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"Enough is enough": President Kalam
New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today said he decided against running for a second term as he did not want to be "party" to a political process and damage the name of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
"In five years time in Rashtrapati Bhavan we have all worked for transforming it into a people's bhavan. Rashtrapati Bhavan has become a people's bhavan today. I believe it should be an example for the nation. It should not get degenerated. That is why I said enough is enough," he said in an interaction with PTI journalists at its headquarters here. PTI
Indo-Bangla Foreign Secretary-level talks on Monday
Dhaka, June 23 (PTI) India and Bangladesh are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on removing non-tariff barriers in bilateral trade after the Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two countries here on Monday, Bangladeshi officials said.
An MoU between Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institutions (BSTI) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is also likely to be signed allowing BSTI to perform tests and certify Bangladeshi goods for export to India, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials said.
They said this would be an initial step to remove non-tariff barriers, being demanded by Bangladesh for long to expand its market in India.
Bangladesh has also demanded the removal of para-tariff barriers, which raise the price of its exports due to customs surcharges, additional charges, internal taxes and charges levied on imports, and decreed customs valuation.
Dhaka plans to raise every bilateral issue between India and Bangladesh at the upcoming talks as Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon arrives here tomorrow on a three-day visit, officials and media reports here said.
"We have no priority issues. We want to discuss the whole gamut of bilateral problems," acting Foreign Secretary Mohammad Touhid Hossain told the 'New Age' newspaper.
Foreign ministry officials, however, said issues including security, peaceful border management, cross-border illegal movement, cooperation in water management in common rivers, economic and trade links, and consular and cultural exchanges would feature in the meeting.
"India has reportedly prioritised connectivity, cross-border security and illegal migration," the New Age said. PTI
CPI not happy with government on inflation
New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) Communist Party of India (CPI) today criticised the government for failing to check prices of essential food items, despite the wholesale prices-based inflation standing at below 5 per cent mark.
Although the government claims that rate of inflation has slipped to 4.28 per cent and GDP growth is high at 9.4 per cent, prices of food articles have rather shot up putting burden on common people, CPI said in a statement.
Even industry chambers like Assocham have rebuked the government's claim, CPI said, adding that according to its own studies prices of wheat, pulses, fruits and vegetables, spices, edible oil and milk products increased by over 25 per cent during January to May 2007.
Inflation fell to a one year-low of 4.28 per cent for the week ended June 9, against 4.80 per cent in the previous week.
Finance Minister's talks of bridging the gap between demand and supply is not at all convincing, it said.
CPI asked the government to act firmly to control the prices of essential commodities particularly of food items and not get carried away by the "so-called decline in rate of inflation." The government should take stern action against hoarding and ensure black-marketing is under check, it added. PTI
Pratibha Patil: from small town lawyer to Presidential nominee
New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) From a small town lawyer in Maharashtra to being chosen the UPA-Left nominee for the post of President, Pratibha Patil's dream run has seen her making her way up the ladder in the Congress and the corridors of power in a steady manner.
Seventy-two-year-old Patil, holder of a masters' degree in law, has vast experience both as a politician and an administrator, having held key positions in the Maharashtra unit of the Congress and ministerial portfolios before occupying the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson's post for about two years from November 1986.
Nearly eight years after her tenure as Lok Sabha member ended in 1996, Patil, a staunch loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family and a non-controversial personality, had gone into virtual political wilderness before she was brought in as the Governor of Rajasthan in November 2004.
Born on December 19, 1934 in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, Patil -- who filed her nominations for the Presidential polls today -- practised as a lawyer before joining politics.
She was a member of the Maharashtra assembly from 1962 to 1985, and served as a minister holding portfolios like urban development, housing, education, tourism, parliamentary affairs, public health and social welfare and cultural affairs, working her way up from deputy minister to cabinet rank even as she rose in the Congress hierarchy.
Patil also has the experience of being a leader of the opposition when Sharad Pawar, as head of the Purogami Lok Dal, became Maharshtra chief minister for the first time in July 1979. PTI
India elect to field against Ireland
Belfast, Jun 23 (PTI) Indian skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to field in their one-off one-day international cricket match against Ireland here today.
