India Australia Hockey Match Live scores

Live on Ten Sports at 20:35 IST, DD National in India only

After a virtuoso performance in an emotionally charged campaign-opener against arch-rivals Pakistan, India will have to maintain the attacking form when they take on Australia in their second Pool B match of the hockey World Cup on Tuesday.

India produced one of the finest performances in long time in front of a capacity crowd at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium to beat Pakistan 4-1 on Sunday and now would want to overcome Australia to brighten their chances for semi-finals.

Pumped up by a cheering home crowd, everything clicked for India against Pakistan with the midfield, defense and upfront spot on.

The defence of Sandeep Singh, Diwakar Ram and Dhananjay Mahdik were able to keep at check the dangerous strike duo of Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi throughout the match.

The upfront led by Prabhjot Singh, Shivendra Singh and Rajpal Singh created havoc with their fast-paced interchanges, but the difference was the midfield with an outstanding Sardar Singh.

On the other hand, Australia would be an altogether different side with their one-touched fast-paced hit and run style of play and India will have to be extra vigilant as the Kookaburras are now like a wounded tiger after their 2-3 loss to England on Sunday.

Having won 51 of their 72 World Cup matches, Australia boast a winning percentage of 71 - higher than any other team. They finished runners-up in the last two editions (2002 and 2006).

Rightly for India, coach Jose Brasa has advised his boys to remain grounded on their feet and not being carried away by the triumph against Pakistan.

For Ric Charlesworth's side, it will be a must-win match against India and any hiccup would make it difficult for Australia to qualify for the semi-finals.

Charlesworth himself has acknowledged that it would be a must-win match for them.

"It is a must-win situation now," he said. The last match between the two teams was in Champions Trophy in Chennai five years ago when Australia won it 4-1.

Australia have come into the tournament at the back of their Champions Trophy triumph at home last year and they have been one of the title contenders though that tag has been dented by their loss to England.

They are the second-ranked side in the world but Olympic and World Cup records (just one gold medal each) do not match with their formidable prowess.

Australia, however, are the favourites as far as history goes with the Indians having won just one of the six matches the two sides have played in World Cup since 1975.

The Australians committed mistakes in the defence and also was poor in converting the penalties against England. Specially, Australia need to improve penalty corner conversion rate as they could score just once from the 12 they got on Sunday.

In the two other Pool B matches on Tuesday, South Africa take on England while Pakistan play Spain.

Teams (from)

India: Rajpal Singh (capt), Adrian D'Souza, Sandeep Singh, Arjun Halappa, Prabhjot Singh, Sardar Singh, Gurwinder Singh Chandi, Deepak Thakur, Sarvanjit Singh, Gurbaj Singh, Tushar Khandker, Sreejesh Raveendran, Shivendra Singh, Bharat Chikara, Dhananjay Mahadik, Vikram Pillay, Danish Mujtaba, Diwakar Ram.

Australia: Jamie Dwyer (capt), Liam De Young, Simon Orchard, Glenn Turner, Robert Hammond, Matthew Butturini, Mark Knowles, Edward Ockenden, Luke Doerner, Grant Schubert, Matthew Swann, Nathan Burgers, George Bazeley, Kieran Govers, Kiel Brown, Graeme Beg bie, Fergus Kavanagh, Desmond Abbott.

India beat Pakistan 4-1 in hockey World Cup

New Delhi: Sandeep Singh scored twice to help India beat their arch-rival Pakistan 4-1 in the hockey World Cup clash at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium on Sunday.
Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas converted one penalty corner in the 60th minute to bring a sigh of relief which went in vain just after Man of the Match Sandeep scored his second goal.
India dominated the second-half of the match also when Prabhjot Singh scored the third goal as the hosts took 3-0 lead.
In the first-half, Sandeep Singh gave India an upper hand as he converted one penalty corner to a goal to give India 2-0 lead in the 35th minute.
Earlier in the 27th minute, India took a 1-0 lead over arch-rival Pakistan when Shivendra Singh converted one penalty corner.
The World Cup clash between India and Pakistan got underway with the hosts missing their first choice goalkeeper Adrian D'souza, who has been replaced by PR Sreejesh.
The two nations, which ruled world hockey for years, are now shadows of their past, but they still evoke a lot of tension, excitement and suspense both on the field as well as in the overflowing galleries.
The recent track record of the two teams gives Pakistan a definite edge, their staggering 6-3 victory in the Champions Challenge semi-final in Salta, Argentina, staring India in the face. The Indians know that Sunday is a different day and it is going to be a different ball game altogether playing at home.

