Durga puja celebrations on a modest scale in Siliguri

Siliguri, Sept 18 (ANI): The festival of Durga Puja is just round the corner. However, this time around, the festival may not be full of pomp and show as compared with previous years in Siliguri.

The festival is known for massive makeshift tents or pandals which are put up by various festival organising committees.

Organising committees vie for making the best and unique pandals worth hundreds of thousands of rupees.

However, global economic slowdown has dampened the pandals-making spirit. Organisers have now to make do with less.

“This year, we have been hit by global recession. We generally depend on advertisements for our revenue, but this time no company has advertised with us. So, we have no other alternatives, but to cut down our budget,” said Sourav Nath, Secretary, Central Colony Puja Committee.

The recession has also pinched decorators as they are getting fewer orders for embellishing pandals.

“Puja committees have trimmed their budgets. This has affected us severely,” said Gopal Sarkar, General-Secretary, North Bengal Decorators Association.

Durga Puja is the biggest festival in Bengal.

The festival is also known as Dussehra and Navaratri in other parts of the country. (ANI)

US Ambassador meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Update- US Ambassador)

New Delhi, Sept 18 (ANI): The United States Ambassador to India, Timothy J Roemer, today met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at his residence.

The meeting took place after Roemer met Union Home Minister P. hidambaram.

Speaking to reporters, after a meeting with Chidambaram, Roemer said bringing the culprits to justice and going after Saeed were important to both India and the United States.

“Swift and mighty punishment for the six Mumbai suspects in Islamabad, is important for United States and is important for India. And going after Saeed is very important and dismantling the infrastructure of LeT in that region is extremely important to the United States and to India,” said Roemer.

The meeting took after reports of two FIR’s against Saeed came late last night.

He has been charged under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for making anti-state speeches where he urged activists of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the frontline organisation for LeT that he heads, to wage a ‘jehad’.

Saeed has also been charged for heading a charity collection drive during the Ramazan month according to the police.

Earlier, Roemer had called on Pakistan to take action against Saeed.

“There are five, probably six, suspects currently being held in Islamabad in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. It is extremely important that these six people be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world,” a news channel quoted Roemer, as saying

“I hope that in future the action on 26/11 includes people like Hafiz Saeed. Recently he was put into an Interpol red flag list,” he added.

The remarks follows Chidambaram’s visit to US, where he had briefed several ministers under the Barack Obama administration about Islamabad’s inaction against perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage.

The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308. Among the dead were 28 foreign nationals from 10 countries.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, has disclosed that the attackers were members of LeT, which is considered a terrorist organization by the Government of India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.

Interpol has also issued a Red Corner Notice against Saeed, and Zaki -ur- Rehman Lakhvi (another mastermind of the 26/11 attacks). The notice was issued after a Mumbai court issued non-bailable warrants against both terrorists. (ANI)

US Ambassador Roemer calls for action against Hafiz Saeed

New Delhi, Sept 18 (ANI): Pressurising Pakistan, the United States said it wanted swift and mighty punishment against the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Speaking to reporters, after a meeting with Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, the United States Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer said, bringing the culprits to justice and going after Saeed were important to both India and the United States.

“Swift and mighty punishment for the six Mumbai suspects in Islamabad, is important for United States and is important for India. And going after Saeed is very important and dismantling the infrastructure of LeT in that region is extremely important to the United States and to India,” said Roemer.

The meeting took after reports of two FIR’s against Saeed came late last night.

He has been charged under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for making anti-state speeches where he urged activists of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the frontline organisation for LeT that he heads, to wage a ‘jehad’.

Saeed has also been charged for heading a charity collection drive during the Ramazan month according to the police.

Earlier, Roemer had called on Pakistan to take action against Saeed.

“There are five, probably six, suspects currently being held in Islamabad in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. It is extremely important that these six people be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world,” a news channel quoted Roemer, as saying

“I hope that in future the action on 26/11 includes people like Hafiz Saeed. Recently he was put into an Interpol red flag list,” he added.

The remarks follows Chidambaram’s visit to US, where he had briefed several ministers under the Barack Obama administration about Islamabad’s inaction against perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage.

The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308. Among the dead were 28 foreign nationals from 10 countries.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, has disclosed that the attackers were members of LeT, which is considered a terrorist organization by the Government of India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.