India would be without injured wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni and paceman Zaheer Khan while Rohit Sharma would make his international debut.
Team: India: Gautam Gambhir, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth.
Ireland: William Porterfield, Kenny Carroll, Dominick Joyce, Niall O'Brien (wk), Gary Wilson, Andrew White, Kevin O'Brien, Thinus Fourie, Trent Johnston (capt), Roger Whelan, 11 Kyle McCallan. PTI
Match Referee responsible for WC final mess: PCB official
Karachi, Jun 23 (PTI) Holding the match referee solely responsible for the farcical end to the 2007 World Cup final, a Pakistan Cricket Board official today said the ICC should not have punished the entire team of match officials for the mistakes committed during the summit clash.
All five officials -- onfield umpires Aleem Dar and Steve Bucknor, TV umpire Rudi Koertzen, reserve umpire Billy Bowden and match referee Jeff Crowe -- were not considered for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.
Australia's victory over Sri Lanka in the rain-marred final in Barbados on April 28 was overshadowed by a surreal finish due to a failure to apply standard playing conditions.
"Why should the on field umpires or even the other umpires be held responsible for something which is entirely the responsibility of the match referee," a PCB official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
"The first blunderwas when the toss was held despite the rains and inspite of there being a reserve day for the final. The match referee was responsible for ordering the toss.
"And according to the laws, the match referee is the final authority in a match," the official said and asked "so why make all the umpires a scapegoat?" He claimed the match referees' panel was the weakest link in the ICC and the Asian countries would be pressing the ICC Board to do a complete rethink on the matter.
"Even during the Oval Test fiasco last year in August, if match referee Mike Procter had been strong enough Darrell Hair should never have been allowed to do what he did and create a mess. Procter unfortunately shied away from his responsibility and was unable to take a firm decision and it led to a mess," he noted. PTI
Sasikiran suffers second defeat in Aerosvit chess
From our Chess Correspondent
Yalta (Ukraine), June 23 (PTI) Indian Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran suffered his second defeat at the Aerosvit International Chess tournament when he lost to Russian Grandmaster Sergei Rublevsky in the fifth round.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Sergey Karjakin shot into the lead with a fine victory over Alexei Shirov of Spain.
Karjakin, who was previously sharing the lead with Shirov and compatriot Vassily Ivanchuk, was the beneficiary as Ivanchuk was held to a draw by Russian Dmitry Jakovenko.
Ivanchuk is followed by a group of eight players sharing the third to 10th positions. The tournament is being closely fought and there is very little to separate the players.
The games Peter Svidler (Russia)Loek Van Wely (the Netherlands), Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (Romania) Lenier Dominguez (Cuba), and Alexander Onischuk (USA) Pavel Eljanov (Ukraine) were long tussles, but without a decisive result.
Rublevsky played the popular Slav defence against Sasikiran and the Indian Grandmaster responded ambitiously by opting for sharp complications.
Sasikiran readily accepted pawn weakness on the kingside in an attempt to wrest the initiative. Rublevsky defended tenaciously and restricted his opponent.
The Indian's weak pawn structure proved to be the decisive factor in the position and Rublevsky won the game in 51 moves. PTI
Pak Cricket Board to review ban on Illyas
Karachi, June 23 (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board will review the ban imposed on Mohammed Illyas from entering Lahore's Gaddafi stadium after he tendered an apology for threatening the national selectors.
Illyas, a former Test cricketer and father-in law of batsman Imran Farhat, was banned two months ago after an argument with selectors over the opener's omission from the side for the Abu Dhabi one-day series against Sri Lanka.
"The Board has decided to review the ban on him. It is no big deal and everything will be settled. Illyas called up the Board Chairman and spoke to him and apologised for his behaviour saying it came in the heat of the moment," a PCB official said.
After learning about the ban, Illyas had threatened to go on a hunger strike in front of the national Parliament in Islamabad.
The official said the Board wanted to set a clear example for others when they imposed the ban on the former player.
"We can't have anyone confronting and demanding to know from the selectors why they had dropped a certain player. Anyone can dissent with the selectors' decision but not threaten them," he said. PTI
Oz under threat to lose its traditional Test dates
Melbourne, Jun 23 (PTI) This year's India series may be the last occasion for Cricket Australia to host its traditional December 26 and January 2 Tests, which it is under threat to lose as other nations are resenting its monopoly over the region's summer schedule.
