Obama identified with Hitler, Stalin

Washington, Sep.19 (ANI): Even as thousands of people packed the streets of Washington on Friday to protest against government spending, some of the agitators likened President Barack Obama to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

According to a CBS report, most of those would have called themselves “patriots” arguing that their government was betraying traditional principles.

Steve Butler, a physician from Indiana was handing out copies of the Constitution. “If you read the quotes of Thomas Jefferson, these guys were conservatives and they said that the control should be with the people and not with the big government.”

There were plenty of signs identifying Obama with Hitler, or Stalin, that questions his citizenship, that seems to celebrate the death of a famous liberal.

But perhaps what most united these protesters was a broader discontent: a sense that they are not being heard, that their interests, and the national interests, are in the hands of a few. (ANI)

Drought for Pakistan cricket is over : PCB

Karachi, Sep.16 (ANI): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed hope that the drought of international tournaments for the national squad would soon be over with several foreign tours and multi nation events scheduled for the next few months.

“The dry spell is finally over and that’s a good sign for our cricket,” PCB’s Chief Operating Office (COO) Wasim Bari said, adding, “A lot of positive developments are taking place. I must say that things are improving for Pakistan cricket.”

After virtually spending the last six months in hibernation, Pakistan has a packed cricket calendar in the forthcoming ten months.

Starting from the elite eight-nation ICC Champions Trophy beginning September 22, Pakistan would be touring three continents for a number of Test, one-day and twenty20 matches.

Pakistan is scheduled to ‘host’ New Zealand for four One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month. It will then fly to New Zealand to participate in a three match ‘home’ Test series against the Black Caps in November-December.

Then follows the tough tour of Australia, where they would be playing three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 game. Later, in 2010, Pakistan would be seen defending their ICC World T20 Champions title in the Carribeans.

Bari also expressed hope that international cricket would soon return to Pakistan and claimed that the security scenario was getting better in the country with time.

“Our players will get plenty of cricket in the coming months.

It’s now time that they prove their worth. The security situation (in Pakistan) is getting better every day which is why I’m hopeful for an early return of international cricket here,” The News quoted Bari, as saying. (ANI)

Devotees throng famous Lalbag Ganesha shrine in Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 7 (ANI): After the conclusion of the ten-day Ganesha Chaturthi, devotees on Sunday made a beeline to the famous ‘Lalbag ka Raja’ shrine in Mumbai.

Devotees came to seek blessings from the reverent deity, Lord Ganesha, during the Ganesha Chaturthi festival and offered coconuts.

“This year a lot many devotees visited ‘Lalbag ka Raja’ and sought blessings from Lord Ganesha. As a result plenty of coconuts were offered by devotees to the god,” said Satish Khankar, President of the shrine.

“Those of our friends and relatives who cannot visit Lalbag during the festival, we are buying coconuts for them and will distribute it to all those who need it,” said Shailesh, a devotee.

The Ganesh Chaturthi festival began August 23. At the end of the 10-day long festival, the idols of Lord Ganesha were taken in grand processions and immersed in water bodies.

Ganesh Chaturthi, the most important festival in Maharashtra is also celebrated in southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. (ANI)

Kids more susceptible to headaches, migraine in new school year

Washington, Aug 30 (ANI): A new study has revealed that children and teens become more susceptible to the pain and discomfort of headaches and migraines as the new school year begins.

More than a third of children suffer from recurrent headaches – headaches that occur more than once a month. Most are tension headaches, which are less severe and do not occur with nausea or vomiting.

“Try to get your kids back into a routine schedule at least two weeks before school starts,” said Dr Ann Pakalnis, neurologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

“Begin enforcing earlier bedtimes, and make sure children are well-rested before beginning a new school year,” the expert added.

In the new study, researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that sleep and emotional disorders were common in adolescents with migraines.

Sleep disorders and mild, chronic depression became more common as headaches became more frequent.

In addition those who regularly consumed caffeine also reported more depression and were poorer sleepers.

