Winners to get hand-sculpted cup

Winners to get hand-sculpted cup

Mumbai
Sept. 23: The Airtel Champions League Twenty20 (ACLT20) on Wednesday unveiled the hand-crafted winner’s trophy to be presented to the champion-of-champions in Hyderabad on October 23, 2009.
Designed by Carving Dreams and hand-sculpted by Creative Awards & Rewards, the ACLT20 trophy, which is made of precious metals, is studded with 5.12 carat diamonds and precious and semi-precious gemstones. It stands 1.5 feet tall and weighs just over 6 kg.
Inspired by the ACLT20 logo, the trophy’s petals are studded with precious and semi-precious gemstones that hold an uplifted platinum ball with emerald green stitching set in green gemstones. The different coloured petals, holding the ball together, signify the diversity of the league of champions and the entire trophy is mounted on a mahogany-coloured, dark wooden base.
ESPN STAR Sports (ESS), the global commercial rights partner of ACLT20, further announced on Wednesday a comprehensive line-up of production and global syndication initiatives that will showcase the tournament to fans in more than 160 countries.
Commenting on the trophy, Lalit Modi, Chairman, Airtel Champions League Twenty20, said: “The Airtel Champions League Twenty20 trophy is a distinct and an exquisite work of art, one befitting the stature of the tournament.”
Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN STAR Sports and Global Commercial Rights Partner of the Airtel Champions League Twenty20, said: “Like always we will showcase a stunning array of experts from all around the globe and for the very first time we would have Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara donning a new role as an expert analyst in the commentary box. This festive season, cricket fans can look forward to a state-of-the-art presentation as we are well prepared to set new benchmarks in the production and telecast of this blockbuster event with many new and innovative initiatives making fans’ experience truly engaging and really enriching.”

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Sex for success, says coach Kirsten

New Delhi, Sept. 23: Coach Gary Kirsten’s reported mantra to Indian cricketers to have sex to boost their competitiveness was the subject of much amusement and discussion among world’s cricketers assembled here for the Champions Trophy.

Kirsten has reportedly handed out a four-part document which broadly envisages an active sexual life and a disciplined food and sporting habits, aimed at helping the players on and off the field.

The document, the content of which are quite unusual, looks back into India’s history, its food habits and its lack of aggression. “From a psychological perspective having sex increases testosterone levels, which causes in an increase in strength, energy, aggression and competitiveness,” it said.

“Conversely, not having sex for a few months causes a significant drop in testosterone level in both males and females with the corresponding passiveness and decrease in aggression,” the document said.

The document, jointly prepared by Kirsten and mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton, advice the cricketers ‘to go solo’ if they didn’t have any partner. “If you want sex but do not have someone to share it with, one option is to go solo whilst imagining you have a partner or a few partners who are as beautiful as you wish to imagine. No pillow talk and no hugging required ... just roll over and go to sleep,” the document advised.

The document also spoke on Personal mastery, which dwelt on the “shift from blaming others to taking responsibility, from being reactive to being proactive from knee-jerk reaction criticism to accepting that its one of the few things that helps us grow. It is realising that what other people say about you is none of your business.”

The topic came up for discussion during the press conference of Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and his England counterpart Andrew Strauss. Asked whether sex is a part of England’s dossier, Strauss said, “With regards to sexual habits, I don’t think that has come up in any of our dossiers. Not sure if it is likely to either, for us.”

When a similar question was put to Ponting, he said, “The team vision document would be interesting. No, I don’t think it would (be there in ours). That’s all I can say. You caught off-guard with that question.” The document one section on food habits and asked the players to stick to a strict diet regime.

“(Acid in the body) causes the body to turn calories into fat, lowers the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the working cells, and can also cause day time fatigue, irritability, low brain functioning, over-sexuality,” the document said.

The document also states India’s lack of aggression by drawing historical examples. “India has never been an aggressor at war, they have never been first to strike,” it said.

