Night of the Knights

Kolkata Knight Riders, powered by a record unbeaten 158 from Brendon McCullum, easily won the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League, whipping Bangalore Royal Challengers by 140 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday night.
The New Zealander amassed his runs off only 73 deliveries as Knight Riders put up a massive 222 after being put in to bat by Royal Challengers' captain Rahul Dravid.
In reply, the home side was dismissed for a meager 82 in 15.1 overs.
Ajit Agarkar was the Kolkata team's most successful bowler, finishing with figures of three for 25 from four overs, as only one batsman -- Praveen Kumar (19) -- got into double figures.
McCullum went berserk right from the start, hitting Indian pacer Zaheer Khan for 18 runs in the second over of the innings. He then hit a towering long-off six off Ashley Noffke to bring up the 50 for the Kolkata team.
The wicket-keeper batsman was difficult to contain and showed no mercy as he hit all the bowlers around the park. His scintillating innings was studded with 13 sixes and 10 boundaries.
In the process he bettered Cameron White's record of 141 not out off 70 ball, for Somerset against Worcestershire in July 2006.
Zaheer drew first blood for the hosts when he had Kolkata skipper Sourav Ganguly (10) caught by South Africa's Jacques Kallis in the slip cordon. But by then the former India captain and McCullum had already put on 61 runs for the first wicket to lay a strong foundation for a big total.
McCullum drove Noffke for a couple to get his century, leading to wild celebrations among team owner Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan and his colleagues, Arjun Rampal and Juhi Chawla.
Kallis and Noffke bore the brunt of McCullum's fury, conceding 42 and 48 runs respectively in their quota of four overs.

IPL CRITICISED

The Indian Premier League has come in for serious criticism from former Pakistan captains including Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram, who feel the cash-rich Twenty20 competition will damage the international cricket calendar.
"The IPL has already started hurting the international calendar and in the long run it will encourage more private parties and organisations to come in and start their own leagues if they have big money to roll," Miandad said on Friday.
Miandad said the IPL would create a divide in international cricket and feared players would be willing to sacrifice their international careers to play for more money in the BCCI-backed league.
"People are comparing the IPL with the Kerry Packer series in the late '70s. But these are two totally different things. The Packer series was held when players were paid ridiculously low wages," Miandad said.
"The Packer circus brought in new concepts into international cricket which were beneficial in the long run and it forced the boards to improve pay structures to a reasonable level. The figures being quoted by the IPL organisers are ridiculously high," he said.
Miandad said when the International Cricket Council had decided to host the Twenty20 World Championship every alternate year, there was no room for a private league.

Indian-origin killed in South Africa

A 76-year-old man of Indian origin has been strangulated in his house in the South African township of Phoenix, sending a shock wave among the community, which saw two similar incidents in recent weeks.

Narainsamy Naicker was alone in his house when he was overpowered and killed by a burglar on Wednesday, his family said.
The body was then dumped in the toilet and the door locked. His daughter, Rani Perumal, found the body when she returned from work late in the afternoon.
Earlier this month, a member of Hare Krishna movement, Sheritha Debipersadh, was found murdered in the suburb of Chatsworth.
In the other incident, Kelvin Claude Naidoo was shot dead in the suburb of Chatsworth.

Vaiko meets PM on Sri Lanka Tamils issue

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here and requested the government to mount diplomatic pressure on the Sri Lankan government to stop its military offensive and initiate peace talks for a workable solution to fulfil the aspirations of Sri Lankan Tamils.
Mr. Vaiko told that he had explained to Dr. Singh the outcome of an international conference on ‘Peace and Reconciliation in South Asia’ held in Oslo on April 10 and 11 under the auspices of the International Association for Human Values.
Mr. Vaiko said he had told the Prime Minister that the situation in Sri Lanka was becoming grave day by day, endangering the life and security of Tamils. Innocent Tamils were being killed by the military. He explained the plight and misery of Tamils living in jungles without food and medicine. He requested that India should not provide arms to Sri Lanka.
Mr. Vaiko said the Prime Minister told him about India’s stand —that there could be no military solution to the problem. Dr. Singh assured him, saying: “We are not supplying arms to Sri Lanka. I will discuss the matter with the Foreign Minister [Pranab Mukherjee] and see what best can be done.”