Goals scored For India - Shivendra Singh, Sandeep Singh (2) and Prabhjot Singh

54 New Trains List in Railway Budget 2010-11

First Train line in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to connect Port Blair to Diglipur, farthest town of North Andaman

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced 54 new trains will be introduced this year

New Trains List

1. Sultanpur-Mumbai Express (via Nihalgarh) (Weekly)
2. Sultanpur-Ajmer Express (via Nihalgarh) (Weekly)
3. Asansol-Digha Express (Weekly)
4. Howrah-Katpadi (Vellore) Puducherry Express via Bhubaneswar (Weekly)
5. Kishanganj-Ajmer Express (Weekly)
6. Kolkata-Ajmer Express via Singrauli-Katni-Bhopal-Nagda-Ratlam (Weekly)
7. Kolkata-Anandpur Sahib-Nangaldam Express (Weekly)
8. Una-Haridwar Link Express (Tri-Weekly)
9. Siuri-Prantik-Howrah Express (Daily)
10. Haldia-Chennai Express (Weekly)
11. Hyderabad-Ajmer Express (Bi-weekly)
12. Rajgir-Howrah via Tilaiya-Koderma (Tri-weekly)
13. Mumbai-Shirdi Intercity Express (Tri-weekly)
14. Haridwar-Mumbai CST AC Express (Bi-weekly)
15. Valsad-Haridwar Express (Weekly)
16. Ajmer-Indore Link Express (Daily)
17. Nagercoil-Bangalore Express (Weekly) via Madurai-Hosur
18. Kanpur-Chitrakoot Express (Daily)
19. New Jalpaiguri-Chennai Express (Weekly)
20. Delhi Sarai Rohilla- Sri Ganganagar Express (Tri-weekly) via Bhatinda
21. Mangalore-Tiruchirapalli Express (Weekly)
22. Bhubaneswar-Pune Express (Weekly)
23. Habibganj-Jabalpur Intercity Express (Daily)
24. Calicut-Thiruvananthapuram Janshatabdi Express (5 days a week)
25. Pune-Ernakulum Superfast (Bi-weekly) via Panvel
26. Coimbatore-Tirupati Intercity Express via Salem (Tri-weekly)
27. Shimoga-Mysore Intercity Express (Daily)
28. Bangalore-Tirupati Intercity Express via Bangarapet (Tri-weekly)
29. Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaj Terminus (Kolhapur) Solapur Express (Daily)
30. Jaipur-Pune Express (Weekly)
31. Ranchi-Jaynagar Express (Tri-weekly)
32. Madurai-Tirupati Express (Bi-weekly)
33. Tirupati-Secunderabad Express (Bi-weekly) via Pakalle-Madanpalle Road
34. Sambalpur-Howrah Express (Weekly)
35. Ahmedabad-Agra Express (Tri-weekly)
36. Gonda-Manduadih (Varanasi) Intercity (Daily)
37. Running of independent trains between Bangalore-Hubli and Bangalore-Nanded by delinking of 6591/6592 Bangalore-Hubli Hampi Express from 6593/6594 Bangalore-Nanded Express
38. Running of independent trains between Hyderabad-Tirupati (Daily), Hyderabad-Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaj Terminus (Bi-weekly) and Tirupati-Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaj Terminus (Daily) by delinking 7416/7429/7430 Haripriya and Rayalseema Express
39. Secunderabd-Manuguru Express (Tri-weekly)
40. Alipurduar-Lumding Intercity Express (Daily)
41. Guwahati-Mariani Intercity Express (Daily)
42. Gandhidham-Jodhpur Express via Bhildi (Tri-weekly)
43. Rajkot-Porbander Express (via Jetalsar) (Tri-weekly)
44. Kolkata-Darbhanga Express (Bi-weekly)
45. Howrah-Berhampur Express (Tri-weekly)
46. Baripada-Shalimar Intercity Express (Tri-weekly)
47. Kharagpur-Purulia Intercity Express (Tri-weekly)
48. Gwalior-Chhindwara Express (Bi-weekly)
49. Gwalior-Pune Express (Daily)
50. Rampurhat-Sealdah Intercity Express (Tri-weekly)
51. Howrah-Shirdi Express (Weekly)
52. Puri-Valsad Express (Weekly) via Katni-Bhopal-Vadodara
53. Puri-Digha Express (Weekly)

