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South Africa Sports Minister warns of World War III over Semanya

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 12 (ANI): The South African government has threatened a “third world war” if the International Association of Athletics Federation bans champion runner Caster Semenya over a test that shows her to be a hermaphrodite, a person with both female and male sexual characteristics.

The IAAF commissioned a gender test on the teenager after her performance levels improved remarkably in the build-up to the competition.

The leaked report that a gender verification test had found the 18 year-old to be a hermaphrodite with no womb was greeted with outrage in South Africa on Friday, with politicians, sports officials and Semenya’s relatives decrying the teenager’s public humiliation.

On Friday the IAAF attempted to diffuse the controversy by refusing to confirm the medical reports, insisting that it would make official comment until after the test results had been verified by a panel of scientific experts.

But the prospect of the teenager being disqualified from future female races drew a furious response from South African Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile, The Telegraph reports.

“I think it would be the third world war. We will go to the highest levels in contesting such a decision.She’s a woman, she remains our heroine. We must protect her,” he said.

Semenya was due to run in a 4km race at the national cross-country championships in Pretoria on Saturday, but was withdrawn by her coach Michael Seme on the grounds that she was “not feeling well”.

The IAAF is expected to disqualify the South African from future events and advise her to have surgery because her condition carries grave health risks, The Daily Telegraph report claims.

A source closely involved with the IAAF tests said Semenya had internal testes-the male sexual organs, which produce testosterone.

“There certainly is evidence Semenya is a hermaphrodite. But the trouble is the IAAF now has the whole ANC and the whole of South Africa on their backs. Everything is going to have to be done absolutely by the book, no question of a challenge to the findings,” the source said. (ANI)

Exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke linked to liver disease

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 11 (ANI): People can develop liver disease even when they are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke, according to a study.

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) have found that exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common disease and rising cause of chronic liver injury wherein fat accumulates in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.

For their study, the researchers exposed some mice to second-hand cigarette smoke for a year in the lab, and observed fat build-up in their liver cells, a sign of NAFLD that eventually leads to liver dysfunction.

The researchers focused on two key regulators of lipid (fat) metabolism that are found in many human cells as well: SREBP (sterol regulatory element-binding protein) that stimulates synthesis of fatty acids in the liver, and AMPK (adenosine monophosphate kinase) that turns SREBP on and off.

They found that second-hand smoke exposure inhibits AMPK activity, which, in turn, causes an increase in activity of SREBP.

More active SREBP results in more fatty acids getting synthesized, they say.

The result is NAFLD induced by second-hand smoke, according to the researchers.

“Our study provides compelling experimental evidence in support of tobacco smoke exposure playing a major role in NAFLD development,” said Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology, who led the study.

“Our work points to SREBP and AMPK as new molecular targets for drug therapy that can reverse NAFLD development resulting from second-hand smoke. Drugs could now be developed that stimulate AMPK activity, and thereby inhibit SREBP, leading to reduced fatty acid production in the liver,” Martins-Green added.

A research article describing the study has been published in the Journal of Hepatology. (ANI)

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Gen Kapoor flags in all-women Army team that scaled Siachen’s highest peak

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 9 (ANI): Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor flagged in the first ever women expedition team for army corps of engineers to Indira Col, Siachen, today at Army Headquarters here.

The Indian Army has achieved another milestone in the history of Indian mountaineering by undertaking an ‘All Women Officers Expedition’ to Siachen glacier.

The Corps of Engineers in consonance with its spirit of adventure has organised this unique expedition to the highest and coldest battlefield in the world, Siachen Glacier, a junction point of three countries – India, China and Pakistan.

The expedition led by Major Megha Astagikar summitted Indira Col, located at an altitude of 20,187 feet, after trekking 103.10 kilometers on August 15, which coincided with the 62nd Independence Day.

Enroute to Indira Col, the team halted at eight camps to carry out acclimatisation, training and build-up of essential logistics. Braving inclement weather and extremely difficult terrain conditions, Indira Col was summitted well before the planned schedule.

The team traversed across the most treacherous high altitude terrain characterised by high avalanche-prone snow bound area with deep crevasses, steep ice-walls and scarce oxygen.

The 17 women officers expedition team was flagged-off by the Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Noble Thamburaj on August 3.

