A family where five girls are wrestlers

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New Delhi, August 09: Ostracised initially for taking up wrestling, five Bhiwani girls from the same family have now become the pride of their village after all of them bagged gold medals at the Asian Cadet Championship.

The proud father, Mahabir Singh Phagot, who had once been criticised by the Balali village elders is basking in the glory of his daughters and has been honoured with the title of “Lion of the Village”.

Three of the triumphant five are his own daughters, while the other two are of his late elder brother.

Saina shocked by England’s ‘immature’ pullout decision

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Hyderabad, August 09: Stunned by England’s “immature” decision to pull out of the World Badminton Championship due to perceived security threat, top Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal today said it would not take any sheen out of the elite event.

“It’s an immature decision but I don’t think it makes much of a difference to the tournament because there are no English top players in the singles event,” Saina said.

Omar for integration of adventure sports, tourism

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Srinagar, August 09: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has underscored the importance of showcasing state’s potential for adventure sports and said efforts should be made to integrate sports events and tourism activities.

“This (integration of sports and tourism) would give new dimension to the efforts of the government to revive the tourism sector and generate large scale economic activities,” Omar said after giving away prizes to the winners of 2nd Kashmir Cup International Rafting Championship at Sonamarg, 100 kms from here, yesterday.

Helicopter Collided With Plane Over NY. 9 Killed

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New York, August 09: Nine people were feared killed Saturday after a helicopter carrying Italian tourists collided with a light plane over New York’s Hudson River.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said two deaths were confirmed and that there was almost no hope of finding survivors after the accident, which took place in full view of horrified residents.

The helicopter was carrying five Italian tourists and a pilot. Two passengers, including one child, and a pilot were aboard the single-propeller plane, the mayor said.

Cloud Burst In Uttarakhand 15 Dead

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Uttarakhand, August 09: Fifteen people were killed and 38 others feared trapped in debris after a cloud burst triggered a massive landslide in the district early on Sunday.

At least 16 houses were destroyed in Chachna, Lah and Rumiadola villages trapping 43 people, including 11 children and eight women, following heavy rains in Mushiyari block, official sources said.

“It’s a major tragedy. There has been extensive damage in the three villages,” Chief Minister Ramesh Pokriyal said after visiting the affected areas.

Bad Flooding In Taiwan Over 50 yrs

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Taipei, August 09: Taiwan’s government mobilised troops on Sunday to rescue tens of thousands of residents trapped in the island’s worst flooding in 50 years, which left one person dead and at least 29 missing, officials said.

Typhoon Morakot pounded Taiwan over the weekend with powerful winds and torrential rain. The number of people listed as missing and feared dead went up from eight to 29, the government’s National Fire Agency said.

Iran Charges Dozens With Helping Western Plot

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Tehran, August 09: An Iranian court on Saturday charged a French woman, two Iranians working for the British and French embassies in Tehran and dozens of others with spying and aiding a Western plot to overthrow the system of clerical rule. Britain said the trial of its embassy employee was an “outrage”.

Not In India Favouring Mukesh Ambani, Oil Ministry To PM

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New Delhi, August 09: The Oil Ministry has informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh it was not favouring Mukesh Ambani in his ongoing tussle with younger brother Anil and it had moved Supreme Court only to protect its rights on natural gas.

Responding to queries raised by the Prime Minister’s Office on the basis of a letter to Singh from Anil Ambani, Petroleum Ministry said in a communication that it has not shown any favouritism to Mukesh-led Reliance Industries.

Abolishing Local Govt System, Summary Signed By President

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Islamabad, August 09: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday signed the summary scrapping the Local Government system in the country.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had forwarded the summary proposing appointment of administrators by replacing nazims.

On the other hand, spokesman to the president Farhat Ullah Babar denied signing on summary by the president.

According to media reports, he said that no such summary has been signed by the president.

Female soldiers in Israel to get self-defence training

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Jerusalem, August 09: Citing fears of kidnappings and sexual assault, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are mulling to launch a special course for female soldiers to train them in self-defence skills. “This course will be aimed at providing female soldiers with self-confidence to travel around the country in the framework of their military service as many of them need to,” said a senior officer in the IDF”s Ground Forces Command.

Azad should apologise or resign: Reeda’s family

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Pune, August 09: Reacting strongly to the statement of Ghulam Nabi Azad where he blamed Pune’s Reeda Sheikh for spreading the swine flu virus to 85 people, the girl’s family on Sunday asked the Union Health Minister to either apologise to them or resign from his post for making “insensitive remarks”.

Speaking to reporters here, the family of the 14-year-old girl who became India’s first victim from A(H1N1) virus, instead blamed the authorities for being slow in taking corrective action and not releasing any information regarding the symptoms of the pandemic.

Allegations of match-fixing in ICL

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Karachi, August 09: A new match-fixing controversy has surfaced here with the release of an audio tape in which two Pakistan Cricket Board officials are allegedly talking about games being fixed in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

The audio tape was sent to several media representatives from an unknown e-mail address and was also uploaded on the youtube website.

The tape has a member of the national selection committee Mohammad Illyas telling PCB chief operating officer Saleem Altaf about how matches were fixed in the ICL.

Botham, Boycott inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

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Leeds, August 09: Four England greats — Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Fred Trueman and Wilfred Rhodes — were formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on the second day of the fourth Ashes Test at Headingley.

