New Zealand beat Sri Lanka again in T20

COLOMBO: Daniel Vettori's New Zealand recorded their second Twenty20 success over Sri Lanka in three days with a 22-run victory on Friday that
New Zealand

helped them sweep the two-match series.

The Kiwis, who won the first match on Wednesday by three runs, piled up 170-4 after winning the toss and then restricted the World Twenty20 finalists to 148-8 under lights at the Premadasa stadium.

Fast bowler Shane Bond led the Black Caps charge with 3-18 in four overs, while seamer Kyle Mills and off-spinner Nathan McCullum claimed two wickets each.

The 2-0 win helped the Kiwis overcome the disappointment of losing both the preceding Test matches and boosted their confidence ahead of a tri-series, also featuring India, that opens on Tuesday.

New Zealand's innings revolved around an explosive opening stand of 84 in 10.2 overs by Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder after Vettori called correctly for the second time in a row.

Left-handed Ryder smashed three sixes and as many fours in his 52 off 37 balls, while McCullum hit a 34-ball 49 with two sixes and four boundaries.

Martin Guptill and Jacob Oram further boosted the total with a 43-run stand for the fourth wicket in 27 balls, before Guptill was bowled by Lasith Malinga off the final ball of the innings.

Sri Lanka, chasing a target of almost nine runs an over, made a disastrous start when they were reduced to 2-2 off the first seven deliveries and slid to 11-3 soon after.

Bond removed the in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan with his fifth ball, caught at deep square leg, before Kyle Mills dismissed Mahela Udawatte and Sanath Jayasuriya in successive overs.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara and former captain Mahela Jayawardene put on a brisk 67 for the fourth wicket when Nathan McCullum hit back with two wickets in his first over.

The off-spinner, elder brother of Brendon McCullum had Jayawardene caught at backward point by Ryder off his third delivery for 41 off 30 balls.

He then removed new batsman Angelo Mathews with the final delivery of the innings to make Sri Lanka 80-5 in 11 overs.

Sangakkara gave Jacob Oram a return catch after making 69 before Bond sealed New Zealand's win with the wickets of all-rounder Gihan Rupasinghe and tailender Nuwan Kulasekara.

Earlier, McCullum and Ryder bulldozed the Sri Lankan attack for the first 10 overs, racing to 83 runs without being separated.

Jayasuriya broke the stand in the 11th over when he beat McCullum in the air and the batsman offered a simple return catch.

Ryder took over after McCullum's departure, striking two sixes and a boundary in the 12th over sent down by Dilshan which yielded 20 runs.

Jayasuriya finished with 2-22 and Ajantha Mendis took 1-21, while pace spearhead Kulasekara went for 40 runs in four wicketless overs.

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Australia beat England to win 1st ODI

LONDON: Mitchell Johnson took three wickets as Australia edged England by four runs in the first of seven One-Day Internationals at the Oval on
Australia vs England
Friday.

England, needing 13 off the last over from Nathan Bracken to reach their victory target of 261, saw Adil Rashid miss the first ball after Australia had flirted with a six-run penalty by almost failing to bowl their overs in time.

Rashid pulled the next for four before taking a single.

But Ryan Sidebottom missed the next ball and took two off the next.

That meant the left-hander had to hit six off the last ball but instead he could only manage a single as England finished on 256 for eight under the Oval floodlights.

Rashid, whose 10 overs of leg-spin cost just 37 runs, was 31 not out off 23 balls with four fours,

Left-arm quick Johnson, who finished with figures of three wickets for 24 runs, took three for five in 13 balls as England suffered a middle-order slump

Owais Shah was keeping England on course with 40 off 48-balls until he was unluckily out hit wicket, his back foot dislodging a bail as he faced Johnson, to leave England 161 for four in the 38th over.

Luke Wright tried to rescue the situation with 38 off 27 balls, including a six and four fours, before he was run out by wicketkeeper Tim Paine off a Brett Lee no-ball.

Together with Rashid he put on 46 off 34 balls but his exit left England 224 for seven in the 47th over.

England, after Paul Collingwood had been brilliantly caught by a leaping Shane Watson at mid-wicket off Johnson, needed 93 off the last 10 overs and next ball Wright lofted Watson straight for the match's only six.

Earlier, man-of-the-match Callum Ferguson's career-best 71 was the centrepiece of Australia's 260 for five.

Ferguson surpassed his previous best of 63 against South Africa at Cape Town in April, during a composed 75-ball innings featuring five fours, while Cameron White made 53 before he was run out.

It was two of England's slower bowlers who checked Australia's progress after the world champions started briskly against the quicks.

Rashid and medium-pacer Collingwood, who took two for 47, applied a break after England's Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss won the toss.

England, in reply, suffered a setback when fast bowler Lee dismissed Strauss for 12 with the aid of a sharp slip catch by White.

However, Ravi Bopara - who'd averaged just 15 in the Ashes before being dropped for England's series clinching 197-run win here at the Oval last month - steadied the innings.

Together with Matt Prior (28) he put on 61 before the wicketkeeper reverse-swept off-spinner Nathan Hauritz to Johnson at short third man.

Hauritz then dismissed Bopara one short of a fifty when he had him stumped by Paine.

After Paine was run out for nought by Collingwood, Watson (46) and White compiled a 56-ball fifty stand.