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S. African body will probe tests

Johannesburg, Sept. 23: South Africa’s sports governing body said on Wednesday it will probe the conduct of athletics officials in the gender tests carried out on 800 metre world champ Caster Semenya.
“We are mindful of the fact that people are angry and upset, but caution that due process must be followed in attempting to uncover the truth,” said Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) president Gideon Sam.
Outrage around Semenya — who faces a gender storm — deepened after Athletics South Africa (ASA) admitted on Saturday that sex tests were done ahead of the world championships in Berlin, and that medical advice to withdraw her was ignored.
“SASCOC will launch a full investigation into the Semenya matter to ascertain the truth about events leading to the participation and testing of Semenya and subsequent conduct of the officials of ASA,” Sam said in a statement.
A probe into Semenya’s sex was announced last month by the world athletics governing body the IAAF, shortly before she powered to the world’s fastest 800m this year at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Leaked test results to the media reporting Semenya was a hermaphrodite this month caused further anger from the South African public and government, who have rallied behind the athlete and gave her a hero’s welcome on her return from the games.
Deputy sport minister Gert Oosthuizen on Sunday called for ASA head Leonard Chuene to be fired after he admitted to lying about the tests, saying “they will be running the risk of being led by a liar” if they did not act.
But a cabinet meeting on Wednesday said that “sports bodies must be given to deal with the matter first”, the Sapa news agency reported.
Sam welcomed ASA’s decision to co-operate in the investigation, saying meetings were planned with the athletics body.
“The investigation will result in making recommendations to SASCOC’s board on how the matter should be handled, and there are various options available to SASCOC,” he said.

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Saina crashes out while Kashyap moves ahead

New Delhi, Sept. 23: India’s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal made a disappointing return to the court as she crashed out with an opening-round loss but P. Kashyap kept the Indian hopes alive by advancing to the pre-quarterfinals of the on-going Japan Open Super Series badminton tournament in Tokyo on Wednesday.
The only Indian contender in the men’s singles, Kashyap kept the tricolour fluttering and notched up a 21-17, 12-21, 21-11 win over Japanese Takuma Ueda in a 51-minute battle.
World number 34 Kashyap will next take on number three Dane Peter Hoeg Gade in the pre-quarterfinals on Thursday.
However, Saina, coming back after a month-long break, lost 15-21, 23-21, 14-21 to world number 10 Yanjiao Jiang of China in a 53-minute clash in the women’s singles.
The seventh seeded Indian mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V. Diju also hit a low after their Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold win last month and crashed out of the tournament with a scoreline of 18-21, 12-21 against Thai duo Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam in an 25-minute encounter.
Jwala had more disappointment in store as she and Ashwini Ponnappa were beaten 15-21, 21-19, 18-21 by seventh seed Japanese combo of Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna in the women’s doubles opener that lasted more than one hour
The men’s doubles pair of Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas also bit the dust after going down 12-21, 16-21 against the Korean pair of Sung Hyun Ko and Yi Goo Kwon within half-an-hour.

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PSLV is 16 and going strong

PSLV C-14 blasts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 90 km from Nellore, on Wednesday. The rocket put into orbit the 960-kg Oceansat-2 and six smaller foreign satellites within a space of 20 minutes.


Sriharikota
Sept. 23: It was a sweet 16th birthday on Wednesday for India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The first PSLV was launched on September 23, 1993 from Sriharikota but unfortunately it burnt down into the Bay of Bengal. Old-timers recall with mixed emotions the sight of a weeping G. Madhavan Nair, the then mission director, who was hugged and consoled by Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
“In 16 years, we had 15 successive and successful PSLV launches,” said Dr Nair. He said over the years PSLV has emerged as an internationally acclaimed satellite launch vehicle that is as reliable as European Space Agency’s Ariane, USA’s Delta and Russia’s Soyuz rockets.
That India has emerged as a global player became clear when the Isro chairman said Sriharikota could see four PSLV launches every year from 2010

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Food grain crunch hits state

Hyderabad

Sept. 23: The deficient rainfall has turned 50 lakh acres of fertile fields in the state into brownish barren
swathes of land.
With the southwest monsoon coming to a close by the month-end, there is no relief possible now and food grain production is likely to be just half of what it was in 2008, with a consequent surge in prices.
In the Kharif season, sowing was carried on only 1.45 crore acres as against the normal 1.98 crore acres.
The price of paddy, ragi, jowar, groundnut, sugarcane and turmeric is likely to rise steeply with the fall in production.
As against 204 lakh metric tonnes of food grains produced in the state last year, the output this year may not be more than150 lakh metric tonnes.
The state agriculture department has plenty to worry about as reports of continuing drought pour in from the districts.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said there is little chance of rainfall in the next one week as the South-West monsoon is drawing to a close.
“Rainfall deficit is around 30 per cent. The season ends by September 30 though there is a chance of rains in October. But that is not taken into consideration when we assess the performance of the South-West monsoon,” said Mr M. Satyakumar, director of the Hyderabad Meteorological Centre.
Farmers’ associations have sought relief from the government which has declared 971 mandals in the state as drought-hit.

