Chakram 2003 Malayalam Movie Watch Online

Chakram 2003 Malayalam Movie Watch Online Informations :

Director : Lenin Rajendran
Release Date : 27 Dec 2003
Genre : Action, Romance
Language : Malayalam
Cast : Prithviraj, Meera Jasmine, Meghanathan, Vijeesh, Chandra Lakshman, Machan Varghese, Chandra Laxman

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Phantom 2002 Malayalam Movie Watch Online

Phantom 2002 Malayalam Movie Watch Online Informations :

Director : Biju Varkey
Cast : Lalu Alex, Aswathy, Cochin Hanifa, Innocent, Manoj K. Jayan, Mammootty, Bindu Panikkar, Nishanth Sagar, Nedumudi Venu

Casting in Phantom 2002 Malayalam Movie :
Mammootty as Phantom Pailey
Innocent as The priest
Nishant Sagar as Josekutty (Pailey’s brother)
Manoj K. Jayan as The police officer
Nedumudi Venu
Lalu Alex as ‘Dhimdhi’ Mathayi
Cochin Haneefa
Bindu Panikkar
Monica as Hema
Aswathy as Chandrika
Manivannan as Annachy

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Phantom 2002 Malayalam Movie Watch Online Part 7

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Dae! Ingottu nokkiye… 2008 Malayalam Movie Watch Online

Dae! Ingottu nokkiye… 2008 Malayalam Movie Watch Online Informations :

Director : Balachandra Menon
Language : Malayalam
Genres : Comedy
Cast : Mala Aravindan, Idavela Babu, Rajan P. Dev, M.R. Gopakumar, Gopi, Indrans, Janardanan, Jayasurya, Kalpana, Salim Kumar, Lena, Balachandra Menon, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Kochu Preman, Sarah

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Koottukar 2010 Malayalam Movie Watch Online

Koottukar 2010 Malayalam Movie Watch Online Informations :

Directed by Prasad Vaalacheril
Produced by Annamma Poulose
Release date(s) : November 19, 2010
Country : India
Language : Malayalam
Cast : Vinu Mohan, Bhama, Shankar, Anirudh, Anoop Chandran, Devan, Saiju Kurup, Urmila Unni

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Sreekrishnapurathe Nakshathrathilakkam 1998 Malayalam Movie Watch Online

Sreekrishnapurathe Nakshathrathilakkam 1998 Malayalam Movie Watch Online Informations :

Director : Rajasenan
Country : India
Language : Malayalam
Cast : Innocent, Cochin Hanifa, Jagathi Sreekumar, K.P.A.C. Lalitha, Kalaranjini, Bindu Panikkar, Nagma, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Rajan P. Dev, Appa Haja, Jagadish, Yadu Krishnan, Mukesh, K.T.S. Padannayil, Jose Pellissery

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Sreekrishnapurathe Nakshathrathilakkam 1998 Malayalam Movie Watch Online Part 5

Sreekrishnapurathe Nakshathrathilakkam 1998 Malayalam Movie Watch Online Part 6

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Air India cancels five Kerala flights

Thiruvananthapuram:Air India cancelled four domestic flights and one flight to Sharjah Thursday on account of the ongoing strike by about 600 pilots, an official said here. Two domestic flights each from airports here and Kochi, and the flight to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Kozhikode were cancelled. 'We have asked passengers who have booked on cancelled flights to collect a full refund and wherever possible, we have accommodated them on other airlines,' the official added. However, not a single flight of the Air India Express, which operates exclusively on Gulf routes, has been affected, the official added. A large number of people from Kerala travel regularly to various Middle East destinations on Air India Express flights. The pilots of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), once on the payroll of erstwhile Indian Airlines, struck work Tuesday midnight demanding parity in pay with their counterparts in Air India and other issues related to work conditions.

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Four killed in Jharkhand police firing, curfew imposed

