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Pay deal ends South Africa’s World Cup stadium builders’ strike

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Johannesburg, July 15: A week-long strike at several South Africa World Cup stadium construction sites ended Wednesday after a new pay deal was struck during marathon talks between unions representing the construction workers and employers.

Around 70,000 construction workers at five of 10 World Cup stadiums and several other key infrastructure projects downed tools on July 8 over pay. Their unions said they would resume work Thursday.

The strike had sparked fears of some cities missing the December deadline set by World Cup organizers FIFA for the stadiums.

India gets eight of Pakistan’s 14 2011 WC matches

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Mumbai, July 15: The Central Organising Committee (COC) of the 2011 World Cup today recommended India to host eight of the 14 matches that were earlier allotted to Pakistan.

The COC met here to recommend the ICC Board as to where, within Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, the 14 matches originally allocated to Pakistan should be staged and where the tournament secretariat would be based.

Sri Lanka will host the remaining four matches and Bangladesh two. India will now host 29 matches, Sri Lanka 12 and Bangladesh eight.

With no sign of jobs, US pushes for career changes

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Washington, July 15: As a new analysis puts the average broadly defined US unemployment rate at around 20 percent, a new plan has been put in motion to encourage out-of-work Americans to start new careers.

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday went to Macomb Community College — the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan — to unveil plans to inject $12 billion into community colleges over a period of ten years.

US to form new brigades for Iraq mission

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Washington, July 15: The Pentagon says it will deploy newly created army brigades in Iraq ahead of a planned withdrawal of US combat forces from the war-torn country.

The US Defense Department says about 14,000 troops in four brigades will help train Iraqi security forces and protect ongoing civilian efforts.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman says the troops are the first elements of a residual US force.

Hong Kong man, 81, begins jail term for attempted rape of maid

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Victoria, July 15: Hong Kong man, 81, begins jail term for attempted rape of maidHong Kong – An 81-year-old Hong Kong man has begun a two-year jail term for the attempted rape of his family’s maid, a news report said Wednesday.

Wong Pak-sum, who was jailed after a High Court hearing on Tuesday, is believed to be the oldest man to be convicted of the offence in the former British colony.

He assaulted the 36-year-old maid after being left alone with her in the family’s flat in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district in October. Wong’s son and daughter-in-law live in the same flat.

Lieberman corruption charges beginning to stick

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Jerusalem, July 15: Sufficient evidence exists to prosecute Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for corruption and disrupting a police investigation, a report says.

Lieberman is suspected of money laundering, breaching public trust, fraudulent receipt of goods, and interrupting the course of an investigation against him, Israeli police investigators said on Tuesday.

National Fraud Unit officials met with Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz on Tuesday night to discuss the lengthy corruption investigation and presented their findings to him, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Are Pakistani Batsmen Chokers?

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St Lucia, July 15: A five wickets haul by H Herath has led Sri Lanka to a dramatic win over Pakistan in second test match at Colombo on Tuesday as Sri Lanka has taken an unbeatable lead of 2-0 in the three test match series.

At one stage, Pakistan was looking in the commanding position with 284 runs on the board with loss of just one wicket but suddenly the whole scenario changed and Pakistan lost 9 wickets with adding just 36 runs in the total to set target of 171 runs for Sri Lanka.

Celina wages war against Baba Ram Dev over homosexuality

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Mumbai, July 15: Celina Jaitley and Baba Ramdev are involved in raging war of words!

Apparently, it all started with the end of 145 year old rule declaring homosexuality a crime by the Delhi High Court. That’s when Baba Ramdev decided to take matters into his own hands and called homosexuality a ‘disease’ which he could cure through yoga!

Baba promenaded his obvious ignorance on the subject by calling homosexuals- animals and homosexuality a virus that can be cured through yoga.

Lara Dutta gets in bikini for Yash Raj next

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Mumbai, July 15: Lara Dutta gets in bikini for Yash Raj next The latest buzz in B-town is that the beauty queen Lara Dutta is all set to do the next project of Yash Raj films.

The project is yet untitled but the actress is working hard to get the glam and size zero look for the film.

As per the sources, “Lara will be wearing a bikini in the film for which she has been working hard to get the very slim figure.”

Shakib likely to lead in second Test

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Melbourne, July 15: Shakib Al Hasan is likely to take over from Mashrafe Mortaza as captain of the Bangladesh team for the second Test against West Indies starting Friday at St George’s, Cricinfo has learnt.

Mashrafe, the captain for the series, is expected to return to action only after the results of an MRI scan that was conducted on his right knee in Grenada on Tuesday is analysed by a surgeon in Melbourne.

Siddle stumps talk of sledge pledge

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Cardiff, July 15: Before this Ashes series it was reported Australia players, almost as famous for their verbal taunts as their on-field brillance, had received letters banning them from ‘sledging’.

But any lingering doubt was set aside by tyro fast bowler Peter Siddle here at Lord’s on Tuesday when, speaking ahead of the second Ashes Test, he said with a grin: “If it was sent, I don’t think we’ve received it yet.”

Test-deprived Pak needs time, says captain

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Karachi, July 15: Captain Younus Khan has blamed Pakistan’s Test series defeat against Sri Lanka on inexperience, saying his team just does not play enough matches.

“There has been hardly any Test cricket for us in the last couple of years, so whenever we are under pressure we collapse,” Younus told reporters after a seven-wicket defeat in the second Test on Tuesday.

The loss gave Sri Lanka a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series with the final Test due to start at the Sinhalese sports club in the Sri Lankan capital on July 20.

Priyanka’s sizzling kiss out in open

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Mumbai, July 15: Priyanka is out in open with her sizzling kiss. Still guessing, well Priyanka Kothari’s new song form Ram Gopal Varma’s Agyaat is buzzing the on the promos.

