Hijacked supertanker anchors off Somali coast

Nairobi/Mogadishu, Nov 18 (DPA) A Saudi Arabian supertanker hijacked by pirates has anchored near the Somali port of Harardhere, a Somali official said Tuesday.
The tanker Sirius Star, which was sailing under a Liberian flag, was seized Saturday by Somali pirates 830 km southeast of the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa.
'We received information from our sources that the Saudi tanker arrived near Harardhere this morning,' Bile Mohamoud Qabowsade, a senior adviser to president of the semi-autonomous Puntland region, told DPA.
'We can't try to rescue it unless we have permission from the owners and also external help,' he added.
Harardhere is around 400 km from the pirate stronghold of Eyl, where the hijackers often take ships and keep international warships at bay by holding crew members hostage.
Ship owner Vela International, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian oil company Saudi Aramco, said in a statement on its website that the ship was carrying a full load of crude oil when it was seized.
The Sirius Star, which is 330 metres long, can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil, meaning its cargo is worth around $100 million.
However, the pirates, who operate out of small launches from a mothership, do not have the capability to unload the crude and are expected to hold the ship to ransom.
The ship's 25 crew members, who are from Britain, Croatia, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia, are all safe, Vela International said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister called the hijacking an 'outrageous act' and said that piracy must be fought.
'Piracy, like terrorism is a disease which is against everybody, and everybody must address it together,' Prince Saud al-Faisal said in Athens following talks with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni.
The US Navy, which operates a security patrol in the Gulf of Aden, also said it had no plans to intervene in what it called a 'hostage situation'.
'We don't see this as a military mission but as a criminal act at sea,' Commander Jane Campbell, a Bahrain-based spokeswoman for the US Navy's 5th fleet, told DPA. 'The lives of crew members could be threatened.'
No contact has yet been made with the pirates, but Vela International said it had set up response teams to negotiate the safe release of the crew members and the tanker.
The ship is the largest taken by pirates in a series of hijackings in the area over the past months and represents their most daring raid yet.
The attack took place well outside the normal danger areas in the Gulf of Aden. Anti-piracy officials said this showed that hijackers were changing their tactics to avoid international warships that have been deployed in the area.
'We are concerned ... for pirates to come so far out, this means they can then go to any part of the ocean to hijack ships,' Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Centre, told DPA.
The Gulf of Aden is a busy shipping channel which forms part of the route linking the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez canal.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says there have been 92 attempts at piracy off the coast of Somalia this year, 36 of them successful. Fourteen ships are currently being held, along with 268 crew.
Amongst the ships being held is Ukrainian freighter, the MV Faina, which was captured while carrying 33 military tanks to Mombasa.
The surge in piracy has prompted increased patrols by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Russia, the US-led coalition forces and France along the Somali coast.
However, the pirates appear undaunted by the increased naval presence and continue to attack ships in search of multimillion-dollar ransoms.
A report released by London-based independent think tank Chatham House in October said that pirates had scooped up to $30 million from ransoms in 2008.
The surge in piracy off Somalia has coincided with a rise in violence in Somalia itself, where authorities in the central and southern region are battling a bloody insurgency.

Will Bill Clinton block Hillary's choice as top diplomat?

Washington, Nov 18 (IANS) As US President-elect Barack Obama pondered over naming Democratic primary rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of sate, media reports suggested that her husband Bill Clinton's complicated global interests may pose a hurdle.
Obama's advisers 'have begun reviewing former President Bill Clinton's finances and activities to see whether they would preclude' the former first lady's appointment as the nation's top diplomat, said the New York Times.
The Clintons 'could be positioned to lead a public-private partnership on the global stage unlike any before it, one that experts say would bring with it a host of potential benefits and pitfalls for the new president,' suggested the Washington Post.
Bill Clinton's international business dealings, global foundation and penchant for going off script could present a significant obstacle to Hillary Clinton becoming secretary of state, said CNN citing observers.
On the one hand, his established relationships with world leaders could instantly make the New York senator a welcome face in embassies around the world, it said.
On the other, his complicated global business interests could present future conflicts of interest that result in unneeded headaches for the incoming commander-in-chief.
'These are issues that I'm sure are being discussed, and they will have to be worked out, and it's legitimate to ask these questions,' James Carville, a former aide to the Clintons, old CNN.
CNN said two officials with Obama's transition team have confirmed that it is investigating Bill Clinton's finances and post-presidential dealings.
Besides Hillary Clinton, Obama last week met with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, another former rival for the Democratic nomination,about the secretary of state position. The 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry too is said to be in the run.
Another hurdle could be praise from three prominent Republicans. Henry Kissinger, who was secretary of state in the Nixon and Ford administrations, has said Clinton would be an 'outstanding' selection.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told ABC it would be a 'great move.' And Republican senator Jon Kyl of Arizona told Fox News, 'She's got the experience; she's got the temperament for it.'
Meanwhile, A new poll suggests that most Americans are confident that Obama will make the right decisions when it comes to picking his top officials.
Forty-three percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday are very confident that Obama will make the right choices, with 34 percent somewhat confident and only 23 percent not confident.
'Obama is having the kind of honeymoon that no president-elect has had in at least 30 years,' said CNN polling director Keating Holland. 'It's no surprise that Americans have a positive view of anything Obama might do - at least until he does something controversial.'
Asked which appointment will matter the most to the country's future, 41 percent said the secretary of the treasury; 25 percent said secretary of state; 24 percent said secretary of defence and 8 percent named the attorney general.