For instance, South Africa has its own Boxing Day and New Year's Day Tests, except when it tours Australia, and it has reportedly demanded the review of scheduling from the International Cricket Council.
South Africa, scheduled to tour Australia again in 2008-09, are also supported by the West Indies, who have raised concerned about the funding under the current touring arrangements.
CA's public affairs manager Peter Young said protecting the traditional Australian summer "is certainly one of the most difficult issues we've got" and nothing had been scheduled after the Tests against India later this year.
"Looking ahead, South Africa have very clearly signalled this is a big issue for them and I don't believe we've resolved that yet. The only program we've finalised is the program for next summer," Young was quoted as saying by 'The Australian'.
Australia, although, pays South Africa a compensation of around $300,000 each time the later sacrifices its own Boxing Day and New Year's Day Tests by touring Down Under.
Australian summer is not unaffected this year as well as India has also refused to arrive until late December which keeps their traditional two Tests safe but leaves a three-week hole in December, the prime time for Test cricket in Australia. PTI
GDP growth not true picture of economy, says Kalam
New Delhi, Jun 23 (PTI) Not the one to be easily impressed by GDP growth figures, President A P J Abdul Kalam today said prosperity of people living in urban and rural areas should be measured to know the country's true economic health.
"Measurement of GDP alone should not be taken as an indicator of economic development and I have suggested a National Prosperity Index (NPI)" for gauging the true strength of the economy, he said during an interaction with PTI journalists here.
NPI is a combination of GDP, reduction of people living Below Poverty Line (BPL) and the social values derived from age-old institution of the joint family system, he said to a question on GDP growing by over nine per cent now.
Asked whether he felt fruits of economic growth had percolated to the poorest sections of the society, the President said the benefit of the GDP growth can be taken to the masses by implementing his pet project - PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas).
Kalam said he would be working on the PURA project even after demitting office. "Why can't the amenities enjoyed by the urban people be extended to the rural areas?" he asked.
He asked the media to play a pro-active role in the development of the farm sector, the lifeline of over 600 million Indians living in rural areas. PTI
40 new SBI branches to open in Orissa
Bhubaneswar, Jun 23 (PTI) State Bank of India today said it plans to open 40 new branches in Orissa for which permission had already been sought from the Reserve Bank of India.
SBI's Chief General Manager M N Rao told reporters here that the new branches would keep pace with the growing economic development of the state.
Also, the Core Banking Solution would be extended to all its 502 branches in the current financial year, he said.
Rao said that the bank had installed 249 ATMs across the state including rural and remote areas to facilitate its nine lakh customers. "Another 100 ATMs would be added soon." Claiming that agriculture continued to be the major thrust area for SBI, Rao said during 2006-07, agriculture advances had increased by 48.62 per cent from Rs 761 crore to Rs 1,131 crore. The bank had issued 1,59,282 Kissan Credit Cards and Kissan Gold Cards during 2006-07. This has ensured hassle-free credit to the agricultural sector to the tune of Rs 354.9 crore, he said.
SBI has also taken up financing upcoming segments like lemon grass and jatropha cultivation in the state, he said. The bank also planned to extend credit in excess of Rs 500 crore to the agriculture sector.
Rao pointed out that SBI's net profit in the state had increased to Rs 288 crore in 2007 from Rs 229 crore in 2006, representing a 25.76 per cent increase over the figure in the previous year.
Similarly, the bank's performance in aggregate deposit, aggregate advances, interest income and other income had shown positive trends. None of the 502 branches has incurred loss, Rao points out. PTI
Sensex, Nifty gain two per cent over the week
Mumbai, June 23 (PTI) Stocks: The key indices benchmark Sensex and the Nifty gained two per cent over the week under review amid indications of high volatility next week due to impending expiry of June series.
After consolidation at 14K psychological level, a strong rally emerged as Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) covered short positions, attracting retailers to follow the suit. FIIs reported net purchases of Rs 4,420 crore in the derivatives between June 14 and 21.