Prior to undertaking the expedition, a detailed planning and rigorous training in basic ice-craft and mountaineering skills was carried out by the team at the Army Mountaineering Institute, Siachen Base Camp.

Major AR Ramakrishnan, the trainer of the expedition team, inspite of being a battle casualty during ‘Operation Vijay’ summitted Indira Col alongwith the team making the achievement of the expedition spectacular and creditable. (ANI)

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Statins may help treat ‘female sexual dysfunction’

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sept 9 (ANI): Cholesterol-lowering wonder drugs known as statins may help treat female sexual dysfunction (FSD), according to a new study.

Raised cholesterol levels, or hyperlipidemia, have been linked to erectile dysfunction in men, as the build-up of fats in blood vessel walls can reduce blood flow to erectile tissue.

Since some aspects of female sexual arousal also rely on increased blood flow to the genitals, Katherine Esposito and her colleagues at the Second University of Naples in Italy compared sexual function in premenopausal women with and without hyperlipidemia, reports New Scientist.

In the study, researchers found that females with hyperlipidemia reported significantly lower arousal, orgasm, lubrication, and sexual satisfaction scores than women with normal blood lipid profiles.

And 32 per cent of the women with abnormal profiles scored low enough on a scale of female sexual function to be diagnosed with FDS, compared with 9 per cent of women without normal levels. However, women’s sexual desire was not affected by hyperlipidemia.

In another research, Annamaria Veronelli at the University of Milan, Italy, and her colleagues found that female sexual dysfunction was also associated with diabetes, obesity and an underactive thyroid gland.

“These two papers suggest that there are strong connections between women’s sexual arousal and organic diseases in the same way that men’s sexual problems arise,” says Geoffrey Hackett, a urologist at the Holly Cottage Clinic in Fisherwick, UK.

“This is currently not even considered in women,” the expert added.

The study has been published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. (ANI)

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US report reveals Pak enhancing nuke weapon capability to target India

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep.1 (ANI): Top US nuclear scientists have shockingly revealed in a report that Pakistan is enhancing its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.

According to the report, which is yet to enter the public domain, Pakistan is readying a new nuclear capable ballistic missile for deployment and two nuclear capable cruise missiles.

It also says that Pakistan is building two new plutonium production reactors and a second chemical separation facility at Chasma, Khushab and Dera Ghazi Khan in southern Punjab.

Pakistan is also renewing work on a partially built separation plant at Chasma.

It is believed that this secretive and substantial arsenal build-up is targeted at India.

Based on official estimates of Pakistan’s current uranium and plutonium technology, scientists had so far thought the country far short of having a 100 nuclear warheads in its kitty.

The new report, however, suggests that Pakistan has exceeded earlier estimates, and from being able to build 30-40 nuclear weapons it actually could possess as many as 70-90 – a disturbing figure from India’s point of view and that of the US, currently debating financial and military aid to its friend in keeping with the AFPAK agreement.

Moreover, if this report is true Pakistan is clearly going beyond the moratorium existing as an unwritten code of conduct in South Asia to halt the arms race. (ANI)

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‘Have fun and embrace the intense build-up to series decider’, says Nielsen

August 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 18(ANI): Tim Nielsen, the coach of Australian cricket team, has said the team must have some fun and embrace the intense build-up to the fifth and final Test match of the Ashes series, starting on Thursday.

“I think the most important thing from our perspective is we don’t run away from the fact it is a big game,” The Daily Telegraph quoted Nielsen, as saying.

“This is fun, this is why you play the highest level of sport for. When there’s big occasions, there’s big crowds and there is a perception around that it means a lot. Every Test match means a lot, but you get to special days and special moments like these, we’re looking to embrace it and really have some fun in it,” he added.

The stakes could not be higher now with the series locked at 1-1 and Nielsen says his Ashes holders should relish the opportunity that presents

Nielsen further said that nobody can determine the level of intensity that would be there at the stadium, when players would finally come out to play in the decider, and said that what important is to handle the situation.

“Our challenge this week is to make sure while we don’t make it bigger than it is, we enjoy that. You don’t get too many opportunities to play in a big game like this too often,” (ANI)

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Obesity linked to increased risk of rapid cartilage loss

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 14 (ANI): A new study has shown that obesity, among other factors, is strongly associated with an increased risk of rapid cartilage loss.