Ranchi: Four people were killed and more than 25, including a senior police officer, were injured in clashes as protests against the demolition drive in Jharkhand turned violent in the coal city of Dhanbad. Vikash Singh, Dinesh Handi and another protester were killed in police firing and one of the injured later died at the Bokaro hospital. At least 13 people sustained bullet injuries, according to police. 'Curfew has been imposed in municipal corporation area of Dhanbad' Umesh Singh, Deputy Inspector General of Police for Bokaro range told IANS. Police said they opened fire after the protesters turned violent. The trouble began at Matkuria locality of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BBCL) in Dhanbad. Around 1,100 people living on the BCCL land illegally were served notice in the past to vacate the place. Thousands of people gathered at the place to protest the demolitions. The scene turned violent as the protesters started pelting stones at the policemen. According to a police official, they opened fire after the crowd refused to disperse. Dhanbad Superintendent of Police R.K. Dhan and seven other policemen were injured during the clashes, the official said. Several protesters, including Dhanbad's Congress legislator Mannan Mallik, were arrested and removed from the site. In Ranchi, Chief Minister Arjun Munda held a high level meeting attended by state police chief G.S. Rath and others. Munda has ordered a probe in the incident. The opposition Congress and other parties have condemned the firing. 'The state government is adopting an inhuman attitude in the demolition drive. We have called shutdown in Dhanbad on Thursday,' Shailesh Sinha, Jharkhand Congress spokesperson, told IANS. Over the last 45 days more than 5,000 illegal structures have been demolished in Jharkhand under a directive from the high court, affecting more than 120,000 people. The court has rejected a government plea to stay the demolitions. Five people, four in Ranchi and one in Dhanbad, have died of shock after they were served eviction notices. Two people were killed in police firing in Ranchi early this month during anti-demolition protests.

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Number of kidney patients on rise in Wayanad

Kalpetta: Following cancer, patients with diseases affecting kidney are on rise in Wayanad. According to Dialysis Personnel Society of India, an organization of dialysis's technicians, there are 600 kidney patients in Wayanad. The account does not include the patients from Wayanad under going dialysis in hospitals in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Many are dying each year but not much studies were conducted so far. When the goernment and non goervemntal organizations are giving attention to cancer patients, whereas the kidney patients are often go unnoticed. The poor patients are being helped by the committees formed by the natives. The cost of treatment for them are also high as they have to spent from Rs 12,000 to 15,000 in each month for medicine and dialysis. When the cost for dialysis in Kozhikode medical college is Rs 600 , it is Rs 1500 in private hospitals.In Wayanad the facility is available only in Fathima Hospital , Kalpetta.

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2G scam: ED to attach properties of 2 telcos

New Delhi: In more trouble for telecom companies involved in the 2G spectrum scam, the Enforcement Directorate today told the Supreme Court that properties worth Rs. 2,000 crore each of two firms will be attached soon. Property worth Rs 2,000 crore each has to be attached relating to these companies,' senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the ED, submitted before a bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly. Venugopal, who was reading the excerpts of the fresh tatus report of the ED submitted in a sealed cover, did not mention the names of the companies but assured that attachment proceedings will be initiated soon and will be completed within two months. The bench meanwhile termed as 'flabbergasting' the magnitude of money transactions in the 2G scam. The scam, which, according to CAG estimates runs into Rs 1.76 lakh crore, left the bench perplexed as they perusedthe ED report giving details of illegal transaction of thousands of crores by the errant telecom companies. 'We are not familiar with such figures,' the bench said, adding that investigating officers who are probing the case must also be surprised with the amount involved in the scam. 'Gradually, figures are getting multiplied. Officers must also be flabbergasted by these figures,' the bench said after going through the report. The bench said 'ultimately retrospection has be done by people themselves.' Venugopal hinted that attachment orders will be issued shortly under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), against the two companies against whom the ED has so far registered the complaints. 'It will be done in two months time against the companies whose names have been mentioned in the complaints. We have to collect details of their properties as many of the companies keep benami properties,' the senior advocate said when the bench asked how much time will the ED take to complete the investigation. The ED in its status report said investigation was in progress regarding the involvement of five foreign companies in the 2G scam which are registered in Virgin Island. On hearing this, the bench asked 'what is the response of the CBI on it?' Venugopal said till now the ED has not written about it to the RBI and future course of investigation will follow. However, he said action has been taken and complaint has been registered for FEMA violation of Rs 4,000....

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Sharma's fiery spell gives Deccan Chargers 55-run win