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) barometer breached 14,500 level during trading for the first time in two weeks and ended at 14,467.36, a net rise of 304.65 points or 2.15 per cent from last weekend's close of 14,162.71.
The broader S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) spurted by 80.60 points or 1.93 per cent to close the week at 4,252.05 from previous weekend's close of 4,171.45.
Though a circular issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) with regard to tax on profits from sale of shares caused a flutter among investors, a strong response to ICICI Bank's public offer and sustained upward global trend boosted the market sentiment.
Market players, however, expect high volatility next week as operators and FIIs will either roll over positions to next series or square off positions in derivatives, as the Futures and Options (F&O) contract is ending on June 28.
The rally was spread across the board as domestic mutual funds too made heavy purchases. PTI
Satyam signs pact with Hawker Beechcraft for design services
Paris, June 23 (PTI) Satyam Computer Services has signed a contract with Hawker Beechcraft to provide design and other services aimed at streamlining the US aviation firm's engineering operations.
The multi-year multi-disciplinary contract, announced at the Paris Air Show, will allow Hawker Beechcraft to "respond more quickly to business opportunities", said the US firm that specialises in making business, trainer and special mission aircraft.
Under the deal, Satyam will establish an offshore development centre with about 40 professionals dedicated to Hawker's projects. Within a year, the number of professionals will increase to 100, Satyam said in a statement.
Satyam will provide high-end design, computer-aided engineering, analysis, product life-cycle management and other services to Hawker. The arrangement will enable the US firm to fulfil orders more quickly and within appropriated budgets, Satyam said.
Randy Nelson, senior vice president of Hawker's product development and engineering division, said: "We are pleased to have Satyam handle these critical projects and to leverage its programme management and global delivery capabilities." Subu D Subramanian, director of Satyam's manufacturing, automotive, aerospace and defence practice, said: "Global organisations are increasingly adopting global models and relying on robust and comprehensive engineering solutions such as those Satyam will provide for Hawker." PTI
Bihar hires US firm for quality check of roads
Patna, June 23 (PTI) The Bihar government has hired the services of a US firm to conduct quality checks of the roads in the state which has one of the worst road networks in the country.
The firm M S V International, having expertise in bridge and highway construction, has been contracted for two years for Rs 3.59 crore. It will conduct over 40,000 quality checks, Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav said today.
The minister flagged off the Mobile Testing Van (MTV) equipped with state-of-the-art gadgets for testing soil, stone chips, bitumen and other material on Thursday.
He said the MSV was fully equipped to submit reports on the quality of roads within 24 hours of collection of the sample.
The need for MSV arose due to paucity of experts in the field, he said, adding another van was likely to arrive soon.
Pushkar Malick, Director (projects) of M S V International said the firm already had about 50 projects in hand in India, including some in Nalanda, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai and Arwal districts of Bihar.
Secretary in Department of Road Construction, Rajkumar Singh said it was probably for the first time in the country that a state government had gone for third party quality check of its highways.
Bihar government has planned to lay 6,000 km of roads over the next couple of years. PTI
Muslims in UK divided over Rushdie protests
London, June 23 (PTI) Muslims in the United Kingdom are divided on protests against the award of a knighthood to controversial writer Salman Rushdie, with just 20 people staging a demonstration at Regents Park mosque here after Friday prayers.
Men with their faces covered to avoid identification waved placards, one of which read 'God curse the Queen', and shouted slogans yesterday.
"We've come to demonstrate against the apostate Salman Rushdie," said one of the protesters.
"He has insulted Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Salman Rushdie is the devil. We have a responsibility -- he should be punished, he should be attacked. We should not be afraid of the kuffar (non-believer). They say Tony Blair is going to be sent to the Middle East as a peace envoy. We hope he comes back in a box." The protesters also burnt a homemade St George's flag, to the cheers of some and dismay of others. "It is disrespectful to behave like this outside a mosque," said a part-time charity worker. "This protest will do nothing to change the negative perceptions people have about our religion," he said.
The radical Muslim group Hizbut-Tahrir condemned the knighthood but also what it sees as cynical motives for some of the protests by foreign governments.