“Our study indicates that patients with migraines should be monitored for sleep and emotional disorders,” said Pakalnis.

“These findings suggest that factors such as frequent migraines may play a role in the occurrence of these disorders.

“Also, minimizing caffeine consumption may benefit sleep and mood in headache patients and decrease susceptibility to migraine attacks,” she added.

In addition to making sure kids get plenty of sleep and minimize caffeine intake, parents should ensure their children are eating balanced meals and snacks regularly.

Also, limit their caffeine intake and monitor to check that they are getting the proper amount of fluids.

Over-the-counter medicines can provide relief but are sometimes difficult for children to swallow or digest, particularly if they have a migraine accompanied by nausea. Newer therapies such as triptans, which work on the brain’s serotonin system, are very specific for migraine treatment.

The study is published in journal Headache. (ANI)

Alam backs Pakistan to win Champions Trophy, says momentum is with team

Karachi, Aug.27 (ANI): Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam has backed his team as favourites for winning the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled to be held in South Africa in September.

Despite the disastrous tour of Sri Lanka, Alam said the momentum is with Pakistan.

“We lost the Test and one-day series in Sri Lanka but won the last three games of the tour. Those results were very important and now the momentum is with us ahead of the Champions Trophy,” said Alam.

However, Alam admitted that Pakistan would have to play really well to succeed in the eight nation tournament, in which it shares the group with India and Australia.

“Australia and India are two of the world’s best teams but in a way it’s good for us that both of them are in our group,” The News quoted Alam, as saying.

Alam said his boys were looking forward for battle against arch rivals India.

“A match against India is always a big one and the team is planning to go all out for a win against them,” he said.

Pakistan has never won a game in ICC tournaments like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy against India.

Alam believed that Australia would be vulnerable in the tournament, particularly after their morale-shattering Ashes defeat against England.

“For Australia, Ashes is the ultimate thing. Their morale would be really low and I believe that would be good for our cause,” he added.

Commenting on the selection committee’s controversial decision to include tainted fast bowler Mohammad Asif omitting experienced all-rounder Abdul Razzaq from the 15-man squad, Alam said Asif will add strength to bowling line-up.

“We certainly need a bowler like him. Asif will add to our team’s strength. He is fully fit and has played plenty of cricket in the last five or six months,” he said. (ANI)

Adam Brody gutted he didn’t get to see Megan Fox’s nipples

London, Aug 26 (ANI): American actor Adam Brody is disappointed that he didn’t get to see ‘Jennifer’s Body’ co-star Megan Fox’s nipples during the film.

The 23-year-old beauty plays a vampire cheerleader, while Brody plays a devil-worshipping rocker in the film.

“I don’t think there are any nipples in the movie,” the Sun quoted him as saying.

“I knew this going in and I remember being a little disappointed – like the rest of the world.

“But then, I remember seeing it and having no more want for sexual activity. It’s sexual in the best way.

“And the same with the gore – it is gory, but a lot of times, they’ll cut away. But there’s still plenty of gross stuff to satisfy viscerally,” he added.

The OC star admits he fell for Megan’s charms while on set but was also impressed by her talent.

“We’ve all got a little bit of a crush on Megan Fox,” he said.

“You get to see a lot more sides of her, not just the hotness.

“I think people will be very pleasantly surprised – or p***ed off that she’s talented and beautiful,” he added. (ANI)

Clark, Katich, Haddin back Ponting to lead Australia

Sydney, Aug.26 (ANI): New South Wales Test stars Stuart Clark, Simon Katich and Brad Haddin arrived back in Sydney this morning, and immediately stepped in to defend Ricky Ponting’s captaincy credentials, though he has become the second Australian skipper to surrender the Ashes twice in England.

“Ricky Ponting has got my full support and I think he’s the best man to be captain. “I think it’s ludicrous that anyone say anything other,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Clark, as saying.

Katich stressed every player had to take responsibility for the series loss.

