‘I have accepted my omission’

Breaking his silence over his omission from India’s ODI team, Sourav Ganguly on Monday said that it was “disappointing” because his one-day record is next best after Sachin Tendulkar, but he had “accepted” the selectors’ decision.

A reticent former Indian captain was unwilling to be drawn into any discussion on his being ignored but even then his hurt shows.

“I am disappointed just like any other cricketer in not being a part of the one-day side as I had a great year last year and my one-day record is probably the next best after Sachin. It is disappointing but then I have accepted it,” he told PTI in an interview.

Ganguly refused to answer questions about reports that he and Rahul Dravid were left out of the ODI team on the insistence of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “I do not want to talk about it,” he said.

Right direction

On whether experience should be sacrificed for youth and whether India was going in the right direction in preparing for the 2011 World Cup: “I know my answer, but I keep it with myself. I must say that 2011 World Cup is still a long way away. But I have a lot of faith in (Chief Selector) Dilip Vengsarkar, he is somebody whom I respect quite a lot and I am sure good things will happen under him.”

He said it was hard to predict how many more years the seniors would play. “It is difficult to say how many more years we all will play. It depends on performance, because that’s what matters in cricket.”

Ganguly expressed satisfaction with the appointment of Gary Kirsten as the coach and said he wanted to put the Greg Chappell episode behind him.

“The team has got Gary Kirsten as the coach. He was with us in Australia during the last two Test matches and we look forward to exciting times ahead with him. Regarding the Greg Chappell episode, I do not want to talk about it.”

Ganguly also said praised Anil Kumble’s captaincy. “I think he has done fantastically well as the captain. His strength is his man management skills and the tremendous confidence he has in his players.”

He said he had not spoken to Shah Rukh Khan, who has backed the former Indian skipper to captain Kolkata team in the Indian Premier League: “I have not spoken to Shah Rukh Khan yet. Let me speak to him and then we will see where it goes.”

About the recent acrimony between Indian and Australian players: “I really do not want to talk about it much because a lot of things have been spoken and done. It’s good that they have all gone back to cricket because that’s what matters at the end of the day.”

Whether unruly behaviour by players can be checked by tough umpires: “I think the umpires are tough in the field now-a-days. But sometimes certain things happen at the heat of the moment and the best thing is to sort it out amicably.”

On technology

Use of technology in umpiring: “I think there should be a balance of technology in the umpires’ role. But we must realise that we all make mistakes and mistakes will happen always. As a cricketer, I feel that if the field umpires get a bit of help in the matter of the front foot no ball from the technology as they have in tennis, then they can concentrate and look only towards the batsman and that can reduce mistakes, because things happen fast in the cricket field.” — PTI

News Source : Samachar

BJP plays Taiwan trip trick on govt

The BJP has used Taiwan to tickle the UPA government out of its “shyness” on Tawang.

Three BJP leaders recently returned from a “highly fruitful” visit to Taiwan during which they meet Taiwanese Prime Minister Frank Hsieh as well other political leaders.

A move that is sure to raise questions by Beijing, the BJP’s initiative will also put New Delhi in an embarrassing position as it goes against India’s stated position on the “one China” policy.

In the Indo-Chinese joint statement last month, India committed it would oppose any activity that goes against the one China principle. Taiwan does not have an embassy in Delhi but it has an establishment called Taipei Economical and Cultural Centre which takes care of travel permits.

In the BJP delegation was Khiren Rijiju, the MP from Arunchal Pradesh who usually takes the lead in articulating his party’s strong views on the state that China has not recognised as a part of India.

Rijiju was accompanied to Taiwan by former power minister Suresh Prabhu and BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar during the trip from January 30 to February 4.

“We went there to protest against the Prime Minister’s silence on the security of Arunachal,” Rijiju told The Telegraph.

Back in his home state, Rijiju said over phone that people in Tawang “are confused” over the signals that Delhi was sending by not talking about the security of Arunachal.

The BJP may announce that a “cultural exchange” between Taiwan and India would happen soon through a forum to be set up in India, leaving the foreign ministry with many red faces.

The ministry last week tried brushing under the carpet news of an informal protest from the Chinese against the Prime Minister’s visit to Arunachal.

Sources said that late last month the Prime Minister had also dropped Tawang from his itinerary in Arunachal because of Chinese pressure. Preparations had been made by the army as well as the administration in Tawang to host the Prime Minister’s delegation, the sources said.

Rijiju said he chose to visit Taiwan as an MP to make a point. “As an Arunachalese, I could not have got a visa to China but I can go to Taiwan,” he added. As China feels that Arunachal is part of its territory, Beijing does not grant visas to people from the state.

Last year, an IAS tour of Beijing was called off after an Arunachal officer was not given visa.

This time, the government has not reacted to the visit, though a note from the ministry could express the government’s displeasure.

The BJP team had called on Hsieh and the leaders of the KMT and the Democratic People’s Party in Taiwan. Rijiju said the two sides spoke of economic and cultural cooperation.

Hsieh was reportedly handpicked by President Chen Shui-bian in January to mend relations with China which wants to bring Taiwan into the mainland.

News Source : Samachar

Rupee drops further

The Indian rupee weakened by 8.50 paise to 39.70/71 against the U.S. dollar, the lowest level since November 29 last year, as demand for the rupee dimmed in view of the consistent weakness in Asian stocks.

It closed at 39.6150/6250 on Friday.

Foreign exchange dealers said the rupee sentiment took a beating on fears of capital outflows amid exporters selling dollar.

A rather disappointing listing of Reliance Power has augmented the fears of a pull-out by foreign institutional investors in the light of sustained slide in Indian stocks, they added.