Collingwood separated the duo when Watson's leading edge gave him a gentle return catch.

Clarke, captain in the absence of the resting Ricky Ponting, and Ferguson shared a stand of 79 off 109 balls.

But Clarke exited for 45 when he sliced a drive off Collingwood to Shah at cover, in an unusually subdued 72 balls with just three boundaries to leave Australia 190 for four.

Australia though still managed to score 82 runs in the last 10 overs.

The second match of this series takes place at Lord's on Sunday.

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General Kapoor warns of action

New Delhi, Sept. 4: The Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor, on Friday said the Pakistan army is resorting to firing at the border to push maximum militants into Jammu and Kashmir before winter and warned if the trend of ceasefire violations continues India will have to “retaliate”.

“The attempts of ceasefire violation have increased because this enables infiltration to be carried out when the firing is on and can be used as a diversionary tactic,” he told reporters when referred to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan and the rise in infiltration by militants.

“Their (Pakistani army’s) attempt is to infiltrate more and more people during ceasefire violation but we understand their tactics and take appropriate steps,” he said.

To a question, the Army Chief said attempts would be made from across the border to “push in as many infiltrators as possible before the winter sets in. It is the trend that we are witnessing and the attempts of infiltration are going on.”

This, he said, was part of the efforts to “try and disrupt the stable and peaceful environment” in Jammu and Kashmir. He said India keeps raising the issue of ceasefire violation with Pakistan during border meetings.

“Our effort is to continue the ceasefire so that there are not many casualties and the two countries are able to maintain right relations,” he said.

“(But) If ceasefire violation continues, whatever action will follow from our side will be concrete. As far as possible, we exercise maximum restraint. But if such ceasefire violations happens again, it is automatic that at some stage, we will have to retaliate,” Gen Kapoor warned.

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Michael Jackson finally laid to rest

Los Angeles, Sept. 4: Michael Jackson has finally been laid to rest in a crown-adorned glittering gold coffin after family and friends saluted the tragic King of Pop in a poignant farewell.

More than two months after the singer died from a drug overdose, around 200 mourners — led by the Jackson family and also including Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor — gathered at a picturesque cemetery on a warm summer evening to celebrate the singer’s life.

Jackson’s children — Prince Michael 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, otherwise known as Blanket — placed a crown on their father’s flower-laden coffin before the service got underway.

Unpredictable to the last, Jackson was late to his own funeral, his ornate casket set down before mourners more than 90 minutes after the service had been scheduled to start on Thursday evening. Jackson’s brothers — all dressed identically in black suits and red ties while each wearing a solitary white glove in tribute to the pop icon — served as pallbearers as the coffin was removed from the hearse.

His children reportedly left notes in their father’s coffin reading “Daddy we love you, we miss you.”

Mourners made tributes to Jackson in a service held beyond the prying eyes of media personnel gathered outside.

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Sania-Francesca crash out of US Open

NEW DELHI: Sania Mirza and Francesca Schiavone of Italy crashed out of the US Open women's doubles event when the pair went down to Gisela Dulko
Sania Mirza
and Shahar Peer.

Gisela and Shahar defeated the Indo-Italian duo 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 in the second round.

Sania is already out of the singles event after suffering one of the worst defeats of her career in the second round against Italian friend Flavia Pennetta.

However, the Indian ace has some hope in the mixed doubles event. Sania, teaming up with Candian Daniel Nestor, outplayed Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan and Ashley Fisher of Australia 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the mixed doubles.

Earlier in the day, Mahesh Bhupathi and Liezel Huber cruised into the second round of mixed doubles of the US Open.

Bhupathi and Huber beat Vania King and Marcelo Melo in a straight set of 7-5, 6-0. The duo next play Jill Craybas and Eric Butorac in the second round.

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Bhupathi-Huber in mixed doubles second round

NEW DELHI: Mahesh Bhupathi and Liezel Huber cruised into the mixed doubles second round of the
Bhupathi
US Open.

Bhupathi and Huber beat Vania King and Marcelo Melo in a straight set of 7-5, 6-0. The duo next play Jill Craybas and Eric Butorac in the second round.

Earlier, Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles cruised to the men's doubles second round after scoring a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win over American James Cerretani and Lovro Zovko of Croatia.

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Jai Bhagwan continues his winning streak at the World Boxing Championships

NEW DELHI: Jai Bhagwan’s spectacular performance against Eric Donovan of Ireland in the second round of the 60 kgs weight category, warmed the
Jai
hearts of the Indian supporters who cheered lustily for him.

The bout started very badly for Jai Bhagwan as the Irish lad chalked up a quick 4:1 points lead by the end of round 1. Round 2 was also in favour of Eric Donovan and the score at the end of the round was 5:3 in favour of the Irish boxer. However in round 3, Jai Bhagwan on the advice of his coaches from the corner changed tactics in that he kept up his guard and then started attacking Eric Donovan.

Eric became so mesmerised by the ferociousness of Jai Bhagwan’s precise attacks and punches that he could only score 1 point in the 3rd round whereas Jai Bhagwan notched up 8 well earned points to end the contest at a score of 11:5 points and thus move into the pre–quarter finals which will be held on 7 September afternoon.

Ms Ana Martinez of Dominican Republic was the referee for the bout and she is the first woman referee & judge to officiate in a Men’s World Boxing Championship.

