London 2012 Tennis

London 2012 Tennis: Paes-Vardhan shine in opening round

London: Leander Paes and his unheralded partner Vishnu Vardhan got the better of Jean Julien Rojer and Robin Haase of The Netherlands 7-6 (1) 4-6 6-2 in their opening round match on Monday.

Olympics 2012 | Schedule | India at Olympics | Medals Tally

Paes and Vardhan, ranked 208 in the world, struggled to win the first set and lost their rhythm to concede the second set.

But they bounced back brilliantly in decider to clinch the issue and keep their hopes alive in the competition

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Fighting against Netherlands

India goes down fighting against Netherlands

London, Returning to the big stage after a gap of eight years, erstwhile champions India put up a brave fight before going down 2-3 against the formidable Netherlands in their opening Group B match of the men's hockey competition at the Olympics here today.

Ranked 10th in the world, the Indians meant business as third ranked Netherlands had to sweat it out to start their campaign on a winning note. The first half, however, did not go according to the script for the Indians as they conceded two goals to go into the breather trailing 0-2.

Robert van der Horst (20th minute) opened the scoring for the Dutch with a fierce hit from top of the circle and then Roderick Weusthof doubled the margin nine minutes later, converting a penalty corner. The Indians, however, came out with vengeance after the change of ends and scored two goals within a span of three minutes to level the scoreline.

Dharanvir Singh (45th minute) scored India's first goal after capitalising on a rebound and then striker Shivendra Singh tapped home from close quarters three minutes later after receiving a ball from Gurvinder Singh Chandi. But it was not to be India's day as Mink van der Weerden converted another penalty corner in the 51st minute to restore Netherlands' lead. Thereafter, the Indians pressed hard in search of the equaliser which eluded them inspite of getting numerous chances.

India will next play New Zealand in their second group match on Wednesday, while the Netherlands will be up against Belgium the same day.

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Bhupathi-Bopanna

Bhupathi-Bopanna reaches second round, Vishnu loses in singles

M R Mishra

London, India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna, whose insistence to play together sparked off a selection storm in the build-up to the Olympics, staved off a spirited challenge from their Belarus opponents to script a gruelling three-set victory and move into the second round of the men's doubles event here today.

Bhupathi and Bopanna held their nerves to edge out Max Mirnyi and Alexander Bury with a hard-fought 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 8-6 scoreline in a tussle which lasted two hours and 26 minutes at the Wimbledon here. Both the teams went neck-and-neck till the very end before the Indian pair pulled off a thrilling win to keep their medal hopes alive in the event.

In the tense tie-breaker in the third set, Bopanna and Bhupathi put their rivals under pressure with an attacking brand of tennis. The Indian pair will now take on R Gasquet and J Benneteau of France in the second round. In the men's singles, India's Vishnu Vardhan, who was given a wild card at the 11th hour, went down tamely to another wild card Blaz kavcic of Slovakia to end his challenge.

Vishnu, ranked 208 in the world, made a valiant effort to counter Kavcic but in vain as his rival pulled off a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win in a contest which lasted one hour and 12 minutes.

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London 2012 Badminton

Saina Nehwal cruises to an easy win

London: India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal cruised into the knockout stage of the women's singles compeition after notching up a comfortable straight-game win over Belgium's Lianne Tan in a group stage match here on Monday.

The world number five Indian did not need to exert herself and was in complete control of the match as she saw off the Belgium girl 21-4 21-14 in just 24 minutes at the Wembley arena here.

The fourth seed Indian is likely to take on Chinese-born Yao Jie of The Netherlands, ranked 20th in the world, in the knockout stage. The 22-year-old Indian was in her dominating best as she judged the shuttle well and had better idea of the court. She anticipated the moves of her opponent very easily and took just nine minutes to wrap up the first game in her favour.

Lianne earned a couple of lucky points when the shuttle just kissed the net to fall in Saina's side but beside that she didn't pose any threat to the Indian in the first game. In the second game, the Belgium girl went all out and tried to create some chances but Saina at no point looked threatened. Lianne earned her points mostly when Saina faltered with her strokes which went to the nets a few times.

However, the Indian was always in control as she digged in the reportoire of her strokes to move into the break at 11-8. After the breather, Saina started using her angled drops and tosses to move to the match point at 20-12.