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TRS MLA says scam in party

ADILABAD
Sept. 23: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) MLA from Mancherial, Mr G. Arvind Reddy, has termed the party as ‘TRS Private Company’ and accused the party president, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, of making huge money in the name of Telangana.
He alleged that there was a big scam in the TRS like ‘Satyam’. He said Mr Rao will sit in the jail along with Ramalinga Raju of Satyam soon and claimed that he had enough proof about scam in the party.
He asked the party chief to shut down the ‘company’ in the interest of the people of Telangana.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Arvind Reddy questioned if the TRS leaders are using power to fight against him, why can’t the same power be used for the Telangana cause.

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Chiru denies rift in party

VIJAYAWADA
Sept. 23: The Praja Rajyam president, Chiranjeevi, on Wednesday refuted speculation being carried in some sections of the media that the party is facing internal crises.
He said the party remained united and there were no differences among the party leaders.
Asked about some PR leaders’ comments on Kadapa MP, Mr Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s capabilities to become the next chief minister, Mr Chiranjeevi said it was only personal opinion of some leaders and nothing to do with the party.
He said Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy is the political heir of YSR and also a popular leader with good cadre following.
He added that the appointment of the next Chief Minister is the internal affair of the Congress.

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J&K militants kill city Major

Hyderabad/Srinagar
Sept. 23: Major Suresh Suri, a native of Hyderabad, and three other Army personnel were killed in two separate long-drawn gunbattles with militants in north Kashmir during which four terrorists, including two top Pakistani Hizbul Mujahideen commanders, were also shot dead.
While the encounter in Bandipora district ended on Wednesday evening after 25 hours, the other in a forest in Baramulla continued to rage for the third day. The gun battle between security forces and terrorists in Bandipora district in north Kashmir claimed Major Suri and Lance Naik Kushal Singh’s lives on Wednesday.
Major Suri, 30, of the Rashtriya Rifles was deployed in Bandipora for a year. Into his eighth year of service, he was trained at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the prestigious Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun. He was also judged the best student in the counter-insurgency course and finished an instructive reading in junior command course during his stint with the Indian Army.
“Major Suri was a brave officer who led his men from the front. He was an instructor in counter insurgency and was martyred in a hand-to-hand combat with the terrorists,” said a defence spokesperson from Srinagar.
According to defence sources, the Army party led by the major barged into the house where the terrorists were hiding. The Army and police had strengthened the cordon around the house during the night to prevent any attempt by the terrorists to escape under the cover of darkness. While other members of the party came out, the two soldiers were trapped in the heavy firing and killed.
Major Suri is survived by his mother and his wife Pallavi. His mother, who stays at Malkajgiri in the city was taken away by relatives on Wednesday after they got to know of the tragic news. Pallavi, who married Suresh Suri just a year ago, is currently studying in Mumbai.

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India may not back Obama

On board PM’s Aircraft
Sept. 23: India may not overtly support the US President, Mr Barack Obama’s proposal for “rebalancing the economic order” in case it rings in a protectionist regime in the US and Britain.

The cautious line to be pursued by India was evident in the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh’s statement ahead of his visit to Pittsburgh to participate in the G-20 summit. Dr Singh said, “We would like a strong message to emerge from Pittsburgh against protectionism in all its forms, whether trade in goods, services, investment or financial inflows”.

The Indian delegation headed by Dr Singh exhibited confidence ahead of the two-day G-20 summit as the country’s 6.7 per cent growth in last fiscal was mostly due to domestic consumption and not exports as in case of China. Mr Obama and his top adviser, Mr Michael Froman, have mounted a campaign during last two days against “excess reliance on exports by China, Japan and Germany.” Mr Obama had asked for re-balancing the economic and trade order.

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China is stronger: IAF chief

Gandhinagar
Sept. 23: Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said on Wednesday the Indian Air Force’s aircraft strength was “inadequate”, just “one-third” the size of China’s, and that it was therefore going in for more acquisitions to enhance its capability.
He downplayed reports of Chinese air incursions along the Line of Actual Control. “As far as the Air Force is concerned there are no incursions anywhere,” he said. “Our present aircraft strength is inadequate. We have one-third of the Chinese numbers,” he said, echoing recently retired Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta’s concern that the country didn’t have the capability to match China.
“The government is doing a lot to augment Air Force capability,” he said at the South-Western Air Command headquarters. His comments come against the backdrop of reports about Chinese “incursions” into India in the past several weeks.
“We are not downplaying the challenges before us. But there is a strategy to handle it. One can either deal with it sternly or play cool and continue to develop capabilities,” ACM Naik said. On deployment along the Sino-Indian border, he said, “We have increased our capabilities on land as well as in the air.”