The frequency of 12 trains is proposed to be increased. She said that it is proposed to extend 21 trains from their current route.

Increase in frequency of trains

1. 2245/2246 Howrah-Yesvantpur Duronto Express from weekly to 4 days
2. 3149/3150 Sealdah-Alipurduar Kanchen Kanya Express from 4 days to daily
3. 2377/2378 Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri Padatik Express from 3 days to 6 days
4. 2295/2296 Patna-Bangalore Sanghamitra Express from 6 days to daily
5. 2251/2252 Korba-Yesvantpur Express from weekly to 2 days
6. 6605/6606 Mangalore-Kochuveli Ernad Express from 3 days to daily
7. 2933/2934 Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Express from 6 days to daily
8. 2215/2216 Bandra Terminus-Delhi Sarai Rohilla from 3 days to 4 days
9. 2807/2808 Visakhapatnam-Nizamuddin Samata Experss from 3 days to 5 days
10. 4705/4706 Delhi Sarai Rohila Sadulpur Express from 3 days to 6 days
11. 2981/2982 Udaipur City-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Chetak Express from3 days to 4 days
12. 2447/2448 Manikpur-Hazrat Nizamuddin Uttar Pradesh [ Images ] Sampark Kranti Express from 3 days to daily

Extension of trains

1. 7001/7002 Secunderabad-Manmad Express to Shirdi (Bi-weekly)
2. 7205/7206 Kakinada-Manmad Express to Shirdi (Weekly)
3. 1405/1406 Kakinada-Manmad Express to Shirdi (Bi-weekly)
4. 7207/7208 Vijayawada-Manmad Express to Shirdi (Weekly)
5. 6341/6342 Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam Express to Guruvayur (Daily)
6. 7639/7640 Kacheguda-Nanded Express to Akola (Daily)
7. 2187/2188 Mumbai CST-Jabalpur Express to Allahabad (Bi-weekly)
8. 2235/2236 New Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani Express to Dibrugarh
9. 2777/2778 Yesvantpur-Kochuveli Express to Hubli (Weekly)
10. 2831/2832 Bhubaneswar-Hatia Express to Dhanbad (Tri-weekly)
11. 8425/8426 Puri-Raipur Express to Durg
12. 8447/8448 Bhubaneswar-Koraput Express to Jagdalpur
13. 209/210 Puri-Dhenkanal Passenger to Talcher Road (Daily)
14. 1629 Sangali-Miraj to Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaj Terminus (Kolhapur) (Daily)
15. 1610 Miraj-Pune to Chhatrapati Sahu Maharaj Terminus (Kolhapur) (Daily)
16. 1551/1552 Pune-Daund to Baramati (Daily)
17. 531A/532A Parli-Nizamabad Passenger to Pandharpur
18. 623/624 Mangalore-Kannur Passenger to Kozhikode
19. 353/354 Dharwar-Gadag Passenger to Solapur
20. 1704 Chirmiri-Damoh Passenger to Sagour
21. 1703A Damoh-Katni Passenger to Sagour

Rail Budget 2010-11 in Hindi

नई दिल्ली। यात्री किराए में कोई बदलाव ने होने और मालभाड़े को तर्कसंगत बनाए जाने की संभावनाओं के बीच अगले वित्तीय वर्ष [2010-11] के लिए रेल बजट बुधवार दोपहर को लोकसभा में पेश किया जाएगा।

