England suffer a ton of Paine

Nottingham (England), Sept. 18: Tim Paine scored his maiden international century as Australia inflicted fresh one-day misery upon England with a crushing 111-run win here at Trent Bridge, late on Thursday.

Victory in this day/night fixture left world champions Australia 6-0 up and on course to complete the first ever 7-0 clean sweep in a bilateral series in Sunday’s finale at Durham’s Riverside ground.

Paine’s 111 was the cornerstone of Australia’s 296 for eight as the holders continued to warm-up in style for next week’s start of the Champions Trophy tournament in South Africa.

England, chasing 299 to win, collapsed to 60 for four inside 15 overs. They were eventually dismissed for 185, with nine overs to spare as they suffered their 11th heaviest defeat, in terms of runs, in 517 one-day internationals (ODIs).

No England batsman made more than number eight Tim Bresnan’s 31 not out. Wicketkeeper Paine, an opener in the one-day format, reached three figures in only his seventh match at this level.

Together with Michael Hussey (65), Paine — who only made his one-day international debut against Scotland in Edinburgh last month put on 163 for the third wicket after the duo came together with Australia 40 for two.

After Ponting had called correctly to end Strauss’s streak of five straight toss wins, Anderson made a double breakthrough. He had Shane Watson playing on and then made it two wickets for seven runs in 16 balls when he had Ponting hooking straight to Ryan Sidebottom at deep backward square leg.

But England’s joy at removing Ponting for six, 120 fewer than he managed in Australia’s four-wicket victory here on Tuesday, was short-lived as his fellow Tasmanian Paine unfurled a fine array of strokes.

Brief scores: Australia 296 for 8 (Tim Paine 111, Mike Hussey 65, James Hopes 38; James Anderson 4/55) bt England 185 (Tim Bresnan 31; James Hopes 3/32, Brett Lee 2/48, Nathan Bracken 2/42).
Source::DC

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Top guns out of big battle

New Delhi, Sept. 18: Bowlers could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief ahead of the Champions Trophy which starts in South Africa next Tuesday, for some of the world’s top big-hitters will be missing in action.

England duo of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, and Indian opener Virender Sehwag are recovering from injuries, with all of them renowned for ruining bowlers’ reputation with their innovative, clean and hard hitting.
When Sehwag fires, India are always assured of setting or chasing a stiff target. Not afraid of going after the bowling early in his innings, he is known for playing unorthodox shots to put the opposition on the back-foot.

“India will miss Sehwag’s explosiveness at the top,” legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar recently wrote in his column.

Meanwhile, England will find it difficult to pose a serious threat to big teams without key batsman Pietersen and all-rounder Flintoff. “It is always hard to be without your two best players, but that’s the reality we are in,” England captain Andrew Strauss said after losing the recent one-day series against Australia. England have often relied on Flintoff’s aggressive batting and sharp seam bowling to gain a big advantage. While England, Champions Trophy runners-up at home in 2004, will be under strength without Pietersen and Flintoff, cricket will be poorer without the three quality batsmen.

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Stuart, Sultan of swing

New Delhi, Sept. 18: If there is a fast bowler who is quickly developing into a match-winner by learning and improving with each game, it is Stuart Broad of England.

Many bowlers would have found it difficult to regain confidence after being hammered for six sixes in an over, but Broad came back strongly.

He was young in international cricket when he was smashed for 36 off six balls by India’s Yuvraj Singh in a Twenty20 World Cup match in South Africa two years ago. Broad has now become his team’s key bowler ahead of the Champions Trophy in South Africa, thanks to his mental toughness.

He is expected to share responsibilities with James Anderson in the absence of senior pacemen Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison.

Broad’s confidence is high, especially after producing one of his best spells in the Ashes when he grabbed five first-innings wickets at the Oval to set up his team’s series-clinching victory. His role is not confined to bowling, for he is also a gritty batsman capable of chipping in vital runs down the order.
Broad has it in him to make his presence felt despite the presence of talented rivals like Mitchell Johnson of Australia, South Africa’s Dale Steyn, Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori.

Left-arm paceman Johnson returns to the scene of his amazing exploits which saw his team clinch a Test series in South Africa this year. He grabbed 16 wickets in three Tests.

