One's again Govinda in a trouble

As i have post that govinda has slapped one guy while attending press-conference. This accident was happened two days back and now the culprit whom govinda slapped is in news and he is going to complain about this misbehavior to police.

Today in another news govinda has disclosed that he did the right move and he is not feeling such kind of guilty or sorry for that, even in his speech he added that this accident is planned due to political reasons because he is a member of Indian parliament and opposition is trying to spoil his image in public from a pretty long time.

Govinda has added that this guy had misbehave with two girls and he has seen him while doing this kind of behavior and that is why he slapped him.

When this guy spoke to news channel, these two ladies were also came in light to save govinda from this blame.

Now it is too difficult to find that what is behind this whole accident whether a political reason or a motive to earn a cheap kind of publicity.

For more details keep reading my blog.

40 thousand rupees car in varansi

From my news sources i got one news which is about a car. In varansi (India) one 10th pass student has invent one two-seater car and it's production cost is about 40 thousand rupees.

As i have seen that car's photographs it is made by wooden material but it is working well and fit for 2 person. It is very small car and i think it will be awarded with the smallest car of th world in future.

This boy has added that he will be ready to reduce production cost only and only if the order of production will high.

It is working on petrol.

Currently i am not describing it's features and even not uploading it's photographs due to the lake of image quality. But will try my best to send you all the details in next 24 hours.

Chess legend Fischer dies at 64

The controversial former world chess champion, Bobby Fischer, has died in Iceland at the age of 64.

The US-born player, who became famous for beating Cold War Soviet rival Boris Spassky in 1972, died of an unspecified illness, his spokesman said.

He was granted Icelandic citizenship in 2005 as a way to avoid being deported to the US.

Mr Fischer was wanted for breaking international sanctions by playing a match in the former Yugoslavia in 1992.

He also had alienated many in his homeland by broadcasting anti-Semitic diatribes and expressing support for the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York.

The reclusive player - who had renounced his US citizenship - had lived undetected in Japan for a number of years before moving to Iceland.

Tributes

Mr Fischer died in Iceland on Thursday, his spokesman Gardar Sverrisson said.

The nature of the illness was unknown but Mr Fischer had been reportedly seriously ill for some time.

Spassky said he was "very sorry" to hear of Mr Fischer's death, the Associated Press reported.

Russia's Garry Kasparov, a former world champion, said that Mr Fischer's ascent through the chess world in the 1960s was "a revolutionary breakthrough" for the game.

'Match of the century'

Mr Fischer was born in Chicago in 1943, but was brought up in New York's Brooklyn.

He became a US chess champion at 14 and then a youngest grand master a year later.

He achieved world fame after playing a world championship match in Iceland in 1972, beating title-holder Spassky.

The so-called chess "match of the century" came to be seen as a proxy for the Cold War, as the Soviets had held the world title since World War II.

Mr Fischer, the individual who had triumphed over the might of the Communist system, became an American hero.

The 1972 match made chess fashionable, even sexy, some experts say.

He lost the world chess crown in 1975 after refusing to play against his Soviet rival Anatoly Karpov.

News Source : BBC News

CIA boss names Bhutto's killers

The CIA has added its support to the view that a Pakistani militant, Baitullah Mehsud, and al-Qaeda organised Benazir Bhutto's killing.

CIA Director Michael Hayden told the Washington Post that the former Pakistani prime minister was killed by fighters allied to Baitullah Mehsud.

The Pakistani government accused Mehsud of the attack shortly after Ms Bhutto's death in Rawalpindi on 27 December.

Mr Hayden did not reveal the sources for his claim.

Correspondents say that Mr Hayden's comments are the most comprehensive public assessment by US intelligence of Ms Bhutto's death.

Controversy still surrounds the circumstances of the killing.

One or more attackers shot at her and detonated a bomb as she was leaving a rally in Rawalpindi.

Baitullah Mehsud has denied involvement. The Pakistani government says it intercepted a phone conversation proving that he was behind the attack.

'Organised campaign'

CIA Director Michael Hayden is now backing the Pakistani government's view.

"This was done by that network around Baitullah Mehsud. We have no reason to question that," Mr Hayden told the Washington Post.

He said the murder was "part of an organised campaign" that has included suicide bombings and other attacks on Pakistani leaders.

Mr Hayden said that the same forces were responsible for a new outbreak of violence sweeping across Pakistan which was undermining the stability of President Pervez Musharraf's government.

"You've got this nexus now that probably was always there in latency but is now active: a nexus between al-Qaeda and various extremist and separatist groups," Mr Hayden said.

"It is clear that their intention is to continue to try to do harm to the Pakistani state as it currently exists."

Forces belonging to Baitullah Mehsud have also been blamed by the government for seizing a fort from the military in the troubled region of South Waziristan on Wednesday.

News Source : BBC News

Israel closes crossings with Gaza

Israel has temporarily shut its crossings with Gaza, after a series of rocket attacks on nearby Israeli towns from the Hamas-run territory.

The UN relief agency providing for Palestinian refugees in Gaza said it was unable to deliver humanitarian aid as a result of the closure.

The measure came as at least one militant was killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike.

They had just launched rockets into Israel, officials on both sides said.

A militant from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a group linked to the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, was also killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Nablus.

Ahmed Senakreh was killed in a gun battle with soldiers who had surrounded a house in the Balata refugee camp where he was hiding.

The Israeli military has intensified operations in Gaza this week, killing at least 32 Palestinians, most of them militants, in air strikes.

Hamas, the militant Islamist group, has fired salvoes of unguided rockets for the first time in months, causing injuries in Israel.

The sharp rise in violence in the Gaza Strip comes after a recent US-led push for progress in peace talks.

Roads dug up

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak took the decision to close Gaza's borders on Thursday evening, prompted by the rocket attacks.

More attacks followed on Friday, with one hitting the Israeli town of Ashkelon. No casualties were reported.

