Indian trio not sure for SLPL

Colombo: As many as 12 Indian cricketers, including the likes of Munaf Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin, are expected to feature in the first edition of the Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL), scheduled to commence from July 19.

However, among the Indian players on the SLPL radar, the inclusion of Patel, Ashwin and Praveen Kumar, who were recently selected for the West Indies tour, comes as a surprise as the trio is likely to be on national duty during that period.

India are scheduled to visit England during the month of July for a four-match Test series, followed by a one-day series and a one-off Twenty20 match.

According to a report in a Sri Lankan website, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has secured the services of several prominent overseas cricketers, including Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.

Apart from Gayle, SLPL is also expected to feature Daniel Vettori.

The other Indian players who figure in the list posted by the website include Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Manish Pandey, Manoj Tiwary, Paul Valthaty, Ravindra Jadeja, Saurabh Tiwary, Umesh Yadav and R. Vinay Kumar.

A ‘special’ win for WI

Calcutta: Sunday’s win in the first Test was special for the members of the West Indies team, but especially “sweet” for some of the younger players who were tasting victory in a Test the first time.

It was the first ever Test match for leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and he celebrated the 40-run win over Pakistan with his mother.

“This is a feeling I can’t explain. I can’t find the words to describe how I feel right now. Before today, the West Indies had not won a Test match for over two years, and to come in my first match, in front my home crowd, with mum in the stands watching, is truly special,” the 25-year-old said.

“This is a great start to my career. I could not have asked for better. From here I have to kick on and continue to get better and do better for West Indies cricket,” Bishoo added.

Bishoo played well in the match and was a candidate for the Man-of-the-Match award. He took four wickets in the first innings and also batted resolutely on a difficult pitch. The award eventually went to skipper Darren Sammy, who took seven wickets for 45 runs from 29 overs in the match. He said the secret to his own success with the ball was straightforward.

“It was to bowl straight and I think we stuck to that throughout the test match and hence we came out victorious. I have immense self- belief to go out there and do well. Today, I showed that once you believe you can achiev,” said Sammy.

The 27-year-old skipper, in his fourth test as captain, was thrilled about claiming his first victory. “It’s a good feeling. I have to commend the effort from the boys, every single person that batted on that hard wicket, from the partnership of Bishoo and Shiv (Chanderpaul) right down at the end… It was a team effort to come out on the winning side of things,” he said.

Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was superb throughout the match and ended with seven wickets. “I want to thank all the members of the team for believing in me.

“For a while in my career I was the water boy and things weren’t happening for me… But this result goes to show what can happen when you have faith in yourself. Every ball I bowled out there I received support from everyone on the field.”

Chargers switch off the Warriors’ hopes

Mumbai: It wasn’t supposed to be a super match with instant rewards. But whatever little it had to offer, was solely meant for the Pune Warriors, not the Deccan Chargers.

A win would still have kept the complicated mathematics, of the Warriors making it to the play-offs, alive. And for a certain Sourav Ganguly, it was a chance to sharpen his blade before the evergreen warrior’s battle against the Knights, on Thursday.

But as often in life, the googly of events castled the expectations. The Warriors lost and Sourav fell for a duck.

For the Chargers, pride, and not two points, were at stake as their name had already been struck off from the race to the play-offs. They had humbled the formidable Mumbai Indians in their last match. And they can rightly be called the party poopers after their six-wicket victory on Monday wiped out whatever little hope the Warriors had.

The target — 137 — was never an imposing one. With some handsome contributions from the Chargers batsmen, the Warriors ended up being no match for the visitors.

In a way, it was also a revenge well taken for the Hyderabad side as they had lost the first leg clash. Interestingly, the target in that match, too, was 137, but it were the Warriors who had crossed the finishing line last time.

The opening wicket stand of 67 between Sunny Sohal (34) and Shikhar Dhawan (28) paved the way for Sangakkara (25), JP Duminy (23), Daniel Christian (14 not out) and Bharat Chipli (5 not out) to complete the steps to victory.