Interpol has also issued a Red Corner Notice against Saeed, and Zaki -ur- Rehman Lakhvi (another mastermind of the 26/11 attacks). The notice was issued after a Mumbai court issued non-bailable warrants against both terrorists. (ANI)

Delhi Court to hear Bofors pay-off case today

New Delhi, Sep 8 (ANI): A Delhi court will hear the Bofors payoffs case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi today. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) may reveal its course of action following the withdrawal of Interpol’s Red Corner Notice against him.

The matter is to come up for hearing before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja.

During the brief hearing on April 30, Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra, appearing for CBI, had informed the court that the Red Corner Notice issued against Quattrocchi was withdrawn in November last year.

The ASG had also sought two months time to decide on the future course of action in the politically-sensitive case on the court’s query as to what options were left with the probe agency following the withdrawal of the Red Corner Notice.

The Bofors scandal was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s, when the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply the Indian Army with 155 mm howitzer guns.

The court had on February 10, 1997, sent letters to Malaysia and the UAE seeking the arrest and extradition of Quattrocchi.

The CBI had registered the FIR in the Bofors case on January 22, 1990, three years after Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, claimed that A B Bofors, the makers of the 155 mm howitzers, had paid kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials to secure the Rs 1,437 crore gun deal.The contract between the Indian government and the Swedish Company for the supply of 400 field guns was signed on March, 24, 1986. (ANI)

High quality video, telephone conferencing may be round the corner

Washington, September 6 (ANI): German researchers are sure that compression technologies can put an end to the poor images and sound quality that are often encountered by people during video and telephone conferencing sessions.

At this year’s IFA international consumer electronics exhibition in Berlin, researchers from four Fraunhofer Institutes will demonstrate the power and flexibility of these new technologies by holding games sessions in which players compete against each other via the Internet.

To ensure high and consistent quality of sound, the researchers have developed the Audio Communication Engine, which consists of reciprocally-tuned components that vastly improve the sound quality and clarity of video and telephone conferences compared with present systems.

The key component in providing excellent sound is the MPEG Enhanced Low Delay AAC audio codec, which ensures low-delay hi-fi quality even at low bit-rates.

An echo control eliminates troublesome echo so that users do not have to wear a headset, and can move around the room freely.

Sophisticated signal processing, which extends from enhancement of the microphone signals through to multi-channel loudspeaker reproduction, removes the barrier of distance between friends without incurring great installation expense.

The researchers say that they have already started working on actual implementation by designing the technology for integration in TV sets, set-top boxes and hi-fi systems.

They claim that visitors to the IFA international consumer electronics exhibition will be able to experience the system’s superb picture and sound quality, and even play games such as Memory, Battleships and Sorry. (ANI)

Indo-Pak foreign secretary talks not on the cards

New Delhi, Sep.4 (ANI): Talks between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan-Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir-are not going to be held in the forseeable future in the wake of the latest statements emerging from Islamabad with regard to the 26/11 probe and its less than acceptable reactions to the six dossiers provided to it by the Indian Government.

According to sources, while the meeting between the Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later this month, any hopes of a limited dialogue taking place at lesser levels is remote.

Incessant ceasefire violations at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s consistent non-compliance to the six dossiers provided by India and the inaction against 26/11 mastermind Hafeez Saeed are proving to be a recipe for a new face off between the two neighbours.

Dismayed by Pakistan’s double speak and its refusal to accept the evidence provided by India in the sixth dossier, sources said “It is up to Pakistan to decide what relation they want with India”.

Hafeez Saeed and his organization are banned under UN resolution 1267 and he should be brought to books, the sources added.

Interpol has already issued Red corner notices against Hafeez Saeed and Lakhvi, the key suspects who masterminded the Mumbai terror attacks.

But Pakistan is still asking for concrete evidence from India.

The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has already indicated that India may not respond to further demands from the Pakistan Government for information on the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai.

The apparent bitterness between the two neighbours is evident from the fact that the meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries is not yet finalized.

Sources have told ANI that no dates are fixed for the meetings so far.

It was decided between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Yusuf Raza Gilani at Sharm-al-Sheikh last month that foreign secretaries of both countries should meet more often and it was also decided that Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao should meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir before the ministers of both countries meet in New York.

The Pakistan Foreign office has also reportedly invited the Indian Foreign Secretary for talks in Islamabad, but no decision has been taken regarding her visit as if now, sources have told ANI.

