Month: September 2009

PCB sacks COO Salim Altaf

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Karachi, September 01: Former Pakistan Test player Salim Altaf has been sacked as chief operating officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“The chairman of the board (Ejaz Butt) has said in a letter that the services of Mr Salim Altaf are no longer required by the board,” a PCB spokesman said on Monday.

Altaf told Reuters he had not received any termination letter from the board as yet, adding: “I reserve the right to pursue legal action against the board for this unfair dismissal of my services.”

–Agencies

Monty may lose central contract: Reports

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London, September 01: Out of form spinner Monty Panesar and Ian Bell are among the six English cricketers, who are set to take off the list of England`s centrally-contracted players when the new deals are announced in the next 15 days.

According to a report, Ryan Sidebottom and Stephen Harmison, who is considering retirement, could also be taken off the centrally-contracted
players` list.

“As many as half of England`s centrally contracted players could miss out when the next wave of year-long deals is announced,” the newspaper reported.

India beat Syria to lift Nehru Cup

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New Delhi, September 01: Defending champions India beat Syria 5-4 in the penalty shootouts to lift their second successive Nehru Cup title at the Ambedkar Stadium

Goal-keeper Subroto Paul, who saved three penalties to become India’s saviour, was awarded the man of the match.

We want to be kept in loop by IPL: Shah Rukh

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Mumbai, September 01: Resenting the BCCI decision to terminate the contract of event management company IMG, Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan on Monday said he wanted to be kept in the loop on all important decisions pertaining to the Indian Premier League.

“These are all important decisions. All we want is to be kept in the loop. A lot of our sponsorship deals depend on the backbone of the IPL,” he told reporters after an internal function of the franchisee.

Bond returns to revive struggling New Zealand

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Colombo, August 01: New Zealand’s pace spearhead Shane Bond makes a comeback to official cricket after two years when he plays in a Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Bond, 34, regarded as the best New Zealand fast bowler since Richard Hadlee, was delighted to be playing again for his country after snapping links with the unauthorized Indian Cricket League (ICL).

“It’s been a long time coming and it’s something I never thought would happen again,” he said. “It feels like I am starting all over again.”

Sania, Somdev advance in US Open

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New York, September 01: Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza notched up a rare double for India at the US Open by advancing to the second round of the season’s last Grand Slam with contrasting opening wins at the Flushing Meadows.

While Sania opened with a roller-coaster 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Olga Govortsova of Belarus in women’s singles, qualifier Somdev got the better of Portugal’s Frederico Gil 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the men’s competition.

The 162nd-ranked Somdev will take on German 23rd seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who defeated Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-0, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.

Voges replaces Haddin in Australian ODI squad

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Sydney, September 01: Adam Voges has been added to Australia`s one-day squad on tour in England to replace injured wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

Voges was already in England with Australia`s Twenty20 team but will remain with the side for the one-day series after Haddin returned home for surgery on a broken finger.

“With Brad Haddin`s injury, the national selection panel has taken the opportunity to add Adam Voges to Australia`s squad for the seven one-day internationals against England,” chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said in a statement on Tuesday.

Bond returns to revive struggling New Zealand

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Colombo, September 01: New Zealand`s pace spearhead Shane Bond makes a comeback to official cricket after two years when he plays in a Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka here on Tuesday.

Bond, 34, regarded as the best New Zealand fast bowler since Richard Hadlee, was delighted to be playing again for his country after snapping links with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL).

“It`s been a long time coming and it`s something I never thought would happen again,” he said. “It feels like I am starting all over again.”

Astronauts transfer cargo carrier to ISS

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Washington, September 01: The crews of the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station
Monday transferred a container holding 816 kilograms of cargo to the station.

In the first day of joint operations at the station, the crews used a robotic arm to take the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module out of the shuttle’s payload bay and install it outside the station for easy access during spacewalks.

Indonesian satellite launched from China misses orbit

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Beijing, September 01: An Indonesian communications satellite launched from China failed to enter a preset orbit, state media reported, in another setback in China’s efforts to market its space launch capability.

China is rapidly expanding its own space capability and plans to land a vehicle on the moon in 2012.

The Palapa D satellite, owned by Indonesian satellite communications company Indosat, was launched by a Chinese-made Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang launch site in Sichuan province, southwestern China on Monday.

Astronomers locate site for perfect observatory

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Sydney, September 01: The search for the best observatory site in the world has led to the discovery of what is thought to be the coldest, driest and calmest place on earth.

No human is thought to have ever been there but it is expected to yield images of the heavens three times sharper than ever taken from the ground. The site known as Ridge A is 4,053 metres high up on the Antarctic Plateau.

Sanjay Dutt all set to do an autobiographical role on drug addiction

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Mumbai, September 01: Having lived a tumultuous life owing to his spoilt bratty ways, Sanjay Dutt’s real life story has all the elements needed to make a smash hit potboiler. From drug addiction to a much publicized prison term, Dutt makes the perfect poster boy for a man destroyed by wealth and fame.

And now choreographer-turned-writer Ahmed Khan is all set to make an autobiographical film on the actor’s life with Sanju in the lead.

HC again directs BJP-ruled MP Govt. not to make ‘Suraya Namaskar’ compulsory in schools

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Bhopal, August 30: (Pervez Bari): The Madhya Pradesh High Court in an interim order has directed the state Government not to force educational institutions to conduct “Suraya Namaskar” (salutations to so-called sun god).