Tibio-femoral cartilage is a flexible connective tissue that covers and protects the bones of the knee. Cartilage damage can occur due to excessive wear and tear, injury, misalignment of the joint or other factors, including osteoarthritis (the most common form of arthritis).

In osteoarthritis, the cartilage breaks down and, in severe cases, can completely wear away, leaving the joint without a cushion. The bones rub together, causing further damage, significant pain and loss of mobility.

The best way to prevent or slow cartilage loss and subsequent disability is to identify risk factors early.

“Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressive disorder, but a minority of patients with hardly any osteoarthritis at first diagnosis exhibit fast disease progression,” said the study’s lead author, Frank W. Roemer, M.D., adjunct associate professor at Boston University and co-director of the Quantitative Imaging Center at the Department of Radiology at Boston University School of Medicine.

“So we set out to identify baseline risk factors that might predict rapid cartilage loss in patients with early knee osteoarthritis or at high risk for the disease,” Dr. Roemer added.

The researchers recruited patients from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis (MOST) Study, a prospective study of 3,026 people, age 50 – 79, at risk for osteoarthritis or with early x-ray evidence of the disease.

Dr. Roemer’s study consisted of 347 knees in 336 patients. The patient group was comprised of 65.2 percent women, mean age 61.2, with a mean BMI of 29.5, which is classified as overweight. Recommended BMI typically ranges from 18.5 to 25. Only knees with minimal or no baseline cartilage damage were included.

Of 347 knees selected for the study, 20.2 percent exhibited slow cartilage loss over the 30-month follow-up period and 5.8 percent showed rapid cartilage loss.

Rapid cartilage loss was defined by a whole organ magnetic imaging score of at least 5, indicating a large full thickness loss of 75 percent in any subregion of the knee during the follow-up period.

The results showed that the top risk factors contributing to rapid cartilage loss were baseline cartilage damage, high BMI, tears or other injury to the meniscus (the cartilage cushion at the knee joint) and severe lesions seen on MRI at the initial exam. Other predictors were synovitis (inflammation of the membrane that lines the joints) and effusion (abnormal build-up of joint fluid).

Excess weight was significantly associated with an increased risk of rapid cartilage loss. No other demographic factors-including age, sex and ethnicity-were associated with rapid cartilage loss.

“As obesity is one of the few established risk factors for osteoarthritis, it is not surprising that obesity may also precede and predict rapid cartilage loss,” Dr. Roemer said.
he study has been published in the August issue of Radiology. (ANI)

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Alzheimer’s disease drug may treat traumatic brain injury too

July 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 13 (ANI): A class of drugs used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has been found to be effective in treating traumatic brain injury as well, according to researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC).

The scientists have found that the destructive cellular pathways activated in AD are also triggered after traumatic brain injury, indicating that a new therapy could successfully treat both conditions.

Now, the researchers are all set to show that deactivating these pathways in part by using a class of AD drug, called gamma secretase inhibitor, could reduce loss of neurons in animal models of traumatic brain injury.

The drug also protected the animals against motor and cognitive deficits.

“The goal for both diseases is to prevent neuronal cell death, and this study suggests that one therapy could possibly work for both,” said the study’s lead author, neuroscientist Dr. Mark Burns.

Both disorders are associated with build-up of beta amyloid, a toxic brain peptide.

Burns says that build-up of beta amyloid occurs in a second wave of damage that follows immediate “necrotic” death of nerve cells after traumatic brain injury.

This secondary injury can last months, if not years, resulting in large holes within brain tissue.

Amyloid peptides are produced when a long brain protein known as the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is cut in two by the enzyme beta secretase, and then cut once again by a second enzyme known as gamma secretase.

Agents that inhibit the activity of gamma secretase are now being studied as treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

In the study, researchers used mice that were either treated with DAPT, an experimental gamma secretase inhibitor, or mice which were “BACE knock-outs” -genetically altered in such a way that they could not produce beta secretase.

It was found that DAPT and BACE knockout mice had brain lesions that were as much as 70 percent smaller than control animals and they experienced minimal impairment.

Burns said that the findings further cement the connection between Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury.

In addition, the study showed that “modulation of beta and gamma secretase may provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of traumatic brain injury.”

The findings of the study will be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease. (ANI)

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Antibodies in blood may help prevent Alzheimer’s

July 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 7 (ANI): Stanford University Medical Centre scientists have identified certain antibodies in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of healthy people that may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

They say that the levels of the antibodies found in healthy people decline with age and, in Alzheimer’s patients, with increasing progression of the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain.