Earlier, last week also the rupee recorded weakness as the refund from the Reliance Power public issue had strengthened the demand for dollars.

Besides, the dealers added, deferment of a couple of initial public offerings due to persisting weakness in the equity markets weighed on rupee sentiment.

The rupee during the day moved widely between 39.61 and 39.76 — PTI

News Source : Samachar

Now, army hospital under scanner for 'illegal' transplants

The Delhi Police have accused the authorisation committee of the Army's Research and Referral (RR) Hospital, which sanctions permission for organ transplant, of negligence while giving such sanctions.

In a chargesheet filed in a case of illegal kidney transplant registered in Delhi's CP police station, the police have named two employees of the hospital's neurological department — S Prasadand Raj Pal — of being involved in several illegal kidney transplants that allegedly took place at the hospital. The case is in the stage of framing of charges against the accused and will come up for hearing on March 25.

The police, in a detailed chargesheet, has cited several cases of illegal organ transplantation that took place at the hospital. It alleges in all the cases, the recipient and the donor were shown to be siblings. However, in all the cases the police later found there was no relation between the donor and the recipient. But every case was given speedy sanction by the authorisation committee.

The case first came to the police's notice in August 2004 when Kishore Kumar, whose kidney was allegedly removed and donated to one Veena Devi, filed a case against Sanjay Kumar, a tout.

Kishore, who used to work as a waiter at wedding parties, met Sanjay near CP's Hanuman Mandir. Sanjay soon befriended Kishore. Once when Kishore complained of stomach ache, he took him to the RR Hospital. He was asked to tell his name as Jagdish as Sanjay claimed to have a hospital card on the said name. He was made to sign some documents as Jagdish.

Kishore, who claims to be illiterate, said he had no knowledge of what the documents read. He was soon admitted at the hospital and was operated. He remained under observation for the next 15-20 days. A few days later, Kishore went back to his village and fell sick.

During a local check-up, he was told this was due to the recent operation as one of his kidneys had been removed.

Kishore, who was shocked to hear this, came back to Delhi and filed a case of cheating against Sanjay.

"During investigation, it was found 'Jagdish' was the name of Veena's brother. The accused persons had fraudulently got an affidavit signed from the victim, saying he was willingly and knowingly donating his kidney to his sister Veena," the police said.

The police soon arrested Sanjay. They also found the said modus operandi was rampant at the hospital: many cases sanctioned by the authorisation committee.

News Source : Samachar

No. 2 is Dhoni’s No. 1 worry

There is an air of reconciliation and expectancy in Australia. Even more seriously so, here in Canberra, the national capital. Prime Minister Kevin Ruud is expected to deliver his message of apology and the whole nation, is waiting to know how big his sorry will be to the stolen generation (the Aboriginals). Wednesday is a big day for Australia.

There is an air of expectancy surrounding the Indian team too. They play Sri Lanka in the fifth match of the VB tri-series and the question is will skipper Mahinder Singh Dhoni say sorry to his deputy?

The Indian vice-captain is here for more than 50 days and has not scored a fifty. Tuesday will be a big day for Yuvraj Singh.

The Indian skipper has been deftly avoiding the media. Even in the moment of rare glory — when his side humbled world champions Australia — Dhoni sent Ishant Sharma to the customary post-match press conference.

Again on Monday, he gave media the skip, deputing Harbhajan Singh to the match-eve media briefing. Yuvraj’s failure seems to be working on the skipper’s mind.

The Punjab batsman came here on a high after a swashbuckling century against Pakistan in Bangalore but turned out to be the biggest failure of the side. His series average (including the tour game) has been less than 5 and he has not totaled 50 in eight innings.

A lesser mortal would have been dropped from the side. There would have been a national debate if a player with higher credentials — like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid or Sourav Ganguly — had such numbers against their names.

News Source : Samachar

Pakistan envoy feared kidnapped

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin was feared kidnapped on Monday in the Northwest Frontier region along with his driver and security guard just before he was to cross into Afghanistan.

Mr. Azizuddin went missing near Jamrud on the Pakistan side of the border in the Khyber tribal agency.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq confirmed that Mr. Azizuddin was missing but refused to say whether he had been kidnapped.

Reports from the area said he had been out of contact since noon.

Mr. Sadiq said a search had been launched for Mr. Azizuddin.

News Source : Samachar

Australia unsafe? Attacks on Indian students rise

Train stations, bus stops, even pavements in and around Melbourne, the Australian city in Victoria which is home to thousands of Indian students, have increasingly turned unsafe with a good number of attacks on migrant youth being reported from the suburbs.

Some of these crimes bear the ‘us-versus-them’ racial overtone while most, according to Victoria Police, come as "assaults and robberies", and many other cases go unreported, possibly for fear of a backlash.

The number of Indian students migrating to Australia has seen a continuous rise and over 35,000 boys and girls arrive in the island country every year as securing admission in most of its universities, including 39 run by the government, is much easier.

The Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA), which has taken up the concern with Victoria Police, local
lawmakers, as well as the Indian government, says the number of attacks, "fortunately directed towards male Indian students only", could be as high as three per day.

"We have been approaching the Victorian government and Australian federal government for assistance. They have till date played a cat-and-mouse game. Even Indian officials have mostly been silent and reluctant to take a decisive stance," said FISA secretary Gautam Gupta in a letter to overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi.

"Most (Indian) students are doing well and feel secure. But a significant number are at the receiving end. This is leading to huge problems, including some students being forced to the edge of the society. We have seen the emergence of Indian students' vigilante groups, an increase in suicides, depression, other health problems and students failing due to extraneous factors," he said.

Victoria police, calling these crimes "extremely serious", said the number of reported cases has decreased due to a series of public forums and education/information sessions organised by them and local community organizations.