This direction comes in the wake of the fresh order issued by the Bharatiya Janata Party ruled Madhya Pradesh Government to conduct “Surya Namaskar” in the morning hours of every Saturday in schools.

Sukhvinder Singh readies for his acting debut

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Mumbai, September 01: Noted playback singer Sukhvinder Singh, who has lend his voice to many charbusters including `Jai Ho` from Oscar-winning `Slumdog Millionaire`, has decided to test his acting skills and is all set to make his onscreen debut with `Khudi Ko Kar Bulund Itna`.
Sukhvinder, who has given hit numbers like `Jalwa` (Fashion) and `Dhan Te Dhan` (Kaminey) more recently, said he chose this movie because he identified closely with the film`s subject.

`Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani ` to release on November 6

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Mumbai, September 01: Rajkumar Santoshi`s `Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani` is all set for a threatrical release on November six.
Santoshi, who has not had box office success for quite some time, has tried his hand at comedy after his debut movie `Andaz Apna Apna`.

He is optimistic that audiences will like the film and his lead pair Ranbir Kapoor-Katrina Kaif.

“Katrina has tried her hand at comedy for the first time and has done a good job,” Santoshi said.

“Ranbir plays Prem in the film. It`s a love story and Prem also stands for love,” he said.

Will not quit parliamentary panel: Jaswant Singh

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New Delhi, September 01: A combative Jaswant Singh Tuesday said he would not quit as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, a day after the expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was told by his former party to quit the parliamentary post.

Asked by reporters if he would oblige the BJP by quitting the PAC, Jaswant Singh said he would not.

“The decision (to ask him to quit the PAC) is of the (Lok Sabha) speaker, and not of a political party,” he said.

Pakistan building new nuke weapons: Report

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New Delhi, September 01: In yet another confirmation of the expansion of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, a new report has revealed that the Islamabad is readying new nuclear facilities and weapons to go with it.

As per a media report, a top US nuclear scientists group has unearthed new evidence of Pakistan government’s continuing efforts to enhance its nuclear weapon stockpile.

Maoist leader wanted for murder held

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Lucknow, September 01: A Maoist leader wanted for killing policemen and exploding landmines in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has been arrested in the forests of Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district, police said Tuesday.

Phaggu Kharwar was caught Monday evening after a gun fight in the dense Darma forests. Four of his aides escaped, district police chief Pritendra Singh told reporters.

Sonbhadra is about 250 km from Lucknow.

Investment papers worth Rs.72 lakh seized from Jharkhand bureaucrat

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Ranchi, September 01: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths, who raided the houses of a senior civil servant in Jharkhand for his alleged involvement in a Rs.1.3 billion scam in the state’s health department, have seized investment documents worth at least Rs.72 lakh (Rs.7.2 million) from his possession.

These include Rs.47 lakh worth of fixed deposit documents, investment documents worth over Rs.25 lakh and documents of flats in New Delhi and Udaipur, informed sources said.

India Yamaha August sales up 63 percent

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New Delhi, September 01: Two-wheeler manufacturer India Yamaha Motor has registered a 63 percent sales growth in August, as compared to the like month last year, the company said Tuesday.

“The economy is finally emerging out of the woods and showing signs of recovery, signalling growth in automobile industry,” said India Yamaha chief executive and managing director Yukimine Tsuji.

The company sold 19,508 units last month as against 11,974 units sold in August last year.

Jet Airways begins operation on Kochi-Sharjah route

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Kochi, September 01: Jet Airways Tuesday launched services to the Gulf emirate of Sharjah, with the introduction of a daily service from here.

The new flight is Jet’s fourth daily service to the Gulf from Kochi, complementing its services to Doha, Kuwait and Muscat.

It is also the carrier’s eighth daily service to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from India, flying to Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Jeddah.

Jet Airways had started services to Dubai from Hyderabad Aug 16.

Apex court asks Gujarat why Jaswant’s book was banned

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New Delhi, September 01: The Supreme Court Tuesday issued notice to the Gujarat government seeking its response to a lawsuit by ousted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh challenging the ban on his book “Jinnah: India – Partition – Independence” in the state.

A bench of Justice Altmas Kabir and Justice Cyriac Joseph while issuing the notice to the Gujarat government decided to hear Singh’s lawsuit Sep 8.

The Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had banned the book after the controversy rocked the BJP party.

–Agencies

Global downturn drawing to a close: Manmohan Singh

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New Delhi, September 01: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said the global economic slump that had also hit India was finally drawing to a close with a pick-up expected in the ensuing months, even though poor monsoon did not bode well for the country.

“We have been through a difficult year because of the global economic downturn, which is only now coming to an end with a slow return to normalcy in the months that lie ahead,” the prime minister told a meeting of the full Planning Commission, which he chairs.

Right dose of omega-3 fatty acid identified

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Washington, September 01: A team of French scientists has identified just the right dose of DHA acid that prevents heart disease in healthy men.

This study is the first to identify how much DHA or docosahexaenoic acid (omega-3 fatty acid) is necessary to promote optimal heart health.

Scientists show that a 200 mg daily dose of DHA is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems, such as those related to aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes.

Sensex plummets sharply, wipes out gains

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Mumbai, September 01: A key index of the Indian equities markets fell sharply in afternoon trade Tuesday, wiping out a 1.6 percent gain garnered in previous sessions.

At 2.12 p.m., the 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 15,691.27 points, was trading at 15,535.84 points, down 107 points or 0.68 percent.

Around the same time, the Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) too was ruling in the red at 4,627.15 points, down 0.75 percent.