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PM ready for all party
meet on women's bill: Pranab |
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was ready
to consult all parties for a consensus on the
women's reservation bill before it is tabled in the
Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said
Thursday.
'There is no harm in calling an all party meeting.
The prime minister has pointed out that we can
consult all parties (to arrive at a consensus) and
for exploring ideas and possibilities to narrow down
the differences,' said Mukherjee, the leader of the
house.
He was replying to a short discussion in the Lok
Sabha over the government's flagship bill that seeks
to reserve a third of all legislative seats in India
for women. The bill, which is vociferously opposed
by the parties with mass base mainly in the Hindi
heartland of north India, was cleared by the Rajya
Sabha Tuesday. It is expected to be introduced in
the Lok Sabha in coming days. The legislation has
led to frequent disruptions of the two houses of
parliament. On Thursday as well, both houses were
adjourned amid uproar over the bill. (Agencies) |
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BJP denies friction over Women's Bill |
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday
denied all reports of friction within the party over the
Women's Reservation Bill. BJP leaders opposing the Bill had
reportedly asked their party leadership that no whip should
be issued to vote in favour of the Bill, as it may be
defied.
Slamming reports of a split, BJP spokesperson Prakash
Javadekar said that the party members would do what the
party decrees.
"There is no friction within the party. Those leaders, whose
names came out in the newspaper today, even they have
clarified their stand and said that there is no such thing,
nor they are opposing. These are rumours and we do not want
to comment," Prakash Javadekar. (Agencies) |
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Bhutan keen to strengthen ties with
North-East |
Guwahati: Bhutan, with which the North Eastern states of Assam
and Arunachal Pradesh share considerable geographical boundary,
is keen to have direct flight service between Thimpu and
Guwahati, besides improving bilateral economic ties.
Bhutan’s consul general in Kolkata, Dasho Tsering Wangda, who
was in the city, expressed the willingness of his government to
further strengthen the bilateral ties with “the next-door
neighbour” - Assam and North-East. “There is a great degree of
stability in Assam. As a result thousands of Bhutanese come
everyday for doing business in Assam especially in Chirang
district. We want to foster our centuries-old relationship
between the people of Bhutan and Assam. We want our next door
neighbour to prosper and grow. Therein lies our prosperity too,”
he said.
Later, Wangda had a meeting with Assam chief minister Tarun
Gogoi at the latter’s official residence and discussed issues of
mutual interests. Wangda urged Gogoi to take up the matter with
the government of India on repairing of the 40-km stretch of
road from Samthebari near Dhalgaon in Assam to Bhutan. |
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Emu rearing venture picking up
in Manipur |
Imphal: For the first time in the Northeast region rearing
of poultry Emu birds on commercial basis has been taken up
by farmers in Manipur.
Emu rearing has caught the fancy of farmers in Northeast.
The joint initiative of introducing Emu farming, which
started with an aim to improve the socio-economic status of
the region, was taken up by NGOs called KVK Sylvan at
Senapati and Foundation for Environment and Economic
Development Services (FEEDS), Manipur. Eighty one Emu chicks
have been procured for an experimental basis from SAF Emu
Farm at Chennai. Around 20 poultry farmers in the state have
been provided training on Emu farming. Emu, which is two
metres tall in height and considered the second-largest bird
in the world after ostrich, has the highest resistance to
diseases compared to other poultry birds. “Emu rearing will
give high profit to farmers. There are no waste parts from
emu. Every part of these birds are useful to mankind.” R.K.
Imotoba Singh, Programme Coordinator. Other Northeast states
like Nagaland have also shown interest in the project.
If properly implemented and executed, the nascent business
venture could give a boost to the economy of the region. |
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Tripura to set up 12 police
posts along railway line |
Agartala: The Tripura government has
decided to set up five full-fledged police stations and
seven outposts in some identified sensitive locations along
railway tracks in the state, Chief Minster Manik Sarkar said
in the state assembly on Wednesday.
Replying to the notice of Chief Whip of the ruling party,
Mr. Sarkar said though railway protection and passengers’
safety belong to the concerned ministry, due to inadequate
forces the Centre was unable to manage it effectively and as
a result, the state government had decided to supplement the
security gap.
‘’Following recent burglary in Tripura-bound rail, the state
government was prompted to sanction 325 posts of the
security personnel, who will be mostly deployed for railway
protection and another 82 posts were proposed to Railway
Board for Tripura and 50 posts was sanctioned,’’ Mr. Sarkar
said.
