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Tearful Cahill laments “harsh” red card

June 14, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Australian hard man Tim Cahill was reduced to tears by his dismissal in the 4-0 loss to Germany in their World Cup opener on Sunday and said Bastian Schweinsteiger had made too much of the challenge.

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Cahill clattered into the Germany midfielder in the 56th minute of the Group D encounter, staring in disbelief as Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez brandished the red card.

“It was a devastating blow to me and my career,” he told reporters, choking back the tears.

“I think I merited a yellow card, the referee’s decision was too harsh.

“Schweinsteiger made a meal of the incident. That’s why the referee issued a red card. I can understand him. It was to their advantage. That’s football.”

Australia were already 2-0 down by the time Cahill received his marching orders but the Everton midfielder said Australia being reduced to 10 men had distorted the final scoreline.

“I think all the credit goes to Germany,” he added. “They played well, they dominated us throughout the encounter and they deserved to win. But the score was too hard on us.”

Socceroo captain Lucas Neill refused to blame his team mate for the defeat.

“They were the better side,” he said. “Yes, Tim had a red card but he cannot be held responsible for us losing the game. It was a collective responsibility.

“Now we are left with no choice but to win the remaining two games in this round, it’s not going to be easy but we’ll have a try.”

Ghana beat Serbia 1-0 in the other Group D match on Sunday.

(Writing by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ossian Shine)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Challenge Sports, collective responsibility, disbelief, encounter, Football Australia, Ghana, hard man, Lucas Neill, match, midfielder, referee, reuters, Schweinsteiger, score, scoreline, team mate, Tim Cahill, two games, World Cup Opener, yellow card

Bradley expects Howard to be fit for Slovenia

June 14, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – United States goalkeeper Tim Howard will have a rib injury evaluated later on Saturday but coach Bob Bradley expects him to play against Slovenia in their second Group C match.

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Howard suffered the injury when England striker Emile Heskey slid into him during the first half of the 1-1 draw in Rustenburg on Saturday but carried on after receiving treatment.

“At this point, there is no answer,” Bradley told reporters on Sunday when asked if Howard was doubtful for Friday’s match in Johannesburg.

“When you see the way Timmy handled himself after the collision, you’d certainly expect he will be on the field again.”

“He’ll be evaluated later today and then a decision will be made whether he will need further tests. Obviously he was sore, he did a great job of taking a tough hit, staying in it and playing it really well. We will assess it and figure out how to go on from there.”

The States have Marcus Hahnemann and Brad Guzan available as back-up.

Bradley said that after a tough encounter with England, he expected Friday’s opponent’s Slovenia to offer another style.

“I think it will be a different kind of game, obviously we will watch them but they are a hard working team, well organized and they have an ability to sometimes sit back a little and still catch you on the counter.

“Overall, the pure speed and physicality of Saturday’s game is on the very high end and the Slovenia game, in some ways, might be a little more of a chess match,” he said.

(Writing by Simon Evans; Editing by Jon Bramley)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Bob Bradley, Brad Guzan, Bramley, Chess, Coach Bob, encounter, goalkeeper, Johannesburg, Kind Of Game, Marcus Hahnemann, match, opponent, physicality, reuters, Rustenburg, Second Group, simon evans, Striker Emile Heskey, tim howard, Timmy

Army takes action against officials in J-K fake encounter

June 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The Army has relieved a Colonel of his command and suspended a Major for their alleged involvement in the killing of three youths in a fake encounter in April in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Commanding Officer (CO) of 4 Rajput Regiment Colonel D K Pathania has been relieved of his command while Major Upinder of the 4 Rajput Regiment, who was named as the main accused by the J&K Police in the April 30 Machil encounter case, has also been removed from active duty.

“The Colonel has been removed from the command. The second officer has been suspended as of now and the inquiry has been ordered,” Lieutenant General B S Jaiswal, chief of Army’s Northern Command, said on Sunday.

“Commanding Officer Colonel D K Pathania has been asked not to leave the Valley till inquiry is completed in the alleged fake encounter,” Army sources said. He was about to leave the Valley and join his regiment which has been relocated to Meerut.

“Major Upinder has been named main accused in the fake encounter and he too has been removed from active duty”, they said.

General Jaiswal said, “It (inquiry) will be totally transparent and the truth will be there…. The inquiry is on.

