At least 50 new computer-savvy hackers, including many teenagers, have been roped in the newly formed Cyber Operations Command, and they had to sign the Official Secrets Act, the Sunday Express reports.

The Act forbids them from telling their parents or girlfriends what they do in the windowless basement area in the Security Service building beside the Thames, the report adds.

The teenagers, most of whom are of Asian-origin, are subjected to the same high level of background security checks used to clear other intelligence staff.

The paper quoted Lord West as saying that these are “youngsters who use their talents to stop other hackers from closing down this country”.

MI5 head Jonathan Evans has reportedly told his staff to combat cyber warfare, which has been traced to China, Russia and Pakistan.

The hackers of Cyber Command, which works closely with the Pentagon, have also intercepted messages from terrorists in Belmarsh maximum security prison.

According to a report, British Security Minister Evans has revealed that over 1,000 hits were made on computers in Whitehall during the summer.

A confidential MI5 report also warned 300 banks and accounting firms that they “are already under cyber attack” from Chinese state organisations, the paper says. (ANI)

“These meetings will continue the efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Special Envoy George Mitchell to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of negotiations, and to create a positive context for those negotiations so that they can succeed,” the Jerusalem Post quoted a White House statement, as saying.

The meetings will take place in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly conference.

The White House announcement of the meeting comes as something of a surprise, since both Israel and the PA until Saturday continued to blame each other for the current stall in peace talks

And recently, Mitchell had failed to make progress in talks with the two leaders.

On Saturday, Mitchell said: “It is another sign of the president’s deep commitment to comprehensive peace that he wants to personally engage at this juncture.” (ANI)

Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997, named Camilla, Aussie Lady Dale Tryon – known as Kanga – and another high society squeeze in the sensational note, reports The Daily Star.

A source close to the royals said: “Diana was in a lot of pain at the time and wanted to damage Charles.

“She knew he was close to his grandmother and wanted to lash out to hurt him.

“She thought that if someone he really respected knew her claims, they might be able to make him change.”

The letter is understood to be one of dozens from Diana to the Queen Mother which were later incinerated by Princess Margaret to protect her mother’s memory. (ANI)

And included in the package will be the royal couple’s shared “expertise”.

Like Charles and Camilla did at their Windsor wedding four years ago, couples will be encouraged to “keep it simple”, say reports.

As per rumours, the first pair to enjoy a “Charles and Camilla wedding” are TV babe Jenni Falconer and her actor fiancé James Midgley, reports The Daily Star.

A royal source said: “Obviously with it being their house they would want control of the event. But they also recognise what a great opportunity it would be to showcase their home.

“Highgrove is an absolutely fantastic building and would make a wonderful venue for a wedding and reception.”

The nine-bedroom country house on a 37-acre estate near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, was bought for Charles in 1980.

A source said: “Charles is hugely proud of Highgrove. It’s a wonderful property and he has spent thousands of pounds on the gardens and grounds. I’m sure by holding weddings there Charles would take great pleasure being the host.

“And he could use them to promote the Duchy Originals organic products he’s involved with.” (ANI)

Nicholas Christakis, of Harvard Medical School in Boston, has observed in a study that one’s kindness can turn a friend kind to someone else he/she knows.

To demonstrate this, Christakis designed a cooperation game in which 120 students were organised into groups of four, and asked to give money to their group.

The game lasted five rounds, and after each round the students were reorganised so that no two appeared in the same group twice.

At the end of each found, the participants were told how much the others in their group had given.

Christakis observed that if someone gave a dollar more than the predicted group average, the others in that group gave approximately 20 cents more than expected in the next round.

The altruism persisted into the third round, said the researcher.

A separate study conducted by Christakis’s team showed that cooperative behaviour spreads to three degrees of separation, from friend to friend to friend, reports New Scientist.

Based on their observations, Christakis and colleagues came to the conclusion that a person who is popular and well connected could have a special role to play, as his/her compassionate acts could resonate further through the network, and he/she was also more likely to benefit from other people’s kindness. (ANI)

The Jerusalem Post quoted Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko as saying that “such statements, wherever they come from, contradict the truth and are totally unacceptable.”

“Attempts to rewrite history, especially as the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II is being marked this year, are an offense to the memory of all victims and all those who fought fascism,” Nesterenko added.

On Friday, Ahmadinejad had told a rally in Tehran that the Holocaust was “a false pretext to create Israel.” He also called on all Muslims to confront the “Zionist regime [as] a national and religious duty.”

US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice had termed Ahmadinejad’s comments as “hateful.”

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was quoted as saying: “Obviously we condemn what he said.”
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also criticized Ahmadinejad’s ‘myth’ remark.
In a statement communicated by the UK Embassy in Israel, Miliband had said: “Ahmadinejad’s repeated denials of the Holocaust are abhorrent as well as ignorant. It is very important that the world community stands up against this tide of abuse. This outburst is not worthy of the leader of Iran.”
“Iran’s people have a great history and culture. I cannot believe that the vast majority of them want to rewrite this chapter of history rather than focus on the future. The coincidence of today’s comments with the start of Jewish New Year only adds to the insult,” he added. (ANI)

Fresh details of the American Fritzl’s victim have emerged, including that in the early days of her captivity, the terrified schoolgirl was so hungry she ate bugs and worms in the rambling back garden where she was held in tents and lock-up sheds, reports The Daily Express.

She had to use a garden hose to shower outside, even in winters, say detectives guarding her and her two daughters, fathered by kidnapper Phillip Garrido.

However, the public apparently is desperate for the full story of how Jaycee, now 29, survived after being snatched on her way to a school bus stop when she was only 11.

A New York literary agent, who estimates the book and film rights to be worth up to 12million dollars, said: “You couldn’t dream up a script like this. Americans can’t wait to hear the story from the girl who lived it.”

A Hollywood studio producer said: “Everyone is in the market for this story. Poor Jaycee’s life may have been hell for 18 years but she’ll never want for anything for the rest of it.”

Garrido, a registered sex offender, has been linked to six child abductions and murders stretching back years within a 400-mile radius of the ramshackle home in Antioch, California, where Jaycee was held. (ANI)

In an interview with an American news paper, US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson said Washington wanted a ‘dignified’ retirement for Musharraf.

She said the US wanted a peaceful transition to democracy in Pakistan at that time.

Commenting on the ever increasing demand for Musharraf’s trial under the Article Six of the Constitution by certain quarters in Pakistan, Patterson said it was an ‘internal matter’ of that country.

“Now he (Musharraf) has become a thing of the past and we have no position on him,” The Daily Times quoted Patterson, as saying. (ANI)

In an interview with a US daily, Patterson said even after eight years of Pakistan agreeing to support the US in its war against the Al-Qaeda and Taliban, Islamabad, it appears, has ‘different priorities’ from the US.

“It is ‘certainly reluctant to take action’ against the leaders of the Afghan insurgency,” Patterson said.

She said Pakistan’s laid back attitude had affected US goals and was undermining the efforts of the allied forces to deny Al-Qaeda and other extremist outfits to establish a sanctuary in Afghanistan.

“Where we differ, of course, is the treatment of the groups who are attacking our troops in Afghanistan. And that comes down to Haqqani and Gul Bahadur and Nazir, to a lesser extent Hekmatyar, and yes, of course, there are differences there,” Patterson told The McClatchy.

She highlighted that the threat emanating from different Talibani groups posed the biggest problem in Afghanistan.

“My own view is that the Haqqani group is the biggest threat in Afghanistan. The Quetta Shura, yes, is sort of a command and control. They move in and out of Afghanistan,” The Daily Times quoted Patterson, as saying. (ANI)

Soundarajan failed a gender test after finishing second in the women’s 800-meter race at the 2006 Asian Games and was forced to return her silver medal.

Semenya, the 800-metre world champion who is also going through the same type of test to prove that she is eligible to compete as a woman, is facing the same future.

“I pray that Semenya does not go through what I’ve been through, it almost drove me to committing suicide,” the Sunday Express quoted Soundarajan, as saying.

“I’ve suffered immensely due to the stigma of the failed gender test,” she added

Soundarajan, who came from a poor family, was forced to drop out of competitive athletics after she failed the gender test.

Finding a job and earning enough money to eat then became a daily struggle. Semenya also comes from a poor background, but she managed to win the world 800m in one minute 55.45 seconds.

“With so much of the workload athletes go through, there will be hormonal changes. It’s bound to happen. The authorities should bear this in mind. I cannot forget what I had to go through after my medal was taken back. I hail from a poor family and no one would give me a job,” Soundarajan said.

“My entire family suffered as people began looking at me with a jaundiced eye,” she added. (ANI)

The King of Pop lashed out at his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon in the Jackson 5, calling them lazy moaners and dubbing them, one by one, as dull, a copycat, a womaniser and argumentative.

The singer then went on to criticize sisters La Toya and Janet, and even called mum Katherine “disappointing” in the tapes recorded with the ghost writer of his autobiography Moonwalk, reports News of the World.

And after realising that he may have gone too far in his rants, Jackson snapped: “You can’t print that.”

He reportedly said: “The brothers didn’t give me support. We’d be working on a TV show or video and they’d be sitting around moaning and groaning but I’d be watching and learning. It takes a talent, but some people are lazy and don’t want to develop anything.”

On Tito: “Tito is into the anatomy of how a car is built. He is a grease monkey. He still goes to the hobby shop and buys airplanes and flys them. He loves putting them together – they’re on these plastic things and you glue them. That is so boring.”

On Marlon: “People used to call him ugly and make fun of him – and people would say, ‘Which brother is that one?’. He constantly imitates me on stage. Whatever I do he’ll do right after me. I hate when that happens because he looks too “doo woppy” and so old-fashioned.”

On Jermaine: “Jermaine would be either be looking for girls or going along with the jokes.”

On Jackie: “He approaches everything with so much negativity and doubting.”

On Randy: “He doesn’t listen and is real hard-headed. You say it’s dark – he’ll say it’s daylight. And he has to be macho. I’ll never forget the day we had a meeting with our producer who said you’ve got to stand up on your own. Randy stood up and said: “I’m a man’ – we are all started laughing.”

On his mum, whom he always insisted as “the closest person in his life, a great mother and provider”, he said: “She disappointed me. She did an interview (about him). I don’t like her to talk. It’s none of those people’s business.”

He added, “She wished she would have had all boys. She told my sisters that – and they agreed! That’s how my sisters are – they are prejudiced against other girls.”

On La Toya: “To me she is Mrs Nice and Nasty. I come in her room (and she says), ‘You can’t sit on her couch, sit on the bed or walk on the carpet’, She wants to keep everything fresh.

“If you cough at the table she covers her plate. If you sneeze forget it, she’s in another room. If you clear your throat, you can’t do that while she is eating. And forget about going to the movies. She doesn’t understand what I see in Star Wars, Close Encounters or Jaws.”

On Janet: “Janet is a tomboy. That is why it kills me to see her off and married. We did everything together and were just alike. We write a whole schedule for the day and follow it. It’s a terrible loss.”

On dad Joe: “I would suffer if I had to spend a whole day with him. He is a very jealous father. He isn’t gonna show you love, but anybody that gets closer to us than him he would tell them, ‘Leave my boys alone!’.”

“To tell you the truth, I never have felt close to him. He has always been like a mystery man.” (ANI)

The Pushing Daisies star was said to have left fans with dropped jaws as she stripped off at the preview at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket.

“The guys in the front row couldn’t believe it, their eyes were on stalks. It looked like they were about to pass out,” News of the World quoted one as saying.

The 33-year-old stars as Holly Golightly, the role made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 Oscar-winning movie.

The play opens on September 29. (ANI)

“The information is free flowing,” says Dr. Morris Kalliny, assistant professor of marketing at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

“There has been a transition from state-controlled media to almost complete freedom when it comes to accessing information. People are still trying to figure out how to handle it,” the expert added.

Kalliny, who conducts research on advertising and media in the Arab world, says most Arabs who can afford a satellite dish have one in their yard. Because there are no regulations in place, this means thousands of channels are available for free.

“You still can’t access pornography in some of the Arab countries on the Internet. But you can get it on TV,” Kalliny says.

The expert says younger generations tend to embrace technology and western ideas, while older Arabs are more conservative.

“It’s really not much different than in the U.S.. You’re going to get two extremes,” he said. (ANI)

Bharat Bhushan, who belonged to Punjab’s Moga district, had taken the godown on rent. When the raiding party asked about the details, he could not furnish the documents of the sugar stocked. He had the permission to stock only 20 tons of sugar.

Amarjeet Singh, duty magistrate, Ludhiana said: “As per the order of the Deputy Commissioner, we raided a huge godown in the outskirts of Sedha village. We broke the lock of the godown and recovered huge stock of sugar. During the festive season, hoarding such a huge quantity of sugar is not allowed.”

Assistant food supply officer of Ludhiana, Surinder Kumar Berry said that this was one of the largest seizures in Punjab.

“We have recovered 12, 500 tons of sugar, stocked in 22, 500 sacks, amounting to rupees 400 million. I think, this is the biggest recovery of Punjab,” said Berry.

Ahead of a series of festivals lined up during which the consumption of sugar is likely to shoot up, the government has stepped up the vigil to check hoarding of sugar.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has asked the State Governments to enforce limits on stocks that can be held by traders to check hoarding of essential commodities. (ANI)

In his message, Dr. Singh said that Id-ul-Fitr marks the end of the period of fasting during the pious month of Ramzan. The festival commemorates austerity, brotherhood and the spirit of sharing. It reflects the true spirit of our composite culture.