The Warriors’ bowlers never managed to extract proper bite from the wicket and thus their resistance, in short, was toothless.

Earlier, the Warriors looked a limping side after Sangakkara ‘tossed’ them to bat first on a pitch which had life in it for the bowlers.

It wasn’t really a superlative show from the Chargers’ bowlers, but the right balls came out of their hand at the right time. The Warriors’ batsmen, too, were jittery in their shot selection, either overdoing it or being terribly short of the required effort.

Jesse Ryder, however, was looking to defuse the Chargers with some lusty hitting. Sangakkara opted to start the bowling, and weirdly too, with Duminy. The part-timer didn’t appear at ease with this responsibility and Ryder (18) launched him out of the ground with the fifth ball of the day.

Dale Steyn wasn’t as good as his reputation, but somehow he managed to strike the first blow for Chargers when Ryder’s ill-timed drive was lapped up brilliantly by D. Ravi Teja at covers.

In came Sourav. After making a solid ‘debut’ for the Warriors, expectations were ripe. But it wasn’t Dada’s day. After a couple of tentative pushes and a swing-and-miss attempt, all that the former Knight managed was a half-hearted lob, off Christian. Pragyan Ojha accepted the chance at covers as the ‘home’ team slumped to 35/2.

With Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj still in the bank, a turnaround for the Warriors wasn’t really stuff of fiction.

All it needed was some sensible investment of time and shots on a tricky pitch. But then, when you have decided harakiri would be your plan of action for the day, expecting sanity is like fanning a volcano.

Manish Pandey (23), Ryder’s opening partner, decided to be a superman using ferocious power to punish the ball. But lack of judgement for the good and bad balls brought his downfall as his attempted backfoot cut off Ojha crashed onto his stumps.

Uthappa (4) played a coach as he gave Amit Mishra some catching practice off his own bowling. Mishra struck again with his very next ball, a googly, as a hapless Mithun Manhas (0) was castled searching for the ball at the wrong place.

It was actually a splendid over from the Man of the Match leg-spinner — two wickets conceding zero runs.

At 45 for five after eight overs, Pune were looking like a defeated band of Warriors. Chances of putting up a decent total on the board were as dead as the proverbial Dodo.

That Yuvraj’s side managed 136, losing nine wickets, from their quota of 20 overs, was commendable.

First it was the captain himself, hitting 23 off 17 balls. Then Mitchell Marsh played a useful innings of 37 off 28 balls pushing the total past 120.

Judge denies bail to Kahn in sex assault case Time in court: 26 minutes

New York, May 16: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the leader of the IMF, was ordered today to be held without bail over allegations that he had sexually assaulted a maid in a $3,000-a-night suite at a New York hotel.

Prosecutors had asked the judge, Melissa Jackson, supervising judge of Manhattan Criminal Court, to remand Strauss-Kahn, 62, contending that he was a flight risk.

They also highlighted the serious nature of the allegations.

“The defendant restrained a hotel employee inside his room,” said John McConnell, an assistant district attorney. “He sexually assaulted her and attempted to forcibly rape her,” and when that failed, he forced her to perform oral sex.

Benjamin Brafman, one of Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers, argued that “there is a very very defensible case and he should be entitled to bail”. He added that his client was not trying to flee when he was arrested on an Air France plane that was about to take off from Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.

Brafman said that Strauss-Kahn’s travel plans had been set for some time, and he indicated that there was evidence that between the time of the alleged attack and his flight, Strauss-Kahn was in the area, taking care of other business.

But Judge Jackson ruled against Strauss-Kahn, and returned him to custody.

Strauss-Kahn’s appearance in the court, which lasted only 26 minutes, capped a 43-hour odyssey through New York’s criminal system. He was arrested, held in a special cell in East Harlem, placed in a police line-up, and submitted to a forensic medical exam for possible evidence.