Kochi: Riding on fast bowler Ishant Sharma's fiery spell of five for 12, Deccan Chargers thrashed Kochi Tuskers Kerala by 55 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Nehru Stadium here Wednesday. Man of the Match Sharma, who registered the third best IPL figures, wrecked the Kochi Tuskers batting and reduced them to 11 for six in four overs. Ravindra Jadeja (23), Thisara Pereira (22) and R Vinay Kumar (18) were the only Kochi batsmen who could get to double figures before their innings wrapped up in 16.3 overs while chasing Deccan Chargers 129 for seven. Dale Steyn struck in the first over to remove opener Brendan McCullum, who edged to wicketkeeper and skipper Kumar Sangakkara. In the next over, Sharma struck thrice in four balls to get rid of Parthiv Patel, Raiphi Gomez and Brad Hodge to leave the home team at two for four wickets. Patel was caught behind by the skipper while Gomez and Hodge were castled by Sharma's in-swinging deliveries. All the four batsmen went back to the dugout without opening their accounts. Sharma struck again in his next over when he trapped Kedar Jadhav plumb in front of the wicket and five balls later, got Kochi Tuskers' captain Mahela Jayawardene (4) caught behind by Sangakkara to leave them reeling at 11/6. Jadeja and Perera added 36 runs for the seventh wicket before Manpreet Gony struck in the 11th over to have Perera caught by Cameron White in the covers. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra got Jadeja caught by Daniel Christian at deep mid-wicket while Steyn wrapped up the innings by rattling the stumps of Vinay Kumar and Rudra Pratap Singh off successive deliveries. Earlier in the day, Vinay Kumar took three wickets while Rudra Pratap Singh scalped two as Kochi Tuskers Kerala restricted Deccan Chargers to 129 for seven. Sangakkara top scored with 65 while Cameron White made 31. They were the only two batsmen who got to double figures and they added 90 runs for the fourth wicket that saw the visitors get to a challenging total. Sangakkara's 65 came from 47 ball and included 10 fours while White hit two fours and a six in his 34-ball stay.

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G Sukumaran Nair gets temporary charge as NSS gen. secretary

Kottayam: NSS general secretary PK Narayanapanicker went on leave for treatment purpose and G Sukumaran Nair has been given the temporary charge. The NSS meet held on Wednesday approved the application of Narayanapanicker for leave till June 15.

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Maharashtra village first in India with right to harvest bamboo

Gadchiroli (Maharashtra): Mendha-Lekha, a remote village in the Maoist-affected Gadchiroli district of eastern Maharashtra, has become the first in the country where tribals have been given the right to sell bamboo harvested from the surrounding forests, an official said. The villagers, numbering around 3,000, attended the function Wednesday when village head Devaji Tofa was handed over a transit passbook, enabling the villagers to sell the bamboo from the region in the markets. The transit passes are required to take the bamboo from the village to the market, but the state forest department had refused the facility to the villagers for over one-and-a-half years. 'This is a historic occasion which serves to empower the local villagers and make them economically stronger,' Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said on the occasion. Chavan said that though Gadchiroli with 78 percent forest cover is the greenest district in the state, it is also the most economically backward. Ironically, the green cover was restricting the scope of taking up developmental projects in the district and this in turn was giving rise to the problems of Maoists here, Chavan remarked. In addition, Chavan pointed out being a remote district hard hit by Maoism, officials refused to take up postings here. 'Around 40 percent of the government posts here are lying vacant, further hampering development prospects here. Giving forest rights to the local people is the best way to save our forests,' Chavan said. Speaking on the occasion, union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said that the revolutionary move on bamboo would now place a greater responsibility on the villagers to protect forests. He said that since 2006 when the Forest Rights Act was implemented, 1.10 million people around the country have been vested with the right to gather and sell minor forest products like bamboo, mahua, tendu leaves and sal seeds. 'Of these (1.10 million), 1,00,000 tribals are in Maharashtra alone. However, the country still lags behind in giving community rights over the local forests,' Ramesh said. From the total of 2,800 community rights over forests given around the country, as many as 691 villages are in Maharashtra alone, and Ramesh called for giving similar rights to more villages. The state forest department drew flak from all the dignitaries for refusing to give the transit passes to the local villagers. Ramesh went to the extent of warning the....

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BCCI rejects Kochi, Pune's demand of franchisee-fee cut

Mumbai: The Cricket Board's Working Committee today rejected Indian Premier League franchises Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Sahara Pune Warriors demand for a reduction in the franchisee fee. The two franchises had sought reduction on the ground that the BCCI did not fulfill the terms in the Invitation to Tender with regard to the number of matches this season. They have already paid 75 per cent of the annual instalment of total fee amount, and had sought waiver of the balance. However, the pleas were rejected in the Working Committee's meeting here today. Kochi and Pune franchises had argued that as per the contract, each team was to play 18 matches on a home and away basis, but the BCCI reduced the number to 14, and brought own the total number of matches from 94 to 74 to avoid a player burn-out. Pune and Kochi franchises were bought with bids of USD 370 million and USD 333 million respectively. Franchises have to pay this fee in instalments, 10 per cent per year. Meanwhile, sources said the issue of resting senior cricketers for the West Indies tour after a hectic cricket season did not come up for discussion during the meeting today. India is scheduled to play a Twenty20, five ODIs and three Tests in the Caribbean from June 4-July 10. The final of the ongoing IPL season, which began six days after the conclusion of the six-week long ICC World Cup on April 2, will be played in Chennai on May 28. PTI

