Laxman ready for match-winning knocks in NZ

Hyderabad, Feb 23: Stylish batsman VVS Laxman today said defeating New Zealand in their own backyard would be a tough challenge for the Indian team but he was ready to play match-winning knocks for his side.

"We have a challenge in defeating New Zealand in New Zealand. If we play to our potential, then we will definitely win both Test as well as one-day series.”

"I would like to contribute to the team winning the Test series. I want to adapt to whichever situation. I will have to play match-winning knocks," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Laxman said Team India was high on confidence after their string of good shows.

"It is an important series for the Indian team. Last time we went there in 2002, we had no idea about the conditions. But Indian team has done well and won matches all over the world since 2002. We are now performing well overseas too. We are high on confidence ahead of the tour," he said.

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'Slumdog' composer Rahman wins 2 Oscars

In just one night, Indian film composer A.R. Rahman equaled the number of Oscars his fellow Indians had taken home during the first 80 years of the Academy Awards.

The 43-year-old composer, hailed in India as the Mozart of Madras, won Oscars Sunday for best original soundtrack and best original song, both from the movie "Slumdog Millionaire."

Other Indians to collect Oscar gold before him were costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, honored for "Gandhi" in 1982, and arthouse director Satyajit Ray, who received a lifetime achievement award in 1992.
"I was excited and terrified," the soft-spoken Rahman said as he collected his first Oscar, for best original soundtrack. "The last time I felt like that was during my marriage."

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Now, Obama wants to see Slumdog Millionaire

The US President, Barak Obama wants to watch "Slumdod Millionaire", the White house has said.
"Slumdog Millionaire", the exhilarating rags-to-riches fairy tale set in Mumbai, swept the Oscars with eight awards including the best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay; with A R Rahman becoming the only Indian to bag two Oscars for the best score and original song.

"I don't know if he has seen 'Slumdog Millionaire'. I know he wants to," White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, told reporters during the course of his daily press briefing.

Gibbs said Obama has watched several movies recently. "I think that a lot of the movies that he has seen recently are movies that might also entertain a seven-and-a-10-year-old girl. Not sure that "Slumdog Millionaire" would be on that

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Govt reduces excise duty, service tax by 2 per cent

The Lok Sabha approved the Interim Budget by voice vote, amidst a walkout by the BJP and Left parties.

Giving relief to the industry reeling under the impact of slowdown, the Government reduced by two per cent rates of excise duty and service tax. While the general excise duty has been reduced from 10 per cent to 8 per cent, the rate of service tax cut from 12 per cent to 10 per cent.
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Smoking kills regardless of class

Researchers from Glasgow University and NHS Scotland looked at the impact of smoking on the survival rates of 15,000 men and women over a 28-year period.

They found smokers of all social classes had a much higher risk of premature death than even the poorest non-smokers.

The survival advantage women normally have over men was also cancelled out.

The study, one of the first to examine the long-term impact of smoking on older men and women, was carried out by Dr Laurence Gruer and Dr David Gordon from NHS Health Scotland, and Professor Graham Watt and Dr Carole Hart from Glasgow University.

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Steps to raise quality of education in govt schools: Shivraj

Emphasizing the importance of education, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Tuesday said education is the only field which can catapult Madhya Pradesh into the category of developed states. Presiding over the foundation laying ceremony of IIT Indore at Simrol today, Chouhan said the state government has taken several steps to raise the quality of education in government schools.
As a result of steps taken by the state government, changes in education sector are visible in terms of improvement in existing infrastructure of the government schools. Moreover, students of government schools coming in the merit list of various examinations, are also pointer to increase in quality of education in government schools of the state, he maintained.
Talking about steps taken by the state government to improve the level of education in the Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister said that enthused by the success of `ladli-laxmi yojna', the government was contemplating to enact a legislation on the Ladli Laxmi Yojna.

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Dhoni, Sehwag on 'little' NZ grounds scary, says Vettori

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori says the prospect of facing Indian big-hitters like Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the upcoming home series is "pretty scary" as it will be tough to contain them on the small grounds here.

The last time India toured New Zealand six years ago they went down 0-2 in Tests and lost the one-day series 2-5. But India's current form in all three forms of the game has Vettori worried and he said stopping Dhoni and Sehwag could turn into a nightmare for his bowlers.

"You look at the individual players and some of the world's best are coming," Vettori said.

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Taliban targets girl's education, 180 schools torched

The ceasefire between Islamabad and the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat Valley proves that the Islamist extremist threat is getting stronger. And thats being felt hardest by Swat valley's young girls - who have lost their right to an education.

Fourteen-year-old Hina khan says all she wants for herself and her siblings is to go to school. "When I grow up I want to be a doctor" she said.

However, In a ruthless campaign Islamist extremists torched and destroyed more than 180 schools.

What Hina's family did was run away from Pakistan's Swat Valley, a picturesque region that used to be so popular, tourists called it Pakistan's Switzerland.

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China model for education

Arunachal Pradesh Governor Gen. (retd) J.J. Singh today said India should take a cue from China, which has taken giant leaps in the education sector, outshining other Asian and competing with developed European nations.