Mr. Vaiko said he would meet Mr. Mukherjee.In a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, said: “I draw your kind attention to the most painful scenario of gross violation of human rights subjecting the Tamils to indescribable hardship and misery. There have been indiscriminate killings, abductions and disappearance of Tamils. The innocent Tamil youth, who are not engaged in armed struggle, are also not spared. They are abducted by armed forces and thereafter [there is] no further news about them. It is feared that they are murdered.”

Putin to wed Olympic gymnast

President Vladimir Putin,is to marry a gymnast less than half his age, a news report said on Thursday.
Born in 1983 in Tashkent, Miss Kabaeva represented Russia at both the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games.According to the report, she has appeared in an action film and posed in daring photographs as a model.
Despite frantic talk of a wedding, apparently planned on June 15 in Putin's home town of St Petersburg, there was no comment from the Kremlin.
Though the former KGB spy has not officially announced any separation from his 50-year-old wife, Ludmilla, he is reported to have split from her two months ago, the report said.

Prosecute Priyanka: Dr.Swamy

Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy said on Wednesday that the Tamil Nadu government must prosecute Priyanka Vadra “for criminal offence of trespass into a highly restricted prison” in Vellore.
In a statement here, Dr. Swamy said the jail authorities had confirmed that “Ms. Vadra did not get the requisite permission to enter the jail, much less seek permission to meet the Supreme Court-convicted killer Nalini.”
He said he would file a private complaint in the court to enforce the police to do its statutory duty if the State government failed to do so by May 21.

Pope Benedict XVI in WASHINGTON:

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday urged U.S. President George W. Bush to use “patient diplomacy to resolve conflicts,” but did not mention the Iraq war to which the Vatican is strongly opposed.
“America has traditionally shown herself generous in meeting immediate human needs, fostering development and offering relief to the victims of natural catastrophes,” the pontiff told a joyous welcoming ceremony at the White House.
On the pontiff’s 81st birthday, an estimated 9,000 giddy guests — one of the largest ever at the mansion — packed the sun-drenched South Lawn to wish him. Pope Benedict is only the second pope to visit the White House and the first in 29 years. A Washington who’s who flocked to the White House for the meeting. They included Vice-President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Condolezza Rice, and the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.“I am confident that this concern for the greater human family will continue to find expression in support for the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote progress,” the Pope said.

“In this way, coming generations will be able to live in a world where truth, freedom and justice can flourish — a world where the God-given dignity and rights of every man, woman and child are cherished, protected and effectively advanced.”
He backed international efforts to make the U.N. “an ever more effective voice for the legitimate aspirations of all the world’s peoples.”
Earlier, Mr. Bush welcomed the Pope to the White House with assurances that the U.S. was a nation of prayer and that its people were open to his message of hope.“We need your message that all human life is sacred,” Mr. Bush said.
The President said that “in a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism.”
On Tuesday, during the flight from Rome to Washington, the Pope broached the most sensitive issue surrounding his trip when he told reporters he felt “deeply ashamed” by the child abuse scandal that has rocked the U.S. Catholic church, and would “do everything possible to heal this wound.”
The Pope could be expected to take up the issue when he addresses U.S. bishops at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
He also vowed to raise the issue of immigration in his talks with Bush, who has described the failure of his efforts to overhaul U.S. policy on that volatile issue as a major disappointment. The U.S. must do “everything possible to fight ... all forms of violence so that immigrants may lead dignified lives.” — Agencies

Sensex ends up 90 points

The market had a promising start, but fizzled out towards the end of the trading session. Sensex ended the day at 16,244, up 90 points from the previous close. Nifty shut shop at 4887, up 7 points. CNX Midcap index gained 1.2% and BSE Smallcap index, 1.8% over the day. IT and oil & gas stocks saw buying, while some capital goods and power stocks were dumped. Top Sensex gainers include Wipro, Infosys and Reliance Energy, while losers are BHEL, Ambuja Cements and Jaiprakash Associates, among others.

