Sania Mirza's ups & downs

Sania Mirza had watched silently as the ugly spat between Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi unfolded. But in a no-holds-barred assault after her wild card came through, Sania lashed out ITA and the male players for humiliating her by using her as a bait in the Lee-Hesh row.

 

Source : AP Success finally smiled on Sania Mirza after a long time when she clinched the French Open mixed-doubles title this year. Here's hoping she can replicate the same at Wimbeldon. However, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for the Hyderabadi lass. We take a look at her career highs and lows...Photo: AP

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  Source : Getty Images

Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina suffered a crushing 2-6, 1-6 defeat against top seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in the doubles final at the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open. Photo: Getty Images

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Last year, Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina's defeat to the unseeded Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hredecka in the French Open final may have come as a disappointment to the Hyderbadi's fans, but it's also a matter of pride that she got this far. Photo: Getty Images

Sania broke into the competetive league in 2003 when she was made part of the Indian Fed team and won all the games she played . In the same year, she went on to create history when she took part in the Wimbledon Girls Championships and won the doubles title with her partner Alisa Kleybanova. She earned the Arjuna award for her achievements in 2004.

Sania made her Grand Slam debut in 2005 in the Australian Open. Her skills were put to test and Sania made it to the third round, only to then be beaten by top-seed Serena Williams who ended her run in the singles event. Photo: Getty Images

She then took part in the 2005 US Open and made an entry into the record books when she entered the quarterfinal round. It took 51 years for an Indian girl to get so far, the last being Rita Daburr, who had finished runner-up in the singles event in 1952. Photo: Getty Images

The following year, Sania's playing career reached its peak as she defeated biggies like Martina Hingis, Nadia Petrova and Svetlana Kuznetsova and earned a place in the top 30 world rankings. She became the highest-ever ranked Indian woman tennis player. She was aptly awarded the Padma Shri for her achievements. Photo: Getty Images

Sania also had a fair share of controversies to deal with. For starters, she upset some sects of the Muslim community for wearing short skirts during her games. A fatwa was issued against her on grounds of indecency by a Muslim cleric.

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Petrol prices set for a Rs 4 slash

The oil marketing companies are likely to slash the petrol prices by up to Rs. 4 a litre from July 1.

The trigger: The steep fall in global prices of crude oil as well as petrol on which the companies base the domestic prices every fortnight. The price cut will come as a big respite for the consumer after the recent increase of Rs. 7.54 a litre on May 23 - the highest so far.

But senior officials in the oil companies said the price cut would come only if the global petrol prices and the rupee-dollar exchange rates hold for the rest of this month.

The officials said the price cut could have been higher had the rupee not gone through a freefall against the dollar in recent times in the currency market.

With every one-dollar decline in global prices, the domestic price declines by around Rs. 0.34 a litre, while every one-rupee fall against the dollar leads to a price rise of 75-to-80 paise a litre.

The average global petrol price has come down to $99 a barrel from $115 at the time of the last price cut of Rs. 2.02 on June 2.

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Ek Tha Tiger: New stills of Sallu-Kat

 

 

 

 

The movie stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles
 

 

 

 
Ranvir Shorey also is part of the cast of the film.

The cinematography is by Ravi K Chandran.

This is the third time Kabir Khan is collaborating with Yash Raj Films after Kabul Express (2006) and New York (2009).

The story of the film is written by Aditya Chopra.

The music of Ek Tha Tiger has been scored by Sohail Sen.

'Ek Tha Tiger' will be released on August 15

The first look of Ek Tha Tiger was released in April this year

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Chennai: Bus falls off a flyover, 30 injured

Chennai: At least 30 passengers were injured injured when a crowded bus fell of a flyover in Chennai on Wednesday afternoon. The accident happened on the Gemini flyover on arterial Anna Salai when the driver of the state-owned Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus was taking a blind turn.
The incident occurred at around 1.40 PM when the bus driver on route No. 17M from Parrys to Vadapalani tried to take a left turn on the diversion on Anna flyover towards Nungambakkam, police said. But they refused to confirm eyewitness accounts that the driver was talking on his mobile phone at the time.
According to MTC officials there were 39 persons on the bus, including the driver and conductor. Traffic was badly hit and there was a massive jam following the accident on the flyover, forcing police to divert traffic.

