Star Wars: India creates cell to protect space assets

More than a year after China conducted its first missile strike against its own orbiting satellite, India is laying the groundwork to protect its sufficiently advanced space assets.

In what is being construed as a fallout of Beijing’s ASAT (anti-satellite) weapon test, Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Tuesday announced the setting up of a special cell to counter “growing threat to India’s space assets.”

Holding that India was committed to “non-weaponisation of space,” Antony justified the move saying that India’s neighbourhood was teeming with offensive counter space systems including anti-satellite weaponry. India, obviously, wants to hedge against space risks.

Addressing the Unified Commanders’ Conference, attended by service chiefs, Antony said the new cell would act as a single window for integration amongst the armed forces, the department of space and the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Despite Beijing’s assurance that the ASAT weapon testing wasn’t aimed at anyone, the international community had expressed concerns about it triggering a space arms race.

Last January, China became the first country since 1995 to destroy a satellite in space. India’s concern is not unfounded — if China can shoot down its own satellite, it can strike satellites operated by other nations too.

Sudan plane mishap kills nearly 100

A Sudanese jetliner veered off a runway late Tuesday amid thunderstorms and exploded into flames, killing about 100 people, Sudan's state television reported.

About 200 passangers were thought to be aboard the plane when it landed in bad weather and a higher casualty toll was feared. An AP reporter at the scene said the plane was arriving from Amman, Jordan, and apparently left the runway as it landed in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

The head of Sudanese police, Mohammad Najib, said bad weather "caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire." "We believe that most of the passengers were able to make it out and escape with their lives," said Najib, without disclosing further details on how they escaped.

But he stressed that officials could not say for sure how many were killed.Al-Jazeera television station said it was a Sudan Airways passenger jet, and Najib confirmed the plane was from a Sudanese airline.

Youssef Ibrahim, director of the Khartoum airport, told Sudanese TV that the plane had "landed safely" in Khartoum and that the pilot talked to control tower and got directions for his landing runway.

"At this moment, one of the (plane's) engines exploded and the plane caught fire," Ibrahim said. "It's a technical reason," he added, denying reports that bad weather caused the crash. He said there were survivors, but gave no figures.

Spokesmen for the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington could not immediately provide any details of the incident, but said they were continuing to monitor the situation.
A flight list had a Sudan Airways 109 flight from Damascus scheduled to arrive in Khartoum at the time of the accident.

Sudan Airways Web site says Amman-Khartoum flight is an Airbus A310. Sudan has a poor aviation safety record. In May, a plane crash in a remote area of southern Sudan killed 24 people, including key members of the southern Sudanese government.

In July 2003, a Sudan Airways Boeing 737 en route from Port Sudan to Khartoum crashed soon after takeoff, killing all 115 people on board.

After that crash, Sudanese officials blamed sanctions for restricting vital aircraft parts. The US State Department said there was no ban on equipment needed for aviation safety.

In 1997, then US President Bill Clinton issued an executive order barring the export of goods and technology to Sudan because of the country's "support for international terrorism, ongoing efforts to destabilize neighboring governments, and the prevalence of human rights violations."

IIFA: Govinda mobbed outside Bangkok hotel

Bangkok: Govinda has a lot of fans in Bangkok as he found out when he went there to perform at the ongoing IIFA awards. The actor was mobbed as he stepped out of his hotel, and that's where CNN-IBN's Rohit Khilnani caught him in the middle of all action.

Govinda: The world is a family and IIFA is improving the relationship and spreading the culture, and rejuvenating the whole system all over the world. And I believe it's doing a great job thanks to all the people who are organising it. Thanks to Amit ji and everybody else.

Rohit Khilnani: You are performing today I believe. Tell us a bit about that.
Govinda: Well, I guess I'll let people see the performance. But the performance is just a part of it. The basic purpose of IIFA is to gather film people from all over the world, from Asia, from India, from Pakistan — all those who speak a similar language.

Rohit Khilnani: You wear great clothes so do you shop in Bangkok as well?
Govinda: I will see if I get a chance, but thank you all the same.

BJP asks President to remove Goa governor

The BJP on Monday gave President Pratibha Patil a memorandum with over two lakh signatures, demanding SC Jamir be removed as Governor of Goa.

"We request you to initiate appropriate steps to replace the Governor of Goa, in the interest of maintaining high dignity of the post," said the memorandum, which was given to Patil by Goa’s Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar and Goa BJP chief Shripad Naik.