In Sunday’s preliminary rounds, Thokchom Nanao Singh faces Pongprayoon Kaeo of Thailand in the 48 kgs category while in the 75 kgs Vijender Singh meets Belgibayev Azamat of Kazakhstan in the preliminaries. Both had got a bye into the second round.

This Championship has started a new trend wherein the continuous running accepted scores of the 5 judges will be displayed to the spectators to bring in more transparency into the system. This was the brainchild of Dr Ching Kuo Wu, president AIBA as this was one of the mandates that he had promised the AIBA General Assembly when he got elected at Santo Domingo in 2006. This move has been appreciated by the boxers and officials also as they are now comfortable to see which judge has scored for whom, thus bringing in trust and faith into the system.

Another major decision that International Boxing Association (AIBA) has taken is that referees & judges for all major AIBA Boxing Competitions such as Olympic Games, World Championships, Continental Games and all Confederation Championships will be selected and nominated by AIBA from their list of 3 Star AIBA referees & judges and their airfare and boarding & lodging expenses will be borne by AIBA.

This will ensure that only the best R&Js of the World will get to officiate at these Championships. All AIBA R&Js who are 2 Star or 1 Star rating can get upgraded based on their performances at AIBA designated tournaments. AIBAs decision to permit only AIBA 3 Star R&Js at the World Championships at Milan has been appreciated by all the participating countries as the results are excellent and the correct winners are being picked up correctly by the Judges.

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AI plane engine catches fire, passengers injured

Mumbai, Sept. 4: The engine of an Air India aircraft burst into flames as it was preparing for take off on Friday morning, causing panic and forcing evacuation of passengers.

Several passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation, airport officials said. According to sources from the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), the Riyadh-bound flight AI-829, carrying 229 people, was taxiing up the runway at around 10.50 am on Friday when the engine near the left wing caught fire. A passenger sitting near a window noticed the fire and alerted the flight crew.

The take-off was immediately aborted and the emergency drill was started. The airport authorities were informed and the airport was put on alert till all the 213 passengers and 16 crew members were evacuated through emergency exit chutes. Fire tenders were rushed to extinguish the fire, which was put out almost immediately.

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Experts' report to PMO faults Sethu project, SC told

NEW DELHI: Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy told the Supreme Court on Friday that experts had warned against going ahead with the Rs
2,400 crore Sethusamudram project in a development that could land the government in an embarassing position.

The Manmohan Singh government had earlier boxed itself into a corner in 2007 after filing an affidavit in SC doubting the existence of Lord Rama and the epic Ramayana in its eagerness to implement the mega project. Swamy told the SC on oath on Friday that National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) had submitted a “devastating report” to the government red-lighting the Sethusamudram project and the Centre was “deliberately” keeping it under wraps.

The report was handed over to the government in March 2009, Swamy said and claimed the Centre intended to keep it under wraps “because contents of the report is such — it delineates consequences so disastrous for India that no one with any sense of responsibility/conscience could thereafter proceed with the project at all — that on its basis it would be necessary to scrap the entire Sethusamudram ship channel project”.

Swamy was one of the petitioners who had challenged the project, in which the apex court had stopped dredging by its August 31, 2007, interim order. The court had then okayed a high-level committee headed by environmentalist R K Pachauri to examine the project and give a report.

Seeking early hearing of the Sethusamudram issue before a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan, Swamy said the government be directed to place the NIO report before the court. The Bench agreed that hearing on the issue was long overdue and posted it for deliberations in the first week of October. Swamy, in his application, quoted extensively from the NIO report and said experts had faulted the meagre data collected on the possible impact of the project on marine biodiversity.

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'Pilots had to to fly below cloud level'

BANGALORE
: All available indications of the crash of YSR's helicopter point to the weather and not
technical snag.

Air Commodore V S Bharti of IAF Yelahanka, who coordinated the search operation, reasoned that heavy rain, winds and turbulence might have forced low-level flying, eventually leading to the crash. Excerpts from an interview:
What do you think led to the crash?

Forced low-level flying seems to be the immediate cause. Heavy winds, turbulence and rain must have reduced visibility to virtually nil between 3,000 and 5,000 feet. The pilots may not have been able to see anything ahead of them, or know where they were heading. Preliminary reasoning indicates the copter was flying below cloud level.
When did you get the call to undertake the operation?

By Wednesday noon. Air headquarters intimated Training Command Bangalore which took over operations immediately, under the guidance of Air-Officer-Command Air Marshal V R Iyer and Air Marshal Nowhar.

What was your main challenge? Finding a needle in a haystack is always tricky. Searching for wreckage in a vast forest region in cloudy, rainy weather can prove to be difficult.

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Gujarat HC lifts ban on Jaswant book

AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: The Gujarat high court on Friday lifted the state government's ban on expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh's book,
'Jinnah-India, Partition, Independence' while observing that the proscription showed lack of thinking on part of the political leadership.

In response, Gujarat BJP tried to brazen it out saying there was no court order barring the state government from issuing a fresh notification for a ban.

The high court observed that the ban could not stand up to legal scrutiny. Acting on a petition filed by two Ahmedabad-based activists challenging the August 19 notification banning the book, a full bench comprising Chief Justice K S Radhakrishnan, Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice K M Thaker pulled up the Narendra Modi government for issuing a baseless notification.