“There was 11 of us out there that had an opportunity to win the Ashes – you can’t just blame it on one person,” said Katich, who scored 341 runs at an average of 42.

“We had our chances throughout the whole five Tests, unfortunately when those chances came around, whether it was Cardiff, Lords, The Oval, we didn’t grab them, so everyone put their hands up for that,” he added.

The dogged left-hander also refused to use queries about the team’s preparation for the five-Test series as an excuse.

“I think our preparation was fine. You can always look for plenty of excuses, but the bottom line is when we’re out there when the pressure was on, we didn’t take our chances,” he said.

Haddin, meanwhile, will have his broken finger checked out later today and is hopeful of being fit for next month’s Champions Trophy one-day tournament in South Africa. (ANI)

‘Free sex shows’ turn NY hotel tourist attraction

New York, Aug 25 (ANI): The plush Standard hotel in New York has become a tourist attraction as randy guests are performing sex acts in front of the floor-to-ceiling hotel windows.

Guests at the hotel have been spotted romping, drying off and even pleasuring themselves in full view of onlookers.

People strolling in the newly opened High Line urban park near the hotel are witnessing a free peep show and now more people are flocking to the area to catch a glimpse.

Andre Landeros Michel, 34, a Chelsea designer, who regularly ventures over to view randy Standard guests having sex in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows in full view of the park, said that it’s a

“It’s a little peep show-but instead of being on 42nd Street, it’s down here at the High Line,” the New York Post quoted Landeros Michel as saying.

A Parks Department worker said that plenty of people come to the park specifically to watch the erotic exhibitionism.

Harlem resident Aaron Lipman, 34, a media research analyst who works near the park, said: “I think it’s healthy and fun — it’s flirtatious. It’s like ‘Wild Kingdom.’ (ANI)

New military robot to fuel itself by gobbling up dead bodies

Washington, July 15 (ANI): A Maryland company under contract to the Pentagon is working on a steam-powered robot that would fuel itself by gobbling up whatever organic material it can find – grass, wood, old furniture, or even dead bodies.

Robotic Technology Inc.’s Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR) “can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment (and other organically-based energy sources), as well as use conventional and alternative fuels (such as gasoline, heavy fuel, kerosene, diesel, propane, coal, cooking oil, and solar) when suitable,” reads the company’s Web site.

Animal and human corpses contain plenty of energy, and they’d be plentiful in a war zone.

EATR will be powered by the Waste Heat Engine developed by Cyclone Power Technology of Pompano Beach, Florida, which uses an “external combustion chamber” burning up fuel to heat up water in a closed loop, generating electricity.

The advantages to the military are that the robot would be extremely flexible in fuel sources and could roam on its own for months, even years, without having to be refueled or serviced.

Upon the EATR platform, the Pentagon could build all sorts of things – a transport, an ambulance, a communications center, even a mobile gunship.

Robotic Technology is presenting EATR as an essentially benign artificial creature that fills its belly through “foraging,” despite the obvious military purpose. (ANI)

Saint Xavier’s college denies promotion to Dhoni

Ranchi, July 11 (ANI): Mahendra Singh Dhoni might be going great guns on and off the field but that’s no valid reason that he should do well in academics, as Saint Xavier’s college in Ranchi has denied promotion to the cricket captain following his failure to appear in the Bachelor of Commerce part-1 examination.

Ranchi University, to which the college is affiliated, went out of the way relaxing attendance rules last year to enable Dhoni to resume his education after a nine year hiatus.

“He (Dhoni) does not fall into the regular system of education. He comes under the certified system or the assignment system. He can submit his assignments and clear his subjects accordingly,” said Gautam Rudra, a Commerce professor.

But Dhoni has plenty of well-wishers among his classmates, only if their voice would be heard.