"The Raj Bhavan has become a den of Congress functionaries", said the memorandum." The document listed Jamir’s actions since he saved the Digamber Kamat government by proroguing the assembly session after it was reduced to a minority after three ministers resigned and three other MLAs withdrew support.

BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy, also in charge of the party affairs in Goa, said the BJP would not sit idle after the Governor went out of his way to help the Kamat government. He said Jamir had allowed an ordinance to increase the contingency fund to allow government expenditure as the assembly could not pass the budget.

...And in Northeast, a major food crisis

Hindustan Times

Suspension of train operations along the 185-km and militant-affected Lumding-Badarpur hill section in Assam has caused a massive food crisis in the three Northeastern states of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.

Following hectic rounds of inter-ministerial discussions involving officials of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Home ministry over the past fortnight, Indian Railways is bracing up to transport 70,000 tonnes of rice and wheat to the three grain-starved states by month-end.

Given the monthly requirement of 60,000 tonnes of food grains for the three states, Indian Railways needs to run three goods trains each day to achieve the target of transporting 2,000 tonnes of grains per day.
"Operations have been partially restored since May 25," said Ashutosh Swamy of Northeast Frontier Railway. One needs to take a call on re-starting passenger operations along the route, he added.

Locomotives on the route are being retrofitted with bullet-proof steel sheets and glasses. "Security patrol trains" will run ahead of goods trains. Bulletproof jackets will be provided to drivers and railway staff on duty.

A Jalandhar-based firm has been awarded the refurbishment contract and eight locomotives have been taken up in the first phase. The first of these bulletproof trains should start to ply from the coming Sunday, Swamy said.
Security along the route has been beefed up with the deployment of three companies of the Railways Protection Force (RPF) in addition to the army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Police personnel.

Ivy league degree holder loves to work with tribals

This is one US-educated girl who is not driven by big bucks and fancy titles. Armed with a postgraduate degree in professional studies from the US’s ivy-league Cornell University in New York, Pratibha S. Roy has chosen to work among the poor in Gumla district, Jharkhand.

This is the Oriya girl’s second stint in the region’s Naxalite-infested Palkot block. Before she left for the US, Roy, was a project executive with the NGO Pradan, active in the region. She helped set up over a hundred self-help groups, inspiring them to take to tomato and paddy cultivation through improved agricultural practices.

It was during her time there, with husband Nirmal Beura Ashok Kumar and team leader Ajit Nayak, that Palkot became a major exporter of tomatoes, not only to nearby districts but to Ranchi, Rourkela and even distant Patna and Kolkata. Naturally, her team’s efforts have been a boon for hundreds of local Palkot farmers.

“It was while I was in Gumla in 2005 that I was selected for the two-year course by the Ford Foundation. As soon as I was through, I decided to return to Palkot to carry forward the work my team and I had initiated,” Roy told Hindustan Times.

Roy hopes to use her US learning to a refine techniques and marketing strategies. “It hardly matters whether I am in a village or a town,” Roy said, adding that her objective was only to work with commitment so as to better the lot of poor tribals.

Roy’s husband Nirmal is doing the same course in the US and is currently on a study tour of Uganda. Roy’s director and advisor in the US, Professor Norman Uphoff too is engaged in promoting the System for Rice Intensification in third world countries.

BJP gears up for general elections

Monday, June 9, 2008 (Hyderabad)
The BJP has evolved a 30-point programme keeping the general elections in mind, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu said on Monday.

The programme, evolved during the party's national executive held in Delhi recently, includes setting up of election and manifesto committees, taking up people's issues and highlighting failure of the Centre and state governments.

The state units have been asked to start the process of identifying proper candidates and organise constituency and booth-wise meetings, the senior leader said.After elections in Karnataka, there was an election mood in the country and people were looking up to BJP as the Congress-led UPA at the Centre has miserably failed to measure up to people's aspirations, he said.

''The Karnataka verdict was a turning point in the history of the BJP,'' Naidu said.A gateway to South India has been opened for BJP, fulfilling the party's long-cherished dream, he added.

Nadal leaves two great champions red-faced

Rafael Nadal left not one but two great champions red-faced at Roland Garros over the weekend after his fourth successive French Open triumph.

As a winner of 11 grand slam titles, including six at the French Open, Bjorn Borg would have been expected to be a reliable source when it comes to making some predictions about the final between Nadal and world number one Roger Federer.