“Our genuine concern is to be transparent. This is the first step. And this should be the indicator that subsequently we will be coming out with the truth,” he said.

The Army had ordered an inquiry into the killing after the police filed a report accusing the Major of entering into a criminal conspiracy with some locals to eliminate the three youths by labelling them as terrorists.

This is the second time that the Army has removed a serving officer from a command. Earlier, Colonel Gloria of 33 Rashtriya Rifles was removed for allegedly killing three boys who were playing cricket in a playground in Dudipora-Handwara in February 2006, three months after he had taken over the reins of the counter-insurgency unit.

The sources said that the police inquiry relied heavily on the statement of a trooper of 161 battalion of the Territorial army in Gauntmullah Baramulla who told investigators about the alleged involvement of the Major.

Soldier Abbass was among three persons including a former Special Police Officer arrested by the police in the Machil fake encounter case.

Meanwhile, the police have recorded the statements of the parents of the three slain youths after taking them to Kupwara.

Earlier, Chief Judicial Magistrate Sopore had recorded the statements of close relatives of the three youths.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: active duty, army sources, chief of army, colonel, commanding officer, counter-insurgency, criminal conspiracy, encounter, Genuine Concern, Jaiswal, jammu, Kashmir, lieutenant general, locals, playground, police inquiry, Rajput Regiment, rashtriya rifles, reins, second time

BJP, Cong trade charges on Shahpur violence

May 27, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

R C Faldu says ‘misuse’ of CBI by Congress has encouraged antisocial elements in Gujarat

State BJP president R C Faldu on Wednesday held the Congress responsible for the communal clashes in the walled city area of Ahmedabad, saying the CBI arrest of IPS officer Abhay Chudasama had emboldened antisocial elements.

In a joint press statement, Faldu and BJP national vice-president Parshottam Rupala alleged that the clashes were borne of a conspiracy to defame Gujarat and hinder its development. “With the Congress trying to morally weaken the Gujarat Police by misusing the CBI, the antisocial and anti-national elements are emboldened. The peace loving people of Gujarat will not let such efforts to be successful,” they said.

Reacting to this, Gujarat Congress president Siddharth Patel said the clashes were result of the BJP-led government’s failure. He alleged it was engineered by BJP leaders and workers themselves to divert people’s attention from the CBI probe into the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounter cases. “The BJP is trying to run away from its responsibilities and hence unnecessarily accusing the Congress,” he said, adding: “It is BJP leaders and workers who are involved in the violence, and not any antisocial element as is being projected by the saffron leaders.”

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Ahmedabad, Antisocial Elements, bjp leaders, bjp president, cbi probe, communal clashes, congress president, conspiracy, element, encounter, gujarat police, Gujarat State, National Elements, national vice president, saffron, siddharth, Sohrabuddin Sheikh, trade charges, Violence, walled city

Mohali take honours on Day One

May 26, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The encounter between two heavy weights-Chandigarh and Mohali- has always been mouth-watering. Both the teams have always called for high-intensity and action filled matches. It was no different on Tuesday when both the teams once again engaged in an exciting encounter during the third round matches of the Punjab State Under-22 Cricket Tournament played at the Sector 16 Cricket stadium. However, Mohali took the honours on the first day as their batsmen helped the team pile on a handsome total.

Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Mohali mustered a sound total of 377 in 94.4 overs. After losing the first wicket cheaply, Mohali batsmen Ankit Pursharthy and Sachin Sohal stitched 108 runs for the second wicket before Ankit was caught by Bawa off the bowling of Anshul Tripathi. He made 67 off 145 balls with the help of ten boundaries. Two quick wickets in succession put Chandigarh on top but Gurkirat Mann and Arshdeep Brar were involved in a century stand (101) for the fifth wicket that once again brought Mohali back into the match. Arshdeep returned back to the pavillion after a well-made 45 off 80 balls.

However, Gurkirat continued in the same vein and smashed a quick-fire 36 off 28 balls and was involved in a 93-run stand for the sixth wicket with Gunjot Singh. Gurkirat, who has been in good form, struck a superb 109 off 100 balls. Gurinder Singh and Anshul Tripathi took three wickets each for Chandigarh.

In reply, Chandigarh were 6 for no loss in five overs.