तृणमूल कांग्रेस की नेता और रेलमंत्री ममता बनर्जी बतौर रेलमंत्री चौथी बार रेल बजट पेश करेगी। संयुक्त प्रगतिशील गठबंधन सरकार में यह उनका दूसरा रेल बजट होगा।

Jyoti Basu still critical

Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu, who was put on ventilator on Wednesday morning, is still in a critical condition, according to doctors

India Australia Cricket Schedule

Complete Schedule

• Sun Oct, 25 - 09:00, 1st ODI - India v Australia, Baroda
• Wed Oct, 28 - 14:30, 2nd ODI - India v Australia, Nagpur
• Sat Oct, 31 - 14:30, 3rd ODI - India v Australia, New Delhi
• Mon Nov, 02 - 14:30, 4th ODI - India v Australia, Mohali
• Thu Nov, 05 - 14:30, 5th ODI - India v Australia, Hyderabad
• Sun Nov, 08 - 09:00, 6th ODI - India v Australia, Guwahati
• Wed Nov, 11 - 14:30, 7th ODI - India v Australia, Mumbai

Source: http://www.cricketworld4u.com

Champions League T20 Teams

Checkout Complete team information

• Deccan Chargers
• Delhi Daredevils
• Royal Challengers
• Cape Cobras
• Diamond Eagles
• New South Wales Blues
• Otago Volts
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Victoria Bushrangers
• Wayamba
• Sussex
• Somerset

मैरीकाम को राजीव गांधी खेल रत्न!

नई दिल्ली। चार बार की विश्व चैंपियन महिला मुक्केबाज एमसी मैरीकाम को देश का सबसे बड़ा खेल पुरस्कार राजीव गांधी खेल रत्न मिलना तय है। पुरस्कार चयन समिति ने सोमवार को सर्वसम्मति से उन्हें इस पुरस्कार के लिए चुना। जबकि सहायक राष्ट्रीय मुक्केबाजी कोच जयदेव बिष्ट को द्रोणाचार्य पुरस्कार के लिए चुना गया है।

एक शीर्ष अधिकारी ने गोपनीयता की शर्त पर कहा, 'समिति ने मैरीकाम के नाम पर सर्वसम्मति से सहमति जताई। इस संबंध में खेल मंत्रालय से सिफारिश की गई है जो इसे जल्द ही मंजूर दे देगा।' अधिकारी ने बताया कि बीजिंग ओलंपिक के कांस्य पदक विजेता मुक्केबाज विजेंदर कुमार के नाम पर भी चर्चा की गई लेकिन समिति ने आखिर में मैरीकाम के नाम पर मुहर लगाई।

उन्होंने कहा, 'विजेंदर और कुश्ती में ओलंपिक कांस्य जीतने वाले सुशील कुमार के नाम पर भी चर्चा हुई लेकिन बाद में मैरीकाम को ही पुरस्कार देने का फैसला किया गया।' दो बच्चों की मां 25 वर्षीय मैरीकाम ने अब तक हुई पांचों विश्व चैंपियनशिप में पदक जीते। उन्होंने पिछले साल चीन में लगातार चौथी बार स्वर्ण पदक जीता था। अधिकारी ने बताया कि मैरीकाम के अलावा एक अन्य महिला मुक्केबाज और विश्व चैंपियनशिप में रजत पदक जीतने वाली एल सरिता देवी [52 किग्रा] को 2008 के अर्जुन पुरस्कार के लिए चुना गया है। उन्होंने कहा कि इसके अलावा सहायक राष्ट्रीय मुक्केबाजी कोच जयदेव बिष्ट को द्रोणाचार्य पुरस्कार के लिए चुना गया है।

इस बीच भारतीय क्रिकेट बोर्ड [बीसीसीआई] ने दुनिया में नंबर एक टेस्ट बल्लेबाज गौतम गंभीर और महिला टीम की कप्तान झूलन गोस्वामी को अर्जुन पुरस्कार देने की सिफारिश की है। अर्जुन पुरस्कार के लिए जिन अन्य खिलाड़ियों के नामों की सिफारिश की गई है उनमें भारतीय फुटबाल टीम के डिफेंडर्स महेश गवली और दीपक मंडल तथा मिडफील्डर क्लाइमेक्स लारेन्स का नाम शामिल है।