He maintained that the Tripura government was committed to
ensuring railway security but alleged that the role of Assam
government was not effective in providing security and that
had become a serious concern for the state. |
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Unknown disease kills over 100 livestock in Mizoram |
Aizawl: An unknown disease has reportedly claimed over 100
livestock in Khawdungsei village in the northeastern part of
Mizoram. The department has no idea as to what disease has
allegedly killed more than 100 chickens, six pigs and one
dog since February end.
According to Khawdungsei village council president
Lalsiamliana, the animals refused to eat food, gradually
became weak and died after few days.
The villagers suspected that the disease was spread by
imported piglets brought in from neighbouring Manipur during
the first week of February. (Media Watch) |
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Stories of real heroes inspire
me: Aamir Khan |
Mumbai: Bollywood star Aamir Khan, whose recent release “3
Idiots” took a critical look at India’s education system,
says that he gets inspired by stories of real-life heroes
who go beyond their limitations to bring change in one’s
life and in society.
“When I see real heroes and listen to their stories, it
really inspires me. I think we have, in different degrees,
strengths and abilities,” said Aamir presenting an award at
a function on Wednesday.
“When we use our abilities and strengths to better our
lives, that’s normal but when you use your strength and
abilities to help others, you become a real hero,” he added.
Irfana Ismail Mujawar, who was honoured in the Education and
Children Category, is a teacher by profession. Irfana along
her colleague Gazala, used the money set aside for her
wedding and started a school that provides free education to
those who cannot afford it.“It was really a long struggle. I
started with 34 non-privileged students and now around 350
students are there in my school,” Irfana told the media.
Twenty-four real-life heroes from across six regions of the
country were shortlisted and their work classified into
categories such as Women’s Welfare, Social Welfare, Health
and Disability, Youth Education and Children and Sports.
Ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was present on the occasion
and received a standing ovation before he gave away the
award in the Sports category. “Real heroes are not ordinary
people, they are extraordinary people. They haven’t got
anything, but they still have the courage to go through all
the obstacles, find the solutions and they are selfless.
They don’t have any expectations. All they want is to see
smiles on the faces of people around. We should get inspired
from them,” Tendulkar said.
Merzaban Patel, who was presented the award in the sports
category, is on a mission to hunt for the best hockey talent
in the country.
“I am extremely happy to get this award. I would appeal to
everyone that they should do something to promote hockey,”
Merzaban told the media .(Media Watch) |
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Smt Santosh Nirash is
appointed as the official AIDS Ambassador of Sikkim
on
International Women’s Day at Conference Hall, Forest
Secreteriat, Deorali.
Pic by Januka Sharma |
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U.N. launches independent review of climate panel |
United nation: The United Nations on
Wednesday launched an independent review of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has
come under much criticism in the recent months. The decision
was announced by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and IPCC
chair Rajendra Pachauri in the wake of a report by the body
which erroneously claimed that Himalayan glaciers would melt
away by 2035. “We need to ensure full transparency, accuracy
and objectivity and minimise the potential of any error
going forward. I have initiated in tandem with the head of
the IPCC a comprehensive independent review of the IPCC’s
procedures and processes,” Mr. Ban told reporters here.
“This review will be conducted by the InterAcademy Council,
it will be done completely independent of the United
Nations,” he said.
The InterAcademy Council (IAC) is a multinational
organisation of science academies crated to produce reports
on scientific, technological and health issues. “The IAC is
ready to take on the challenge of the review of the IPCC.
Our goal will be to ensure nations around the world that
they will receive sound scientific advice on climate science
with which governments and citizens alike can make informed
decisions,” IAC co-chair Robbert Dijkgraaf said. The 2007
report of the IPCC erroneously claimed that the Himalayan
glaciers would melt away by 2035. The error has also been
attributed to a typographical error with the words 2035
appearing instead of 2350.
Since then, there have been several calls for inquiry into
the work of the IPCC and the resignation of Dr. Pachauri,
who refused to step down. (Agencies) |
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India, Russia to ink $4 bn
defence deals |
New Delhi: In what may reaffirm Russia’s position as India’s
most trusted and largest military supplier, New Delhi is
expected to ink defence deals worth $ 4 billion during
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s working visit
beginning on Friday.