Lianne saved a couple of match points when Saina committed a few unforced errors but the Indian didn't take long as she sealed the issue with a disguised angled drop to cement her place at the pre-quarters.

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Prez congratulates Narang for bronze medal

New Delhi, President Pranab Mukherjee today congratulated shooter Gagan Narang for winning a bronze medal in the 10m Air Rifle event of the London Olympics.

Narang shot 103.1 in a gripping ten-shot finals for an aggregate of 701.1 after scoring 598 in the qualifying round in which also he stood third. Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra could not make the final in the same event.

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GOVERNOR’S CONDOLENCE MESSAGE

I am deeply shocked and grieved to hear about the tragic fire accident in the Tamil Nadu Express bound to Chennai at Nellore District in which about 47 passengers have lost their lives and many have been injured.

I convey my sincere condolences to the bereaved members of the family and pray to God to rest the departed soul in peace. I wish the injured a speedy recovery.

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4 TN fishermen among 6 held for smuggling ganja to Lanka

Rameswaram (TN), Six fishermen, including four from Tamil Nadu, were arrested today by Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly smuggling ganja and pan masala to the island nation, police said here. The four fishermen from Susaipappapatinnam near here had taken the contraband in a country boat and were offloading it along with two Lankan nationals at Kallupatti, a coastal village in Sri Lanka, when they were arrested early this morning.

The arrested had been remanded to judicial custody by a court and lodged in Neer Kozhumbu jail, officials said quoting information received by them from Sri Lankan authorities.

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Drone strike kills 6 in Pakistan

From Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, US drones targeted a compound and a vehicle in the restive North Waziristan tribal region of Pakistan today, killing six militants, officials said. The drones fired six missiles at the compound and the car in Khushali Turikhel village of North Waziristan Agency, security officials told the media. Reports said the men killed in the attack were Uzbek militants.

The village is located 35 km from Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, which is considered a safe haven for Taliban and al Qaeda elements. This was the first US drone strike since the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramzan. The strike occurred shortly after authorities clamped a curfew in the region for the routine movement of security forces.

The strike also came days before a visit to the US by Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt Gen Zahir-ul-Islam, who is expected to raise Pakistan's demand for ending drone attacks during talks with American officials.

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TN farmers to receive training on best farm practices

Sivaganga (TN) Union home minister P Chidambaram today said farmers in Tamil Nadu would receive training for best farm practices and production, medicinal plant cultivation and herbal produce under a scheme being implemented by National Skill development Fund Corporation.

The scheme to impart these practices is being implemented by National Skill Development Fund Corporation in collaboration with the European Union at a cost of Rs seven crore, he said after inagurating a farmers' training centre at Peravalur in the district.

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Comment on dress not put in proper perspective by some media

Kolkata, Actor-turned Trinamool Congress MLA Chiranjit Chakraborty today sought to play down the controversy created over his statement on women's attire saying it was not put in proper perspective in a section of the media. "I have expressed my personal views to reporters on this for about ten to 15 minutes. But if any media or anybody puts only a line from there, it could mean something different.

Moreover, reaction on that by others has been creating further miscommunication. I never tried to hurt anybody," Chiranjit.

"My statement should be taken in a proper perspective and in totality of what I said yesterday, and not on piecemeal basis to avoid distortion or miscommunication," he said. Chiranjit, who had gone to Barasat police station to enquire into the progress of investigation into an eve-teasing case, yesterday said women should be conscious about what they wear, "as all dresses are not appropriate for everywhere and sometimes some dresses can look provocative. Fashion is always under evolution, but its application should be changed with the time and place to make it more meaningful". I am careful about my constituency (Barasat) and I want peace to prevail there. How can I make any comment that can make controversy. I have also my own status in the profession. What I said is entirely my personal views," Chiranjit said.

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Olympic Flame takes to the Thames for its journey to the Opening Ceremony

Starting from Hampton Court Palace, Olympic Rowing gold medallist Matthew Pinsent will carry the Flame on to the Royal rowbarge, the Gloriana, named by Her Majesty as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The rowbarge will be rowed down the Thames to Tower Bridge by 16 oarsmen and women including Olympic Rowers James Cracknell and Jonny Searle.

Once on board, Pinsent will light a ceremonial cauldron, which will be used to light the Torches of seven young Torchbearers, in turn, who will carry the Flame as it travels down the river.