“According to me Dhoni should atleast attend the classes, but in case he can’t attend the classes he should be promoted because he is playing for the country and he is making our country proud. So I guess and I think so that he should be promoted to the second year,” said Rohan Pathak. (ANI)

Hughes will come up trumps in Ashes series: Langer

Perth (Australia), July 6 (ANI): Former Australian opener Justin Langer believes that current opener Phillip Hughes will come up trumps during the Ashes series that gets underway from Wednesday.

Langer has told Hughes to stick to the basics that helped him triumph over South Africa in his debut series and warned England’s quicks they risk playing into the young Australian’s hands if they try to pummel him with short-pitched bowling.

Langer, who is one of Hughes’s closest advisers, expressed immense confidence that the 20-year-old would work out a strategy for the short stuff that is sure to come his way from the moment he steps into the Ashes cauldron at Cardiff this week, after he was twice bounced out by Steve Harmison in the tour game at Worcester.

“It’s just something you’ve got to get used to, and it’s not easy as a short left-hand batter like ‘Hughesy’. You’ve got to get used to that bounce and work out a method to combat that, then you can find a rhythm against them,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Langer, as saying.

“The great thing about Phillip Hughes is that he’s always made runs under pressure and he’s always worked it out … His great strength is that he does know his game and he has the ability to make runs under pressure. He’s shown that at a young age,” Langer added.

“You have to be pretty precise if you’re going to bowl that length to him because we’ve seen how hard he hits the ball through point if it’s not quite right,” Australian team coach Tim Nielsen said.

Langer, who sent Hughes a text message of support before the biggest series of his short career, believes the eye-catching opener has the unflappable temperament to overcome his latest challenge.

“I heard it from [South African pacemen] Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, I heard it from [Proteas coach] Mickey Arthur, I’ve heard them all say it before, and he came up trumps,” Langer said.

The Australians did not train in Cardiff yesterday but Hughes is expected to face plenty of short stuff from the bowling machine in coming days, after he punched catches to gully and second slip in the tour game against the England Lions. (ANI)

Jackson’s doctor loved posing bare-chested with scantily clad girls

London, July 6 (ANI): Michael Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray, who is at the centre of the probe into the superstar’s death, knew how to party hard and even posed bare-chested with scantily clad girls while promoting an energy-drink.

It has emerged that Murray, who was allegedly with the King of Pop at the time of his death, cavorted with the models on a jaunt to Trinidad and Tobago.

His companions on the trip have revealed that he loved to “party hard”, boozing with sozzled stunners into the early hours.

And newly released pictures show the 56-year-old doctor cuddling girls less than half his age. He certainly knew how to party,” the Sun quoted promotions girl Maggie Goldstein, 34, as saying.

Maggi apparently took a string of snaps of the doctor at play on the island.

“He joined a promotional group on the island plugging a new high-energy drink called Pit Bull which I think he’d invested in,” she said.

“And he showed he had plenty of high-energy while he was there. There were about ten models and pro-motions girls who’d been recruited in Las Vegas.

“He had a ball with them. He was up into the early hours drinking and having fun and took a particular shine to one called Tracy who was at least 20 years younger than him.

“He loved posing bare-chested with the girls,” she added.

Murray has hired high-powered lawyers to refute suggestions that he was in any way to blame for the death of 50-year-old ‘Thriller’ star.

Maggie said: “I recognised him straight away when pictures appeared of Michael Jackson’s doctor. I had no idea he was supposed to be a top heart specialist – I just thought he was an old guy with an eye for the ladies.” (ANI)

Men, too, feel anxious to strip off on the beach

London, July 3 (ANI): It’s not just the women who worry about body image and are reluctant to bare it all, for men too feel uncool about stripping off, according to researchers.

The survey by Tescodiets.com revealed that almost 50 percent men worry about baring their stomachs on the beach.

In fact, one in three men have considered avoiding a beach holiday altogether because of how they look in their swimming trunks.

Seven in 10 men surveyed were worried about baring their bodies, 47 percent were most cautious about revealing their stomachs.