In New Delhi, an elated Singh said he was "thrilled" and felt vindicated. "It's a matter of satisfaction that the court has lifted the ban," Singh said, adding that the court had upheld the freedom of speech.

The Gujarat government, however, brushed the judgement aside with health and family welfare minister Jaynanarayan Vyas saying, "The agreement on the ban on the book was across party lines. Moreover, the court has not barred the state government from issuing a fresh notification." However, Vyas did not specify if the government would come out with a fresh ban notification.

Quoting famous jurist Francis Bacon on the importance of books, the judges underlined the fact that the state government had banned Singh's tome without reading it. "The government has noticed only the publication of the book and not its content," the court inferred from the language in the notification.

"The notification is silent on how the contents would affect and disturb public tranquillity or interests of the state. Lack of opinion means lack of thinking. Lack of thinking means lack of understanding," the court said adding, "Remember, the state is dealing with the fundamental rights of its citizens and, therefore, great amount of caution, prudence and care is expected."

The state government had argued the book could provoke communal riots and the people might feel offended by Singh's portrayal of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel but failed to provide grounds for concluding that it would threaten public tranquillity.

The judges upheld petitioners' advocate Anand Yagnik's contention that the notification falls short of statutory requirements of Section 95 of the CrPC under which it was banned. Publication, circulation, display and sale of the book in Gujarat is henceforth allowed.

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Foreign ministers of India, Russia and China to meet next month

MOSCOW: The foreign ministers of India, Russia
and China are to hold their trilateral meeting in Bangalore next month, foreign secretary Nirupama
Rao said here on Friday.

Last year a similar meeting in trilateral format was held in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg.

Briefing the reporters after President Pratibha Patil's met President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin over last two days, Rao said leaders of both nations attach high importance to their interaction on the global scene, including in the trilateral - India, Russia and China formats.

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An emotional farewell to YSR Reddy

IDUPULAPAYA (CUDDAPA): Some were hysterical, some teary-eyed and some sombre. Thousands of people converged at the Idupulapaya Estate in Y S
An emotional farewell to YSR

Rajasekhara Reddy's hometown on Friday to bid the man who had touched them in one way or the other farewell. A sea of humanity surrounding the burial site prevented several ministers and other leaders from making it to the event.

The burial was both emotional and chaotic. Even before YSR's body and his family and other leaders landed at the venue at 4 pm, a crushing crowd of thousands gathered and poor bandobast and the lack of barricades led to utter chaos with people surging for a glimpse of the coffin.

Earlier in Hyderabad, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson & AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Union home minister P Chidambaram and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi placed wreaths on the body and spent nearly 25 minutes with the family members at the camp office on Friday.

The PM in his condolence message entered in the visitor's book wrote, "Our country has lost an outstanding leader and the people of Andhra Pradesh have lost an ideal chief minister who was passionately committed to the welfare of the poor.''

YSR's family, including his widow, son Jagan and daughter Sharmila arrived at the venue in an IAF chopper and YSR's body was brought in another chopper. Before the body was taken out of the chopper, the immediate family was allowed inside to have one last glimpse of the body.

But it was chaos from then on. Frenzied mobs surged towards the coffin as it was carried out by soldiers and placed in a truck. The family too had a tough time wading through the crowd to reach another truck. On occasions, the crowds threatened to topple the coffin from the hands of the pall bearers and the possibility of a stampede threatened the YSR family as they made their way to the truck.

Finally, the family and few others made it to a truck while the coffin was attached to a carrier behind it. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda made it to the venue in the nick of time and somehow were helped on to the truck carrying the YSR family.

Others present in the truck included chief minister K Rosaiah, Rajya Sabha MPs K V P Ramachamdra Rao and T Subbarami Reddy, PCC president D Srinivas, chief secretary P Ramakanth Reddy, special secretary in the CMO MGVK Bhanu and CM's personal security officer Suryudu. There were many tense faces on the truck as it swayed through the crowd at a snail's pace with the coffin in tow.

To the chanting of prayers, YSR was finally laid to rest at a specially marked site in the family estate. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday.

Several cabinet colleagues of YSR, opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu, PRP president K Chiranjeevi, former speaker K R Suresh Reddy and deputy speaker N Manohar were among those VIPS travelling in four Volvos that could not make it to the funeral venue because of the traffic jam. They had to finally return to Renigunta without paying their homage to YSR.

In Hyderabad, several VIPs including senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, chief ministers of four states, eminent personalities from the film fraternity and others paid homage to Rajasekhara Reddy at the LB Stadium.

Advani was accompanied by party leaders Bandaru Dattatreya and M Venkaiah Naidu and had a brief chat with YSR's son Jaganmohan Reddy. Others who placed wreaths were Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, CPM leaders Sitaram Yechury and B V Raghavalu.

The Union ministers who paid homage to YSR included Veerappa Moily, Vilas Rao Deshmukh, Praful Patel, Prithviraj Chavan, Vayalar Ravi, D Nepoleon, Sachin Pilot and Iqbal Singh. Among others who came to LB Stadium were T R Baalu, Narayan Rane, Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, Rashid Alvi, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, H D Kumara Swamy, Mohd Azharuddin, Dharam Singh and AICC treasurer Motilal Vora.

