India to verify reports of Chinese presence in Gilgit: MEA

India is making "independent verification" of the reports of presence of Chinese troops in Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying it would be a matter of "serious concern" if it turns out to be true.


"We have seen media reports...and are seeking an independent verification of these reports. If true, it would be a matter of serious concern and we would do all that is necessary to ensure safety and security of the nation," official spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs Vishnu Prakash told reporters today.


He was asked about the reports in New York Times about the influx of an estimated 7,000 to 11,000 soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region in the PoK, which is closed to the world.


According to the US newspaper, "China wants a grip on the strategic area to assure unfettered road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan," and for this purpose is building high-speed rail and road link.


The link up would enable Beijing to transport cargo and oil tankers from eastern China to the new Chinese-built Pakistani Naval base at Gawadar, Pasni and Ormara in Balochistan, just east of the Gulf in 48 hours.


"Many of the PLA soldiers entering Gilgit-Baltistan are expected to work on the railroad. Some are extending the Karakoram Highway, built to link China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan. Others are working on dams, expressways and other project," the paper said.

London bookie claims Sydney Test was fixed

he bookie, who was arrested for alleged ''spot-fixing'' in the England-Pakistan Lord's Test, has claimed that the result of the January Sydney Test between Australia and Pakistan was rigged.
The alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed, who was released on bail last night, is seen boasting about the fixed result and the money he earned from it in the video of the sting operation carried out by British tabloid ''The News of the World''.
"Let me tell you the last Test we did. It was the second Test against Australia in Sydney. Australia had two more wickets left. They had a lead of 10 runs, yeah. And Pakistan had all their wickets remaining.
"The odds for Pakistan to lose that match, for Australia to win that match, were I think 40-1. We let them get up to 150 then everyone lost their wickets," newspapers here quoted Majeed as saying in the sting video.
"That one we made 1.3 million pounds. But that's what I mean, you can get up to a million. Tests is where the biggest money is because those situations arise."
Australia clinched an unlikely 36-run win in the Sydney Test after Pakistan lost nine wickets for a mere 89 runs.
The ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit had even investigated the match before giving it an all-clear.
But ''The News of the World'' expose has cast fresh doubts over the game.
The sting has already resulted in the mobile phones and passports of some Pakistani players being confiscated in London.
The scandal implicates among others, Pakistan captain Salman Butt, the pace duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
The team yesterday lost the Lord's Test by an innings and 225 runs.

Bihar: 7 policemen killed in 14-hr-long maoist encounter

A night-long encounter between security forces and Naxals in Poona-Dih village of Bihar's Lakhisarai district has finally ended after 14 hours. According to reports, seven policemen have been killed in the encounter.

11 security personnel were injured in the attack and 11 others are missing. The injured were taken to the Sadar Hospital in Lakhisarai.

The encounter began on Sunday evening when the Naxals attacked a police party searching the area. The search party included personnel from the Bihar Military Police, State Auxiliary Police (SAP) and the CRPF.

Chidambaram warns police chiefs against 'saffron terror'

Home Minister P Chidambaram spoke out again against "saffron terrorism" on Tuesday. "There is the recently uncovered phenomenon of saffron terrorism that has been implicated in many bomb blasts," he said, addressing a conference of police chiefs from different states. Chidambaram mentioned
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saffron terror while reminding his audience the terror threat had not gone away.

"There is no let up in the attempts to radicalise young men and women," he said.

Predictably riled, the BJP was quick to respond. BJP spokes-man Rajiv Pratap Rudy said Chidambaram needed an excuse to divert the attention since the country was "witnessing a lot of chaos".

"Terrorism cannot be attached to any religion," Rudy said.

The home minister's comments come in the backdrop of investigators finding clear links between Hindu extremist outfits and at least five bomb blasts in recent years: at Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid, at Ajmer, Goa, Malegaon in Maharashtra and Modasa in Gujarat.

Chidambaram also hoped to reach out to protesters in the Kashmir Valley, and lamented the Maoists had not come up with a credible response to the offer for dialogue.

Shooting with Gauri makes Shah Rukh Khan nervous

He may have faced the camera for numerous brand endorsements and films, but superstar Shah Rukh Khan is feeling jittery as he prepares to shoot with his wife Gauri for the first time for a television commercial.

"Preparing for a "big shoot" 2maro. No it's not ra.one with ten cameras. it is with Gauri for D decor brand furnishings....very nervous (sic)," SRK tweeted last night.

When contacted Ajay Arora, MD of D decor, the furnishing brand for which the star couple are the brand ambassadors, said Shah Rukh and Gauri as a couple highlight the aspirations of millions of homes.

