Mamata slams Buddhadeb, says he 'misled' nation on abducted cops

NEW DELHI: Demanding information on two policemen missing for months, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday met the home ministerand then accused West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of misleading the country. The two cops were abducted by Maoists on July 30."I along the families of two missing constables met the home minister. He said he was upset and equally concerned. Though law and order is a state subject, he assured of all possible help in searching for them," Banerjee said after meeting Chidambaram here.The two constables Kanchan Garai and Sabir Ali Mollah had been whisked away by Maoists on July 30 from West Midnapore district, and there has been no trace of them since. Last Saturday at a press conference here, Bhattacharjee made a remark regarding the "death"...

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Mamata slams Buddhadeb, says he 'misled' nation on abducted cops

NEW DELHI: Demanding information on two policemen missing for months, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday met the home ministerand then accused West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of misleading the country. The two cops were abducted by Maoists on July 30."I along the families of two missing constables met the home minister. He said he was upset and equally concerned. Though law and order is a state subject, he assured of all possible help in searching for them," Banerjee said after meeting Chidambaram here.The two constables Kanchan Garai and Sabir Ali Mollah had been whisked away by Maoists on July 30 from West Midnapore district, and there has been no trace of them since. Last Saturday at a press conference here, Bhattacharjee made a remark regarding the "death"...

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Girls warned not to hide boyfriends' guns

LONDON: A campaign warning girls not to stash or carry guns for their boyfriends was launched by London police on Wednesday. The hard-hitting adverts, which are aimed at 15 to 19-year-olds of African and African Caribbean heritage, are designed to combat a worrying growth in the number of young women being arrested and convicted of possessing weapons.times of in...

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Girls warned not to hide boyfriends' guns

LONDON: A campaign warning girls not to stash or carry guns for their boyfriends was launched by London police on Wednesday. The hard-hitting adverts, which are aimed at 15 to 19-year-olds of African and African Caribbean heritage, are designed to combat a worrying growth in the number of young women being arrested and convicted of possessing weapons.times of in...

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Indians feel attacks not due to race, but financial conditions

MELBOURNE: With incidents of attacks on Indians here on the rise, many community members feel the root cause of such assaults is not race but the students' financial conditions that force them to be out at night for odd jobs to meet high cost of living in Australia. Many Indians in Australia feel students from India should be "alert" and "careful" if they travelling at odd hours in the night. "It is not the race that is the problem but it is their hard financial conditions," Ravi Bhatia, Primus CEO and a leading community member, said reacting to the latest attack in which a 22-year old Sikh was attacked while he was asleep at a bus stop. "What makes you sleep at that time at a bus stop. Are you not inviting problems by doing so?" he asked. "Students as a migrants have some obligations...

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Indians feel attacks not due to race, but financial conditions

MELBOURNE: With incidents of attacks on Indians here on the rise, many community members feel the root cause of such assaults is not race but the students' financial conditions that force them to be out at night for odd jobs to meet high cost of living in Australia. Many Indians in Australia feel students from India should be "alert" and "careful" if they travelling at odd hours in the night. "It is not the race that is the problem but it is their hard financial conditions," Ravi Bhatia, Primus CEO and a leading community member, said reacting to the latest attack in which a 22-year old Sikh was attacked while he was asleep at a bus stop. "What makes you sleep at that time at a bus stop. Are you not inviting problems by doing so?" he asked. "Students as a migrants have some obligations...

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US lauds UPA govt's policy on religious freedom

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has described as "good" Manmohan Singh government's policyon religious freedom but said it has "concerns"on the issue at the local level, especially in BJP-ruled states, PTI reported.The first report on international religious freedom after Barack Obama assumed office in January said: "...we are very mindful that there are still inner religious tensions within the society, and I think our focus would be on the lack of response at a local level rather than a national - the national policy is good.”"Although the vast majority of citizens of every religious group lived in peaceful coexistence, some organized societal attacks against minority religious groups occurred," the report said alleging "the state police...

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US lauds UPA govt's policy on religious freedom

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has described as "good" Manmohan Singh government's policyon religious freedom but said it has "concerns"on the issue at the local level, especially in BJP-ruled states, PTI reported.The first report on international religious freedom after Barack Obama assumed office in January said: "...we are very mindful that there are still inner religious tensions within the society, and I think our focus would be on the lack of response at a local level rather than a national - the national policy is good.”"Although the vast majority of citizens of every religious group lived in peaceful coexistence, some organized societal attacks against minority religious groups occurred," the report said alleging "the state police...