These are large aggregations of a protein breakdown product, or peptide, called A-beta. Many experiments have shown that immunization with A-beta can reduce the formation of amyloid plaques.

It is believed that more than the plaques themselves (which are also found in the brains of people with no Alzheimer’s symptoms), it is smaller aggregations of a few A-beta molecules, called oligomers, which are most toxic to neurons.

During the study, the researchers found that the antibodies target many forms and aggregation-states of A-beta in both healthy and diseased subjects’ blood, with antibodies to oligomers showing the most immunoreactivity.

A follow-on experiment showed that the same antibodies, whether isolated from plasma of either Alzheimer’s patients or healthy controls, were able to protect freshly cultured mouse neurons in a dish from destruction by A-beta, which is typically highly toxic to these neurons.

Previous studies conducted on vervet monkeys showed that immunizing with A-beta substantially cleared their plaques.

In this new study, the Stanford team obtained blood samples extracted from those monkeys before and after immunization, and compared levels and diversity of relevant antibodies in pre- and post-inoculation samples

They observed several such antibodies in the pre-immunized samples, as well as significant post-immunization increases in levels of several different antibodies.

“Other studies have found antibodies against A-beta, but nobody has ever done a large-scale analysis using hundreds of different samples and almost a hundred different peptides to look for what’s already in people’s bodies,” said the paper’s first author, Markus Britschgi, PhD, an instructor working as a researcher in the laboratory of Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD.

The study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)

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Pak ‘reorganizes’ troops on Afghan border following fresh US-led Taliban onslaught

July 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, July 2 (ANI): The Pakistan Army has ‘reorganized’ its troops along the Afghan border to prevent the spill over of militants from the neighboring country following the fresh US-Afghan onslaught on the Taliban today.

“We’ve mustered more troops from the other areas of the border to deploy opposite the Helmand region. It is sort of a reorganization,” the ISPR spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.

About 4000 US Marines and 650 Afghan troops have intensified their action against the militants in the Helmand province, supposedly a Taliban stronghold,The News reports.

US and Pakistan officials are concerned that their intense troop build-up in the region could see the militants cross over to Pakistan from Afghanistan through the poorly guarded porous mountain range.

The US believes that Taliban’s top commanders are hiding in the region opposite Helmand, which is around 260 kilometers long. (ANI)

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Potential new target for pancreatitis treatment identified

June 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 30 (ANI): Scientists have identified a potential new target for the treatment of pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis is often a fatal condition, in which the pancreas digests itself and surrounding tissue.

Scientists have previously found that alcohol can trigger the condition by combining with fatty acids in the pancreas, which leads to an excessive release of stored calcium ions.

Once calcium ions enter cell fluid in the pancreas it activates digestive enzymes and damages the cells.

The team, in collaboration with the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan, have now identified channels within special stores that allow calcium to enter the fluid inside pancreatic cells.

They have also found that toxic calcium release can be significantly reduced if the gene responsible for the production of these channels is ‘deleted’.

“The pancreas releases enzymes into the gut, where they become activated and digest our food. When these digestive enzymes are activated inside the cells, however, they start to digest the pancreas itself, causing serious damage and often death,” Professor Ole Petersen, from the University’s School of Biomedical Sciences, said.

“Alcohol is widely recognised as one of the triggers for this process, but the reasons behind it have been unclear.

“We now know that alcohol, in combination with fatty acids, can produce substances that cause an excessive increase in calcium ions in the pancreatic cell water.

“We have found that this excessive build-up is caused by the movement of calcium ions from special calcium stores into the cell water, which activate digestive enzymes from within the cell.

“Our new research identifies the channels through which calcium movement occurs and importantly the genes which are responsible for the production of these channels.

“This work highlights the dangers of excessive drinking; the higher the levels of alcohol in the blood, the higher the risk of pancreatitis. Now that we have identified the genes that can control the condition, we should be able to develop more successful treatments for the disease,” Petersen added. (ANI)

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Indian Air Force’s eye in the sky arrives escorted by fighter jets

May 25, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

New Delhi, May 25 (ANI): The Indian Air Force’s eye in the sky, Phalcon AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform, arrived in India from Israel today.