Dhoni and Co better suited for T20 than Tests, felt Ponting

MELBOURNE: Blissfully unaware of the series bashing that awaited him in India, Australian captain Ricky Ponting considered Mahendra Singh Dhoni and
his men better-suited for Twenty20 cricket rather than Tests after their World Cup triumph in South Africa. Recalling the success of Indian team in the Twenty20 World Cup, Ponting wrote in his book 'Captain's Diary 2008' that Dhoni was a "classic example" of a player who could damage the opposition in the shortest version, which offers little scope for a batsman to showcase his technique.
"Teams that are outclassed in five-day matches and even 50-over games are much more competitive in Twenty20. India offer a good example of this. The shorter the format of the game the more dangerous they become," Ponting said.
"Some of their batsmen, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni are classic examples, can hurt you more in shorter games." Having said so, Ponting also dismissed India's successful journey to the T20 world title, attributing it to more luck and little skills. "I am not as cynical about the game as I once was, but some negatives still nag at me.
There is so much luck involved in this shortened form of the game; it's not always going to be the best team that wins. "I guess that's true of all sport but it seems to be accentuated here. Little wonder, then, that the tournament has been unpredictable, with many locals stunned that previously unbeaten South Africa was eliminated so comfortably by India," he said.
Dhoni, however, went on to prove Ponting wrong as he led India to a thumping 2-0 win in the recent four-Test series. The Tasmanian right-hander said he wondered why Dhoni had complained against him about sledging during the One-dayer in Kochi last year.
"After the game, at the captain's media conference, MS Dhoni revealed that he had complained to the umpires about what he called 'harsh' language that I and some other Australian players had reputedly used on the field. "I really don't know where he was coming from.
The umpires didn't have a problem, match referee Chris Broad didn't have a problem and I wonder whether Dhoni was trying to somehow square the ledger after the controversy that engulfed S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh in Kochi." Ponting said Dhoni's behaviour was rather strange as Broad had lauded his team's approach towards the game. "I actually sat on the plane right behind Chris Broad, and he made a point of turning around and congratulating me for the way our team approached the game".

India move to third, Yuvraj cracks top-10 code

DUBAI: Resounding success against England in the first two One Day Internationals has propelled India to the third spot, while Yuvraj Singh's
consecutive centuries, has catapulted him among the top-10 in the latest ICC ODI rankings issued on Tuesday. ( Watch )
India routed England in first match by 158 runs and won the second match by 54 runs to move two places up the rung in the team rankings. ( Watch )
Yuvraj, who scored unbeaten 138 in the first match and 118 in the second, gained 11 places to attain his career-best ranking of sixth among the batsmen.
Having lost three ratings points, England, at sixth, now sits behind New Zealand by a fraction of point.
With five matches still remaining, India will hope to continue the rampaging form and grab the second position by the end of the ODI series.
Bolstered by their 3-0 series win against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan has moved up two places to fourth, while Australia is still the table toppers, some 12 ratings points clear of South Africa, who are just four points ahead of India.
In-form Gautam Gambhir also progressed four spots and has moved to the 22nd spot just behind Pakistan's Younus Khan.
However, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni continues to be the numero uno, with Australia's Michael Hussey and Graeme Smith of South Africa grabbing the second and third place respectively.
West Indies' Chris Gayle, who scored two typically entertaining hundreds in the three-match series against Pakistan, gained six places into fifth position while ICC Cricketer of the Year Shivnarine Chanderpaul is ahead of him having jumped two places to fourth.
Among the bowlers, Sohail Tanvir has broken into the top 10 for the first time in his career after scalping seven wickets at an average of 15.14. Tanvir has moved up 12 places to the seventh spot.
England's Andrew Flintoff, now at 13th position, lost five places after taking just one wicket in the first two matches of the series at a cost of 116 runs. However, Flintoff was finely placed in the second spot in the all-rounders list which is headed by New Zealand's Jacob Oram. West Indies skipper Chris Gayle has also moved up three places to be back into the top five, thanks to his all-rounder feat against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

