Style Diva and Action King: Actors Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar during a news conference for their forthcoming movie Singh is Kinng in Mumbai, on Wednesday, August 6, 2008.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Katrina in sync with Akshay
Style Diva and Action King: Actors Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar during a news conference for their forthcoming movie Singh is Kinng in Mumbai, on Wednesday, August 6, 2008.
Axe may fall on Uthappa, Pathans
MUMBAI: The Indian selectors, headed by former captain Dilip Vengsarkar, may give a thumbs-up to experience when they meet here at the Cricket Centre on Thursday to choose the 15-member squad for the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
With Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar slated to make a comeback, there could be heartbreak in store for some younger players.
In the firing line are out-of-form Robin Uthappa, Pathan brothers Irfan and Yusuf and Piyush Chawla. Sachin Tendulkar's reemergence into the ODI lineup will also mean that the successful Sehwag-Gambhir combo in Tests will have to split up. Sources said that Gambhir may bat at No. 3.
Pacer Sreesanth's mysterious injury, which is showing no signs of healing, may mean the mercurial bowler could miss the bus as the selectors haven't seen him in action.
There could be good news in store for Hyderabad's left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who bowled well in the Asia Cup last month.
S Badrinath, who excelled in the Emerging Players Tourney Down Under, which was watched by Vengsarkar, might get a look-in. The same applies to victorious Under-19 World Cup skipper Virat Kohli.
Probable squad for ODI series in Sri Lanka/Champions Trophy: MS Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, S Badrinath, Virat Kohli, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha/Piyush Chawla
With Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar slated to make a comeback, there could be heartbreak in store for some younger players.
In the firing line are out-of-form Robin Uthappa, Pathan brothers Irfan and Yusuf and Piyush Chawla. Sachin Tendulkar's reemergence into the ODI lineup will also mean that the successful Sehwag-Gambhir combo in Tests will have to split up. Sources said that Gambhir may bat at No. 3.
Pacer Sreesanth's mysterious injury, which is showing no signs of healing, may mean the mercurial bowler could miss the bus as the selectors haven't seen him in action.
There could be good news in store for Hyderabad's left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who bowled well in the Asia Cup last month.
S Badrinath, who excelled in the Emerging Players Tourney Down Under, which was watched by Vengsarkar, might get a look-in. The same applies to victorious Under-19 World Cup skipper Virat Kohli.
Probable squad for ODI series in Sri Lanka/Champions Trophy: MS Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, S Badrinath, Virat Kohli, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha/Piyush Chawla
Get both engineering & management degrees from IIT-B
MUMBAI: For long, the marriage of the engineering and management degrees, especially from a premier institute, was considered the passport to a successful career and high salary.
The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay has now decided to allow engineering aspirants to pursue management alongside. It's the first IIT to make such a change.
About 41% of the class of 2006 graduates from IIT-B took up managerial jobs, namely in finance and consultancy. Also, in case a student hasn't managed to get a seat in the coveted computer science and engineering or electrical engineering courses, there is another chance. The student can take up these courses alongside his core area as an additional specialisation.
All this is possible from this year as the IIT-B recently revamped its academic year requirement by reducing the mandatory credits for the Bachelor of Technology programme from 330 to 252, thus allowing students to squeeze in a minor area of their interest during their stay at the Powai campus.
So, after the first year (beginning third semester), students can choose from a range of 17 minor courses, including management, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental science engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, aeronautical engineering, civil engineering and statistics.
What's more, minor programmes are available in pure science areas like physics, chemistry and maths. Apart from minors, students can pursue an honours degree, or take up a BTech with honours along with two minor courses. The same combination is offered to the students pursuing five-year dual degrees.
IIT-B academic dean S Biswas said his team found that there was a "general decline in academic interests of students".
Biswas's report was cleared by the IIT Senate recently. It reads, "The students' psyche has seen large qualitative changes, especially over the last decade. The present-day student is driven by career ambitions right from the time of admission itself. Many of them are probably working harder than what their counterparts did 20 years ago."
But the catch is that the students will have to fight for every seat. They will be unable to opt for either scheme unless they clear all their backlogs.
The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay has now decided to allow engineering aspirants to pursue management alongside. It's the first IIT to make such a change.
About 41% of the class of 2006 graduates from IIT-B took up managerial jobs, namely in finance and consultancy. Also, in case a student hasn't managed to get a seat in the coveted computer science and engineering or electrical engineering courses, there is another chance. The student can take up these courses alongside his core area as an additional specialisation.