"While some of the dictatorships of the Muslim world now rush to defend the honour of the Prophet Muhammad in order to protect themselves from the wrath of the masses, they continually insult his memory by acquiescing in the murder of thousands of Muslim civilians in Waziristan, Iraq and Afghanistan at the behest of their masters," it said in a statement. PTI
Suspended Pak CJ embarks on another road travel
K J M Varma Islamabad, June 23 (PTI) Thousands of supporters today cheered Pakistan's suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry as he set off on yet another road travel, this time to the Multan city of the country's influential Punjab province where he is to address a lawyers' convention.
Chaudhry received massive public receptions as he embarked on his visit to Multan from the provincial capital Lahore. He was earlier last night also accorded a huge reception at the Lahore airport when he reached there from Islamabad.
Jamait Tuleba, the student wing of the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami party, also organised a reception for him at the Lahore University campus this morning.
Various opposition parties, including Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) headed by former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif respectively; Tehrik-e-Insaf, led by cricketer-turned- politician Imran Khan; and Islamic alliance Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA) also felicitated Chaudhry.
This is the third visit of Chaudhry to Punjab, regarded as the most powerful and rich province of Pakistan. Chaudhry, himself a Punjabi, was born and brought up in Balochistan.
He earlier visited Lahore and Faisalabad in Punjab province drawing thousands of supporters.
The judge, whose petition challenging the Presidential reference is being heard by a 13-member full bench of the Supreme Court, emerged as a major rallying point for the divided opposition and lawyers' organisations to mount a united movement against President Pervez Musharraf and his eight-year old military regime. PTI
Death toll rises to 49 in flood-hit central, southwest China
Beijing, Jun 23 (PTI) Floods have left 49 people dead and 23 missing in central China's Hubei Province and the south-western Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province, and Guizhou Province, a spokesman for the Ministry of Civil Affairs said here today.
About 10.27 million people had been affected and 403,000 relocated by today as a result of the floods since June 15. More than 20,000 houses were destroyed and another 59,000 damaged. Altogether 13,51,637 acres of farmland were affected.
Agricultural losses stood at 1.33 billion yuan (USD about 172.7 million) while the total direct economic losses stood at 1.79 billion yuan, the spokesman said.
The ministry has sent working teams to the flood-stricken areas to direct disaster relief activities.
Meanwhile, continuous downpours and flooding in the mid-upper sections of the Yangtze River, China's longest, has kept the water level rising in its middle and lower reaches, local officials said.
Major Yangtze tributaries in the middle reaches, including Wujiang River, Qingjiang River and Hanjiang River all saw the water level rise up to yesterday.
At the same time, part of northern China is suffering from drought, affecting 20.01 million acres of crops and left 7.32 million heads of livestock short of drinking water.
The hardest-hit areas are the north-eastern province of Liaoning and Heilongjiang and the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The drought in some of these regions is worsening with higher temperature and less rainfall.
About 2.47 million people and 2.3 million heads of livestock suffered from drinking water shortages in the three regions.
In Xilin Gol and Alxa of Inner Mongolia, some domestic animals have starved to death due to the lack of grass. PTI
Digest of domestic news for the week June 16-June 22, 2007
Saturday New Delhi: The UPA and NDA puts on fast gear efforts to mop up support outside their formation for their presidential candidate with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh holding a significant meeting with Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh talking to Shiv Sena, which appeared to give some anxious moments to ally BJP.
Shillong: Rejecting China's persisting claims on Arunachal Pradesh, India makes it clear that it cannot "give up" any part of the country that regularly sends its elected representatives to the "sovereign Parliament".
Amritsar: Four persons are injured, one of them seriously, in a blast at an army dumping ground.
Sunday Raisen (MP): Twelve people are arrested for allegedly asking people to support international terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden.
Nandigram: Journalists were allegedly fired at as violence continued here for the third consecutive day with more than 25 rounds fired and bombs hurled from a brick kiln at neighbouring Kejuri.
Mumbai: Senior nuclear scientists say unless the US makes substantial changes in its civil nuclear deal with India, back and forth negotiations on the bilateral 123 agreement to implement the deal are meaningless.