The first of three Indian Air Force AWACS arrived in Jamnagar, Gujarat. It took off from Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday, first for Ovda in the southern Israeli coastal town of Eilat. At night, it flew from from Eilat to Jamnagar, reaching India on Monday.

The Israeli-built system is mounted on a Russian-built IL-76 transport aircraft as a part of the tripartite agreement between India, Israel and Russia.

Three Mig-29 and three Jaguar aircrafts took off from an advance fighter airbase of South Western Air Command (SWAC) and escorted the giant IL-76 configured in its new avatar.

The fighter formations caught up with the AWACS mid-air and escorted it as it entered the Indian FIR (Flight Information Region), and touched down at the Jamnagar Air Force Base, close to midday, today.

Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, SWAC, Air Marshal KD Singh along with senior IAF officials and air warriors welcomed the crew of the AWACS aircraft that included the Commanding Officer of the first AWACS squadron, Group Captain B Saju.

“It was a great feeling to be escorted by our fighters and it feels really good to be back,” said Group Captain B Saju upon arrival.

The Israeli Phalcon AWACS will be inducted in air force squadron on May 28, which will help the IAF to monitor military build-up and aircraft movement nearly hundreds of kilometres inside Pakistan without violating their airspace.

The AWACS are slated to operate from the Agra airbase under the Central Air Command and frenetic preparations ahead of its first arrival to join the extended fleet of the IL-76 family are complete, said an Indian Air Force statement.

India’s most potent force multiplier, Phalcon AWACS, is also capable of tracking down incoming missiles. The all weather system capable of engaging 60 targets simultaneously and has a range of 400 km. (ANI)

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Child’s ghostly image caught on new spirit-catching camera

May 13, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 13 (ANI): British spook hunter Paul Rowland has revealed that he might have invented a device by which he can capture spirits on camera, especially after he captured the ghostly image of a child with it.

The instrument works by using ultraviolet and infrared lights to enhance images other cameras miss, and the chilling discovery was made while taking a picture with the camera at the Welsh mansion he was working in.

“You can see a child-like figure and what appears to be an arm reaching out towards me,” the Sun quoted him as saying.

“I was standing with my back against the window ledge, just a metre away.

“This picture is my prized-possession,” he said.

The eerie shape was spotted at the haunted Plas Teg mansion, which is popular with paranormal groups, and 49-year-old Rowland said that he developed the gadget after watching TV shows like Most Haunted.

“I used to shout at the screen ‘why don’t you use this, or that’,” he said.

“But when I researched I found the technologies simply didn’t exist – so I started inventing them.

“The equipment I build is specifically for the purpose of paranormal investigations, unlike the borrowed technology used by other investigators.

“My belief is it will take new technology to reveal new evidence,” he added.

Rowland’s ghost-cam device is yet to get a proper name.

“The idea came about because I wanted to be able to carry technology around in one unit,” he said.

“I use blue and ultraviolet lights to enhance our capability in the dark.

“It also has a digital stills camera and camcorder – both of which can see in ultraviolet light.

“And there’s a live EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) system hooked up to it.

“With all great respect to mediums, nobody else can hear what’s going on.

“But I believe my devices can – through feedback – let people hold yes/no conversations with the dead.

“It’s almost as if the machine senses an energy build-up in the room and records it,” he added.

Rowland will be leading an investigation called The Paradox Experience in Scotland running until May 17. (ANI)

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US incapable of protecting Australia anymore, says Rudd

May 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Sydney, May 2 (ANI): Acknowledging that the supremacy of the United States has begun to fade, Australia’s new defense plan prepares the country’s forces to be less reliant on America.

In a fundamental shift in defense plans, the Kevin Rudd Government has clearly stated that US primacy in the Asia-Pacific – the bedrock of the nation’s security since World War II – may be ending.

A 20-year defense blueprint predicts that the rise of new great powers such as China, is set to produce growing regional tensions and a “sudden deterioration” in Australia’s security.

The plan prepares for a multibillion-dollar build-up of naval and air forces to ensure that Australia can defend its northern and sea approaches.

The blueprint further says that a regional shake-up is under way, but US supremacy will not be blunted before 2030, and assesses the chances of an attack on Australia in the short term as “very remote”.

The white paper called, ‘Defending Australia In The Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030′, is the first since 2000 and outlines a range of security threats, including instability caused by the financial crisis, cyber warfare, failed states in the Pacific, Islamist terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and climate change.