India is also alarmed by the recent US reports about Pakistan’s increasing nuclear capabilities. The Indian Army chief has also expressed apprehensions over the development and has said that Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile is going beyond nuclear deterrence. He has also cautioned Pakistan over the rising ceasefire violations. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

Author of Winnie the Pooh sequel releases preview ‘exposition’

London, Sept 4 (ANI): Author David Benedictus is set to pen the first sequel of AA Milne’s ‘The House at Pooh Corner’, more than 80 years after the original.

He released an exposition previewing the characters’ thoughts on the forthcoming book, reports the Telegraph.

Pooh and Piglet, Christopher Robin and Eeyore were last seen in the Forest – oh, can it really be eighty years ago? But dreams have a logic of their own and it is as if the eight years have passed in a day.

Looking over my shoulder, Pooh says: ‘Eighty is a good number really but it could just as well be eighty weeks or days or minutes as years,’ and I say: ‘Let’s call it eighty seconds, and then it’ll be as though no time has passed at all.’

Piglet says: ‘I tried to count to eighty once, but when I got to 37 the numbers started jumping out at me and turning cartwheels, especially the sixes and nines.’

‘They do that when you’re least expecting it,’ says Pooh. “But are you really going to write us new adventures?” Christopher Robin asks. “Because we rather liked the old ones.”

“I didn’t like the ones with the Heffalumps in,” adds Piglet, shuddering.

“And can they end with a little smackerel of something?” asks Pooh, who may have put on a few ounces in eighty years.

“He’ll get it wrong,” says Eeyore, “see if he doesn’t. What does he know about donkeys?”

Of course Eeyore is right, because I don’t know; I can only guess.

But guessing can be fun too.

And if occasionally I think I have guessed right I shall reward myself with a chocolate biscuit, one of those with chocolate on one side only so you don’t get sticky fingers and leave marks on the paper, and if sometimes I am afraid that I have guessed wrong I shall just have to go without.

“We’ll know,” says Christopher Robin. “We’ll help you get it right if we can.”

And Pooh and Piglet smile and nod their heads, but Eeyore says: “Not that you are likely to. Nobody ever does.” (ANI)

Defiant Pak says ‘it is not obliged’ to arrest Hafiz Saeed

Dubai, Sep.3 (ANI): Notwithstanding Interpol’s Red Corner notice issued against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, the alleged 26/11 mastermind, Pakistan has once again refused to take action against him, saying the government is not ‘obliged to immediately arrest him’.

Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said there are not have enough evidence to establish the LeT kingpin’s involvement in the terror attacks.

In an interview to a Saudi Arab daily, Malik said that dossiers provided by India were not sufficient to prove Saeed’s involvement in the 26/11 carnage.

“Pakistan needs to examine the evidence provided by India on the basis of which Interpol issued a Red Corner notice against Hafiz Saeed. Certain procedures are required to pursue the notice,” Malik said.

“We are free to make our own investigations against the man, and then take steps accordingly,” he added.

Malik said Pakistani intelligence agencies were studying the Indian dossiers, but they were not sufficient to ‘link Saeed to the Mumbai attack and to punish those who are guilty.’

He reiterated that India could have prevented the November 26, 2008 attacks by sharing prior information with Islamabad after the arrest of two terrorists – Fahim Ansari and Sabah Uddin earlier that year.

“We appeal to India to share information with us, and also to keep faith in our legal system and judiciary,” The Dawn quoted Malik, as saying. (ANI)

Benaud calls for overhaul of Australian selection panel

Melbourne, Aug 30 (ANI): Former Test selector John Benaud has blamed the Australian selection panel for a series of blunders, including dumping opening batsman Phil Hughes for Shane Watson, opting for wicketkeeper Brad Haddin over Graham Manou and leaving behind a spare batsman.

Benaud has called for an overhaul of the four-man panel, claiming the team of Andrew Hilditch, Jamie Cox, Merv Hughes and David Boon lacks balance and innovation, and is too stubborn to change.

“I have a fear about this selection panel, that they don’t like admitting a blue. They’ve got this blinkered view of things,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Benaud, as saying.

“It’s all right for Jamie Cox to put his hand up and say, ‘I misread the pitch’ but I don’t think it was that so much as it was the way we handled things.