The song ‘Kiss you day and night’ features a sizzling Priyanka getting cozy with newcomer Nitin Reddy in a sea beach. The song is on its way to become the next chart buster after New York’s ‘Mere Sang’

Saif doesn’t know Deepika Padukone

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Mumbai, July 15: With the amount of publicity that she has got for Love Aaj Kal, Kareena Kapoor is surely the invisible heroine in Imtiaz Ali’s movie Love Aaj Kal.

Saif Ali Khan has time and again said that he wanted his ladylove instead of Deepika Padukone in the movie. This meant that a cold war started between Deepika and Kareena and the Om Shanti Om girl ignored Bebo when she organised a screening for the movie.

It’s hard to find honesty in Western policy: envoy

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Tehran, July 15: Iran’s ambassador to Indonesia says finding “honesty” in Western countries’ internal and foreign policies is very difficult.

Ambassador Kamalvandi Behrouz noted that measures taken by the West in many countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, clearly illustrate the unjust Western policies, IRNA reported on Tuesday.

He said that the West is trying to undermine the harmony of democracy and religion in Iran, adding that democracy in Iran, which is based on Islamic principles, is thriving.

Anushka is a busy bee

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Hyderabad, July 15: Anushka is a busy bee Paired opposite Mahesh Babu, gorgeous actress Anushka is currently busy shooting for her Telugu flick Varudu. She has also completed 60% shooting for Vettaikaaran in which she is paired alongside Vijay.

Speaking to the media at the shooting location in Rajasthan, Anushka said, “After the Tamil film Rendu I got lot of offers. But I was waiting patiently to get a good break. The result, I got the chance to act in Vettaikaaran with Vijay.”

“I bring in emotional intelligence to ‘Jashnn’” – Anjana Sukhani

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Mumbai, July 15: Anjana Sukhani is proud to admit that ‘Jashnn’ is one of the major milestones in her film career so far.

Though she has featured in multi crore extravaganzas like ‘Golmaal Returns’ and ‘Salaam E Ishq’ before, it was high time that she gets a role, which allows her enough scope for displaying histrionics. As Sara in ‘Jashnn’, she gets to play a character that isn’t just eye candy but also contributes in a major way to the film’s plot. Over to Anjana who talks about her BIG film!

Taiwan Air Force plane goes missing over Taiwan Strait

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Taipei, July 15: A Taiwan Air Force F-5F plane went missing while training over the Taiwan Strait Wednesday morning, according to a news report.

The twin-seat F-5F lost contact with the air base while flying over the Penghu Islands, the archipelago halfway between Taiwan and China.

The Air Force sent other aircraft to search for the missing jet, the report said.

—–Agencies

Pakistan Boycotts ICC Meeting For Sealing WC Venues

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Karachi, July 15: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted to boycott the meeting of the 2011 World Cup Organizing Committee in which the venues for the matches of the 2011 World Cup has been finalized in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Pakistan was invited in the meeting of the ICC event’s Central Organising Committee (COC) as co-host for the World Cup 2011 which will be now hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh jointly.

Egypt jails poet for verse insulting Mubarak

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Cairo, July 15: An Egyptian has been sentenced to three years in prison because he wrote a satirical poem about President Hosni Mubarak.

A judicial source told AFP on Tuesday that civil servant Mounir Said Hanna Marzuq was given the maximum sentence for insulting the head of state.

Marzuq wrote the poem for friends in the hope that one day it would be turned into a song.

He was jailed in Maghagha, southern Egypt in May after a colleague lodged a formal complaint about the poem deemed insulting to Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981.

China criticizes Erdogan for genocide remarks

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Ankara, July 15: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticized by China for describing the Xinjiang violence as “genocide”.

The English-language China Daily said in an editorial on Tuesday that Erdogan should retract his criticism that China had failed to stop the violence.

“Mr. Erdogan’s description of the riots in Xinjiang as ‘a kind of genocide’ is an irresponsible and groundless accusation,” the paper wrote.

US ready to counter N Korean attack, general says

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Washington, July 15: The United States is ready to counter any possible attack from North Korea, says the top US military commander in South Korea.

General Walter “Skip” Sharp said on Tuesday that US and South Korean forces were prepared for “anything North Korea can throw at us.”

Speaking by video conference from New York, the general also urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to stop threatening the world with nuclear and missile tests.

The North conducted its second nuclear test and a series of missile launches earlier this year.

England need Harmison at Lord’s: Gillespie

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Melbourne, July 13: England erred by omitting Steve Harmison from the first Ashes Test and they should make amends by bringing back the right-arm pacer in the second Test at Lord’s, said former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie.

According to him, England should unleash Harmison and his “unnerving bounce” at Lord’s, something the Australian batsmen did not have to face in the first Test in Cardiff.

Sameera Reddy quitting Bollywood?

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Mumbai, July 13: A string of flops and very little appreciation, well Sameera Reddy has very little to boast off as far as her Bollywood career is concerned.

Now there are rumours the that the actress has decided to pack her bags and leave the tinsel town.

The actress currently has no films in hand while many of her contemporary stars can afford to be choosy.

‘I didn’t quite play like Yuvraj’: Monty

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Cardiff, July 13: After enacting one of the great escapes in Test cricket in Cardiff, Monty Panesar said he had been working on his batting which paid off but did not bat like Indian swashbuckler Yuvraj Singh in England’s drawn Ashes opener.

“I didn’t quite play like Yuvraj Singh, which Graeme Swann said about me the other day, but I’ve been working hard on my batting and it paid off,” Panesar wrote in ‘Daily Mail’ referring to Swann’s comment on the second day of the Test that he batted like Yuvraj.