The injured have been admitted to Royapettah Government Hospital and a nearby private hospital.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister VS Vijay, Social Welfare Minister B Valarmathy, Chennai Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy, City Police Commissioner JK Tripathy, along with top police officers and senior MTC officials visited the spot.
The bus was removed from the spot around three hours later with the help of a crane.

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Key dates in EU antitrust action against Microsoft

 
FILE - This set of flagpoles sits at one of the entrances to Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash., in this Oct.19, 1998 file photo. The General Court of the European Union has upheld most of a massive fine against Microsoft Corp. by the European Commission's competition watchdog in 2008. In a ruling Wednesday, June 27, 2012, it rejected Microsoft's appeal but did cut the fine by €39 million to €860 million ($1.1 billion). Photo: Joe Brokert / AP 

Brussels (AP) — A European appeals court on Wednesday upheld most of a massive penalty levied against Microsoft Corp., ending the company's 14-year legal struggle with the continent's competition regulators.
The EU probe was triggered by a 1998 complaint that Microsoft wouldn't give Sun Microsystems some technical information needed for Sun's server software to communicate with Microsoft's Windows desktop operating system. The EU looked more broadly into whether Microsoft had abused its near-monopoly over Windows to corner other markets, including server software, internet browsers and streaming media software.
Here's how the case developed:
— March 24, 2004: The European Commission finds Microsoft guilty. It fines the company €497 million ($613 million). It also orders Microsoft to share technical documents with rivals and market a version of Windows without a media player.
— June 15, 2005: After losing an appeal, Microsoft makes Windows XP N — without Media Player — available. There are few takers. The same month, EU also raises concerns about usability of Microsoft's technical documents.
— July 12, 2006: EU decides Microsoft isn't obeying the 2004 decision and penalizes it an additional €280.5 million ($357 million).
— March 1, 2007: EU threatens Microsoft with even more penalties as it accuses the company of further noncompliance by setting royalty fees too high for technical documents.
— Oct. 22: Microsoft agrees to slash fees for the technical documents. It also offers access to open source developers and others for a one-time fee of €10,000. Though this resolves key parts of the dispute, the EU says Microsoft is still subject to penalties for noncompliance until then.
— Jan. 14, 2008: Following a complaint by Web browser developer Opera Software ASA, the EU announces it is investigating Microsoft again. This time, it's on suspicion of abusing its market position by squeezing out other Internet browsers and software rivals dependent on Microsoft programs.
— Feb. 27: EU regulators impose a €899 million penalty ($1.3 billion) — a record at the time — for failing to fully comply with the 2004 antitrust order. This is on top of the fine imposed in 2004 and the penalty of 2006 and brings the total to nearly €1.7 billion.
— May 9: Microsoft announces it has appealed the penalty.
— Jan. 16, 2009: The European Commission orders Microsoft to untie its Internet Explorer browser from Windows.
— July 24: Microsoft agrees to offer a choice of rival Web browsers on Windows to ward off new European Union antitrust fines.
— Dec. 16: The European Union drops the browser case after Microsoft after the company agrees to give Windows users in Europe a choice of up to 12 other Web browsers. This ends all of the EU's active cases against Microsoft, though the appeal of the 2008 fine remains pending.
— Wednesday: The General Court of the European Union rejects Microsoft's appeal of the 2008 penalty, but reduces it to €860 million, ending the case.

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Jindal case: India's charge of Pak institutions involved in 26/11 rubbished