पूर्व एशियाई शतरंज चैंपियन तानिया सचदेव और युवा ग्रैंडमास्टर परिमार्जन नेगी के नाम की भी सिफारिश की गई है। डबल ट्रैप निशानेबाज रंजन सोंढ़ी सहित तीन निशानेबाजों के नाम पुरस्कार के लिए भेजे गए हैं। एथलेटिक्स में चक्का फेंक की एथलीट कृष्णा पूनिया और 800 मीटर की धाविका सिनिमोल पाउलोज दावेदार हैं। खेल रत्न, अर्जुन पुरस्कार और ध्यानचंद पुरस्कार चयन समिति की अध्यक्ष पूर्व टेबल टेनिस राष्ट्रीय चैंपियन इंदु पुरी हैं जबकि द्रोणाचार्य पुरस्कार समिति के अध्यक्ष जी एस रंधावा हैं।

88 ragging cases, 12 deaths in last one year: Study

New Delhi: sustained campaigns by the media and government, ragging appears to be going on unbated in India with 88 cases and 12 deaths being reported in the last one year, according to a new study. Andhra Pradesh topped the list with 12 ragging cases, followed by West Bengal (10), Uttar Pradesh (10) and Punjab (8), the report today released by anti-ragging NGO Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (CURE) claimed.

"The number of ragging cases reported in the media from July 2008 to June 2009 are 88, number of ragging deaths are 12 and number of attempted suicides are five," the study said. During the same period last year, 89 ragging cases were reported, out of which 11 resulted in deaths.

There were five attempted suicides too, said the group which regularly records and tabulates reports of ragging cases from the media. "This clearly indicates that despite the tall claims made by the HRD Ministry, UGC and various regulatory bodies, the situation has not improved," Harsh Aggarwal of CURE said.

"In the last academic session, Andhra Pradesh reported 12 incidents of ragging, including four cases of death and a case of attempted suicide. Punjab, even though a small state, has consistently reported high number of such incidents," he said.

Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, which did not report any ragging cases in the past, recorded high number of incidents this year (6 and 7 respectively). Among the cases in HP was the death of medical student Aman Kachroo, which caused widespread outrage and prompted the Central and state governments to take a number of anti-ragging measures.

Suu Kyi conferred on Mahatma Gandhi Peace award

Durban:The pro-democracy Myanmar leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been felicitated with Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation here. The award was bestowed by the South African-based Mahatma Gandhi Foundation at a function at the Durban City Hall last night.

Burmese Prime Minister in exile, Thien Win received the award on her behalf which was presented by South African Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim. Bestowing the award, Paddy Kearney, a trustee of the Foundation, said the award was being given on July 20 because it represents the 20th anniversary of Suu Kyi''s house arrest by the military junta in her country.

"She is a non-violent leader in the mould of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King. The award is in recoginition of her strong commitment to non-violence, justice and peace," he said.

We are not sure whether she knows about this award but what we can tell you that our chairperson Ela Gandhi, had sent a letter to the Burmese ambassador in Pretoria and it was returned without being opened, he added. Kearney said that South Africa fully supports Aung San Suu Kyi and the Myanmarese people in their struggles.

Source: yahoo

Classical vocalist Gangubai Hangal passes away

Hubli: Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Gangubai Hangal passed away at a hospital here on Tuesday after a brief illness.

Hangal, 97, is survived by two sons and a daughter.

According to doctors, she was put on life support on Monday night and breathed her last on Tuesday morning.

Born in 1913, Hangal was a classical singer of the Kirana Gharana. She studied under Sawai Gandharva. Her autobiography is titled Nanna Badukina Haadu (The Song Of My Life).

She began her concert career with a performance at the Bombay Music Circle in 1933.

She was bestowed with several honours, including the Padma Bhushan, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Tansen Samman.

Pakistan rejects Kasab's "under pressure" confessions

Islamabad: Pakistan has rejected Ajmal Amir Kasab's confessions regarding his involvement in the 26/11 carnage.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar termed Kasab's confessions as "one sided" and said that it was made "under pressure".