The two almost sure-fire deals are for procuring an
additional 29 MiG-29K fighters for the Indian Navy at an
estimated cost of $1.2 billion. India is also expected to
place orders for 50 more Sukhoi Su-30MKI multi-role fighters
for the Indian Air Force. The Air Force has 120 Sukhoi
fighters and it is proposed to increase the strength to 280
by 2015 to make it the mainstay of the force.Even though
there was no confirmation from the defence ministry, the
Cabinet Committee on Security, which met here during the
day, is believed to have approved a new offer price of $2.34
billion for the procurement of the refitted Russian aircraft
carrier “Admiral Gorshkov”, as against the original contract
amount of $974 million.
Rechristened “INS Vikramaditya”, the carrier is undergoing
repairs and refit at the Sevmash shipyard in Russia. As per
the original contract, Russia should have handed over the
carrier by 2009-end. But it is now proposed to be delivered
to the Indian Navy in 2013-14, provided the revised deal is
sealed during Putin’s visit. The maritime fighters will
strengthen India’s brand new MiG-29K fleet, which was
purchased at $1.5 billion as a part of the Gorshkov deal,
under which 16 maritime fighters were procured. Four have
arrived at their home base in Goa and two are expected soon.
(Agencies) |
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| Emissions:
China joins India on scrutiny |
Beijing: China supports India in opposing
any international “scrutiny” of voluntary actions to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, said the country’s top climate
change negotiator on Wednesday.
China also sought to continue and expand cooperation with
India as negotiations between the developing world and the
West headed towards the climate change conference in Mexico
later this year, said Xie Zhenhua, vice-chairman of the
National Development and Reform Commission and one of
China’s lead negotiators at December’s Copenhagen
conference.
“China and India have a common position on major issues on
climate change and we are willing to step up cooperation in
forestry, energy efficiency and renewable energy,” he said.
“We face common challenges, such as the task of developing
our economy, eliminating poverty, improving people’s
livelihood, reducing emissions and protecting the
environment.” On Wednesday, Mr. Xie also lent support to
India’s opposition to any international scrutiny of
voluntary actions to reduce emissions, which the United
States and some European countries are calling for. That,
Mr. Xie said, was out of the question, being “an issue of
sovereignty”. “Autonomous efforts must not be subject to MRV
(Measurement, Reporting and Verification),” he stressed. He,
however, added that China had agreed to “verification that
is non-intrusive” in the interest of advancing negotiations
at Copenhagen, and to “reduce mistrust” with the West.
(Media Watch) |
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Myanmar election law bars Aung San
Suu Kyi from polls |
Yangon: Myanmar’s new election laws have
barred opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and more than
2,000 other political prisoners from contesting polls
planned this year, state media reports said on Wednesday.
Under the Political Parties Registration Law, published in
state-run newspapers Wednesday, all prisoners are barred
from joining political parties that register to contest a
general election.
This condition effectively excludes Suu Kyi and 2,100 other
political prisoners from running in the upcoming polls,
which would be the first in Myanmar in 20 years, unless they
are freed soon.
The law also excludes members of religious orders, members
of insurgent groups “as defined by the state” and foreigners
from joining political parties. Suu Kyi is currently serving
an 18-month house detention sentence, which is set to expire
in October, unless it is extended by Myanmar’s ruling
military junta.
At present, Suu Kyi still heads the National League for
Democracy (NLD) opposition party despite her imprisonment,
but under the new law, the NLD would need to drop her from
its membership rolls to be allowed to contest the
polls.(Agencies) |
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UAE continues to be top tea
re-exporter in world |
Dubai: The UAE is the top tea re-exporter of the world for
the year 2009, and is set to retain the top position it
reached in 2004, according statistics. The indicators affirm
that the UAE continues to play a key role in the
international tea trade due to its unique geographic
location and provision of competitive logistic and storage
services, particularly through the Dubai Tea Trading Center
(DCTT) in Jebel Ali Free Zone, one of the most important
international tea re-export hubs.
The UAE is a major intermediary for tea production centers
and consumer markets. It provides added value to the
industry through several centers, the most important of
which is the DCTT. Reporting to the Dubai Multi-Commodities
Center, DTTC was established in 2005 in a strategic location
near Dubai’s seaports in order to provide facilities for all
international producers and purchasers. It maintains a
central facility for storing, mixing and packaging tea as
well as a dedicated office for tea companies and special
units such as ‘The Tasting Unit’ which sorts different types
of tea. DTTC imports tea from 35 Asian and African
countries. It is one of main re-export hubs in the world,
storing tea for the 13 tea-producing countries of Kenya,
India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Nepal, China, and Iran.