Brief scores:Mohali (1st innings): 377 all out in 94.4 overs (Gurkirat Mann 109, Ankit Pursharthy 67, Sachin Sohal 65, Arshdeep Brar 48, Gunjot Singh 36, Gurinder Singh 3 for 104, Anshul Tripathi 3 for 146); Chandigarh (1st innings): 6 for no loss in 5 overs (Amit Prashar 3 no, Manan Vohra 3 no).

Chawla saves the day for PatialaHolding on one side firmly as wickets fell regularly at the other end, Himanshu Chawla emerged as hero of the day for Patiala as he helped the team muster a competitive 308 in 82 overs in the match played at Jalandhar.

Opting to bat first, Patiala lost their first wicket cheaply before Jeevanjot and Amitoze got together and put on 91 runs in 110 balls for the second wicket. Thereafter, Patiala lost few quick wickets but then Himanshu and Vikramjit resurrected the visiting team’s innings by stitching 82 runs for the sixth wicket.

Himanshu who was looking good for a century, missed out on the feat when he holed a Yogesh Kumar delivery to the mid wicket where Maninder took an easy catch to send him packing on 95. He took 147 balls for his effort and struck 10 boundaries. Yogesh Kumar was the pick of the bowlers as he completed a five-wicket haul (5 for 82), while Maninder bagged three wickets.

Jalandhar were 40 for 1 in 12 overs. They lost opener Nitish for 23 on the last ball of the match.

Brief scores:Patiala (1st innings): 308 for all out in 82 overs (Himanshu Chawla 95, Amitoze Singh 61, Jivanjot Singh 34, Vikramjit Singh 36, Yogesh Kumar 5 for 82, Maninder Singh 3 for 89, Manpreet Singh 2 for 51); Jalandhar (1st innings): 40 for 1 in 12 overs (Nitish 23, Robin Singh 15 no).

Ludhiana batsmen shineA Collective batting effort by Ludhiana batsmen helped the team finish the first day on a high during their match against Kapurthala at Ludhiana. Batting first, the hosts amassed 399 for 8 in 95 overs. Bharat Malhotra (108), Gitansh Khera (87), Sunny Pandey (59) and Akhil Aggarwal (48) were the run scorers for the hosts.

A second wicket partnership of 95 runs for the second wicket set the tone for Ludhiana innings. Then a fourth wicket partnership of 132 runs between Gitansh and Bharat helped the team build platform for a good total. Similarly, another fruitful partnership of 75 runs for the fifth wicket between Bharat and Deepak Bansal further swelled the team’s total. In the process, Bharat completed his century (108 off 159 balls) with the help of 11 boundaries and a huge six.

Gagan added a quick-fire 39 off 18 balls to help the team reach 399. Krishan picked up three wickets for 109 runs.

In reply, Kapurthala were reeling at 57 for 5 in 13 overs at the end of the day’s play. Baltej Singh scalped three wickets, while Deepak Bansal took two wickets to leave the team tottering. Four of the five batsmen failed to open their account. Mandeep Singh was batting on 42.

Brief scores:Ludhiana (1st innings): 399 for 8 in 95 overs (Bharat Malhotra 108, Gitansh Khera 87, Sunny Pandey 58, Akhil Aggarwal 48, Deepak Bansal 39, Gagan 39, Krishan 3 for 109); Kapurthala (1st innings): 57 for 5 in 13 overs (Mandeep Singh 42 no, Baltej Singh 3 for 26, Deepak Bansal 2 for 26).

Loomba helps team take leadRiding high on Sharad Loomba’s unbeaten 91, Amritsar took an unassailable 45-run lead over Mansa in the fourth match played at Amritsar. Batting first, Mansa were bundled out for 131 in 50.2 overs. Lakshay Seth took four wickets, while Shubham Khanna and Charanjit Singh bagged two wickets each.

In reply, Amritsar were 176 for 3 in 42 overs at the end of the day’s play. Loomba was batting on 91 off 109 balls. He was involved in a 63-run partnership for the third wicket with Amandeep Bawa. Aman Bharti took two wickets.