All this is possible from this year as the IIT-B recently revamped its academic year requirement by reducing the mandatory credits for the Bachelor of Technology programme from 330 to 252, thus allowing students to squeeze in a minor area of their interest during their stay at the Powai campus.
So, after the first year (beginning third semester), students can choose from a range of 17 minor courses, including management, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental science engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, aeronautical engineering, civil engineering and statistics.
What's more, minor programmes are available in pure science areas like physics, chemistry and maths. Apart from minors, students can pursue an honours degree, or take up a BTech with honours along with two minor courses. The same combination is offered to the students pursuing five-year dual degrees.
IIT-B academic dean S Biswas said his team found that there was a "general decline in academic interests of students".
Biswas's report was cleared by the IIT Senate recently. It reads, "The students' psyche has seen large qualitative changes, especially over the last decade. The present-day student is driven by career ambitions right from the time of admission itself. Many of them are probably working harder than what their counterparts did 20 years ago."
But the catch is that the students will have to fight for every seat. They will be unable to opt for either scheme unless they clear all their backlogs.
Forced to live in two cities, couple attempts suicide
MUMBAI: Frustration at not being able to live together drove a married couple to attempt suicide by setting themselves ablaze at an office complex in Malad (W) on Wednesday.
Rahul Tanwar, who worked as an engineer with a subsidiary company of Bharti Airtel Ltd, and his wife, Kiran Rathod, were employed in different cities and could meet up only once in several months.
Both wanted the other person to shift. But economic constraints made that difficult. The couple was rushed to the Bhagwati hospital with 60% burns. Later, family members moved them to the Masina hospital at Byculla, which has a special burns ward.
Rahul hails from Jalgaon while Kiran is a Buldhana native. They had an arranged marriage over a year ago. Kiran comes from a family of teachers and completed her diploma in education in Mumbai, before taking up a teaching job in a Buldhana school. Rahul kept moving to different cities looking for better work opportunities — from Buldhana to Nashik, then to Pune, before coming to Mumbai.
He rented a room at the Nagri Nivara complex in Dindoshi. Kiran would visit him whenever her school was shut during vacations, but the two never ended up staying together for more than 10-15 days.
On Tuesday, the couple met after six months. Kiran boarded the Gitanjali Express from Buldhana and reached Mumbai at night. She then took a local train and got off at Goregaon station, where her husband was waiting to pick her up on his Hero Honda bike at 10 pm.
Instead of heading home, the two went to Mindspace complex where Rahul's office is located at Interface. They parked the bike in slot number 7 of the common parking lot and sat on the vehicle chatting.
"We believe the two had some kind of altercation over shifting to the place where the other person lived. “Kiran told her family that for sometime, Rahul wasn't calling her up and she wasn’t aware of what was happening in his life at Mumbai," her uncle, Gajanan Rathod, told TOI.
Kiran also told the police in her statement that she was facing harassment from her in-laws. Around 11.30 pm, an incensed Rahul took out petrol from his bike. The two then sprinkled petrol on each other, before Rahul struck a match. As engulfed him, Kiran leapt forward and embraced him. The two sustained burns on their arms, chest, face and legs.
Rahul Tanwar, who worked as an engineer with a subsidiary company of Bharti Airtel Ltd, and his wife, Kiran Rathod, were employed in different cities and could meet up only once in several months.
Both wanted the other person to shift. But economic constraints made that difficult. The couple was rushed to the Bhagwati hospital with 60% burns. Later, family members moved them to the Masina hospital at Byculla, which has a special burns ward.
Rahul hails from Jalgaon while Kiran is a Buldhana native. They had an arranged marriage over a year ago. Kiran comes from a family of teachers and completed her diploma in education in Mumbai, before taking up a teaching job in a Buldhana school. Rahul kept moving to different cities looking for better work opportunities — from Buldhana to Nashik, then to Pune, before coming to Mumbai.
He rented a room at the Nagri Nivara complex in Dindoshi. Kiran would visit him whenever her school was shut during vacations, but the two never ended up staying together for more than 10-15 days.
On Tuesday, the couple met after six months. Kiran boarded the Gitanjali Express from Buldhana and reached Mumbai at night. She then took a local train and got off at Goregaon station, where her husband was waiting to pick her up on his Hero Honda bike at 10 pm.
Instead of heading home, the two went to Mindspace complex where Rahul's office is located at Interface. They parked the bike in slot number 7 of the common parking lot and sat on the vehicle chatting.