More than 2,000 men were questioned for the survey, out of which, almost 75 percent thought that British men get just as nervous as women, when it comes to slipping on the swimwear.

The boys resort to many tactics to cover up in the heat-nearly a quarter wear shorts or a T-shirt even in the sea, 40 percent diet and around one third strip off only when in the water.

Over three-quarters of men were jealous of toned, athletic men they spotted on the beach.

One third of men said that they were most worried about how they looked to the opposite sex, as compared to just 13 percent who worried about what other men would think.

“Every summer we hear plenty about women dreading having to wear a swimsuit but men clearly have many of the same issues,” Sky News quoted Catherine Ambrozewicz, head of Tescodiets.com, as saying. (ANI)

Performance matters most, not big names: Younis Khan

Colombo, June 30 (ANI): As middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf makes his way back into the Pakistan team for the Test series against Sri Lanka, captain Younis Khan has said performance, and not big names, matter in the game.

Talking to media persons on the sidelines of a function where the trophy for the Test series was unveiled, Khan expressed hope that his team would start from where it had left in England after winning the ICC World Twenty20 Championship.

He admitted that Sri Lanka is a tough team to beat with plenty of world-class players.

“The Sri Lanka tour will be a big challenge. We will have to leave our World Cup win behind and focus on what is a very tough assignment against Sri Lanka,” Khan said.

Khan said his team will have to give more than 100 percent to beat Sri Lanka on its home soil.

“In Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka have a wise captain and their team is balanced with quality players, so we will have to be at our best to get positive results,” The News quoted Khan, as saying.

He said Pakistan will be under pressure in the series especially after its World T20 triumph.

“It will be double pressure on us because our people want wins in every match and after the Twenty20 success they want more success and that can put pressure on us, but we are ready for it,” said Khan.

Khan opined that Test cricket was more important and serious form of the game, as it helped players to gauge their capability.

Twenty20 cricket was different and Test cricket is different, it seriously tests the abilities of a player whereas I don’t think the abilities of a player can be gauged in a Twenty20 match,” he said. (ANI)

Siddle predicts on-field verbal spats with Pietersen

London, June 29(ANI): Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle has predicted plenty of on-field verbal spats between the Australians and England’s star batsman Kevin Pietersen during the upcoming Ashes series, which is scheduled to begin from July 8.

“I am pretty sure there is going to be a little bit said out in the field here and there. Pietersen is a pretty confident lad and he likes to say a little bit around out there on the field. So I am sure there is going to be a few little run-ins between us and him, no doubt,” Fox Sports quoted Siddle, as saying.

Siddle, who has regularly been involved in on-field niggles, has also admitted to enjoying the verbal sparring between teams.

Earlier, during a tour to South Africa early this year, crowds following regular spats had heckled him.

“It is always a good challenge and always a good little war between you and that one or two batsmen out there. But as long as you can back it up and be the successful one out of the little war,” Siddle said.

The Australian team’s aggressive nature and Pietersen’s attitude could result in some fiery moments in the Ashes series. (ANI)

Ten steps to extended massive orgasm

Washington, June 23 (ANI): While majority of couples wish to have extended massive orgasm (EMO), not everybody comes down to experiencing these repeated orgasmic waves.

Lovers experiencing one of these massive orgasms have reported enjoying more of life’s joys in general, becoming nicer and more generous in their relationship.

An EMO can last minutes or hours, offering up blissful sensations at increasing intensities, reports Fox News.

And here are the tricks of this tantalizing trade:

1. Truly recognize your pleasure

You want to immediately approve of your present sensations. This starts before you even get in the sack by overcoming anxieties you have about sex. This may require identifying limitations you’ve been taught about sex, like how you’re supposed to respond (or not respond). You need to then challenge any social conditioning that impedes upon your response.

Ridding yourself of the uninvited “others” in your bed will enable you to solely focus on the orgasmic sensations, including ones that come from simply anticipating action.