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Lobsang Sangay is new Tibetan PM-in-exile

Dharamsala: US-based Lobsang Sangay, a 42-year-old who considers India his second home after Tibet, was Wednesday elected the new Kalon Tripa, or the Tibetan prime minister-in-exile. Sangay, a senior fellow of Harvard Law School who was born in India, has been chosen in the third direct elections for the Kalon Tripa that were held March 20. He will succeed the incumbent, Samdhong Rinpoche, who was chosen twice to the post. Sangay's five-year stint is expected to be full of challenges, with the Tibetan parliament giving a nod to the transfer of political power from Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to the newly elected political leader. Election official Jamphel Choesang told IANS here that Sangay polled 27,051 votes. 'Sangay got 55 percent of the total votes,' he said. Choesang said the newly elected prime minister would take oath only after the tenure of the present cabinet expires in August. Diplomat Tenzin Namgyal Tethong and Tashi Wangdi were the other contestants. They got 18,405 and 3,173 votes respectively. Tethong also lives in the US, whereas Wangdi has been the Dalai Lama's representative in Brussels, New York and New Delhi. Sangay was born in 1968 in exile in India. He is often quoted as saying, 'India is my second home. I have never been to my first home (Tibet).' His father, who was settled in a village near Darjeeling, also fled Tibet in 1959 along with the Dalai Lama. Incumbent Rinpoche had become the first directly elected prime minister for a five-year term in September 2001 after the Dalai Lama called for a directly-elected political leader of the exiles. Rinpoche cannot re-contest as the Tibetan charter bars any individual from holding the office for more than two terms. The Dalai Lama, 75, and his supporters fled Tibet and took refuge in India when Chinese troops moved in and took control of Lhasa in 1959. He has since headed the Tibetan government-in-exile here, but this year decided to give up his political authority. Some 140,000 Tibetans now live in exile, over 100,000 of them in different parts of India. Over six million Tibetans live in Tibet.

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Mystery continues over the missing of research student

Kozhikode: Mystery continues over the missing of Kozhikode National Institute of Technology Student O K Indu during a train journey two days ago. The probe is being progressing based on the messages she sent from her mobile. A special police team led by Railway police superintend PK Anil, has been probing the mysterious circumstances leading to a research student going missing from the train two days ago.Indu, daughter of Krishnan Nair, from Kumarapuram, boarded Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Express at Petta Station on April 24. According to a complaint filed by her co-passenger and NIT Teacher Subhash, Indu, who boarded the train in the evening and was present till 11 hrs, was not seen by the time the train reached Kallai Station in the early morning, the sources said. However, her bag and mobile phone were lying on the seat, the complainant said. A similar complaint was also lodged by her relatives with the Thiruvanthapuram Medical College Police Station. Police collected evidence from Subhash and her father also reached Kozhikode. Police also collected information on other travellers in the boggy and also began colleting evidence from them. Those who get any information call to 0495-2703499, 9497981122. :

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Turkey to build canal through Istanbul to aid sea traffic

Istanbul: Turkey has announced a plan to build a 50-km canal through Istanbul that would connect the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. The canal will be dug through the European part of city, in one of the largest projects of the 21st century that will help solve the problem of the overloaded Bosporus Strait, Xinhua news agency reported. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there were many cities in the world with a river passing through them. However, Istanbul was the only city with a sea passing through it. The Bosphorus Strait forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and thereby to the Mediterranean Sea. The Bosphorus Strait is 31 km long, with a width of 3,329 metres at the northern entrance and 2,826 metres at the southern entrance. The prime minister unveiled the plans for the 'Canal Istanbul' at a meeting themed 'Turkey's ready goals 2023, Istanbul's ready goals 2023', Xinhua said. The 50-km canal will be 25 metres deep, with a surface width of 145-150 metres and an underwater width of 120 metres. Erdogan said the canal will be able to support the largest ships in the world, with weight of 300,000 tonnes. 'This is an energy, transport, city-planning and scientific project at the same time, as well as a project for employment and environmental protection. It will help protect the nature of Istanbul, the environment, sea, water resources, flora and fauna,' the prime minister was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency as saying. The cost of the project, which is expected to be completed within two years, is being kept secret, Erdogan said. Turkish media reported that the estimated construction cost may reach $20 billion. A new airport to become the largest in Turkey will also be built close to the channel