"We consider all offences of this nature as extremely serious and all victims are dealt with in a professional and sensitive manner. Victoria police's crime prevention unit has generated articles in student publications and Indian newspapers in Melbourne and speaks to international students arriving in the city for the first time. Victoria police and Victoria University have also developed a DVD for international students," Victoria police crime prevention officer Craig McDonald told TOI in an email interview.

That the problem is serious can be seen from the fact that Marsha Thompson, a member of Victoria legislative assembly from Footscray, got a public meeting of police crime prevention unit, neighbourhood watch members and students organised last year as "a response to the recent number of thefts and intimidating incidents against young male Indian students at railway stations" in her electorate.

Earlier, the police had launched a large-scale four-month probe into a spate of armed robberies committed mostly against Indian students in Melbourne's west. Police charged over 50 people with 628 offences committed till June, and said Indian students were more vulnerable as they relied on public transport and were often catching trains or walking late at night.

Gupta told TOI that FISA has suggested the Indian government to ask every migrating student to contribute a nominal Rs 1,000 towards a "welfare fund". This fund, he said, could be used to establish a resource centre with nodal points across Australia that can be used as safe houses for victims.

"I would advise Indian students to be aware of what they are getting into. Once there, they should get involved with community groups and avoid unsafe suburbs, universities and institutes. Many private agents in India misguide students and the Australian government doesn't monitor the inflow," he said.

News Source : Samachar

Kingpin knew Pandher?

"On seeing the photographs of Dr Amit Kumar on television, I recollected this man used to come to (Moninder Singh) Pandher's house. He used to come in a black car. Once he sported the French cut, other times he came clean shaven," said Jhabbu Lal, father of one of the children killed in Nithari, the worst serial killings in the country.

Pandher is the main accused in the serial murder case unearthed in 2006.

Another victim's parent, Pappu Lal, said, "An ambulance was seen at Pandher's house once and a nurse too used to be seen there. From the beginning we were saying our children were killed for human organs."

They both, along with other parents of victims, demanded a fresh CBI probe.

News Source : Samachar

Police register cases against Raj Thackeray, Abu Azmi

The police have registered cases against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi under IPC 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riots), IPC 153 A (promoting enmity between groups on the basis of place of birth, residence, etc.) and IPC 153 B (imputations, assertions, prejudicial to national integration).

Joint Commissioner of Police, K.L. Prasad said the charges were cognizable and non-bailable. The accused would be required to seek bail from the court. He refused to say when they would be arrested and maintained that investigations were on.

Both leaders declared that they would not seek bail. While an MNS spokesman said Mr. Thackeray was ready to face action for the sake of Marathis, Mr. Azmi said he was in his office and not making any move to get anticipatory bail.

Mr. Azmi said the offences registered against Mr. Thackeray were too mild. He wanted the police to book the MNS leader for rioting.

Last week, north Indians were attacked after Mr. Thackeray took exception to the celebration of Uttar Pradesh Day and “Chhat Puja” here.

The SP leader retaliated, saying he would arm north Indians with “lathis.”

Sign boards smashed

On Monday, about 200 activists of the Shiv Sena attacked shops and eating houses in the pilgrim centre of Shirdi and smashed the sign boards written in Tamil and Telugu. The police arrested 40 of them.

Sena leader Baba Dhumal said the establishments had non-Marathi boards despite a government order.

An official said the shops were told to have boards with names in Marathi, followed by other languages.

In Mumbai, Sainiks blackened the boards at the airport announcing, “Mumbai International Airport Ltd. Welcomes You.”

Their argument was that a private company could not welcome passengers and the welcome signs should be in the name of the city as their leader Uddhav Thackeray said on Saturday.

News Source : Samachar

Airport Authority workers to go on fast

Functioning of airports across the country may be affected on Tuesday, as Airport Authority employees will observe a day-long ''relay fast'' to protest privatisation of airports and press the government to meet other demands.

''The Airport Authority employees will en-mass observe a day-long relay fast from 10 am to 5 pm to protest efforts at privatising airports being managed by the Airport Authority of India and our other unmet demands,'' said M K Ghoshal, All India General Secretary, Airport Authority Employee's Union.

The AAEU is also protesting the development of Greenfield airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore and closure of those which are being currently run by the AAI.

''At Delhi and Mumbai, where government has privatised the airports, the employees are being asked to join the consortium against their will, which is not acceptable to us. No one can be forced to work in the consortium against their will,'' he said.

Ghoshal alleged there were several other demands of the AAI employees which had not been met despite several requests to the government since the last one-and-a-half year.

Meanwhile, Delhi International Airport (P) Limited, which manages Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, has prepared a backup plan so that operations are not affected.

''We have learnt that AAEU has informed AAI management about the mass protest tomorrow in support of their demands. We have prepared a backup plan and all efforts will be made so that airport operations don't get affected and passengers face least inconvenience,'' a DIAL spokesperson said, adding they believed it will be a peaceful protest.

News Source : Samachar

The fun has gone out of polls in Pak

It’s not just the cold weather that is forcing the party faithful indoors. For the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the party with overwhelming political support in Karachi and other cities of Sindh province, the number of people turning up at party rallies is minimal when compared to past elections.

Much of the low turnout at rallies has to do with the fear amongst most Pakistanis, across party lines, of terror-related incidents at political rallies. “Let us not take this as disinterest in the political process. The MQM supporter will come to the polling station come what may,” says Inayat Ali Khan, a party worker standing guard at a corner meeting in the lower income locality of Mehmoodabad in Karachi, an MQM stronghold.

Khan says that what he is looking out for are “people who do not fit into the crowd,” meaning outsiders or those who seem out of place due to their physical characteristics. One can see that the party workers are nervous and edgy. Not far from here, in October 2007, a bomb blast ended the lives of over 140 persons in a rally that was supposed to welcome Benazir Bhutto back to Pakistan.