"We believe the two had some kind of altercation over shifting to the place where the other person lived. “Kiran told her family that for sometime, Rahul wasn't calling her up and she wasn’t aware of what was happening in his life at Mumbai," her uncle, Gajanan Rathod, told TOI.
Kiran also told the police in her statement that she was facing harassment from her in-laws. Around 11.30 pm, an incensed Rahul took out petrol from his bike. The two then sprinkled petrol on each other, before Rahul struck a match. As engulfed him, Kiran leapt forward and embraced him. The two sustained burns on their arms, chest, face and legs.
Riot revenge may have a sequel in Gujarat
AHMEDABAD: Ahmedabad and Surat were at two ends of the spectrum during the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002. Ahmedabad accounted for nearly half the estimated death toll while Surat remained a serene island of peace.
Yet, the terror plan last month didn't distinguish between the two cities where nearly 50 bombs were planted, even as the email sent moments before the first bomb went off in Ahmedabad on July 26 called it an act of revenge for the riots.
Central intelligence officials are looking at the Gujarat cases differently, than the previous incidents in Bangalore, Varanasi, Jaipur, Hyderabad , Mumbai, Ajmer and Malegaon. While the earlier blasts were aimed at striking terror, the underlining message in Gujarat was that of revenge. "Vital industrial installations in Gujarat should also be on the guard," said another official.
A senior officer from a Central intelligence agency said, "While previous blasts may be one-off cases in those towns and cities, I am afraid Gujarat might stay high on the terror hit-list for quite some time."
He recalled that 'Tehreek-e-Qasas', which had owned up the audacious attack on Akshardham temple in September 2002, had also left a note that the 'fidayeen' were out to avenge the Gujarat riots.
However, despite the serious threat perception, the Gujarat government or the police have not tried to sensitize the public to be on the vigil. Even the official Gujarat Police website is silent on terror. Officials say given the state government's own report in 2002 that 154 of the 182 Assembly constituencies in Gujarat had been affected by the riots, such awareness needs to be generated across Gujarat.
Joint commissioner of police, Ahmedabad, HP Singh, however, said "There have been two incidents in Gujarat but you cannot say that the state is high on the terror radar." He said so far the police had not thought out a plan for a sustained campaign to educate the public.
Yet, the terror plan last month didn't distinguish between the two cities where nearly 50 bombs were planted, even as the email sent moments before the first bomb went off in Ahmedabad on July 26 called it an act of revenge for the riots.
Central intelligence officials are looking at the Gujarat cases differently, than the previous incidents in Bangalore, Varanasi, Jaipur, Hyderabad , Mumbai, Ajmer and Malegaon. While the earlier blasts were aimed at striking terror, the underlining message in Gujarat was that of revenge. "Vital industrial installations in Gujarat should also be on the guard," said another official.
A senior officer from a Central intelligence agency said, "While previous blasts may be one-off cases in those towns and cities, I am afraid Gujarat might stay high on the terror hit-list for quite some time."
He recalled that 'Tehreek-e-Qasas', which had owned up the audacious attack on Akshardham temple in September 2002, had also left a note that the 'fidayeen' were out to avenge the Gujarat riots.
However, despite the serious threat perception, the Gujarat government or the police have not tried to sensitize the public to be on the vigil. Even the official Gujarat Police website is silent on terror. Officials say given the state government's own report in 2002 that 154 of the 182 Assembly constituencies in Gujarat had been affected by the riots, such awareness needs to be generated across Gujarat.
Joint commissioner of police, Ahmedabad, HP Singh, however, said "There have been two incidents in Gujarat but you cannot say that the state is high on the terror radar." He said so far the police had not thought out a plan for a sustained campaign to educate the public.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
ओलंपिक में ड्रग टेस्ट पर चीनता
की एक जाँच में पता लगा है कि बीजिंग ओलंपिक से मात्र दो सप्ताह पहले होने वाले एक प्रमुख ड्रग टेस्ट पर गंभीर सवाल उठ रहे हैं.
बीबीसी को संकेत मिले हैं कि प्रयोगशालाएँ खिलाड़ियों के ख़ून में शक्तिवर्धक दवा ईपीओ के पाए जाने पर भी नकारात्मक नतीजे दे रही हैं.
कुछ नमूनों को संदेहास्पद बताया गया. इससे यह आशंका बढ़ती है कि धोखाधड़ी करने वालों के ख़िलाफ़ कोई कार्रवाई नहीं की जाएगी.
स्पोर्ट्स ड्रग के एक विशेषज्ञ ने बीबीसी को बताया कि ओलंपिक खेलों के अंतिम दौर में पहुँचने वाले अनेक खिलाड़ी ईपीओ का इस्तेमाल करेंगे.