"It's time that Hamas decide to either fight or take care of its population," Shlomo Dror, a spokesman for the Israeli defence ministry, said. "It's unacceptable that people in [the southern Israeli town of] Sderot are living in fear every day and people in Gaza are living life as usual."

BBC Jerusalem correspondent Katya Adler says the closure should be seen as a warning by Israel to show what it can do if it decides to put increased pressure on Gaza.

The crossings would normally be closed from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning for the Sabbath. Israeli officials have indicated the decision will be reviewed on Sunday.

But, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Christopher Gunness, said it was unable to deliver lorryloads of aid because of the closure.

"Gaza is completely shut down. This will only add to an already dire situation," he said.

Gazans were digging up roads because there was no cement for making graves, he said.

"It is imperative that these crossings are opened so that the dire situation in Gaza does not deteriorate further, inflicting further misery on one-and-a-half million people," he said.

Urgent cases

The BBC's Martin Patience, who is at the Erez crossing, says he saw one Palestinian needing urgent medical treatment being allowed out of Gaza.

Two Gazans were allowed to cross into the territory, returning from receiving treatment in Israel, as well as a vehicle belonging to UN children's fund Unicef, our correspondent says.

Gaza receives its fuel and humanitarian supplies through Israel, and the territory has been under an ever-tightening blockade since Hamas took it over by force in June.

Last week, a hopeful US President George W Bush was predicting the recently relaunched peace process could result in a deal within a year.

But on Thursday, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned of "serious consequences" for the talks if the Israeli strikes continued.

News Source : BBC News

Belgians killed in Yemen attack

Two Belgian tourists have been killed after gunmen ambushed their convoy in eastern Yemen, security officials say.

Four other Belgians were wounded in the attack, which happened in the province of Hadramut.

The attackers are believed to be Islamic militants, the Associated Press quoted unnamed officials as saying.

Last July, seven Spaniards and two Yemenis were killed when a suicide car bomber attacked a group of tourists visiting a temple in central Yemen.

Unnamed officials told AP that the Belgian tourists were attacked as they travelled through Wadi Dawan, a desert valley about 300km (180 miles) east of the capital Sanaa.

They were reportedly driving in a five-vehicle convoy when a group of gunmen opened fire, the officials said.

Al-Qaeda attacks

Tourists are often drawn to Wadi Dawan area by the famous multi-storey mud buildings in the nearby town of Shibam.

Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marc Michielsen has confirmed that two Belgians had died in the attack and said that he knew that at least one tourist had been seriously injured.

"They were part of a group of tourists who were on an organized visit," he told AP.

Al-Qaeda has been blamed for a series of attacks in Yemen, the ancestral home of the group's leader Osama Bin Laden.

In July 2006 seven Spanish tourists and their two local drivers died when a suicide bomber rammed his car packed with explosives into their vehicles.

That was the most deadly attack on Westerners in the country since 17 US soldiers aboard the USS Cole were killed when the ship was attacked by al-Qaeda militants as it rested in port in Aden.

In recent years Yemen's government has been fighting Islamists with the help of US special forces based in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa.

News Source : BBC News

Six die in Iraq Shia cult clashes

At least six people have been killed in clashes between police and members of a Shia cult in the southern Iraqi cities of Nasiriya and Basra, officials say.

The fighting began after members of the Soldiers of Heaven attacked police positions and other Shia groups.

Clashes between the cult and Iraqi troops last year left 263 people dead.

The violence comes as thousands of Shia in Iraq take part in the festival of Ashura - one of the holiest events in the Shia religious calendar.

The ceremonies are due to reach a peak on Saturday with commemorations in the city of Karbala, south of Baghdad.

News Source : BBC News

Airtel Bindass India Concert

That is the magic of King Khan which mesmerized Mumbai at the Airtel Bindass India Concert presented by Bindass, a UTV venture. An array of stars including Priyanka Chopra, Dia Mirza, Rakhi Sawant, Dino Morea and others along with SRK set the stage on fire as they performed live on Sunday January 13, 2008 at MMRD Grounds Bandra.

Ever-so-funny Sajid Khan hosted the two-hour show which saw some live performances from

Shahrukh Khan on title number of ‘Mein Hoon Don‘ along with ‘Aankhon Mein Teri‘ from his latest hit OSO.

Priyanka Chopra set the dance floor afire with her mind blowing performance on ‘Aaj ki Raat’ from the film ‘Don’ while Dia Mirza dazzled on ‘Where’s the Party Tonight?’ from the film ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’. Big-mouthed and big (you-know-what) Rakhi Sawant performed on the

‘Beedi’ number from Omkara.

The ‘Dance with SRK Contest’ chose three lucky winners to dance with King Khan at the concert. Nine yr old Mumbai kid Viddhi says, “I can’t believe that I was invited for the concert and

danced with Shahrukh Khan…” 20 year old Ankur from Kolkata says, “Dreams meet reality through the Bindass India concert.” Richa from Delhi exclaims, “I was dead nervous was not sure what was happening to me…. had to pinch myself to wake me up.”

The cocert will be telecast on Bindass on Republic Day January 26.

News Source : Bollywood-Star

Akshay Kumar to come up with triple entertainment

If ‘Heyy Babyy’ was not enough, the rocking Jodi of the two ace names in the world of comedy, actor Akshay Kumar and director Sajid Khan, is all set to rock again. Producer Sajid Nadiawala has come up with yet another comedy project which promises to be three times more entertaining than the previous comedies. The reason? This time Akshay will pair with three heroines.

Yes you read it right. Sajid Khan has confirmed that his film will have three heroines. Talks are on with some of the topmost actresses in Bollywood for the said roles. Reports have it that Vidya Balan , Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor have been approached for the film.

Though Sajid Khan is not willing to confirm any names now, he says he wants to make his next film so entertaining that it should become Akshay’s biggest hit in 2008.