Despite eagle-eyed party workers and back-up from police and para-military forces, the MQM and other parties are not ready to hold big rallies and are restricting themselves to corner meetings instead. “This time the party machinery is working on a more focused agenda,” says leader Dr Farooq Sattar.

With less than a week to go to elections, one would have expected more in terms of hue and cry. But, in the words of another party activist, the polls are a “thund (cold) programme”.

Despite their lack of enthusiasm, many agree that the elections should be held “come what may”. The main party banners on the streets of Karachi are of the MQM or Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party. There are a few seats that will be hotly contested, but even in these, the scales are tipped in favour of the MQM, which has been a coalition partner with President Pervez Musharraf.

News Source : Samachar

Reliance Power ends 17% down on its trading debut

Reliance Power, which rode a wave of investor euphoria to stage India's biggest initial public offering in January, on Monday blamed the condition of global markets after its stock plunged as much as 21 per cent on its trading debut.

The fall in the shares of the company, whose $3bn IPO sold out within a minute of opening in mid-January, marked a dramatic end to a recent boom in Indian equities issues, which some had compared with the 2000 internet bubble because of a surge in start-up companies listing at rich valuations.

"This decline is not specific to Reliance Power and instead simply mirrors the sharp meltdown in global capital markets over the past three weeks," Reliance Power said on Monday night.

The company's shares on Monday closed at Rs372, down about 17 per cent from the IPO price of Rs450, after hitting an earlier low of Rs355.05.

Reliance Power has plans to build more than 28,000 megawatts of power generation capacity over the next 10 years, although the company has no operating assets and negligible cashflow.

The listing, at the level on which it was priced, potentially made controlling shareholder Anil Ambani the world's richest Indian - ahead of his brother Mukesh Ambani, and Lakshmi Mittal, although critics said it was overpriced.

The Ambani name attracted more than 4m institutional and retail investors, turning the company into one of India's most widely-owned stocks.

Mr Ambani is the son of the late Dhirubhai Ambani, one of India's most successful entrepreneurs and founder of its biggest private company, Reliance Industries.

"This is like a complete severing of investor confidence [in the Ambanis]," said one retail investor, S Arun Natish, a marketing manager in Mumbai.

Reliance Power said the stock was only matching falls in the market since the flotation.

India's benchmark Sensex Index has fallen about 20 per cent since the IPO, on Monday alone losing 4.78 per cent to close at 16,630.91 points.

Last week, two Indian companies staging high-profile IPOs had to abandon them mid-way due to lack of demand - shocking a market that only last month was the hottest in the world for equity capital-raising.

News Source : Samachar

Concerns grow on Lashkar designs

Indian officials say passports recovered from members of a terror cell arrested over the weekend will increase pressure on Pakistan to deliver on its long-standing joint counter-terrorism commitments.

At least four members of the cell arrested in Uttar Pradesh, including two Indian nationals, travelled on legitimate Pakistani passports obtained for them by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Intelligence sources said Islamabad must act against the Lashkar operatives responsible for obtaining them or fuel fears that Pakistan’s covert services are still supporting the internationally proscribed group.

Flew to Kathmandu

Gujaranwala resident Mohammad Imran Butta and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir-based Farooq Azam, who executed the January 1 fidayeen strike on a Central Reserve Police Force training camp in Rampur, flew to Kathmandu using these passports. Both men have told interrogators they then crossed the India-Nepal border by road, and had hoped to secure their escape the same way.

Fahim Ahmad Ansari, a Mumbai resident who was helping the cell plan attacks on the Mumbai Stock Exchange and Churchgate Railway Station, also held a legitimate Pakistani passport. Issued under the pseudonym Hammed Hassan, visa entries on the passport show that Ansari, like the two Pakistani members of the cell, transited through Kathmandu on his way to India.

Mohammad Sabahuddin, who helped execute the 2005 attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore before going on to become the cell’s overall commander, used a Pakistani passport to travel between Karachi, Qatar, Dhaka and Kathmandu. Sabahuddin told interrogators he had left his Pakistani passport behind in Bangladesh, fearing it would be detected.

Investigators say Sabahuddin obtained the passport in 2005 from the Lashkar’s Pakistan-based director of terror operations against India, so far known only by the code-name Muzammil. Once in Bangalore, Sabahuddin carried out reconnaissance at several targets, before finally being drawn to the IISc after learning that its high-profile annual summit had no security cover.

Counter-terrorism officials say the Lashkar’s large-scale use of Pakistani passports is surprising, given Islamabad’s efforts to distance itself from terrorism directed at India. However, the discovery of the cell comes at a time when Lashkar polemic has been increasingly defiant of General Pervez Musharraf’s promises to rein in his country’s powerful transnational jihadist groups.

Speaking at Islamabad’s sector I-8 Quba Masjid on February 5, mid-ranking Lashkar operative Nasr Javed said his organisation wanted to “tell our Kashmiri brothers that the government of Pakistan might have abandoned jihad, but we have not. Our agenda is clear. We will continue to wage and propagate jihad until eternity.”

Identified by Pakistani analysts as a Lashkar fidayeen-team trainer, Javed went on to make clear this jihad was not limited to Jammu and Kashmir. India fears that if the mujahideen liberate Kashmir through jihad, he said, then it will be very difficult to keep the rest of India under control. Jihad will spread from Kashmir to other parts of the country and Muslims will rule India again.