One of the Torchbearers aboard will be Amber Charles, 22, from Newham, who played a key role in London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games seven years ago, presenting London’s proposal to stage the Games to members of the IOC at Lausanne in 2004.

As the last Torchbearer on the Thames, Amber will carry the Flame to City Hall. The Flame will then remain out of public view until it appears at the Opening Ceremony.

Over the past 70 days, more than 13 million people have lined the streets of the UK to show their support for the Torch Relay. LOCOG Chair Seb Coe said: 'Thank you to each and every person for giving the Olympic Flame such a magnificent welcome and celebrating the best of the UK with us. Together we have given the London 2012 Games the best possible start.'

The Flame will arrive at the Olympic Stadium this evening for the Opening Ceremony, where the Olympic Cauldron will be lit and stay alight until it is extinguished on the final day of the Games.

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Federer says Olympics tougher than a Grand Slam

London: World No.1 tennis player Roger Federer says winning the Olympic gold could be harder than winning a Grand Slam title.

Federer, who made history three weeks ago by winning his seventh Wimbledon title, said on Thursday that the win has boosted his confidence, but the Olympic has fewer rounds and could produce more upsets, Xinhua reports.

"I hope I can be the favourite...and be able to get going and get full fight on the court," Federer said at a press conference ahead of the London Olympics' opening in London on Friday.

Federer and Swiss teammate Stanislas Wawrinka won the doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games but Federer failed to get a medal in the singles event won by Spain's Rafael Nadal.

Speaking on the withdrawal of Nadal from the Games, Federer said he felt sad but expected the Spaniard to return to the court soon.

"It was a big surprise to see Rafa pull out of the Olympics as the defending champion from four years ago," Federer said. "I wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully we will see him on the tour again soon."

Federer does not rule out competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"There is absolutely no plan to retire after this (London Games), and I have plans in place for next year and beyond that," the Swiss said. "Even if I do win, I will keep on playing."

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While the death toll in the ethnic violence in Assam went up to 58, the blame game within the political arena was on. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi defended his government against allegations that it was slow to react to the rioting, and failed to anticipate the violence. He said a reduction in Central forces has made his task tougher. Gogoi also ruled out resignation, saying that his resignation over the issue was not going to help matters.

"If they had the intelligence reports, why did they not act on their own then?" Gogoi asked. He further said, "It is my responsibility to get the normalcy back in the area. Had there been full forces there, the situation could have been controlled, I agree. I did not have sufficient forces. I requested the Centre but they had requirements across the country... So I cannot do anything there... It takes time to make movements..."

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Amitabh Bachchan carries Olympic torch in London

London, Amid loud cheers from hundreds of his fans, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan today carried the Olympic torch at Southwark here, a day before the opening ceremony of the sporting spectacle.

The 69-year-old actor in a white track suit covered a 300-metre distance running and walking occasionally and waved at the cheering crowd, as the Olympic Games torch relay entered the 69th day today.

Ahead of his participation in the relay, Bachchan said it was a "proud moment" for him and the country to be invited to carry the Olympic flame. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and NRI businessman Laxmi Mittal were among others who were part of the relay team today.

"OK!! HERE IT IS : Have been invited by London Olympic Organizing Committee to carry the torch in the relay tomorrow ... Honored to be asked to carry the Olympic Torch in London at Southwark around 10:30 AM !! A proud moment for me and country," Bachchan had tweeted yesterday.

The 32.7 mile long relay of the Olympic flame on its final leg has participation of legendary personalities from all over the world and all walks of life, including Lawrence Dallaglio, Lewis Moody, Jim Anderson, Phil Packer, Darren Fitzpatrick and Tom Davis.

Bachchan is not the only celebrity to lend the Indian touch to the 2012 London Olympics. Indian music maestro A R Rahman teamed up with his 'Slumdog Millionaire' director Danny Boyle to compose a track for the inaugural event. "It's a track in Punjabi celebrating the Indian influence in the UK. It's a part of a medley in the Olympics opening ceremony, according to Danny Boyle's creative wishes!," Rahman had written on his Facebook page.

Ilaiyaraaja's song is also set to feature in the medley of music tracks to be used in the inaugural programme.