News Source : Bollywood-Star

Gul Panag on her kisses

Gul Panag has a sensuous kissing scene with Sharman Joshi in her forthcoming ‘Hello’, but ask the gal about it and she coolly replies that she has a kissing scene in every film of hers. Be it ‘Dor’, ‘Manorama’, ‘Hello’ or her forthcoming ‘Straight’ with Vinay Pathak.

“It was Vinay’s first kiss and he was so worried,” recalls Gul adding, “but I’m professional in these matters. People say that they won’t kiss on-screen; to me that’s like joining the army and saying I won’t fire a gun.”

News Source : Bollywood-Star

‘Sunday’ reliving the golden 70s

Director Rohit Shetty is quite happy and excited about his to-be-released ‘Sunday’. The structure of the film is very similar to those of the 70s where comedy, action and murder all used to happen at the same time.

In fact, the item number, in which Esha Deol has shown her sensuous side, too has a similarity to all those 70s songs. The situation is such that there is a killer, who is going to come to the disco in the night to attack a girl. It is just that ‘Sunday’ is a modernized version of this. Do we see another Helen in the making?

News Source : Bollywood-Star

Abhiash in Jaipur

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is holidaying in Jaipur, while hubby Abhishek Bachchan is filming for Dilli 6.

The doting wife immediately joined her husband just after Jodhaa Akbar’s music release. She accompanies Abhishek on the sets and is extremely friendly with Dilli 6’s cast and crew, especially leading lady Sonam Kapoor and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

According to sources, Aishwarya has no major assignments and films at the moment and intends to travel with Abhishek for the entire shooting schedule of Dilli 6.

A source close to the couple says, “Aishwarya and Abhishek love to travel together and they are having a good time in Rajasthan.”

Apart from watching Abhishek in action, Ash takes care of his food and costumes on the sets.
The much-in-love couple also frequently indulge in public display of affection and are known to go for romantic drives after Abhishek wraps up shooting for the day. Ash often refreshes herself by taking trips to local forts. Recently, the couple also watched Taare Zameen Par at a local theatre.

A unit member says, “Abhishek has earlier shot for Drona in Bikaner and other parts of Rajasthan. He is quite familiar with the place.”

If sources are to be believed, the couple also plan to head to Nathdwara for a darshan of Lord Krishna and the Eklingji temple in the lake city of Udaipur before returning to Mumbai.

Incidentally, Anil and Tina Ambani who are the Bachchan’s family friends recently visited the temples ahead of the launch of the Reliance Power IPO.

This isn’t the first time that the couple is mixing business with pleasure. When Aishwarya was filming for Pink Panther 2 in Boston last year, her mother Vrinda, Abhishek, and mother-in-law Jaya had joined her. The couple and their respective mothers were spotted taking strolls, shopping and dining at posh restaurants.

News Source : Samachar

Salma Hayek and tycoon beau are Hollywood`s ‘Richest Couple’

Mexican beauty Salma Hayek and businessman beau Francois-Henri Pinault have landed at the first spot in a poll to find Hollywood's ‘Richest Couple’.

It was the pair’s combined fortune, which made them win the poll, conducted by In Touch Weekly.

Pinault's luxury goods company PPR, which owns Gucci Yves Saint Laurent, is said to be worth over 14 billion dollars.

Others making to the new ‘Power Pair’ top 10 list were Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, music mogul Simon Cowell and Teri Seymour, reports Contactmusic.

New couple Jessica Simpson and American football star Tony Romo also made it to the list.

News Source : Samachar

Vidya’s kismet is shining

Now, we hear that she has become even filmmaker Aziz Mirza’s darling!

Ever since they started shooting for Mirza’s Kismet Connection , Mirza, we hear is pampering them to the hilt.

“Vidya and Shahid are like my children,” says Mirza. Could all these success stories have anything to do with Balan’s kismet ? “Touch wood! God has been kind. I couldn’t have asked for more,” says the lovely actress.

News Source : Samachar

'Most impressive showing by an overseas team'

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh says India's performance in the ongoing second Test here is one of the most impressive by an overseas team to this country.

Reviewing the second day's play in his syndicated column, Waugh stated that it was a sort of day when the people at home sit back and wait for an Australian comeback but, for once, it never came.

India took their overall lead to 170 runs by close of the second day on Thursday. India had made 330 in their first innings and shut Australia out for 212 to take a lead of 118. In their second innings, India were 52 for one at stumps.

Waugh still feels there is much cricket to be played in the match and sees fast bowler Brett Lee as the catalyst through whom the Australians could provide a twist in the tale.

"Brett has become the world's No. 1 fast bowler this summer and Friday is the day he will have to prove it. It will need some special Lee magic to hoist Australia back into this Test after India's day of triumph yesterday," he wrote.

Waugh recollected how people whispered at every street corner after the Indians had drawn the Test series he had played in four years ago, that they didn't play in Perth and that next time the Indians would not be so lucky and a WACA Test would be non-negotiable.

"All summer people have been penciling it in as an Australian win."

The Indians' exceptional swing bowling, Waugh has said, will take a lot of fans back to the early 1980s when Kapil Dev proved a real handful for the Australians with his masterful late swing. "You have to admire the high-class work of the Indian bowlers," he said.

News Source : Samachar

Australia's weaknesses are getting exposed

Is this the end of one of the greatest cricketing dynasties of all time? People have started asking the question after seeing world champions Australians struggle on a helpful Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) pitch here in the ongoing third Test match.

According to a report in the Herald Sun, even if Australia wriggle off the canvas and win the third Test, it can be said with some surety that the mighty Australian aura is fading.

Since the start of the Sydney Test, India have stood toe-to-toe and eyeball-to-eyeball with Australia, highlighting some deficiencies and cutting down some lofty reputations.

"Australia are still outstanding, but they are not what they were and nor could they expect to be after the retirement of a handful of long-serving champions. The champs are not chumps but India have proved one thing - they are gettable," the daily said.