इस दवा का नकली संस्करण इंटरनेट पर मात्र 50 डॉलर में उपलब्ध है और विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि इन दवाओं का पता आसानी से नहीं लगाया जा सकता.
अदालतों में चुनौती
हालांकि ईपीओ का पता लगाने के लिए वर्ष 2000 में हुए सिडनी ओलंपिक खेलों में एक नया टेस्ट शुरू किया गया था लेकिन खिलाड़ियों ने बड़ी संख्या में इन परिणामों को अदालतों में चुनौती दी थी.
अमरीका की मेरियन जोंस के पहले नमूने का परिणाम पॉज़िटिव आया जबकि दूसरे या ‘बी’ टेस्ट में उन्हें बरी कर दिया गया.
मेरियन जोंस
मेरियन जोंस को प्रतिबंधित दवाएं लेने के लिए बाद में सज़ा दी गई
इसकी प्रतिक्रिया में 2004 में वर्ल्ड एंटी डोपिंग एजेंसी यानी वाडा (डब्ल्यूएडीए) ने ईपीओ पॉज़िटिव घोषित किये जाने के मानदंड और कड़े कर दिए.
अंतरराष्ट्रीय स्की फ़ेडरेशन और एस्टाना साइक्लिंग टीम के लिए एंटी डोपिंग कार्यक्रम चलाने वाले डॉ रेस्मस डेम्सगार्ड कहते हैं कि उनके पास इस बात के ठोस सबूत हैं कि ईपीओ के पॉज़िटिव टेस्ट को निगेटिव या संदेहास्पद घोषित कर दिया गया.
धोखाधड़ी
इस साल में पहले उन्होंने वाडा प्रयोगशाला को जाँच के लिए पाँच स्की खिलाड़ियों के नमूने भेजे थे.
उन सभी के परिणाम निगेटिव पाए गए लेकिन जब डॉ रेस्मस डेम्सगार्ड ने उनसे वह जैल या इलैक्ट्रॉनिक प्रिंट माँगे जिनके आधार पर परिणाम घोषित किया गया था तो वे यह देखकर दंग रह गए कि इन नमूनों में उनके मानदंडों के अनुसार ईपीओ के प्रयोग के स्पष्ट संकेत थे.
उन्होंने कहा, "मैंने देखा कि उन नमूनों को इसलिए निगेटिव घोषित किया गया क्योंकि वे पॉज़टिव होने के वाडा के मानदंडों को पूरा नहीं करते थे. हालांकि वे संदेहास्पद लग रहे थे और उनमें प्राकृतिक धारियाँ नहीं थीं. उन्हें अभी तक निगेटिव ही घोषित किया गया है."
डॉ डेम्सगार्ड मानते हैं कि वाडा की प्रयोगशालाओं में ऐसे अनेक नमूने होंगे. वे कहते हैं, "खून के बहुत से नमूनों में मैंने पाँच को पॉज़िटिव पाया लेकिन मुझे लगता है कि इनकी संख्या सैकड़ों में होगी. हो सकता है कि वाडा की प्रयोगशालाओं में हज़ारों ऐसे नमूने पड़े होंगे जो ईपीओ पॉज़िटिव होंगे."
ड्रग टेस्ट
क्या बीजिंग में होने वाले टेस्ट काफ़ी हैं?
ऐसा सोचने वाले वे अकेले ही नहीं हैं. प्रमुख एंटी डोपिंग विशेषज्ञ और पूर्व आईओसी ओलंपिक पुरस्कार विजेता प्रोफ़ेसर बेंग्ट सेल्टिन कहते हैं कि वाडा के नए मानदंड ईपीओ प्रयोग करने वाले ज़्यादातर धोखेबाज़ों को बचाए रखते हैं.
घटती संख्या
उन्होंने कहा, "इससे मुझे बहुत दुख हुआ है क्योंकि मैंने बहुत से संदेहास्पद नमूने देखे हैं जो स्पष्ट रूप से सही नहीं हैं लेकिन इसके बावजूद खिलाड़ी बच जाते हैं. कोई भी देख सकता है कि पिछले दिनों ईपीओ प्रयोग करने वाले कितने लोगों को पकड़ा गया है.
दरअसल, ईपीओ के प्रयोग के कारण सज़ा दिए जाने वाले खिलाड़ियों की संख्या उल्लेखनीय रूप से निरंतर कम हो रही है. 2003 और 2006 के बीच यह संख्या दो तिहाई घट गई है.