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Even in bad weather, pilots under VVIP pressure to fly

NEW DELHI: Last month, a chopper pilot
refused to fly the chief minister of a north Indian state because of bad weather. The fuming CM complained
to the company the chopper was hired from and the pilot was transferred...

Andhra CM YSR Reddy lost his life when his chopper ran into rough weather and then crashed. Now, the DGCA is investigating whether the local Met office gave proper weather report before the VVIP flight, based on which the pilots should have decided to operate the flight. But irrespective of the met report, there have been several cases in the past where pilots have had to fly — irrespective of the forecast — because saying no to a CM or other top dignitaries of the state is not an easy option.

The problem, say industry veterans, is more severe in state government-owned choppers where pilots are employed by the state. Reason: saying no to the CM or other dignitaries may cost them their job.

Apart from VVIPs forcing chopper or small aircraft flights in bad weather, point out industry insiders, there have been many cases where pilots have also wrongly overestimated their choppers' weather handling capacity. A famous case in point is a chopper pilot with a north Indian hill state who took off twice in adverse weather conditions, carrying top VVIPs. "He was then preferred by VVIPs to fly them because he would rarely say no, citing bad weather. Unfortunately, the third flight he took in bad weather proved to be his last," said a senior official.

DGCA sources point out they regularly issue instructions to pilots to not fly under under VVIP or management pressure. But the biggest problem is that India does not have mandatory simulator training of chopper pilots to fly on visual flight range (VFR) on a regular basis. Under VFR, pilots fly with the ground always in sight. The other option is flying with instrument flying range (IFR) in which pilots depend on aids within the cockpit.

Meanwhile, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Bell 430 that crashed, killing four including the Andhra CM, has been located. The CVR will now be brought to Delhi.

"If it is not in a damaged condition, the same will be opened here itself and the recording heard. If it's damaged, it will have to be dismantled and the chip sent to the manufacturer, Bell, for being read," said sources.
Source:: Times OF India

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After dethroning Ash, Kat takes on Sush

Katrina Kaif is the most wanted in the industry. Be it films or the AD world. Kats at the top! She recently replaced Aishwarya Rai as a brand endorser of Nakshatra and now she has dethroned Sushmita Sen as the brand endorser of Oil of Olay.

“Katrina is now the Brand Ambassador of international cosmetic giant Olay Natural White (whitening cream) that launched the newly formulated White Radiance range in India,” said our source.

He further added, “Kats is a teenage icon of today. The international brand found Kats to be the apt model to market their product. Also she is the number one actress in the film industry. What also worked for Kats is that she made the right decisions at the right time."

Katrina has now replaced two beauty queens Sush and Ash in a row and why wouldn’t she? After all, most of her films have been making huge money at the box office.

Not just films, Kats is doing extremely well in the ad world for the past few days as well. She was declared as the sexiest women in India by FHM international as well as the most googled Indian Celebrity by GOOGLE.

Talking about her reign as a brand endorser Kats said, “Be it a skin, hair or a jewellery product, I am very selective about the brands I endorse. I undertake extensive research on the company and try to ensure that the brand delivers on its promises made to the user of the product.”

Mehul Choksi, Chairman Gitanjali Group and Nakshatra, said, "Katrina
is a representative of the young, trendy and fashionable woman whom we at Nakshatra target. Katrina lends a refreshing look to the brand as the new face for Nakshatra.”

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Kasab's Hindi tutor, an LeT terrorist, killed in Jammu

MUMBAI/JAMMU: Top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Jundal was gunned down in an encounter in Jammu on Friday. The Mumbai Crime Branch is in
touch with Jammu cops and trying to get Jundal's photograph to establish if he is the same militant who had taught Hindi to the 10 terrorists who entered Mumbai last November and killed 163 people.

Jammu police officers said they received information about the presence of a group of LeT terrorists in the Batoi forest in Mahore, 120 kms from Jammu. Security forces and local policemen launched a joint combing operation and an encounter ensued; an AK-47, a magazine and some ammunition were recovered from the site and self-styled LeT commander Jundal alias Mohammad Avais (going by the code name of Zuman in PoK) was killed.

Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab on July 20 told the trial court that one Abu Jundal was part of the LeT group that had tutored them; he had described Jundal as his Hindi teacher. "Woh hamein Hindi sikhathe the,'' Kasab had told the court and added that Jundal was an Indian.

But Jundal was not mentioned in the 26/11 chargesheet nor did his name come up during the investigation. It was Kasab's statement in court that first brought the spotlight on Jundal.

City Crime Branch officials said there was no confirmation if the Jundal killed by Jammu cops was the same person described by Kasab. "We will ask for the dead man's photograph and show it to Kasab to identify him. Code names are very common in LeT and so it's difficult to say anything more without further verification,'' a senior officer said.

Source:: Times Of India

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IIT profs to go on fast today for better pay

MUMBAI: Faculty members across all Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) plan to go on hunger strike on Saturday to protest the HRD ministry's
failure to reexamine salaries
recommended by the sixth pay commission.

"We are extremely disappointed and hurt by the recently announced pay scales. IITs have long been regarded as pillars of excellence in higher education. Instead of giving recognition to this fact, the government has offered a pay package that is not helpful in filling the shortfall of faculty in IITs,'' said Kishore Chatterjee, joint secretary, IIT-Bombay faculty forum.