The rest of the world will feed off the brazen Indian uprising in a series in which the great Ricky Ponting has averaged just 16, Michael Clarke just 23 and, shock of all shocks, a four-pronged Australian pace battery in this Test has been completely out-bowled by three unsung Indian rivals.

For India to outplay Australia in Perth is like Roger Federer being belted off court at Wimbledon by a clay-court specialist. It is just not supposed to happen.

In two Tests, India have dealt Australia the harsh facts that they have suspect spinning depth, that their No. 4 fast man Shaun Tait still needs refinement and that their top order is vulnerable to quality swing bowling, despite growing fat on the junk food tossed up by rubbish attacks.

Phil Jaques, who looked a superstar on the rise against Sri Lanka, suddenly looks a lesser player. The words of Shane Warne, who said Australia should be more humble and accept that the day would soon arrive when it was not trampling the rest of the world, suddenly appear prophetic.

Former Australian coach Bob Simpson has been prattling on for years about the need for Australian bowlers to rediscover the fading art of swing bowling, following an era where everyone wanted to slap the ball into the deck like Glenn McGrath.

The Indians proved Thursday that the moving ball was still as potent as it has ever been. Irfan Pathan, with his out-swinger to the left-handers given a viperous edge by a gusty breeze, tied Australia in knots in much the same way English swingmen Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard did in 2005.

The great strength of the Australian team is its cavalier instinct. But on days like Thursday, when the opposition was walking with the gods of swing bowling, it can also be its Achilles heel.

News Source : Samachar

US slowdown to hit India’s growth

Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council has released a report, predicting that the growth of India's gross domestic product would slow to 8.5 per cent in 2008-09 from an estimated 8.9 per cent this fiscal year.

A global slowdown triggered by a potential recession in the United States could put brakes on India's economic march, top government officials said on Thursday.

"If US goes through recession there will be global consequences and India will also have to bear a part of the consequences. I hope the US government will also take measures to stimulate growth and we will also respond by taking necessary steps," Finance Minister P Chidambaram said at Confederation of Indian Industry’s annual Partnership Summit.

His comments came shortly after the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council released a report, predicting that the growth of India's gross domestic product would slow to 8.5 per cent in 2008-09 from an estimated 8.9 per cent this fiscal year.

Chairman of the council, C Rangarajan, also expressed concerns over a possible recession in the United States, the world's largest economy and India's biggest trading partner. "In such an event, a decline in business confidence at the general level can combine with a prospective compression of export demand, to cause a significant slowing of the domestic economy,” it said.

The council identified power supply and monsoons as the other downside risks in the coming year. A poor monsoon in the coming may also worsen the food price situation with ripple effects on the general price situation.

"Our current assessment for GDP growth rate in 2007-08 is marginally lower than our previous estimate in July 2007. The main difference stems from lower than expected expansion in manufacturing output and lower growth in the output of energy utilities," it said.

The council also favoured fiscal sops for labour intensive sectors, whose exports have been hit hard by the rising rupee with exports growth projected to fall to 22 per cent in 2007-08 as compared with last year’s 26 per cent.

Rangarajan has pitched for offering indirect tax incentives to spur manufacturing sector's growth that has sunk to worrisome levels in recent months.

India’s industrial growth rate fell to a disturbing 5.3 per cent in November from a high of 15.8 per cent in the same month last year.

News Source : Samachar

Brain changes make elderly gullible

Some elderly adults may be more susceptible to fraud because of changes in their brain that affect judgment and decision-making, researchers said on Tuesday.

In a series of tests they tried to identify common traits among seniors who had difficulty making decisions and spotting anything misleading to determine what makes them vulnerable to deception.

"Our research suggests that elders who fall prey to fraudulent advertising are not simply gullible, depressed, lonely or less intelligent. Rather, it is truly more of a medical or neurological problem," said Natalie Denburg, a neuroscientist at the University of Iowa.

"Our work sheds new light on this problem and perhaps may lead to a way to identify people at risk of being deceived," she added. Denburg and her colleagues studied 80 healthy seniors with no apparent neurological problems to see how they make decisions. Their findings were published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Up to 40% of the seniors performed poorly in a computerized decision-making test.

The same sub-group was also less likely than other adults to detect misleading advertising and they showed abnormal bodily responses, such as sweating, while making decisions. "Our hypothesis is that older poor decision-makers have deficits in their prefrontal cortex," she explained.

News Source : Samchar

Manmohan watches SRK movie, doesn’t remember name

Known to be a workaholic, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took time off to watch a Shahrukh khan starrer film.

"Yesterday, I watched a picture of Shahrukh Khan," Singh said at a TV news channel’s awards function here this evening. Singh, who gave away the award in the `Entertainer of the Year' category to southern superstar Rajnikant, however, failed to recall the name of the film.

"I have forgotten the title of the film," Singh, who tried to remember the name of the movie, said.

News Source : Samachar

Emergency landing at Heathrow, three injured

A British Airways jet on a flight from Beijing landed short of the runway at London Heathrow Airport on Thursday injuring three people and sparking an emergency operation, officials said.

The incident happened shortly before Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due to take off from Heathrow for China on an official visit.

His flight was briefly held up and one runway was closed at Heathrow, which is one of the world's busiest airports. All the injuries were reported as minor.

BBC television pictures showed skidmarks on the grass short of the runway and the plane at an angle just on the end of the runway with extensive damage to its undercarriage.

The plane's engines were resting on the ground and emergency slides were deployed, while safety foam and fire engines surrounded the aircraft.

Fernando Prado, who was on the plane, told BBC television by telephone: "It happened all of a sudden exactly at the moment we touched to land."

"Everything was very well conducted by the crew, people remained seated and we evacuated the plane very quickly. There was no panic at all."

He said passengers were off the jet within two or three minutes of landing.

"A British Airways flight arriving from Beijing carried out an emergency landing at 12:42 pm," a Heathrow airport spokesman said, adding that the plane had been evacuated.

"The Heathrow southern runway has been closed, but the northern runway remains open."