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Ishant thanks Zaheer for his fantastic spell

Kochi: Fast bowler Ishant Sharma thanked Zaheer Khan after he wrecked the Kochi Tuskers Kerala with his figures of five for 12 in Deccan Chargers' 55-run win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Nehru Stadium here Wednesday. 'I need to say thanks to Zaheer Khan because he told me to keep working hard on my fitness. Working with him is really tremendous for me,' said Sharma, who was adjudged Man of the Match after he registered the third best IPL figures. 'It's not about inspiration, when we were sitting in the dressing room we thought 130 is a good total. And when Rudra Pratap Singh's first ball hit the gloves, we thought we won't mind bowling first on this track,' he said. Deccan Chargers captain Kumar Sangakkara lauded Sharma for his magnificent performance. 'Once we started batting, we though 130-140 is a competitive score. Both Steyn and Ishant were magnificent in the first six overs. We need to keep playing good cricket,' he said. Dale Steyn said that coach Darren Lehman had told them just to bowl line and length. 'The coach told us to bowl our lengths. I thought Ishant bowled fantastically well. I'd love to roll this wicket up and take it everywhere I go. We've just got to try and keep winning and go off the bottom and into the top four,' said Steyn. Kochi captain Mahela Jayawardene also lauded the Chargers' bowling unit. 'I thought it was a good effort by the bowlers. We knew they had quality bowlers upfront and we had to get through that spell. Ishant bowled very well upfront. The pitch had a bit more movement than we expected,' he said.

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AI strike; services partially affected

Thiruvananthapuram: Air India services in Kerala were partially affected with International flights operating as per schedule and only a few domestic flights getting cancelled due to the strike called by Indian Commercial Pilots Association(ICPA) today. The AI 668 Thiruvananthapuram-Mumbai flight from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport was cancelled because of the strike by pilots belonging to Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) of erstwhile Indian Airlines, sources told UNI. The AI 667 Mumbai-Thiruvananthapuram flight and the Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai flight were cancelled and the passengers were accommodated in another flight. A report from Kochi said all the flights were on schedule. A Kozhikode report said operations at Calicut International Airport at Karippur near here were particially affected following the strike. Talking to UNI, Officiating Air India Station Manager Kutty said the AI 658 flight on Calicut-Coimbatore-Mumbai-Delhi sector was cancelled. Efforts were on to operate AI 997 flight to Sharjah from Calicut as per schedule at 2015 hrs. However, AI 937 flight to Dubai took off as per schedule early this morning, he added. ICPA had given the strike notice demanding higher emoluments and parity in pay and allowances of pilots belonging to erstwhile Air India. --UNI

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Shiney Ahuja gets bail from HC in rape case

Mumbai: Nearly a month after the trial court convicted him for raping his maid, Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja was today granted bail by the Bombay High Court.While granting him bail, Justice A R Joshi asked Shiney to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000. The judge observed that his custody was not required for now as he had already been convicted but asked him not to leave the country without prior permission of the court.Shiney was convicted by the sessions court here on March 30, and subsequently he filed an appeal in the HighCourt.Seeking bail for his client, Shiney's lawyer, senior counsel Shirish Gupte, said the actor was convicted even when there was no allegation of rape against him. The victim had told the trial court that there was no intercourse or rape,and she had given a false statement to the police at thebehest of one Rekha Mane, who allegedly had enmity with Shiney. The trial court sentenced Shiney to seven years'rigorous imprisonment, relying on circumstantial evidence,though the complainant had turned hostile during the trial.The trial court said it had considered evidence such as positive DNA report, medical evidence of intercourse, and scratch marks on Shiney's hand.In June 2009, the girl had lodged the complaint alleging that she was raped by the actor at his house. Shiney was arrested on June 14. PTI

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Cricket overshadowing other sports in India: Sebastian Coe