“They got themselves into a bit of a corner, these blokes, because when they chose the Ashes squad initially they only had the two opening batsmen. They were one batsman short,” he said.

“I feel they should have taken (Brad) Hodge to cover any eventuality. They created their own problem by dropping Hughes, who two Tests before made two centuries in a Test match against one of the best opening bowling attacks in the world (South Africa).

“To drop him, that suggests they were never really keen on Hughes as an opening bat, and that they’d been tyre-levered into picking him because the kid had done so well.

“But then they surprised us all by picking Watson as the opening batting replacement. I just couldn’t follow that,” Benaud said. (ANI)

‘Mobile ID’ devices herald next generation of biometric gadgets

Washington, August 27 (ANI): Reports indicate that a new generation of small, portable, versatile biometric devices, referred to as ‘Mobile ID’, are flourishing.

These devices gather, process and transmit an individual’s biometric data, which includes fingerprints, facial and iris images.

They were developed by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) researchers working with first responders, criminal justice agencies, the military, industry and academia.

Previous work on standards for these biometric devices has focused primarily on getting different stationary and desktop systems with hardwired processing pathways to work together in an interoperable manner.

But, a new generation of small, portable and versatile biometric devices are raising new issues for interoperability.

“The proliferation of smaller devices including advanced personal digital assistants (PDAs), ultra-portable personal computers and high-speed cellular networks has made portable biometric systems a reality,” said computer scientist Shahram Orandi.

“While the portable systems have made leaps and bounds in terms of capability, there are still intrinsic limitations that must be factored into the big picture to ensure interoperability with the larger, more established environments such as desktop or large server-based systems,” he added.

The new mobile biometric devices allow first responders, police, the military and criminal justice organizations to collect biometric data with a handheld device on a street corner or in a remote area and then wirelessly send it to be compared to other samples on watch lists and databases in near real-time.

Identities can be determined quickly without having to take a subject to a central facility to collect his or her biometrics, which is not always possible.

Soldiers are beginning to use these devices to control access to secured areas, and first responders can use them to ensure that only approved workers are on-site during an incident or investigation. (ANI)

Kerry Katona gets police caution after coke snorting video

London, Aug 25 (ANI): Kerry Katona has been warned by police after being secretly filmed while snorting cocaine at her Cheshire pad.

A Cheshire Police spokesman has revealed that Katona has been given a caution for the “possession of a controlled drug”.

“Following a police investigation, today at Wilmslow police station a 28-year-old woman has been cautioned by police for possession of a controlled drug,” The Sun quoted him as saying. ources close to Katona have revealed that she almost broke down in front of cops.

A source said: “She was in pieces in the police station. She cried and at times was barely able to answer the detectives’ questions.”

Katona’s lawyer, Alaric Walmsley, claimed that she was not charged over the incident.

He said: “She has not been charged and I believe that will be the end of the matter.”

A friend says Katona now fears intense quizzing by the social services, and is afraid of losing her children.

The pal said: “She was backed into a corner this time and just simply had to put her hands up and admit to it. She just can’t understand how things have come to this, next time she could find herself going to prison and she knows that.”

The friend added: “Kerry’s always denied she had a drug problem but now she has been forced to admit it and that will have serious implications when it comes to social services and her children’s welfare.” (ANI)

Macca breaks silence over friendship with Lennon

London, Aug 24 (ANI): Sir Paul McCartney has broken the silence over his friendship with his ‘The Beatles’ co-member John Lennon, and denied that they shared a sour relationship.

Macca seems considerate about his dead friend’s drug use, and believes that the complaints his pal made in interviews that he sabotaged songs in the studio could be excused, as he always expressed his love in the end.

“Oh, he was on drugs, wasn’t he? This is the trouble with history, with journalism. Whatever bad things John said about me, he would also slip his glasses down to the end of his nose and say, ‘I love you’,” Sky News quoted him as telling the Radio Times.

He added: “That’s really what I hold on to. That’s what I believe. The rest is showing off. John said so much crap that he later said he hadn’t meant. It’s bulls***. We were there. We all enjoyed it.

I never really criticised John. I’m not that critical. It’s a question of personalities. John’s was more abrasive than mine and that was good for his corner of the square that made up the Beatles. If we’d had two people like that – forget it – I don’t think it would have worked.”

McCartney further revealed that Lennon wasn’t the kind of man people thought he was.