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Akram's wife was taken out of Pakistan against doctors' advice

LAHORE: Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram's wife Huma, who died in a Chennai hospital two days ago, was reportedly flown out of the countryagainst the advice of doctors treating her in this eastern Pakistani city.The physicians are of the view that the decision proved fatal as Huma was not in a condition to be allowed by any doctor to travel abroad for treatment."A panel of 10 senior doctors of three hospitals in Lahore had advised Wasim Akram not to take her abroad to Singapore in view of her serious health condition," said one of the physicians, who did not wish to be named.Huma died in a hospital in Chennai on Sunday and was buried here on Monday.According to Huma's physician at the National Defence Hospital in Lahore, she developed a throat...

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Akram's wife was taken out of Pakistan against doctors' advice

LAHORE: Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram's wife Huma, who died in a Chennai hospital two days ago, was reportedly flown out of the countryagainst the advice of doctors treating her in this eastern Pakistani city.The physicians are of the view that the decision proved fatal as Huma was not in a condition to be allowed by any doctor to travel abroad for treatment."A panel of 10 senior doctors of three hospitals in Lahore had advised Wasim Akram not to take her abroad to Singapore in view of her serious health condition," said one of the physicians, who did not wish to be named.Huma died in a hospital in Chennai on Sunday and was buried here on Monday.According to Huma's physician at the National Defence Hospital in Lahore, she developed a throat...

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Tamil billionaire's arrest puts Sri Lanka on guard

Colombo: A Sri Lankan-born billionaire's arrest in the largest US hedge fund insider trading case triggered new scrutiny on Monday in his native country over the possibility his money found its way to Tamil rebels.US authorities on Friday charged Raj Rajaratnam, the 52-year-old founder of the Galleon Group hedge fund, and others with making up to $20 million in illegal profits through a network of secret informants.The arrest sent ripples through Rajaratnam's native Sri Lanka, where he is at once viewed with admiration for his success and suspicion because of at least $5 million US records show he gave to the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).Rajaratnam has not been charged with any crime in Sri Lanka, nor has the United States charged him in the case of the TRO.The TRO's funds were...

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Tamil billionaire's arrest puts Sri Lanka on guard

Colombo: A Sri Lankan-born billionaire's arrest in the largest US hedge fund insider trading case triggered new scrutiny on Monday in his native country over the possibility his money found its way to Tamil rebels.US authorities on Friday charged Raj Rajaratnam, the 52-year-old founder of the Galleon Group hedge fund, and others with making up to $20 million in illegal profits through a network of secret informants.The arrest sent ripples through Rajaratnam's native Sri Lanka, where he is at once viewed with admiration for his success and suspicion because of at least $5 million US records show he gave to the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).Rajaratnam has not been charged with any crime in Sri Lanka, nor has the United States charged him in the case of the TRO.The TRO's funds were...

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Ambani gas row hearing to start in SC today

Mumbai: India's billionaire Ambani brothers face off in the country's top court this week over a gas pricing case with all guns blazing: lined on each side are a battery of India's highest paid legal brains.The Supreme Court will on Tuesday start hearing arguments in the case between Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani, and Reliance Natural Resources, led by Anil Ambani, over a deal to sell gas to RNRL at below-market rates as per a family settlement.This is not the first time the brothers, sons of legendary businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, have fought over business interests that span oil and gas, retail, telecoms, entertainment, financial services and infrastructure since a 2005 settlement brokered by their mother Kokilaben.Two years ago, talks between Anil's Reliance Communications...

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Ambani gas row hearing to start in SC today

Mumbai: India's billionaire Ambani brothers face off in the country's top court this week over a gas pricing case with all guns blazing: lined on each side are a battery of India's highest paid legal brains.The Supreme Court will on Tuesday start hearing arguments in the case between Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani, and Reliance Natural Resources, led by Anil Ambani, over a deal to sell gas to RNRL at below-market rates as per a family settlement.This is not the first time the brothers, sons of legendary businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, have fought over business interests that span oil and gas, retail, telecoms, entertainment, financial services and infrastructure since a 2005 settlement brokered by their mother Kokilaben.Two years ago, talks between Anil's Reliance Communications...

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Cricket and Commonwealth

London: Cricket and the Commonwealth are ‘two institutions that inter-link and endure’, said former United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir John Major at a recent dinner to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Modern Commonwealth at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Sir John spoke of the bonds of shared Commonwealth values, many of which find expression in cricket. He also spoke of nations defining and advancing themselves through the “magic [of cricket] that was a guiding light for the dispossessed and the disenfranchised”. Said Sir John: “Over many decades, cricket has, for some, been an escape from obscurity to fame, poverty to comfort, exclusion to inclusion. “Cricket and the Commonwealth continue to march together. The intricacies of both are difficult to explain, but both continue to thrive. They are...