London: Olympic gold medallist Lord Sebastian Coe, who is organising committee chairman for the 2012 London Olympics, believes cricket is overshadowing other sports activities in India. In an exclusive interview to Asian Lite, a leading publication for British Asian communities, Coe said the popularity of cricket, especially among the younger generation, is preventing the growth of other sports activities, particularly athletics. 'Indian diaspora can create role models from the world of athletics to promote sports activities other than cricket,' said Coe, 53, a gold medallist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. 'We at London 2012 want to help Asian communities to create globalised role models,' Lord Coe said. 'Recently at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi in 2010, Indians realised that they have very talented athletes and it is not just about cricket, and other games can create very strong legacies.' Monty Panesar, a left arm spinner, Nasser Hussain, former English cricket captain, and Mark Ravin Ramprakash, a first class English cricketer, are among the few Indians who have represented Britain both - at the county and international level. Amir Khan, the British boxer of Pakistani descent, is one of those from outside the world of cricket. Khan currently is the WBA World super lightweight champion, who won the belt at the age of 22, making him Britain's third-youngest world champion after Naseem Hamed with Yemeni roots and Herbie Hide with Nigerian origin. When asked about developments in India with regard to the arrest of CWG organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi for his alleged involvement in corruption and his removal from the post of president of the Indian Olympic Association, Coe declined to reply saying: 'The matter is for the Indian Olympic Association to decide.' The development could have a ripple effect in his efforts to keep sports away from politics. 'London 2012 wants to leave a legacy in a number of areas and wants to ensure that sport is high up on the social and political agendas in countries around the world,' he said. And, in this quest, Lord Coe is trying to merge the process with Britain's ethnic South Asian community with the help of his chairmanship and his Punjabi background. 'The beauty of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is that no two Games are the same. Sydney was a fantastic Games with a great atmosphere and we would very much like to emulate this,' he said. Whereas Sydney 2000 raised....

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Rituparno Ghosh takes the plunge into 'queer' film

Kathmandu: After 'Arekti premer golpo' (Just another love story) and 'Memories in March', both of which have strong gay protagonists and Rituparno Ghosh stepping out in front of the camera, the Bengali film director has now completed shooting his first 'queer' film, which is also a metaphor for his own sexual transformation. The 47-year-old was in Kathmandu recently to talk about his life, films and the recent 'queer shift' in career at 'Count me IN', a three-day conference by New Delhi-based rights organisation Crea to raise awareness about the ongoing violence against the marginalised: differently abled women, sex workers, gays, lesbians and transgenders. The 'significant shift' in Rituparno's life - when he began publicly appearing in a woman's persona - had 'a lot' to do with the passing away of his mother. 'Queers are supposed to be irresponsible to their families,' he told a spellbound audience. 'People think their parents don't love them. My world centred around my parents.' His wish not to see them suffer social ridicule held him back from revealing his sexual identity. After his mother's death, the other factor that gave him the courage to come out of the closet was Singur, the town in West Bengal's Hooghly district where people's protests at the taking over of their land to build the Tata Group's Nano car factory led to violence, deaths and ultimately, the withdrawal of the factory. 'I was editing a publication and my first edit was on Singur,' he said. 'It gave me a sense of courage. I thought if I can write against an establishment... it opened the door for other avenues of courage.' Despite his celebrity status - or perhaps because of it - the emergence was not painless for the eight-times National Film Award winner. He mentioned a popular talk show on Bengali television in which the host constantly mocked him by caricaturing him. Rituparno replied by inviting the host to his own talk show. 'I told him, when you imitate P.C. Sorcar or Mithun Chakrabarty, it's personal. But when you imitate me (as a transgender), you caricature a whole community. I also told him, please mention in future then that this is a caricature of Rituparno Ghosh and nobody else.' The two biggest artistic and cultural influences on him came from Rabindranath Tagore, who has been an abiding influence on all Bengalis and whose transitions from the male into the female voice have never struck a discordant note, and Satyajit Ray. 'If somebody....

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Rajiv Awas Yojana to be implemented in corporations

Thiruvananthapuram: Seeking to promote slum-free urbanisation, Kerala Government has decided to extend the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) housing project to all the five City Corporations. This was disclosed by Additional Chief Secretary S M Vijayanand while inaugurating a workshop on RAY, a joint initiative of the Centre and the state. Mayors and secretaries of the five corporations –Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur, and Kozhikode – and officials of the Rajiv Awas Yojana team attended the workshop. Executive Director of women self-help initiative, Sarada Muraleedharan, who led a session at the workshop, explained the goals of the scheme, and the role and responsibilities of the corporations in implementing it.

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Railway Thiruvananthapuram division earns Rs 854.67 crore

Thiruvananthapuram; Thiruvananthapuram Division on Southern Railway earned Rs 854.67 crore in fiscal 2010-11 compared to Rs 836.80 crore for the corresponding previous year showing an increase of 2.13 per cent more than last year. In the passenger front,the Division carried 98.1 million passengers for 2010-11 as against 95.9 million for the year 2009-10. The passenger earnings have shown an increase of Rs 38 crore compared to the previous year with the total earnings at Rs 584.95 crore,a Railway release said here today. The quantum of parcel traffic also increased and the parcel earning for the year 2010-11 was Rs 19.03 crore. Intensive ticket checking duly involving RPF has resulted substantial growth in Ticket Checking earnings also reducing the number of cases of ticketless travel. Cumulatively achieved earnings was Rs 393.15 lakhs up to March 2011 compared to Rs 345 lakh in the corresponding period of last year,the release added.