“May the festival strengthen our resolve to promote tolerance and peace and live in harmony,” the Prime Minister added.

Id-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a daylong fast and open it in the evening.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Id-ul-Fitr.

Id-ul-Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal, the month, which follows Ramadan in the Islamic calendar.

It is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy. (ANI)

Brainchild of Dr. Craig Formby, the chair is a one-of-a-kind invention that rotates, twirls and eventually will spin test subjects and patients head over heel so researchers can gather data on how the inner ear contributes to balance and why the system sometimes goes wrong.

Formby, distinguished graduate research professor in The University of Alabama’s department of communicative disorders, is beginning a years-long process of first testing, then using the chair for the benefit of people who have trouble balancing.

The custom-designed Roto-Tilt Chair, built to Formby’s specifications by Neuro Kinetics Inc. of Pittsburgh, is installed in the AIME Building at UA. Specific motions and positions of the chair can be used to test particular parts of their vestibular system, and visual displays can be presented to assess related eye movement disorders.

“What we can do with it, no one else can do,” Formby says.

With the new chair, Formby can evaluate a sitting patient by spinning the chair, by rapidly tilting the chair, or by combining the spinning and tilting actions to achieve specific motions or positions that activate the individual inner ear structures. Researchers can monitor, through the movements of the chair and the eyes, how the patients are dealing with the two basic sensory systems that control their balance: the visual and vestibular systems. (ANI)

‘The Persecution of Sarah Palin and the Liberal War Against Red America’ by the Weekly Standard writer Matthew Continetti, published by Sentinel, will hit shelves in April.

The writer has called it “the real story of the Republican vice presidential nominee and her collision with the elite liberal media,” reports the New York Post.

He called Palin an instant phenomenon, which made people react to her charm, ambition, political talent, and passion for hockey-mom values.

But he said that what followed was “an unprecedented attack from the media”.

The book throws around words like “malicious spin . . . deceit . . . liberal snobbery” and says, “Palin’s enemies decided nothing’s too personal to attack-including her marriage, children, faith, even her wardrobe.”

“(And) almost every word out of her mouth was spun by the media as a ‘flub’ . . . the media distorted Palin’s positions and beliefs beyond recognition,” said the author. (ANI)

Dr Galit Holzmann-Pazgal assistant professor of pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston suggest parents can ease their anxieties by arming themselves with facts about H1N1 and using some commonsense tips.

Wash your hands after you touch…and Twitter

Washing your hands is the single-most important step to prevent the spread of H1N1. The virus is spread by droplets from coughs and sneezes as well as touching hands and objects contaminated with these droplets such as each other’s phones, computer keyboards, iPods and video games.

Know the symptoms

Main symptoms of swine flu are fatigue and fever. Others include body aches, runny or stuffy nose, cough, sore throat and fever, headache, chills, diarrhea and vomiting

Know when it is an emergency

Call your doctor if your child has symptoms including rapid breathing, not drinking enough, fussiness or if symptoms improve and then return with fever and worsened cough.
With mild cases, call your doctor first

If your child just feels lousy, and doesn’t have a high fever or trouble breathing, call your pediatrician instead of heading to the hospital.

Keep the kids home

Keep your sick child at home for at least 24 hours after his fever is gone (without the use of a fever-reducing medicine) except to get medical care or for other necessities, according to the CDC.

Encourage her to cover her mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, throw away used tissue in the waste basket, and to clean her hands every time she coughs or sneezes.

Start the vaccinations

Federal officials expect release of the H1N1 vaccine in October. The vaccine may require a second shot given three weeks after the first. It may take another two weeks before the vaccine fully protects the body against the flu. Recent studies showed that one shot may protect against H1N1, stretching the supply of the vaccine.

Until the H1N1 shot is ready, Pazgal advises families to go ahead and get the “regular” flu shot, which protects against the seasonal flu and is already available. That way, your children won’t get the flu twice in one season. (ANI)

Dr Ara DerMarderosian, professor of pharmacognosy for University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and an expert in nutraceuticals and natural foods, have provided guidance to change how you eat and break habits that pack on the pounds and compromise immunity.

? Don’t play “food police”

Be conscious of what and how much you eat, but don’t overdo self-monitoring to the point that a healthy lifestyle shifts from being a choice to becoming overwhelming, pushing other activities away and interfering with relationships.

? Pay attention to true hunger

Listen to your hunger signals and refrain from eating when you’re not hungry. Eating when your body doesn’t need food can cause you to overindulge.

? Eat slowly

Eat like a gourmet – enjoy each bite to have, chewing methodically, and truly enjoy the taste of your food. Eating slowly gives your body time to break down the food, which can prevent post-meal indigestion and feeling bloated.

? Focus on eating

Do not watch television, read or work while you eat. When you’re not focused on eating, it’s unlikely you’ll notice how much is going in your mouth.

? Avoid eating when stressed

Stress is a well-known cause of overeating and digestive issues, such as heartburn. A relaxing atmosphere, enjoyable company and conversation, and not feeling rushed for time makes for a healthy meal.

? Everything in moderation

Eating food is pleasurable, so enjoy a few morsels of candy, but limit the quantity. (ANI)

The study is the first to compare the after-effects of experiential and material purchases on the happiness levels of buyers, both when the purchases went well and when they did not.

“If someone invests in a vacation instead of a new kitchen, and the vacation turns out great, they will be happier than if they had spent the same amount on an excellent kitchen,” said Dr. Leonardo Nicolao of the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

“But if they had a horrible vacation, they will feel much worse than if they had bought a horrible kitchen.

“The traditional belief is that, when people have disposable income to spend for pleasure, buying a recreational experience brings more happiness than acquiring tangible objects of equivalent price.

“In examining earlier research, we noticed that a strong link was assumed between experiential purchases and happiness. But this assumption had not been thoroughly tested,” he added.

Nicolao and his co-authors found that, in general, the link holds true when consumers feel the purchases were positive.

Negative outcomes, however, produce very different results.

He believes the reason is that people adapt more slowly to experiences than to material acquisitions. It’s a process known as hedonic adaptation.

“Hedonic adaptation means that buyers get used to stimuli of a hedonic nature. For instance, when someone buys a car, they may be very happy initially, but soon they get used to driving it. Then it’s just a car,” he says.

Similarly, when people are displeased with a purchase of consumer goods, they soon adapt to the situation.

By contrast, when people buy an experience, they revisit it in their memories long afterward, in a sense allowing them to enjoy the experience over and over – or to relive the agony, depending on how it went.

The study showed that experiential purchases elicited more emotion than did material purchases. They brought more happiness than material goods when outcomes were positive and greater unhappiness when outcomes were negative.

The study appears in Journal of Consumer Research. (ANI)

Rudd said he made no apology for the content of his conversation or the robust nature in which he expressed his views to ALP factional leaders.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith told the Nine Network that, regrettably, swearing happens from time to time, and Rudd’s outburst was no worse than any others.

The factional leaders reportedly went to see the Prime Minister in his office about a fortnight ago to object to his move to slash MPs’ printing allowances from 100,000 dollars to 75,000 dollars.

The Sunday Mail quoted a source as saying Rudd said: “I don’t care what you f—ers think.”

He then went on, singling out Senator David Feeney declaring, “You can get f—ed”, before asking, “Don’t you f—ing understand?”

Asked about the reported conversation, Rudd said in New York today morning: “I think it’s fair to say that consistent with the traditions of the Australian Labor Party, we’re given to robust conversations.”

“I made my point of view absolutely clear, that is that these entitlements needed to be cut back and I make no apology for either the content of my conversation or the robustness with which I expressed my views,” Rudd said.

Rudd is in the United States ahead of a seven-day visit for the United Nations General Assembly and Group of 20 leading nations in New York and Pittsburgh. (ANI)

The actress reportedly woke up at 5a.m in the morning and ran laps around New Jersey’s Monmouth Park racecourse to the surprise of the crewmembers.

“She showed up every morning at 5am to run laps on the giant oval for a solid hour before cameras rolled,” Contactmusic quoted a source as saying.

“She’s really disciplined about keeping fit. She’d get there before everyone else and zip around that huge track like a winner!” the source added.

The ‘Break-Up’ star apparently prefers running to other fitness regimes as it keeps her thighs and calves toned.

Even earlier this year, it was reported that she woke up at 3am to work out so that she could stick to her busy shooting schedule.

A source said at the time: “Jennifer has had a totally overhaul for this film. She wants to be seriously fit, yet remain curvy.

“There are a lot of early starts on set, so she has had to get up at 3am to get two hours in the gym before getting ready for filming.” (ANI)

According to a conventional belief, individuals tend to act out of self-interest and a drive for personal profit.

However, David DeSteno, Northeastern University associate professor of psychology claims that emotions actually equip individuals to make decisions that foster long-term communal financial gain, even over immediate self-interest.

During the study 85 participants undertook an arduous task. Once it was done, half of the participants were told that, because of a computer glitch, they had to perform the task a second time.

At that point, a “volunteer” (actually one of the study’s researchers) seemed to fix the computer, meaning the task did not have to be repeated and creating a sense of gratitude among the individuals in that group.

The other half of the participants-the control group-did not experience the computer glitch.

In the second experiment, both groups played a game in which individuals chose an amount of money they would give to another.

The study showed that participants who felt grateful in the wake of the computer “help” gave away 25 percent more money than those in the control group, leading to a greater shared profit.

Moreover, they did so regardless of whether they had ever met the people, with whom they were playing the game, indicating that their giving was not a simple function of liking or feeling a debt toward others.

“It shows that gratitude shapes decisions toward communal profit, or the social good, even at our immediate expense,” said DeSteno.

“We are fair and generous with others not because we think we should be, but because we feel an impulse in our gut that, in the long term, leads to greater stability in social networks.

“In essence gratitude leads to virtue in financial decisions. It makes you pay it forward,” he added. (ANI)

Briatore, the Italian playboy, ordered a racing driver to crash his car deliberately last year, costing him his job.

The Indian billionaire was persuaded by Briatore to become an investor in Queens Park Rangers football club in 2007, but is now reportedly reconsidering his ties with the flamboyant tycoon, The Telegraph reports.

Mittal, who remains one of the wealthiest men in the world, is represented at the club by the popular board member and his son-in-law, Amit Bhatia.

“Lakshmi is extremely concerned about what has happened,” said one of his associates.

“He is keen to improve his image in this country and takes this matter very seriously. He is now considering whether the best way forward would be for him to buy Flavio out of QPR,” the source added.

Briatore could potentially be extradited to Singapore to face criminal charges in the wake of his departure from Renault in connection with the race-fixing claims.

There are also legal challenges open to Ferrari and their driver Felipe Massa, who missed out on last year’s world drivers’ crown by a single point; and to Renault itself, which may want to sue its former employees for allegedly bringing the company’s name into disrepute. (ANI)

Interacting with a group of political leaders during an Iftaar party at the PM House here, Gilani said Islamabad’s policy on Kashmir was based on Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s stance that “Kashmir was the jugular vein of Pakistan.”

Referring to the government’s recent decision to grant internal autonomy to Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilani said Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir would remain unchanged.

“I want to express in clear and unequivocal terms that this decision of the government will not bring any change in Pakistan’s principled stand on Kashmir,” Gilani said.

Gilani blamed India of neglecting the long pending Kashmir issue and said that Pakistan wants a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

“We want to resolve the Kashmir dispute peacefully and have invited India for negotiations, despite it repeatedly ignoring them,” The Daily times quoted Gilani, as saying.

Gilani said he had categorically told Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh during their meeting at the margins of the NAM summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh earlier this year that resolving the issue was very important for establishing peace in the region.

“There could be no peace in the region until the Kashmir dispute was resolved according to the aspirations of its people,” he added. (ANI)

They are said to have been discussing reuniting for the first time in more than a decade.

The pair met last month while Cleese, who lives in California, was in London after his 12million-pound divorce from third wife Alyce Faye Eichelberger.

Palin revealed on Michael Ball’s Radio 2 show that they were chatting about old times then Cleese, 69, said: “Wouldn’t it be good to act again?”

The Daily Express quoted Palin as saying: “I saw John the other night and we were saying it would be nice to do some acting again, so you never know.”

Palin’s agent, however, said that there were no definite plans yet for the pair to work together.

The pair starred together in the hit movie ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ in 1988, and its sequel ‘Fierce Creatures’ in 1997. (ANI)

Holding placards and banners, they marched on the streets of Guwahati.

“Today, the condition of our educational system is very bad. So, the AASU and the All Bodo Student Union (ABSU) took out this joint protest rally to remind the government of its responsibilities,” said Pramud Bodo, president, ABSU.

Samujjal Bhattacharya, advisor, All Assam Student Union (AASU), said: “In schools, we do not have teachers, permanent principals and permanent headmasters. We do not have good textbooks and good curriculum. We need the restructuring of the examination system. So, in all aspects, starting from primary level to university level, the Assam Government has failed miserably to give proper facilities to the student community.”

There is little education, no electricity, no safe drinking water and no decent healthcare in the state. (ANI)

The RJD-Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) won eight seats in the by-election for 18 legislative assembly seats, a major set back to ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U).

The JD (U) bagged three seats while its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won two seats.

The activists burst crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate the win at the party office.

RJD leader Lalu Prasad termed the results as referendum on the ruling government.

“It is not possible for the Bihar Government-led by Nitish Kumar to return. The RJD alliance will return to power. The people of Bihar have welcomed us with open arms,” said Yadav.