He even was subjected to a ritual familiar to high-profile suspects: the so-called perp walk, providing newspapers around the world with a front-page picture of Strauss-Kahn being led away from a police station in handcuffs.

He first appeared in the court at 10.49am (New York time), brought in from the back-room cells to the gasp of a rows packed tightly with reporters. Some stood up to get a glimpse of him as he sat on a bench with other defendants. Court officers quickly admonished the reporters to sit down.

But just eight minutes after he had been brought into the courtroom, Strauss-Kahn was ushered back out by a police officer wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt, signalling an even further delay in the arraignment.

Strauss-Kahn looked just as he had the day before — in a dark, full-length coat, hands cuffed behind his back and a stern gaze on his face.

The long wait for Strauss-Kahn’s arraignment unfolded as an international corps of reporters, photographers and camera crews were crowded outside the courtroom because there was not enough seating to accommodate everyone.

Yesterday afternoon, Strauss-Kahn’s accuser picked him out of a line-up in East Harlem, where he was being held at the Special Victims Unit, and new details emerged on how he came to be taken into custody.

The authorities said they had moved to obtain a court order granting them a search warrant to examine Strauss-Kahn for signs of injury that he might have suffered during a struggle or for traces of his accuser’s DNA.

“Things like getting things from under the fingernails,” a law enforcement official explained, “the classic things you get in association with a sex assault.”

Irish bomb threat in London

London, May 16 (Reuters): Irish militants opposed to the peace process with Britain warned of a bomb in central London today on the eve of Queen Elizabeth’s historic visit to Ireland, security sources said.

“A bomb threat ... has been received relating to central London today. The threat is not specific in relation to location or time,” London police said in a statement.

A security source said the caller had used a codeword known to the police, lending credibility to the threat.

The warning came on the eve of the first visit to Ireland by a British monarch in a century and a week before President Barack Obama makes a state visit to London. Police said earlier that a security alert had led to the closure of the Mall, a broad avenue leading to Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth’s residence.

Saudi diplomat shot dead in Karachi

Karachi, May 16 (AP): Gunmen on a motorbike shot and killed a Saudi diplomat as he was driving in Pakistan’s largest city today, just days after two hand grenades were tossed at the Arab state’s consulate building, police in Karachi said.

The police believe the primary motive was sectarian tension between Islam’s Sunni and Shia branches. But the attack also follows the killing of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden in an American raid on May 2.

Al Qaida is a fierce opponent of the Saudi regime and has sworn revenge for the death of Osama. But no one immediately claimed responsibility for the diplomat’s slaying.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, the country’s most high profile militant group, called the Associated Press to say it did not kill the diplomat.

The spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan, added: “Although we believe Saudi Arabia is an even bigger slave to America than Pakistan, we are not involved in today’s killing.”

Tariq Dharejo, a police investigator in Karachi, said officers believe the shooting was motivated by anger over Saudi Arabia’s decision to send troops to Bahrain to quell protests by Shias, who comprise 70 per cent of the population there but are excluded from key positions in the Sunni-dominated government. Saudi Arabia is almost entirely Sunni.

Sunni-Shia tensions trace back to a seventh century dispute over the true heir to Prophet Mohammad.

Today’s attack took place not far from the consulate building. The diplomat — who was driving a silver Toyota Corona and was alone — appeared to be on his way to work, said police officer Zameer Husain Abbasi. He said a 9 mm pistol was used in the assault.

The victim, identified as Hasan Khattani, was a member of the security staff at the consulate, said Iqbal Mehmood, Karachi’s deputy inspector of police. He said the shooting was carried out by two men on a motorbike and appeared to be linked to last week's grenade attack on the mission, which caused some damage but no injuries.

The Saudi foreign ministry condemned the diplomat's killing and said in a statement issued today that Saudi Arabia has asked Pakistani authorities to increase security measures around the Saudi embassy and consulate in Pakistan. Prince Saudi al-Faisal, the statement said, gave condolences to the family.