"A lot of people say no one can beat Nadal the way he's been playing. But I think Roger has a really, really good chance," the great Swede said on the eve of Sunday's final.
Wrong: Federer lost 6-1 6-3 6-0.
"I think it's going to be a really open final. I think it's going to be a long match, very close, close match," added Borg.
Wrong again: Nadal won the most lopsided men's final in Paris since 1977 and at one hour 48 minutes, it was the shortest final clocked since 1980.

"If Roger wins Paris, no doubt he's the greatest player who ever played the game," said Borg.
That remains to be seen after the Swiss's performance on Sunday.

So one sided was the contest, Nadal was embarrassed to celebrate his win while Federer must have been even more embarrassed to pocket the 530,000 euros runner's up cheque.
Since making his grand slam debut at Roland Garros in 1999, Federer had piled up a 149-23 win-loss record at the four majors going into Sunday's final. None of those losses will hurt him or haunt him as much as defeat number 24.
The man who has built up a reputation of cutting his opponents down to size was, for once, on the receiving end of an absolute mauling.
FEWER GAMES

It was certainly not the kind of exhibition fans would have expected from a 12-times grand slam champion. In fact, Federer won fewer games than Dinara Safina had a day earlier in the women's showpiece match.
The Russian, playing in her first grand slam final, was beaten 6-4 6-3 by Ana Ivanovic.

"After a loss like this you don't want to play Rafa again tomorrow, that's for sure," summed up a shell-shocked Federer. Instead of becoming only the sixth man to win all-four major titles, as Federer had hoped he would on Sunday, he earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first man to lose three successive French Open finals. Nadal has became the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the title without dropping a set.

Orissa wants to change its name to Odisha

Tuesday, 10 June , 2008, 00:14
Bhubaneswar: The state government on Monday decided to move the Centre to change its name from Orissa to Odisha and its language from Oriya to Odia.

A state cabinet meeting passed a proposal to introduce a bill in the coming monsoon session of the assembly for making an amendment in the Constitution in this regard, chief secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy said.

A bill in this regard will be placed in the monsoon session, Home Secretary T K Mishra said, observing that the state's name had been wrongly spelt in the Constitution, and no such move had been taken till now.

Official sources said ever since the BJD-BJP government came to power in 2000, it had been demanding a change in the Constitution in this regard and according to the Centre's suggestion the cabinet on Monday approved the amendment.

Stating the disparities due to "wrong spelling of state's name," Mishra said though it was being written as Udisa in Hindi and Orissa in English, the real name was Odisha.
Similarly, the name of the state's language is written as Udiya in Hindi and Oriya in English when it should be Odia.
"We hope that the Constitution will be amended accordingly to effect the changes in this regard by end of this year," Mishra said.

The government's move to amend Constitution was praised by all sides including former chief minister and Leader of Opposition J B Patnaik.

It should be done soon, Patnaik said while noted novelist Santanu Acharya complimented everybody associated with the move to change name of the state.
"Above all it is the question of pride of the state," Acharya said.

Tough, Luck

Kamal Haasan’s daughter Shruti plays a tough girl in her debut film Luck, in which she stars opposite Imran Khan

The film also stars Sanjay Dutt and Mithun Chakraborthy. Speculations have been rife about her debut film and now, Soham Shah has finalised Shruti as she fit the bill for the character he had in mind. Luck is produced by Dhillin Mehta of Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision. When contacted, Soham Shah said, “We wanted to cast a new girl opposite Imran and Shruti seemed perfect for the role. We required a girl who would look innocent as well as convincing while doing the action sequences.”

Imran KhanSoham met Shruti in Chennai and she loved the script too. However, she didn’t hesitate to inform that this being her first film, she would like to take her father’s opinion before saying yes. Soham added, “She wanted to consult her father Kamal Haasan before saying yes to my film. Once she got the nod from him, she was on board.

”Shruti starts shooting from July 8 in South Africa where the film will be shot from start to finish. The story shows all the characters coming from different parts of the world who try out their luck in South Africa. Shruti’s role includes a lot of action as she plays a girl who is tougher than the boys in the film.

Shruti, who already has a well-toned body, will take lessons from action director Allan Amin to gear up for the action scenes. “Her body suits the character she plays in Luck and that was a significant factor in casting her in the film,” said Soham.Soham says that he is very happy to have stars like Mithun, Sanjay Dutt, Danny Denzongpa, and Ravi Kishan along with Imran and Shruti in the film. “I am very excited about the film and I know we all will have a great time shooting for it,” added an excited Soham.