BA said the Boeing 777 jet was flight BA38 from Beijing.

Three passengers were being assessed for minor injuries, said a spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service.

She added that all passengers were believed evacuated from the plane. Six ambulances, two fast response cars and a hazardous response team were sent to the scene.

A London police spokesman said there was no suggestion that terrorism was involved.

Brown was travelling with a party of around 30 journalists, businessmen and personalities, including Virgin chief Richard Branson and Olympic athlete Dame Kelly Holmes.

News Source : Samachar

High Court rules in Yuvraj's favour

Yuvraj Singh may not be scoring on the field but is having better luck in court. The cricketer got a shot in the arm on Thursday once again in the Bombay High Court when a bench upheld an earlier single judge's order and effectively allowed him to go ahead and sign a talent management contract with a new agency.

A division bench dismissed an appeal filed by Percept Talent Management Pvt Ltd against the order passed last December by Justice DY Chandrachud. The single judge had dismissed an arbitration petition filed against Yuvraj and allowed the Indian batsman to sign a contract with a third party after the expiry of his existing contract with Percept.

News Source : Samachar

Long live-in relationships as good as marriage: SC

When a man and woman live together for a long spell there would be a presumption in favour of their having been married, unless it is rebutted by convincing evidence, the Supreme Court has held.

Such a presumption could be inferred by the natural course of events and other surrounding circumstances, a bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and P Satasivan said.

The bench passed the ruling while upholding the property rights of the children born to a couple whose marriage was challenged by the rival claimants.

“Where a man and woman are proved to have lived together as man and wife, the law will presume, unless the contrary be clearly proved, that they were living together in consequence of a valid marriage, and not in a state of concubinage” the Apex court said while recalling a privy council observation.

The Apex court said where the partners lived together the law leans in favour of legitimacy and frowns upon inference of bastardy.

“The presumption was rebuttable but a heavy burden lies on the person who seeks to deprive the relationship of legal origin to prove that no marriage took place,” the bench observed.

In this case, the appellants Tulsa and others had challenged the ruling of a trial court and Madhya Pradesh High Court that they were not entitled to the property left behind by their parents whose marriage was disputed by rival claimants Durghatiya and others.

News Source : Samachar

India’s No. 1 cricketer, say former players

A leg-spinner who couldn’t turn the ball when he first played for India in 1990 has joined the elite 600 Test wickets club! As the country marvelled at Anil Kumble’s jumbo achievement, former Test players too saluted the Team India Test captain.

The following are excerpts from what they had to say (alphabetically):

DEEP DASGUPTA: Anil’s career shows what determination and focus can do for a cricketer. None gave him a chance when he first played international cricket, but look where he is after all these years. Guys like (Muttiah) Muralidharan and (Shane) Warne are naturally talented… Anil is not half as talented as them, yet… I would say Anil is the only one of the trio to have achieved 100 per cent. He’s turned out to be a natural leader as well, adding to his many virtues. In my book, he is India’s No. 1 Test cricketer…

ARAVINDA DE SILVA: It’s not an easy thing to achieve. He has worked so hard in his career and has been India’s main strike bowler for quite a while.

DEVANG GANDHI: He was considered to be an ordinary bowler when he broke into the international scene with critics saying that he was more a medium-pacer than a leg-spinner. Look where that bowler has gone now. It’s not just the volume of wickets which puts Anil in a league of his own, the number of matchwinning performances he has produced is phenomenal too. I would rate him as one of India’s top five Test players of all time.

SUNIL JOSHI: It’s a great achievement and hearty congratulations to Anil. It is good to see him perform and silence the opposition especially in the light of all that has been happening in this series. Anil has let his performance speak.

ARUN LAL: It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. Anil’s a great ambassador of the game, a non-controversial cricketer who is dignified in success and failure. He’s an ideal role model and a living legend. Even at the age of 37, he continues to evolve. For many years, we couldn’t think of a performance beyond Kapil (Dev), but he has stretched the parameters further. I would place him on a par with Sachin (Tendulkar) among top achievers in Indian Test history. Six hundred Test wickets is an awesome figure… Even if one were to equate one wicket with 20 runs, it would give him 12000 runs!

ASHOK MALHOTRA: It’s a mind-blowing achievement considering the fact that so many experts asked how an ordinary bowler like him could play for India when he made his international debut in 1990. It’s a tribute to his hard work, single-minded approach and strong will to improve. Every time he was written off, he came back stronger. He went up in my esteem when he raised his hand to say he will take the responsibility of captaincy, unlike some other greats… Hehas emerged as India’s No. 1 cricketer .

BRIJESH PATEL: Congratulations to Anil Kumble. We hope he gets on to 700 wickets soon. The achievement reflects his dedication, determination and discipline.

ARJUNA RANATUNGA: He has been a great servant of Indian cricket and has rendered yeoman service to the team. Whether it’s at home or abroad, he has always given more than 100 per cent and thoroughly deserves the milestone.

News Source : Samachar

Hillary turns flight attendant

Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed her traveling press corps aboard her campaign plane with a humorous take on the standard flight attendant speech.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and welcome aboard the maiden flight of Hill Force One,” Hillary said on Wednesday over the plane’s intercom as it taxied down the runway en route from Las Vegas to Reno, Nevada.

The US president’s plane is called Air Force One. “My name is Hillary and I am so pleased to have most of you on board,” Hillary continued. "(Federal Aviation Administration) regulations prohibit the use of any cellphones, Blackberries or wireless devices that may be used to transmit a negative story about me.

"In a few minutes, I am going to switch off the ‘Fasten Your Seat Belt’ sign. However, I’ve learned lately that things can get awfully bumpy when you least expect it — so you might want to keep those seat belts fastened. “And in the event of an unexpected drop in poll numbers, this plane will be diverted to New Hampshire.