Johnson, as effective with the new ball as with the old because of his ability to reverse swing, forms a deadly combination with Brett Lee who is hungry for success after missing the Ashes.

He was in form in recent one-day internationals in England, ensuring his team’s series victory. Steyn arrived in international cricket at the right time for South Africa, who had been looking for a genuine fast bowler.

He has the pace and shrewd variations to unsettle the best batsmen in the world. He played a major role in his team’s pair of one-day series wins against Australia at home and away.

Steyn could prove too hot to handle for the rival batsmen in home conditions in the company of Makhaya Ntini and Albie Morkel.

But it cannot be all about pace on South African pitches in the presence of Muralitharan and Vettori who have already proved there is always room for quality spinners in limited-overs cricket.

Off-spinner Muralitharan, the world’s leading wicket-taker in Tests and one-day internationals, has been Sri Lanka’s match-winner for more than a decade.

The Sri Lankan not only turns the ball hugely on any surface, but also has a deceptive ‘doosra’, a delivery that turns away from the right-handers instead of coming into them like a conventional off-break.

Sri Lanka will be the team to beat if Muralitharan gets support from unrothodox spinner Ajantha Mendis and pacemen Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara. Like Muralitharan, left-arm spinner Vettori can also dry up runs and take wickets at crucial stages.

Skipper Vettori, with 244 one-day wickets can adjust to all conditions. He is always a difficult bowler to get away because of his tidy line and length.

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India counters China

New Delhi, Sept. 18: India on Friday signalled that it would not take too much Chinese belligerence by landing its AN-32 transport aircraft in Ladakh near the Sino-Indian border and by asserting that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral part of the country.

The latest moves follow alleged Chinese incursions in the border and efficiently blocking aid from ADB Bank to Arunachal claiming it a disputed territory.

It is for the first time that the Indian Air Force has landed its fixed wing AN-32 transport aircraft at the Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground in Ladakh, just 23 km away from the Line of Actual Control. This is a terse and clear message to China.

Sources said that the next step would be to expand the Nyoma ALG into a full-fledged air-base where fighter aircraft can land.

In 2008, fixed wing aircraft had landed at the Daulat Beg Oldi ALG (the highest airfield in the world situated at an altitude of 16,200 feet) and the Fukche ALG. Experts believe that India is developing ALGs in Ladakh to improve its capability for quick transportation of troops. Further expansion of ALGs will give India the edge and restrain aggressive Chinese posturing along the LAC.

Meanwhile, after playing down the differences with China for days, the external affairs minister,

Mr S.M. Krishna said on Friday that India’s sovereignty will have to be respected by China. “Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.”

The minister said both India and China were “mature” and “powerful” neighbours who needed to have trust and faith in each other.

When asked about Chinese incursions, the minister said. “The Indian armed forces are capable of defending our frontiers.”

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Father throws newborn girl into river, arrested

A 27-year-old man has been arrested for throwing his newborn baby girl into a river in Durg district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Friday.

"Premjeet Deshmukh confessed that he tossed his week-old girl into Shivnath river as he was expecting a baby boy. He was arrested late on Thursday," said Superintendent of Police (Durg) Dipanshu Kabra.

Kabra said police recovered the body of the girl from the river September 6 and sent it to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Government Hospital in Raipur for examination. The doctors confirmed that the child was killed.

"We went through records of all the addresses of mothers who delivered babies in August in government hospitals in Durg district. We reached their houses and then found that in Supela locality of Bhilai city resident Kriti Deshmukh, who delivered a baby girl September 2, had no answer to what happened to her newborn child," Kabra said.

He said Premjeet Deshmukh, a truck driver, who already had two girls was upset with the birth of the third girl. "He (Premjeet) took help of a female relative September 6 and dumped his newborn child into a river," Kabra said.

Premjeet and his female relative have been arrested.

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Natco launches Swine flu drug

Hyderabad, Sept. 18: Drug maker Natco Pharma on Friday said it has launched anti-swine flu drug Natflu.

“Natco Pharma has launched Natflu capsule, the cure for swine flu,” the Hyderabad-based firm said in a statement.