(Agencies) |
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Steel prices may rise next fiscal |
New Delhi: Steel prices in the country are
set to go up on account of rising input costs and demand for
the commodity, an industry expert said here on Wednesday.
“Cost of raw material, including iron ore and coking coal is
expected to go up by 25-30 per cent in the next financial
year from the current level putting pressure on steel makers
to pass on the burden to consumers,” Tata Steel Chief of
Procurement Amitabh Panda told reporters. Unlike the West,
where steel demand is still recovering from the impact of
the economic slowdown, he said, in India, steel producers
would be able to pass on the input cost pressure to the
consumers as off-takes are steadily growing. “Indian steel
producers have to price their products higher in the next
fiscal,” Panda added.
He further said the rising raw material costs are of “huge
concern for bottom lines” of domestic steel firms and the
8-9 per cent growth in steel consumption would help ease
pressure on manufacturers’ margins. (Agencies) |
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FII net inflow in equities crosses $2 b |
| New Delhi: The strong post-budget rally has
seen the net inflow from foreign institutional investors
crossing the $2-billion-mark so far this year. An analysis
of the net FII fund flow into the domestic equities shows
that overseas investors have parked a hefty $2.02 billion (Rs
9,189 crore) in the domestic stocks as on March 9. As per
the latest data available with the capital market regulator
Sebi, foreign institutional investors have been gross
purchasers of equities worth Rs 1,20,128 crore so far this
year, while they sold stocks valued at Rs 1,10,938.7 crore,
resulting in a net inflow of Rs 9,189.60 crore. Market men
said the positive aspects of the budget 2011 helped to woo
foreign fund into the domestic bourses. (Agencies) |
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| India, Sri
Lanka sign $67.4 m Line of Credit |
Colombo: India and Sri Lanka on Wednesday
signed a Line of Credit agreement for $67.4 million to fund
the second phase of upgradation of the Southern Railway Line
from Colombo to Matara.
A statement by the Indian mission here said that the
agreement was signed by P. B. Jayasundera, Secretary,
Ministry of Finance and Planning, and Prabhakar Dalal,
Executive Director, Export-Import Bank of India, in the
presence of Ashok K. Kantha, the High Commissioner of India
in Colombo. The Government of India, through the
Export-Import Bank of India, had earlier provided $100
million Line of Credit under an agreement signed in July
2008.
The implementation of the first phase of the upgradation of
the Southern Railway Line is now ongoing. The upgradation
project includes supply of materials for rail track
rehabilitation from Colombo to Matara and execution of work
for rail track rehabilitation from Kalutara to Matara, which
is being implemented by IRCON (I) Ltd. In addition, the Line
of Credit is being used for supply of 20 sets of diesel
multiple units (DMUs), three units of locomotives, spare
parts for the existing M8 class locomotives, supply of plant
and machinery for maintenance of existing DMUs and
construction of maintenance sheds at Aluthgama, Galle and
Colombo by RITES India Ltd.
The upgradation project would allow the trains to travel on
the Colombo-Matara sector at speeds up to 100 kmph.
(Agencies) |
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| IT hardware
output up 43 per cent to Rs 94,690 cr |
New Delhi: The domestic electronics
hardware production has grown 43 per cent to Rs 94,690 crore
in 2008-09 from Rs 66,000 crore in 2006-07, Communication
and IT Minister A Raja said. While addressing a meeting of
the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Communication
& IT, Raja said IT and ITeS exports have also grown by about
50 per cent to US$47.1 billion from from US$31.3 billion in
the same period. While electronics hardware production
registered a growth of 12.1 per cent in 2008-09, IT and ITES
exports registered a growth of 16.6 per cent in the same
year.
Electronics hardware production and IT and ITES exports
stood at 27.8 per cent and 29.4 per cent respectively in
2007-08. He noted that despite global recession, Indian IT,
ITeS and electronics hardware industries continued to grow
during 2008-09. The meeting of the Consultative Committee
was attended by Lok Sabha members P K Biju, S D Mandlik,
Shivraj Singh Lodhi and Vinay Kumar Pandey Vinnu. (Agencies) |
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Government not to sell stake in
IOC, ONGC |
New Delhi: The government has no immediate
plans to sell stake in state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp
(ONGC) and Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Petroleum Secretary S.
Sundareshan said.Both ONGC and IOC had opposed follow-on
public offers (FPOs) as ambiguous fuel pricing was affecting
their valuations. “There is no serious consideration on ONGC
and IOC FPOs at this juncture,” he told reporters here on
Wednesday.