The RJD failed poorly in Lok Sabha election in April-May this year, winning just four seats out of the total 40 in Bihar. (ANI)

“To prevent the adverse impact of the rising prices of essential commodities, we are encouraging imports where there is short supply,” Mukherjee said on the sidelines of a conference here on Saturday.

“These measures we are taking, but at this point of time, I cannot accept the dear money policy or credit curbing because that will have an adverse impact on overall growth,” he added.

The Minister further said that withdrawing a stimulus package would take some time. The government would take into account economic growth in the next few quarters before doing so,” he said.

The country’s economy grew 6.7 per cent in 2008-09, slower than rates of nine per cent or more in the previous three years. Policymakers expect growth to slow towards six per cent in 2009-10 due to lower farm output. (ANI)

“They had a press junket for ‘Whip It’ at the Park Hyatt, and Drew completely bailed,” the New York Post quoted a source as saying.

The newspaper report further suggested that Drew might have been partying too hard with her friend Amanda Seyfried, who stars in “Jennifer’s Body”, a couple of nights before at a Nikki Beach bash.

Another tipster said: “They reason she cancelled is supposedly because she lost her voice.” (ANI)

Kalbe Sadiq, Shia cleric and senior vice president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said here that the Ramadan moon would be sighted on Sunday.

“I can say without any doubt that in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and in India, the moon will be sighted on Sunday. Sunni, Shia and all other sects of Islam will celebrate the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr on Monday,” Sadiq said.

However, Sunni Muslims disagreed, saying they would wait for the sighting of moon before declaring Eid.

“If the moon is sighted on September 20, or if the sighting in reported form anywhere, then Eid will be celebrated on the 21st. And if it is not sighted on the 20th and there are no reports either, in that case it will be celebrated on the 22nd,” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed, head of Lucknow’s Firangi Mahal.

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a daylong fast and open it in the evening.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Eid-ul-Fitr.

Eid-ul-Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal, the month, which follows Ramadan in the Islamic calendar. It is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy. (ANI)

Thousands of volunteers from schools, colleges, non-governmental organizations, civil administration and government organizations gathered around the main beaches to execute a mass cleanup operation.

“In Mumbai, we are observing this programme at three beaches – Dadar, Juhu and Girgam. At Juhu Chaupati, we are expecting more than 3000 students and other volunteers to clean up this coast,” said Sharad Mantri, Deputy Inspector General of Coast Guard.

Several enthusiasts, who had accumulated for a cause, urged citizens to be cautious and asked citizens to throw the trash in the garbage bin, in order to keep the city clean.

“We have come here to clean up the beach. If everybody tries to keep the beach clean then this place will be garbage free. This is my humble request to everybody, that they should throw the trash in the dustbin only,” said Deepak Masti, a volunteer from Mumbai.

Cleanliness operation in Chennai was carried on main beaches including Marina, Elliots, Thiruvanmiyur and the beaches in front of the Coast Guard and Navy headquarters.

“We have to come here to clean this beach. Our aim is to prevent non-biodegradable products and keep the coastline clean,” said Poornani, a college student in Chennai. (ANI)

According to reports, the militant commanders, including Sim Khan, Mahmood Khan and Maulvi Umer, who were arrested during operation Rah-e-Rast, have confessed that they were provided financial aid, weapons and special training by secret agencies from India and Afghanistan to fight against the Pakistan Army.

The report stated that secret agencies from India were in contact with militants in Jalalabad, Kandahar and Mazar Sharif and the militants went to their collaborators via secret ways where they were invited to feasts and they were provided weapons and money earned by the narcotics trade, the Dawn reported on Saturday.

The report also revealed that some militants received special war training from Afghanistan. (ANI)

Senator Rabbani further said that the implementation of these recommendations in letter and spirit is the key for resolution of problems facing the province, the Dawn reported on Saturday.

Senator Rabbani also emphasized that the committee had made an effort to resolve the concerns related to politics, economics and administrative problems and had also reviewed the work of all previous committees.

He said that to approve the recommendations the committee had taken, all the coalition partners, political parties, Baloch leaders and representatives, into confidence, as maximum consensus was needed on the issue. (ANI)

“It is 45 years since Shiv Sena came into being. And this first day of Navaratri happens to be a red-letter day in the history of Shiv Sena that has crusaded for the cause of Samyukta (unified) Maharashtra. Considering all these aspects, I feel it is an auspicious timing (of) declaring the seat arrangement and we are confident of our combine emerging victorious,” said Uddhav Thackeray, Executive President of Shiv Sena party.

Leaders of both the parties confirmed that there was no bargaining for seats between the two allies.

“Today, is the first day of Dussera and we have arrived at the figures of seat sharing. Yes, it is 169 and 119. The 169 in favour of Shiv Sena and 119 for BJP and it will be interesting to note that both the figures end in 9, a lucky number; 169 and 119. And now onwards we will work on joint strategy. There is no clash of interests and now onwards we will devote to the selection of suitable candidates,” said Gopinath Munde, senior BJP leader.

In the 2004 elections, Shiv Sena had contested for 171 seats while BJP had contested for 117 and jointly they had bagged 119 seats in the legislative house of 289 members.

The alliance of Congress and regional National Congress Party (NCP) had emerged victorious in the 2004 polls. (ANI)

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Human Resources Minister Kapil Sibal should thank the Punjabi Darbar programme of Radio Pakistan for its support to their causes.

The Punjabi Durbar programme also wants India to have better relations with neighbouring countries like Pakistan and China.

Radio Pakistan should be happy to learn that there are many in India who want India to spend more on education and health.

“India has always walked on the path of non-violence shown by Mahatma Gandhi. But some countries like Pakistan are compelling us to spend more on defence. India has been forced to spend more on arms and ammunitions to ensure the safety of the country. If Pakistan was free from those who espouse terrorism and the Talibans, India could spend less on defence” said Renu Verma, Secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Mahila Congress.

“We can safeguard our country even without arms, as shown by Mahatma Gandhi who won freedom for the country without taking to arms. Even now, we buy arms and ammunitions under the given budget only,” said Darshan Chugh, an educationist.

Radio Pakistan should know that India spends less percentage of its budget on defence than Pakistan. However, it is keen to spend more on education and welfare of the general public

In a country, where education and healthcare are the part of national policy and Prime Minister is personally earnestly taking interest in it, how can it be sidelined?

Broadcasters of the Radio Pakistan must know that India has never attacked any country in its history.

India is keen to maintain warm relations with its all neighbours. India has been forced to spend money on defence only because of the presence of terrorists and fundamentalists in Pakistan. Unfortunately, Pakistan too is being threatened by them.

Radio Pakistan’s broadcasters should tell the people of Pakistan that they should put pressure on the Government to spend more on development and less on military.

India would then spend less on its defence too. Radio Pakistan can be sure that its campaign will receive the support of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal, even Pranab Mukherjee and Manmohan Singh. (ANI)

In its first list of candidates for the Assembly elections, BJP announced the names of 66 candidates of which 23 are sitting MLAs who have been given the tickets.

However, nine BJP sitting MLAs have been denied tickets.

Earlier, in the day, the Shiv Sena and BJP announced to have arrived at a seat-sharing agreement for the October 13 Maharashtra Assembly Elections.

BJP General Secretary Gopinath Munde informed media persons in Bandra that as per the agreement, Shiv Sena would contest 169 and BJP 119 seats for the 288-member Assembly.” (ANI)

Addressing a news conference here after meeting Indian High Commissioner Sharad Sabharwal, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said: “We want more evidence from India so that the case can be made solid and tangible.”

“We have submitted all information available to us, but we want more information to make our case solid,” said Malik, adding that in the absence of enough evidence, the court would exonerate Saeed for lack of authentic proof.

“We need forensic experts’ testimony on various evidences,” Malik said, adding: “We are fighting terror in Pakistan. We have been sincere in fighting it.”

“We have made progress in 26/11 probe despite sketchy information provided by India,” Malik also said.

Saying that legal proceedings against Saeed were on, Malik revealed details of the Pakistan Government’s efforts made so far.

He said that so far 101 witnesses had deposed, 126 items had been seized as incriminating evidence, and 25 hideouts had been identified. Bank accounts connected to the case have also been traced and identified, and the boats used have been discovered, he added.

Sources in the Indian Government said that Rehman’s rejection of the sixth dossier clearly indicated that Pakistan is not serious about taking the 26/11 probe to its logical conclusion, and reiterated their demand for the arrest and prosecution of all masterminds and accused in the case.

Earlier, during his meeting with High Commissioner Sabharwal, Malik reportedly discussed the progress being made by Pakistan in the 26/11 probe..

Malik said that if there is conclusive evidence before the establishment, charges would be framed against the seven accused.

Earlier, an anti-terrorism court here, which is conducting the trial of seven suspects linked with the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008, including LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, on Saturday adjourned the hearing of the case till September 26.

No other details of the proceedings were available due to a strict media blackout imposed by Judge Baqir Ali Rana, who is conducting the trial inside the high-security Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi due to security reasons.

The hearings are being conducted in-camera and Rana has issued a gag order, citing national security concerns as well as the security of the accused and witnesses.

It is still not clear whether the seven accused have been formally indicted, though authorities have prepared two chargesheets against them.

Lawyers representing the accused said they had been directed by the judge to strictly adhere to the gag order and not to discuss the proceedings with the media.

Five LeT operatives Lakhvi, communications expert Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz being tried by the anti-terrorism court.

They have been accused of providing training, financial support, accommodation, equipment and communications gear to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai last year.

No details are available of the charges against the two other suspects, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum.

Meanwhile, a lawyer representing Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed has said the two cases filed against his client are very weak and not sustainable in any court of law.

Saeed’s lawyer A K Dongar said the charges against his client were ridiculous. Dogar was referring to the two cases filed by Faisalabad Police – one relating to his sermon at the Royalton Hotel in Faisalabad’s Canal Road on August 27, and second for a speech at an Iftar dinner at Peoples Colony, Jaranwala Road Faisalabad on August 26, where he urged people to launch a holy war against those who’ve suppressed their rights.

“I have gone through both the FIRs against Saeed thoroughly. The charges against my client are very weak. He has expressed his views like any other Pakistani,” claimed Dogar.

According to the TIMES NOW television channel, two cases were registered against Saeed and one against his close aide Abu Jandal at police stations in Faisalabad, some 100 kilometers from Lahore.

On Friday, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Islamabad must question Saeed, notwithstanding the fact that two cases had been filed against him that were not related to that tragic event.

Chidambaram said the authorities should avail the opportunity of questioning Saeed on the 26/11 episode also, once he is arrested.

“…I am told that it’s (FIRs agaisnt Hafiz Saeed) not related to the 26/11 attacks. Even if they apprehending him on some other charge, and use the opportunity to question him on his involvement in 26/11 attacks, that would be a significant progress in the case. I hope that they question him on 26/22 too,” Chidambaram told TIMES NOW after his US visit.

Insisting that Saeed should be tried for his involvement in the 26/11 terror attack, Chidambaram said: “There is no trial there. The trial has not started there. In fact, my complaint has been even before I visited the US, that we don’t have a date set for the trial and to best of the my knowledge, the first witness has not been examined.

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna also asserted that the main agenda of his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York would be to pressurise Islamabad in taking action against perpetrators of last year’s Mumbai terror attack.

Krishna said this while speaking to media persons at Turkmen capital Ashgabat during his visit to that country on Friday.

“I cannot spell out what exactly I can expect from such meetings. But this much I can assure that my attempt would be to impress upon the Pakistan foreign minister the desirability of taking action against the brains behind the Mumbai attack,” said Krishna.

The Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan and diplomats of the two nuclear-armed rivals are scheduled to meet in New York next week on the sidelines of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly. (ANI)

The Sahitaya Academy of New Delhi and the Punjab Sahitaya Academy organized the seminar.

The seminar also focused on the ‘pain of separation from God’ and intellectuals, poets and Sufi singers.

“Sufism says that God, whom a man looks for all over, is within him. And once he realizes this fact, he will be free of his ego and will find happiness,” said Vaasthe Mohi, a Sindhi poet from Ahmedabad.

While, Gulshan Majith, a poet from Jammu and Kashmir, said: “When God is everything, so what is the importance of religion and caste discrimination, this is the message of Sufism. Shaivaism, Buddhism and Sufism give same message to the world and consider this world as the manifestation of that supreme power and do not make a distinction with the other. There are no boundaries. Everybody in this world is equal for God.”

The participants also put forth the argument that many Punjabi poets make use of themes from popular Punjabi culture. r. Chandraprakash Deval, a poet from Rajasthan, said Sufism is the paramount method to fight terrorism.

“Sufism is the best way to fight terrorism. If the minds of people can be changed, they will start respecting other religions, humanity and the feeling of brotherhood and secularism will increase, terrorism will be finished then. So to fight terrorism it is important to popularize the way shown by Sufism, adopt and follow that way and spread the feeling of brotherhood,” Deval said.

Sufi singer Balbir Kaur, who also teaches singing at Guru Nanak College in Ludhiana, held the audience spellbound and she also highlighted that school students must be made aware of the great cultural heritage, traditional folk art and literature of the Sufi saints, to promote Punjabi language.

Associating Sufism with any one religion is against its very basic tenets. Underlining this basic fact, renowned Sufi singers Idrim Khan and Skakur Khan from Rajasthan sung the verses of Bulle Shah, Guru Nanak, Kabir and Sajjan Shah. By Karan Kapoor (ANI)

This was a significant landmark for the Sikhs, as the 275-year-old handwritten scripture, whose front pages are written with gold, was put on display for the devotees.