2. Learn to relax

Lovers have the tendency to tense up during sexual excitement, which is not conducive to extended orgasm. You need to be able to surrender your nervous system during genital stimulation. It’s this letting go of tension that allows you to embrace your pleasure.

3. Get in the know

The more we know about our bodies, sex, and sexual response, the better we can recognize sensations, the more we can lose ourselves in them. Become knowledgeable about sexual response, sexual anatomy, and erotic techniques.

4. Give yourselves time for pleasuring

Lovers may stimulate each other by fantasizing out loud, taking your time getting to the genitals and hot spots. Teasing allows for greater energy awareness and arousal, and these are what make the experience ultimately so mind-blowing.

5. Touch for pleasure

You can show your partner that you are into the moment by informing them about what you are going to do so he or she can surrender more easily. Highlighting a lover’s physical responses further enables them to tune into the sensations.

6. Learn to channel your energy

You want to get out of your head, directing your energy to your groin. This will make for more explosive results, plus help you to further tune into your sexual response.

7. Become an effective communicator

To amplify things up, you may need to request changes that will intensify your pleasure if you’re the receiver. As the giver, you may need to ask for feedback or direction. In either case, asking for more will help you to feel more. Giving approval can do wonders for a lover’s ego.

8. Develop your pelvic floor muscles

Exercising your pubbococcygeus (PC) muscle will put you more in tune with your sexual response. It’s also what makes for more powerful orgasms.

9. Have plenty of lubricant handy

As you will be loving for the long-haul, make sure you avoid the friction, pain, and discomfort that can result from working each other raw by using lube.

10. Do away with any drive-thru mentality

Having an EMO isn’t like going for fast food. One can’t go into it thinking instant gratification. Instead, approach it as though training for a sport. (ANI)

Dog training centres in China cash in on pet craze

New Delhi, June 20 (ANI): Dog training centres are cashing in on the latest pet craze in China.

Although the number of pet owners is small, they do not hesitate to splash money to pamper their pooches. There are about 100 dog training centres in China.

For instance at Beijing, Jinjiajun Dog Training Centre, an hour’s drive from the centre of the city, all the 10 “VIP” rooms, each of which can accommodate four dogs, have been booked, reports The China Daily.

And the centre’s 40 dog trainers have their hands full.

Dog owners also have an option to choose from different courses at Jinjiajun.

And the most popular being the basic one-month training costing 4,500 yuan, which uses “German techniques”.

Dogs can also be trained for shows at 5,000 yuan a month, basic agility at 4,500 a month for at least three months, or anti-terrorism maneuvers costing 5,000 yuan a month for a minimum six months.

However, training German Shepherds is the costliest with the fees around 10,000 yuan a month for up to six months.

The centre has purebred dogs from around the world, too, which can mate with pets for a fee. It also has a school to train dog trainers and a facility that sells training equipment.

Lu Yuanjie, Jinjiajun’s manager said that plenty of dog owners need help.

“These people are rich and successful in their fields but when it comes to dealing with their dogs, they are at a loss,” he added. (ANI)

Challenging simple concepts can save planet Earth

Washington, May 30 (ANI): A democracy activist has said that challenging simple concepts can save planet Earth from demise.

In a speech at Ottawa’s Carleton University as part of the 78th Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, author and democracy activist Frances Moore Lappe called for a wholesale revamping of the way we view government, the economy and democracy.

“If we manage to do it, we can save ourselves from our own demise,” she said.

She said many people today are frightened by the potential for disaster, ecological and otherwise, and fearful that nothing can be done to prevent it.

But, according to Lappe, we can do something – if we challenge five assumptions about the way the world works.

The first is that going green means “powering down,” or reducing our consumption of energy.

Lappe said all we have to do is stop getting energy from fossil fuels and start getting it from renewable sources like the sun.

“Every day the sun supplies us with 15,000 times the amount of energy we’re now using in fossil fuels,” she said.

“If everyone had a solar panel or windmill on their roof, we wouldn’t be dependent on oil companies – and as individuals, we’d feel more in control of our own destiny,” she added.