"I don't know how much one can value them (statements) in the court of law. The statements are one-sided and they were made by a person who is under the custody of Indian jail authorities. If he has stood up and given this statement I don't know under what pressure he was," Mukhtar told televisions channels.

He also questioned the credibility of confessions, saying Kasab has changed his statements in court on several previous occasions.

"There cannot be any credibility of the statement of a person who has changed his statements a couple of times," The Nation quoted Mukhtar, as saying.

When enquired that whether the confessions would lead to crackdown on terrorist groups operating in the country, Mukhtar said one cannot crack down on groups on the basis of confessions by a person behind bars.

"They (confessions) are no evidences. These were provided by a person who is behind the bars. We cannot crackdown on people based on his statements," he said.

Mukhtar reiterated that New Delhi should hand over all evidence against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, and said Islamabad is committed to bring the masterminds to justice.

Earlier, Kasab, the lone surviving attacker of November 2008 attack, pleaded guilty to the offence before a Mumbai court.
For the first time in his confession, Kasab said, "Mujhe mera gunha kabool hai (I plead guilty to my crime)."

Narrating the entire plot, he confessed that he came along with nine other terrorists in a boat from Karachi.

Kasab also owned up for his involvement in attacks at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and at Cama Hospital.

He named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and alleged mastermind Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi as the key conspirator, saying he was instructed to conduct a fidayeen (suicide) attack in Mumbai.

Kasab has been charged with murder, conspiracy and waging war against India along with other crimes. His trial was to have started on April 15 but was put off as his lawyer, Anjali Waghmare, had been dismissed for a conflict of interest. He has sicne been represented by a new lawyer named Abbas Kazmi.

Kasab's confession came two days after the Pakistan Government filed a chargesheet against five 26/11 prime accused suspects.

Ramesh's Hindi disease command draws opposition's flak in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Replying to parliamentary questions in English once again, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh found himself in trouble on Monday when a BJP member objected to him not responding in Hindi in the Rajya Sabha.

During Question Hour, when Ramesh replied in English to a supplementary put to him in Hindi, it triggered a sharp reaction from Kalraj Mishra (BJP) who asked why was he not replying in Hindi despite being fluent in it.

To this Ramesh commented in Hindi: "Kalraj Mishraji yeh Mulayam Singhji ki bimari aap ko bhi pahuch gayi hai (this 'disease' of Mulyam Singh Yadav has reached you.”

The minister's remark drew flak from the BJP, SP and BSP members, who said Hindi was not a disease.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh had objected to Ramesh's response to a question put to him during Question Hour.

Singh had said: "You know Hindi; you can speak in Hindi; this is not London.” Conceding the point, the Minister switched to Hindi with ease.

Ramesh said in the Rajya Sabha that he was looking at cutting down the time taken in his ministry for processing applications for environment clearance for projects, but wanted a wider public hearing.

He said 210 days are given to complete all formalities for environment clearance for projects.
Separately, 150 days are taken for giving forest clearance once projects have been cleared by state governments.

Ramesh said the 210-day deadline for environment clearance is extended in some projects involving wildlife sanctuary, environment fragile zone and complicated project requiring enough safeguards.

Of the 210 days' deadline, 60 days are for setting terms of reference for environment impact assessment, 45 days for public hearing, 60 days for environment impact appraisal and 45 days for communicating the decision, he said adding the 60 days taken by his ministry may be reduced to 45 days

Delhi HC upholds conviction of Nanda in BMW hit and run case

The Delhi High Court has upheld the conviction of Sanjeev Nanda in the infamous BMW hit and run case, in which six persons were killed in 1999.

Justice Kailash Gambhir however reduced Nanda’s jail term from five to two years.

Nanda, a grandson of former Navy Chief Admiral S.M. Nanda, killed six persons while driving a BMW car in an inebriated condition in the wee hours of January 10, 1999 in the Lodhi Colony area of South Delhi.

Besides Nanda, the court had also sentenced Rajiv Gupta and Bhola Nath to a year and six months in jail, respectively.

