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Suicide Bomber Kills 53 at Quetta in Pakistan

nrmodh — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:45:27 +0000

A blast detonated by a suicide bomber ripped through a Shiite protest, the second such attack in three days, in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday, killing at least 53 people, police and rescue officials said. At least 100 people were wounded.

A Pakistani Taliban commander told The Associated Press that his group carried out the attack.

Militants are intensifying their violent attacks to pressure a government that has been struggling to cope with devastating floods, described as the worst in the country’s history.

The attack was aimed at a procession of Shiite Muslims who were part of nationwide marches to observe Al Quds Day, an annual protest to express solidarity with Palestinians and condemn Israel.

It came just two days after three suicide bombers struck a Shiite procession in the eastern city of Lahore, killing 31 people and setting off violent demonstrations by infuriated survivors.

On Friday, the demonstrators were passing through a commercial neighborhood of Quetta when the blast occurred.

Shiites are a minority in the country and Sunnis hold a majority. Extremist Sunni militant groups often make religious minorities their targets.

The Pakistani news network GEO broadcast a video that showed people falling to the ground and scrambling for cover immediately after the explosion. A few people were shown firing into the smoke-filled air. The explosion led to further protests as mourners went on a rampage, clashing with the police and setting fire to vehicles and motorcycles parked nearby. Some armed Shiite men, who were accompanying the procession as private security, fired on the police, and officers fired in the air to disperse the protesters.

The wounded were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Pakistan’s interior minister, Rehman Malik, had urged religious scholars on Thursday to scale down their protest rallies, given the precarious security conditions in the country. Mr. Malik said militants were planning to take aim at Shiites to inflame sectarian tensions in the country.

Religious leaders, however, refused to take this advice. Instead, they asked Mr. Malik to resign and urged the government to provide better security for the rallies and processions.

A Shiite leader, Allama Syed Qamar Haider Zaidi, accused the government of “playing the role of a silent spectator.”

“If the government can’t provide protection to the people, then there is no justification for it to remain in power,” Mr. Zaidi said in a statement.

The United States Embassy in Islamabad condemned the recent attacks. “The deliberate targeting of innocent Pakistanis and worshipers during the holy month of Ramadan, and while the country is recovering from the terrible monsoon flooding, makes these acts particularly vicious,” it said in a statement. “Moreover, attacks on minority communities are an attack on the foundation of democracy itself.”

The floods have complicated the fight against militants. Islamic charities, some suspected of having links to militants, were quicker to deliver relief to flood victims. United Nations officials on Friday put the number of people affected by the flooding at 18.7 million. Maurizio Giuliano, a United Nations spokesman in Islamabad, said that flooding in the southern Sindh Province was not yet over.

Nine dead in New Zealand skydive plane crash

nrmodh — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:39:00 +0000

Nine people, including four foreigners, have been killed in a light aircraft crash in New Zealand, say reports.

The plane, owned by a skydiving company, burst into flames shortly after taking off at the tourist spot of Fox Glacier on the South Island.

The dead tourists were from England, Ireland, Australia and Germany, said police. The pilot and the other four passengers were all local.

None of the passengers has yet been identified.

The plane was reported to be a Fletcher fixed-wing aircraft, commonly used in the area.

Officials said it crashed shortly after leaving the Fox Glacier airstrip at about 1330 local time (0130GMT).

An eyewitness told the New Zealand Herald: “It was like a fireball and then there was big puffs of smoke going up. [The plane] was engulfed in flames immediately.”

Venus Williams moves ahead at U.S. Open

nrmodh — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:24:21 +0000

Wearing a sheer and short black dress with sparkles designed to resemble fireworks, third-seeded Venus Williams overpowered Mandy Minella, 6-2, 6-1.

A standout in the players’ box wearing a red form-fitting dress was Serena Williams, who would have been the top-seeded player in this tournament except she is recovering from surgery to repair foot damage caused by broken glass she stepped on at a restaurant in Germany last month.

Minella, a qualifier from Luxembourg who didn’t hold her serve until the fifth game of the second set, won over the crowd by offering an easy smile after some of her more egregious errors.

Rafael Nadal defeats Istomin

nrmodh — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:20:41 +0000

Maestro Nadal, the world’s top-ranked player and the top-seeded man at the U.S. Open, who accepted a standing ovation at the end of his 6-2, 7-6 (5), 7-5 second-round victory Friday night at the U.S. Open.

Denis Istomin left skid marks on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court, stark evidence of how hard he was trying. Istomin, a 23-year-old from Uzbekistan who is coached by his mother, drew applause from his opponent, Rafael Nadal three times after smacking extraordinary winners.

Even though the win came in straight sets, there were enough points of fierce competitiveness that the 23,000 night session patrons felt satisfied.

One shot alone was worth the price of admission.

In the second-set tiebreaker, Istomin cracked a winner while in a full sprint. When he slid to a stop, Istomin was doing splits and was ahead 5-1 and yet it was Nadal who was so energized that he won the next six points and the set.

“I was a little bit lucky in the tiebreak the second set,” Nadal said, “and that’s the truth.”

