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Posts published in January 2009

Kashmir silent majority votes for democracy

By Farooq Ganderbali Defying all predictions and trampling the boycott call given by the separatist leaders, a large majority of Kashmir has voted for the success of democracy. This majority which has been suffering for no reason of their and they had been overshadowed by the vociferous voices of few. But when their turn came for making a change they defied all restrictions not only for themselves but for future generations also. There has been…

FIFA names Cristiano Ronaldo footballer of the year

Zurich: Manchester United’s Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who last month won the European Footballer of the Year, was Monday named FIFA World Footballer of the Year. Twenty-three-year-old Ronaldo, who made history by becoming the first Premier League-based player to win the award, beat off the other finalists Kaka, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres and Xavi to win the award. Here are some details about Ronaldo (courtesy Reuters) THE BEST IN THE WORLD: With his clever step-overs,…

High and Dry in Chile’s Atacama Desert

When the latest 007 flick Quantum of Solace exploded on the world’s screens last year, its desert climax highlighted the fact that South America is not all steaming jungles and snowcapped peaks. The continent is also the site of the most arid place on earth — the stunning Atacama Desert in northern Chile. The area is a fitting locale for part of the film’s plot, which involves the sinister Quantum organization in an attempt to…

Revelations from Todd Rundgren

Todd Rundgren’s new album was inspired by touring and his thoughts on militarism. Not just his songwriting and recording methods, though those, too, are unorthodox. It’s the whole music business-pop star arrangement, which is based on musicians determined to hit the Top 40 and then doing it again and again — with occasional artistic detours — that he’s subverted. He likes it that way. He describes the creation of his music as “very plastic,” in…

Race for the top Test team still wide open

New Delhi: Put the celebrations on hold. Australia are still world number one after winning the Sydney test. But the shield of invincibility surrounding Ricky Ponting’s men has been shattered beyond repair and it has opened up a close race for the top sport in test cricket with South Africa and India in hot pursuit. A candidate for profiles in courage, Graeme Smith led from the front as South Africa almost upset the world order.…

Bringing Satyam auditor PwC to book may not be easy

New Delhi: Satyam chairman Ramalinga Raju’s letter incriminating himself of fraud and tainting the auditors with negligence or worse has been enough for Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to spring into action, but the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) says it cannot direct the auditors to explain themselves on the basis of that letter. But the institute’s chairman of the disciplinary committee is collecting facts like the time of fraud to…

Take a mental holiday, stay relaxed

Recently I met my friend Pradeep, who works with a finance company in a senior position. After the initial chit chat, I asked him how he managed to look so fresh and cheerful. He laughed and said, “Every weekend I die, and am reborn on Monday.” Seeing my puzzled look, he laughed, “I don’t mean literally, it’s just that on Saturday, I forget myself, my worries, my work, my targets and deadlines, and I indulge…

Candy and cocaine equally addictive: Study

New Delhi: You put it in your tea, your coffee, in anything that you want sweetened – yes, we are talking about sugar. But it’s now time to get off your sweet dream, because that leftover New Year delight could act as a gateway drug. In a massive study done by Princeton University, for four weeks white rats were denied food for 12 hours a day and then given concentrated sugar for the remaining 12…

Mumbai-like attack could happen in US: Bush aide

Washington: US cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorised Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people, White House Homeland Security Adviser, Ken Wainstein said on Wednesday. Wainstein told a Washington think tank the Mumbai attacks in November showed the effectiveness of a low-technology coordinated assault on an open city. “You can envision that happening in any American city, and it’s chilling when you think about it,” Wainstein told policy-makers…

Rockets from Lebanon strike Israel

At least three rockets fired from Lebanon strike northern Israel, wounding two people, Israeli police and emergency medical services say. The attacks come as Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, aimed at halting rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory to the south, enters a 13th day

China alert over bird flu death

China has issued an alert against bird flu following the death of a 19-year-old woman from the disease. The woman died after she came into contact with poultry in a market in central Hebei province. Since the outbreak of bird flu in 2003, 21 people in China have died. Worldwide, 247 people have died. But this is China’s first bird flu death in almost a year, and the authorities here have reacted by declaring a…