Monday Chennai: Inducting a surprise new element in the Presidential race, the newly-formed front of parties back incumbent A P J Abdul Kalam for a second term, refusing support to Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
New Delhi: The UPA-Left Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil finds herself at the centre of controversy over her remarks on the veil, with historians and Muslim groups terming them historically inaccurate.
Tuesday Mumbai: In a new turn in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts trial, 16 convicts, who are yet to be sentenced, moves an application before the special court, challenging the Constitutional validity the lapsed TADA law.
New Delhi: With differences over prices delaying the delivery of upgraded Sukhoi multi-role fighters and Gorshkov aircraft carrier, India rushes a high-level defence team to Russia with fresh proposals to break the logjam.
Kolkata: The West Bengal government announces a rehabilitation package for farmers displaced by the Tata Motors project at Singur even as Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee termed it as "rotten" and threatened of intensified stir.
Wednesday Kolkata: The West Bengal government announces a rehabilitation package for farmers displaced by the Tata Motors project at Singur even as Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee termed it as "rotten" and threatened of intensified stir.
Jaipur/Bhubanewshwar: A Rajasthan court issues a non-bailable arrest warrant against beleaguered top Orissa police official B B Mohanti for allegedly helping his rape convict son jump parole but the Orissa government said it cannot execute the NBW as it was "defective". Mumbai: NDA ally Shiv Sena indicates its willingness to back UPA-Left candidate Pratibha Patil for the President's post as it ruled out support for re-election of incumbent A P J Abdul Kalam, striking a discordant note with BJP.
Thursday New Delhi: India welcomes the inclusion of the 3,000 year-old manuscripts of the Rig Veda by UNESCO in its cultural list for posterity.
Chandigarh: In a move apparently aimed at ending the stand-off with Sikhs, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is believed to have given a fresh letter of apology on a day a court issued a conditional arrest warrant against him for allegedly hurting the Sikh community's sentiments.
Chennai/New Delhi: AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa stays away from scheduled meeting of third front leaders with President A P J Abdul Kalam in their bid to persuade him to seek a second term in the top post.
Friday Hyderabad: A total of 28 persons are killed as heavy rains lashed several parts of Andhra Pradesh causing extensive damage and disrupting rail and road traffic.
New Delhi: Ending the suspense, President A P J Abdul Kalam decides not to seek a second term in office in the "current scenario", a development that forces the Third Front and the NDA part ways after a limited engagement on backing the incumbent.
New Delhi: The resignation of Pratibha Patil as Rajasthan Governor is accepted by President A P J Abdul Kalam. PTI
Digest of sports news for the week, June 16- June 22, 2007
Saturday Karachi: Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and senior batsman Younis Khan makes a comeback to the 15-man Pakistan squad for the upcoming tour of Scotland.
New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are promoted to grade 'A' while Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman and Irfan Pathan are demoted to grade 'B' in the Cricket Board's graded payment system.
Sunday Karachi: In a surprise move, Pakistan Cricket Board appoints opener Salman Butt as vice-captain to Shoaib Malik till the end of the year.
London: With their star players missing due to injury, Ireland announces a severely depleted 13-member squad for their one-dayers against India and South Africa beginning on June 23.
Monday Chester-Le-Street (England) Michael Vaughan resigns as England's one-day captain with immediate effect.
Bangkok: Indians put up a commendable display capturing three golds in a total haul of 12 medals in the first leg of the 2007 Asian Athletics Grand Prix.
New Delhi: Sania Mirza crashes out in the first round of women's singles event at the USD 175,000 Ordina Open tennis tournament at Rosmalen, The Netherlands.
Tuesday
Mumbai: In its bid to prevent fresh controversies, the Cricket Board gives strict instructions to the members of the Indian team, currently on a 80-day tour of the United Kingdom, not to leak happenings in the dressing room and team meetings.
Dubai: Continuing his rise in international cricket, Monty Panesar becomes the highest rated England spinner in 30 years by breaking into the top-10 of LG ICC Test Rankings today.
Wednesday
London: Cycling deserves to remain in the Olympics despite the spate of doping scandals which have damaged the sport's credibility, IOC president Jacques Rogge says.
New Delhi: BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla and Rocky Rufus of Baroda Cricket Association are appointed Administrative Managers of the Indian team for next month's one-day and Test series respectively against England.