Nadal also cracked a 134-mph serve, his fastest ever. “I started to serve well a week before the competition,” Nadal said. “I changed my grip a little so I could win some easy points. I’m going to try to keep playing like this.”

Roger Fedrer World’s Highest-Paid Tennis Players

nrmodh — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:09:15 +0000

Our look at the highest-paid tennis players typifies this kind of equality in the game. Half of the top 10 are men, and half are women. Leading the pack is Roger Federer who is light years ahead of anyone else thanks to his longtime dominance on the court and 10 lucrative sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Wilson, Gillette and Mercedes-Benz.

The world’s No. 2 ranked player earned $43 million by our count over the past 12 months.

Several of these athletes showed up on our lists of the highest-paid athletes and female athletes this summer.

In all cases for incomes we include: prize money, endorsements, exhibitions and appearance fees over the past 12 months without taxes or agent’s fees deducted.

As US Open play kicks off play this week a few headliners will be on the sidelines including Serena Williams (No. 4 on our list with $20 million) and Justine Henin (not on the list) who have won a combined 22 Grand Slam singles titles. The favorite in their absence is Kim Clijsters who captured last year’s title after a two year retirement where she gave birth to a daughter.

Maria Sharapova will also be there, seeded 14th. And while she’s no longer a favorite to win the Open, when it comes to money, she’s already champion, hauling in $24.5 million over the last year thanks to rich sponsors like Nike, Prince, and Tiffany, making her the second-highest paid player in tennis and the best-paid female athlete in the world.

Sharapova inked an eight-year contract extension with Nike this year that could be worth as much as $70 million thanks to royalties from her own tennis line and a line of bags and shoes through Nike subsidiary Cole-Haan.

The men’s side is missing last year’s champ Juan Martin del Potro. The men’s tourney still features the sport’s two heavyweights Roger Federer and Roger Nadal who have captured 20 of the past 22 Grand Slams. Nadal overtook Federer this year on the court as the top-ranked player but financially Federer earns twice as much as his rival.

There was a time when Federer was an underappreciated champion who played with a below-market value Nike deal and had little cachet in the U.S. which affected his endorsements. Those days are over. Despite his recent on-court problems, Federer is widely celebrated as one of the greatest players to ever swing a racket. He re-signed with Nike in 2008 for a 10-year that is the most lucrative endorsement deal in tennis worth more than $10 million annually.

We Are Family : Movie Review by Taran Adarsh

nrmodh — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:19:11 +0000

WE ARE FAMILY is a perfect family film with a good mix of emotions and humour. Plus, a brilliant climax, which will ensure that the film grows with a strong word of mouth. The last film which came close to being a family outing was PAA. Before that, the only quintessential family film was BAGHBAN. WE ARE FAMILY is the kind of film that should work instantly with ladies and when ladies watch such films, they bring their spouses and children along. Recommended!

Okay, WE ARE FAMILY is the official adaptation of Chris Columbus’ STEPMOM [1998] and lots of us have already watched this Julia Roberts – Susan Sarandon starrer. Even otherwise, the story of a woman, diagnosed with a terminal illness, entrusting her kids to the ‘other woman’ before she does the final salute, gives the feeling of deja vu. But WE ARE FAMILY is not a tear-jerker. Sure, it has dollops of emotions, but also integrates the light moments wonderfully in those 12 reels.

In the good old days, in the 1960s and 1970s specifically, well-made family films struck an instant chord with viewers across the spectrum. But with the changing times, the quantum of well-made socials made a rapid decline. WE ARE FAMILY belongs to the Rajshri gharaana and tells the story of a family facing two life-changing developments: The woman of the house is diagnosed with a terminal illness and two, there’s a stepmom on the scene. A difficult subject to handle, without doubt.

But debutant director Siddharth P. Malhotra surprises you constantly. Casting the best available talent for two pivotal parts and doing complete justice to their roles is tough. Very tough. But the ease with which he handles the tense moments between the women and also the emotional finale shows he has learnt his lessons well from his peers.

Final word? WE ARE FAMILY is for the family. It is well acted, deftly written, entertaining and broadly appealing drama. Watch it with someone you love!

Maya [Kajol] is the perfect mother. Her life revolves around her three children, Aleya [Aanchal Munjal], Ankush [Nominath Ginsberg] and Anjali [Diya Sonecha]. Despite being divorced from her husband Aman [Arjun Rampal], Maya has ensured that everything runs smoothly in her house, under her watch, and that they continue to remain a happy family unit.

When Aman introduces his girlfriend, Shreya [Kareena Kapoor], a career-oriented woman, the situation takes an unexpected turn. However, Maya is diagnosed with a terminal illness and circumstances bring the two women under the same roof. Can two mothers make a home?

With a plot like this, you expect WE ARE FAMILY to be an out-and-out serious outing. However, the film has its serious moments, but the director ensures that it doesn’t come across as a gloomy and serious fare. In fact, the generous dose of light moments in the narrative keeps the drama fluid. There’s an inherent sensitivity that the director brings in, which keeps you involved for most parts.