Nadal extends Federer agony

Paris: By the fourth game, Rafael Nadal had Roger Federer kicking the clay in frustration. By the second set, the normally stoic Federer was screaming at himself.


The drubbing went on from there. Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title in a rout on Sunday, again spoiling Federer’s bid to complete a career Grand Slam.
Dominating the world’s No. 1 player with astounding ease, Nadal swept six consecutive games early in the match and swept the final nine games to win 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.


It was Federer’s worst loss in his 173 Grand Slam matches, and the shortest Roland Garros men’s final in terms of games since 1977.


For the No. 2-ranked Nadal, it was merely another in a series of dominating victories. He lost only 41 games in seven matches.
The Spaniard became the second man to win four consecutive French Open titles. Bjorn Borg did it in 1978-81.
“I played a perfect match,” said Nadal, who was presented with the trophy by Borg.


“I’m sorry for that final but you played well,” he told Federer. “I want to thank Roger for his attitude on the court.”
Nadal improved to 28-0 at Roland Garros, where he has won 84 of 91 sets. Only six-time champion Borg won more French Open men’s titles. And Nadal became the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the tournament without dropping set.


Borg watched the final from the front row, while much of the crowd rooted for Federer. He arrived in Paris for the fourth consecutive year seeking to become the sixth man to win all four major titles, and each time he has lost to Nadal — in the semi-finals in 2005, and in the final each of the past three years.


Fans chanted “Ro-ger! Ro-ger!” between games, but Nadal earned their cheers in the end. He won six consecutive games for a 2-0 lead in the second set as a desperate Federer tried everything to reverse the tide.
But when Federer played serve-and-volley on a second serve, Nadal lunged to hit a lob into the corner for a winner. When Federer tried to chip and charge off a return, Nadal passed him with a backhand. And when Federer settled for playing from the baseline, he had little chance.


“I would have hoped to do better than four games but Rafael is very, very strong,” Federer told the crowd.
“He dominated this tournament like maybe no one before except Borg, so congratulations, Rafa. It was still a good week. Losing in a final is never easy but I will try again next year.”
Federer did gain a toehold in the second set when he won consecutive games for the only time for 2-all. But he lost serve at 3-4 — hitting a deep volley that Nadal deftly ripped for a winner — and the match quickly slipped away from there.


For Federer, the worst came at the end — a 0-6 set loss. The last time that happened to him was on a slightly smaller stage: the first round at Queen’s against Byron Black in 1999.


On match point, Federer sailed a forehand long, and Nadal raised his arms in triumph. Nadal improved to 9-1 against Federer on clay, with the only loss coming in the 2007 Hamburg final.


Federer is far from alone in his French Open frustration. The list of Grand Slam champions who never won the Roland Garros title includes Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.
It was also the shortest French Open men’s final in terms of games played since 1977 and the quickest final, at 108 minutes, since 1980.

Two railway clerks clear IAS examination

Two railway employees, both graduates of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), have proved that hard work pays -- both cleared the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) exam this year achieving commendable ranks.

While Keshvendra Kumar, a railway booking clerk in West Bengal, secured 45th rank in the IAS examination, 2008, Kumar Ravikant Singh, also a railway clerk in West Bengal, managed the 77th rank in the prestigious examination.

For Keshvendra, becoming an IAS officer was always a cherished dream -- which he has now realised after putting in tremendous hard work besides regularly doing his job.

He is currently pursuing 2nd year of MA (Hindi) from IGNOU. ''I am happy that finally my dream has come true. But right now, my focus is on completing my exams,'' Keshvendra told a news agency over phone from Kolkata. For other IAS aspirants, he advises that determination and hard work are the only key words that can fulfil one's dreams in life. A railway booking clerk, Keshvendra spends most of his time in the ticketing office but after work he devotes his time to studies.Another IGNOU graduate and also a railway clerk, Kumar Ravikant Singh is currently pursuing his 2nd year in MA (History).

''I am happy that I was able to fulfil the dream of my parents,'' Ravikant told the news agency over phone.When asked how he managed his job along with studies, he said: ''If you want to succeed in life, you need to compromise on certain things... and this is what I did to achieve my goal

.''Ravikant used to study till late in the night and on off days from office.Both Keshvendra and Ravikant were born in 1985 and hail from Bihar. They came to West Bengal after completion of their 10th standard studies and then completed their schooling from Bhola Nand School in Barrackpore.