The Pakistan Government on Wednesday dismissed India’s charge of Pakistani state institutions being involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Addressing media in Islamabad, the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor in the Interior Ministry, Rehman Malik, termed New Delhi’s charges as “baseless”, and added that Islamabad would not investigate the Mumbai terror attack on the basis of evidences provided by New Delhi, as they were “not reliable”.
Defending Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Malik rubbished 26/11 Mumbai terror attack plotter Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jindal's claims of the ISI being involved in the 26/11 attacks.
He said the ISI protects Pakistan and is not involved in carrying out terror strikes.
Malik squarely blamed Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram of "unnecessarily targeting the ISI", and claimed that all the allegations against Pakistan have been proven to be false till now.
He pointed out that Jindal was an Indian citizen (a resident of Beed in Maharashtra), and therefore, could not be said to be working on behalf of state or non-state actors from Pakistan.
"On previous occasions, when India accused the ISI of being behind the attacks, they were later proved to be wrong. Blaming someone is very easy, but proving is very, very difficult," claimed Malik.
Chidambaram had on Wednesday said that India had been on Jindal’s case for over a year, and the latter had admitted during interrogation by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police to the involvement of Pakistani state agencies in the 26/11 attacks.
Reacting to Malik's note on Tuesday, Chidambaram said that India was willing to share information about Jindal with Pakistan
Jindal was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on June 21 after being brought from Saudi Arabia, and is now in the custody of Delhi Police till July 5.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has now produced a production warrant in Delhi's Tis Hazari court for Jindal's interrogation.
The ATS wants to question him regarding the Aurangabad arms haul case of May 2006 and the German Bakery blast case of February 2010.
The ATS also wants to question him regarding the sleeper cells active in Maharashtra and about his alleged connections with the Indian Mujahideen.
The Indian Mujahideen was allegedly behind the 13/7 serial blasts in Mumbai in 2011 and the ATS had filed a charge sheet in the case last month.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau are also interrogating Jindal. He has reportedly given inputs about the Lashkar-e-Toiba's sleeper cells in the country to the police, based on which, police teams will be carrying out raids across Maharashtra.
Police say Jindal used different names in each incident that he was involved in over the past six to seven years.

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One in eight women return expensive clothes after wearing

Clever dames! A UK survey has found that one in eight women bought expensive clothes, wore them on a night out and returned them to the shopkeeper the next day. And experts believe the true figure may be far higher as many shoppers are too ashamed to admit to the practice. Nearly half of those who did confess said they were motivated by money because they couldn't afford to keep the clothes given the present economic climate. But 18 per cent said they did it because they enjoyed the 'buzz'.

The poll of 2,000 women in UK found the most common occasion to buy and then return an outfit was for a wedding. Others did it for christenings, black-tie events and Christmas parties. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said it was 'concerned' about the practice, and warned offenders would be caught, the Daily Mail reported. Those most likely to do it were 18 to 24-year-olds, 16 per cent of whom admitted to returning worn clothes. This was followed by the 25 to 31-year-old category, on 14 per cent. Hannah Priddey, 24, a masters student at Bristol University, said she bought a glamorous outfit, and returned it, once a fortnight for four years.

According to the survey, carried out by the UK-based OnePoll.com, offenders tuck the labels inside clothes on a night out to conceal their strategy. The next day they either hang them out to air or spray them with air freshener, then return them to the store, telling the shop assistant they didn't fit.
Shockingly, seven per cent of those surveyed said they had returned an outfit after being sick on it, while six per cent had spilled a drink on one and taken it back.

Eight per cent said they had left the item they returned in a crumpled heap on the floor all night, and nearly nine per cent said it smelt of smoke. A spokesman for OnePoll.com said: "It's understandable that people are tightening their belts and are spending more cautiously during this bleak economic time, but returning clothes after wearing them is quite dishonest and high risk". Legally, shops are under no obligation to accept returns unless the goods are faulty or damaged. But in practice, many do as long as the customer has a receipt.

Sarah Cordey, of the BRC, said: "Most retailers go well beyond the legal minimum when it comes to returns policies, and the vast majority of customers use them honestly. Deliberately buying clothes to wear and then return is wrong and shop assistants are on the look out for signs of this".

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Tendulkar gets award for 100 tons

Senior Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was presented the Wisden India Outstanding Achievement award for completing a century of 100 international hundreds.

Tendulkar had achieved the milestone while playing against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in March.

The event was organised by FidelisWorld and the iconic batsman was presented with a trophy. Made from crystal, it features a cricket ball resting on the open pages of a book.

The 49 one-day international centuries that Tendulkar has made are listed on one side, and his 51 Test hundreds on the other.

Tendulkar spoke on various aspects of his career at the function such as his favourite innings - the match-winning fourth-innings hundred against England at Chennai in December 2008 - balancing play and personal life, and the influence that his late father had in shaping his career

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Moss to enter movies?

Supermodel Kate Moss may soon make her debut in movies.