Volcano erupts in Madya Pradesh Town

A volcano erupted on Tuesday near a factory in Sendhwa town of the district and remained active for nearly one-and-a-half hour, causing panic in the area, official sources said.
Hot lava along with burning coal started flowing out from a barren land near Satyam Spinning factory and rose up to 5 to 6 feet, Sendhwa's Sub Divisional Officer Vishnu Kamalkar told reporters.
He said the lava came out from a crater of eight inches diameter.
The officials believe that it might be the result of some geological disturbances.
Experts have been sent to the spot to examine the exact cause behind the incident.

42 school children killed in a Bus Accident

At least 42 people, most of them children on their way to school, were killed when a bus fell into Narmada canal at Bodeli village,Vadodara this morning.
"Fortytwo bodies, most of them of children, have so far been fished out from the canal," DSP Vadodara (Rural) Amit Vishwkarama told PTI.
Four children were rescued from the 60-feet deep canal, District Collector Vijay Nehra said.
The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation bus was on its way from Targol to Bodeli when the mishap occurred.
Senior officials including the Collector and the DSP were at the spot, about 60 kms from here, to oversee the rescue operations.
The accident happened at around 6:30 am when the driver of the bus lost control over the vehicle, police sources said.
Most of the passengers were children going to school. The bus was taken out of the canal.
The water released into the canal through the Sardar Sarovar Dam was stopped to aid the rescue operations, officials said.
Officials said that the bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs one lakh to the next of the kin of the victims.

Infosys result lifts market sentiments

Encouraged by fourth quarter results announced by IT leader Infosys Technologies had soothing impact on the market, which bounced from its early loss to almost 450 points gain.Bse at 16214 + 406 points and nifty 4696 +119 points.
Brokers said the market recovered its early losses after the IT major came out this morning with better-than-expected future guidance, raising hopes of robust earning season.
Investors were awaiting for a major trigger pinning their hopes on announcement of good last quarter results amid a host of negative factors.

Priyanka Confess meeting Nalini

Priyanka Vadra,( Rajiv Gandhi's Daughter) who has created a flutter by meeting one of the conspirators in her father Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, on Tuesday said she does not believe in anger, hatred and violence and will not allow these things to overpower her.

"It was a very personal visit and completely on my own individual initiative. I would be deeply grateful if this could be respected," she told PTI about her meeting with Nalini Sriharan in Vellore jail in Tamil Nadu last month.
It is true that I met Nalini Sriharan in Vellore central jail on March 19, 2008. It was my way of coming to peace with the violence and loss that I have experienced," she said.
Recalling her mother's intevention in getting Nalini's death sentence commuted to life imprisonment, Priyanka said she did not believe in hatred and violence.
"I do not believe in anger, hatred and violence and I refuse to allow these things to overpower my life," she said.

Lankan Tamils reject Karunanidhi views on TamilNew Year

Sri Lankan Tamils, who are known for their orthodoxy, have summarily rejected Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s bid to change the Tamil New Year from Chittirai Thirunaal (April 13) to Thai Pongal (January 14), saying it is unwarranted on astronomical, historical and cultural grounds.
Pro-Tamil Tiger commentators as well as Tamil moderates in the island feel that the change brought about through a resolution of the Tamil Nadu state assembly in February, does not have a justifiable basis even from Karunanidhi’s Tamil nationalist standpoint.


“I have not come across anywhere that Thai Pongal was considered to be the beginning of a New Year,” said Prof. S Pathmanathan, a renowned Sri Lankan Tamil historian and a former head of the history department in Peradeniya University at Kandy.
“In the Sangam era literature, there is no mention of the New Year. Sangam literature was secular and dealt with matters other than the religious. The question of the New Year is essentially a religious one, and politicians should not interfere,” he told this website's newspaper.
Padmanathan, who has written seminal works on Hindu temples in Sri Lanka and the history of the Jaffna kingdom, said the Tamil New Year was an integral part of Tamil Hinduism and had been part of the Hindu ritual calendar for over a thousand years.
“From the time of the indigenous Tamil kings, the Tamils of India and Sri Lanka have considered Chittirai Thirunaal as the New Year, based on astronomical and religious considerations,” Pathmanathan said.
“The calculation for the commencement of the New Year and the calendar based on it are entirely astronomical,” added a commentator on the pro-LTTE website www.tamilnet.com who goes under the name Ampalam.
There is a combination of solar and stellar perspectives in the calculation of the New Year.