On the flip side, the film tends to stagnate in the middle of the second hour. One expects the story to move forward, but there’s not much movement here [thankfully, the film picks up wonderfully towards the penultimate reels]. Also, the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is a complete letdown. You feel it all the more because Dharma is synonymous with excellent music. The only redeeming track in the enterprise is ‘Let’s Rock’, which is high on energy. S-E-L need to reinvent themselves by experimenting a little more.

Director Siddharth P. Malhotra handles the dramatic portions best. The tense moments between Kajol and Kareena, the confrontation between the two and also the cold stares that they exchange time and again have been captured very well. The gradual transformation in Kajol’s looks, from striking and energetic to pale and morose, is also well projected. The finale is the best part of the enterprise and can be best described in one word: Outstanding. However, like I pointed out earlier, the writing could’ve been tighter towards the second hour.

Mohanan’s cinematography is eye-catching and the locales of Australia only enhance the look of the film. Niranjan Iyengar’s dialogue are decent at places, but a few lines are amazingly real. The background score [Raju Singh] is first-rate.

WE ARE FAMILY gives the two popular actresses an opportunity to sink their teeth into strongly drawn, juicy, challenging and interesting female roles that move beyond the normal stereotypes. The scene stealer is, without doubt, Kajol. She expresses the gamut of emotions brilliantly and speaks a million words even when silent. This is yet another incredible performance from an actor par excellence. Kareena excels yet again and her sequences with the kids are a delight. In fact, casting Kareena as the stepmom is just right, since she’s the only actor who can stand up to Kajol in high-voltage scenes and that’s because Kareena is a powerful actor herself. Arjun continues to surprise. ROCK ON, HOUSE FULL, RAAJNEETI and now WE ARE FAMILY indicates the growth of this actor. He handles the emotional moments well too. The kids – all three of them – are superb. In fact, the casting of the kids [done by Shanoo Sharma] is an ace.

Govt wants Google, Skype to set up Servers in India

nrmodh — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:42:43 +0000

In order to augment cyber and telecom security in the country, Government of India will ask Google and Skype to set up servers in the country and give access to its internet data.

The chief bureaucrat in the Home Ministry G K Pillai on Wednesday said that company who operates communication services in India should have a server in the country for government monitoring.

However, the government has already asked BlackBerry maker RIM to set up a server in India. The ban of two services on BlackBerry was extended up to two months.

According to the home ministry, India is also targeting “virtual private networks” that allows employees to have a secure access to their company networks when they are working out of the office.

Wipro appoints Rishad Premji as CSO

nrmodh — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:31:27 +0000

India’s third largest software company Wipro today has appointed Rishad Premji as the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of its IT business. Rishad Premji is the son of Wipro founder Azim Premji.

The 33-year-old Rishad Premji is currently serving as the General Manager for Treasury and Investor relations. He will take over from K.R. Lakshminarayana from Jan. 1, 2011, Wipro Technologies Senior Vice President (Human Resources) Saurabh Govil said in a statement.

As the CSO, Rishad will be responsible for managing investments from the corpus of the trust for Azim Premji Foundation and affiliated entities. Further, Lakshminarayana will be the Chief Endowment Officer of the philanthropic trust set up by Azim Premji.

Rishad with a strong business background has completed his MBA degree from Harvard Business School. He has worked with GE Capital and consulting firm Bain&Co before joining Wipro in July 2007.

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Sania Mirza loses in US Open Rd. 2

nrmodh — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:25:43 +0000

Sania Mirza bowed out of the US Open after losing to Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 4-6 in the second round of the US Open.

Sania was no match for the 20th seed Russian. She completely dominated the match and gave no chance to the India to stage a comeback.

The Indian challenge in the US Open singles came to an end with the exit of Sania Mirza. Earlier, Somdev Devvarman had crashed out in the first round after losing to South African Kevin Anderson in men’s singles.

Rahman’s CWG Theme Song @ Rs 5 crore and Six Months

nrmodh — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:17:05 +0000

Music Maestro AR Rahman, who had won two Oscar awards for his song ‘Jai Ho’ in “Slumdog Millionaire has drawn severe criticism over the CWG theme song, “Oh Yaaro, Yeh India Bula Liya”. The song failed to impress the fans, politicians, singers and musicians.

Ironically, AR Rahman took six months to compose the song and he charges Rs 5 crore for that! The CWG OC members are not convinced about quality of the song. Some of them want the song to recomposed.

Even many music directors and singers in the country feel that Rs 5 crore was too huge for a theme song. Although Rahman’s stature in music industry is undisputed, Rs 5 crore for a theme song cannot be justified under any circumstances.

Leading composer Louis Banks told a TV channel that it takes just 10 minutes to compose a tune, if the composer is truly inspired. He wondered why Rahman’s CWG theme song took six months and then failed to impress anyone.

Nobody has any doubt on AR Rahman’s expertise and skill set as a great Composer and Musician. He is a gifted musician indeed. But unfortunately, he failed to impress his fans with the CWG Theme Song, “Oh Yaaro”.