She did a cameo in "Absolutely Fabulous" special charity episode and impressed the show creator Jennifer Saunders with her co-operation. Now the latter wants Moss to appear in the upcoming spin-off film.

"Kate got on so well with the team, we'd love to work with her again. I'm currently writing the movie, so watch this space," Closer magazine quoted Saunders as saying.

"Kate's great, she's lovely. She behaved so nicely and was such a sweet person. She didn't have any tantrums or any airs or graces. There was no nonsense.

"We've done stuff with Kate before and she's been wonderful so it was great to work with her again. She's really good, she's really professional and she looks amazing," she added.

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New Prez should be non-political: Hema Malini

Bharatiya Janata Party's former MP and veteran actress Hema Malini believes a candidate from a non-political background should be given preference during the country's upcoming presidential election.

"I think the president should be from a non-political background. He should be a very highly-qualified person and only a very knowledgeable person should become the president," the 63-year-old said here on the sidelines of an event on Sunday.

"It's such a high position that to handle it, a non-political person should be preferred. He'll understand everything and will not be (in favour) for any political party," Hema Malini added.

Asked if she has any special tips for actress Rekha, who has recently become a member of the Rajya Sabha, Hema said: "Everyone learns themselves. Even when I went... no one teaches you. Everyone has to learn on their own. Life is a long process to keep on learning every minute. So, she will also learn it on her own."

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Search warrant issued for Nithyananda

The police on Monday issued a search warrant for the arrest of controversial godman Nithyananda, who is reportedly absconding from his ashram at Bidadi in Ramanagara distict.

Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda told reporters after a high-level meeting with top police officials, including DGP Lalrokhuma Pachau, to discuss the clash that took place between the media and his followers at his ashram last week, that Nithyananda would be arrested in two days.

He said he has directed Regional Commissioner Shambhu Dayal Meena to submit a report to the government on the incident and also asked the DC and the Superintendent of Police to secure custody of the Dhyanapeetham premises, collect evidence about its activities and seal the ashram.

The government would hold discussions with the law department to seek cancellation of bail of the self-styled godman, who was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court in connection with a case of rape and criminal intimidation.

Nithyananda is facing criminal charges, including rape, on complaints from some former disciples last year. He was arrested and later released on bail.

On June, 8 police had lodged criminal cases against him and his followers for allegedly assaulting a mediaperson during a press conference at his Ashram.

The FIRs were filed on complaints from a regional TV channel reporter and activists of Nava Nirmana Sene in connection with an altercation at the ashram the previous night.

On a counter complaint by two followers of Nithyananda, police also registered two FIRs against the reporter and Sene activists for alleged outrage of modesty, physical assault and threat to life.

The reporter alleged he was assaulted and threatened after he asked a question at a press meet convened by the godman in the backdrop of charges of sexual abuse levelled against him by a US-based woman.

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England win second Test against West Indies by nine wickets

England won the second Test, and with it the three-match series, just as they had threatened to do ever since West Indies were 136 for six on the first afternoon. That it took a little longer on the fourth day than many had anticipated once the England seamers had reduced them to 61 for six overnight, a lead of only three runs, was largely down to the efforts once more of Marlon Samuels, who continued his fine run of form with an unbeaten 76, and some more resistance from the captain, Darren Sammy, with 25.

When Jimmy Anderson finally ended the innings with his fourth wicket, to set alongside four for the redoubtable Tim Bresnan and one apiece for Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, the game was into the afternoon session and West Indies, having extended their innings to 165, had set England 108 to win.

Carefully at first but more expansively later Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook knocked the top from the run chase with an opening stand of 89 before Strauss, on 45, chipped Samuels' offspin to cover. On the way they had passed 5,000 runs as a pair, most but not all of them as an opening partnership, the only England pair to do so and behind only Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, and Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

It was left to Cook, 43 not out, and Jonathan Trott, 17 not out, to take things to a conclusion.

The final match of the series, which begins at Edgbaston on Thursday week, has thus been rendered extraneous in terms of the Wisden Trophy for which the two sides compete and, for England at least, there will be some rumination before they announce their squad for Birmingham.

Henceforth this is a busy summer of international cricket even if it is likely to get lost in the maelstrom of competing attractions. First there are ODIs against West Indies; next, five more ODIs against Australia, being played on a quid pro quo basis in order to ensure equivalent matches in Australia immediately prior to the 2015 World Cup, and then the Test series against South Africa which will determine the right of one side or the other to be ranked No1.