"They are a dream couple and it is the dream of millions of couples that their homes should be fashionable," he said.

Arora said Gauri agreed to be part of the team because she believed in the concept of the dream of having a beautiful and fashionable house.

"Gauri is better prepared for the shoot and Shah Rukh is much more talented. Hence together, they make a unique combination," he said.

"The commercial depicts how fabrics can make home so beautiful," he added.

Gauri who was in Delhi to attend to her ailing father returned to Mumbai last night.

Flood fear in Delhi as Yamuna continues to rise

Could more low lying areas of the Capital be submerged? The shadow of floods looms large over Delhi as the Yamuna continues to flow well above the danger mark of 204.88 metres.

Rain is still coming down heavily in most parts of the city. The rainfall for the month of August has already broken a 10-year record. There has been more than 413 mm of rainfall in the city till now this month, the highest in a decade.

The other big concern is water released from a barrage in Haryana will reach Delhi later today, adding further to the woes.

"How will the poor manage? Where will we go? There is no food. We have made our houses here. Where else will we go," says Neeraj, a worried rickshaw puller.

At present the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) team and the Delhi government team are patrolling the river with 60 boats.

"People living in huts have been evacuated. But those living in houses on the river bank are still there. The water has reached their doors. If the water level rises it will be dangerous for them," says Sahabjeet Yadav, an NDRF Sub-Inspector.

The Chief Minister's office has said that at least 10 camps have been set up with temporary shelters in low lying areas close to the river.

I'm ready to prove conspiracy, Sushma Swaraj tells Sonia

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on Friday charged the Congress with hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka and prop up the “tottering” Congress government in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing the party's fifth and last janajagruti rally, organised here to counter the Congress' padayatra, Ms. Swaraj said she had all information that a person holding constitutional authority, whom she did not wish to name, had tried to woo the Reddy brothers, Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy, — both Ministers in Karnataka — to join the Congress. When the attempt failed, the Congress was up to its tricks to destabilise the first BJP government in the south.

“If AICC president Ms. Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh invite me to their house, I am ready to go there and give them all the details as to who are behind the conspiracy.” Ms. Swaraj wanted Ms. Gandhi to accept her claims as a challenge.

When the Reddy brothers rejected the Congress' offer, it came out with a series of programmes to defame and destabilise the BJP government, which included a padayatra.(The 320-km ‘Bellary chalo' padayatra was organised by the Congress to protest against the failure of the BJP government to check illegal mining of iron ore.)

Commending Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa for taking a bold decision on banning export of iron ore with the aim of protecting the resource, Ms. Swaraj sought to know what prevented the Congress, in its over six decades of its rule, from taking such measures.

“We are for a ban on exports of iron ore. If the Congress introduces a Bill [in Parliament] on banning exports of ore, then we are ready to support it even without discussion.” She wanted the UPA government to come out with legislation in this matter.

Senior leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said if the Union Government was concerned at the loot of iron ore, let it ban exports. “Congressmen have become fish out of water and have been striving hard to come back to power [in Karnataka], which is impossible. For, you [Congress] are for power and we [BJP] are for development and people have realised it.”

Ananth Kumar, MP and BJP general secretary, criticised the Congress MPs and Ministers representing the State for absenting themselves when the illegal mining issue was debated in the Lok Sabha. This exposed their hollow claim that they were concerned about protecting mineral resources.

Mr. Yeddyurappa; State BJP president K.S. Eshwarappa and Ministers Janardhan Reddy and B. Sriramulu spoke at the rally held on the Municipal School grounds.