"If you look out from the right, you will see an America saddled with tax cuts for the wealthiest and a war without end. If you look out from the left, you will see an America with a strong middle class at home and a strong reputation in the world. Once we’ve reached cruising altitude, we’ll be offering in-flight entertainment: my stump speech.

"Once again, thank you for joining us on Hill Force One. We know you have choices when you fly, so we are grateful that you chose the plane with the most experienced crew. And so we are grateful that you chose the plane with the most experienced candidate," she announced.

News Source : Samachar

Dubai expat kills wife for 'illicit relationship'

An Indian woman was allegedly killed by her husband for having an illicit relationship with another man, police said in Dubai on Friday.

A compatriot, who shared the villa with the Indian couple, had informed the police on Thursday that he had seen a woman lying dead on the floor.

The husband confessed to the police that he suspected his 34-year-old wife of having an illicit relationship and had caught her chatting with the man who she had referred to as "my love".

The couple was married for several years and had no children.

News Source : Samachar

Cough syrup could harm kids

The next time your child sneezes and wheezes, don't reach out for the cough syrup bottle and a teaspoon. It not only doesn't always work, chances are it could be dangerous for the kid. Talk to a doctor instead.

Though cough and cold remedies have been widely prescribed and routinely used by parents without consulting a doctor, medical experts now say these have serious side-effects and could even be lethal in certain cases.

After months of debate, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory on Thursday warning parents against giving over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medicines to children under 2 years, because of "serious and potentially life-threatening side effects". Some doctors and pharma industry experts, however, say low doses aren't harmful but acknowledge overdose has serious side-effects. Also, decongestants mainly target symptoms, while the cause of the problem remains.

Some side-effects to watch out for are drying of the mouth, stomach problems and changes in heart rate and blood pressure.

Doctors say the FDA warning should be taken seriously here as there are few controls on sale of medicines and most, including cough syrups, are available without prescription.

There are some 200-300 cough and cold medicines in the market, including Benadryl, Cinaryl, Corex, Chericof, T-minic, Cosome, Deletus, Dristan Expectorant, Grilinctus, Phensydyl, Tixylix and Zeet Expectorant.

Companies say the FDA advisory may not affect them much. "Our label clearly says it should not be given to children below two years. We do not sell paediatric cough formulations in India," says Anil Nayak, director of Johnson & Johnson.

News Source : Samachar

Ambani brothers talk trillions- Refining boosts Reliance turnover

Reliance Industries today reported that its turnover in the nine months from April to December 2007 had topped Rs 1 trillion — a 13 per cent increase over the level of Rs 89,078 crore in the year-ago period.

The nine-month turnover of Rs 100,572 crore was buttressed by a strong performance in the refining business.

Net profit — after taking into account a one-time gain arising from the sale of a 4.01 per cent stake in Reliance Petroleum Ltd (RPL) in November — rose 162 per cent to Rs 8,079 crore for the third quarter on revenues of Rs 35,580 crore, which was in line with market expectations.

In November last year, RIL sold 18.04 crore shares in RPL from its 75 per cent holding and raised Rs 4,023 crore.

However, RIL today said that during the third quarter, there was an exceptional income of Rs 4,733 crore, primarily representing gains arising out of the RPL transaction. Although RIL did not elaborate on the reasons behind this difference of Rs 710 crore, a company official said it had sold an additional 0.61 per cent in RPL during the period.

The bourses were not overjoyed by the 162 per cent increase in net profit and clobbered the stock, which fell 3.3 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange to close at Rs 2,996.25.

Observers said excluding the gains arising from the RPL transaction, RIL’s net profit only showed a rise of 26 per cent at Rs 3,882 crore against Rs 3,081 crore last year.

An analyst said the petrochemicals business had turned in disappointing results. During the period, petrochemical revenues came down to Rs 12,706 crore from Rs 13,145 crore in the year-ago period. Petrochemcials production grew just 4 per cent to 14.5 million tonnes.

It was the refining business that buoyed performance at the country’s largest private sector company. Refining revenues grew to Rs 26,154 crore from Rs 20,870 crore and gross refining margins (GRMs) were strong at $15.4 per barrel. GRM is the difference between the value of petroleum products produced and the price of crude oil.

During the nine-month period, the refinery processed 23.7 million tonnes and achieved an operating rate of 96 per cent.

Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of RIL, said, “I am happy to report that Reliance continues to surpass previous records in financial performance. The new growth platforms around oil and gas, organised retailing and agro-retail initiatives are gathering momentum and the initial response to these initiatives has been very encouraging. Each of these initiatives addresses India’s economic and social imperatives.”

News Source : Samachar

India emerging favoured destination for Japanese companies

India is emerging as a favourite investment destination for top Japanese companies as large conglomerates from the far-eastern country begin to diversify away from neighbouring China, their earlier hotspot.

A survey on outlook for Japanese foreign direct investment carried out by the Japan Bank of International Cooperation found out that as an investment destination, companies, earlier concentrated in China, are beginning to diversify into other emerging countries.

"There is a growing interest in India in particular," it said.

While China still maintains the top position as an investment destination, a lesser proportion of companies ( 68 per cent) prefer China as a promising country. China has seen a decline for four straight years since its peak in 2003.

"Many companies have already established a presence in China, and one reason for the drop may be the increase in companies waiting to see how the economy, investment climate and related factors change before expanding," the survey said.

India ranked second among Japanese companies as a promising country for investment. More companies responded that "investment plans exist" for India, and this is tying in to real investment at an accelerated pace.

By industry, automobile-related companies show a particularly positive stance. "India is increasingly gaining attention," the survey said.

In fact, India ranked highest among Japanese companies as the promising country for doing business in the long term, ahead of China for the first time since the survey has been conducted for the last 18 years.

"The number of companies planning to strengthen or expand their operations in China remained basically unchanged from the previous year. A major increase was seen in respondent companies planning to strengthen or expand operations in India," it said.

Other than Thailand, many Japanese automobile companies see very active prospects in India. "Many companies responded that they were planning to expand in India, reflecting efforts to meet the skyrocketing automobile demands in the region," it said.