Chawilien Cancer damdoi la tuni’n tampen lai ding,

The Lamka Post June 08, 2008

Chawilien Cancer damdoi la tuni’n tampen lai ding,Hospital OPD ki-ensak leh line bus service kiam zou hial; Khristian a kipia om
LAMKA, June 7: Chawilien Cancer Medicine Research Agency Saikot khua ah cancer damdawi la apaisa June 2 apan Imphal area, Moreh area leh mun tuamtuam apan cancer damdawi la tam deuhdeuh a, niteng in mi 7000/8000 velbang in la uhi. Tuni Kiginni in ni dang teng sang in tamzaw a, sunma dak 11:00 apan sunnung dak 1:30 kikal in mipi leh gari tamluat ziak in traffic buai zou hial in a saite’n SDPO/CCpur kiang ah Police duty ding tanpha va ngen mahle uh police duty bel kimulou hi. Hun bangtan hiam nung in bel garite kikhin khe thei in veng thei nawn hi.

Saikot khua ah sun leh zan chih omnawnlou in HYA/YMA Saikot, Mualvaiphei leh Rengkai in damdawi bawlna kithkuahpih ua, damdawi la a kuan khen khat in leng vaseppih hial uhi. Mipi damdawi la ding a tamtak line a kikhung in damdawi bawl zoh masak hawm tawm zel uhi. Nahpa teh atzan masa in mun 10 ah sum in su ua, huai zoh chiang in suk khe zel uhi.

Thutut kingah dan in, huai kim ah Chawilien bawl hilou damdawi kibawl thawl tamtak kizuak a mipi tamzaw in huai lei utlou in Chawilien a mah lei ut ua, a vangkim in bel mi’n leizel uhi. Tulai in zingkal dak 5:30 apan nitaklam dak 5:30 tan hawm ua, damdawi la ding in Imphal leh a kim leh kiang apan nitak zan sawtnung tan a kuan in Saikot khua ah giak lut ua, huai ziak in Lamka khopi sung leng nitak dak 12 nung apan Saikot kho lam zuan a tamluat ziak un khopi sung hulum zou mahmah hi’n leng thutut kingah hi.

Damdawi la ding a hongkuan tamzawte’n Lamka - Imphal bus a reserve ziak un line bus leng tawm tuan mahmah a, District hospital a OPD a ki-en sak leng nidang sang in tawmzaw hi. Damdawi ne a cancer, zunkhum, kongna leh natna dangdang damsiang leng tamtak omta chih Committee apan kiza a, zan in leng Wangwoo Imphal apan cancer a damlou khat dam in kipak petma a, “ka innkuan un Khristian ka hita ding uh” chi hial hi’n gen uhi.
Teen Star honkhiak hita; lasiam 66 kihel

Hillary ends White House bid, backs Obama

Washington: Hillary Rodham Clinton ended her historic campaign for the presidency on Saturday and told supporters to unite behind rival Barack Obama, closing out a race that was as grueling as it was groundbreaking.
The former first lady, who as recently as Tuesday declared herself the strongest candidate, gave Obama an unqualified endorsement and pivoted from her role as determined foe to absolute ally.

''The way to continue our fight now to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the US,'' she said in a speech before cheering supporters packed into the ornate National Building Museum, not far from the White House she longed to govern from.

''Today as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him and I ask of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me,'' the New York senator said in her 28-minute address.
With that and 13 other mentions of his name, Clinton placed herself solidly behind her Senate colleague from Illinois, a political sensation and the first black to secure a major party presidential nomination in the US.
Obama, in a statement, declared himself ''thrilled and honored'' to have Clinton' support.

''I honor her today for the valiant and historic campaign she has run,'' he said. ''She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams. And she inspired millions with her strength, courage and unyielding commitment to the cause of working Americans.''
For Clinton and her supporters, it was a poignant moment, the end of an extraordinary run that began with an air of inevitability and certain victory. About 18 million people voted for her; it was the closest a woman has come to capturing a presidential nomination.

''Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it has about 18 million cracks in it and the light is shining through like never before,'' she said.

Indeed, her speech repeatedly returned to the milestone her candidacy represented for women. In primary after primary, her support among women was a solid bloc of her voting coalition. She noted that she had received the support of women who were 80 and 90 years old, born before women could even vote.
She acknowledged the unprecedented success of Obama's candidacy, as well.