Singh was speaking as the chief guest at the Ninth Conference of Higher and Technical Education held at the Banquet Hall, a government auditorium where official functions are held.

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Vaas wants to play 2011 World Cup before quitting

Selectors may not consider him good enough for a place in Sri Lanka's ODI team but veteran Sri Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas is keen to play in the 2011 World Cup before quitting the game.

Vaas is out of the Sri Lankan one-day team since being axed from the side before the home series against India. "They might have dropped me for now from the one-day side but I feel I can comeback. Because I want to play the 2011 World Cup and then say goodbye to cricket," the left arm pacer said.

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Sania-Santangelo in Dubai Open pre-quarters

Sania Mirza and her Italian partner Mara Santangelo advanced to the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the $2 million Dubai Tennis Championships after getting a walkover from Poland's Urszula Radwanska and Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland in the first round here.

An injury to Radwanska forced the Polish-American pair to give away the match to their opponents.

Sania and Sanatangelo now have a tough job at hand as they face top seeded pair of Zimbabwean Cara Black and American Lizel Huber in the second round.

Sania's singles campaign had ended ON Tuesday after losing her second round match to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.
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India ready to help Lankans in evacuation: Pranab

Reacting on the ongoing struggle between Sri Lankan army and the LTTE, India has said that it is ready to help in the evacuation of civilians in the war-torn area of the island nation.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha over the issue, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, "Conditions of civilians in Sri Lanka a serious concern for us and the government is ready to help in the evacuation of civilians in Sri Lanka."

Mukherjee also said that the rebel group LTTE is using civilians as human shields against the army.

"After 23 years of conflict, there is a chance for a political settlement in Lanka and devolution of powers in the country would be a significant step," he said.

He also said that the LTTE has done much damage to Tamil community and it should release all civilians and lay down arms for the interest of the Tamil community.

Lok Sabha was adjourned following uproar after Pranab Mukherjee's statement on the crisis in Sri Lanka.
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Petroleum Ministry asks for extra oil bonds of Rs 13,000 cr to cover revenue loss in Q4

New Delhi, Feb 10: The Petroleum Ministry has sought additional oil bonds worth about Rs 13,000 crore to cover the revenue loss on fuel sale in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal.

The Government has for the first three quarters sanctioned oil bonds worth Rs 60,967 crore to IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum to make the good revenue loss on sale of petrol, diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene.

"Of these, so far Rs 50,980 crore worth of bonds have been issued and the rest will be issued after Parliament approves them next week," a Petroleum Ministry official said.
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Satyam's auditors PWC in more trouble over GT Bank a/c

ACCOUNTING FOR MISTAKES: Collapsed bank GTB's audit was handled by Lovelock and Lewes, an associate of PWC.

Already under the scanner in the Satyam scam, more trouble awaits auditors Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC).

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has found two partners of PWC being involved in professional misconduct in yet another case.

The findings of the disciplinary committee is in connection with the Global Trust Bank (GTB) collapse case.

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Al-Qaeda video warns India of more attacks

FACE OF TERROR: The al-Qaeda leader is said to have been involved in a number of terror attacks.

A top al-Qaeda commander, who was reported killed in a US drone strike last year, has appeared in a video warning India of more Mumbai-style terror attacks if it tried to attack Pakistan.

"India should know that it will have to pay a heavy price if it attacks Pakistan," Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, believed to be al-Qaeda's military commander in Afghanistan and ranked behind No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri, said in a 20-minute video in Arabic received by BBC.

Yazid, who the Pakistani military said may have been killed in fighting last August in the Bajaur tribal region, said, "The Mujahideen will sunder your armies into the ground, like they did to the Russians in Afghanistan. They will target your economic centres and raze them to the ground."

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Sania, Mahesh, Yuki return to a grand welcome

Mumbai/ New Delhi: India's Australian Open Grand Slam winners - Sania Mirza, Mahesh Bhupathi and Yuki Bhambri - returned to India on Monday morning.
Sania and Mahesh arrived in Mumbai to a rousing welcome a day after winning the Australian Open Mixed doubles title.
With their trophies in hand, the pair was greeted by a huge crowd at the airport.
Sania and Mahesh beat Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 to win the final.
This was their first Grand Slam win together. It's a 11th Grand Slam win for Mahesh and it is also the first time that an Indian duo have won the mixed doubles crown at a Grand Slam event.
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American UN official kidnapped in Pakistan

Islamabad: Gunmen kidnapped an American national working for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees after killing his driver in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday.
John Solecki, the head of the UNHCR in Balochistan, was on his way to office when the gunmen intercepted his car shortly after he had left his home and opened fire. His driver, Syed Hashim Raza, was hit by bullets and died in hospital, police said.
The gunmen then took Solecki with them, police said. Witnesses said the car rammed into a house after the driver was shot.
Senior officials rushed to the site of the attack as police cordoned off the area and launched a search for the UN official.
A spokesperson for UNHCR said investigations into the incident were underway. Security at the offices of UN organisations and foreign NGOs, which is already very high, was beefed up further after the incident
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