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Spy contacted 7 soldiers

Patna, Sept. 23: In a startling revelation, the arrested ISI agent spying on Indian military establishments allegedly revealed that he was in touch with with six to seven Army personnel in India and collecting secret details.
“The ISI agent, Sudhanshu Sudhakar, has revealed maintaining contacts with six to seven Indian Army personnel from whom he used to collect military secrets,” the senior superintendent of police, Mr Vinit Vinayak, said here. The SSP said he extracted the details during Sudhanshu’s interrogation.
“These details will be handed to the military intelligence for follow up action,” Mr Vinayak said.
He, however, refused to divulge the names of the Armymen, saying it would hamper investigations.
Sudhakar, a dismissed soldier suspected to be spying for Pakistan’s ISI, was caught from Kankarbagh area here on Monday night with secret documents about deployment of forces in J&K and Secunderabad besides information about missiles, which he was planning to hand over to a contact in Kathmandu.

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Ahmadinejad to Obama: See Iran as ‘friend’

NEW YORK
Sept. 23: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged President Barack Obama to see Iran as a potential friend instead of a threat.
The Iranian leader also said in a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday that he expects “free and open” discussion of nuclear issues at a meeting next week with six world powers, but stressed that his country would not negotiate on its own nuclear plans.
He sought to open a wider nuclear dialogue with the West, and said the onus should be on the US and other major nuclear powers to give up their weapons and to expand opportunities for all countries to make peaceful use of nuclear power.
Speaking to reporters and editors just hours after arriving in the US, Mr Ahmadinejad said he will seek a quick resolution to the case of three American hikers jailed in Iran.
He dismissed last week’s US shift away from a planned long-range missile shield in Europe, meant to guard against an Iranian strike, as “a respectful way of buying out” Russian objections. “I heard Mr Obama saying the next threat is Iran. Iran is an opportunity for everyone,” Mr Ahmadinejad said.
The Iranian leader said Mr Obama is not the first US President to believe Iran is a threat and said the President should read up on history “to see what the fate is of viewing these problems from this perspective.”
“Historically, whoever made friends with Iran saw a lot of opportunities,” Mr Ahmadinejad said. The Iranian President’s remarks on those and other issues in an hour-long interview at his New York hotel appeared designed to present his country as open to a broad international dialogue.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahmadinejad is muting his remarks on the Holocaust, an event he has frequently questioned as a matter of historical fact. Using markedly less confrontational language than he has in the past, Mr Ahmadinejad said he is not interested in debating historical details. Instead, he says he wants to focus on what he calls the wrong done to Palestinians who lost their land when Israel was formed.

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US cannot fix it all: Obama

New York, Sept. 23: Seizing a chance to challenge the world, the US President, Mr Barack Obama, said the global community is failing its people and that is not “solely America’s endeavour”.
“Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America alone to solve the world’s problems,” Mr Obama said in a passage of the speech he was delivering on Wednesday to the United Nations General Assembly.
The White House released excerpts in advance that reportedly carried a blunt tone.
It comes in Mr Obama’s first speech to this world body, a forum like none other for a leader hoping to wash away any lasting images of US unilateralism under Mr George W. Bush.
In essence, Mr Obama’s message was that he expects plenty in return for reaching out. “We have sought in word and deed a new era of engagement with the world,” Mr Obama said, echoing the cooperative theme he promised and has since used as a pillar of his foreign policy. “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility,” he added.
Mr Obama foreshadowed his message to world leaders in a speech on Tuesday to the Clinton Global Initiative. saying that nations connected by problems, whether a flu strain or an economic collapse that crosses borders.

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India’s role in Afghan angers Pak, warns US

New York, Sept. 23: India’s growing influence in Afghanistan could “exacerbate” regional tensions and encourage Pakistani “counter measures” in Afghanistan or India, a top US military commander said.
At the same time, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan, in his report to the Pentagon noted that “Indian activities largely benefit the Afghan people”.
“Indian political and economic influence is increasing in Afghanistan, including significant development efforts and financial investment. In addition, the current Afghan government is perceived by Islamabad to be pro-Indian,” the general said.
“While Indian activities largely benefit the Afghan people, increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan is likely to exacerbate regional tensions and encourage Pakistani counter measures in Afghanistan or India,” said Gen. McChrystal.
India has pledged $1.2 billion for reconstruction projects in Afghanistan ranging from roads and bridges to power transmission lines and grassroots training.
Pakistan has repeatedly objected to India having four consulates in Afghanistan in addition to the embassy in Kabul, alleging these are used to spy on Islamabad. The Pakistani intelligence was blamed for a suicide attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul in July 2008 that killed 58 people.