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Sonia Gandhi on visit to Rae Bareli for two days

Lucknow, Congress President Sonia Gandhi will arrive on a two-day visit to her parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli tomorrow. On the first day, Gandhi will lay the foundation stone for strengthening and broadening works of National Highway 24 B during a function at Firoz Gandhi Degree College, Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh said.

Later in the day, she will take part in Roza Iftar at the Asia Utsav lawns, Singh said. The next day, Gandhi will interact with people of her constituency at the Buemau guest house in the morning and also attend a meeting of the district monitoring committee in the Rae Bareli collectorate. Gandhi's representative, K L Sharma has already reached Rae Bareli to make preparations for the visit, Singh added.

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School bus tragedy: Student with head out of window dies

New Delhi: In a freak accident on Wednesday, a 16-year-old boy was killed in Delhi after being struck by an electricity pole when he stuck his head out of the school bus window. The incident took place around 2.30 pm in west Delhi's Punjabi Bagh. "The victim, (a Class 10 student) identified as Jaskiran, resident of Rani Bagh, was sitting in the school bus to go home. He had taken his head out of the window of the bus to buy something when it suddenly moved and his head crashed into the pole," said a police officer. By the time the driver was alerted by other students in the bus, the Hans Raj Modern School student Jaskiran's condition had become critical. "He was taken to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital where he was declared dead," said the officer. The bus driver, identified as Raju, 45, has been arrested for negligence.

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Kapil returns to BCCI fold after sorting out differences

New Delhi, Former captain Kapil Dev today buried his differences with the BCCI after five years of estrangement to mark his return to the official fold in a deal that makes him eligible to get Rs 1.5 crore for his services to the game. The cricket legend, which was the last from the rebel league to rejoin the game's official establishment, was accepted back into the BCCI when he gave a letter to Board President N Srinivasan that he had quit the defunct ICL.

The BCCI issued a media release, moments after the 1983 World Cup winning captain met Srinivasan at the Board's headquarters in Mumbai this morning. "The BCCI has received a letter from Mr. Kapil Dev, former India captain. Mr. Kapil Dev has informed the Board that he has resigned from the Essel Sports Private Limited / ICL. He has also stated in the letter that he has always supported the BCCI, and will continue to do so in the future.

The BCCI acknowledges Mr Kapil Dev's immense contribution to Indian cricket and looks forward to a fruitful association with him in the years to come," Srinivasan said. "The BCCI will now release the one-time benefit of Rs 1.5 crore for Kapil (for playing more than 100 Tests) and he will again be eligible for monthly gratis of Rs 35,000 from the Board. His gratis arrears for the last five years will also be cleared with immediate effect," a senior BCCI official told.

Asked whether there was any apology from the cricket legend in the letter, he said "there was none and none was expected too. He had mentioned that he had quit the ICL." Earlier, during this year's IPL when several former cricketers were handed out payments worth Rs 70 crore by the BCCI, Kapil had declared that he would not seek an amnesty. After BCCI chief Srinivasan took personal initiative in the matter, Kapil met the former here ahead of the BCCI's working committee meeting last week.

It was learnt that Kapil had then handed over to Srinivasan a copy of his resignation from the post of executive chairman of the ICL Board, paving the way for his return today.

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Ramesh wants all trains to be fitted with bio-toilets

New Delhi, With Railways a "big headache" to efforts to make the country open defecation free, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today offered that his Ministry would bear half the cost of retrofitting eco-friendly bio-toilets in all 50000 coaches in five years.

The total cost for retrofitting bio-toilets in all coaches would be about Rs 500 crores. Ramesh, who also holds the portfolio of Drinking Water and Sanitation, said that at present only nine trains with 436 coaches are fitted with bio-toilets, while 4,000 coaches are produced annually which could be fitted with new bio-toilets developed by Defence Research & Development

Organisation (DRDO).

"...What I have offered to Railway Board Chairman is that we will bear 50 per cent cost of retrofitting each on the 50000 coaches with the DRDO biodigesters in 4 to 5 years time," he told reporters here after meeting Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal and senior board officials at his Ministry today.

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation would bear its 50 per cent cost for retrofitting to provide Indian Railways, which ferries 11 million passengers daily, with hygenic sanitation. During his meeting, Ramesh also asked the Railway Board officials to run a Nirmal Bharat Express, fitted with bio-toilets, which will go in various railwaylines to spread the message of sanitation and hygiene. In these bio-toilets, the human waste is treated by bacteria which is benign to the humans. This bacteria converts human waste into water and gases (methane and CO2).