There are two schools of thought. The first suggests that some such as Anderson and Broad see out the Test series and are then rested for the ODIs. The other, given that England also have an imperative to raise the standard of their one-day side, sees an opportunity to rest both of those key players from the final Test and have what might almost be viewed as a bowl-off between Bresnan, Graham Onions, who is rated highly by the South Africans in particular, and Steven Finn, the quickest of the three. This surely makes more sense.

For West Indies, no matter how tenaciously they have competed, this second Test represents another hefty defeat, the eighth in 18 matches under Sammy, to sit alongside two wins only, one of them against Bangladesh. Somewhere along the line, in almost every match, they have one session that destroys them.

But have some sympathy for Sammy. The expectations of many, that years of mismanagement, neglect and a failure of succession planning alongside an arrogance that believed the production line would always produce come what may, could instantly be overturned are misguided. It will be a slow process. When Nasser Hussain and Duncan Fletcher took over a demoralised England side, their first task was to stop them losing and that, rather than more ambitious things, should be West Indies' aim.

Their first taste of success is more likely to come in the World T20 in Sri Lanka in September, when they will surely start as one of the favourites. Their first task now, though, will be to reassess their batting with the hapless Kirk Edwards, without a double-figure score on the entire tour, vulnerable. It could mean moving everyone up a place as in the second innings here on account of Edwards' illness , with Narsingh Deonarine, who played against Australia, coming in at six.

The resistance from Samuels and Sammy during the morning was excellent, however. Their partnership extended to 49 before Sammy, caught on the crease, became the fifth of six lbw victims in the innings, a mode of dismissal for which England were bowling in the second innings with the ball reversing and keeping low on occasions.

There followed some support for Samuels from Kemar Roach, who had the impertinence to hit Broad through the covers, pull him fine for four more and then take a further boundary with what Wayne Daniel used to call the "cluck", that Caribbean clip off the hips accompanied in practice by a click of the tongue.

But Anderson did for him, Swann had Shane Shillingford caught at slip and, after Samuels had launched the offspinner for a brace of straight sixes, Anderson finished things off.

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Manmohan meets Suu Kyi, invites her to visit India

In the highest-level contact between India and Aung San Suu Kyi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday held talks with Myanmar’s democracy icon in Yangon and handed over to her an invitation from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to visit India which has a “long-standing association” with her.

Dr. Singh, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Myanmar in quarter of a century, and Ms. Suu Kyi held discussions for 45 minutes.

During their meeting which took place on the last day of the Prime Minister’s historic visit, Dr. Singh handed over to the Nobel laureate an invitation from Ms. Gandhi to visit India to deliver the next Jawaharlal Nehru memorial lecture.

Accepting in principle the invite, Ms. Suu Kyi said “I hope I will be able to take up the invitation not before too long”.

Emerging from the meeting at the Sedonia Hotel, where the 66-year-old opposition leader of Myanmar called on the Prime Minister sticking to protocol, Ms. Suu Kyi recalled the close association she and her parents had with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and his family.

“India and Burma have been friends not only because of geographical proximity but also because of shared values, heritage and fight for independence,” she said.

Speaking first, the Prime Minister paid rich compliments to Ms. Suu Kyi, saying her “struggle and her determination has inspired millions of people all over the world”.

“We in India are very proud of the very long-standing association with her (Ms. Suu Kyi) and the members of her family,” Dr. Singh said.

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Chaos outside Eden after KKR felicitation programme

KOLKATA: There was chaos outside the Eden Gardens after an hour-long felicitation function of the IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riderswhen a large crowd broke barricades and engaged in scuffles with the police in a bid to enter the grounds on Tuesday.

Nearly 30,000 people were waiting outside the Eden Gardens as they were not allowed entry into the grounds which were already packed to capacity.

As the surging crowd made a determined bid to have a glimpse of the KKR team as well as its co-owners Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, chaos followed and several persons suffered injuries in the melee.

The area was littered with shoes and other foot wears as the police made way for the KKR team members, Shah Rukh Khan and Tollywood actors for their departure.