The Disinvestment Department had in December sought the oil
ministry’s comments on “public offerings from the
government’s shareholding” in ONGC and IOC. The Oil
Ministry, however, was of the view that raising funds from
the capital market was not prudent till issues like fuel
pricing and subsidies, which were affecting share prices of
ONGC and IOC, were resolved.
“This is not the correct market time anyway,” he said. The
government does not allow IOC and other retailers BPCL and
HPCL to sell petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene at a price in
line with the cost and has also failed to compensate them
fully for revenues lost. Both ONGC and IOC favoured debt
route to raise money in view of the uncertainties plaguing
their valuations. (Agencies) |
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| Akhil gunning
for Commonwealth gold |
New Delhi: Determined to end his medal
drought at the international level, Olympian Akhil Kumar
today asserted that he will be gunning for gold at the 5th
Commonwealth Boxing Championships to be held here from March
12. The pugilist from Haryana, who started his international
career at the bantamweight (54 kg) category, has been
struggling to recapture his form ever since he switched to
the 56 kg category after the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
''There is only one medal and only one target for me, that
is the gold,'' Akhil told UNI on the sidelines of the Indian
squad's practice session at the newly renovated Talkatora
Stadium here. ''All the boys have been practicising very
hard and I am focussed on winning the gold medal,'' he
added. Talking of the other medals prospects for India,
Akhil was confident that the hosts will dominate the
competition and will aim a clean sweep in all the weight
categories that they are competing in.
''There are so many good boxers in the team. All of them are
confident of winning medals. Our coach Mr Sandhu was saying
all 10 of us will win gold medals. However, as a senior
player, I can assure you that we will win at least 4 gold
medals,'' he stated. The experienced boxer, who won the
bantamweight gold at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in
2006, asserted that he is not feeling any pressure inspite
of the added pressure of playing front of his home crowd and
the increased level of media attention.
''I have been boxing for for around a decade. Now I don't
pay any attention to the hype or media attention before a
fight. There can be only two results - win or lose- the rest
is immaterial,'' he stated. Praising the facilities at the
renovated Talkatora Stadium - the venue of the event - Akhil
felt that the stadium should have been made accescible to
the Indian boxers much earlier, which would have helped them
to maximise their home advantage. But he felt that the home
crowd will egg on the Indian boxers to give their best.
''For me home ground is the Chhatrasal Stadium or the NIS in
Patiala where we train. This stadium is still new for us.
But the home crowd will be an added motivation,'' he
remarked. |
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Touch of glamour at |
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Commonwealth Boxing
Championship |
New Delhi: Trying to grab eyeballs amid the Indian Premier
League frenzy and the hockey World Cup, the fifth
Commonwealth Boxing Championship organisers are planning to
add a dash of glamour to the event with colourful opening
and closing ceremonies featuring cheerleaders and pop
singers. The event kicks off tomorrow at the Talkatora
Stadium and the Indian Boxing Federation's marketing agent
Percept is planning to add a touch of entertainment to the
event to pull in the crowds.
We are keeping our fingers crossed for a good response
because the IPL will start and the hockey World Cup matches
are also on. We have planned a colourful ceremony to start
the event and hopefully it will help bring in the crowds. We
will entertain the people and hopefully that would make the
event a hit," said Percept's MD Shailendra Singh. The IPL
starts tomorrow in Mumbai and hockey World Cup's final
stages are currently on at the Major Dhyan Chand National
Stadium.
Shailendra said the tickets for the Commonwealth
Championship have already gone on sale and the response has
not been too bad. "The tickets are available online and we
are tying up with multiplex chain of PVR too. The response
has not been too bad and hopefully it would catch up once
the Indians start wining," he said.
IBF Secretary General P K Muraldharan Raja and Olympic and
World Championship bronze medallist Vijender Singh too hoped
for a good response from the Delhiites.