Grouse against Musharraf

Several other Islamist leaders in Pakistan have used similar language in recent weeks. Amir Siddiqui, deputy prayer leader at Islamabad’s Lal Masjid Islamist stronghold, told a recent Kashmir solidarity gathering that President Musharraf had caused irreparable damage to the Kashmir jihad. Had he continued to support jihad in Kashmir, the mujahideen would have broken apart India.

News Source : Samachar

Kajol may not work with Shah Rukh?

Love is blind, but not when it comes to business. One would think that if Kajol is proposed a Karan Johar project also starring Shah Rukh Khan, she would simply jump at the offer. And news has it that she’s done just that.

However, Kads shocks us with, “I haven’t even read the script! Once I read it, I’ll decide!” So, this talented actress doesn’t turn a blind eye where work is concerned. On the contrary, it’s the eyes-wide-open phenomenon that takes over when it comes to scripts. And if she doesn’t like it she’ll simply say no! But let’s hope she manages to say kuch kuch hota hai while reading this one. We’re sure KJo is hoping!

News Source : Samachar

Sri Lanka faces a resurgent India

The Manuka Oval has to be among the compelling venues in contemporary cricket. Languidly beautiful, it is surrounded by trees. The ambience in this old fashioned stadium is distinctly traditional.

Mahela Jayawardene will have other things in mind than appreciating the appearance of the Manuka Oval. He will keep it for some other day. For now, the Sri Lankan captain and his men face a serious challenge against a resurgent India. There is a lot of cricket left in the CB series, yet this match could have a bearing on whether Sri Lanka progresses to the final or not.

India leads the pack with eight points from three games and Sri Lanka is at the bottom with two from two. If India wins here, the Lankans would have a lot of catching up to do against two good sides. Jayawardene acknowledged this much which pointed to the significance of Tuesday’s duel under the sun.

A dry wicket could suit Muttiah Muralitharan. The off-spin genius would be keen to settle scores with Gautam Gambhir. Harbhajan Singh too might find some assistance from the surface. Despite the lack of grass on the surface, there should be an element of bounce for the pacemen. This could encourage the spinners as well.

Incisive attack

The Lankans have an injury worry with the combative middle-order batsman Tillekeratne Dilshan suffering from an infected knee. A decision will be taken on him on Tuesday morning. If Dilshan does not recover, all-rounder Farvez Maharoof might receive a look-in. Sri Lanka will need to pull up its batting socks against an incisive pace attack.

The Lankans will have to contend with one of India’s fastest new ball combinations Ishant Sharma and S. Sreesanth. This is an impressive right-arm pair of contrasts.

Given that his natural delivery leaves the left-hander, Ishant could pose searching questions to Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga and Kumar Sangakkara in the Lankan top-order.

Ishant sorted out Matthew Hayden at the MCG and the Lankan top-order needs to be on guard. Negotiating movement at speeds in the high 140s is never easy.

The accomplished Sangakkara is striking the ball well and his strategy against Ishant could be interesting. The chances are he would respond with aggression. The Indians would be hoping for a swift recovery by Ishant from a minor abdominal strain.

With his natural outswing, Sreesanth has been operating zestfully to the right-handers in the series. His face-off with Jayawardene could be engaging.

For the Lankans, Ishara Amerasinghe has bowled with pace and control. And someone like Lasith Malinga is capable of whipping up an inspired spell. Chaminda Vaas might still have some gas left in the tank.

The conditions in a day match could favour a side bowling first because of the morning moisture on the pitch. And the Manuka Oval is no small ground where totals can be chased without sweat.

In all its three matches so far, India has rallied after being dented early on. Skipper M.S. Dhoni has breathed defiance in the middle-order. Youngsters like Rohit Sharma have responded to pressure situations. Yuvraj Singh needs to contribute in the middle-order.

The teams (from): India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), S. Tendulkar, V. Sehwag, G. Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, R. Uthappa, I. Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, S. Sreesanth, S. Raina, D. Karthik, P. Chawla, P. Kumar, M. Patel, M. Tiwary.

Sri Lanka: M. Jayawardene (captain), S. Jayasuriya, U. Tharanga, K. Sangakkara, C. Silva, C. Kapugedera, F. Maharoof, C. Vaas, L. Malinga, M. Muralitharan, I. Ameresinghe, T. Dilshan.

Umpires: T. Hill & D. Oxenburg; Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.

News Source : Samachar

Sanjay marries, sisters missing

Sanjay Dutt today married Maanyata, possibly for the third time, at a low-decibel ceremony in a friend’s house but his sisters Priya and Namrata were missing.

Dressed in a cream sherwani and maroon dupatta matching with his bride’s cream sari with maroon zari border, the 48-year-old star betrayed no signs of unease about hitching up with the woman his sisters are apparently not too fond of.

“I am a happy man. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for being so positive about this. I remember telling you all that I would inform you when I got married and I have kept my promise,” Sanjay said after the noon ceremony conducted according to Hindu rituals.

More than the wedding —reports say the two had a registry marriage in Goa on February 7 and a private ceremony last November at their Bandra home — the talking point today was the “rift” between the siblings that is now in the open.

Priya, who had run from pillar to post to get bail for Sanjay in the Bombay blasts case last year, looked shocked and shaken when asked why she had not gone for the wedding.

“We weren’t even invited. It’s thanks to the media that I now know that Sanjay is married. I don’t even know where the ceremony is taking place. I wish them all the best and a happy married life,” she said.

Asked if she had a problem with Maanyata, she told PTI: “Sanjay is a grown-up man and I don’t think it is a matter of acceptance or not. It’s a matter of wishing the very best for each other in the family.”

Sources said the actor had drifted from his sisters after they disapproved of his intimacy with the 32-year-old Maanyata, a small-time item girl earlier married to one Mairaj Rehman who got into trouble with the law for sending obscene text messages to Bollywood starlets.