“Australia must ensure it can protect itself amid an emerging range of great powers in the region – particularly China, India and Russia – which could lead to a “miscalculation” with disturbing consequences for Australia,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted the defense plan, as saying.

“That order is being transformed as economic changes start to bring about changes in the distribution of strategic power. Risks resulting from escalating strategic competition could emerge quite unpredictably,” it added

The Minister for Defence, Joel Fitzgibbon, said the world faced “the beginning of the end” of the unquestioned dominance of Australia’s principal ally since the Cold War. (ANI)

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Oz pacer Watson ready to cope with sustained cricket

May 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Abu Dhabi (UAE), Apr. 30 (ANI): Australian all-rounder Shane Watson is confident a revamped bowling technique will allow him to cope with sustained cricket.

After stress-fractures of the back forced him out of cricket last November, the latest in a long line of injuries, Watson is making a comeback in gradual stages during Australia’s current one-day series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

He has played purely as a batsman during the first three games of the five-match series and will do so again in the final two 50-over matches on Friday and Monday in Abu Dhabi, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Meanwhile, he has been incrementally ramping up the pace of his bowling in the nets ahead of a return to competitive bowling in the one-off Twenty20 match against Pakistan in Dubai on May 7.

So far he has restricted himself to four-over spells in the nets to condition himself for the shortest version of the game.

“It’s the perfect lead-up to get my body back to bowling without really jumping in to a four-day game and bowling a lot of overs. It’s a good build-up. The goal for the last six weeks, or since I got the call-up to play here was to bowl in the Twenty20 game here, last game of the tour. Things have progressed really well since I started bowling, I’m up to 90 per cent off the long run, I’ve got three more sessions before that game,” Watson said.

“In the time off I was able to work on a few things in my batting as well. I’ve made the most of the time I’ve had off.”

But he admitted there would be some butterflies when he returns to the bowling crease in the May 7 match.

“I will be nervous, more so because it will be the first time I bowl in a game. I’m confident the body’s going to be fine, it’s just getting the cobwebs out from not bowling in match intensity. I can’t wait actually,” he said. (ANI)

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Confederation Cup ticket sales given a boost

April 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Johannesburg – Ticket sales for the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa were given a boost Monday with the news that international specialist banking group, Investec, has purchased 50,000 tickets for the tournament. The tickets, valued at 3.5 million rand (388,000 dollars) across various ticket categories, will be distributed amongst the company’s staff and to deserving local communities, Investec revealed.

The block-buy means applications have now been made to purchase more than half of the 640,000 tickets available for sale for the 16 matches at the Confederations Cup, which runs June 14-29 and is seen as a warm-up for the 2010 World Cup in the country.

“There is a great deal of optimism surrounding South Africa’s role as next year’s host of the world’s premier football competition and by means of Investec’s contribution to the success of this year’s Confederations Cup, many South Africans throughout the country will now be able to experience the pre-World Cup build-up excitement,” said Andy Leith, managing director of Investec South Africa.

The tournament kicks off on June 14 at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park Stadium with a match between South Africa and Asian champions Iraq. (dpa)

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Rooney, Ronaldo fuel ManU’s wage bill to whopping 121-mn pounds

April 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Apr 10 (ANI): Manchester United’s wage bill has increased to a whopping sum of 121million pounds in 2008, an increase of 29 million pounds.

The 30 per cent rise comes after improved deals for ace players Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

United’s Premier League and Champions League Double last season saw them splash 13.3 million pounds in bonuses, compared to 8.6 million pounds the previous year.

Chief executive David Gill is United’s best-paid non-playing or non-coaching employee on 1.7 million pounds a year, The Sun reported.

The champions are still second in the big spenders table with Chelsea’s bill at 148 million pounds – a rise of 12 per cent.

United boss Alex Ferguson admits Real Madrid’s continued pursuit of Ronaldo has affected his performance on the field.

The build-up to the 2-2 Champions League quarterfinal draw with Porto was dominated by fresh reports of a Ronaldo move, something Ferguson termed as “pathetic”.

But Ferguson says being honest with the player has kept his focus.

“He’s lucky in the sense that people here can be straight with him and he appreciates that – he has responded to that.”

Ferguson also praised Ronaldo for realising when he had overstepped the line in his tentative courting of Real.