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Indians don't need films to watch sex: Ekta Kapoor

New Delhi: Bored of the idiot box, TV tzarina Ekta Kapoor is fearlessly entering the bedroom space with films like 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha', 'Ragini MMS' and 'Dirty Picture'. But she says titillating the audience is not her agenda as Indians don't have to go to movie theatres to watch sex. 'There is lovemaking, but there is no sex in our films,' a nonchalant Ekta told IANS in an interview. 'I personally believe in our country, if you want to see sex, you can go online and download it for free. Why would somebody pay Rs.50 or Rs.100-Rs.200 for a movie ticket just to watch sex?' Referring to her movies, she said: 'There is no sex in these films. But in none of these films do we run away from sex. They have just been labelled titillating. When I made TV shows, people called them regressive. Clearly, everyone wants to generalise everything. In 2010, Ekta launched ALT Entertainment, a sister concern of her Balaji Telefilms Ltd, to cater to upwardly mobile young Indians with television and film content. She released Dibaker Banerjee's bold and explicit project 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha' under the banner, and realised there is a definite market for subjects and treatment that are closer to reality. So now comes 'Ragini MMS', about a couple who go for an adventurous weekend and get filmed by 24 cameras amid some paranormal activity, and 'Dirty Picture', which traces the life of sex icon Silk Smitha. 'I choose a mid path. I can easily tell you that none of these films is high on sexuality. In fact a lot of our Hindi films where they show dupattas flying and deep cleavage, have a lot more sexuality. The difference is that they show it in a covert, more hidden way. But actually it is much more titillating,' said the daughter of Bollywood's Jumping Jack, the veteran star Jeetendra. Caught in an unusually fun-loving mood at a hotel here, Ekta broke into guffaws the moment the stark contrast between her family-oriented dramas and the films was pointed out. She is after all known for soaps like 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' and 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki.' 'I am a living contradiction. I am chalk and cheese. Expect the unexpected from me! I can easily manage the two sides because I am a Gemini - a woman of all moods - I am Bohemian and conservative,' she said. But 35-year-old Ekta, who kept fiddling with the many threads and bracelets worn on her left wrist for superstitious reasons, finally gave the reason behind the films. 'I was getting extremely....

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Samsung smartphones target 40 percent market share

Chennai: The Indian subsidiary of South Korean consumer durables major Samsung is targeting a 40 percent market share in the growing smartphone segment, a senior official said Wednesday. 'We are aiming a market share of 40 percent this year. Our current market share is 15 percent. Last year the Indian market size for smartphones was around 2.5 million units and this year it is expected to be around eight million units,' Country Manager for mobile and IT Ranjit Yadav told reporters here. Yadav was here to launch 'Nexus S', a smartphone model developed in partnership with Google, and five new models of Galaxy phones. On the projected jump in market size from 2.5 million units to eight million, Yadav said: 'The launch of 3G mobile phone services by most mobile telephony service providers will fuel the growth of smart phones. Further, the mobile phones will increase the broadband penetration.' According to him, the slew of launches on the Android platform is to provide customers a smarter and simpler phone.

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Hamsa murder: Accused arrested after 22 years dies

Kasargod: The 13 th accused in the Hamsa murder case, Keeri Abdullah, 60 died immeteley after he was taken into cutsody by the police. Abdullah who was absconding for the last 22 years, was arrested by the polcie as per the direction of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) .He was admitted to Kasargod general hospital when he showed uneasiness by evening and he died by 6.20 pm. Hamsa, a police informer, was shot dead on April 29, 1989, at Poinachi on the National Highway. The CBI has claimed that rivalry between two gangs engaged in smuggling led to Hamsa's murder. He had tipped off the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) about smuggling of gold biscuits by a rival gang, following which the DRI seized the biscuits worth Rs. 10 crore. Local police and Crime Branch had investigated the case after which CBI was entrusted with it. Abdullah is the son of Moideen and Befathima. Ayisha is his wife. Jubairiya, Badarudhin and Asiya are his children.