Yang & Yahoo! What went wrong

Yang & Yahoo! What went wrong

"From founding this company (Yahoo!) to guiding its growth into a trusted global brand that is indispensible to millions of people, I have always sought to do what is best for our franchise," Yang said in a statement on Monday.
A dot-com billionaire who transformed the Internet space, ends a very high profile career at Yahoo as he decides to step down as the chief executive of Yahoo!
Better known as the co-founder of Yahoo, Jerry Yang made great strides in the Internet industry, was the key to Yahoo's success, in making it one of the world's most popular websites used by about 500 million people worldwide.
His focus on corporate strategy, technology, strategic business partnerships and international joint ventures and recruiting key talent were the key to transforming Yahoo into its present stature. Many believe the company could have remanined the leader in the Internet search space but the company faltered, missed many opportunities, and Yang is perhaps paying the price for some wrong decisions.
The company lauds Yang's efforts, "Over the past year and a half, despite extraordinary challenges and distractions, Jerry Yang has led the repositioning of Yahoo! on an open platform model as well as the improved alignment of costs and revenues," said Roy Bostock, Yahoo chairman in a statement.
However, Yang's rocking career hit many hurdles in the last 18 months leading to his exit.
"If Microsoft returned with a real offer and a real proposal," Yang said recently, "we would be happy to listen."
Yang's decision to step down follows criticism on number of issues including his move to reject Microsoft's $47.5-billion buyout offer.
Yang rejected a hostile takeover bid from Microsoft, which offered $33 a share, worth a total of more than $47 billion.
Yahoo has since been trading at between $10 and $12 a share. The rejection of the Microsoft offer led to shareholders moving against Yang.

"Yahoo! was founded on the belief that access to information can enrich people's lives, and the principles we unveil today reflect our determination that our actions match our values around the world."
Besides, the Microsoft takeover fiasco, Yahoo's advertisement deal with search engine major Google also fell through, after the latter pulled out citing regulatory hurdles.
Yahoo's talks with Time Warner's AOL too did not materialise.
At the recent Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Yang said Microsoft should still buy the company. "I don't think it's a bad idea at all, at the right price whatever that price is. We're willing to sell the company," he said, perhaps realizing the folly of rejecting the Microsoft bid.

"The essence of Yahoo is being defined today," Yang said. "We have to be incredibly relevant to the consumer. We want you to start your day at Yahoo."
Born in Taiwan on November 6, 1968, Yang moved to the United States with his family when he was around 10 years old and was brought up in San Jose, California.
While studying electrical engineering at Stanford University, Yang and a classmate, David Filo discovered the huge potential for online information, the duo had stumbled upon one of the greatest ideas in the Internet space.
Yang and Filo used to make lists of their favourite web sites in their leisure time. They called the directory "Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web."

"A ll of you know that I have always, and will always, bleed purple," he wrote in an e-mail to his staff, referring to Yahoo's corporate colour.
In 1994, they decided to publish their lists on the Web. The idea was a instant hit among VCs and funds flowed in.
They founded Internet portal Yahoo in 1995 and Yang became a billionaire the next year as the company went public. It was a journey of many ups and downs for Yahoo. The company survived the dot-com bust, and remains one of the most popular sites on the Web attracting millions of users everyday.
Yang was named the chief executive officer in June 2007 in a bid to turn around the company's fortunes, but two major decisions of rejecting the Microsoft offer and a failed advertising deal with Google and several restructuring moves spelled more trouble for Yang.