He explained: “The image of John is seriously flawed because he was not the hard, mad man that people think he was. He was a very soft-centred guy and we had a lot more in common than people think. His favourite song when we were kids was Little White Lies, which was very sentimental. It was a smoochy old standard that his mum liked. That’s really what I hold on to. That’s what I believe. The rest is showing off.”

And, finally, he disclosed how the pair came together to form of the best-known and most successful writing partnerships in history.

He said: “The actual reason John and I started writing in earnest was because we’d be at a gig and the bands on before us would play songs we were about to do.”

The Beatles had split up in 1970. (ANI)

Interpol to assist Indian Government, set to issue notice against Hafiz Saeed

New Delhi, Aug.23 (ANI): The Indian Government has reportedly approached Interpol and requested it to issue a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Sources said that they expect the RCN to be issued some time next week, possibly by Tuesday.

The request from New Delhi is reported to have been made in the wake of a Pakistan court ordering the release of Saeed from nine months of house arrest on grounds that there was insufficient evidence to detain him in connection with his role in the 26/11 massacre in Mumbai that claimed nearly 170 lives and maimed more than 300.

Officials in New Delhi are reportedly of the view that Saeed should be chargesheeted and prosecuted for masterminding the Mumbai carnage on the basis of the six documents of evidence that they have handed over to the Pakistan Government through diplomatic channels.

Government sources said that the CBI, which acts as the nodal agency for all dealings with Interpol, has already written to the world police body, based on the 26/11 chargesheet, to get an RCN issued against Saeed who was let off by the Lahore High Court as Islamabad didn’t press charges against him.

Interpol issues an RCN against any accused after it receives all information and evidence against him from the country in which the crime has been committed.

The RCN will be issued on the basis of the non-bailable warrant issued against Saeed by a Mumbai court earlier and also all the evidences gathered against him by the Mumbai police.

According to the Mumbai police, Saeed is among the 35 people who provided training to all the terrorists who executed 26/11.

Pakistan has defended its refusal to act against Saeed by saying that India has not given evidence against him. (ANI)

‘I really think Ali feared me’, says ‘Smoking’ Joe Frazier

London, Aug 23 (ANI): Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Joe Frazier, who is famous for his trilogy of Heavyweight Championship fights with Muhammad Ali, has said that he still retains a disdain for the treatment he received from Ali.

Frazier, who for a decade had impaired vision in his left eye, could not see after Ali punched his right eye closed.

The history between the pair, which is featured in a DVD released this week, demonstrates the depth of the feud, highlighted by Ali’s verbal assaults on race and religious grounds.

“Ali was nervous and he taunted me, saying I was ugly and all sorts of things. But, I think that was his way of building himself up, by running off at the mouth,” The Herald Sun quotes Frazier, as saying.

“He had a lot of respect for me. And, I think he feared I could beat him. So, he used his tongue before the fights to try to upset me and to get his own adrenaline going. I really think he feared me,” he added.

Despite protests, Frazier’s corner threw in the towel before the 15th round, which meant that Frazier had lost the rematch. Frazier was never again the force he used to be and accepts his place in history, aware that a few seconds between rounds 14 and 15 in Manila could have changed the world’s perception of his talents.

“You have corners and trainers and managers who care. I had impaired vision in my left eye and I was struggling to see out of the other. I didn’t hold anything against anybody for the fight being stopped,” Frazier said.

“I would have been in real trouble if both my eyes closed. But, to learn Ali was ready to quit at the same time my corner called an end to the fight was a bit disappointing. He ended up in more physical strife than me, but he got the verdict and all the accolades that go with winners,” he added.

The 65-year-old further said that all that happened in “The Thrilla in Manilla” fight is history now and everyone must move on.

“I am at peace with the world. I could never understand why he went on at the mouth about so many things. I’ve always believed it doesn’t matter what colour your skin is. I couldn’t figure out what he was on about. I can only hope he asks the Lord for forgiveness for the wrongs he did me,” Frazier said. (ANI)

Sarabjit Singh’s family to take Vastu Shastra’s help for his release

Bhikhiwind (Punjab). Aug. 22 (ANI): The family of Sarabjit Singh, the Indian citizen on death row for last 19 years in Pakistan for his alleged involvement in bomb blasts incidents, had an unusual visitor on Saturday who suggested he could be released if certain corrective measures were undertaken in his native house’s basic design.