Tea bodies demand 2 berths in new Cabinet

DIBRUGARH, May 16 – Assam Tea Tribes’ Students’ Association (ATTSA), All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), All Assam Mundari Sahitya Sabha (MSS) and Adivasi Sahitya Sabha (ASS) have called upon the high command of the Indian National Congress (INC) to induct Etuwa Munda into the new Assam government.
ATTSA general secretary Poban Bedia said that the Congress high command should consider the fact that Munda defeated AGP candidate Anup Phukan with a margin of over 15,000 votes to regain the Tingkhong LAC seat. Munda is dynamic and is also a senior Congress leader among the energetic MLAs from the tea garden communities.

AASAA publicity secretary, Jiten Lakra said that there are various ethnic communities working in tea gardens membership around 80 lakhs in population and they should have at least two of their elected members in the new ministry of the State government. AASAA, which has also put forward the name of Munda, did not name the second elected member.

Adivasi Sahitya Sabha president Wilfred Topno has also demanded that the name of Etuwa Munda be preferred while selecting names for the ministry from among the MLAs belonging to tea and ex tea garden tribes. Topno said that Munda has previous experience of being the PWD Minister for State and so should be eligible to get a ministerial berth.

Etuwa represents various communities of the tea gardens in Assam, he said.

Adivasi Sahitya Sabha is also of the opinion that the new State government should have at least two MLAs from the tea and ex tea garden communities as ministers. Joshua Barjo, president of the All Assam Mundari Sahitya Sabha (MSS) too in a statement requested Tarun Gogoi and the leaders of the Indian Nation Congress to induct dynamic leaders like Munda into the Cabinet.

Assam-Mizoram boundary dispute to be resolved’

Newmai News
AIZAWL, May 16 – Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla today expressed his optimism in solving the long pending boundary dispute with Assam in a peaceful way.
Sending out a congratulatory message to Tarun Gogoi and the Congress party in Assam for the thumping victory in the recent Assembly erlections, the Mizoram Chief Minister said the issue of boundary dispute will be resolved in the negotiating table. “I have full confidence that the boundary issue with Assam will be resolved soon with the forming of a new Ministry in Assam. Negotiation is necessary for this purpose for which a Commission will be set up very soon,” said Lal Thanhawla.

The boundary dispute with Assam had become complicated after the Mizoram Peace Accord was signed in 1986. Mizoram accuses Assam of encroaching its land near Bairabi railway station in Kolasib district bordering Assam.

Mizoram students bodies such as Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) and MSU have raised their voices demanding that the inter-State boundary between Mizoram and Assam be demarcated in accordance with the notification issued in 1875 under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act, 1873. MZP also urged the State Government to deploy more police personnel to effectively guard the border.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister had attended Rongali Bihu which was celebrated with traditional gaeity and enthusiasm in Aizawl on Saturday last, official sources revealed.

Speaking on the occasion, the Mizoram Chief Minister said that of all the festivals that he had seen in the country, Bihu is one of the best and hilarious festivals endowed with amazing joy and flavour.

He said that Assam is the ‘mother’ of almost all the States of the NE. “We, therefore, all have a deep sense of belonging in one way or the other. We hope Assam and its poeple also share this sentiment”, the Mizoram Chief Minister added.

Chidambaram on visit to Tripura, Mizoram

Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, May 16 – Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will unveil the foundation stone for the construction of an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Agartala tomorrow. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and other dignitaries are attending the function.
The ICPs are envisaged to overcome the infrastructural bottlenecks at the various entry and exit points on the land borders of the country. They are expected to provide facilities for the effective and efficient discharge of functions such as security, immigration, customs and quarantine, while also providing support facilities for smooth cross-border movement of persons, goods and transport.

Setting up of ICPs along India’s internal border is a major initiative, with an initial outlay of Rs 635 crore during the 11th Five Year Plan. The estimated cost of Agartala ICP Project is Rs 73.50 crore. Rs 42.17 crore has been approved for the civil construction of the ICP. The schedule for the completion of the project is around 14 months. The project is likely to be completed by July, 2012.