Yang said in a post on the company's blog on Monday night: "No one is celebrating about the outcome of these past three months. . . and no one should. We live and work in a competitive world and the web is only going to get more competitive. . ."
Yahoo is the second-most popular search engine after Google and is second largest in terms of advertisement revenues.
Yang and Filo had pioneered the business of selling advertising on their popular search engine. But Yahoo never grew to the stature it should have. Today Google, which was non-existent when Yahoo was born, is the undisputed leader.
Yang has been deeply involved in running Yahoo, much to the fury of shareholders who believe that he has put personal interests ahead of the shareholders'.
Yahoo said Yang will step down as CEO once a replacement is named, but will retain a strategic role in the company.
According to Forbes magazine, Yang is the 524th richest person in the world with a fortune estimated at $2.23 billion.

"People who know me know I don't have an ego about remaining independent versus not remaining independent," Yahoo chief Jerry Yang told the Web 2.0 Summit.
What next for Yang?
The 40-year-old Yang would take the role as 'Chief Yahoo', a corporate advisory role and would will on the company's board.
"Having set Yahoo on a new, more open path, the time is right for me to transition the CEO role and our global talent to a new leader," he said in an e-mail to the employees.
"I will continue to focus on global strategy and to do everything I can to help Yahoo realize its full potential and enhance its leading culture of technology and product excellence and innovation," he said.
Jerry and the Yahoo board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level," Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock said in a statement.
"We are deeply grateful to Jerry for his many contributions as CEO over the past 18 months, and we are pleased that he plans to stay actively involved with Yahoo as a key executive and member of the board," Bostock said.

"If you are not in the game to win, you shouldn't be in the game. That is how I encourage the whole company to think about it," he said at Web 2.0 Summit.
Who will be the next Yahoo chief?
Yang in a letter to the staffers said that he would be participating in the search for his successor.
"I will always do what is right for this great company," Yang wrote in an e-mail to employees.
Chairman Roy Bostock, working with the independent directors and in consultation with Jerry Yang, is leading the process of assessing potential candidates and determining finalists for consideration. The search will encompass both internal and external candidates, and the board has retained Heidrick & Struggles, a leading international executive search firm, to assist in the process.
"Jerry and the board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level," said Bostock.
Analysts feel, Yang's exit may perhaps trigger Microsoft to make a bid again for Yahoo.

Ursula Andress tops Bond girl poll

Ursula Andress has beaten out Halle Berry and Kim Basinger to become the sexiest Bond girl in an online poll conducted by a movie website.

The Swiss actress entranced audiences as Honey Ryder in James Bond's 1962 debut, 'Dr. No', opposite Sean Connery. She also played Vesper Lynd in 1967 Bond spoof 'Casino Royale', a role later taken on by Eva Green in the 2006 spy movie.

The superspy franchise, which boasts 22 completed films, has seen close to 100 feisty females take on the coveted part.

Berry tailed the actress in the second spot, after she played Jinx in 2002's 'Die Another Day' opposite Pierce Brosnan. Basinger got the third spot for her role as Domino Petachi in 1983's 'Never Say Never Again' in the survey.

The top ten Bond girls are:

1: Ursula Andress

2: Halle Berry

3: Kim Basinger

4: Barbara Bach

5: Denise Richards

6: Eva Green

7: Isabella Scorupco

8: Jane Seymour

9: Britt Ekland

10: Jill St. John

Refreshed, Amitabh Bachchan resumes work

After a much-needed break in Udaipur, during which he caught up on reading, writing and watching films he always wanted to, Amitabh Bachchan is back to work on Saturday after recuperating from his illness.
Confirming his return to the arclights the Big B said: "I'm starting on 15th with Leena Yadav's 'Teen Patti'. There isn't much pending work there."

He was in Udaipur taking a break with his personal physician accompanying him.

"I needed to get away from home. I needed time to myself, to read and write. And to watch the films that I've been meaning to for a long time. It was so peaceful out here. I should do this more often. But where is the time to take time off?"

They don't call him the Big B for nothing. Big B is more than willing to meet the disappointed hordes who were turned away on his birthday after his sudden illness.

"My fans are never a burden. They are welcome any time. I publicly meet them every Sunday and specific ones get to meet me on my films' sets. No issues there."

The Big B regrets the fact that his illness took away his fans' excitement on his birthday. "However health issues do not wait for an opportune moment. They happen. It is nature. It is biological. We do not have control over them. Yes, this one happened on my birthday. So what?"

He is supremely pleased to be home. "But I do regret not being able to meet the well-wishers that assembled to greet me. I am sure they have understood the gravity of the situation. There will be other moments to make up for the loss."