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Olympian Carl Lewis barred from US state poll race

New York: New Jersey election authorities have decided that retired track and field star Carl Lewis, winner of nine Olympic gold medals, does not meet the residency requirement to run for the state Senate in this year's elections. New Jersey Secretary of State Kim Guadagno announced Tuesday that Lewis's name must be removed from the ballots for the Democratic primary, in which the party's candidates for the Senate race will be determined. 'I find that respondent was not a resident of New Jersey for the constitutionally required four years prior to the date of the election for the office he now seeks,' Guadagno said in a 15-page opinion. According to election laws, to participate in political races as a candidate in New Jersey one must have resided in the state for a minimum of four years prior to the election in which one wants to compete. Representatives of the Democratic Party feel that the former athlete certainly meets that requirement, given that they say he bought his first home in New Jersey in 2005. Republicans, however, assert that Lewis cannot run because up until 2009 he was registered to vote in California, among other things. Both Guadagno and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are Republicans. Lewis announced April 11 that he intended to compete for the state Senate seat in District 8, an area dominated by Republicans. The athlete was born July 1, 1961, in Birmingham, Alabama, but was raised in the Garden State. Lewis won gold medals in the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games. After years spent living in Texas and California, he returned to New Jersey in 2005. The elections for the state Senate and General Assembly in New Jersey, both currently controlled by Democrats, will be held next November.

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Mulanthururthy accident: Look out notices issued for 4 policemen

Muvattupuzha: The Police on Wednesday issued look-out notices for the four policemen who had gone into hiding after the car they were traveling knocked down two children in Mulanthuruthy on March 31 night. The notice were issued against PG Ajith Kumar, 41, KM Sojan, 45, R Vijayan, 42 and Stanley Xavier, 45. The car in which they were travelling hit Sreejith, 14 and Amal 13 and fled the scene . Later natives caught them. The incident had dented the image of the police, as the policemen were first allowed to walk out of the Piravom Circle Inspector's office immediately after the incident on April 1. It was after many protests that police registered case against them.

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Gold, got from stadium junction handed over to collector

Kozhikode: A loading and unloading employee in Kozhikode moffusil bus stand , TK Ahammed Koya has handed over gold consists of 30 sovereigns , which he got from stadium junction , to district collector on Wednesday during a function . Ahammed got the gold wrapped in paper from the stadium junction on March 3. He got the same when he himself was finding difficulty to arrange gold for his daughter's marriage. Without thinking twice he went to the union office and informed them. He placed advertisement in newspapers about the same. When no one turned do claim its custody, he handed over the gold to the collector. PT Rajan also accompanied him.

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Endosulfan: Achuthanandan writes to all CMs to press for ban

Thiruvananthapuram: Seeking to widen his government's campaign against Endosulfan, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has written to his counterparts in other states requesting them to bring combined pressure on the Centre to impose a nationwide ban on the pesticide. Ahead of a Kerala 'hartal' tomorrow called by ruling CPI(M)-led LDF on the Endosulfan issue, Achuthanandan, in his letter, highlighted the ill-effects due to use of the pesticide over the years in Kerala's Kasargode district where over 400 people died and hundreds were suffering from serious health problems.He also attached copies of reports of studies on the death and environmental devastation caused by Endosulfan spraying over the years in a state-run cashew estate in Kasargode. The 87-year-old CPI-M leader, who recently observed a day-long fast on the issue, wanted his counterparts to prevail upon the Centre to ask for global ban on Endosulfan at the ongoing Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Realising the grim danger posed by the pesticide to living beings and nature, it had been banned by 80 countries but the UPA Government at the Centre was still reluctant to take action, Achuthanandan said. He said there was no need for further studies to establish the grievous consequences of Endosulfan as the experience of Kerala had sufficiently brought out that aspect. An all-party delegation from Kerala had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently to press the demand for ban of Endosulfan. PTI

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Endosulfan: Study would take 3 years for completion: ICMR

New Delhi: With the protest against endosulfan getting strength day by day, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) director Dr Vishwamohan Kadoch said that it would take at least 3 years to complete the study on endosulfan, which indicates that a ban on the pesticide won't be a reality soon. It would take at least 2 months to decide the plan on how the study should be conducted. Meanwhile it is being reported that even if the Stockholm convention bans the pesticide, there is no responsibility to implement the ban as India produces 70% of the total endosulfan in the world. Among the total companies producing endosulfan in India, 2/3 are private players. The parallel pesticides being prescribed for endosulfan is of high price. So endosulfan is supported by North Indian farmer lobbies and prime minister also won't be able to neglect the same.