The maximum retail price for the medicine is fixed at Rs 480 for a bottle of 10 capsules and is available in all licensed pharmacies, it further said.

Natflu is the generic version of Tamiflu-Oseltam-ivir. Shares of Natco Pharma surged nearly seven per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange after the company announced the launch of anti-swine flu drug Natflu.

Shares of the company surged to a high of Rs 127.85, up 8.11 per cent over the previous closing during the intra-day trade. The scrip later pared some gains and settled up 6.26 per cent at Rs 125.65 on the BSE.

On the National Stock Exchange, the scrip closed with a gain of 4.67 per cent at Rs 124.30.

During the intra-day trade, the scrip rose 7.28 per cent to a high of Rs 127.40. Over 24.44 lakh shares changed hands on both the bourses.

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Godrej to focus on realty

Chennai, Sept 18: The $2.5-billion Godrej group is targeting a 25 per cent growth in sales every year and plans to double its revenue to $5 billion in the next three years.

The Group expects 15-20 per cent growth through an organic route and another 5-10 per cent growth from the inorganic route.

Revealing the group’s growth strategy here, the group chairman, Mr Adi Godrej, said the group would focus on FMCG and property development. In the FMCG segment, the company will grow “considerably through the acquisition” route. The group has constituted an FMCG cell headed by Mr A. Mahendran, managing director, Godrej Sara Lee, mainly for merger and acquisition activities.

The group is looking for those firms, which are engaged in the manufacturing of haircare products in India and developing countries like China, Indonesia, Brazil, Egypt and Africa.

The group’s real estate arm, Godrej Properties Ltd, is developing about 100 million sq ft space, mainly in the residential space across the country.

“Our real estate development model is different from the existing players. We share profits with property owners,” he said. The group, which has 100 manufacturing locations in India and abroad, moved some of its Indian facilities to the North-East or Himachal Pradesh due to tax advantage.

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It’s festive time for electronic firms

New Delhi, Sept. 18: As the festival season starts on Saturday with the Navaratri this year, the consumer electronic companies are expecting to make a kill. Last year, post-Lehman Brothers crisis the mood was sombre in the festival season.

“We are expecting sales of Rs 1,700 crore in this festival season, a growth of 40 per cent over last year,” said Samsung India Electronics, deputy managing director, Mr R. Zutshi.

Samsung India is offering discounts and free gifts with its products to boost sales. “We will be launching specific advertisement campaigns till Diwali. We have also made a new TV commercial for our digital cameras,” said Mr Zutshi.

“In 2008, the prices were high due to increase in the input costs and we were not able to give too many discount offers. But this year, things will be different,” said another official from Samsung.

The company feels that there will be no impact on the sales due to the poor monsoon or economic slowdown on the sales.

“It was only in the first quarter, when there was a slight impact but otherwise this segment has never seen any slowdown,” said Mr Zutshi. LG India, director of sales and marketing, Mr V. Ramachandran, said this festival season sales are expected to be quiet good as compared to the last year. “The government has released 60 per cent arrears of the sixth pay commission this year, which is a very high sum. We expect this step to boost the sales of companies like LG during this period,” said Mr Ramachandran.

He said that the company is expecting a growth of 30-40 per cent in the festival season. “We will not offer any special discount as we have launched many India-specific products, which should help in sales,” he said

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US missile shield shift irks Poland, Czech

Warsaw (Poland), Sept. 18: The Poles and Czechs voiced deep concern on Friday at the US President Mr Barack Obama’s decision to scrap a Bush-era missile defense shield planned for their countries.

“Betrayal! The US sold us to Russia and stabbed us in the back,” the Polish tabloid Fakt said on its front page.

The Polish President, Mr Lech Kaczynski, said he was concerned that Mr Obama’s new strategy leaves Poland in a dangerous “gray zone” between Western Europe and the old Soviet sphere.

The Bush administration’s plan would have been “a major step in preventing various disturbing trends in our region of the world,” Mr Kaczynski said in a guest editorial in the daily Fakt.

The US secretary of state, Ms Hillary Clinton, defended the new Obama administration approach to missile defence in Europe, saying it will enhance protection of the US and its NATO allies.