Revolting tennis players withdraw threat to pul out from Commonwealth Games

India's top tennis players, who had threatened to boycott the Commonwealth Games because of non-payment of dues, today pledged to represent the country in the mega event after being given a categorical assurance that the vexed issues would be resolved soon.
On a day of swift developments, the revolting quartet of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna made themselves available to play for the country while the sports ministry and the AITA also promised to resolve the dispute as early as possible.
With all the parties showing some urgency in dealing with the issue, the row seemed headed for a settlement paving the way for the star players in the Davis Cup tie against Brazil and next month and October 3-14 Commonwealth Games.
The players however lashed out at the All India Tennis Association for leaking their private correspondence to the
media and delaying the submission of the bills for clearance.
"We would like to put all speculation to rest and confirm we will be present in full strength to represent India against Brazil in Chennai in September. We will continue to be committed to play for our country (in CWG)," the players said in a joint statement.
"It is true that we wrote a letter to the AITA to voice some concerns we had about expenses that we were promised over the last year and a half.
"We have all submitted bills to various people at the AITA over this period and now that the AITA has nominated us to represent India we requested them to make sure that the promises made are kept," the statement said.
The players said they have been assured by the sports ministry joint secretary (International sports division) Rahul Bhatnagar that all the dues will be settled soon.
"As for the CWG, Rahul Bhatnagar has confirmed to us personally there will be no issues on payments once the AITA releases all the bills we have submitted over time and more."
"The issue was meant to be a private matter between the players and the Federation and it deeply disturbs us that all our communication to the AITA was sent out to the media from the AITA office."
"We had no intention to create a media frenzy, just wanted to make sure we get what is due to us. We are hopeful that our genuine concerns will be addressed by our federation transparently without any delay," they said.
Keen to settle the issue, the sports ministry said it was willing to clear the dues even on receiving the minimum documentation from AITA.
Bhatnagar said they will not demand original bills if AITA certified the players' expenditures.
"We want to give money to these elite players but how can we give them if we do not have documents which show that they have spent money," Bhatnagar told PTI.
"All we want is a certificate from AITA, signed by their charted accountant that players have spent money. We will not ask for original bills but there has to be some proof that the money has been spent," he said.
Bhatnagar said there was no delay on sports ministry's part and it was AITA which has failed to produce the necessary documentation on time.
"We do not deal directly with the players. We get the bills from federations and pay to them. We have been telling AITA for the last two months that ministry has not received any bills from these elite players but AITA did not provide us anything,"
Bhatnagar, who is also chairman of the steering committee looking after the CWG preparations, said.
He said the ministry will release funds for only those tournaments which were not sponsored.
"We want to avoid double payment. Payment will be counted
for only events where players have spent on their own and not by organisers or sponsors. AITA will have to issue certificate that such and such event was not sponsored," he said.
Bhatnagar will meet AITA secretary general Anil Khanna and AITA officials on Monday to sort out the issue.
It is learnt that the AITA has managed to get details of two players so far and by tomorrow the officials are expected to gather information from the other three players to submit it on Monday.
Khanna welcomed the players' statement.
"I am very pleased to hear about the statement of the players that they are going to play in the Commonwealth Games. I was always 100 % sure that our players, who have stood selflessly by the nation for the last two decades, will continue to serve the nation."
"As regards their grievances, they are being addressed. Mr Jaideep Mukherjea, Chairman CWG Preparation Programme, and I will meet joint secretary Mr Rahul Bhatnagar on Monday to
sort out the pending issues of the players with the ministry of sports," Khanna said in a statement.

Ranbir cheated on Deepika?

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Bollywood's 'it' couple Deepika and Ranbir split suddently after reports of latter's romance with Katrina Kaif surfaced. Months after their break-up Deepika has now hinted that it was Ranbir who strayed. She tells apunkachoice.com, "When I am in a relationship, I give it my all. I am totally committed and devoted. I am more giving, maybe because I am a Capricorn. I don't expect the same back but somehow in all my relationships, it has been the guy who has strayed. You can ignore something if it happens once, but if it keeps happening, you have to realise that something is wrong."

Though Deepika who doesn't believe in washing dirty linen in public hasn't said anything directly, she has given sufficient  fodder for 'imagination'.

DeepikaAnd we wonder if Salman broke up with Katrina for the same reason. Keep checking out this space for more updates.

After hike, Indian MP gets 13 times less pay than US lawmaker!

 Even after a three-fold pay hike, Indian MPs still rank much below their fellow parliamentarians in major countries in terms of their monthly salaries.

With the Cabinet today giving its nod to the MPs' pay rise besides doubling several other emoluments, the basic monthly salary of Indian lawmakers has now gone up to Rs 50,000 from Rs 16,000.

However, the new salary component, excluding perks and other allowances, is not on a par with the monthly emoluments their counterparts in other major economies are drawing at present.

For example, the current salary for all Senators and Members of the House of Representatives in the US is USD 174,000 per annum, or USD 14,500 per month. If converted into Indian currency, the monthly salary of a US lawmaker becomes Rs 675,203, which is more than 13 times the new salary of an Indian MP.

When compared with the monthly pay of a Canadian MP, the new salary of Indian MPs is almost 11 times lower, while it is eight times lower than that of British lawmakers.

A member of Canada's House of Commons is currently drawing USD 12,611 as salary per month while it is 5,478 pounds or Rs 399,941 for a British parliamentarian.

According to the Australian government's website, the base salary of a MP in that country is about USD 118,000 per annum or USD 9,833 per month.

Similarly, a member of Japanese Parliament (Diet) gets about 1.3 million yen, or USD 15,200, every month. The net monthly pay of a MP in Singapore is 13,710 Singapore dollars, or Rs 471,364.