Family friends like Karan Johar and Sanjay Dutt, who are abroad, kept calling to express their concern throughout the Big B's week-long hospitalization. And he was overwhelmed and embarrassed by the extra attention.

Commenting regretfully on the postponement of Abhishek and Aishwarya's schedule of Mani Ratnam's film, the Big B says: "They were to leave the next day but stayed back and rescheduled their programme because of my condition. I generally do not like the idea of attention and of disturbing others with my condition, but I shall respect their decision even if they disagree with me. Particularly so now."

The general opinion about Abhishek is that he's as good a son to his father as the Big B was to his.
The Big B says with paternal pride: "I am grateful that others think so compassionately about Abhishek. My father is not alive to give an assessment of what he thought of me as a son. But I am. And I am happy and full of pride to have Abhishek as my devoted son."

Back to work, a small portion of Shootjit Sircar's 'Shoebite' remains to be shot.

"That's the working title. We needed to wait for a particular climate to shoot the remaining work. That is now ready and we shall be finishing the entire shoot soon. I'm also in the process of sorting out the dates for the film to be produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Good to have so much variety thrown in my direction."

In the meanwhile AB Corp Ltd is ready to resume operations.

The Big B isn't too pleased by the suggestion that his production company had slowed down. "I laugh at the constant refrain of 'AB. Corp resuming production'. Resuming? We have been in production all along. Yes, they may not have attracted attention. But we are there. I shall keep you abreast as time approaches on our projects."

G20 leaders agree to PM's plans; reject protectionism

In what indicates India's growing clout on the world stage, the leaders of the Group of Twenty agreed to act urgently upon each of the three major issues raised by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, namely:
the need for greater inclusivity for emerging markets in the international financial system,
need to ensure that the growth prospects of the developing countries are not hampered, and
the need to avoid protectionist tendencies
The response of the world's top leaders to the global financial storm -- the most severe since the Great Depression -- also points towards how India has managed to turn a crisis into an opportunity to smartly push through its agenda of accruing to itself a larger say in the world's economic matters.
PM calls for coordinated action to tackle crisis
The G20 leaders said in a draft communique on the Summit on Financial Markets and World Economy that they were determined to enhance co-operation and work together to restore global growth and achieve the much-needed reforms in the world's financial systems.
The G20 leaders said that rejection of protectionism and turning inward in such uncertain times was of critical importance, and agreed to refrain from raising new barriers to investment or trade in goods and services, or to impose new export restrictions, or implement inconsistent measures to stimulate exports. They would also striveto work on modalities that lead to a successful conclusion to the WTO's Doha Development Agenda.
Stating that they were mindful of the impact of the current crisis on developing countries, the G20 leaders reaffirmed the importance of Millennium Development Goals, the need to address critical challenges like energy security and climate change, food security, rule of law, and the battle against terrorism, poverty and disease.
Complete speech of Manmohan Singh at G20 Summit
The G20 also agreed, as suggested by India, to comprehensively reform international financial institutions so that they reflect changing economic weights in the world economy and give greater voice to emerging and developing markets. The leaders said that IMF and other international organisations should provide capacity-building programmes for emerging markets.
Global crisis: Complete coverage
Agreeing upon the need for a broader policy response, based on closer macroeconomic cooperation, to restore growth, avoid negative spillovers and support emerging market economies and developing countries, the G20 put forth a 6-point agenda to face short- and long-term challenges. The G20 agreed to:
Help emerging and developing markets gain access to finance in the current difficult financial conditions, including through liquidity facilities and programme support.
Use fiscal measures to stimulate domestic demand to rapid effect while maintaining policy framework conducive to fiscal sustainability.
Recognise the importance of monetary policy support as deemed appropriate to domestic conditions.
Continue the vigorous efforts and whatever further actions are necessary to stabilise the financial system.
Encourage the World Bank and other multilateral development banks to use their full capacity in support of their development agenda, and the introduction of new facilities in the areas of infrastructure and trade finance.
Ensure that the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other MDBs have sufficient resources to continue playing their role in overcoming the financial crisis.
Apart from this plan, the G20 also agreed to implement reforms that will strengthen financial markets and regulatory regimes to avoid future crises. The G20 pledged to:
Strengthen financial market transparency by enhancing required disclosure on complex financial products and ensuring complete and accurate disclosure by firms of their financial conditions.
Incentives should be aligned to avoid excessive risk-taking.
Towards this end:
The key global accounting standards bodies should work to enhance guidance for valuation of securities
Accounting standards setters should address weaknesses in accounting and disclosure standards for off-balance sheet vehicles.
Regulators should enhance the required disclosure of complex financial instruments by firms to market participants.
The governance of international accounting standards body should be enhanced to promote financial stability.
Private sector bodies that have already developed best practices for private pools of capital and/or hedge funds should bring forward proposals for a set of unified best practices.
Strengthen regulatory regimes, prudential oversight and risk management, and ensure that all financial markets products and participants are regulated or subject to oversight as appropriate to their circumstances.
Strong oversight of credit rating agencies will be exercised consistent with agreed international code of conduct.
The IMF, expanded FSF, and other regulators should develop recommendations to mitigate pro-cyclicality, including the review of how valuation and leverage, bank capital, executive compensation, and provisioning practices may exacerbate cyclical trends.
Protect the integrity of the world's financial markets by bolstering investor and consumer protection, avoiding conflicts of interest, preventing illegal market manipulation, fraudulent activities, and protecting against illicit finance risks arising from non-cooperative jurisdictions.
Formulate regulations at the national and regional levels and enhance coordination and cooperation among nations across all segments of financial markets. The FSF should expand to a broader membership of emerging economies.
The IMF and the FSF should strengthen collaboration to better integrate regulatory and supervisory responses into the macro-prudential policy framework and conduct early warning exercises.
The IMF should draw lessons form the current crisis.
The adequacy of IMF's resources should be reviewed and the World Bank and other MDBs should be ready to increase them when necessary.
Advance reform of the Bretton Woods Institutions (World Bank, IMF) so that they can more adequately reflect changing economic weights in the world economy in order to increase their legitimacy and effectiveness.
Expand the Financial Stability Forum and allow broader membership of emerging economies. The IMF, along with the expanded FSF and other bodes, should work to better identify vulnerabilities, anticipate potential stresses and act swiftly to play a key role in crisis response.
The G20 also set a deadline to completing high priority actions prior to March 31, 2009 The G20 decided to meet again by April 30, 2009 to review implementation of the principles and decisions agreed at the Washington Summit.