West Bengal governor MK Narayanan, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, some of her cabinet colleagues and railway minister Mukul Roy were present at the felicitation progarmme, organised jointly by the state government and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

When contacted, the police denied that there was any lathicharge or any injury outside the stadium.

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Jagan Reddy remanded to 14-day judicial custody till June 11

YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday remanded to 14-day judicial custody till June 11 by the CBI court in Hyderabad.

Earlier on the day, the CBI had sought 14 days custody of Kadapa MP Jagan Mohan Reddy, saying it needed to 
further question him in the disproportionate assets case.

39-year-old Jagan, who was arrested on Sunday, was produced before a CBI court in Hyderabad.

Seeking 14 days police remand, senior CBI counsel Ashok Bhan alleged that YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy "sent (bribe amount) abroad and got it reinvested in his business through hawala racket".

"Jagan never cooperated in the investigation during the three-day questioning period in true sense," the CBI counsel alleged.

"Jagan can no longer masquerade as a victim of CBI probe. He cannot assail CBI for being victimised. He has hoodwinked the people of a huge sum of money. We will now show the people about his swindling of money. He cannot seek public sympathy He has deprived poor people and caused them irreparable loss and in turn enriched himself by dubious mechanism by sending the funds abroad and getting the same invested in his companies," the counsel alleged.

CBI has charged Jagan under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 477A (falsification of accounts) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

"Investments to the tune of Rs. 1234 crore have been made in his (Jagan's) companies and he himself got enriched by Rs. 300 crore. There are certain traces and he did not cooperate on the same," Bhan alleged.

"It is a white collar crime committed by 74 accused, including Jagan, and so far chargesheets have been filed against 24 accused. All the accused in custody (industrialist N Prasad, senior bureaucrat KV Brahmananda Reddy) have revealed certain glaring facts about the case and we have to confront Jagan on the information provided," the CBI counsel claimed.

CBI has sent Letters Rogatory to Mauritius and Luxembourg to get more information as there were alleged investments to the tune of several crores in Sandur Power by Jagan.

"Luxembourg-based Asian Infra is suspected owner of Sandur Power," the agency submitted.

There are similar transactions in the "exclusive knowledge" of Jagan which will be known only after getting his custody, the CBI counsel said.

"Jagan got enriched enormously in a short span of four years after influencing his father Rajashekhar Reddy, the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in getting ill gotten money into his own firms from investors who doled out favours as part of quid pro quo," the counsel alleged.

"Some investing companies got alloted thousands of acres of agriculture land in turn of investments after Jagan influenced his father," the agency further alleged.

Further investigations need to be carried out on the role of Jagan with regard to the influence made on his father, the agency said. 

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Sneha and Prasanna Marriage Photos

Sneha and Prasanna wedding pics: Actress Sneha and Prasanna's wedding ceremony was held today at Sri Vari Venkatachalapathy Palace, Chennai. It was truly a glittering yet traditional marriage ceremony graced by family of the actress, relatives and close friends. Sneha and Prasanna look adorable in their traditional wedding attires as they posed for the shutterbugs.
  

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NATO Summit News Roundup

Day Two: Formal Agreement on NATO-Afghan Transition Plan

The NATO supply line issue remained at the tip of President Obama’s tongue on the second day of the summit. Within the first minute of his opening remarks, he made a slightly veiled reference to them. “I want to welcome the presence of President Karzai, as well as officials from central Asia and Russia, nations that have an important perspective and that continue to provide critical transit for ISAF supplies,” he said, referring to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
Despite the momentary diversion, it was clear that Monday was all about the Afghan transition plan. Later in his opening remarks, Mr. Obama said, “The region and the world have a profound interest in an Afghanistan that is stable, that is secure and is not a source of attacks on other nations.”

Doug Mills/The New York TimesPresident Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, right, and  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO secretary general, left, at the International Security Assistance Force meeting on Afghanistan in Chicago on Monday.

 

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25 killed as Hampi Express rams into goods train in AP

At least 25 passengers were killed, 16 of them charred, and 43 injured when the Bangalore- bound Hampi Express rammed into a stationary goods train after its driver apparently overshot the signal near the station here in the wee hours today.