The gases escape into atmosphere and treated waste water is discharged after chlorination. Human waste, thus, does not fall on the tracks. Railways have claimed that this system not only improves the environment and hygiene but also helps in preventing corrosion to coach and track components. Speaking in the capital last month, Ramesh had said Railways was "another big headache for us" on the issue of ending manual scavenging and open defecation. The Rural Development Ministry has launched a campaign to end open defecation in 10 years.

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Assam violence: Ernakulam-Guwahati Exp cancelled

Chennai: The Ernakulam-Guwahati Express, scheduled to leave Ernakulam today has been cancelled, as fresh violence rocked the trouble-torn Bodoland Territorial Administered districts in Assam. A Southern Railway press release said the service has been cancelled due to "deteriorating law and order situation and heavy disruption of traffic" in Kokrajhar region.

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Anna Hazare

Anna to fast from tomorrow, threatens 'jail bharo' agitation

New Delhi, Reversing his earlier decision, Anna Hazare today said he will sit on an indefinite fast along with his team from tomorrow even as he issued an ultimatum to the government to concede to their demands in three-four days or face a fresh 'jail bharo' agitation.

"Anna arrives in Delhi. He says he will also be fasting," his close aide Arvind Kejriwal tweeted this afternoon. A Team Anna spokesperson said Hazare will sit on an indefinite hunger strike along with Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai. Earlier, Hazare had announced that he will not sit on fast owing to health problems while his three Team Anna members will go on hunger strike to demand setting up of a Special Investigation Team to probe corruption allegations levelled by them against Ministers, a fast track court to try cases against MPs and for bringing a strong Lokpal Bill. The reversal of his decision seems to be part of a Team Anna strategy to step up pressure on the government and drum up support for the protest at Jantar Mantar, the dharna hot spot in the national capital.

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Nitish

Nitish to atten swearing in of Pranab Mukherjee

Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said he would attend the swearing in of Pranab Mukherjee as President in New Delhi tomorrow.

"I am going to Delhi today to attend the function," Kumar told reporters. He said he would meet Mukherjee and formally invite him to visit the state.

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Moment mother holds up crucifix

Moment mother holds up crucifix to teeth-baring attacker with ice pick who had taken son, nine, and hostage. Teeth bared and wild-eyed, this crazed attacker holds an ice pick to his young hostage's throat in an eight-hour ordeal which looked as if it could only end in tragedy. But despite the terrible danger to the nine-year-old child's life, one brave woman remained astonishingly calm.

In a moment which could have come straight from a vampire movie, the woman - believed to be the boy's mother - confronted Reimer Parparan with a crucifix in Quezon City in the Philippines. She was eventually able to step in and grab his arms, allowing police to tackle him and release the boy, identified as Mark Jason Pineda.

Mark was taken to hospital with two small nicks on his neck where the ice pick had been held against his skin. He was otherwise unharmed. Parparan had reportedly walked to the district of Barangay Kristong Hari in Quezon City from Cavite, more than 13 miles away, before suddenly taking the child hostage at around 11pm on Friday night. The crisis was resolved in the early hours of Saturday morning. There are some conflicting reports about how the hostage-taking ended with local news outlets saying the boy's mother saw her chance to step in when Parparan briefly dropped the ice pick. However, police claim that negotiators talked him down. He was arrested and is now facing charges of serious illegal detention, according to Quezon City Police District Chief Superintendent Mario O Dela Vega Chief Supt Dela Vega said in a statement on the force's website: 'The hostage negotiator opted to wait and put on hold any tactical manoeuvre and decided to wear down the suspect who appeared to be suffering from a mental breakdown and has no clear demands for his brash actions.

'The method employed by police finally paid off when it compelled the troubled suspect to ask for drinking water providing for an avenue for police to negotiate and bargain with him that eventually ended the stalemate around 7.30am in the morning with the release of the hostage.'

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Group of 30 speeding bikers hit Delhi cop, four held

New Delhi: A Delhi traffic policeman was injured here in an attempt to stop a group of 30 speeding bikers, police said Monday. Four people were arrested.