The survey was conducted among 600 large Japanese manufacturing companies. Japanese companies, particularly small and medium enterprises, are expected to invest over $10 billion in the Delhi-Mumbai proposed corridor.

News Source : Samachar

Yet another high for Kumble

600 for Kumble: Anil Kumble exults after dismissing Andrew Symonds (caught at slip by Rahul Dravid) to claim his 600th Test wicket . India bowled out Australia for 212 on the second day of the third Test to gain a 118-run first innings lead. India was 52 for one at stumps.

Chennai: Anil Kumble reached yet another landmark in the third Test at Perth on Thursday.

The champion leg-spinner’s 600th Test wicket was achieved at a critical juncture for India on day two — he prised out Andrew Symonds with a precise leg-break in his 124th Test. Kumble made his debut against England in Manchester in 1990.

The 37-year-old India captain is now only behind spin-mates Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan in the tally of Test wickets. Sri Lanka’s Muralitharan has 723 victims in 118 Tests and Australia’s Warne, 708 in 145.

Apart from his bowling skills, the genial Kumble has shown the strength of mind to overcome a major shoulder surgery in 2001. Quicker through the air than a conventional spinner, Kumble hurts the batsmen more with his bounce off the pitch, intensity and accuracy than turn.

While the top-spinner has been his major ally, he has employed the googly particularly well in the present phase.

Subtle variations in pace and clever use of the crease have also fetched him wickets. The relentless Kumble can out-think the batsmen. His achievements reflect discipline and commitment. His outstanding performances include a 10-wicket innings haul against Pakistan in the second Test in New Delhi (1999).

While his spin partnership with Harbhajan Singh has been a success story, the Kumble-Rahul Dravid combination has often struck for India in the Test arena. When Dravid held the catch to send back Symonds, it was his 54th dismissal in tandem with Kumble.

News Source : Samachar

Indians to get highest salary hike in '08

Indians working with MNCs are slated to get the highest salary hike of about 14 per cent on an average across the world in 2008, as firms readily adopt measures to prevent their employees from jumping the ship.

According to data compiled by global human resources consultancy firm ECA International, Indian employees are expected to get the biggest paycheck increase globally in 2008, primarily driven by inflationary situations associated with the robust economic growth in the country.

“Salary increase in India is expected to be the biggest this year as companies have to keep in mind the inflation for their employees to maintain a good economic stature,” ECA International General Manager Lee Quane said.

Other key reasons for the significant salary increase would be the talent-retention measures being adopted by the MNCs as well as soaring corporate profits that entitle the employees for some handsome increments, Quane said. According to ECA International's Salary Trends Survey 2007-08, Indian employees working with MNCs are forecast to receive an average hike of 14 per cent -- the highest across the world, and up from 12.6 per cent in 2007.

India is followed by Argentina (12.7 per cent), Indonesia (11.3 per cent) and Russia (11 per cent). However, salary hike in China, the world's fastest growing major economy, is likely to remain static at 8 per cent in 2008.

Across the regions, employees in Asia would receive the highest salary increases worldwide. The top ten countries globally in terms of expected salary rise include five Asian nations - India, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and the Philippines.

“Salary increases in the region (Asia) are predicted to be over 25 per cent higher than they were in 2005, and for the first time, the region's salary increase is expected to overtake that of Eastern Europe where wage rises are showing signs of similar increments as in 2007,” ECA survey found.

In terms of rise from the previous year's hike, India and Vietnam would see the biggest rise in the annual hikes. While India's annual hike would rise from 12.6 per cent to 14 per cent, that of Vietnam would increase from 8.5 per cent to 10 per cent.

In contrast, companies in the developed countries such as Switzerland, Japan, France, Austria and Germany would dole out lowest salary hikes in 2008.

The biggest fall in salary hike since last year is likely in Slovenia, where the companies expect a wage increase of 5.5 per cent, down 1.3 percentage points from 2007.

In Latin America, companies in Argentina are forecasting salaries to rise from 11.3 per cent in 2007 to 12.7 per cent in 2008. This is almost double the regional average of 6.4 per cent, the survey added.

The ECA Survey contains information collected from about 250 multinational companies in 47 countries about actual salary increases for 2007 and predicted salary increases for 2008.

News Source : Samachar

No funds to pay salaries, IITs tell Govt

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are rated as the world’s third best in engineering education, but the directors of the seven elite institutions are currently trying to get the Union HRD ministry to pay their electricity bills on time!

In an indication of a fund crunch at India’s finest educational institutes, IIT-Bombay has recently written to the HRD ministry that they are not in a position to pay next month’s salaries to their staff members. All seven institutes have complained that government allocations are not keeping pace with the rising costs attached to the day-to-day running of these premier institutions.

"We have been drawing money from our corpus and we cannot continue doing that," said IIT-Madras director M S Ananth. The IITs have now asked a Standing Committee headed by Union HRD minister Arjun Singh to release Rs 20 crore per year per IIT so that their money can be returned to the endowment fund, which is usually set aside for long-term use.

Since the inception of the first IITs in the 1950s, they have entirely relied on government patronage. The budgetary allocation in recent years was roughly Rs 550 crore. However, over the last decade, the IITs have had to tap an extensive network of alumni here and abroad to meet growing requirements. A large percentage of new initiatives are also being driven through industry partnerships.

The HRD ministry, which allocates money to the IITs for recurring expenses on routine bills for electricity, water, laboratory material and salaries, has not increased the annual grants since 2002. Despite escalating costs and inflation, the ministry’s allocation has remained constant at Rs 7.04 crore since 2002. In the meantime, actual expenses under this head have risen by an additional Rs 13.15 crore in 2007. To bridge the shortfall, administrators are now dipping into the IITs’ endowment funds, which comprise savings put together over the years.