“The Guru Granth Sahib has the preaching or ‘bani’ of famous poets like Kabir ji, Guru Ravidas ji and Baba Farid ji. It is symbol of humanity and so people of all the religions have gathered here to celebrate the ‘Prakash Parv’, the installation ceremony together,” said Kanwldeep Singh, President of Sri Gursikh Sabha.

Also on display was a miniature scripture of Guru Granth Sahib, which has been preserved at the Gurudwara Maithan for the past 15 years.

“We have Guru Granth sahib of 1 X 1 inches long. The British for the convenience of Sikh soldiers especially designed the holy book during the First World War, as they could not carry a normal sized book in the battlefield. The miniature Guru Granth Sahib was printed in Germany. It was kept in a silver box,” said Gyani Kashmir Singh, head Granthi of Gurudwara Maithan.

To mark the anniversary of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib, special prayers were also held in the Gurudwara premises, which once the house of Mai jassi that was visited by Guru Sri Tegh Bahadur.he gurudwara is currently undergoing renovation and will be expanded to facilitate the large number of devotees visiting the shrine.

A total of 20 million dollars will be spent on renovation and construction of new Gurudwara, a 100-bed hospital and a community hall.

Gurudwara Maithan also upheld the tradition of Langar, which has been followed over the centuries. Guru Arjan Dev and Mata Ganga set the precedent of preparing and serving food to the hungry, in the langar hall, where all social, economic and religious barriers collapse and all – the laborer, the lord, the peasant and the prince, are treated alike and served the same food in the same manner.

This is a practice of great social significance, and it is the key to the understanding of Sikhism. By Brijesh Sharma (ANI)

Sources also said that there is a likelihood of Pakistan framing charges against the seven accused.

Malik is due to address a press conference later in the evening, during which he is expected to reveal the content of his discussions with Sabharwal.

Earlier, an anti-terrorism court here, which is conducting the trial of seven suspects linked with the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008, including LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, on Saturday adjourned the hearing of the case till September 26.

No other details of the proceedings were available due to a strict media blackout imposed by Judge Baqir Ali Rana, who is conducting the trial inside the high-security Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi due to security reasons.

The hearings are being conducted in-camera and Rana has issued a gag order, citing national security concerns as well as the security of the accused and witnesses.

It is still not clear whether the seven accused have been formally indicted, though authorities have prepared two chargesheets against them.

Lawyers representing the accused said they had been directed by the judge to strictly adhere to the gag order and not to discuss the proceedings with the media.

Five LeT operatives Lakhvi, communications expert Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz being tried by the anti-terrorism court.

They have been accused of providing training, financial support, accommodation, equipment and communications gear to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai last year.

No details are available of the charges against the two other suspects, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum.

Meanwhile, a lawyer representing Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed has said the two cases filed against his client are very weak and not sustainable in any court of law.

Saeed’s lawyer A K Dongar said the charges against his client were ridiculous. Dogar was referring to the two cases filed by Faisalabad Police – one relating to his sermon at the Royalton Hotel in Faisalabad’s Canal Road on August 27, and second for a speech at an Iftar dinner at Peoples Colony, Jaranwala Road Faisalabad on August 26, where he urged people to launch a holy war against those who’ve suppressed their rights.

“I have gone through both the FIRs against Saeed thoroughly. The charges against my client are very weak. He has expressed his views like any other Pakistani,” claimed Dogar.

According to the TIMES NOW television channel, two cases were registered against Saeed and one against his close aide Abu Jandal at police stations in Faisalabad, some 100 kilometers from Lahore.

On Friday, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Islamabad must question Saeed, notwithstanding the fact that two cases had been filed against him that were not related to that tragic event.

Chidambaram said the authorities should avail the opportunity of questioning Saeed on the 26/11 episode also, once he is arrested.

“…I am told that it’s (FIRs agaisnt Hafiz Saeed) not related to the 26/11 attacks. Even if they apprehending him on some other charge, and use the opportunity to question him on his involvement in 26/11 attacks, that would be a significant progress in the case. I hope that they question him on 26/22 too,” Chidambaram told TIMES NOW after his US visit.

Insisting that Saeed should be tried for his involvement in the 26/11 terror attack, Chidambaram said: “There is no trial there. The trial has not started there. In fact, my complaint has been even before I visited the US, that we don’t have a date set for the trial and to best of the my knowledge, the first witness has not been examined.

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna also asserted that the main agenda of his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York would be to pressurise Islamabad in taking action against perpetrators of last year’s Mumbai terror attack.

Krishna said this while speaking to media persons at Turkmen capital Ashgabat during his visit to that country on Friday.

“I cannot spell out what exactly I can expect from such meetings. But this much I can assure that my attempt would be to impress upon the Pakistan foreign minister the desirability of taking action against the brains behind the Mumbai attack,” said Krishna.

The Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan and diplomats of the two nuclear-armed rivals are scheduled to meet in New York next week on the sidelines of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly. (ANI)

Many international brands are keen to explore latent avenues in Punjab.

Be it Johnnie Walker, Green Label, or Teachers… one can access it without effort.

“India is one of the world’s largest markets for alcohol and has huge growth potential,” said Vinod Mittal, proprietor of MG Store.

Today, enjoying foreign liquor has become a status symbol among the affluent Punjabi families. And consumers are delighted with the easy availability of foreign brands here.

“Definitely, it has made a difference. Previously, you know, people had to go abroad. Only from airports you could get higher brands. So the availability of these brands and, beer brands like Carlsberg and Tuborg has really made a difference. I think it’s fantastic. I think if it expands to other markets like the wine industry for example, it would even be better,” said Dushyant Singh, a liquor enthusiast.

In 2008, 170 million cases of beer were sold in India.

Each Indian consumes about five litres of beer, compared with 25 litres per head in China and 160 litres per head in the Czech Republic.

TVB Craft Breweries, a Delhi-based brewer, enjoying strategic technical partnerships with a group of Australian Craft Brewing Companies has rolled out a new brand of beer-Little Devils – in five flavours.

The company is planning to invest 12 million dollars to set up local brewery in India.

“We have launched in eight States and it has been a fantastic response. As you said lager beer is hugely popular and continue to be hugely popular but at the same time throughout the world its has been growing only 3-4 % over the last three years whereas craft beer is growing at an average of 12 percent and that is because I think a lot of people basically want a lot of different selection, a lot of different flavors. So the Indian market is behaving exactly the same as everywhere else. We are bringing in new flavors. Everyone is really interested to taste them and experience the new taste,” said David Home, Chairman, TVB Craft Breweries.

The Famous Grouse, one of Scotland’s best selling whiskey label, is planning to expand its customer base in India.

It is planning to launch its premium single malt whiskey brands – Macallan and Highland Park – priced over USD 70 (Rs 3,500) in India soon.

Several other global brewing giants like Carlsberg, Anheuser-Busch and Inbev have entered the country recently, as India is being touted as the last potentially big beer market in the world.

Offering plenty of scope to expand to foreign brands, India is progressively liberalizing its liquor imports to accommodate the concerns of the European Union. In 2007, it scraped the additional import duty and imported spirits worth 76.3 million dollars on wines worth 11.7 million dollars.

The sale of liquor is rising in India with more liberal attitudes towards alcohol consumption, rising incomes and the tendency to embrace a more international lifestyle among Indians.By Sunil Sharma(ANI)

Holbrooke said this while quashing media reports, which had suggested that the US embassy in Islamabad was expanding in order to secretly house 1000 marines as some kind of a military footprint, The News reports.

He emphasised that the embassy was being enlarged to help relations between the two close allies, and said: “We are enlarging the embassy, because Pakistan is very important and our embassy is smaller than that of let’s say Colombia. We need to increase the size of the embassy in order to serve the policies (that befit) relations between the two nations, who have a complicated, but indispensable relationship and partnership.”

Holbrooke was speaking at an event to launch a Pashto broadcast service along Pakistan-Afghanistan border regions by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

He further said that the US was looking forward to contributing to Pakistan citizens by broadcasting in the local language.

“The key is Pakistanis themselves, and we will support them every way we can, in the media area as everywhere else. We are not going to set up American broadcasting stations, this is an open part of the international network (providing) the means of communication to the people of Pakistan,” Holbrooke said. (ANI)

Amity Business School holds fifth Global Leadership Summit|Business[New Delhi{New Delhi, Sep.19 (ANI): Amity Business School (ABS) on Saturday organized its fifth annual Global Leadership Summit with the theme “Businesses Beyond the Downturn”.

A number of corporate veterans, including D.K. Purwar, Executive Director, Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL), V K Sharma, CMD, National Fertilizers Ltd., Priti Mathur, Executive Director and Chief of Corporate Planning, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and others attended the event.

‘Amity Leadership Awards for Corporate Excellence” were conferred on several corporate honchos for their contribution towards the growth and development of the country.

Corporate giants also used the event to discuss how to combat recession.

The summit provided students with the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with corporate giants, who shared their experiences.

” “Boom” and “downturn” are the two phases of economic cycle and after one phase other phase is bound to come. “Recession is a time of economic crisis; a time full of adversaries and throwing plenty of challenges. This phase has different meaning for different organizations; for some organizations recession is a blessing in disguise,” said Purwar.

Purwar also outlined how despite the recession, GAIL has been contributing to the development of the country with the help of its efficient management and their leadership.

V.K.Sharma said recession is unavoidable and an inevitable part of business.

Priti Mathur shared several ONGC strategies to combat the recession.

Honouring and acknowledging the unparallel and incomparable contribution of several corporate ” Amity Leadership Awards” were bestowed upon them during the Summit such as:-

‘Amity Leadership Award for Corporate Excellence in the Oil and Natural Gas Industry’

ONGC received the ‘Amity Leadership Award for Corporate Excellence in the healthcare Industry’, Stryker Global Technology Center received the ‘Amity Leadership Award for Excellence in Umbilical Cord Blood Banking’, Cryobanks International India received the ‘Amity Leadership Award for Excellence in the Oil and Gas Exploration and Production’ ,Cairn India Ltd. received the ‘Amity Leadership Award for Excellence in the Networking and Systems Integration’ Spanco Ltd.’Amity Leadership Awards for Corporate Excellence” were also conferred upon Hilton Hotels, Tata Teleservices Ltd, Koutons Retail India Ltd., MBD Group, Bharti Teletech Ltd., PVR Ltd. and many more

The second session on ” Leadership Challenges for CEO’s” focused on the major challenges faced by the CEOs and top management in dealing with strategic perspectives related to growth, customers, crisis and risk. (ANI)

“The Pakistan selectors have made an error in leaving Abdul Razzaq out of the squad for the Champions Trophy. They have made a big mistake by not selecting him and the team will miss his hitting power down the order and his bowling too in South Africa. I was very surprised when I saw the squad and noted that Razzaq wasn’t named. If it had been up to me I would have left out Shoaib Malik” Akram said.

Commenting on the young guns of the team,Akram, who played for Pakistan from 1995 to 2001, said he is particularly impressed by the young pace sensation Mohammad Aamer.

“Mohammad Aamer has been very impressive. Provided he stays fit and in form, he will be a great find for Pakistan,” Akram told PakPassion.net.

When asked which team he thinks would lift the coveted Champions Trophy this time, Khan said the Championship would go to one of the three participating Asian teams.

“In my opinion I think one of the Asian teams will be champions this time around,” he said. (ANI)

Referring to Britain’s lashing out at Pakistan on the liquid bomb plot issue, Qureshi said it was unfair to criticize Pakistan for every terror plot hatched in Britain.

“It is easy to pass the buck, but they (liquid bomb plotters) were British citizens. They went to school here, they are part of the British system, and they live here. If they do something extraordinary is it fair that Pakistan should be blamed?” The Independent quoted Qureshi, as saying.

Pakistan has been critical of Britain’s accusations and has objected to allegations regarding it not doing enough to counter the expanding reach of the extremists based in the country’s tribal region.

A top Pakistani diplomat recently reacted strongly to Britain’s accusations regarding Pakistan harbouring extremists plotting to attack the UK.

The diplomat charged Britain of not doing enough to tackle home grown terrorists and treating Pakistan as a “whipping boy”.

“Sometimes for our British friends the truth is bitter. We have somehow turned out to be a ‘whipping boy’, there is a long history to that. The British need to search their own house,” the diplomat had said.

It may be recalled that Prime Minister Gordon Brown, during his Islamabad visit earlier this year, had said: “Three-quarters of the most serious plots investigated by the British authorities have links to Al-Qaida in Pakistan.”

Brown’s statement had angered Pakistani leadership and strained relationship between two countries, but things normalized later with President Asif Ali Zardari visit to the UK. (ANI)

Yadav who was accompanied by former Union Minister Premchand Gupta had a 30 minutes long discussion with Sonia Gandhi.

Gupta informed the media after the meeting that, Yadav presented the proposal for the polls expected to be held in early 2010.

In the last Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand, Congress had entered into an alliance with the Shibu Soren led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), dumping the RJD.

Last week, the Congress sent a team to Jharkhand to assess the political situation and find out prospects for an alliance.

The team failed to find unanimity on whether the Congress should form an alliance with the JMM or the RJD or with former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha.

Jharkhand has witnessed six governments in last nine years. It is presently under President’s Rule following the resignation of Chief Minister Shibu Soren in January. (ANI)

On Friday morning, Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh issued a warning over his illegal FM radio station, saying that people should take cover as his armed outfit was about to retaliate the military operation in Bara, The Dawn reports.

Earlier, the militant leader had said that his private miltia would not resist the operation in the area.

Traders and shopkeepers of Bara bazaar have shifted their merchandise to safer places, it has been learned.