Gajender Pal Singh, Sonu, Sohan Singh and Faizan were arrested and booked for rash and negligent driving around 11.45 pm on Sunday on Rajpath in central Delhi.

Assistant sub-inspector Rajbir Singh, in his early 30s, was hit by Gajender Pal Singh's vehicle when he tried to stop him, police said.

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MS Dhoni and team fined for slow over-rate

New Delhi: In what is not becoming part of a regular feature, skipper MS Dhoni and his team was fined for a slow over-rate during India's ODI match against Sri Lanka at Hambantota on Saturday.

While the match was secured by a margin of 21 runs after the visitors posted 314 on the board, India failed to complete the required number of overs in the allotted time in the day-night clash. India used the services of spinners R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha and even had Virender Sehwag roll his arms over but failed to meet the set closing time. (Read match report here)

The penalty was imposed after a full disciplinary hearing and the decision was made and conveyed by match referee Chris Broad.

Coming from a break of over a month, the Indian team under MS Dhoni has been penalised on several occasions before due to the same reason. Dhoni was suspended for the final Test during his team's tour Down Under earlier this year and again, missed out on an ODI against the same opposition for the same reason.

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15 Taliban militants killed in Pak air strikes

Islamabad,At least 15 Taliban militants were killed today in air strikes by combat jets in northwest Pakistan's restive Orakzai tribal region.

The jets targeted militant hideouts in Ghaljo and Dabori areas of Orakzai tribal agency, officials were quoted as saying by TV news channels. Fifteen militants were killed and several others injured in the air strikes, they said.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is active in the areas targeted by the jets. Security forces have conducted several operations against the Taliban in Orakzai.

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Baba Ramdev

Baba Ramdev says he would never contest election

Indore, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today said he had taken a vow never to contest elections. Talking to reporters here, Ramdev said, "I will never contest an election.... it's my "Bhisma pratigya". But I will keep fighting against the systemic ills." When asked if he was going to play a king-maker like 'Chanakya', the yoga guru said, "If I say about this, a new row would start."

Wishing luck to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi who had yesterday said he would play a more active role in the party and the government, Ramdev said "The prince should try to get a strong Lokpal Act passed and bring back black money stashed in foreign banks." About yesterday's attack by Congress workers on his cavalcade in Bhopal, Ramdev alleged that Congress workers were acting at the behest of "their masters," adding, he escaped as his car was bullet proof.

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2 schoolboys killed as lorry hits their autorickshaw

Dindigul : Two school boys were killed when they were hit by a lorry as they were about to board an autorickshaw at nearby Veru veedu, police said. Police said the boys, aged 16 and 12 had come outside the the Government high school and were about to get into the autorickshaw when a speeding lorry coming from Usilampatti hit the three wheeler.

The children were taken to hospital but declared brought dead on arrival, police said. The lorry driver has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

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Need to adapt quickly to Hambantota conditions: Dhoni

Hambantota (Sri Lanka), India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said adapting quickly to the conditions would be key to his team's success in the first cricket one-dayer against Sri Lanka here tomorrow. A rejuvenated India start their new season with the first ODI of the five-match series at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, a ground where the visitors will make their debut tomorrow.

"It's a new venue. Conditions change in the afternoon, it's quite windy out here. The strong winds can be a factor. Not only need the bowlers, but the batsmen and the fielders also to get used to the conditions," Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference. "This is a big field. So, the fielders will have to see that batsmen do not make twos into threes which is quite normal in a one-day game.

“It's good we are practising under lights today, so we will get to know what to expect in the second innings," he added. Dhoni acknowledged that the extended break was very helpful for his side.

"Everybody is looking fresh. Everyone is putting in a lot of effort. There is more energy. This increased energy and freshness is definitely a big plus for us," he said. "We are mentally and physically fresh after this rest. During this break we got time to work on our fitness."

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ICC one-day

India can topple Australia at the top in the ICC one-day rankings

Colombo: If India can manage to blank Sri Lanka 5-0 in the upcoming One-day series, it will jump to top spot in the ICC rankings from the current fourth spot.

India last held the number one position briefly in September 2009 but if it achieves a clean sweep against the hosts, it will unseat the current table-toppers Australia.

The series, which starts in Hambantota on Saturday, brings together the finalists in the 2011 World Cup. India had won that match by six wickets to lift the trophy for the first time in 28 years.