Justice Gambhir also ordered for a criminal prosecution against controversial witness Sunil Kulkarni.

Earlier, Justice Gambhir had reserved his verdict in May. Challenging his conviction by a trial court, Nanda argued that the lower court had convicted him under media pressure.

The court convicted Nanda under the Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

India will not pull out of Iran gas pipeline project: Deora

The Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora has made clear that India will not bow to any external pressure on the participation in Iran – Pakistan – India gas pipe line.

Replaying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Deora said there are some outstanding issues including finalization of the gas price with Iran.

Deora told the house that the energy needs of the country are paramount and that there is no question of succumbing to any external pressure in the energy sector.

India is very sure that the Iran –Pakistan-India pipeline project is good for all the three parties. The project has been considerably delayed, as it has not been able to decide on price of gas with Iran, Deora said.

Deora informed members that transportation tariff to be paid for the wheeling of the gas through a section of the pipeline passing through Pakistan and the transit fee to be paid to that country for allowing passage is yet to be finalised.

Deora said that India would get the custody of the gas at the Iran –Pakistan border.

Deora also assured members that he has cleared India’s stance regarding New Delhi’s participation in this pipeline project to US Energy Secretary Sam Bodman.

Pakistan promises to catch India attackers

Pakistan promised India on Thursday that it will do everything in its power to bring the Mumbai terror attackers to justice, a key demand by New Delhi to improve relations.

The prime ministers of the two nuclear powers also agreed that action on terrorism should not be linked to their peace talks, the joint statement said, something that has been asked for by Islamabad.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Gilani met on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Summit in Sharm el-Sheik, in a much anticipated meeting that comes after a seven-month freeze in dialogue due to an attack by Pakistani gunmen on India's financial capital of Mumbai that killed 166 people.

"Prime Minister Singh reiterated the need to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice. Prime Minister Gilani assured that Pakistan will do everything in their power in this regard," said the statement.

The two prime ministers agreed to cooperate on the investigation into the incident, with India maintains was planned and launched from Pakistan.

"Pakistan has provided an updated status dossier on the investigations of the Mumbai attacks and (the prime minister) has sought additional information and evidence," the statement said.

The leaders also agreed that they would "share real time, credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threat."

In move of great importance to Pakistan, the two leaders also agreed to delink their wider talks on issues such as water, demilitarization and the dispute territory of Kashmir from the discussions over terrorism.

India previously had been unwilling to continue the composite talks until its concerns over Pakistan response to terrorism had been addressed.

"The most important thing is that what we were hoping, for that there should be constructive engagement, (happened)," said Pakistani minister of state for foreign affairs, Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan.

"They decided in the future there will be constant engagement and that will help us break the deadlock," he told The Associated Press.

In India, meanwhile, Lalit Mansingh, the former foreign secretary, described the meeting as a step forward and welcomed Pakistan's commitment to go after the attacks, nothing that they are scheduled to try five suspects for plotting the attacks.

"These are steps forward. If there is actually a trial and we see that it is proper trial I think it would restore (India's) confidence in Pakistan," he told India's NDTV network. "The prime minister is giving flexibility to Pakistan and Pakistan will be tested on that."

Earlier this month India reacted with anger when a Pakistani court ordered the release of Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the founder of the group India blames for the Mumbai siege.

India and Pakistan have been adversaries for decades. They have fought three wars, two over the disputed territory of Kashmir, since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

In 2001, a suicide attack on the Indian Parliament pushed them to the brink of war again, but tensions eventually subsided. They began formal peace talks in 2004, but they were put on hold after the Mumbai attacks.

India has accused Pakistani authorities of supporting militants fighting in Kashmir. India, the U.S. and other nations have urged Pakistan to do more to curb Islamic militant groups.

Indian markets bounces back

The benchmark Sensex bounced back to record a hefty gain of 453.38 points at 13,853.70 on the BSE on Tuesday, following Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee statement that the economy was showing early signs of recovery.

The Sensex had lost nearly 10 percent in the last few trading sessions.

Mukherjee said in Parliament on Tuesday that the government had to increase borrowing to invest more, in the absence of private investment.

The 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty surged by 137.35 points at 4,111.40, after touching the day''s high of 4,128.90.