The Department of Border Management has finalised the Detailed Project Reports for all the 13 ICPs to be initially set up on the borders between India and Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar.

Official sources said Government of Bangladesh has also been apprised to create similar infrastructure and facilities to bring about proper synergy.

Agartala Correspondent adds: Chidambarm is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the ICP at Akhaura, near Indo-Bangla border. Industries Minister Jitendra Chowdhury will also be present in the programme.

After laying the foundation stone of the ICP, Chidambaram will go to the Raj Bhavan where he will have a meeting with Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and DGP.

Besides reviewing the overall law and order situation, progress of erection of barbed wire fencing, problems related to fence victims and repatriation of Reang refugee will come up for discussion in the meeting.

Though 3341 Reang refugees sheltered in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision have returned to their home – Mizoram since November last year, the State Government wants Mizoram Government to take back all the refugees who are still living in six refugee camps.

Chidambaram will leave Agartala for Aizwal on May 18. Sources said, the Union Minister will hold a meeting with Mizoram Chief Minister to oversee the resettlement of repatriated Reang refugees.

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Top Headlines »

Tough time for Gogoi in selecting ministry
GUWAHATI, May 16 – Tarun Gogoi is set to get re-elected as the leader of the Assam Congress Legislature Party tomorrow as the newly-elected legislators of the party are meeting at the State Guest House to elect their new leader. ...
India scoffs at ISI chief’s threat
NEW DELHI, May 16 – India is unlikely to give any credence to Pakistan’s ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s threat that any Abbottabad-like attack would invite a befitting response, calling it a “tall claim” to hide his own failure, reports PTI. ...

intervention
NEW DELHI/BANGALORE, May 16 – The BJP today launched a campaign against Karnataka Governor HR Bhardwaj demanding his immediate recall and knocked at the doors of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who gave an assurance that “nothing unconstitutional” wil ...

Pending criminal cases against 13 new MLAs
NEW DELHI, May 16 – The new Assembly in Assam would have the dubious distinction of having the highest number of 13 MLAs with criminal background, with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leading the pack with six MLAs with a shady past includi ...

Kalmadi tarnished country’s image: CBI
NEW DELHI, May 16 – “Suresh Kalmadi’s conduct has tarnished the image of the country,” was how CBI described him while opposing the bail plea of the former CWG Organising Committee chief arrested on charges of cheating, conspiracy and corruption in t ...

SC raps IT dept over 2G scam probe
NEW DELHI, May 16 – The Supreme Court today pulled up the Income Tax department for not taking timely action against the companies involved in the 2G spectrum scam and said had it not intervened, the officials would have “slept over it” and the overs ...

Govt may hike PF interest rate
BANGALORE, May 16 – Union Minister for Labour and Employment M Mallikarjun Kharge today said the government was looking at further hiking the interest rate on Provident Fund from the present 9.5 per cent, reports PTI. .

UP police raped women: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Upping the ante on the issue of land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed the land acquisition issue in Bhatta Parsaul village in Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi also facilitated a meeting of a delegation of farmers from Bhatta Parsaul with the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister gave a patient hearing to the farmers’ woes and assured all help from the centre,” the senior Congress leader said while talking to reporters outside 7, Race Course Road here right after the meeting with the Prime Minister.

Gandhi said it was during his short stay at Bhatta Parsaul, the villagers requested him to facilitate a meeting with the Prime Minister.

Taking on the Uttar Pradesh government head on, the Congress general secretary accused the Mayawati government of atrocities against the villagers.

“Poor people are being brutalised. Women are being raped and houses are being destroyed. I am quite concerned about the situation and it is still pretty bad,” he said.

Gandhi alleged that huge heaps of ash of burnt bodies have been found in the villages where farmers were agitating for better compensation for their land acquired by Maaywati government.