Breathtaking images taken by Chandrayaan-1

I don't know what is my crime, says Sadhvi Pragya

Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast, has alleged that she has been tortured and ill-treated by the Anti-Terrorism Squad, her counsel told a court here today.
Eight blast accused were produced by the police in the Nashik Magistrate Court to demand extension of their judicial custody, which ends tomorrow.
The sadhvi asked the court to provide her the Hindi translation of the submission made by her lawyers, which was in English, as she could not understand it. "Mujhe maloom nahin mera kasoor kya hai (I do not know what is my crime)," she told the court.
In the jam-packed court of Additional Magistrate H K Ganatra, which has become the centre of media attention, the sadhvi, Abhinav Bharart member Samir Kulkarni and former Army officer Ramesh Upadhyay, along with five other accused, were produced amid high security.
Pragya was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS from Surat [Images] in Gujarat for her alleged role in the Malegaon Blast which killed six and injured over 80.
Earlier, the prosecution had alleged that the sadhvi had a long conversation with the main accused, Ramji, just after the September 29 blast in Malegaon which became basis for her arrest by the ATS.
The prosecution lawyer had alleged that Pragya asked Ramji whether police have seized her motorcycle used in the blast and why less people had been killed in the blasts.

Citi to cut 50,000 jobs, trim expenses by 20%

Financial services major Citigroup is planning to slash as many as 50,000 jobs in the next five to six months and also intends to reduce costs by 20 per cent, says a media report.
Quoting people close to the company, television channel CNBC on Monday said the number of jobs cuts may rise as high as 50,000 in order to bring the company's workforce to about 300,000 worldwide.
"These people say these cuts will occur in a relatively shorter period of time, such as over the next five or six months," CNBC said in a report published on its website. Further, the report noted that Citi would cut expenses by as much as 20 per cent.

