Many Killed in Sri Lanka

In a day of worst fighting since the end of the Cease Fire Agreement in January, at least 52 LTTE cadres and 38 soldiers were killed on the Muhamalai and Kilalay Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) in the Jaffna peninsula on Wednesday.
The Defence Ministry said at least 38 soldiers were killed and 84 injured in the “fresh offensive”. It termed the pro-LTTE news website TamilNet’s claim that 150 soldiers were killed as “ridiculous.”
It said the Army put up “stiff resistance to LTTE-embarked fresh offensives”. “According to [the] latest information, the LTTE suffered a severe beating and was pushed some 500 metres back from its initial positions. The Army broke the first line of defence on the Muhamalai front, and are now engaged in consolidating the defences.”
Defence observers are surprised at the Army casualties considering the peninsula had been under its control since December 1995. Military estimates said the Army and the LTTE had 40,000 troops and 1,500 Tigers stationed there respectively.
Warplanes carried out three strikes in Muhamalai and the Jaffna theatre of battle to support soldiers. An Air Force spokesperson said the raid targeted two heavy gun positions located south of the FDL and a “rendezvous point” behind the LTTE’s second line of defence. The last raid was conducted as a close ground air support move by MI-24 helicopter gunship targeting bunkers.
TamilNet claimed the Tigers had found more than 30 bodies of soldiers so far in the Northern Front and that 19 were brought to Kilinochchi.

Chennai Super Kings beats Mumbai Indians by 6 runs

In a thrilling IPL match here tonight the Chennai Super Kings pipped Mumbai Indians by six runs. Harbhajan Singh (28) and Abhishek Nayar's (45 not out) spectacular rearguard action had the Mumbai side needing 19 off the last over when Dhoni tossed the ball to Joginder.
The bowler conceded two fours in a row and bowled a no ball as well. But he kept his cool in the end and kept it tight as Mumbai Indians eventually finished on 202 for seven.
Chasing 209, Mumbai looked in dire straits with its top order firing blank. The Abhishek-Harbhajan duo, however, refused to give up and waged a grim battle.
Earlier, Matthew Hayden blasted 81 and featured in a century stand with Suresh Raina (53) as Chennai Super Kings amassed 208 for five.
With a 46-ball knock that was studded with 12 fours and two sixes, Hayden once again proved the thorn in the flesh for Harbhajan, who led the Mumbai side in absence of their regular captain Sachin Tendulkar, down with a groin injury.

Tony Blair caught short of cash on train

Tony Blair may have earned millions since leaving office last year but when it came to paying his own train fare, the former British Prime Minister was found short of cash. The 54-year-old mega-rich Middle East envoy recently jumped on the Heathrow Express which allows passengers to buy a ticket on board.
But when the ticket collector came round to first class, a red-faced Blair could not cough up the 24.50 pounds fare as he did not have enough cash in his wallet, the 'Daily Star' reported on Wednesday.
However, he was bailed out by a co-passenger who paid the fare to save the blushes of the former British Premier. "We do not know if he had any money on him or not but one of the people with him paid for his fare," a spokesman for Heathrow Express said.
In 2001, Blair's wife Cherie was forced to pay a ten-pound fine plus a 7.90-pound fare when she was caught traveling to Luton from London Blackfriars without a ticket.

Minister demands KPS Gill's resignation

A day after the bribe scandal forced K Jothikumaran to quit as secretary general of the IHF, Sports Minister M S Gill trained his gun at its Chief KPS Gill, saying he should also step down to restore faith in the hockey establishment.
The Minister said Gill should "introspect and review" his position as the trust and faith in the fair selection of hockey teams has been shaken after the expose on a television channel.
"Since Monday, I have agonised long over the IHF. The recent disaster in Chile where the hockey team failed to qualify for the Olympics is still fresh in every Indian mind. Now, trust and faith in fair selection is shaken. I believe, in the totality of the situation, the IHF President must also introspect and review his position," he said in a statement.
"In full consideration of the situation facing Indian Hockey and the national need I urge him to consider withdrawing from his current responsibility. It is time to let other Indians, make an attempt, to lift our hockey," he said.
The newly appointed Minister was of the view that Jothikumaran should not be reinstated even if an enquiry found him to be innocent.
"The incident seen on television on Monday night, was most unfortunate for our hockey, and distressed every Indian. I indicated immediately, the necessity for Jothikumaran to resign from his office as Secretary General of the IHF. He has done so," he said.