Gandhi also showed the Prime Minister pictures purportedly of bodies burnt and other forms of violence against farmers and their family members.

"The issue here is a more fundamental one with regard to these villages in particular and a large number of villages in UP all down the Agra highway, where state repression is being used, where people are being murdered,” he saidThis was his first comment after his arrest at Bhatta Parsaul.

Congress demanded a judicial probe into the charges of rape of women and murder of farmers.

"What we are asking for is a judicial inquiry...if there are grave allegations made, if there are charges where photographs have been produced, I don't understand what problem the UP government can possibly face in ordering a judicial inquiry", Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said.

BSP dubbed Rahul's meeting the Prime Minister Minsiter with the farmers of Bhatta Parsaul near Greater Noida as another instance of Congress' "indulging in petty politics" and dismissed as "baseless" the allegation that a large number of lives were lost and women raped in Bhatta Parasul near

BSP leader Syed Kazim Ali Khan "it is yet to be determined if the photographs are genuine. “What is the authenticity of the photographs, who these people are. Are they actually from the village? Are they from the state? Did they disappear? Were they murdered or did they die of natural causes? All this has to be determined," he asked.

The Uttar Pradesh government arrested Gandhi in Bhatta Parsaul village on May 11 under Section 151.

Four people, including two policemen, were killed on May 07 when villagers clashed with policemen for greater compensation for their lands acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for development projects.

With Uttar Pradesh election a year ahead, Rahul Gandhi is trying to consolidate Congress by raising the grass root issue.
This was his first comment after his arrest at Bhatta Parsaul.

Congress demanded a judicial probe into the charges of rape of women and murder of farmers.

"What we are asking for is a judicial inquiry...if there are grave allegations made, if there are charges where photographs have been produced, I don't understand what problem the UP government can possibly face in ordering a judicial inquiry", Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said.

BSP dubbed Rahul's meeting the Prime Minister Minsiter with the farmers of Bhatta Parsaul near Greater Noida as another instance of Congress' "indulging in petty politics" and dismissed as "baseless" the allegation that a large number of lives were lost and women raped in Bhatta Parasul near

BSP leader Syed Kazim Ali Khan "it is yet to be determined if the photographs are genuine. “What is the authenticity of the photographs, who these people are. Are they actually from the village? Are they from the state? Did they disappear? Were they murdered or did they die of natural causes? All this has to be determined," he asked.

The Uttar Pradesh government arrested Gandhi in Bhatta Parsaul village on May 11 under Section 151.

Four people, including two policemen, were killed on May 07 when villagers clashed with policemen for greater compensation for their lands acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for development projects.

With Uttar Pradesh election a year ahead, Rahul Gandhi is trying to consolidate Congress by raising the grass root issue.
This was his first comment after his arrest at Bhatta Parsaul.

Congress demanded a judicial probe into the charges of rape of women and murder of farmers.

"What we are asking for is a judicial inquiry...if there are grave allegations made, if there are charges where photographs have been produced, I don't understand what problem the UP government can possibly face in ordering a judicial inquiry", Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said.

BSP dubbed Rahul's meeting the Prime Minister Minsiter with the farmers of Bhatta Parsaul near Greater Noida as another instance of Congress' "indulging in petty politics" and dismissed as "baseless" the allegation that a large number of lives were lost and women raped in Bhatta Parasul near

BSP leader Syed Kazim Ali Khan "it is yet to be determined if the photographs are genuine. “What is the authenticity of the photographs, who these people are. Are they actually from the village? Are they from the state? Did they disappear? Were they murdered or did they die of natural causes? All this has to be determined," he asked.

The Uttar Pradesh government arrested Gandhi in Bhatta Parsaul village on May 11 under Section 151.

Four people, including two policemen, were killed on May 07 when villagers clashed with policemen for greater compensation for their lands acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for development projects.

With Uttar Pradesh election a year ahead, Rahul Gandhi is trying to consolidate Congress by raising the grass root issue.