“If it changes him as a person then you have a problem. Fortunately Ronaldo knows when he’s gone too far and he draws back in after that,” he added. (ANI)

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Ponting warns players not be distracted by IPL riches

April 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Durban (South Africa), Apr. 3 (ANI): Australia captain Ricky Ponting has warned his players not to be distracted by the build-up for the Indian Premier League (IPL) that is to be played in South Africa.

The IPL caravan for the five-week event is about to hit town, led by Shane Warne’s defending champions Rajasthan Royals.

“We are the number two-ranked one-day team in the world and we’d love to see ourselves back in the number one ranking by the end of this series. They will be the motivating factors for us, nothing to do with the IPL,” Fox Sports quoted Ponting, as saying.

“All the money and contracts have been sorted anyway. Now it’s just a matter of representing your country the best way that you possibly can. That’s what we’ll certainly be trying to achieve over the next couple of weeks,” he added.

“I’d like to think that the guys have solely got their minds on what they need to have their minds on for the next couple of weeks,” the Australian skipper said.

“The IPL will start up once our tournament is over. Whenever you are representing Australia, if you have a clouded mind on anything at all then you are not going to play your best cricket. I haven’t heard that around the group, any talk about the IPL whatsoever,” he concluded. (ANI)

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Piramal Healthcare to shut down one UK unit

April 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Piramal Healthcare Ltd plans to shut one of its drug units in the UK to help control costs, booking a one-time hit of 710 million rupees in the quarter ended March, company officials said on Wednesday.

“We realised that within our system we could shift whatever … we are manufacturing at Huddersfield to other locations and thereby save a considerable amount of cost,” Chairman Ajay Piramal said on an investors call.

The unit in Huddersfield had revenue of 19 million pounds in the fiscal FY09, R. Ananthanarayanan, director, pharma solutions, said on the call.

Production will be shifted to other Piramal units in UK and India, Ananthanarayanan added. Piramal will have to run validation processes in these before the products can be manufactured there, delaying the revenue flow, he added.

This, coupled with high inventory build-up at several of Piramal’s clients, will see FY10 revenue from pharma solutions coming in 5 percent lower from a year earlier, he added.

Operating margins, however, is expected to improve by 6-8 percent due to a combination of the shutdown and a focus on high margin businesses including clinical packaging, and early phase manufacturing, he added.

With more business being moved to its Indian units, he sees revenue from the India-based custom manufacturing business growing 15 percent.

Piramal will continue to operate its two other drug-making units in the UK, including the one acquired from Pfizer in 2006. At the time of purchase, Piramal also secured contracts to make various products for Pfizer.

The U.S. drug giant has renewed about 25 percent of these contracts, with the rest under finalisation, he said.

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Indian Hockey team geared up for Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy

April 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Bhopal, Apr 2 (ANI): Indian hockey team is geared up to make a mark at the Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy to be played in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 5 to 12 after undergoing rigorous practice session in Bhopal.

Indian Hockey coach Harendra Singh said that the five-nation event comprising of New Zealand, Pakistan, Egypt, Malaysia and India, would be a build-up for the Asia Cup and also to improve the international rankings.

“The team who would be playing Azlan Shah will be able to develop a strategy for the Asia Cup. Since many good teams like New Zealand will be there so team would be motivated to play well. The one who one wins Asia Cup would directly qualify for the World Cup. But since we are the host of World Cup, we are directly qualified for it, but if we win Asia Cup, then we would be able to improve our ranking,” said Harendra Singh.

He said that he wanted to take the Indian team that currently ranks ninth among hockey playing countries, to top-six nations by then end of this year.

The hockey Asia Cup would be held at Kuantan, the capital of the State of Pahang from May 9 to 16.

The team is confident after the stunning performance in New Zealand, where India won the hockey Test series 2-0.

Team captain Sandeep Singh also expressed confidence in the team and said that the team would be going with the strategy to win.

“We have been undergoing good practice session for last two weeks. Team is working hard. Our strategy would be to play well, reach the final and win it,” Sandeep Singh.

Indian team ended up as runner-up last year the Azlan Shah Hockey Cup.

Indian hockey has been in decline since the 1970s, coinciding with the game’s switch to artificial turf with more emphasis on power, speed and accuracy than deft stickwork.

Cricket became a national obsession following India’s surprise victory in the 1983 World Cup, while interest in other sports dwindled due to a lack of success at international level. (ANI)

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