Meanwhile, the bullet-riddled body of Wahid son of Hanan, who was kidnapped by Lashkar activists a day earlier, was found in Jamrud Khwar area.

A note was found with the dead body saying that anyone found assisting the security forces would meet the similar fate.

Earlier, the FC media cell had appealed the locals to help security forces in their operation against militants. (ANI)

“He would return to Pakistan once all the sensitive issues relating to his trial for November 3, 2007 actions are resolved,” The Nation quoted sources, as saying.

It is also being speculated that Musharraf may float a new political party after his return especially after the MQM put down his proposal to let him lead the party.

Musharraf’s efforts to unite the two factions of the Pakistan Muslim League have also failed to yield any substantial result

Meanwhile, legal experts have contradicted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s statement that Musharraf could not be tried alone under the Article six of the Constitution.

They believe the government is trying to shield for Musharraf therefore it is issuing such statements, and added that there is no provision in the constitution that high treason proceedings cannot be initiated against a single person.

“In fact the sense of Article 6 makes it clear that proceedings of high treason could be initiated against one person,” said former Chief Justice Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui.

“If a person accused of high treason names other aides in the court during the trial, the court will decide that who else should also be served notices,” Siddiqui added.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairman Iqbal Haider said termed Gilani’s statement as ‘ridiculous’ and said the government was trying to protect a dictator.

“Musharraf has committed heinous crimes and protecting him is itself a crime,” Haider said.(ANI)

Musharaf’s close friend and former federal minister Dr. Naseem Ashraf told media persons that both former counterparts discussed several issues regarding bilateral interests and various national and international topics.

During their long talks, Musharraf told Bush that the injustice with Kashmiris and Palestinians was the prime reason behind rampant extremism in Muslim countries.

“Global peace could only be achieved by resolving the disputes of these two regions,” Ashraf quoted Musharraf, as saying.

According to Ashraf, Bush, during the meeting, expressed deep concerns over the growing extremism in Pakistan and various security issues facing the region.

Musharraf’s special bonding with Bush is not new as the former general had recently described the former US President as a ‘very good man’ and a ‘good friend’ of his.

Musharraf had said he specially liked Bush’s straight forwardness. (ANI)

The ‘Paycheck’ star had returned from Louisiana after a shoot, when he realized that his plumber had not fixed waterworks in his house.

So Eckhart could only douse himself with the garden hose.
“I took a shower in my front yard because I’m doing a movie in Louisiana and I came here (to L.A.) and forgot that I had unleashed my plumber on my plumbing in my house so I have no water. I can’t use the toilet or anything like that.” Contactmusic quoted him as saying. (ANI)

The Shiv Sena will contest 169 of the 288 Assembly seats, while the BJP will contest from the other 119.

The Sena-BJP seat-sharing agreement comes a week after the Third Front announced its plan to contest 200 seats.

Although the Congress-NCP has agreed in principle to contest the elections jointly, their list of candidates is yet to be finalized.

Today is the second day for filing nominations for the assembly elections in Maharasthra, 15 nominations were filed on Friday. (ANI)

“Amy’s teeth were in a pretty gross state. They were brown and stained and needed major work on them and she was determined to get them back to their sparkling best,” the Sun quoted a source as saying.

“It’s all major work and it’s left her in almost constant pain, but she thinks the sacrifice is worth it.

“She’s been given some very strong drugs to cope with the pain,” the source added.

Meanwhile, Amy reportedly got involved in a furious bust-up with a punter at Soho’s Jazz After Dark club.(ANI)

One of the politician’s admirers is paying massive 39,000 pounds to dine with the Republican.

Cathy Maples, of Huntsville, Alabama, is the person who made the highest bid for the dinner in an eBay auction meant for a charity that aids wounded veterans.

It is part of the Ride 2 Recovery programme, which supports wounded veterans through cycling, the Daily Express reports.

Cathy owns a defence contracting company and supports the military.

She said she was a “big advocate” for Palin, and would love to see the Republican as president.

Organisers suggested the winner will have to foot the travel bill to meet up with Palin, most likely in Alaska. (ANI)

Saeed’s lawyer A K Dongar said the charges against his client were ridiculous.

Dogar was referring to the two cases filed by Faisalabad Police – one relating to his sermon at the Royalton Hotel in Faisalabad’s Canal Road on August 27, and second for a speech at an Iftar dinner at Peoples Colony, Jaranwala Road Faisalabad on August 26, where he urged people to launch a holy war against those who’ve suppressed their rights.

“I have gone through both the FIRs against Saeed thoroughly. The charges against my client are very weak. He has expressed his views like any other Pakistani,” claimed Dogar.

According to the TIMES NOW television channel, two cases were registered against Saeed and one against his close aide Abu Jandal at police stations in Faisalabad, some 100 kilometers from Lahore.

On Friday, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Islamabad must question Saeed, notwithstanding the fact that two cases had been filed against him that were not related to that tragic event.

Chidambaram said the authorities should avail the opportunity of questioning Saeed on the 26/11 episode also, once he is arrested.

“…I am told that it’s (FIRs agaisnt Hafiz Saeed) not related to the 26/11 attacks. Even if they apprehending him on some other charge, and use the opportunity to question him on his involvement in 26/11 attacks, that would be a significant progress in the case. I hope that they question him on 26/22 too,” Chidambaram told TIMES NOW after his US visit.

Insisting that Saeed should be tried for his involvement in the 26/11 terror attack, Chidambaram said: “There is no trial there. The trial has not started there. In fact, my complaint has been even before I visited the US, that we don’t have a date set for the trial and to best of the my knowledge, the first witness has not been examined.

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna also asserted that the main agenda of his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York would be to pressurise Islamabad in taking action against perpetrators of last year’s Mumbai terror attack.

Krishna said this while speaking to media persons at Turkmen capital Ashgabat during his visit to that country on Friday.

“I cannot spell out what exactly I can expect from such meetings. But this much I can assure that my attempt would be to impress upon the Pakistan foreign minister the desirability of taking action against the brains behind the Mumbai attack,” said Krishna.

The Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan and diplomats of the two nuclear-armed rivals are scheduled to meet in New York next week on the sidelines of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly. (ANI)

The toy called ‘Hot Doll’, is priced at 350 pounds, and the makers claim it will make it easier to control and improve a dog’s behaviour.

French design firm ‘Feel Addicted’ came up with the idea to avoid the owners of pets from embarrassing situations.

“Dogs have sexual needs or domination problems, which push them to climb on various object such as cushions, teddy bears, and worst case on legs of you neighbours, guest, postman or your own,” the Telegraph quoted a spokesman for the firm as saying.

The rep said: “Hot Doll is designed to control this problem. Designed for dog needs, it’s easy to teach them to use it.

“Its shape and materials allow the product to be stable, to grip on the floor, to be resistant and to have a soft touch.

“We want to introduce to dog owners and his companion finally a world adapted to their needs.”(ANI)

Research that led to the development of the content of the podcast was done by Dr Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, who is the author of ‘The Elephant’s Secret Sense’.

Early in her research, Dr. O’Connell-Rodwell noticed behavior that indicates elephants are listening to acoustic (airborne) sounds by putting their ears out and orienting toward the sound’s source.

At other times, she also noticed a more puzzling behavior: Several elephants would freeze simultaneously, sometimes in mid-stride, and would press their front feet into the ground.

They might also roll a foot forward so that only their toes touched the ground. At other times, they would lift a front leg.

The behavior reminded the researcher of the behavior she saw in insects that communicate seismically.

She began a series of experiments that eventually found that:

Low-frequency elephant vocalizations, which are below the threshold of human hearing, travel through the ground in the same waveform as they do in the air.

The ground vocalization can travel faster or more slowly than acoustic sound, depending on soil conditions, but has the potential of travelling further as there is no outer limit to how far sounds can travel through the earth.

When she played a recorded elephant vocalization through the ground only, other elephants detected the vocalization.

Elephants understood the ground-borne vocalizations.

For example, they responded appropriately to an alarm call from another elephant by assuming their defensive posture of bunching and freezing.

They also responded only to alarm calls of elephants living in the area rather than those made from elephants elsewhere.

Elephants also have anatomical adaptations to help them ‘hear’ these ground-borne vocalizations.

They have an enlarged malleus, a middle ear bone that plays an important role in hearing.

Animals that communicate seismically often have an enlarged malleus as it also facilitates bone conducted detection of vibrations.

Elephants can close their middle ear canal, forming a closed acoustic tube which enhances bone conduction and blocks out acoustic sound, helping the elephant focus on the vibration pathway.

They have an acoustically designed foot, with a thick fat pad that perhaps helps in the transmission or conduction of vibrations. (ANI)

In the 26-minute video, a man reportedly identified as Bekkay Harrach, speaking in German and using the pseudonym Abu Talha, demanded Germans to push their political parties to withdraw soldiers from Afghanistan to avoid “a rude awakening” after the polls on September 27.

It is also said that Harrach has also featured in previous messages, which threatened Germany.

“In a democracy, only the people can order its soldiers home. But, if the people decides for the continuation of the war, it has delivered its own verdict,” Sky News quoted the speaker, as saying.

“The parliamentary election is the people’s only opportunity to shape the policy of the country. With the withdrawal of the last German soldiers, the last mujaheed also will be withdrawn from Germany,” he added.

The speaker further said that Muslims in Germany should “stay away from anything not vital for the two weeks after the elections”, implying that an attack can take place during that period.

Following the threat security has been tightened particularly at airports and stations, including Tegel airport in Berlin.(ANI)

The loan, part of a scheme backing low-carbon technology in the motor industry, will support a 25 million pound investment by Tata Motors in its West Midlands base, The Scotsman reports.

In July, Tata Motors had threatened to scrap plans to build electric cars in the UK if it did not receive a 10 million pound loan soon.

The company was furious after being told by officials from Mandelson’s Business Department that it needed more time to find out if the venture will be considered for the loan, taking the total waiting time to six months.

In April, Tata Motors registered its expression of interest to apply for the 10 million pound loan to help launch the new Vista electric vehicle, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this year, and build an assembly line for it in the UK.

Tata Motors’ Norwegian subsidiary, Miljo, has already been awarded a six million pound loan and a one million pound grant from the Norwegian Government for electric cars. (ANI)

A group of top psychiatrists have warned against the pro-anorexia sites that are soaring in popularity through blogs and social networking groups.

Online members compete with others to lose weight, share tips on disguising anorexia or bulimia from family and doctors, reveal crash dieting techniques and recipes and upload images of dramatic weight loss.

“When I was really desperate I’d go on all the time, looking for tips on the latest diet and wondering what to do next,” Sky News quoted recovering anorexic Emma Columbine as saying.

“And seeing photos of skinny celebrities – I just aspired to be like them,” the 20-year-old added.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Eating Disorders Section warned against its effect on young people, saying greater awareness was required to deal with the dangers of such groups.

Susan Ringwood, from eating disorder charity BEAT, also said: “We want to increase awareness about these websites and make sure people know the dangers.

“And also to tell people that there are good positive resources out there for people with eating disorders that can help recovery, not encourage illness.” (ANI)

It was a driver, named John Formby, who spotted Freeway and pulled over to rescue him.

“I saw this bundle in the road and thought it was a bit of debris. I went to swerve it but noticed it was moving – then saw it had a head,” the Telegraph quoted Formby, from Worthing, as saying.

“I couldn’t believe it was a tortoise crossing the motorway, through traffic travelling at 70mph. I pulled over and ran 400 yards back up the road to get it.

“I was holding my breath as it came from the central reservation towards the hard shoulder. Three vehicles went right over the top of it but somehow missed it. It didn’t even pop back into its shell, just kept on walking as if it knew it had to get to the other side,” he added.

He ran out and picked Freeway in the slow lane, stopped off to buy him lunch of lettuce and tomato, before driving him to an animal centre near his home, where vets found he had been microchipped in America.

Billy Elliot, of the Worthing and District Animal Sanctuary, said: “That explained why he was on the wrong side of the road. We have named him Freeway for now, the American word for motorway.”

Freeway was found on the junction of the M25 and M23, miles from the nearest house.

“It’s a miracle he survived. He could have been on the road for a long time before he was picked up. It was the busiest time of the day on one of the busiest roads in the country. He couldn’t have picked a worse place to go for a stroll,” said Elliott.

Vets are taking care of Freeway, who is thought to be about 10 years old, for the weekend while Elliott is trying to trace his owners. (ANI)

England team has been out of sorts after the historic Ashes series win, and in the absence of experienced players like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen they have not been able to prevent Australians from taking a 6-0 lead.

“Obviously, we don’t want to lose 7-0. There’ll be a lot of pride to play for on Sunday. We’re very disappointed with the way we’ve played in this series, we’ve never really clicked. But, we’re leaving for the Champions Trophy in South Africa on Monday and we can look forward to that as a fresh start,” The Sun quoted Anderson, as saying.

“The vast majority of us in the dressing room still believe we can beat Australia and think that 6-0 flatters them a bit,” he added.

The 27-year-old further said that Australians have taken note of England’s weaknesses and have been able to take advantage of it.

“Throughout the series, it seems as though we’ve tried to make it look as complicated as possible. I suppose when confidence is low as a batting team, it affects everything, not just shot selection,” Anderson said.

England will now be playing for pride in the final contest at Chester-le-Street on Sunday. (ANI)

Director General of the National Anti Doping Authority (NADA) Rahul Bhatnagar said: “NADA has fully accepted WADA Code which has been approved by the Government of India. NADA and Government of India have also accepted the ‘whereabouts’ clause of WADA.