''Children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States,'' she said.

Obama secured the 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the nomination Tuesday after primaries in South Dakota and Montana. He planned to spend the weekend at home in Chicago

Air India should refurbish or die: Praful Patel

Saturday, June 7, 2008 (New Delhi)
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel admitted that it is time for Air India to shape up to match international standards.

He said that the airline is accountable to its customers or it will have to risk being over-run by competition.

The minister was speaking on the eve of the 60th anniversary of Air India's first international flight.Sixty years ago the Malabar princess flew from Mumbai to London, with stops at Cairo and Geneva. This was Air India's first international flight.

Now 60 years later the minister agrees that the airline needs to get its act together.

''We have world class competition beginning at our own door step in the country. It is a tough statement I make but our friends at Air India, either they perform or they perish because ultimately it is a consumer interface, it is customer satisfaction which will drive the airline not a ministerial dictate sitting in Delhi,'' Patel said. Patel said that delays in the delivery of new aircrafts by companies such as Boeing would mean that that the image makeover of the Air India would take more time than expected.

Shilpa gears up for action

Shilpa Shetty, the actress who kept the tabloids busy last year with the Richard Gere kiss fizz and of course, the Big Brother class act, is convinced that controversies do not catapult people to fame.

But she agrees that for those who are already famous, they do keep them there. "You got to be somebody before controversies can do the trick," she says.

After her run away success in the past year, this diva with an attitude is shifting focus to movie production with the launch of her company S2 Global production. "The movie we are working on is going to be heavy on action. I am playing the action heroine lead and it is quite a meaty role. It will be scripted by Mayur Puri, who worked on the screenplay of Om Shanti Om and directed by Manish Jha of the Matrabhoomi fame. This is going to be a very different film, something that Indian cinema has never seen so far," she says.

After Life in Metro happened, she is looking at roles which give her a chance to both prove herself as an actress and keep up her glam image. "The glam quotient of an actress need not be toned down to prove her acting prowess. I wish more movies were made on the same lines," reflects Shilpa. There was a lot of media speculation about her playing Bond's girl in Quantum of Solace. The heavy-weight production house Eon Production had supposedly wooed her with a whopping sum. But sources close to her say that she has refused to take up the role, because her family was not too happy with her showing more skin.

The actress recently released a DVD called Shilpa's Yoga targeting the European market in which she reveals her fitness secrets to maintain a toned body while retaining all feminine curves. When asked about her 'impending marriage plans' with businessman Raj Kundra, she says, "I do not understand why the media is so interested about my marriage plans. When it happens, I will be the happiest person to announce it." About PETA, she says, "I love animals and any cruelty to them in any form is unacceptable." Shilpa has two dogs and four cats, and also fish in her tank.

Though she's busy, Shilpa still manages to find time for her other interests like the HIV campaign, spirituality and her work with PETA. "I have always believed in Karma. My visits to holy shrines are a way of saying thanks to God, who has given me so much in life," she says.

Spice Girls pick up Glamour Women gongs

Washington, June 04: English actress Kate Beckinsale, Lily Allen and the Spice Girls were among this year's Glamour Women of the Year winners on June 3.

The Spice Girls have been given the 'Band Of The Year award', while Beckinsale was given the 'Film Actress Of The Year' award at a glitzy ceremony in London, Contactmusic reported.

The 'Editor's Special Award' went given to Lily Allen, while Kelly Osbourne, who made her West End debut in Chicago, was named 'Theatre Actress Of The Year'.

'Television Personality Of The Year' was awarded to Dannii Minogue and 'Television Actress Of The Year' was awarded to Ashes to Ashes star Keeley Hawes. Where music was concerned, Annie Lennox received an inspiration award and Beth Ditto was named best international musician/solo artist.

Former X Factor winner Leona Lewis was named UK Solo Artist, and Mark Ronson, who was the only non-female to win an award, was crowned man of the year.

I still feel 19 today: Minissha

5 Jun 2008, 0000 hrs IST,SANAT

Minissha Lamba loves to play tough. And, the actor has got an opportunity to do exactly that in Kidnap, her forthcoming film. Did she have to make a lot of effort for the role? “Not really. I still feel 19 today. I feel I haven’t grown up as yet. The only aspect is that the attitude towards playing the role had to be different,” she explains.