"Come to watch the bouts, we will not disappoint you," said
Vijender. Meanwhile, the technical delegates who are here
for the event seemed satisfied with the preparations. "Our
job has been made easier by the good preparations. Hopefully
the Indian boxers will do well," said Irish delegate Pat
McCrory. "It's a dry run for the Commonwealth Games and the
venue looks fantastic," added another delegate Raymond
Silvas. (Agencies) |
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| India-Pakistan
federations agree to resume hockey series |
New Delhi: Hockey India and the Pakistan
Hockey Federation (PHF) have agreed in principle to resume
bilateral test series between the two countries. HI
secretary general Narinder Batra and his Pakistani
counterpart Asif Bajwa have decided to also have series
between the women and juniors. Pakistan and India suspended
bilateral hockey series in 2006 and there was no contact
between the two team bilaterally after the terrorist attacks
in Mumbai in November 2008, when India refused to send their
junior team to Pakistan raising security concerns. In a
tit-for-tat, Pakistan pulled out of the four-nation
tournament in Chandigarh. The proposed series will involve,
men, women and juniors on a home and away basis. The two
federations have also decided to allow players to play in
the domestic league in the two countries and also start an
eight team double leg sub-continental league to be played in
the two countries on the lines of the Champions League
Soccer in Europe. Initially, four teams from each country
will play.
It was also decided to have an exchange of umpires and
technical officials. Both the Federations have resolved to
promote the sport in the region. A Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) will be signed shortly at Lahore.
(Agencies) |
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| Indian women
falter at final hurdle; men settle for bronze |
New Delhi: Indian compound archers had to
be content with the silver (women) and bronze (men) medals
respectively in the Team championships of the Invitational
World Archery Championships at the Yamuna Sports complex
here today. While England bagged both the gold medals in
team championships, Indian women finished ahead of their
male counterparts at the second spot. The men's team had to
be content with the bronze after going down to eventual
winners England in the semifinals by narrow margin. Though
the Indian female trio of Vrushale Gorle, Gagandeep Kaur and
Namita Yadav amassed scores of 222 points, the same as
eventual winners England, they lost T25-T30.
The third position among the women was claimed by Malaysia
(217). The Indian men's team comprising Isaiad Rajender
Sanam, Chungda Sherpa and Chinna Raju Srithar claimed the
third spot by defeating Wales 224-206. Malaysia bagged the
silver medal in the event.Teams from Bangladesh, England,
Wales, Singapore, Malaysia, Jersey, Sri Lanka, Scotland, New
Zealand are in fray for the five-day tournament, which
started on March 9. (Agencies) |
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| Saurav, Dipika
in mixed doubles final of Chennia Open squash |
Chennai: Third-seeded Saurav Ghosal and
Dipika Palikal kept their composure to beat Alan Clyne and
Frania Gillen of Scotland 9-11, 11-6, 11-8 in 48 minutes to
enter the mixed doubles final of the Chennai Open squash
doubles championship here Wednesday. In the final Thursday,
the Indian pair takes on top seeds Mohd. Ali Anwar Reda of
Egypt and Rachael Grinham of Australia, who defeated
England's Chris Simpson and Jenny Duncalf 9-11, 11-6, 11-5.
Other results (semi-finals):
Men's Doubles: Jonathan Kemp (Eng)/Stephen Coppinger (South
Africa) bt Saurav Ghosal/Harinder Pal Sandhu (India)
5-11,11-10,11-9; Harry Leitch/Alan Clyne (Sco) bt Chris
Small/Lyall Paterson (Sco) 11-7,11-3.
Women's Doubles: Jenny Duncalf (Eng)/Rachael Grinham (Aus)
bt Dipika Palikal/Joshna Chinappa 11-9,11-9; Donna Urquhart/Kasey
Brown (Aus) bt Jaclyn Hawekes (NZ)/Samantha Teran (Mex)
11-6,11-7. (Agencies) |
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| Kuznetsova
aims for French Open lift at Indian Wells |
Indian Wells: Having finally broken her
French Open jinx last year, Svetlana Kuznetsova is banking
on a similar breakthrough at the Indian Wells WTA tournament
where she has twice finished runner-up.
Russian Kuznetsova is the number one seed for the
high-profile event in the California desert and she has
targeted a 13th WTA Tour title to bury memories of a
stuttering start to this season. "I prepared pretty well for
this year and I know I am playing well but I need some
matches to get myself going," Kuznetsova told reporters at
the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
"So far, this year has not been very nice. I think I overdid
my weight training and it was so hard for me to move at the
start of this season." The Russian world number three has
advanced no further than the fourth round in her three WTA
appearances this year and she blamed her fitness coach for
an excessive lifting programme during the off-season.
"My (fitness) coach was wrong so I have switched coaches
again," Kuznetsova said. "I didn't think I was supposed to
do all that and for me to bring up my speed this season was
hard. "So I am working a lot on speed now. For me, without
movement, it's pretty hard to play." Kuznetsova is making
her seventh appearance this week at Indian Wells where she
was runner-up in 2007 and 2008. (Agencies) |
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