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Cricket and Commonwealth

London: Cricket and the Commonwealth are ‘two institutions that inter-link and endure’, said former United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir John Major at a recent dinner to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Modern Commonwealth at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Sir John spoke of the bonds of shared Commonwealth values, many of which find expression in cricket. He also spoke of nations defining and advancing themselves through the “magic [of cricket] that was a guiding light for the dispossessed and the disenfranchised”. Said Sir John: “Over many decades, cricket has, for some, been an escape from obscurity to fame, poverty to comfort, exclusion to inclusion. “Cricket and the Commonwealth continue to march together. The intricacies of both are difficult to explain, but both continue to thrive. They are...

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I am the champion: Jenson Button

SAO PAULO: With a British flag proclaiming ‘Great Button’ draped over his shoulders, Jenson Button stood and repeated over and over again four of the sweetest-sounding words in the English language. “I am the champion,” the 29-year-old said, shouted and roared to anyone in earshot after making a lifelong dream come true in the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday with a fifth-place finish which he said felt like a victory. Australian Mark Webber won the race, followed by Robert Kubica and third-placed Lewis Hamilton. The fifth-place was good enough to give Button an insurmountable 15-point lead in the drivers’ standings ahead of the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi on November 1. “I am the world champion, baby, and I’m not going to stop saying it....

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I am the champion: Jenson Button

SAO PAULO: With a British flag proclaiming ‘Great Button’ draped over his shoulders, Jenson Button stood and repeated over and over again four of the sweetest-sounding words in the English language. “I am the champion,” the 29-year-old said, shouted and roared to anyone in earshot after making a lifelong dream come true in the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday with a fifth-place finish which he said felt like a victory. Australian Mark Webber won the race, followed by Robert Kubica and third-placed Lewis Hamilton. The fifth-place was good enough to give Button an insurmountable 15-point lead in the drivers’ standings ahead of the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi on November 1. “I am the world champion, baby, and I’m not going to stop saying it....

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Labour strike in Haryana, 1 lakh workers protest

Gurgaon: A labor strike in a Gurgaon-based auto component factory in Haryana turned violent on Tuesday with over one lakh workers protesting and staying away from work in 60-odd companies in the automobile hub.The strike has been called by the All India Trade Union Congress to protest alleged police inaction in a labour unrest which left one worker dead and six people injured. While a case of murder has been registered by the Gurgaon Police, hundreds of striking workers at RICO, the auto-parts manufacturing unit, sat outside the factory gate in protest. The management, they claimed, was responsible for triggering the violence on Sunday evening. Gurgaon Police Commissioner SS Deswal had earlier told a news agency that "The workers' strike is...

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Labour strike in Haryana, 1 lakh workers protest

Gurgaon: A labor strike in a Gurgaon-based auto component factory in Haryana turned violent on Tuesday with over one lakh workers protesting and staying away from work in 60-odd companies in the automobile hub.The strike has been called by the All India Trade Union Congress to protest alleged police inaction in a labour unrest which left one worker dead and six people injured. While a case of murder has been registered by the Gurgaon Police, hundreds of striking workers at RICO, the auto-parts manufacturing unit, sat outside the factory gate in protest. The management, they claimed, was responsible for triggering the violence on Sunday evening. Gurgaon Police Commissioner SS Deswal had earlier told a news agency that "The workers' strike is...

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I have played with a lot of passion: Sachin

Just before he began a TV interview, Sachin Tendulkar requested the two technicians sitting behind the camera in front of him, not to move. If they did, it was possible he would get distracted and look at them rather than his interviewer. The men nodded and the conversation began. Something else also happened for the next 45 minutes. Seventeen other people in the room behind the glare of lights on Tendulkar's side also froze - out of instant obedience.It is what Tendulkar has done over twenty years of international cricket: striking the ball, scoring the runs, giving India floods of joy, bursts of hope and a renewed shower of spontaneous respect.Just before Tendulkar's 20th international season began, he spoke to India Today about his international career, his opinions on the modern game...

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I have played with a lot of passion: Sachin

Just before he began a TV interview, Sachin Tendulkar requested the two technicians sitting behind the camera in front of him, not to move. If they did, it was possible he would get distracted and look at them rather than his interviewer. The men nodded and the conversation began. Something else also happened for the next 45 minutes. Seventeen other people in the room behind the glare of lights on Tendulkar's side also froze - out of instant obedience.It is what Tendulkar has done over twenty years of international cricket: striking the ball, scoring the runs, giving India floods of joy, bursts of hope and a renewed shower of spontaneous respect.Just before Tendulkar's 20th international season began, he spoke to India Today about his international career, his opinions on the modern game...

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