The monthly salaries of lawmakers in France, Italy, Germany and Spain are EUR 7,002, EUR 5,487, EUR 7,688 and EUR 3,126 respectively.

Woman sleeps with 20 strangers in bid to get pregnant

A British woman has revealed that she is so desperate to get pregnant that she has bedded 20 men, who are strangers, in the past year.

Lara Carter, 25, from Penryn, Cornwall, even uses ovulation kits to know when she is most fertile, and when she meets someone she pretends to be drunk, and throws herself at the man, making it obvious she wants sex.

"First, I check if I'm ovulating. I have spent a fortune on the expensive tests. They cost 20 pounds for a pack of five but there is no point going out and meeting a man if I'm not at my most fertile," the Sun quoted her as saying.

"After getting dressed up - and putting on a wig - I meet some friends at a bar and instantly start looking for potential sperm donors," she revealed.

And Carter, an assistant office manager, is so desperate that when she meets a man who wants to use a condom, she will offer one from her purse, which she has already pierced a hole in.

Her obsession with getting pregnant started a year ago, when she attended the birth of a friend's baby, but with no regular boyfriend, her desire to have a baby drove her to target strangers as potential fathers.

"Men my age aren't that interested in settling down with a kid so quickly into a relationship, so I have given up on trying to have a baby with a partner," she said.

"I've looked into getting a sperm donation but it's too expensive. My nearest private clinic costs 295 pounds for a consultation then it would cost a further 2,000 pounds for a donation.

"There are plenty of men out there willing to have a one-night stand for free. As I am big-busted and like to have fun, guys are instantly interested in me.

"I immediately make it obvious I'm only after a one-night stand and most blokes are always up for that. As I need to stay in control, I don't get drunk but pretend to be tipsy and flirty.

"When I find a potential sperm donor, I get their first name and ask if they have any STDs. If they haven't and we end up spending the night together, I'll sneak out in the morning.

"When I don't want to spend the whole night with a man, I'll get the deed over and done with before I go home. I've had sex in some unusual places, including a car and even nightclub toilets.

"Obviously, I encourage them to have unprotected sex, but some men want to use a condom. If they do, I always have one that I have pre-pricked in my handbag. That way the sex isn't a waste of time," she added.

'I regret what happened overall' - Sangakkara

A day ahead of Sri Lanka's key match against New Zealand, their captain Kumar Sangakkara spent nearly his entire press conference addressing questions about the Suraj Randiv no-ball controversy. Sangakkara regretted the incident, wanted his team to concentrate on Thursday's match, and said the Sri Lankan board would decide whether further action needed to be taken. 

"I regret what happened overall," he said. "We need to take up the responsibility as a team and we need to get back to the right mindset ahead of tomorrow's game. I spoke my mind out to the team on the whole incident. I had a chat with my team manager as well. Now it's up to the cricket board to decide."

The incident occurred at the end of their match against India, when a big no-ball from Randiv with the scores level left Virender Sehwag one short of a century, with the six that he hit off the no-ball not counting against his name. Despite having no impact on the result - India won and collected a bonus point as well - the episode has turned into a full-blown controversy. Both Randiv and SLC apologised to Sehwag on Wednesday and the Sri Lankan board launched an internal inquiry. 

Sehwag had initially shrugged off missing a hundred but was critical of Randiv at a press conference soon after the match, claiming that the bowler has deliberately overstepped. Sangakkara was unhappy with Sehwag's change in attitude and said all parties needed to play their part in putting the incident behind.

"We have taken the necessary steps. I have spoke to Mahi [MS Dhoni] and Gary Kirsten. Sehwag has tweeted that there have been other approaches made to him," Sangakkara said. "I think if you all talk of the spirit of the game, once you set right things in motion, it's the responsibility of all players, to be within that spirit. We can't expect just one side to keep making the advances and holding out the hand while it has been sensationalised by other players, I think everyone's got the responsibility to move on from this incident."

Sangakkara also said he had initially thought Sehwag had made a hundred and only came to know the batsman finished on 99 at the post-match presentation. "As a side, we were under the impression that even in the normal situations of the game even in a no ball, you get the runs. I was under the impression that Sehwag was on 105. There was no instance [when] we thought he was denied a 100. Tony Greig asked me at the post-match presentation, Sehwag was denied a hundred. That was a surprise to me, I don't think anyone understood the intricacies of the law in first place."

Vessel collision off Mumbai coast; 100 containers missing

Nearly 100 containers that fell into the waters following the collision between two merchant vessels off the Mumbai coast are still missing and two of them are carrying hazardous chemicals.