News Source : Samachar

Airhostess’ lover arrested in immigration racket

The desperation to impress his girlfriend with a flat of his own landed Sarfraj Virani (28) behind the bars. The Crime Branch arrested Virani, a flight pursuer with Virgin Atlantic Airlines, on Monday, after his two-and-a half-month stint in the illegal US immigration racket.

With this, the Crime Branch has arrested 25 people since October when the racket was busted.

A senior Crime Branch officer, who is part of the investigating team, told HT on condition of anonymity that Virani, a resident of Bandra, was the boyfriend of Aliya Rizvi, the Jet Airways airhostess who was arrested in connection with the same racket. The duo had been seeing each other since their college days and Virani planned to marry her. However, Virani and his parents were living in a rented flat. Virani wanted to buy a flat before marrying Rizvi, the officer said.

Virani allegedly discussed this with Yusuf Beig, a Bandra-based boutique owner arrested earlier. Beig introduced Virani to Altaf Sheikh, kingpin of the racket. Sheikh offered Virani Rs 2 lakh to accompany an Ahmedabad-based Ramilaben Chowdhury (22) to the US by posing as her husband in September.

Beig and Sheikh arranged the marriage proofs within a week and Virani arranged the visas, courtesy his job with the airline.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria said Chowdhury wanted to join her family in the US and had contacted one of Sheikh’s agent. She had paid Rs 22 lakh for the visa.

Following his ‘successful’ task, Virani induced Rizvi to join the racket. Rizvi, who had been grounded by Jet Airways after she gained weight, unsuccessfully tried to smuggle an illegal immigrant, for which she was promised Rs 1.8 lakh.

Virani had fled to Pune along with his family following Rizvi’s arrest, said the officer. He had been hiding in his uncle’s flat in Kalyani Nagar, from where the Crime Branch arrested him.

News Source : Samachar

Passenger pats bottom, dragged off flight

A GoAir passenger, identified as 38-year old Prakash Ved by the airline, was thrown off of a Mumbai-Jaipur-Delhi flight on Thursday for allegedly molesting an air-hostess.

A passenger witness to the incident on Flight G8-111 said the drama began after the air-hostess complained that Ved patted her bottom while she was escorting him to his seat. The airline’s security team was called in immediately. However, Ved refused to disembark and started abusing the crew.

Eventually, the security team had to drag him off the aircraft and hand him over to the Central Industrial Security Force.

But the drama didn’t end there.

Ved struggled free and began running towards Sahar police station to register a complaint. However, securitymen managed to run him down and wrestle him to the ground. He was booked under Section 110 of the Bombay Police Act (misbehaviour in a public place), but was later let off after he paid a fine of Rs 1,200.

The incident cost the flight’s 180 passengers an hour as the plane missed its departure slot while Ved was being booked. This is likely to have resulted in a loss of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh for GoAir. The expense would have comprised overtime for cabin crew, excess parking fees and pilots’ flying hours wasted.

According to a recent Directorate General of Civil Aviation regulation, a pilot cannot fly for more than eight hours a day. Considering that pilots are rare, the waste of even one hour due to such freak incidents is costly.

A GoAir spokesperson said: "We have a zero-tolerance policy towards passengers who misbehave with employees. A passenger abusing or manhandling an employee is offloaded immediately and a police complaint filed. All such off-loaded passengers are not refunded their ticket money."

News Source : Samachar

After Gorshkov, Moscow-Delhi spar over submarine

India's defence ties with Russia continue to steadily nosedive. Amid the ongoing rancour over the huge delay and cost overrun in refit of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, a spat has now erupted between Moscow and New Delhi over the upgradation of an Indian submarine.

India has point-blank refused to take delivery of the Kilo-class submarine, INS Sindhuvijay, whose extensive refit began at Zvyozdochka shipyard near St Petersburg in late-2005.

"We have have refused to accept the submarine due to material deficiencies in it. Since ice has set in the bay there, certain systems and equipment on board the vessel can now only be tested after some months," admitted an official.

Sources said the all-important Klub-S land-attack cruise missiles, with a strike range of almost 300 km, being fitted on the submarine had failed to work in six consecutive test firings at the Barents Sea test range in September-November last year. "This will lead to a delay of almost a year since the missile systems will have to be rectified and undergo acceptance trials after the snow melts. Some of the 52 crew members have, in fact, returned to India," said a source.

The Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had in July 2006 cleared the upgradation of six Kilo-class submarines with the Klub-S 3M-14E land-attack cruise missiles at a cost of Rs 844.58 crore.

This is part of the overall process of modernising the Navy's 10 Kilo-class submarines out of the 16 diesel-electric submarines in its underwater combat arm, which were inducted from Russia between 1986 and 2000. Apart from the missiles, the refit involves new sonars, electronic warfare systems and automated integrated weapon control systems.

This new controversy is reflective of the bitterness which has crept into the long-standing Indo-Russian defence relationship. India is upset with Russia for not sticking to delivery schedules of contracted weapon systems and failing to provide uninterrupted supply of spares, apart from jacking up costs mid-way through execution of agreements.

The most visible symbol of this acrimony is the tussle over Admiral Gorshkov, with Russia demanding a staggering $1.2 billion more to refurbish it, apart from pushing back the delivery date to 2012-2013.

This amounts to Russia reneging from the $1.5-billion package deal signed with India in January 2004, which included the refit of the 44,570-tonne Gorshkov as well as 16 MiG-29K 'Fulcrum' fighters and Kamov helicopters to operate from it. The warship was earlier supposed to join the Indian Navy by August 2008.

Another big naval project to be hit by delay is the the Rs 5,514-crore (around $1.4-billion) one for construction of three more Talwar-class "stealth" frigates at Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad.

Moreover, the transfer of technology for the indigenous production of 1,000 T-90S main-battle tanks from Russia is yet to materialise.

This even though India imported 310 T-90S tanks for over Rs 3,625 crore under a 2001 contract earlier. And then, last November, it signed a Rs 4,900-crore contract for another 347 T-90S tanks.

News Source : Samachar