Talking about her character, she adds, “She is extremely confident and sassy. But, she has one desire, and this desire brings out the human aspect of hers. Through this element, the audience will be able to empathise with her.

” All through her career, she has experimented with a variety of roles. “I would not like to be stereotyped in one role. I would like to play different characters for each film,” she informs. Strong characters that the audience can relate to are what she enjoys the most. Is there any specific type of character that she would like to play? “I would rather act in a particular genre, and develop a character thereafter. I believe acting is an endeavour to comprehend human behaviour,” she says.

So, has she ever been to Pune? “I have come down to Pune twice or thrice, but only for work. I have not had an opportunity to see the city. But, I would love to come down sometime and really explore the city and its beauty,” she adds.

Minissha is a far cry from the fragile personality she played in her first few films. “I learnt Budokai, a type of Karate, when I was a child. I have always been a strong-willed person. I would love to do a hardcore action film, and perform my own stunts,” she says matter-of-factly. She had once said that if her acting career hadn’t worked out, she would have become a journalist. “I find journalism, especially political and war journalism, very exciting.” In other words, how she managed to justice to her Kavya Shastri act in Shaurya shouldn’t be difficult to understand.

New Delhi, Jun 4 (PTI) Despite a win and a draw against the Chinese Taipei last month, India slipped two places to 153rd in the latest FIFA ranking.

Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro are the cities shortlisted by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

Doha, Prague and Baku were eliminated from the nominal list of potential hosts by the IOC executive board.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said: "All bids were of a high standard. It's a tribute to the health of the Olympic Movement that the field was so strong."

The IOC will select a winning city at a secret ballot on 2 October 2009.
The strongest contender in terms of infrastructure, support and money is Chicago, which is bidding to host the first summer Olympics in America since Atlanta in 1996.

The Americans will however have to improve the technical aspect of their bid after an IOC evaluation report ranked Tokyo and Madrid higher than Chicago, with Rio in fourth place.

Many will tip Chicago but favourites don't often win
BBC sports editor Mihir BoseChicago's bid chairman Patrick Ryan said there was plenty more work to be done to improve their bid.

"Four cities is better than five," he said. "Three would have been better than four. But we're very proud to be one of the four. It's exhilarating.

"There are a few things we've learned - don't assume anything, be humble, and work, work, work. And we're going to work right to the end."

Rio de Janeiro, where the first Pan-American Games were held in 2007, would be the first South American city to host the Olympics.

Madrid, meanwhile, is bidding on the back of finishing a close third behind London and Paris in the race for the 2012 Games, and Tokyo hopes to host the event for the first time since 1964.
"We are very happy with the decision by the IOC," said Tokyo bid chief Ichiro Kono.

"We are also delighted with the evaluation but we have not seen it yet and we must now analyse it very carefully to strengthen our weak points and make our strong points stronger."

Doha, the capital of Qatar, successfully staged the 2006 Asian Games and was regarded as a wild card but the city failed to make the cut despite having hired a high-powered team to run the campaign in the hope of making it to the final vote in Copenhagen.

Some of the IOC's executive board members had argued that a city with a population of around 500,000 was too small, while Doha's plan to hold the Games in October to avoid the searing summer desert heat proved unpopular.

"The weather was the main reason we were left off the shortlist," said Doha bid official Aneesa Al Hitimi.
"Qatar are the leaders in the Middle East and we would have staged 2016 perfectly. God willing, Qatar will make it in the future."

New Delhi, Jun 4 (PTI) Despite a win and a draw against the Chinese Taipei last month, India slipped two places to 153rd in the latest FIFA ranking.

New Delhi, Jun 4 (PTI) Despite a win and a draw against the Chinese Taipei last month, India slipped two places to 153rd in the latest FIFA ranking.India, which has 136 points to its kitty, now shares the spot with Tajikistan, which also features in the AFC Challenge Cup in Hyderabad next month.

The South Asian champions had beaten Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the first friendly on May 24 before playing out a 2-2 draw three days later.Western neighbours Pakistan jumped one place to 160th while Bangladesh slipped three places to 183rd.Among the AFC members, Australia toppled Japan (38th) to occupy 35th spot, followed by Korea Republic (45th).

Argentina still tops the overall list ahead of Brazil and Italy. Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Greece, England and the Netherlands take the remaining eight places of the top ten in that order.The only change in the top 10 is England gaining two places to number nine at the expense of Portugal which slipped to number 11. PTI