The impact of the collision that took place at 3:15 AM was such that four bogies of the express train derailed and one of them caught fire near Penukonda station in Andhra Pradesh coming under Bangalore division of South Western Railway.

Shocked survivors said it was an unbearable and gory sight to see fellow passengers burning and screaming for help as they stood helpless due to the searing heat. The cries of burning passengers still rang in their ears, they said on arrival in Bangalore, about 150 km from here.

Most of the victims were labourers coming from Hubli and Hospet in Karnataka and were on their way to Bangalore.

"As of now, 25 people have died and 43 people are injured in the train tragedy. The injured have been shifted to different hospitals across Anantpur district," Railway Minister Mukul Roy, who rushed to the accident site, told reporters.

"Prima facie it seems that the driver of Hampi Express overshot the signal," Railway Spokesperson Anil Saxena said in Delhi.

Deputy Inspector General of police (Anantapur range) Charu Sinha said the injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals at Penukonda, Hindupur and Anantapur.

"Rescuers used metal cutters to get inside the bogies where passengers were stuck," Anantpur Superintendent of Police Shahnawaz Qasim said, adding fire fighters and railway officers helped police in rescue operations.

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Rafaeli is world's sexiest woman!

Supermodel Bar Refaeli is "happy and honoured" to top Maxim's 2012 Hot 100 list. The 26-year-old through her Twitter page announced her delight at being recognised as the magazine's sexiest woman of the year, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "So happy and honored to be #1 on #Maximhot100! thank you @maximmag! This is very exciting, Rafaeli tweeted.

Supermodel Bar Refaeli is "happy and honoured" to top Maxim's 2012 Hot 100 list.

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Refaeli was closely followed by "Magic Mike star Olivia Munn, who took the second spot on the list for the second year in a row.

"Friends With Benefits actress Mila Kunis moved up from fifth to third place, while singer Katy Perry dropped one position down to fourth from 2011.

Olivia Wilde jumped up from 15th place to fifth place while Kate Middleton's little sister Pippa Middleton debuted at No. 81.

The other women who rounded out the Top 10 are: Olivia Munn, Mila Kunis, Katy Perry, Olivia Wilde, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Megan Fox, Malin Akerman and Adrianne Palicki.

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Mohammad Asif released early after spot-fixing sentence

The Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Asif has been released from jail after serving half a 12-month sentence for his part in a spot-fixing scam.
Asif, 29, the former world No2 Test bowler, was freed from Canterbury prison in Kent on Thursday morning, according to his lawyers, SJS Solicitors, based in Balham, south London.
He was one of three Pakistan cricketers who received custodial sentences at London's Southwark crown court in November over a scandal that rocked world sport.
The former Test captain Salman Butt, 27, was jailed for two and a half years for his role as the "orchestrator" of a plot to bowl deliberate no-balls in the 2010 Lord's Test against England.
Mohammad Amir, 19, who had been tipped to become one of the all-time great fast bowlers, was released from Portland young offenders' institution in Dorset in February after serving half his six-month sentence.
Mazhar Majeed, 36, the corrupt London-based sports agent at the heart of the fixing scandal, was jailed for two years and eight months.
All three players are serving five-year bans from cricket imposed by the International Cricket Council.
The fixing scandal emerged after an undercover News of the World reporter approached Majeed in August 2010 pretending to be a wealthy Indian businessman seeking major international cricketers for a tournament. The agent, from Croydon, south London, was secretly filmed accepting £150,000 in cash from the journalist as part of an arrangement to rig games.
Majeed promised the reporter that Asif and Amir would deliver three no-balls at specific points during the Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's from 26-29 August 2010.
He claimed he had been carrying out fixing for two and a half years and had seven players from Pakistan's national side working for him.
Explaining why he bowled a no-ball when Majeed said he would, Asif alleged that Butt told him: "Run faster, fucker," moments before his delivery.
The trial judge, Mr Justice Cooke, said there was no evidence that Asif had taken part in fixing before the Lord's match but added: "It is hard to see how this could be an isolated occurrence for you."
Asif took his 100th Test wicket during Pakistan's 2010 series in England.
He had run into controversy before. He twice tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug nandrolone and was held in Dubai for 19 days in 2008 after opium was found in his wallet.
Amir and Butt failed in an attempt to have their sentences reduced at the court of appeal in November.

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