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EU to get super watchdog

Brussels, Sept. 23: Europe on Wednesday laid out new proposals to police its banks and financial markets, seeking to set an example on the eve of a summit of G20 major economies.
But holes in the small print — not least an inability to commit to publish its demands for action by individual countries — mean a slew of new regulatory authorities may yet be muzzled at birth.
“Everyone is talking about it, but this European proposal is the first to spell out all the details,” said the Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner, Mr Joaquin Almunia.
“Sometimes we are criticised as being slow to respond,” the Spaniard added of painful barbs since the financial crisis first hit late last year. “But here, we are the first.”
Watchdogs overseeing banks, insurers and securities firms are to operate under a new European Systemic Risk Board, expected to deliver early warnings before major economic shocks.
The proposals come a year after the collapse of US bank Lehman Brothers.
“Our aim is to protect European taxpayers from a repeat of the dark days of autumn 2008, when governments had to pour billions of euros into the banks,” said the European Commission President, Mr Jose Manuel Barroso.
“This European system can also inspire a global one and we will argue for that in Pittsburgh,” where the leaders of the world’s biggest economies are holding a two-day summit starting on Thursday.
But with approval required by all 27 EU governments and the European parliament — and the City of London concerned at Britain giving up powers — the commission blueprint could be changed before it sees the light of day.
The European System of Financial Supervisors composed of national supervisors and the three new sector-specific authorities are due to get up and running by the end of next year.
Britain, which is not part of the eurozone, is also concerned at the mooted prospect of the European Central Bank President, Mr Jean-Claude Trichet, heading up the new systemic risk body. In a bid to smooth their path, diplomats said the governor of the Bank of England, Mr Mervyn King, could be named as his deputy.
Mr Almunia alluded to a such a compromise so as to get Europe’s biggest financial centre to buy into the concept. Amid rows over the nitty-gritty, a diplomat said, “This text could give the commission too much power and has little chance of being approved as it is.”

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India to grow by 6%: FM

Kolkata
Sept. 23: The Indian economy is on a recovery path and the GDP growth of the country will be over six per cent at the end of this current fiscal, the Union finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, said on Wednesday.
He also made it clear that the stimulus package, which was introduced in the last fiscal to boost the Indian economy in the wake of global recession would continue till the world economy is stabilised.
Addressing the 155th annual general meeting (AGM) of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Mukherjee said, “In the first quarter, the GDP growth stood at 6.1 per cent, while in the second quarter, we feel it would be a little better. If the present trend continues and improvement comes from third and fourth quarter, we hope that we will achieve a GDP growth to the tune of 6.5 per cent to 6.7 per cent for this fiscal.”
When asked on the timeline for the ongoing stimulus package, he said, “In the last meeting of the finance ministers of G-20 countries, we arrived at a decision against recommending exit strategy to the leaders who are assembling on September 24 and 25. We should wait for that till recovery in the world economy is more stable.”
Mr Mukherjee also informed that the Insurance Amendment Bill will be introduced in the next session of the Parliament after consultation with the political allies and other stake holders.

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G20 will tell banks to save

Washington

Sept. 23: As the global economic storm abates, banks are being told to save more for the next potential deluge, a demand with striking consequences for the sector and the world’s economy.
At the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh later this week, leaders from the world’s largest economies will discuss new rules dictating how much banks must stash in their vaults versus the amount they are putting to work.
The fact that presidents and prime ministers will discuss apparent financial sector minutiae could be an indication of its importance across the economy.
“We just had a massive financial meltdown because banks did not have an equity cushion,” said Mr Simon Johnston, the former chief economist of the IMF, now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to Mr Johnston, new rules should triple the amount of capital that banks need to hold in reserve.
Mr Johnston and others hope such tough rules would prevent a repeat of the current economic crisis, in which banks had woefully inadequate reserves to deal with a sharp drop in the value of their assets, in this case dodgy debt derivatives.
The resulting turmoil led to the collapse of Lehman Brothers and made borrowing difficult, stalling infrastructure projects, shuttering businesses and requiring governments to stump up trillions of dollars in bailout money.
But critics argue that a knee-jerk reaction could stall the economic recovery, and slash profit of the big four American banks by as much as 30 per cent, according to Wall Street Journal analysis.

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