Botham and Boycott, along with representatives of Fred Trueman and Wilfred Rhodes, were awarded commemorative caps as part of the joint venture between the ICC and Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations at tea interval on the second day of the fourth Test between England and Australia yesterday.

“We don’t need to resort to match-fixing”

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Colombo, August 09: Rattled by the match-fixing allegations against his side, Pakistan captain Younus Khan has hit back saying that his teammates earn well enough and don’t need to indulge in corrupt practices for extra money.

On his ‘Captain’s corner’ show on Geo TV, Younus said match-fixing might have been possible in the 80s and 90s as players could be lured into corrupt practices because of lower wages.

Eight killed in Pakistan clashes

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Islamabad, August 09: At least eight people were killed in a clash between Islamist rebels and a pro-government tribal militia in Pakistan’s restive northwestern region, officials said Sunday.

Fighting erupted late Saturday and continued through Sunday morning in the Khwazai area of the Mohmand tribal district, bordering the Afghan province of Kunar.

Militants attacked the house of a militia leader, Ajmal Khan, in Wacha Jor village, about 35 km from the district’s main town Ghalanai.

Boxer Sarita Devi wins gold

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New Delhi, August 09: India’s woman boxer Laishram Sarita Devi won the gold medal in World Police and Fire Games at British Columbia, Canada.

According to information received here, Sarita Devi defeated Web Hayley of Canada in the 57 kg category on Saturday.

Sarita Devi was the lone Indian boxer in the tournament. Sarita Devi is an inspector with the Manipur Police.(IANS)

Unchanged Pakistan bat, Jayasuriya back

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Colombo, August 09: An unchanged Pakistan chose to bat in their bid to restore some pride on what has been a disastrous tour for them. Having won the fourth ODI, after the series was lost, Pakistan carried come confidence into the final 50-over match of their tour.

They were looking for a performance similar to the one two days ago at the same venue: they scored 321 and bowled Sri Lanka out for 175.

Confusion remains about fate of Mehsud’s successor

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Islamabad, August 09: Confusion persisted today about the fate of two top militant commanders vying to replace Baitullah Mehsud as chief of the Pakistani Taliban, with conflicting reports emerging about their death in a fierce clash between them in the lawless tribal belt.

The fighting broke out between Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman during a meeting of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan ‘shura’ or council to choose Baitullah’s successor following the outfit chief’s reported death in a US drone attack, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said last night.

EU slams Iran over trial of embassy staff

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Tehran, August 09: The EU has lashed out at Tehran, over the trial of the British and French embassy staff, who were arrested in connection with Iran’s post-election riots.

“The presidency expresses its concern over the ongoing trial in Tehran in the aftermath of the election, including against two EU member states’ embassy employees and one EU citizen,” the statement by the EU’s Swedish presidency said in a Saturday statement.

“The presidency reiterates that action against one EU country, citizen or embassy staff, is considered an action against all of the EU,” it added.

President visits one of the oldest freedom fighters

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New Delhi, August 09: It was a proud moment for one of the oldest freedom fighters in the country and 104-year-old mother of late vice president Krishna Kant when President Pratibha Patil visited her on the 67th anniversary of the Quit India Movement. While Satyawati is the oldest living freedom fighter in the country, her 80-year-old daughter Subhadra Khosla was only 13-years-old when she participated in the struggle for freedom.

Mortar shell hits Israel-Gaza crossing

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Gaza, August 09: A mortar shell aimed at Israeli army forces has hit a crossing between Gaza and Israel, in the first such incidents in several weeks.

The mortar bomb allegedly fired from the Gaza Strip, landed near the Karni crossing between Israel and Gaza on Sunday, an Israeli army spokeswoman said.

She added that the shells landed in Israel without causing injuries or damage.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

2 fresh swin flu cases reported in AP

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Hyderabad, August 09: Two fresh cases of swine flu were reported in the state capital taking the number of those affected to 74.

Co-ordinator of the Chest Hospital Nodal Centre here, Dr Subhakar told UNI that two more cases were reported yesterday, taking the total to 74 cases so far.

Out of 74 cases, 69 were discharged from the hospital after treatment in the hospital and five patients were still undergoing treatment, he said, adding they were responding well to the treatment.

17 dead in Somalia’s tribal clashes

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Mogadishu, August 09: At least seventeen people have been killed and over thirty others injured in clashes between two regional clans- both involved in piracy- over tribal rivalry.

A fierce gun battle erupted on Saturday night in the lawless state on the Horn of Africa in which tribesmen from two adversary clans engaged in a full-blown conflict over the rape of a girl and land disputes.

The two clans, located in the eastern coastal region of Haradheere, have reportedly stepped up their hostilities that have caused a throng of local residents to flee the area.

Majlis bloc seeks to put Iran’s Mousavi to trial

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Tehran, August 09: With hundreds of opposition activists and protestors put in the dock in Iran, a powerful bloc in the parliament moves to lodge a complaint against leading opposition figure Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

The influential clerics’ bloc in Iran’s parliament along with a number of other Majlis representatives have implicated Mousavi as the driving force behind the recent turmoil which swept across the country.

Accused cannot be extradited on mere ‘Red Corner’ notice: SC

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New Delhi, August 09: In a ruling that would bring relief for Indian citizens facing criminal charges in foreign countries, the Supreme Court has held that an accused cannot be extradited on a mere “Red Corner” notice or on a warrant issued by a foreign court, as the same has to conform to the domestic laws.