Andhra Pradesh-based renowned Vastu consultant, Sri Gouru Tirupai Reddy visited Sarabjit Singh’s house at Bhikhiwind and suggested the family to undertake some measures under Vastu Shastra, a traditional Hindu system of design based on directional alignments.

According to Sri Gouru Tirupai Reddy, if certain corrective measures were undertaken as per Vastu Shastra to improve the faults in design or construction of the house, it would have its influence on the victim’s release from Pakistani jail.

Reddy while talking to media said he inspected the house of Sarabjit and found major Vastu faults. “If these faults are removed, Sarabjit will surely return home safely, this is our opinion,” said Reddy.

Reddy claimed that he had already set the nationwide movement for raising funds for correcting the house faults so that Sarabjit could return home.

“The plot where Sarabjit’s house has been constructed is not rectangular and its north-east corner was cut off. Besides it had a toilet west of the south-west, which was at extending position and not accurate, as it should have been at 90 degree. South West of the house was down and open. The main gate of the house was in south of south-west and was wrongly placed, said Reddy.

“These are some of the major Vastu faults and need to be immediately corrected,” Reddy suggested.

The designer accompanying Reddy would design a new house map and would also suggest the estimated cost.

Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh, said that after having seen news on Sarabjit on TV channel, Reddy approached her to undertake Vastu Shastra’s corrective measures.

“We are knocking at every door for the release of Sarabjit and will undertake the corrective measures suggested by Reddy. We hope it may help Sarabjit’s return,” said Kaur.

However she said that since they don’t have enough fund to reconstruct the house as per Reddy’s recommendation so she urges the Punjab Government to provide financial help.

Sarabjit Singh is an Indian citizen and convicted for his alleged involvement in 1990 serial bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan that killed 14 people.

Though his family in Indian Punjab contends that it’s a case of sheer mistaken identity, as he is just a poor farmer, who strayed into Pakistan from his village located on the border in an inebriated state.

He has been awarded death sentence by the Anti-Terrorist Court in 1991, but his hanging has repeatedly postponed. He is imprisoned in the Kot Lakhpat jail, Lahore. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

Cameron Diaz dating Sex and the City star Jason Lewis?

Washington, Aug 19 (ANI): Cameron Diaz may have found new love in ‘Sex and the City’ star Jason Lewis.

The ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ star was spotted flirting with the actor during a recent meal together at a sushi restaurant in Venice Beach, reports Contactmusic.

An onlooker said: “Cameron and Jason were sitting in the corner of Shima totally wrapped up in one another. They couldn’t stop touching each other. And we couldn’t stop looking.”

According to reports, the pair has known each other for several years as friends, however, it is only now that they have embarked on a romantic relationship.

The source added to Grazia magazine: “They’ve always got along, but now realise just how much they have in common.

“Jason is exactly Cameron’s type. She’s attracted to athletic types and they’re both passionate about the environment.”

Jason has previously dated Jennifer Aniston, while Cameron has been linked to Maroon 5 star Adam Levine and actors Jude Law and Leonardo DiCaprio. (ANI)

Ashes 2009 is a battle of the new kids: Thorpe

Cardiff (Wales), July 7 (ANI): Former England star Graham Thorpe believes this summer’s Ashes could shape up to be the battle of the new kids.

In the Australian corner is opening batsman Phillip Hughes, who burst onto the scene in the recent win over South Africa, but England have their own batting prodigy in Ravi Bopara, who after a sketchy Test debut in Sri Lanka in 2007 is starting to look the real deal.

The Essex starlet, 24, has struck three centuries in his last three innings after taking over the problematic No.3 spot in the batting line-up.

Thorpe feels the lack of Ashes experience could either help or hinder the two youngsters.

He told Sun Sport: “Ravi Bopara has a big challenge at No.3 against the Aussies – especially with their strong seam attack. But he clearly has the temperament and looks like he can play both forms of the game. That’s key for a modern player.”

“And, it’s the same for Hughes on the other side. If one of them has a big series and the other does not, that could decide which way the Ashes goes,” he added.

Despite his obvious threat with the ball, the left-armer will unwittingly rough up the pitch outside off stump – something England spinner Graeme Swann can profit from.