The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has rejected the whereabout clause of the WADA code.

The Indian Government’s reaction came following the WADA chief John Fahey’s remarks asking New Delhi to come clear on its stand on where about clause.

Bhatnagar said: “We have informed WADA that there is no change in the position of Government of India in so far as implementation of anti-doping rules adopted by NADA.”

“India’s stand now and before has been the same. There is no compromise when it comes to doping in sport,” Bhatnagar reiterated.

He said the BCCI has not yet responded to Sports Ministry’s letter on seeking guidance on its stand on where about clause.

Bhatnagar assured that the Sports Ministry would adopt all steps to get rid of doping menace in sporting arena.

“As far as anti-doping in sport is concerned, Government of India and NADA will take all possible means to eradicate the menace from sports and we are ready to take the lead in this regard among other nations in the world,” he said. (ANI)

“It’s a 100 per cent match… from the fingerprints to the DNA tests,” detikcom website quoted Indonesian police spokesman Nanan Soekarna as saying.

Indonesian police chief Gen Bambang Hendarso Danuri had earlier confirmed that Noordin was shot dead in the raid but asked the forensic department to carry out the tests.

The report also said that Noordin’s family in Johor, Malaysia, had been informed of the test result.

The 41-year-old Malaysian-born extremist was one of four militants killed in the raid near Solo, national police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri told reporters.

The terrorist, who was on the run for almost seven years, was identified using fingerprint analysis, Danuri said.

“He is Noordin M Top,” Danuri said, sparking a round of applause throughout the room.

Noordin led a hardline splinter group of terror organisation Jemaah Islamiah.

He was the suspected mastermind of July”s attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta that killed seven, including three Australians.

Authorities believe he also masterminded a 2003 attack on the Marriott, a 2004 attack on Australia”s embassy in Jakarta and the 2005 Bali bombings that killed four Australians.

It”s believed he also helped plan the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.Police came close to catching Noordin several times but he always managed to elude capture.

Noordin”s death will be a major setback for Islamic extremists throughout Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd”s office said it was aware of reports of Top”s death.

“We are awaiting official confirmation from the Indonesian government,” Fairfax News quoted a spokesman, as saying. (ANI)

The nuns at the Convent of the Sacred Heart girls school were shown the video of the singer’s performance at VMA Awards.

The singer, real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is presently known for her scanty costumes and such lyrics as “I wanna take a ride on your disco stick.”

“When someone showed the nuns a video of her bloody performance at Sunday night’s VMA Awards, the good sisters were not amused,” the New York Post quoted a source as saying.

A spokesman for the school was not available for comment. (ANI)

The New York Times, while reporting the actions taken against Saeed, said the ambivalence of Pakistani authorities in cracking down on the LeT’s fouder leader was clear.

The newspaper highlighted that the Pakistan government has never been serious regarding putting a check on Saeed and his covert terror activities being run under the LeT’s charity organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).

“Even after he was placed under house arrest in December, the government took steps to soften the blow, allowing him, for instance, to hold a defiant news conference before his confinement began,” it said.

While the Pakistan government has been maintaining that it is seriously carrying out the probe regarding the 26/11 massacre, and tried to show the same to the international community especially the US by booking Saeed under the anti-terrorism act, its ‘bluff’ was laid bare when Saeed’s lawyer disclosed that the case registered against his client were ‘very weak’.

“I have gone through both the FIRs against Saeed thoroughly. The charges against my client are very weak. He has expressed his views like any other Pakistani,” Saeed’s lawyer AK Dongar told a private television channel.

Pakistani authorities also revealed that they have not received any instructions for arresting Saeed despite the registration of two cases against him. (ANI)

A PCB spokesperson rejected reports of any such committee being formed under board’s financial advisor Mohammad Naeem.

However, the Dawn reported that the committee has certainly been formed and it also held its meeting on Friday.

Sources said the committee was formed during earlier this month and it has already invited bids for the title sponsorship for the Dubai series. (ANI)

Italian officials paid the holidaying Argentinean coach a visit at the luxury hotel he was staying in and seized the earrings worth nearly 4,000 pounds, Sky News reports.

Police claimed that Maradona still owes some 20 million pounds, dating back to his seven-year stint at the Italian club Napoli, where he frequently failed to pay income tax.

After fleeing Buenos Aires on Monday following Argentina’s four defeats in five matches of 2010 World Cup qualifier, Maradona, 48, is currently staying at a spa in the town of Merano in north-eastern Italy, where he is trying to lose weight.

Italian authorities had seized two of his Rolex watches worth 11,000 pounds in 2006, when he was staying near Naples.

In 2005, they seized the money he was to receive for taking part in a TV dancing show.

Four years earlier, he was met by 20 police officers as he got off a plane in Rome.

Italy’s Supreme Court ordered the ex-footballer to pay 36 million euros in unpaid taxes.

According to the association of Italian taxpayers, Maradona still has 22.4 million euros to pay.

Recently, Brazilian legend Pele took a blow at Maradona, saying he feels another Argentine-born player, Alfredo di Stefano, is the best player ever.

“Maradona was a great player, but he could not kick with his right foot and did not score goals with his head.

The only time he scored an important goal with his head, it turned out he had used his hand,” Pele said referring to Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in 1986 World Cup. (ANI)

Ballot papers pre-marked for Hamid Karzai that were seized by monitors. The ballots appear to be stamped with the monitors’ seal and ready to cast. The monitors filmed then destroyed the papers to stop them being used.

The footage was taken by two election monitors who inspected a book of 100 ballot papers, which were still stitched together, as they were intended to arrive at the polling station in rural Afghanistan.

“But, instead of being pristine, ready for the voter to make his or her mark, each paper bears a large blue tick next to the name of one candidate: Hamid Karzai,” the report says.

“We found it the day after the elections. They were trying to put it in one of the [ballot] boxes but didn’t have time, so we took it home and filmed it. If we had given it back to the election committee they would have used it again, so we burned it,” the paper quoted one monitor, as saying.

Numerous other evidences have surfaced not only in support of the vote-rigging theory, but also to suggest that the idea of the election being fair was laughable in Afghanistan.

An election official showed a photograph of a man marking a big pile of ballot papers in the name of Hamid Karzai. Another picture shows a pile of election ID cards spread in front of an unidentified man wearing black shoes, the report says.

“This man brought 120 cards and he used each of them to vote three times. I thought I would give the pictures to the election committee. But they were all working for Karzai,” said the official, who fled to Kabul fearing that he might have been caught taking pictures.

“Everyone was cheating in my polling station. Only 10 per cent voted, but they registered 100 per cent turnout. One man brought five books of ballots, each containing 100 votes, and stuffed them in the boxes after the elections were over,” he added.

According to the paper, the vote had come down to a battle of budgets, with agents for both Karzai and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, giving money in exchange for votes.

“Karzai’s men were paying 1,000 Afghani per family and Abdullah’s were paying 1,500 Afghani,” villagers of Ahmad Aba district in Paktiya region said. (ANI)

Drogba has scored 98 goals for Chelsea since his 24 million pound move from Marseille five years ago.

“To be able to score 100 goals for Chelsea is a very big achievement. I have never done that with any of my other teams. It shows how settled I am here and now I want to go on and break all the club records I can,” The Sun quoted Drogba, as saying.

“I am a striker and it’s really important for me to get goals and try to make history at this club. I was already a part of Chelsea history when we won the Premier League for the first time in 2005 and then defended our title a year later,” he added.

The 31-year-old further said that all the players aim to succeed, and want to see their names go down in the club’s history, so the achievement would be something that he would relish.

“I hope that one day we can all come back to Chelsea and get the applause from the fans. Because that would mean we have achieved something big and special,” Drogba said.

“It would make me really proud because when I see the former Chelsea players go round the pitch I think ‘That’s because they did something special’. It makes me realise the history here at this club and it’s something I want to be a part of for many years,” he added.

Bobby Tambling, who played for the Blues from 1959 to 1970, leads the way with 202 goals. Kerry Dixon is second on the list with 193 goals, while Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood are joint third with 150 goals.

Drogba, who missed the Champions League game againt Porto through suspension, will be looking forward to score the two goals during his return match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. (ANI)

According to a report in the Haaretz newspaper, Archeologist, Doctor Valid Atrash, from the Israel Antiquities Authority, said that the remnants of the Roman amphitheatre peaks from 15 meters below ground.

The 1990 findings came as a surprise to the archeologists digging near Mount Berniki in the Tiberias hills as there are no references to such a place anywhere in scriptures.

Only at the beginning of 2009, 19-years after the primary discovery, did the uncovering of the theatre in its entirety begin.

The late Professor Izhar Hirshfeld and Yossi Stefanski, the archeologists heading the excavation, initially assessed the remains to belong to the 2nd or 3rd century CE, but quickly realized that they go all the way back to the beginning of the 1st century CE, closer to the founding of Tiberias.

“The most interesting thing about the amphitheatre is its Jewish context,” said Hirshfeld upon the discovery.

“Unlike Tzipori, which was a multi-cultural city, Tiberias was a Jewish city under Roman rule. The findings demonstrate the city’s pluralistic nature and cultural openness, a fact uncommon in those days,” Hirshfeld added.

According to Atrash, in light of the findings, Tiberias appears as particularly liberal for a city that was established over 2000 years ago.

He added that “the theatre was enormous, and being so it attracted a lot of attention. It seated over 7000 people, and appears to have been a prominent landmark for the entire area.”

Zohar Oved, Mayor of Tiberias, said that the discovery of the amphitheatre is undoubtedly “one of the most important findings in the history of the Jewish people” and is planned to open to the public as part of Tiberias archeological gardens in the near future. (ANI)

The Nepali students said that they are not concerned about such matters as they are of a political nature. They say their work is just to learn and not be involved in other considerations.

“We are not much concerned about the incident. All of us here study together, be it Indians or Nepalis or anyone, without any differences. Our work is to learn. We do not even know much about it. These are political matters and politics does not concern us much,’ said Medini Prasad, a Nepali student.

Classes are going on as usual, with the temple reverberating with chants and recitations of shlokas, rhymed poetic verse from Hindu religious texts.

Acharya Limbanath, head priest, Nepali Temple, said that there are historical ties between India and Nepal, and these should be respected. And as far as the attacks are concerned they are works of miscreants.

“Indians and Nepalis share solidarity and brotherhood since times immemorial. It is just some miscreants that exist everywhere, who want to create trouble for their own benefit,’ he said.

Teknath Upadhyay, Nepali Priest, felicitated by the temple authorities recently said that, they were respected in India and the Nepal government and people should follow the example.

“They should give respect to all the priests despite any considerations of who they are or where they are. They should give them respect like we are given in India. Even the priests there should be shown respect by the government as well as the people of Nepal,” he added.

Two Indian priests in the Pashupatinath temple were beaten up by Maoists on September 4, demanding important religious jobs be given to Nepalis.

For centuries, the priests of the Pashupatinath Temple were picked by shrine authorities from among high-caste Hindus in India, with the consent of the king of Nepal.

Since Nepal abolished the monarchy and became a republic last year, the government has taken over the task. (ANI)

The nine-day festival observes musical groups getting ready for cultural programmes like the Garba dance across the country. Dancers wear colourful traditional attires and are decked up with heavy jewellery.

Kajal Anandkat, a Garba dance trainer, said that the women who come to get trained in Garba are above fifty years of age and are as energetic as the young girls who also learn Garba from her.

“Girls of all age groups come here to learn Garba. But this year, I have noticed that many women above fifty years old are coming forward to learn this form of dance. They dance with the same enthusiasm as young girls,” said Anandkat.

Looking at these women practicing Garba, it is hard to say that these women who are above fifty are still so energetic while dancing as for Vasanthben Patel age is no bar for learning dance.

“I have been learning Garba for the last twenty days. I am fifty-year-old. I learn dance with girls of age 20 to 25 years. I have the stamina just as the young girls over here. I can dance just like them,” said Patel.

As Rajkot is getting ready to give a spectacular performance in the dance festival, Ahmedabad is also gearing up for the celebrations.

The dancing grounds have been decorated with lights. The stage is all set and the dancers are practicing hard to deliver a good performance during the festival.

“The preparations are on the go. A Goddess idol will be installed to mark the beginning of the function,” said Sameer Tanna, a choreographer.

The Navaratri festival is celebrated in honour of Goddess Durga, a manifestation of mother Goddess in Hindu mythology.

It is believed that during the days of Navaratri, Goddess Durga descends on earth to rid it of the demons and bless her devotees. (ANI)

According to a report by BBC News, parts of a skull, some bones and teeth were in a cist – a rectangular stone chamber – uncovered by a digger operator in Sutherland in February this year.

Archaeologists have described the find as “extremely rare” and “valuable”.

They have recommended detailed analysis of the remains and the cist.

Wood, wicker and evidence of fur were retrieved from the burial site. It was thought the body was wrapped in animal fur.

Police and Historic Scotland were alerted to the discovery at Langwell Farm in Strath Oykel by farmer Jonathan Hampton.

The bones were taken to Dornoch Police Station, but later handed over to archaeologists.

Experts from Highland Council have been involved in investigations of the site.

Historic Scotland commissioned Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (Guard) to assess what was found.

Its report, which has also been sent to Highland Council, recommends specialist analysis of the excavated materials and radio carbon dating.

According to the document’s authors, “The Langwell Farm cist is an extremely rare and valuable find with the potential to reveal a great deal about contemporary life and burial practice.”