Thursday
The proposed India Cricket League ropes in former Test batsman and national coach Sandeep Patil into its fold but the appointment may cost the ex-player the monthly pension he's entitled to receive from the BCCI.
Friday
London: Paul Collingwood is named captain of England's one-day cricket team on Friday. PTI
Suniel Shetty is happy helping people lose weight
Ashish Mehta
Jaipur, Jun 22 (PTI) Although not keen to be part of the bandwagon on the idiot box, Suniel Shetty is enjoying this role that has come his way.
"As far as association with the television is concerned I was not so keen. But the idea of 'Biggest Loser Jeetega' inspired me as I am here to inspire many who can work on losing weight even if they are sitting at home and watching this series", Shetty says.
The actor who was in town for the promotion of his recently released film 'Shoot Out at Lokhandwala,' Suniel Shetty says the smiles he sees on the faces of the participants after they succeed in shedding some kilos is worth a million dollars.
About 'Shootout at Lokhandwala', his recently released film, Shetty says,"It is a well made film and I am not saying this just because I am part of it. It is very difficult for a filmmaker to make a film on a real life subject or incident".
"I am satisfied the way my character of a cop and the film has shaped up," he says.
"Today, Indian cinema is totally changed in terms of technology and story telling. Gone are the days when you had a script with an "achcha aadami- bura aadami". Thanks to the writers, directors and technicians who don't want to be part of run-of-the-mill kind of cinema", Shetty says.
About his diverse roles, from action, romance, comedy to villian, he says, "I am lucky that I could do some good roles and tested new waters. Some of my decisions to working in particular genre were mine, but some were my sheer luck". PTI
For Gen-Next family, friends are preferred source of news
New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) Where does the Gen-X get daily dosage of news from? Newspapers, TV, internet, radio or maybe even you! Schools and college-going teenagers depend for news updates on friends and relatives more than the conventional sources of news, according to a study by the World Association of News (WAN) in ten countries and the story in India is no different.
According to the WAN study, "young people perceive traditional media as more accurate, trustworthy and reliable than new media, but many get most of their news and information from another source entirely - family and friends." "When something as serious as the Gurjar issue happens, I do take the effort to read the papers. But for the rest of the general news, I simply ask my dad," says Ishita Bhatia, second year student of St. Stephens. "With college and assignments and dance classes, who has the time!" she laments. And are the friends and family members reliable enough? "Obviously," says Romina Madan of Hansraj College.
Well, it seems this just might be the case then for the college goers. But why is this social networking becoming a source of news for the young? It seems that mutual trust plays a big role here. Usha Rai of Centre of Media Studies says, "Youngsters look up to their parents and friends. And anything delivered across the table first hand always gets them more." PTI
Book: NE can provide access to one-fifth of world population
New Delhi, Jun 20 (PTI) Northeast India's proximity to Southeast Asian countries can provide foreign investors with an excellent opportunity of intra-regional trade and an access to nearly one-fifth of the world population, a new book says.
"The Northeast has the unique locational advantage of being a gateway to the fast-growing ASEAN countries and China. It has the potential to emerge as a strategic base for foreign and domestic investors to tap vast potential of contiguous markets of East and Southeast Asian countries," authors P L Sanjeev Reddy and P C Shekar Reddy write in "Peace and Development in Northeast: A Virtual Spiral".
According to them, a holistic approach of mapping areas of competency, infrastructure support, policy measures, external linkages, standardisation and effective marketing can invite considerable investment.
The book is the outcome of a multi-disciplinary study undertaken jointly by the Indian Institute of Public Administration and the North Eastern Council.
The study provides a comprehensive interface between a violence-free milieu and socio-economic development. The remote location of the northeast and certain contingencies of history and geography have led to a sense of deprivation and alienation among the people who feel the region has not gained the fruits of development proportional to resources available.
The responses from police departments have brought out a very unique fact that over 71 per cent of the villages in the region have not reported any incidence of crime for the past couple of years, the writers say. (Name of the Book: "Peace and Development in Northeast: A Virtual Spiral"; Authors: P L Sanjeev Reddy and P C Shekar Reddy; Publishers: Mittal Publications; Price: Rs 1,295; Pages: 392). PTI
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