“The salvage operation is underway. About 100 out of the total 250 containers are yet to be traced from the waters,” Rahul Asthana, Chairman of Mumbai Port Trust, told PTI.

Two of the missing containers carry hazardous chemicals and efforts are on to locate and retrieve them, he said.

Two merchant vessels -- MSC Chitra and Khalijia-III collided off the Mumbai coast on August 7 causing an oil spill. Several containers from one of the vessels fell into the sea.

Deadline for execution of warrant against Madani set to expire

Arrest or surrender of PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani in the 2008 Bangalore blasts case is expected to take place today as the deadline for execution of the warrant issued by a Karnataka court against him is set to expire by this evening.

Political pressure is also mounting on the LDF Government in Kerala to facilitate the Karnataka Police, camping in the state for the past eight days, to carry out the legal process.

After a meeting with Bangalore Joint Commissioner Alok Kumar in Thiruvananthapuram last night, Kerala IG (Southern Range) Hemachandran made it clear that the "warrant would be executed."

This assurance came after Karnataka Home Minister V S Acharya yesterday openly blamed the Kerala Government for the delay in the arrest.

"By about 2 pm either Madani will surrender before the court or they (Kerala Police) will secure him for us," Acharya said.

"Even if they don't cooperate, there are many options left for us," he said.

Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said if Madani did not surrender before the court today, Karnataka police could arrest him for which the state would extend all help.

Such an understanding had been reached during talks between the police of the two states, he said.

"There is no misunderstanding whatsoever on the issue," Balakrishnan said.

The PDP leadership is still weighing the options before them-- whether to yield to the arrest or surrender before a nearby court.

It was also possible that Madani could be moved to a hospital since the doctors who examined him yesterday suggested such a course.

According to police sources, even in such a scenario, the police could bring him under its custody and record the arrest to fulfill the legal requirement.

The situation in and around the orphanage complex at Anwarssery, where Madani is camping, is under police control.

Madani was chargesheeted in the Bangalore serial blasts, which left one person dead and injured 20 others, following which a Bangalore court has issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

The Karnataka High Court had on August 3 rejected his anticipatory bail application. He has now moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on his arrest. The petition is likely to be listed for mentioning today.

The PDP leader was also an accused in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts in which 58 people were killed. However, he was acquitted by the trial court.

Shoe thrower may have used politician's invitation card

Investigators on Monday were probing the possibility of extra invitation cards collected by a politician being used by the suspended policeman, who flung a shoe at the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, to gain entry into the restricted VIP gallery. This angle is being looked into as a
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high-level probe by Police and local administration tried to ascertain how the suspended head constable Abdul Ahad Jahan managed to enter the VIP gallery and embarass Omar by hurling the shoe while he was unfurling the national tricolour at the Independence Day function on Sunday.

According to sources privy to the investigations, a prominent MLA of opposition party had approached Divisional Commissioner's office for additional three VIP invitation cards. The identity of those who had used these cards to get into the VIP enclosure was not immediately known.

Efforts were on to procure details from the politician, whose name was not revealed immediately, as to whom did he hand over the three passes, the sources said.

The sources said the probe being conducted by the police authorities showed the police apparently did not have much of a role behind Jahan's entry as their duties were limited to complete body frisking and whether or not the guest was carrying a valid invitation card.

The name on the invitation card needed to be matched with the identity card of the visitor by the Divisional Commissioner's staff, a procedure which appears not to have been done in this paraticular case.

As many as 15 policemen including four officers were suspended on Sunday. The policemen four of whom who were of sub-inspector rank faced the action pending an enquiry for lax security arrangements which enabled the head constable to enter the highly-secured Bakshi Stadium.

Jahan, who was in the VIP enclosure behind the rows where Omar was taking salute from marching contingents after unfurling the national flag, was overpowered by security men and has been arrested.

Jahan, a resident of Ajjas in Bandipore, claimed during interrogation that he was dropped by a zonal President of the rival political party on his motorcycle at the Bakshi stadium, according to official sources.

The probe also showed that Jahan was suspended in May this year after he was chargesheeted in two cases for being drunk while on duty and extortion while the third case was still under investigation.

Jahan's son Showkat is a surrendered militant and is facing a chargesheet for providing shelter to terrorists. The arrested constable had also filed a case against the Jammu and Kashmir Police in court claiming that he deserved a double promotion. However, the case was dismissed by the court. In both the cases, he was represented by a prominent lawyer.

Police also recovered some medical prescriptions from Jahan's pocket and it was suggested he may be undergoing some psychiatric treatment.