Sanjay’s daughter Trishala is also apparently uncomfortable about Maanyata’s hold on Sanjay. The star broke up with long-time friend Sanjay Gupta and pulled out of a production house they jointly launched after he began dating her.

This morning’s ceremony was held at the Versova home of Pradeep, one of Sanjay’s friends. Some others — Bunty Walia, Suniel Shetty, Nitin Manmohan and Yusuf Nulwalla — were there, all dressed in white kurta-pyjama and identical pink dupattas.

“We are not going out anywhere because I am shooting for EMI at the moment. We are going to think about all that later,” Sanjay said after the ceremony, exchanging a quick glance with his bride.

“I am exhausted after all the rituals and I am so happy that I cannot explain the feeling in words,” Maanyata said.

Although there have been rumours that the siblings differed over Maanyata, it is surprising that Priya and Namrata — who live in the same building as Sanjay — had no idea about the wedding. Sources said matters came to a head after the newly weds recently finalised a land deal in Goa, where they might settle.

One of Sanjay’s friends said the couple had big plans lined up for Valentine’s Day. But the gifts — a Rs 21-lakh watch from Maanyata and a Rs 30-lakh jewellery set from Sanjay — have been exchanged three days in advance.

News Source : Samachar

Symonds faces disciplinary action

All-rounder Andrew Symonds faces disciplinary action from Cricket Australia for his “outspoken and inaccurate comments” in an unpublished newspaper column in which he panned the Board for not allowing the players join the Indian Premier League (IPL).

CA’s spokesperson Peter Young said the Board stood by the decision to withhold the column because there were several inaccuracies in the story that also amounted to breach of contract.

“In the contract there are requirements relating to public comment, the obligation to not disparage various parties and also it’s a contractual issue,” Young said. Accordingly, Symonds has been asked to get in touch with CA chief executive James Sutherland. Young said The Sunday Telegraph had emailed him the column with only a 30-minute deadline to get it approved by CA lawyers before going to print.

“Had the column been received in the morning, all parties could have worked through the issue... The problem we had with his comment yesterday is it’s clearly based on a complete lack of understanding of the detail of what’s going on.

“What we suggested yesterday was ‘let’s have a discussion’ and our chief executive James Sutherland rang and left a message asking Andrew to give him a call,” he said.

Young said Sutherland would give Symonds a full picture of the issue and try to convince him that CA wanted its contracted players to participate in the IPL.

“As James will explain to him, there are complicated issues including issues that relate to protecting Symonds’ own position under existing contracts that we need to resolve and hope that we can resolve,” Young said. Symonds had criticised administrators for not allowing the players to sign with the IPL. “We can’t quite work out what’s going on with the chiefs at Cricket Australia, who seem to be trying to run interference by putting up a heap of red tape,” Symonds wrote in his column. — PTI

News Source : Samachar

Lashkar had plotted attack on ISRO

In the course of statewide raids after the arrest of six Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists on Sunday by UP's special task force, two more persons were held for illegal possession and storing of guns in Pratapgarh and Bareilly.

Further interrogation of the arrested jihadis also revealed they had plotted an attack on Indian Space Research Operation (ISRO) in Bangalore in 2005 before changing their plan and targeting Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

Additional director general of police (ADG) law and order and STF, Brij Lal, told TOI that Sabauddin, who had confessed to his involvement in the terror attack on IISc in December 2005, had said the target initially assigned to him was ISRO.

"Sabaduddin reached Bangalore and took admission in BBA at Presidency College. He also took a house on rent near the campus itself and started attending his classes on a regular basis. He then visited ISRO and studied in detail the routes and geographical location of key installations," Brij Lal said, adding: "He had even tried to contact some officials associated with ISRO's security but couldn't strike a rapport with them."

Although senior officials refused to go into the details of the purported terror strike on ISRO, sources said Sabauddin confessed to have even carefully studied the time taken by city transport to reach ISRO from the railway and bus stations, as also the time required to travel to his house from ISRO campus.

"He spent time at the gates of ISRO to establish the work hours and the precise time when the largest number of persons were present inside the premises," said a senior officer.

Sabauddin has confessed that the plan to attack IISc was made in haste, which was the main reason why it virtually failed.

"IISc was probably the only target in which a fidayeen was used but only one casualty was reported. Hence, it wasn't seen as a success by us," Sabauddin is believed to have said.

At IISc, Sabauddin's aide Hamza was the only person involved in the attack. He escaped to Kathmandu immediately after the IISc assault.

According to the original plan, Hamza was supposed to storm ISRO loaded with RDX on a four-wheeler which was to enter through the gates trailing another vehicle with a genuine permit to enter the premises.

For this, Sabauddin had spent hours roaming near ISRO's entrance to watch the vehicles with easy access into the restricted area and their routine time of entry.

Meanwhile, those arrested are Qausar from Kunda, Pratapgarh, and Gulab from Baheri in Bareilly. The LeT squad that stormed the CRPF centre at Rampur had used their houses to store arms and ammunition used in the attack.

While Qausar owns a small shop dealing in electrical repairs, Gulab owns a motor garage in Baheri. The investigators are yet to establish if the two were aware that the bags which they had kept in their house had weapons.

News Source : Samachar

India Inc will find it tough raising money now

The sharp correction in the stock markets has not only taken its toll on initial public offerings but has also affected almost all private placements scheduled in the next couple of months. On conservative estimates, over a dozen listed entities planning to mop-up around $5 billion through private placement are caught in a bind by the sharp correction in the stock prices.

Big names like realty major Unitech, infrastructure player Jaiprakash Associates, Patel Engineering and Parsvanath Developers had planned private placements to qualified institutional investors. They are deferring plans because the market prices of their scrips are 25 per cent below the average of the six-week price. Regulations do not allow private placement below the average six-week price of a scrip.