Indian abducted in Afghanistan

Ten days after two Indians were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan, a Mangalore-based worker has been abducted in that country’s Herat province.
Sarang Mohammad Naeem and a Nepalese working for a private logistics company were abducted on Monday evening while ferrying supplies - reportedly for a security training camp - from Herat, 70 km away.
The Indian embassy in Kabul said it was trying to gather more information from local police. There had been no demand for ransom and no group had claimed responsibility, an embassy official told this website's newspaper over phone.
The External Affairs Ministry expressed concern over the incident and said Afghan authorities were investigating. “We are keeping a close watch on the developments,” it said. The Afghan driver of the taxi, in which the two men from HEB International Logistics were traveling,was reportedly also abducted, but later freed.

Indian listed as top lawyer in U.K.

An Indian-origin woman, who heads a prominent human rights organisation in Britain, has been listed among the top 10 most powerful lawyers in the country.
The list of 100 most powerful lawyers, produced by The Times on Tuesday, listed at number 9 Shami Chakrabarti, Director of the human rights organisation ‘Liberty.’
The only other Asian lawyer on the list of 100 is Imran Khan, a prominent human rights lawyer.
“One of the most prominent commentators seen and heard in the broadcast media, the Director of Liberty is a fluent and highly persuasive voice in the civil liberties debate,” The Times wrote of Ms. Chakrabarti.
“Chakrabarti, 39, is no rent-a-quote: her responses can be counter-intuitive and she defends the government or the police, for instance, where she believes them [to be] right,” it said.
A barrister and bencher of Middle Temple, Ms. Chakrabarti worked as a lawyer in the Home Office between 1996 and 2001, before joining Liberty.

Heat wave claims 7 lives across India

The unbearable heat wave continued unabated with many states recording maximum temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, even as a traffic policeman perished in the torrid sun in Kolkata while on duty.
Akhliswar Kumar Rai, 58, who was on duty at Maniktala crossing, felt uneasy around 9.50 am and went to a nearby shop to sprinkle water on his head but soon fainted. He was taken to a local nursing home where he was declared brought dead.
In Kolkata, the highest temperature was 39 degrees Celsius. In nearby Orissa, people bore the brunt of the blazing sun as Jharsuguda had a high of 43.1 degrees and Hirakud and Sambalpura 42 each.
Though there were no official deaths in the state today, sources said six people died in Puri. The government, which had announced early summer vacations in schools from today, demanded declaration of the heat conditions as a natural calamity and adequate central assistance.
In the national capital, people were seen rushing to ice cream and juice stalls to beat the heat. In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi had a high of 43.1 degrees and capital Lucknow touched 41.4 Celsius. Mercury levels also rose in Rajasthan with Dholpur recording the highest of 42.4 degrees while Bundi, Barmer, Jalore, Churu and Ganganagar each had a high of 41.
The maximum temperatures in Punjab and Haryana remained three to six degrees above normal. Hisar in Haryana sizzled at 42.5 degrees while Chandigarh had a high of 40.8 and Patiala 40.6 degrees.

Good Volumes seen again in Indian Market

It was a good day for the market today that closed with good volumes. Sensex closed at 16783, up 44 points and Nifty at 5049, up 12 points from the previous close. The CNX Midcaps index was up 0.40% and BSE Smallcaps index was up 0.52%. Real estate, metal and banking space looked good while IT got beaten down. The market breadth was positive with advances at 696 against declines of 553 on the NSE. Top Nifty gainers included BHEL, Unitech, Idea and HDFC while losers included TCS, Wipro, Infosys and Suzlon.