वाडा के साइंस निदेशक डॉ ओलिवर रेबिन इस बारे में पूरी तरह निश्चिंत हैं.
वे बीबीसी से कहते हैं, "हाँ मैं पूरे भरोसे से कह सकता हूँ कि हम धोखाधड़ी करने वाले सभी खिलाड़ियों को पकड़ लेंगे."
पहले दिन श्रीलंका ने बनाए 85/2 रन
ईशांत शर्मा ने एक विकेट लिया
कोलंबो में चल रहे टेस्ट मैच के पहले दिन श्रीलंका ने भारत के ख़िलाफ़ दो विकेट के नुकसान पर 85 रन बनाए हैं. भारत-श्रीलंका टेस्ट सिरीज़ का ये पहला क्रिकेट मैच है.
बारिश के कारण मैच देर से शुरु हुआ. श्रीलंका ने टॉस जीतकर पहले बल्लेबाज़ी करने का फ़ैसला किया.
चौथे ही ओवर में ईशांत शर्मा ने श्रीलंका की पहली विकेट चटका ली. माइकल वेनडर्ट ने मात्र तीन रन बनाए.
इसके बाद वर्णपुरा और संगकारा ने श्रीलंका की स्थिति को संभालाना शुरु किया. लेकिन 13 वें ओवर में ज़हीर खान ने संगकारा(12 रन) को पवेलियन वापस पहुँचा दिया. श्रीलंका का कुल स्कोर उस समय 57 था.
वर्णपुरा ने अच्छा प्रदर्शन किया और छह चौकों की मदद से अपना अर्धशतक पूरा किया. दिन का खेल ख़त्म होने पर वे 50 रन पर खेल रहे थे. उनके साथ क्रीज़ पर थे जयवर्धन जो 16 के स्कोर पर थे.
भारत की ओर से ईशांत शर्मा और ज़हीर खान ने एक-एक विकेट लिया.
बारिश का असर
बारिश के कारण मैच देर से शुरु हुआ
ये सिरीज़ तीन मुख्य कारणों से दिलचस्प मानी जा रही है. पहला तो ये कि इस श्रृंखला में खिलाड़ी अंपायरों के निर्णय को बदलने के लिए अपील कर सकेंगे. इसे फ़िलहाल ट्रायल के तौर पर किया जाएगा.
इसके अलावा सचिन तेंदुलकर इस श्रृंखला में टेस्ट क्रिकेट में सबसे ज़्यादा रन बनाने का रिकॉर्ड बना सकते हैं.
सर्वाधिक टेस्ट रन बनाने का रिकॉर्ड ब्रायन लारा के नाम है और सचिन इससे 172 रन पीछे हैं.
सिरीज़ के दिलचस्प होने का तीसरा कारण है श्रीलंका के नए तेज़ गेंदबाज़ अजंता मेंडिस जिन्होंने एशिया कप के फ़ाइनल में भारतीय बल्लेबाज़ों की बेहद परेशान किया था.
टेस्ट क्रिकेट में पहली बार खिलाड़ी अंपायरों के फ़ैसलों को चुनौती दे सकेंगे और टीवी रीप्ले के लिए कह सकेंगे.
टेनिस में भी वर्ष 2006 में ग्रैंड स्लैम प्रतियोगिताओं में ऐसा किया गया था.
हर टीम एक पारी में तीन बार फ़ैसले को चुनौती दे सकेगी.
भारत ने आख़िरी बार वर्ष 2001 में श्रीलंका का दौरा किया था जब भारत श्रृंखला हार गया था. उस दौरे में अनिल कुंबले और सचिन तेंदुलकर घायल होने के कारण नहीं खेल पाए थे.
घरेलू मैदान पर श्रीलंका का रिकॉर्ड काफ़ी अच्छा रहा है. पिछले चार सालों में उसने दक्षिण अफ़्रीका, इंग्लैंड और वेस्ट इंडीज़ के ख़िलाफ़ घेरलू सिरीज़ जीती हैं और अपने मैदानों पर 16 में से केवल एक मैच हारा है.
जहाँ तक भारतीय खेमे की बात है तो भारत के पास राहुल द्रविड़, वीवीएस लक्ष्मण, गांगुली और द्रवीड़ जैसे बल्लेबाज़ हैं जबकि गेंदबाज़ी में भारत के पास अनिल कुंबले, हरभजन सिंह, ज़हीर खान और ईशांत शर्मा हैं.
भारत श्रीलंका में तीन टेस्ट मैच और पाँच वनडे मैच खेलेगा
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