Ms Clinton said Mr Obama’s new approach will improve US capabilities to defend against an Iranian missile threat by building a more comprehensive antimissile system at sea and on land. She said Poland and the Czech Republic are now at the top of the US’s list of candidates to host land-based versions of the new missile interceptor.

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Pak elected to IAEA board

Islamabad, Sept. 18: Pakistan was on Friday elected to the Board of Governors of the UN atomic watchdog IAEA for a two-year term against a regional seat reserved for the Middle East and South Asia.

Pakistan was the consensus candidate of the region, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office. The election took place by acclamation at the IAEA’s general conference, which began in Vienna on September 14.

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Pervez: Sacking CJ a mistake

Washington, Sept. 18: In a frank admission, the former Pakistani President, Mr Pervez Musharraf, said he made a “mistake” by sacking the Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry nearly two years ago.

“Now, after seeing the incidents following his (the Chief Justice’s) dismissal from the office I realised I should not have done that,” the ARY News quoted the former military ruler as having said in a university lecture on Thursday.

“It was a mistake to send the reference against him to Supreme Judicial Council, though it was my constitutional and legal obligation.

“The reference resulted in a chaos in the country... Probably I won’t commit such things in future,” he said.

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Ex-MP evicted from official house

New Delhi/Mumbai, Sept. 18: The Republican Party of India chief, Mr Ramdas Athawale, was on Friday evicted from his government bungalow in Delhi after the ex-MP refused to vacate the premises triggering a violent reaction when his supporters attacked the newly renovated Mumbai Congress office.

The belongings of Athawale, who lost the recent Lok Sabha election from Shirdi in Maharashtra, were on Friday removed from his Lodhi Estate residence for overstaying despite repeated reminders to him to vacate, officials said. Mr Athawale was not at home when the action was taken.

A team of officials of the directorate of estates under the urban development ministry, which allots accommodations to MPs, went to his residence and removed all his belongings.

Mr Athawale condemned the action as a “political vendetta” of the Congress, for joining a Third Front ahead of next month’s Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

Mumbai Police arrested 23 persons in connection with the attack on the newly renovated office of Mumbai Congress, which was stoned and some window panes broken. The office was inaugurated by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi just this week.

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Terror hits in India,says Israel

New Delhi, Sept. 18: The Centre on Saturday said it is fully prepared to deal with a Mumbai-type terror attack if such a situation arises. Responding to a warning by Israel’s counter-terrorism unit that said the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, is planning terror strikes across India, a Union home ministry spokesman said, “We are fully prepared.”

Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau at its National Security Council, issued a travel warning about “imminent and concrete” input about a terror strike planned by the LeT.

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Taj case returns to haunt Maya

Lucknow/New Delhi, Sept. 18: The ghost of the Taj Heritage Corridor case returned to haunt UP chief minister Mayawati once again on Friday with the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court issuing fresh notices to her and the senior UP minister, Mr Naseemuddin Siddiqui, in the case.

In New Delhi, the Supreme Court said on Friday it would have to examine if the state government could spend huge sums of public money to construct statues and memorials of political leaders. A bench comprising Justices B.N. Agarwal and Aftab Alam, hearing the case relating to the construction of the Kanshi Ram memorial in Lucknow, told UP government counsel Mukul Rohatgi that it was not satisfied with the affidavit filed by it, and also said it did not accept the “profuse apology” by the state government.

The bench said it had to examine if the state could spend so much money in constructing memorials and statues.

When Mr Rohatgi pointed out that the decision to spend Rs 2,600 crore on the memorial had been taken by the legislature and that the court could not interfere in that, the court reacted by saying that “the legislature and the executive act under the Constitution.” It asked what if the legislature decided to allocate 80 per cent of budgetary allocations for statutes and memorials.

“Is that not then justiciable?” the court asked. It posted the matter for October 5 and asked all parties concerned to file their affidavits by September 29.

In the Taj Corridor matter, a division bench of the Allahabad high court comprising Justices Pradeep Kant and Shabibul Hassnain admitted a PIL filed by Mr Anupama Singh, Mr Kamlesh Varma and Mr Qatil Ahmad against Ms Mayawati and Mr Siddiqui, who had earlier been exonerated by the CBI court in the case.

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