Brief scores:Mansa (1st innings): 131 for all out in 50.2 overs (Manpreet Singh 27, Aman Bharti 26, Lakshay Seth 4 for 28, Charanjit Singh 2 for 29, Shubham Khanna 2 for 35); Amritsar (1st innings): 176 for 3 in 42 overs (Sharad Loomba 91, Mohit Handa 14 no, Aman Bharti 2 for 52)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: amit, balls, boundaries, bowling, brar, Chandigarh, cricket stadium, cricket tournament, encounter, heavy weights, Hero Of The Day, High Intensity, Manan, match, patiala, punjab state, succession, tripathi, wicket, wickets

Four poachers killed in Kaziranga National Park

May 21, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Golaghat (Assam), May 21 (ANI): At least four poachers were killed in an encounter with forest guards in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam”s Golaghat District on Friday.

Acting on specific information, forest guards surrounded the poachers between Mihimukh and Baghpara camps in Kohora range of the Park on Friday morning.

According to state forest officials, an encounter followed the rounding up, in which four poachers were killed.

Officials recovered one .303 rifle from the possession of slain poachers.

The incident comes three days after seven poachers, including a retired forest guard, were arrested in the park.

The incident exposed a nexus between a section of forest guards and poachers.

Kaziranga Jeep Safari organisation has announced a special award for the six forest guards involved in the encounter.

Kaziranga, a UNESCO world heritage site, has largest population of one horned rhinos.(ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Assam, encounter, exposed, Forest Guard, Forest Guards, forest officials, friday morning, jeep, Jeep Safari, kaziranga national park, largest population, nexus, Poachers, possession, rhinos, State Forest, UNESCO, Unesco World Heritage, Unesco World Heritage Site, world heritage site

28 Taliban, 2 soldiers killed inPak Army’s latest offensive in FATA

May 19, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Lahore , May 19 (ANI): More than 28 Taliban extremists and two Pakistani soldiers were killed in an ambush in the Orakzai region of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on Wednesday, officials said.

The encounter took place after over 200 Taliban attacked a security check post in the region, The Nation reports.

The death toll was hard to be verified independently as the media is barred from visiting the war-zone.

The Pakistan military has intensified its operation in FATA killing scores of militants in the last fortnight.

Several army personnel have also been killed in the offensive, which is targeted at flushing out the militants from the region. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: ambush, army personnel, death toll, encounter, extremists, fata, fortnight, Lahore, militants, Pakistan military, Pakistani Soldiers, security check, Taliban, tribal areas, war zone

Horny kangaroo stalking women of Northern Territory!

May 14, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 14 (ANI): A kangaroo in the Northern Territory of Australia has been ruffling a few feathers by the amorous advances he has been making to the women of the area.

The well-endowed kangaroo has been hanging around the Honeymoon Ranges in Tennant Creek recently, making every effort to woo a woman.

One resident, who walks along the bike track to the Mary Ann Dam regularly, revealed her encounter with the animal, which had followed her early one morning.

“I turned around and saw this big kangaroo behind me, so I hastened my steps. It seemed a bit odd, but I continued walking and didn”t think much about it,” ntnews.com.au quoted her as saying.

“Then on the return walk he was there waiting for me. With his male pride on full alert, he started circling me. There was no doubt about what he wanted, the randy old thing.

“It was a huge kangaroo and quite intimidating. I yelled at him to go away, waved my hands about and let him know I wasn”t interested, but he was persistent – I”ll give him that,” she revealed.

The woman said the animal bounded off when other walkers approached.

But that was not the end of the raunchy roo”s antics, as he made another appearance at a recent nighttime speedway meeting.

Mother-of-three, Tanya Wilson, who was behind the pits, noticed he had come to check out the action.

“I thought it was strange that a kangaroo would come to such a noisy place, but I grew up around kangaroos so I went up to say hello,” she said.

“There I was having a nice chat to him when I heard others calling out to me, warning me to step away.

“I didn”t take any notice of them because I didn”t think I had anything to worry about. I thought he was just a cute, friendly kangaroo,” she explained.

Wilson was oblivious to the amorous nature of the interlude, but the kangaroo”s intentions were clearly evident to other speedway fans.

“Yeah, apparently he was quite aroused. I”m actually glad I didn”t notice,” she added.

There were reports a male speedway fan confronted the kangaroo but came off second best when the beast punched him in the face. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Amorous Advances, antics, Bike Track, encounter, Feathers, honeymoon, Interlude, kangaroo, making every effort, Male Pride, Melbourne, no doubt, Noisy Place, Northern Territory, pits, raunchy, Speedway Fans, tanya, walkers, Woman One