“While institutional investors are ready to invest in many of these companies at current market prices or even with marginal premiums, they cannot because norms do not permit,” said an investment banker.

After Reliance Power’s poor show on listing day, investors are expected to shy away from forthcoming IPOs, feel bankers and analysts. “Investors are risk averse to the extent that they have turned into day traders. No one wants to hold on for six months,” said Amitabh Chakraborty, president, Religare Securities.

The secondary market volatility and poor performance of newly listed companies are bound to affect all imminent IPOs. Over 30 IPOs are slated in the next couple of months. Barring a handful, almost all companies have deferred plans to enter the market after the Wockhardt Hospitals and Emaar MGF issues bombed.

This would affect those companies looking to the capital market to fund their capital expenditure, said bankers. Many of the projects undertaken by these companies are halfway through and equity capital is critical to achieve financial closure.

News Source : Samachar

Madhya Pradesh minister dies in road mishap

Madhya Pradesh Education Minister Laxman Singh Gaud was killed on Monday night when a car carrying him collided with a stationary truck on a road in Dewas, about 150km from here.

The car in which 50-year-old Gaud was travelling from his home town Indore to Bhopal, rammed into the dumper truck parked near a road side eatery, Indore District Collector Vivek Agrawal told PTI.

The minister suffered severe head injuries and was taken to Bombay Hospital in Indore, about 40km from the accident site, where he was declared brought dead, he said.

Gaud's driver Preetam Prajapati, gunman Rishi Tiwari and personal assistant were injured and admitted to a hospital in Dewas.

Gaud, who was inducted into the BJP government in August last year, is survived by his wife and three sons.

The driver of the dumper truck Santosh was also injured in the collision.

News Source : Samachar

Flight steward gets the boot for 'Maharaja' moustache

Air India's 'Maharaja' reflects the intrinsic link between moustaches and royalty. But, when a flight steward of Air India tried to emulate the 'Maharaja', he was first grounded and then given the boot.

The proverbial mooch ki ladai was witnessed in the SC on Monday - the flight steward refusing to shave off his moustache and the airline hell bent on making him fall in line.

When his moustachioed woes were narrated by counsel Sanjiv Sen before a Bench comprising Justices H K Sema and Markandey Katju, it immediately issued notice to the airline and observed: "Can the size of moustache be a ground for dismissal in a democratic country? This is shocking."

That was precisely the question posed by stout moustached Joynath Victor De, who joined Indian Airlines way back in 1968 as a flight steward and was confirmed in service in 1969.

He was promoted to the post of assistant manager, flight services, in 1994, as his bushy but well-trimmed moustache was well within the Operation Manual Rules of 1991.

The manual was revised in 1996 and the rule permitting flight stewards to sport moustaches was deleted.

A 1998 circular under the new rules mandated all flight pursers, except Sikhs, to be clean shaven, signalling the beginning of De's problems. In January 1999, his refusal to shave off his moustache saw him grounded with reduced pay.

However, a favourable order from a single judge Bench of the Calcutta HC saw him flying again, with his moustache intact. Then, the authorities decided to get rid of him through compulsory retirement as he refused to do away with the moustache.

The mooch ki ladai began in Calcutta HC all over again in 2001 when De challenged his compulsory retirement. A single judge Bench again ruled in his favour, but a division Bench reversed it and upheld IA's order of compulsorily retiring him from service.
The SC will now decide whether De's more than 40-year-old moustache, groomed since 1968, could be a reason for his dismissal from service.

News Source : Samachar

World's largest ferris wheel debuts in Singapore

The world's largest ferris wheel, the Singapore Flyer, made its first spin on Monday, offering passengers a bird's eye view of the city-state as well as parts of neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia.

Over 700 executives from 17 corporations and their guests sipped wine and nibbled on salmon canapes while soaking up the view of the Southeast Asian city-state by night.

The inaugural rotation cost the companies a hefty S$8,888 ($6,277) per capsule -- a prosperous number according to Chinese belief.

"It's different. It was very cool being able to see to Singapore's golf courses from the top and the F1 (Formula One) pit being built," said 16-year-old Joanne Chong.

Her father Winstedt Chong, a business consultant in his 50s, was less impressed. "I have sat on the KL (Kuala Lumpur) and Tokyo observation wheels, and the Singapore Flyer is not as beautiful. I hope they brush up on the lighting and decoration." he said.

Standing at 165 metres high, the Singapore Flyer, which opens to the public in March, is 30 metres taller than the London Eye. However, both will be trounced in 2009 by the 208 metre Great Wheel of China in Beijing.

The Singapore Flyer, built at a cost of S$240 million ($170 million), has 28 bus-sized capsules attached to a circular frame 150 metres in diameter. It can accommodate 28 people in each capsule and each ride will cost around S$30 a head and last 30 minutes.

Although the giant wheel's grand opening will be on April 15, it will feature a series of soft launches in February to include a Valentine's Day special for couples seeking a romantic view and a singles' mingling session.

The Singapore Flyer is part of the city-state's drive to boost tourism dollars to S$30 billion and attract 17 million visitors each year by 2015.

The city-state will also host a yearly Formula One race starting this year and is building two casinos at a total cost of over $7 billion.

News Source : Samachar

Mahesh speaks on Leander Paes

The Indian Express pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes have not had a cordial relation for a while now.

They do come together to play for India, like they will for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, but the discord between the two is rather apparent.

Neither has come on record earlier, but now speaking exclusively to NDTV, Mahesh Bhupathi has said that as of now things are cold.

The 10-time grand slam champion, who disapproved of Leander Paes comments on Prakash Amritraj during the Davis Cup, said he and his former doubles partner now don't see eye to eye on any issue.