After years of domination by Australia, the ODI Team rankings table is now extremely tight after Michael Clarke’s team suffered a 4-0 defeat in England.

Only two rating points separate the top four teams with South Africa (118) and England (118) sandwiched between Australia (119) and fourth placed India (117).

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Jaswant to file nomination

Jaswant to file nomination

New Delhi, NDA's Vice-Presidential candidate Jaswant Singh will file his nomination papers tomorrow afternoon in the presence of opposition leaders including L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and JD(U) President Sharad Yadav.

74-year-old Singh, whose candidature was declared by the NDA on July 16, will file his nomination papers around 12:30 tomorrow to Lok Sabha Secretary General T K Vishwanathan, who is the Returning Officer for the Vice-Presidential poll.

Three sets of papers- one each by L K Advani, Sumitra Mahajan and Yashwant Sinha- supporting Singh's candidature will be submitted to Vishwanathan, sources said. These papers will be signed by leaders from the BJP as well as the NDA alliance partners.

Though UPA candidate Hamid Ansari is set to enter the history books as only the second person after S Radhakrishnan to get a second consecutive term as Vice President, NDA has decided to field Singh as it does not want to give the ruling coalition a walkover.

Singh, a former External Affairs, Finance and Defence Minister, has provided a semblance of seriousness to the contest. Moreover, NDA was keen on putting up a fight against Ansari as it is unhappy with his conduct of the Rajya Sabha on December 29 when he abruptly adjourned the House while the Lokpal Bill debate was on.

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London

18-year-old dies after playing video game for 40 hours

London: An 18-year-old boy was found dead at an internet cafe in Taiwan after reportedly playing video game for 40 hours straight. The teenager is believed to have collapsed during a marathon session of Diablo 3.

He was found by workers in the internet cafe in Tainan, southern Taiwan. It is believed he had not eaten for two days, The Sun reported. The gamer has so far only been identified by his surname, Chuang. On the morning of July 15, an attendant entered the room and found the boy resting on a table. After the attendant woke him, he stood, took a few steps and then collapsed, reports said. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a local hospital.

Police were investigating the cause of death and an autopsy was being carried out. It has been speculated that sitting for long hours in a sedentary position created cardiovascular problems for Chuang. The teen had been playing the latest installment of the role-playing game.

It is the second death from playing video games in the country this year. In February, a man in New Taipei was found dead, slumped in a chair facing a computer with his arms still reaching out for the keyboard after playing for 23 hours. The cause of death was reported as cardiac arrest.

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Khurshid

Not trying to break Team Anna: Khurshid

New Delhi, Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who met Anna Hazare recently, today rejected his charge that the government was trying to create a wedge between Team Anna members. "No one is breaking Team Anna. You (media) don't break it...no one is breaking Team Anna," Khurshid told reporters at the sidelights of a programme here. Breaking his silence on the meeting with Khurshid on June 23 near Pune, Hazare said the minister had asked him to keep the meeting secret and he agreed. Khurshid had also asked him not to participate in the proposed fast in Delhi.

"When Salman Khurshid told me that the government will take a decision on the issue before July 25 (when Team Anna plans to go on fast), it clearly means that differences crop up in the team before the agitation so that I am not part of the protest. "After coming to know about your government's conspiracy, I do not wish to talk to any minister or any responsible person now or in future...," Hazare in Ralegan Siddhi today.

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Roadside bomb kills 13 Shia Muslims in Pakistan's tribal belt

From Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Thirteen people, including two children, were killed and four others injured when the Pakistani Taliban targeted a bus carrying Shia Muslims with a roadside bomb in the country's restive tribal belt today. The incident occurred in Sepoy village of Orakzai Agency, said officials of the political administration of the semi-autonomous tribal region.

The bomb was triggered by remote control while the bus was passing through the area. A spokesman for a Pakistani Taliban faction based in Darra Adam Khel told the media that the bus was targeted because it was carrying members of the minority Shia community.

The bombing was the latest in a series of attacks on Shias across the country by the Taliban and other banned militant groups. Seven persons were killed instantly and six more succumbed to their injuries in a nearby hospital. Two women, a three-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy were among the dead. Officials described the condition of the four injured persons as critical. Security forces and a local 'lashkar' or anti-Taliban militia launched a search operation after the blast.

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