Asian, European Markets Fall

Stock markets across Europe and Asia fell on Monday amid concerns about a slowdown in the U.S. economy and the outlook for corporate profits.
In Asia, the biggest declines were in China, where the Shanghai Composite Index plunged 5.6 percent and the Shenzhen index lost 6.3 percent. Elsewhere in the region Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed 3.1 percent lower and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 3.5 percent.
In Europe, the London market's FTSE 100 was down 0.7 percent in midday trading, while Germany's DAX fell 0.8 percent and France's CAC 40 slipped 0.3 percent.
The declines extended a slump on Wall Street on Friday after reports of weak consumer sentiment and disappointing earnings from General Electric Co., which cast a gloomy light on a slew of earnings reports expected this week including those from banking giants J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co.
Indian market remained shut due to local holiday.

Chinese Security Team assisting IOA

Tibetans living in India are expected to oppose the torch relay event in New Delhi.
Thousands of Tibetans living in Karnataka have moved to the north to protest on April 17. In view of their discontent, the government of India has ensured safe passage of the torch relay event to the Chinese government, which is very wary of the violent and embarrassing protests.Suresh Kalmadi, president of the Indian Olympic Association, is working in tandem with the military attache of the Embassy of China to make the Olympic torch relay ceremony on April 17 a mishap-free event.
In India, the chief of the Olympics committee himself is providing all courtesy to the Chinese security experts.
A senior staffer of the Chinese embassy along with 8 to 10 Chinese assistants are camping right inside Kalmadi's office in Nehru stadium.
The stadium is under repair and quite shabby. The Chinese are offered all the data of invitees and details of the security arrangement.
When some journalists wanted to know names of the Chinese officers camping in the meeting room of Kalmadi's office of the Commonwealth Games, they were asked to vacate the premises.
By having the Chinese right inside the office of the president of IOA, the government may be not taking any chances to take the blame alone in case of any breach of security at Vijaypath on April 17.
Not only has the 2.5 km road on Vijaypath been covered from all sides, it seems that common people may not be able to view the event. There is a strict procedure to be followed to obtain passes to cover the event.

New woman in Sir Salman Rushdie's life

Sir Salman (60) has been spotted with Aimee Mullins, a 32-year-old champion athlete-turned model, at a bash at Soho Grand Hotel in Manhattan recently.
"Aimee said, 'We're good friends, we are close friends. They certainly looked like they were on a date. They arrived together, left together and were being touchy.
"Salman would take her arm as they walked around the room and when he was talking to people, she'd wait a step behind him. She said they'd been to another movie earlier that day and they'd been drinking together since the afternoon.
Just less than a year after his marriage with his fourth wife Padma Laksmi ended, speculations are rife that British-Indian novelist Sir Salmam Rushdie has got a new, and even younger, woman in his life.

India win third Test, square series 1-1

India won the third and final Test against South Africa at the Green Park stadium by eight wickets to level the series 1-1.
After taking a handy first innings lead of 60 and dismissing South Africa for a paltry 121 in their second innings, India notched up the required 62 runs for the loss of just two wickets (64 for two).
Opener Virender Sehwag (22 off 12 balls) hit two straight sixes off Paul Harris' first two balls and perished in the third in trying to hasten the pace -- caught by Ashwell Prince at backward point. India 32 for one.
Wasim Jaffer (10) was trapped in front by Morne Morkel for a second time in the match at the same score before Sourav Ganguly (13 not out) and Rahul Dravid (18 not out) ensured no further damage, taking the team home in just under 14 overs.
Earlier, none of the South African batsmen showed either perseverance or application in their second innings as wickets fell in a heap. Harbhajan Singh claimed match figures of seven for 96 (4 for 44 in the second), to finish with 19 wickets in the series, the highest on either side and was deservedly named the man of the series.
Sourav Ganguly was named Man of the Match for his Brilliant 87 in the first essay.