"Contrary to newspaper reports of September 3, there has been no satisfactory resolution to problems highlighted in our memorandum,'' added a statement by the faculty forum.

Faculty members fear that "unattractive'' scales may push out even existing staff "resulting in a dilution of the high standard that the IITs are maintaining today''. IIT teachers from across the country had submitted a memorandum regarding their minimum expectation to the ministry on August 23. "We had also mentioned that if the government did not come up with a new notification addressing concerns of IIT faculty by September 4, we would hold a daylong fast at the premise of IIT Bombay on the Teachers' Day, September 5.

Similarly, other IITs will also see their faculty members observe a hunger strike.

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Fresher told to strip, hit on private parts

NEW DELHI: In yet another sordid tale of ragging in the city, a 17-year-old boy who had struggled to get an education for himself was allegedly
asked to strip and then hit on his private parts by his seniors -- all in the name of an "introduction". The boy, a student of Industrial Training Institute at Vivek Nagar in east Delhi, is recuperating at the GTB Hospital where he received three stitches on his genitals.

The incident allegedly took place around 11.15am on September 2, the second day of college for the victim. The boy's father, an auto driver from Nand Nagri, alleged that his son was beaten up with thick metal rods and sticks. The Vivek Vihar police station has registered a case under IPC sections 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person), 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 34 (common intention) and arrested six students including a minor.

"The victim was ragged on the first day of his college on September 1. The student claimed that he complained about it to the principal. The next day, at least 12 second and third-year students asked him to strip in front of them. When he refused, he was hit on his private parts with a metal strip repeatedly," said Dharmendra Kumar, joint commissioner (New Delhi Range).

Kumar said the police got a call from the victim on Thursday and registered a case later in the evening. "We have arrested six accused, including a minor, and more are likely to be arrested in the next few days," he said.

The accused have been identified as Kusmakar Tripathi, Yogesh, Vinod, Raju, Satish and a 17-year-old student.

The victim, according to his brother, passed his class XII exams this year and joined ITI, Vivek Vihar, in the Mechanist (railway equipment) division. "My brother continued his studies despite our family's modest resources. He came to college for the first time on September 1. His seniors called him to a corner of the building and asked him to translate his `introductory speech' in English, a language he was weak in. Then they asked him to sing. He refused and proceeded to report the matter to the college administration," the victim's brother said.

When the boy reached college, the seniors allegedly wanted Rs 200 from him as "punishment for not doing the job". When he refused, they asked him to strip and perform a dance. "When he protested, they beat up my brother. After he began bleeding, they panicked and took him to the Hedgewar hospital where they dumped him and left. Before leaving, they threatened him not to open his mouth," claimed the brother.

The victim then called up his friends who then shifted him to the GTB Hospital. When the medico-legal case report came in, the police lodged the FIR.

Amid allegations that the institute tried to hush up the incident, the acting principal denied that he had received any complaint from the victim on either of the two days. "However, we are aware of the Supreme Court guidelines and will take severe action against all those who will be found guilty once we get the complete police report," said Prem Shankar, acting principal of the institute.

Police sources said that at least six other students were also involved in the case. "All the accused are students of the institute and we are investigating if some other juniors had also been bullied," said Anand Mohan, acting DCP (east).

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Jagan camp plays sentiment card, claims support of 148 MLAs

NEW DELHI: The post-YSR succession story might have got complicated with the dead chief minister's loyalists likely to shift their campaign for
Jagan Mohan Reddy

installing his son Jagan Mohan Reddy to Delhi and the party high command not keen to be hustled into taking what will be a crucial political call.

Perhaps with the objective of allowing emotions to subside, the party high command has taken the position that it will deal with the succession issue only after the mourning period ends even as it keenly assesses the situation in the state. The momentum to make Jagan the CM has not ebbed so far, and Congress is keeping a wary eye on developments.

By swiftly swearing-in veteran K Rosaiah, the leadership has certainly bought itself some time and going by the look of things, the 77-year-old leader could have to hold fort for a while till the Congress leadership sorts out the claims in the state in the wake of a large power vacuum caused by the death of YSR.

The Congress leadership is genuinely desirous of keeping the interests of YSR's family in mind given the tragic nature of his demise and proximity to 10, Janpath, but it is wary of an impression being created that it was served a fait accompli. It is also keen that the Andhra Pradesh unit does not break down into warring factions as was often the scene before the late CM consolidated his hold on power after 2004.

The charge of the YSR brigade is, however, likely to create a ticklish situation as it will inevitably have the shades of a "state versus Centre" conflict. This could mean the high command has to accommodate Jagan Reddy even as it hunts for an acceptable face. This dilemma is acute as there is no clear choice in sight.

Factions who were opposed to YSR and shut out of the scene completely were quick to claim that the campaign for Jagan was being "stage-managed" by persons, including a Rajya Sabha MP, close to the dead leader. They said no "senior" MP was keen to associate with the campaign. But one of them did agree that there was no other easily identifiable choice and that younger MLAs and MPs had veered towards the son.

Congress leadership is also thinking hard of the consequences of putting a young Jagan Reddy in the CM's chair. He may find out that he has bitten rather more than anticipated while others ran the show. In the circumstances, it would be useful to persevere with Rosaiah till it was possible to arrive at a calmer decision.