Bronze Age technology came to Britain from Europe about 4,000 years ago and historians see it as a crucial link between the Stone and Iron Ages. (ANI)

Reportedly, as per the statement of the women who were taken into custody at the Gorakhpur Railway Station, they were intending to go to Muscat.

These women had entered India through the Sanauli border post.

Although all the four women had their respective passports with them, only two of them could show their endorsed visas for Muscat.

“Our team visited the railway station along with a Nepali counsellor. When she saw these women and spoke to them, they gave some wrong information, which in turn sounded fishy and made us to suspect something was amiss. When we asked them where they were heading, initially they said Oman and again changed their statement saying, New Delhi. When our counsellor asked them for their passports, some said they had it while others said they didn’t. So, we found them suspicious,” said Gyan Kumar, co-ordinator, Maanava Sewa Sansthan, Gorakhpur.

Amidst such confusing utterances by the women, the police believe that one of the women named Dilmaya was trying to send the other three to Muscat by bringing them from Nepal.

She claimed that they were going to Muscat because they had their relatives residing and working there.

“These people held us for interrogation. We asked them either to let us go to Nepal or else allow us to go to Muscat. We have our relatives there,” said Dilmaya.

A couple of months ago, police officials of Gorakhpur had detained five women who were allegedly being trafficked to Gulf countries for flesh trade.

Reportedly, a pimp was escorting these women to Mumbai from where they were to be sent to certain destinations in the Middle East. (ANI)

Dongre presented her maiden label ‘Timeless’ and showcased folk feel of Rajasthan in traditional ghagra-cholis and traditional drape sarees made from velvets and intricately woven silks and glittering brocades.

Dongre’s colour palette was full of vibrant reds, blues, steel gray and black.

“‘Timeless’ is an Indian wear. I am going to use colour full on. So I enjoy doing so much of colour,” Dongre said.

Born and brought up in Jaipur, she went back to her roots and presented a collection with complete feeling of Rajasthan starting from the traditional fabric, to intricate embroidery to magnificent ‘Kota’ work on it.

The background score of Dongre’s show also gelled well with the collection as traditional folk music and Rajasthani vocals were being played.

Lakme Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 is celebrating its tenth year and about fifty designers will showcase their collection in five-day event.

Renowned fashion designers namely Manish Malhotra, Narendra Kumar, Rocky S, Vikram Phadnis, Krishna Mehta, Neeta Lulla and Wendell Rodricks will also showcase their spectacular collections for their buyers coming from various parts of the world.

Designer Tarun Tahiliani will present the grand finale on September 23. (ANI)

Thousands of devotees queued up at various temples dedicated to Goddess Durga.

In New Delhi, devotees converged at Jhandewalan to offer prayers prior to dawn and observed fast throughout the day.

“We observe fast on the first day of Navratri. On the first day, we pray for the whole day and meditate on Goddess Durga,” said Madan Gehlot, a devotee.

Meanwhile, at Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, people made a beeline to the temple of Goddess Badi Devkali.

The devotees believe their wishes are fulfilled if they pray to Goddess Badi Devkali during the festival.

“People believe that coming here redeems them from their sins. Since the Goddess Devkali is the deity of Lord Rama’s dynasty, her significance is all the more. That’s why people come here to offer prayers to the Goddess,” said Poonam, a devotee.

Earlier on Friday, a day prior to the commencement of Dusshera, a unique annual horse procession was taken out through the streets of Allahabad.

The belief is that the horse representing sage Vyasa would relate the Ramayana.

Musical bands led the attractively decorated white horse procession organised by a leading Ram Lila committee of the city.

“Legend says that when Maharishi Valmiki narrated the story of Lord Rama to Luv and Kush then this horse standing next to them also listened to the story. The horse in the form of sage Vyasa tells the story of Rama to people during the Navratri celebrations,” said Ajay Kumar Shukla, secretary, Ramlila Committee.

“Naaratri”, which literally means nine nights, is observed twice a year.

The festival lasts for nine days in honour of nine manifestations of Durga, goddess of power, and fall in the months of April-May and September-October.

It is believed that during the Navratri, Goddess Durga descends on earth to rid it of the demons and blesses her devotees with happiness and prosperity. (ANI)

Last year also, Paine wasn’t certain where his cricket career stood, after requiring arthroscopic surgery on both hips.

On Thursday, however, he stood tall with his maiden international century to lead Australia to the No. 1 ranking, reports The Age.

The 24-year-old’s innings of 111 was the sign of maturity and composure that skipper Ricky Ponting was looking for.

Paine had been troubled by hip problems since he was 17 and renowned hip specialist Michael Pritchard gave the Tasmanian a new lease.

“The range of motion I have now is amazing. I’m not sore at the end of the day and I won’t be struggling to get through matches behind the wickets any more,” he was quoted, as saying.

He also admitted that he felt pressure early in his career to play the swashbuckling role fulfilled by Brad Haddin – who he is covering for while the No. 1 wicketkeeper recovers from finger surgery – and Adam Gilchrist.

“I think I did maybe a couple of years ago [I tried to be like them] and that’s something I’ve learnt being in the change rooms with these blokes, that everyone plays differently and the best way for you to play is the way you play and not trying to copy anyone else,” Paine said.

“I guess I was in a bit of a positive situation, I couldn’t really lose, so I’m just trying to enjoy my time until he comes back and still trying to do my role in the team, which is to keep well and score runs,” he added. (ANI)

Razzaq said he was surprised at not being selected.

“It came as a huge setback to learn that I was not in the final team. Since my comeback to the national team, I had been working very hard to play in this elite tournament,” Razzaq said.

Razzaq said his attempts failed to convince the selectors

“It is a big tournament and you get a chance to prove yourself against the top teams. I was working hard to convince everyone I should be in the side,” The Daily Times quoted Razzaq, as saying.

The seven member selection committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had controversially recalled paceman Mohammad Asif and opener Imran Nazir, but omitted all-rounder Abdul Razzaq from their 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy beginning September 22 in South Africa. (ANI)

According to a report in Nature News, early results from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched on June 18, are offering a wide array of watery signals.

The Moon, in fact, has water in all sorts of places: not just locked up in minerals, but scattered throughout the broken-up surface, and, potentially, in blocks or sheets of ice at depth.

“We are on the verge of a renaissance in our thinking about the poles of the Moon, including how water ice gets there,” said Anthony Colaprete, principal investigator for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), which on October 9, will slam into a polar crater with the intention of ploughing up a plume of water ice for many telescopic eyes to see.

The initial LRO results confirm what was long suspected as a way for ice to stay trapped on the Moon for billions of years.

A thermal mapping instrument showed that permanently shadowed regions within deep polar craters are as cold as 35o Kelvin (-238o Celsius).

Project scientist Richard Vondrak said that they are the coldest spots in the Solar System – even colder than the surface of Pluto.

Variations in the flux of neutrons suggests variability in water content among craters.

But, the surprise comes from a different instrument on LRO, which counts slow-moving neutrons as a way of measuring hydrogen abundance in the top metre or so of the surface.

This hydrogen is often interpreted as a proxy for water ice, although it could also be molecular hydrogen or hydrogen trapped in other molecules.

The LRO instrument has already found a significant excess of hydrogen at the poles.

But, with added resolution, it is seeing surprising variability within the polar regions. Some of the craters appear enriched in hydrogen. Others are not.

Stranger still, some areas outside the crater walls, which were thought to get too hot for water to linger, show an excess of hydrogen.

Vondrak said this shows that the water could have arrived more recently, or that it can persist if buried as impacts till the lunar soil.

If the LCROSS impact spews up ice, it will eliminate the last vestiges of doubt about water on the Moon.

It could also start a new hunt: to find a record of impact events, such as water-rich comet strikes, that put the ice there in the first place. (ANI)

According to a report in Nature News, early results from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched on June 18, are offering a wide array of watery signals.

The Moon, in fact, has water in all sorts of places: not just locked up in minerals, but scattered throughout the broken-up surface, and, potentially, in blocks or sheets of ice at depth.

“We are on the verge of a renaissance in our thinking about the poles of the Moon, including how water ice gets there,” said Anthony Colaprete, principal investigator for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), which on October 9, will slam into a polar crater with the intention of ploughing up a plume of water ice for many telescopic eyes to see.

The initial LRO results confirm what was long suspected as a way for ice to stay trapped on the Moon for billions of years.

A thermal mapping instrument showed that permanently shadowed regions within deep polar craters are as cold as 35o Kelvin (-238o Celsius).

Project scientist Richard Vondrak said that they are the coldest spots in the Solar System – even colder than the surface of Pluto.

Variations in the flux of neutrons suggests variability in water content among craters.

But, the surprise comes from a different instrument on LRO, which counts slow-moving neutrons as a way of measuring hydrogen abundance in the top metre or so of the surface.

This hydrogen is often interpreted as a proxy for water ice, although it could also be molecular hydrogen or hydrogen trapped in other molecules.

The LRO instrument has already found a significant excess of hydrogen at the poles.

But, with added resolution, it is seeing surprising variability within the polar regions. Some of the craters appear enriched in hydrogen. Others are not.

Stranger still, some areas outside the crater walls, which were thought to get too hot for water to linger, show an excess of hydrogen.

Vondrak said this shows that the water could have arrived more recently, or that it can persist if buried as impacts till the lunar soil.

If the LCROSS impact spews up ice, it will eliminate the last vestiges of doubt about water on the Moon.

It could also start a new hunt: to find a record of impact events, such as water-rich comet strikes, that put the ice there in the first place. (ANI)

Shot clog is an Elizabethan word for a drinking companion who is only tolerated because he pays, while stridewallop is a Yorkshire term for a tall and awkward woman.

Deipnosophist is a Jacobean word for a skillful dinner conversationalist.

All these quirky words had been lost over a period of time, the Telegraph reports.

However, Boinod has included them in his new book ‘The Wonder of Whiffling’.

He writes in the introduction of the book: “As a self-confessed bowerbird (one who collects an astonishing array of sometimes useless objects), I’ve greatly enjoyed putting together this collection.

“I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading it, and that it saves you both from mulligrubs, depression of spirits, and onomatomania, vexation in having difficulty finding the right word.”

Some other extraordinary words include crambazzled, which is used to refer to someone who is prematurely aged through drink and a dissolute life.

Word from overseas like ‘twack’ have also been incorporated.

Apparently, twacks are shoppers who look at goods, inquire about the prices but never buy anything. (ANI)

Activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad or All India Student’s Council gathered in Coimbatore city headquarters with banners and placards and demanded central government to take steps to protect the country from Chinese aggression.

” We request the central government and Tamil Nadu government to take important steps against China to protect our nation,” said Saravanan, a protestor.

Officials sources have said that Chinese troops entered nearly 1.5 kilometres into the Indian territory near Mount Gya, which is recognised as the international border by India and China, and painted the word ‘China’ in Cantonese on the boulders and rocks there with red spray paint. The incursions were reported from the area generally referred in the Chumar sector in east of Leh.

The 22,420 ft Mount Gya, also known as “fair princess of snow” by the Army is located at the tri-junction of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and Tibet. Its boundary was marked during the British era and is regarded as International border by the two countries.

The border patrol discovered the red paint markings on various rocks and boulders along the Zulung La (pass) on July 31 and the Chinese had entered into the area and written “China” all over the place, the sources said.

Indian soldiers later erased the text, writing ‘India’ instead. (ANI)

The shock horror case, made public by the Herald Sun, involved a man accused of fathering four children with his daughter, whom he held as a virtual prisoner, raping her almost daily from when she was 11 years old.

A brother of the alleged victim said the family had their suspicions over the drowning of their brother at a suburban Melbourne beach more than 30 years ago, the Australian newspaper reported.

The woman also apparently told friends that she thought her sibling died under mysterious circumstances.

“I don’t like talking about it because I can still remember him,” News.com.au quoted her brother as saying.

“I wish he grew up, but let’s just say there were a lot of suspicious things about it. It was a long time ago, I don’t know what the police think about it,” he added.

Police decline to say if the death would be investigated.

A spokeswoman said: “Due to the amount of information provided, our avenues of inquiries are limited and we are unable to establish confirmation of the allegations.”

She added: “Due to the current suppression order in existence it would be inappropriate to provide any information surrounding this.” (ANI)

The Weekend Australian Magazine revealed Saturday evidence that a bullet – probably sniper fire from a high-velocity rifle – killed the former Pakistan prime minister.

The Musharraf regime said a “bump on the head” resulting from a Taliban or al-Qa’ida suicide bomber killed Bhutto on December 27, 2007, shortly before an election she was expected to win.

This evidence contradicts the regime’s claim that the murder was the work of the Pakistan Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US unmanned drone attack.

There is no history of the militants using sniper fire – or even regular gunfire – in any of the hundreds of suicide attacks they have mounted in Pakistan.

Also revealed in The Weekend Australian Magazine is detail of the cover-up that followed Bhutto’s murder.

The crime scene in Liaquat Bagh, a park in Rawalpindi, was washed with high-pressure hoses within 45 minutes of the blast, destroying almost all forensic evidence.

Naheed Khan, Bhutto’s political secretary for 23 years, who cradled her head as she died, told The Weekend Australian Magazine: “There were bullets coming from different directions. There are lots of high buildings overlooking the area. This was a typical intelligence (agency) operation.”

Khan’s husband, Senator Safdar Abbasi, who is also a doctor, was in the Toyota Landcruiser when Bhutto was attacked.

“The way she died – her instant death – suggests very sharp sniper fire. A typical intelligence (agency) operation,” Abbasi said.