But he also said that it won't get in the way of their playing in the Davis Cup or the Beijing Olympics.

Mahesh said he also stands by the advice he gave to Sania Mirza about skipping the Bangalore Open so as to avoid controversies.

News Source : Samachar

Australia unsafe? Attacks on Indian students rise

Train stations, bus stops, even pavements in and around Melbourne, the Australian city in Victoria which is home to thousands of Indian students, have increasingly turned unsafe with a good number of attacks on migrant youth being reported from the suburbs.

Some of these crimes bear the ‘us-versus-them’ racial overtone while most, according to Victoria Police, come as "assaults and robberies", and many other cases go unreported, possibly for fear of a backlash.

The number of Indian students migrating to Australia has seen a continuous rise and over 35,000 boys and girls arrive in the island country every year as securing admission in most of its universities, including 39 run by the government, is much easier.

The Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA), which has taken up the concern with Victoria Police, local
lawmakers, as well as the Indian government, says the number of attacks, "fortunately directed towards male Indian students only", could be as high as three per day.

"We have been approaching the Victorian government and Australian federal government for assistance. They have till date played a cat-and-mouse game. Even Indian officials have mostly been silent and reluctant to take a decisive stance," said FISA secretary Gautam Gupta in a letter to overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi.

"Most (Indian) students are doing well and feel secure. But a significant number are at the receiving end. This is leading to huge problems, including some students being forced to the edge of the society. We have seen the emergence of Indian students' vigilante groups, an increase in suicides, depression, other health problems and students failing due to extraneous factors," he said.

Victoria police, calling these crimes "extremely serious", said the number of reported cases has decreased due to a series of public forums and education/information sessions organised by them and local community organizations.

"We consider all offences of this nature as extremely serious and all victims are dealt with in a professional and sensitive manner. Victoria police's crime prevention unit has generated articles in student publications and Indian newspapers in Melbourne and speaks to international students arriving in the city for the first time. Victoria police and Victoria University have also developed a DVD for international students," Victoria police crime prevention officer Craig McDonald told TOI in an email interview.

That the problem is serious can be seen from the fact that Marsha Thompson, a member of Victoria legislative assembly from Footscray, got a public meeting of police crime prevention unit, neighbourhood watch members and students organised last year as "a response to the recent number of thefts and intimidating incidents against young male Indian students at railway stations" in her electorate.

Earlier, the police had launched a large-scale four-month probe into a spate of armed robberies committed mostly against Indian students in Melbourne's west. Police charged over 50 people with 628 offences committed till June, and said Indian students were more vulnerable as they relied on public transport and were often catching trains or walking late at night.

Gupta told TOI that FISA has suggested the Indian government to ask every migrating student to contribute a nominal Rs 1,000 towards a "welfare fund". This fund, he said, could be used to establish a resource centre with nodal points across Australia that can be used as safe houses for victims.

"I would advise Indian students to be aware of what they are getting into. Once there, they should get involved with community groups and avoid unsafe suburbs, universities and institutes. Many private agents in India misguide students and the Australian government doesn't monitor the inflow," he said.

News Source : Samachar

India is not on the Pakistani radar any more

I was let off lightly. Only one person tried to prod me about India’s role in Afghanistan – how India was encircling the Northwest Frontier Province with consulates overflowing with spies. Well worn conspiracy and no one took him seriously.

Knowing diaspora audiences can be tougher-than-thou over rivalries inherited from the homeland, I had braced for worse. But it was clear India wasn’t on the Pakistani radar. Even the lone Pakistani consular officer didn’t bother to raise Kashmir.

Even when I critiqued the Pakistani army officer corps for becoming venal, unprofessional and politicized the main response was a lot of head-nodding. Afterwards, a Pakistani man came to me, “I’m an army brat myself. But you’re right, we can fight or rule. We can’t do both.”

I mentioned how a Pakistani-American, whose job has him roaming Afghanistan’s southeast border, had told me that when Afghans asked him where his father hailed from, he found it useful to say, “My father was born in India.”

A half-truth: His father was born in pre-1947 Lahore. “He told me there was no welcome mat for Pakistanis in the border areas,” I said. The deepest faultline in South Asia was the one between Kabul and Islamabad. The Pakistani Parsee novelist, Bapsi Sidhwa, followed this up by telling the audience, “These Afghans are ungrateful wretches. “

Later on, there was some soul searching among the Pakistanis in the audience about the future of democracy, their country and so on. At one point, someone got up and said, “Our problem is that there is too much outside interference. Starting with the Americans.” Thunderous applause.

Those were the only two times when the 150-strong audience clapped loudly during the event.

Back in Washington, after a round of chats with think tanks and US government officials, a few things seemed clear. One, Washington has no B plan now that the Benazir-Pervez shotgun marriage is no longer possible – other than to replace the deceased bride with her sleazy husband. Two, the West’s entire counterterrorism establishment has Pakistan on its mind.

There have been seven Islamic terrorist plots in Europe since the Heathrow “liquid bomb” scare. Six of them have originated out of Pakistan or have involved Pakistani ethnics. Which is why so many “random” airport inspections tend to zero in on people with the word “Pakistan” anywhere on their passport.

Finally, even while Pakistanis have become (say the polls) more anti-American than anti-Indian, US policymakers have become frustrated that the Pakistani establishment continues its internecine feuding even while a biggish chunk of the country has declared war on Islamabad.

Everyone expects a record year for suicide bombings. Many Pakistanis hope it will trigger a backlash against their country’s involvement in the US led war on terror. Americans hope it will make Pakistanis recognise that the war on terror as in their national interest. They both can’t be right.

News Source : Samachar