The visit of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the bereaved family, besides a clutch of central leaders, shows that the show of solidarity with the family could help deal with the succession issue.

Sources said the leadership was still to apply its mind to the issue but the two emissaries on the ground, Union ministers and AICC leaders Prithviraj Chavan and Veerappa Moily, have gained a sense of the mood after YSR's exit from the scene. The preparations will be made accordingly.

Congress is looking for a blend of seniority and loyalty, a combination which goes against Jagan Reddy. It has sought to downplay the campaign in favour of his installation as CM in Hyderabad, calling it an "emotional outburst" to avoid having to take a serious look against it.

That the Centre does not take a favourable view of the Jagan-as-CM campaign came out when AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed on Friday called it a "moment of tragedy and mourning" while advising "there should not be any politics on it".

With few genuine replacements at hand, insiders don't rule out giving a more than "interim arrangement" form to Rosaiah. Sources said a failure to find an acceptable face could see the old hand hang on to the hot seat. His hailing from a "neutral" Vaishya caste outside the contending Reddy and Kamma communities is seen as a soothing factor on the volatile turf.

There is always the option of accommodating Jagan Reddy at the Centre, something he may not be averse to in his bid to consolidate his father's political legacy. The young son has both the family's political and business interests to protect.

With the iron hand of YSR gone, the fear of rival lobbies reviving is bound to play on the minds of the leadership. While it is seen as an effective way of cancelling out the pro-Jagan lobby, there are concerns if a future leader would be able to ensure that the state unit remained united behind the new CM.

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Amitabh Bachchan back on TV with 'Bigg Boss 3'

SINGAPORE: He's going from `lock kiya jaye' to unlocking the minds of contestants in India's version of Big Brother. Amitabh Bachchan returns to

the small screen in Season 3 of Bigg Boss, to play "pop psychologist'' to those in the house. The Big B's intention is to add "the human element'' to the reality show.

"We need to analyse the minds of those on the show and reach out to as many people as possible through it. On eviction day, I will discuss the thought process of that particular contestant,'' Amitabh Bachchan told TOI. "I don't claim to give gyaan or suggest that I can calm things down. My job is only to analyse why people behave in a certain manner in the house.''

About the celebrity inmates of the house, Bachchan only says, "The audience will vote for who they want to see inside the house.'' Shooting will take place every Friday in Lonavala. Family Bachchan, of course, is thrilled at the idea. "They are happy with whatever makes me happy,'' he says.

On why Bachchan was picked for this role, Colours CEO Rajesh Kamat said, " Bigg Boss last season was hugely popular. This time we wanted to make it more broadbased and pan-India so it appeals to people from the ages 4 to 64. Once we decided on Amitabh Bachchan, we worked out the pop-philosopher role for him. The idea was to deconstruct the emotions of those in the house and initiate discussions where we can keep the audience engaged.''

Rumour has it that Baby B Abhishek too has been approached to host a game show. According to industry sources, "Abhishek Bachchan has been offered to host a game show on the lines of American show Bingo. The matter is still under discussion and likely to finalised by the end of the year.''

More and more film personalities are looking at doing television programmes. While SRK did a season of KBC, Akshay Kumar has returned with Khatron Ke Khiladi and Salman Khans image got a makeover with Dus Ka Dum.

"It's the huge audience base and the ability of television to reach out to the lowest common denominator that is drawing big film stars to small screen,'' says reality TV writer Manoj Muntashir. "Also, television is no more inferior to cinema. The stars were wooed by some great money and the desire to do something out of the box. Get set to be surprised by many superstars turning to this most popular medium of entertainment in the near future,'' he adds.

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Sachin formula: Split ODIs into 2 innings

MUMBAI: When he speaks about cricket
, the world listens. And now, Sachin Tendulkar has waded into the debate over the future of the 50-over
Sachin

game.

His suggestion? To save One-Day Internationals from extinction, revamp them by giving both sides two innings of 25 overs each. Think of it as a sort of 'Test T-25'!

Tendulkar told Times Now on Friday that he thought of the idea as far back as 2002, when a Champions Trophy final between India and Sri Lanka could not be completed despite 110 overs of cricket over two days.

"First they played 50 overs and we played two overs before the rain interruption. The next day, Sri Lanka again played 50 overs and we played eight. In the end we were declared joint winners. I thought, 110 overs and still no result! That is when I thought, we should have 25 overs first for one side and then the other. And then once again 25 overs for one side and then the other."

Tendulkar said such a split would ensure increased excitement and closer games, since it would negate the luck factor of the toss and ensure a level playing field for both sides in case of day-night games, when batting becomes difficult under lights.

"Today, we can tell the result of close to 75% of matches after the toss. We know how conditions will affect the two teams. But it (splitting the game into two innings) is not too dependent on the toss because, (if) for example it's a day-night match, then both the teams will have to bat under lights. In those 25 overs you can use your 10 wickets the way you want. Suppose if it rains, then (also) you can plan," Tendulkar said.

With Twenty20's increasing popularity threatening to cut into the viewership of ODIs, the ICC is keen to pull out all the stops and renew public interest in the One-day game ahead of the Champions Trophy later this month. Sachin said the game's administrators would do well to consider tweaking the format.