There is no suggestion of any involvement by Musharraf in her murder. But the UN investigators want to question the former general. Given the authority he wielded in Pakistan, including over the army and its agencies, Musharraf, 66, is thought to be in a better position than most to cast light on events surrounding the assassination. (ANI)

The Jerusalem Post quoted White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, as saying: “Obviously we condemn what he said.”

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also criticized Ahmadinejad’s ‘myth’ remark.

In a statement communicated by the UK Embassy in Israel, Miliband said: “Ahmadinejad’s repeated denials of the Holocaust are abhorrent as well as ignorant. It is very important that the world community stands up against this tide of abuse. This outburst is not worthy of the leader of Iran.”

“Iran’s people have a great history and culture. I cannot believe that the vast majority of them want to rewrite this chapter of history rather than focus on the future. The coincidence of today’s comments with the start of Jewish New Year only adds to the insult,” he added. arlier, Miliband issued a blessing for the Jewish New Year.

“Rosh Hashanah is a time of celebration for Jewish communities in the UK and around the world. A chance to look forward to the coming year and make plans, but also a period of reflection and soul searching,” he had said. (ANI)

Referring to Musharraf’s speech at Trinity University in Saint Antonio, Texas, where the former general admitted that he had committed a mistake while sacking the then Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) from office, Ahsan said Musharraf had committed not only one but two mistakes by removing the higher judiciary and imposing an emergency in the country on November 3, 2007.

Talking to a private television channel, Ahsan said the government and the ‘independent’ judiciary should play their role in trying Musharraf under high treason charges.

He said it was not the right time for lawyers to take their struggle to roads, as they did previously while demanding restoration of the judiciary, The News reports.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) has denied that Musharraf had taken the cabinet into his confidence before promulgating the Provisional Constitutional Ordinance (PCO) and imposing the emergency rule in 2007.

Interacting with media persons during an Iftaar party hosted by PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, several party leaders rejected the notion regarding Musharraf consulting the cabinet before taking the illegal and extra-judicial actions. (ANI)

The self-righting probe is being developed for the Army Research Lab in Aberdeen, Maryland, by Eric Beyer and Mark Costello, a pair of robotics engineers at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

The project attains significance because present-day military robots, which run on small tank-style tracks, cannot cope with irregular surfaces and obstacles such as rubble or boulders.

“They usually have trouble and get stuck with even low obstacles and walls a couple of feet high,” says Costello.

Although small helicopters are one alternative, continuous flying drains the batteries fast.

Thus, Costello stresses the need for a rotor-powered, bottom-heavy, self-righting vehicle that spends most of its time on the ground, conserving battery power.

AS to whether repeated hopping might harm the craft, a spokesman for the Impact Centre at Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, UK, said: “From a crashworthiness point of view this concept looks perfectly feasible. There should be no problem with the vehicle surviving hundreds of impacts, which is roughly equivalent to dropping a mobile phone from waist height.” (ANI)

The study, by David Vallejo, from the ORETO Applied Intelligent Systems research group of the UCLM, could be used to penalise incorrect behaviour.

“We have developed an intelligence surveillance software and related theoretical model in order to define ‘normality’ in any setting one wishes to monitor, such as a traffic scenario”, said Vallejo.

The study focused on a pedestrian crossing in a two-way street, regulated by a traffic Light.

The authors defined ‘normal’ behaviour of cars and pedestrians in this setting, in which they can move when the lights are green, but must stop and not cross the safety lines when the lights are red.

The system, which works in a similar way to a human monitor, can detect whether the vehicles and pedestrians are moving “normally”.

If at any point any of the movements related to these “objects” is not ‘normal’ (driving through a red light, for example), the programme recognizes that the behaviour differs from the normal framework established.

The supporting architecture underlying the model is a multi-agent artificial intelligence system (made up of software agents that carry out the various tasks) involved in monitoring the environment.

To prove the effectiveness of the model, its creators have developed a monitoring tool (OCULUS), which analyses images taken from a real setting.

For this, the team members placed a video camera close to their place of work, the Higher School of Information Technology in Ciudad Real.

“In this way we are able to identify any drivers and pedestrians behaving abnormally, meaning the programme could be used in order to penalise such behaviours”, said Vallejo.

Currently, the researchers are continuing their work to fine tune the system, and believe it will be possible to use it in future in other situations, for example in analysing behaviour within indoor environments (museums, for example), or in detecting overcrowding.he study has been published in the journal Expert Systems with Applications. (ANI)

Parents of kids, attending Rayne Primary School near Braintree, Essex, discovered that each colour of the ’shagband’ represents a different sex act.

“The children have been walking around with these rubber bands on calling them shagbands,” the Daily Star quoted mum-of-three Andrea Elward, 46, whose 10-year-old daughter studies in the school, as saying.

“My daughter said her friends had got them and could she have a set. Then she went red and giggled when she explained they were called shagbands.

“I had a word with the head and they banned them immediately,” she added. (ANI)

According to a CBS report, most of those would have called themselves “patriots” arguing that their government was betraying traditional principles.

Steve Butler, a physician from Indiana was handing out copies of the Constitution. “If you read the quotes of Thomas Jefferson, these guys were conservatives and they said that the control should be with the people and not with the big government.”

There were plenty of signs identifying Obama with Hitler, or Stalin, that questions his citizenship, that seems to celebrate the death of a famous liberal.

But perhaps what most united these protesters was a broader discontent: a sense that they are not being heard, that their interests, and the national interests, are in the hands of a few. (ANI)

Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, several foreign dignitaries and many political leaders were among those who attended the party.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik, and several prominent Muslim religious leaders were also among the invitees.

During the holy month of Ramadan Muslims observe a daylong fast without water and open it in the evening.

The month-long dawn-to- dusk fast started on August 22, after the sighting of the new moon. (ANI)

Addressing a mass meeting here on Friday, Prachanda said such a revolt would sweep away all the relics of feudalism and establish people’s rule.

He said his party has decided to become more flexible for finding solution of the current political deadlock through dialogue.

“Unless we ensure and bag victory, our revolt will continue. This time the reactionaries will be obliterated by the Maoists from the country’s political scene,” he added.

He also claimed that the commitment proposal floated by his party against the President’s move would be passed in the parliament comfortably as some lawmakers from the UML and the Madhesi parties have assured of their support.

He accused the Nepali Congress and the UML of opposing the idea of discussing the motion out of fear that the government would topple.

Earlier, addressing a workshop organised for senior PLA commanders and unqualified fighters in Shaktikhor, Chitwan, Prachanda informed the combatants that army integration and rehabilitation process would start soon under the supervision of Army Integration Special Committee (AISC).

According to Nepalnews, a number of combatants disqualified by the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) were present at the workshop.

There are over 4,000 disqualified combatants in PLA cantonments despite repeated requests from the international community to discharge them. (ANI)

Like companies, banks, and other big organizations, domestic and small office networks are just as vulnerable to hacking, malicious computer code, worms, viruses, and eavesdropping.

An attack can wreak havoc on individuals and small businesses when security it compromised.

With home and small office networks connecting all kinds of devices – personal computers, mobile devices, remote security cameras, gaming consoles, and more – they represent an even more heterogeneous mix than many larger offices.

Lead researcher Geon Woo Kim of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, in Korea has developed a specification for security policy on home networks that can guarantee reliability and availability.

“Whenever a new access to the home network is found, it should be able to authenticate and authorize it and enforce the security policy based on rules set by the home administrator,” said the researchers.

However, to make such an approach effective but simple requires a way to consistently describe and specify the security policy.

The computer scientists first turned to a computer markup language, eXtensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML).

XACML is a general purpose language and so it lacks the notation for security policies and authorization rules.

The team has now developed a related language – Home security Description Language, xHDL – that includes the necessary notation for securing a home network.

They report details in the International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing.

Each of these terms within xHDL could be used to run a browser-based control centre.

That program would provide the domestic administrator with simple control options to allow access to the home network only for specific devices and to control the packets of information that can pass through the gateway to and from the internet.

The study appears in nternational Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing. (ANI)

According to reports, militants masquerading as social activists managed to sneak in the small car fitted with powerful bombs inside the premises.

Bomb disposal squad of the state police recovered the bombs and took them to a forested area to be defused.

Governor Gurbachan Jagat was in his office when the car bomb was detected.

Attacks on heavily guarded residential areas of ministers and senior officials with bomb or grenade attacks are a frequent occurrence in Manipur. (ANI)

Lead researcher Matthew Anderson, a psychologist at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, said scientists have suggested that one-legged posture helped reduce muscle fatigue and that it was important to thermoregulation, or the maintenance of body temperature.e went on to test the ideas.

During the study, Anderson and his colleagues observed a captive flock at the Philadelphia Zoo.

They looked at the flamingos and timed how long it took for them to start moving from both unipedal and bipedal resiting positions.

He said if the theory was correct, the birds should take their first steps faster coming from the unipedal position, but birds were faster off the block when they had been standing on both legs, ruling out that theory.

While testing for thermoregulation to the test, the team noted the temperature and weather conditions when the flamingos were resting.

They found that when it was warmer, more birds would stand on two feet, while in cooler weather, more favored the one-legged stance.

Anderson said flamingos spend most of their time in the water, and water causes them to lose body heat more rapidly.

“The water just pulls away the body heat really, really quickly,” Live Science quoted Anderson as saying.

“So [the flamingo] really needs as much heat saving as it can possibly get,” he added.

He said the study shows that thermoregulation is a key reason behind the iconic flamingo stance. (ANI)

The Duronto express will cover the 1447-km distance between Sealdah and New Delhi in 16 hours and 20 minutes.

“After 30 years there is a train called Duronto. It will go faster than Rajdhani and it is an achievement, it will go non-stop and will stop only at the operation stop where they will take drinking water or whatever, only operational stoppage, otherwise no,” said Banerjee.

The train will have no commercial stop, but has three operational stops at Dhanbad, Moghalsarai and Kanpur Central.

The 16-coach train comprises one AC-1, three AC-II, four AC-III and five AC-III (economy) coaches.

Banerjee also said the 14 Duronto Expresses announced in the Railway budget would be operational shortly.

These trains will be launched in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore as a pilot project.

Passengers boarding the train on the first day were extremely excited.

“Well, first thing is that first day it has got added attraction plus it is the fastest super fast train. So I got the opportunity I thought I will avail it,” said TK Singh, a passenger. (ANI)

The recovery was made in Hazaribagh district after the police got a tip off that some people were going to supply explosives.

“Police had got the information that some people were going to supply explosives and they were intercepted on the way while they were on a motorcycle. We recovered 900 electronic detonators from them,” said Pankaj Kamboz, superintendent of police, Hazaribagh district.

Detonators are usually used in stone quarries and since the region is Maoist infested the police said they feared that the explosives would have reached the ultras. (ANI)

The Broadcast India 2009 show will cover all aspects of television, film, radio, video, audio, IPTV, mobile tv, computer graphics, visual effects, multimedia, music, lights, cable, satellite, broadband, internet, transmission and all the leading innovations from the infotainment industry.

Over 500 companies from 31 countries will exhibit their latest products, launches, technologies and services for the film and television industry at the show.

Present at the show will be some of the world’s leading manufacturers like Panasonic, Harris, Benchmark, VIZRT, Grass Valley, AVID, Playbox, da vinci, Seachange, Datavideo, Hitachi, Digital Vision, ARRI, Panther, P+S Technik, Cooke Optics, Canon, Dalet, RCS, Daxco, DVS, Digital Rapids, Sennheiser, Monarch and WASP3D.

The Broadcast India Conference will provide a unique opportunity to hear eminent speakers from India and abroad.

The Conference will cover wide range of topics on television, film, audio, radio, iptv, mobile tv, animation and visual effects. (ANI)

Forest officials said a herd of 22 elephants were moving from Panchet forest to the Dalma forest area when the mishap occurred.

“When they tried to cross the pond the calf drowned and the rest of the herd tried hard to save it in vain and it drowned and died,” said Nilratan Panda, assistant district forest officer at Bishnupur.

Home to 60 percent of Asia’s elephants, India has the highest death rate from human-elephant conflict in the world, with 200-250 people and 100 elephants being killed every year. (ANI)

According to a report in National Geographic News, the study was carried out by Surendra Pradhan, an environmental scientist at University of Kuopio in Finland.

In many ways, the substances are natural complements, explained Pradhan.

Urine is high in nitrogen, while wood ash is rich in nutrients not found in urine, such as calcium and magnesium.

Human urine and wood ash have each separately been used as fertilizer for centuries. But until now, no one had explored applying them together.

For the research, Pradhan and his team fertilized several groups of greenhouse tomato plants: one with human urine and birch ash, another with commercial mineral fertilizer, and another with just urine.

Plants fertilized with urine and ash yielded nearly four times more tomatoes than nonfertilized plants.

This compared favorably with commercial mineral fertilizers, which produced roughly five times as much fruit as nonfertilized plants.

To the team’s surprise, urine alone produced a slightly greater yield than those of urine and ash together.

But the urine-and-ash plants became larger than the other groups, and they bore tomatoes with significantly higher levels of the nutrient magnesium, which is key for bone, muscle, and heart health, among other biochemical functions.

A group of 20 taste testers ranked tomatoes grown by all methods as equally tasty.

The best part of this type of fertilization is that “it is a very simple process,” Pradhan said.

The researchers estimate a single person could supply enough urine to fertilize roughly 6,300 tomato plants a year-yielding some 2.4 tons of tomatoes.

The farmer would just need to give plants ash three days or more after applying urine.

Pradhan and his colleagues are now trying to implement this idea in Nepal. (ANI)