The market also received a booster following upbeat economic data from Singapore and Australia and a surge in investor confidence data in Germany.

A better opening at European stock markets and an overnight surge on the Wall Street were other supporting factors.

The realty sector index gained the most, 9.38 percent, to 2,995.16.

The metal sector index was the second-best performer, gaining 5.53 percent to 10,273.75, as market participants felt the improvement in economic conditions would raise demand for base metals

Tata Nano makes showroom debut in Hyderabad

Tata Motors on Tuesday rolled out the first commercial consignment of Nano, regarded as the World''s cheapest car to be showcased at Hyderabad on Tuesday.

“The first consignment has come to Hyderabad. Tata Nanos’ have been dispatched particularly for Hyderabad. They have sent 84 cars, out of which 50 are Tata Nano and the rest 34 are Magic,” said S K Singh, Area Manager of Tata Motors.

Residents in the ‘Twin Cities’ of Hyderabad and Secunderabad had been eagerly waiting for the Tata Nano, costing just over Rs 1,00,000.

They contended that this car is a boon for the middle class society.

“In Rs 1,00,000, you get a Pulsar. Here, in one lakh, five people can travel together. I need to find out the details about its mileage. Once these cars start running on road, all motorcycles will disappear,” said Deep Bhavanishankar, a local resident

Dalai Lama’s visit to Lahaul-Spiti promotes tourism in Himachal

Lahul-Spiti, a tribal region which remains isolated for more than half-a-year from rest of world, is presently emerging as a centre for religious tourism.

The place has started drawing a big number of tourists from different parts of the country and world since Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s visits to Lahaul-Spiti’s Kaza and Tabo towns. It is also very close to Tibet.

An increasing number of Buddhist devotees are converging from different corners of the world here to attend spiritual sessions by Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at Lahaul and Spiti.

Hordes of Tibetan and Indian Buddhists, monks, nuns, children, foreign tourists, and others have assembled at the Sakya monastery in Lahaul-Spiti district of the state for the preaching.

Sunn, a Mexican national, is one of such devotees who came to the hill town to meet the Dalai Lama.

"I came here to see Dalai Lama and it''s a beautiful place. It was little bit hard to come here. Very special scenery and the ceremonies were great," said Sunn.

Meanwhile, the arrival of tourists and devotees is giving boost to the enthusiasm of local residents. They are delighted, as they hope that visiting devotees will further promote the region on the map of international religious tourism, especially for Buddhist followers worldwide.

"Tourists are coming here in large numbers. A minimum 400 to 500 visitors arrive here daily. They have come here to attend spiritual sessions and preaching. It is nice as tourists will come and see monasteries and culture here and they will further promote it in the world," said Sohan Singh, a village council head.

Besides Sakya monastery, there are other famous monasteries such as Key, Kibber, Khangsar, Komic and Tabo in the northern region.

The Dalai Lama has been living in Dharamsala along with thousands of his followers ever since they fled from their homeland after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

An estimated 134,000 Tibetans live in exile, a majority of them in India and Nepal.

BJP asks Govt. act with care during talks with Pakistan

Bharatiya Janata Party has cautioned the United Progressive Alliance government ahead of discussions with Pakistan in the wake of the Pakistani Government’s withdrawal of appeal challenging Pakistan High court’s order to release Hafiz Saeed, the top LeT operative wanted in Mumbai terror attacks of last November.

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said that the Government should take note of release of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and should act with care.

"Hafiz Saeed (a top operative of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba) issue is also a major issue and also an example that how Pakistan is trying to be soft on people who are engaging in terrorism. This is a classic case and India should convey it to Pakistan even before the resumption of talks," said Naidu in New Delhi.

As the Supreme Court (SC) was to hear petitions on Tuesday against the release of the Jammat ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed by
the Lahore High Court, the Punjab government informed the apex court that it has decided to withdraw the case against Hafiz Saeed and filed a plea for withdrawal of the case.( Watch )

The release of Hafiz Saeed and his close aide Col (R) Nazir Ahmed were challenged in the Supreme Court by the federal and Punjab governments