"The conditions change very dramatically but (adopting) this (split format) would ensure that it's the same for everyone. All those things are there, I was just thinking about it. Maybe if they (the administrators) take it, then not bad," Tendulkar said.

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AP shuts down for second day

Hyderabad: Normal life across Andhra Pradesh came to a crippling halt on Friday as the state mourned the death of Chief Minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday.
Schools, colleges, offices, shops and business establishments remained closed as a mark of respect to the leader, whose last rites will be performed in his native town Pulivendula in Kadapa district later on Friday.
Hundreds of mourners continued to pour in at the chief minister's camp office, where YSR's body was kept. The body is now being shifted to L.B. Stadium to enable people to pay their last respects, before being flown to his native town.
While the roads around the camp office in Begumpet and L.B. Stadium were teeming with mourners, the streets in the rest of the state capital wore a deserted look. The usual morning bustle was missing as the government declared a two-day holiday — Thursday and Friday.
Vehicular traffic was off the roads while all petrol pumps remained shut for the second day, causing severe inconvenience to people. Even public transport was off the roads and only a few taxis were plying.
The IT companies in this technology hub also declared a holiday. Banks and even ATMs of most banks were closed. hotels and cinema halls downed shutters too.
Telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) also declared a holiday for all its offices in the state as a mark of respect to YSR. Parks and restaurants were deserted as well.
The state government has declared a seven-day mourning period. Cable TV operators took all entertainment channels off air. They are airing only news channels.
The situation is similar in all major towns across the state. Holding black flags, Congress activists were roaming on their motor bikes in coastal city Visakhapatnam and in Vijayawada.
Guntur, Ongole, Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Nellore, Tirupati, Puttaparthi, Kurnool, Kadpa, Anantapur, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal and all other towns remained completely shut for the second day.
Congress activists, YSR's admirers and followers gathered at various places in the towns and paid floral tributes to the departed leader. At some places, people lit candles and raised slogans of "long live YSR."

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Cabinet behind Jagan, awaits nod from Sonia

Hyderabad/New Delhi, Sept. 4: The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, has reportedly not made up her mind on who should be the successor of the late Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and is keeping her options open.

Even during her visit to Hyderabad to pay homage to YSR on Friday morning she did not give any hints on who would be his heir though she spent some time in the company of Congress leaders supporting the candidature of Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of the late Chief Minister.

Obviously, Mrs Gandhi wants more time to take a decision and this was evident from her political secretary, Mr Ahmed Patel’s comment that the Congress Legislature Party meeting could take place only after the seven-day state mourning.

The new Chief Minister, Mr Rosaiah, also told some mediapersons on Friday that he had no objection to Mr Jagan being elevated to the top post, provided the party high command cleared his name.

Sources said the Congress leadership was keenly watching the scenario in Andhra Pradesh. At this juncture, it intends to continue with Mr Rosaiah till the CLP meeting gets over.

Apart from the demand from majority of Congress leaders, the youth factor could also swing the decision in favour of Mr Jagan, who had been touring the state and campaigning for the party during the elections. Some feel he could be groomed to take over in a few months.

Though the ministers of the YSR cabinet had decided to step up pressure on the high command in favour of Mr Jagan, they dropped the idea of handing over a memorandum to Mrs Gandhi during her trip. They may visit Delhi and meet her personally to raise this demand in the next few days.

However, a final decision could possibly be tricky, as the Congress would want someone who can carry on the YSR legacy politically.
“We also want a leader who can contain the resurgence of the regional outfits such as the Telugu Desam and Praja Rajyam and separatist forces like the TRS,” said a Congress functionary. “Also, YSR had virtually demolished factionalism within the organisation.”

Though a section of leaders spoke of Mr Rosaiah’s abilities as an administrator, his non-controversial image and his socialist credentials, they also talked of his “lack of mass appeal.”

Other names, which have been doing the rounds are that of the union ministers, Mr Jaipal Reddy, Ms D. Purandeswari, Mr Pallam Raju and Mr D. Srinivas. Mr K.V. P. Ramachandra Rao, a close associate of YSR, could also play a key role in the succession game.

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141 people lost their lives unable to bear the trauma of the loss of their leader

Hyderabad, Sept. 4: In an unprecedented show of love for any politician in the history of Independent India, 141 people lost their lives unable to bear the trauma of the loss of their leader, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.

While 115 people died of cardiac failure another 26 committed suicide.

Alarmed at the number of deaths, the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, and Dr Reddy’s son, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, repeatedly appealed to people to maintain restraint and not to resort to extreme steps.

Psychiatrists explained the unprecedented number of deaths to the slow building up of mental trauma and suppression of emotions.

The news of Dr Reddy’s copter disappearing was flashed at noon on Wednesday, traumatising his admirers and supporters.

They continued to remain in this state for almost 24 hours before Dr Reddy’s death was confirmed.

“People are attracted to leaders not only by their policies and programmes, but also by their personality, the way they speak, dress and talk to them. This creates a sort of hero worship and when something tragic happens, they cannot bear the loss. This leads to mass hysteria,” said senior psychiatrist Dr Yerra Sridhar Raju.

Had the news broken suddenly, he says, "people would have resorted to violence. They would have made someone the object of their attack.”

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