Thorpe added: “The Aussie middle order is key. If we can knock it out, we have a chance. (ANI)

Michelangelo’s self-portrait found hidden in his final painting

London, July 2 (ANI): A self-portrait by renowned Italian Renaissance mastermind Michelangelo has been found hidden in his final painting, the Crucifixion of Saint Peter, believe experts.

According to Maurizio De Luca, the Vatican’s head of paintings restoration, the artist’s fresco painted at the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican City, holds the self-portrait of the genius in the form of a figure in the top left-hand corner of the work.

World’s leading art experts are convinced that the facial features in the fresco bare a striking resemblance to those in portraits of Michelangelo by other artists.

“What has emerged is a later Michelangelo work seen in a new light, a work which marked the end of his painting, as he dedicated himself to sculpture and architecture,” the Independent quoted De Luca as having told La Repubblica newspaper.

“I do believe this is Michelangelo. The blue turban is a very strong indication because it’s very typical of the hats worn by sculptors to keep the powder off themselves,” De Luca added.

The only other generally believed self-portrait of Michelangelo can be seen in his most famous work, the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, which he created between 1534 and 1541. (ANI)

US demand for Israeli settlement freeze tantamount to “extortion”: Schneller

Jerusalem, June 30 (ANI): Knesset member Otniel Schneller has termed the US demand for a settlement freeze as “extortion”, which could impede Israeli readiness for peace.

The Jerusalem Post quoted Schneller, as saying that Obama administration officials were holding beliefs shaped by “far-Left opinions outside of the Israeli consensus.”

Schneller, who has been involved in peace deals with the Palestinians and Jordan since 1994, wrote a letter to Defense Minister Ehud Barak ahead of his US visit.

“Although Israel must go as much as possible in the direction of American interests through democracy, maintaining peace, continuing to work together with Abu Mazen [PA President Mahmoud Abbas], when the Obama government extorts the government of Israel by putting forward the question of natural growth and settlements opposite the Iranian question, it is extortion in the full meaning of the word,” Schneller wrote.

In the letter, Schneller wrote he “searched for ways to find a meeting-point between Israel’s desire to advance peace, the recognition of the agreement of the majority of Israeli people to recognize a Palestinian state, and the fatalism of America that is pushing us into a corner.”

“The most dangerous thing to the peace process is to push the Israeli public into a corner,” he added.

Schneller said, the American call to freeze all Jewish building in the West Bank were “unifying the Israeli public against the American demands.”

“What does the president of the United States think – that a nuclear Middle East is less dangerous than natural growth in a small settlement? What does the American Jew who voted for Obama think? To allow him to endanger our physical existence in Israel because my daughter is going to have a baby?” he asked. (ANI)

Imran cannot run with the Taliban and disco in London at the same time : Pak editorial

Islamabad, June 27 (ANI): Cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan may have vehemently opposed the military offensive against the Taliban and other extremists in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) terming the offensive as ‘suicidal’, but Khan apparently is unsure about what he really wants to achieve by showing a soft corner towards the extremists, an editorial in a leading Pakistan daily said.

Khan is of the view that the operation against the militants would not be successful, and said that it would only add to the country’s woes by creating more anarchy in the region, over which the government has already lost its control.

Khan had also criticized those who had raised fears about Pakistan’s Talibanisation, saying the term ‘Talibanisation’ has wrongly been projected.

He believes that the Taliban is not a part of some ideology, but it had only emerged as a reaction against the US invasion of Afghanistan, it said.

The Daily Times editorial highlighted that Khan certainly forgot that the Taliban did not emerge out of any reaction, but infact it was the “non-state actors” used by Pakistan to help the Kabul regime of Mullah Umar survive in the face of internal opposition.

All the Taliban chieftains, who are currently creating havoc in Pakistan are veterans of the Kabul conflict, and later turned against the US in 2001 after the world super-power decided to invade into their territory to seek revenge of the 9/11 incident, it went on to add.

Pakistan is suffering today because its strategies on Afghanistan have failed miserably in the past, the editorial said.

“Talibanisation is an ideological extension which rejects the Constitution of Pakistan and seeks to implement a tougher version, something which the people of Pakistan have rejected,” it added.

Rubbishing his claims of being in the know of things with regards to realities behind politics in Pakistan, it concluded by saying : “Imran Khan cannot run with the Taliban and disco in London at the same time.” (ANI)