“The second idea to dispense with is that going green means an end to economic growth. What we have to do is change our idea of what growth is,” she said.

“There’s plenty of room for growth, she says, if we learn to do things more efficiently,” she added.

The third idea Lappe wants to challenge is the notion that humans are by nature greedy, self-centred and materialistic.

“Under certain conditions, we can be monsters. But, there wouldn’t be 6.8 billion of us on the planet today if we didn’t also have positive qualities such as empathy, cooperation and fairness,” she said.

The fourth idea she disputes is that we dislike rules.

She said that humans crave structure, particularly rules that make sense to us as individuals and which foster a sense of inclusion.

The final concept she wants to challenge is the idea that our problems are so pressing there’s no time for democracy, and only an authoritarian regime can save us.

She believes the only hope for the planet is to trust in people and set rules that bring out the best in us. (ANI)

Adventure camp for the northeastern youth

Churachandpur (Manipur), May 29 (ANI): About a hundred youngsters from across northeast region of the country are attending a fortnight long adventure camp at Churachandpur area.

At the camp, training in basics skills of mountaineering, trekking and rappelling is being given to the adventurous youth of the region.

Organised by the Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association (MMTA) under the civic action programme of paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), has drawn many youngsters.

“Potential is lot (aplenty). But due to lack of financial help we cannot conduct more of adventure training camps here at Manipur. This time we got some sponsorship from CRPF (India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force) under the civil action programme. This time plenty of students are coming from different parts of Manipur. We received more than 100 applications out of which we selected only 100,” said Surjit Singh, President of Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association (MMTA), Imphal.

It is hoped that the camp will help the youngsters in future to join higher-level training camps like the courses conducted at Himalayan Mountaineering Institute at Darjeeling.

Youngsters, mostly from the Seven Sisters of the North East-states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh-are attending the camp.

At the camp, young trainees are camped in tents and provided nutritious food.

The adventure activities being taught at this camp include cave expedition, crossing obstacles, rock climbing, parasailing, trekking and hiking in and around the hills of Imphal valley.

An added attraction of the training camp will be the motorcycle relic hunt and sight seeing spread over the last two days.

According to Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association, such camps should be held on a regular basis in the region. Since these would help the youth to develop a positive focus in life and also prevent the young minds from going astray.

Manipur has produced a good number of famous mountaineers and also champions in adventure sports who have won medals at national and international level.

Having commenced on May 24, the camp will last till June 8. By L.C.K. Singh (ANI)

‘We were beaten by the better team,’ admits Ferguson

Rome, May 28 (ANI): Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson paid tribute to Barcelona after his team’s 2-0 Champions League final defeat in Rome, admitting that the Catalans deserved their triumph and had played better than a sub-par United.

“We got into good positions, but in fairness we were beaten by the better team,” said a magnanimous Ferguson.

“I don’t think we played as well as we can but we were against a good team,” he added.

Ferguson admitted that he gambled on his attacking line-up, playing Wayne Rooney on the left and Cristiano Ronaldo at centre-forward. But neither could penetrate the Barcelona defence as United lost to their opponents’ feared combination of Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi, who scored a goal apiece.

“The first goal was a killer for us,” The Sun quoted Ferguson, as saying while referring to Eto’o's opener after 10 minutes.

“We started vibrantly but once they scored we were up against it. We couldn’t keep the ball all night.”

Ferguson said his side will learn from their defeat and take plenty of positives from a season in which they won the Premier League and Carling Cup, and were chasing an historic quadruple before being beaten in the FA Cup semi-final.

“They have done well,” Ferguson said of his team.

“We have had a long season – this was 66 games. They need credit for their resilience and for some of the football they have played.”

United defender Rio Ferdinand also admitted that Barcelona were the better side in Rome, ruing two “soft goals” that cost his team the match.

Barcelona striker Thierry Henry said that his team had to beat the world’s best to claim glory. (ANI)