achieve it, it would be a path-breaking movie,” Arjun told IANS.

The films is about a superhero who can freeze electricity and the actor says it will appeal to children.

“‘Ra.One’ is a very ambitious project. It’s a film that kids will enjoy for sure. It’s not only for kids but the idea is also to bring action to a different level. It’s hugely experimental,” he said.

Kareena Kapoor plays the female lead in it.

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Chunky got extra scenes in ‘Housefull’, courtesy Akshay

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, infamous for chopping scenes of his co-stars for more footage, had a change of heart when it came to Chunky Panday.

Akshay increased Chunky’s scenes in their last outing “Housefull” and also gave him opportunities to enhance his scenes.

“When Akshay and I shot scenes together, he suggested many improvisations for me to do in those scenes that were scripted. He allowed me to do more in certain scenes than himself,” said Chunky.

“He was very unselfish as an actor and his suggestions really upped the quality of many scenes (in the movie),” he added.

Directed by Sajid Khan, the movie that was declared a hit, also starred Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone, Jiah Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani and Arjun Rampal.

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Ali Zafar to play lead in ‘Tere Bin Laden’

Pakistani singer Ali Zafar is all set to start a new inning as an actor in Bollywood with comedy “Tere Bin Laden” that will also star veteran theatre personalities Barry John and Piyush Mishra.

The 30-year old will play a news reporter from Pakistan, who is desperate to migrate to the US in pursuit of his dream. He fails to get there because of visa problems so he decides to produce a fake video of Osama Bin Laden to attraction attention, but lands in trouble.

Produced by Aarti Shetty and Pooja Shetty Deora, the film will be directed by Abhishek Sharma and with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composing the music.

Zafar’s music album “Masty” was a hit with the Indian audiences.

Commonwealth Games test media at Asian Junior tennis

Posted: 25 May 2010 06:23 AM PDT

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) All the Commonwealth Games test events have one common thread — chaos. The Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) Complex is the latest to test its facilities at the R.K.Khanna Stadium and here, too, things have gone haywire.

The worst culprits are the security personnel who have been given instructions that defy logic and commonsense. They have been told that nothing should be allowed into the stadium, not even flasks with cold water in the searing summer heat. And there is no guarantee whether the expensive containers will be returned if deposited with the security staff.

The event is for juniors, the Asian Tennis Championships, which began here Monday and is essentially to see if things are in shape for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.

The stadium itself is incomplete and everything is hastily arranged. The door knobs are coming off, a makeshift canopy covers the stands at Courts No. 3 and 4. Worse, the floodlights on the centre court blinked on the opening day, resulting in the postponement of eight matches to Tuesday. The scoreboards wouldn’t work.

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Hooper told IANS that the glitches would be taken care of.

“It is unfortunate that the floodlights went off. Such things happen during the test event. The problem has been identified and we are working to rectify it.”

“I was there last night and AITA secretary Anil Khanna told me that finishing touches in the stadium are yet to be given and that it will be ready by the end of June.”

Like at all the test events, the security personnel successfully chased the spectators off, making the life of a few diehard fans and even the parents of the players miserable.

At the Indira Gandhi Stadium, which hosted the Asian wrestling championship earlier this month, the cops shooed away the world wrestling federation (FILA) officials and even threatened the journalists when they came out in support.

There was no respite for journalists here also.
Posted by Suresh at 3:22 PM

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