Obama, McCain pledge to work together

Coming face-to-face for the first time after the November four elections, President-elect Barack Obama and his defeated rival John McCain on Monday, pledged "a new era of reform" to solve the US economic crisis and safeguard national interests. After a private meeting at the President-elect's transition headquarters in chicago, Obama and McCain said Americans are looking for their leaders to come together and "change the bad habits of Washington."
The two leaders, in a joint statement issued after their first meeting since the elections, said they hoped to work together on challenges like the financial crisis, creating a new energy economy and protecting the country's security. Senator Lindsey Graham, a McCain ally, and Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Obama's choice for White House chief of staff, were also present at the meeting.
"At this defining moment in history, we believe that Americans of all parties want and need their leaders to come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time," it said.
"It is in this spirit that we had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hardworking American family," they said in the statement. Receiving McCain at his office, Obama said he and McCain were "just going to have a good conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country and also to offer thanks to McCain for the outstanding service he has already rendered."
Asked if he planned to help the new administration to be headed by Obama, McCain said, "obviously". Obama's private meeting with McCain just two weeks after the elections is seen as an early effort to reconcile with his one-time rival. Obama and McCain spoke on phone on the election night after the 47-year-old Democrat won the landmark presidential polls, but have not met in person since a charity fundraiser in New York on October 16. Obama, who is scheduled to be sworn-in as the first African-American US President on January 20 next, resigned his Senate seat from Illinois on Sunday. Obama in his second radio address has indicated that his first priority would be to address the economic crisis facing the nation.

Pakistan could switch home series to India: PCB

KARACHI: Pakistan may offer to switch their home series against India early next year to India if the Indian government does not clear the tour over
security worries, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt said. "Pakistan cricket has already suffered a lot because of teams refusing to play at our venues. We are counting on India to break the ice," Butt said on Monday.
"But if the Indians are not permitted by their government to tour Pakistan for any reason then we can look at the option of swapping the series with India." Doubts have emerged over India's tour to play three Tests, five One-dayers and a Twenty20 game beginning in January after the Indian government stopped a junior hockey team from touring Pakistan at the last moment earlier this month over security concerns.
Pakistan cricket has suffered heavily this year due to the refusal of teams and players to tour following a series of suicide bombings. In August, the International Cricket Council (ICC) postponed the Champions Trophy after facing a possible boycott from five of the eight teams in the field.

2nd ODI: India vs England Images

Singh is King

INDORE: Yuvraj Singh clobbered his second successive century and then scalped four key wickets as India maintained their stranglehold over England by winning the second ODI on Monday by 54 runs.

The Indians rode on Yuvraj's scintillating 118 to post a competitive 292 for nine and then bundled out England for 238 in 47 overs to take a decisive 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.

The 26-year-old Yuvraj, who recovered from a back injury just in time to be drafted into the team, came out with a stunning all-round display to play the pivotal role in India's victory on a rather slow track at the Maharani Usharaje Trust ground.

Yuvraj, who had blasted an unbeaten 138 off just 78 balls in the first One-dayer in Rajkot to mark his return to form, not only notched up his tenth century but also helped the hosts recover from an early slump which saw them tottering at 29 for three at one stage.

He then proved his ability as a left-arm spinner by returning dream figures of 10-0-28-4 which included the prized scalps of Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen and Owais Shah.The Punjab swashbuckler stitched 134 runs for the fourth wicket with in-form Gautam Gambhir (70) while the Yousuf Pathan provided the late sparks to the innings with a savage unbeaten 50 off just 29 balls.

The England innings never really got the momentum to overhaul India's target with none of the batsmen really getting a big knock to keep them in the hunt. Owais Shah (58), Andrew Flintoff (43), Matt Prior (38) and Kevin Pietersen (33) got the starts but could not hang around long enough. The two teams will now travel to Kanpur for the third game to be played at the Green Park stadium on Thursday.

New record: 94,563 Indian students in US

Indian interest in an American degree remains unabated, notwithstanding random accidents and homicides involving students from India in
the United States. For the seventh year running, India is the leading source of foreign enrolments on US campuses, sending a record 94,563 students during the academic year 2007-2008.
Indian students now constitute 15 per cent of the total US university foreign enrolment which stood at 623,000 in this academic year, a 7 per cent increase over the 583,000 foreign students who came here in 2006-2007, according Open Doors, the authoritative annual report on the subject released on Monday.
The Indian increase of 13 per cent (up from 83,833 in 2006-2007) is only marginally overshadowed by the resurgence of interest in the US from Chinese students, whose numbers jumped up from 67,723 in 2006-2007 to 81,127 this past year, a 20 per cent increase. But since 2001/02, when it took over from China, India has remained the leading place of origin for students coming to the United States.
South Korea (69,124), Japan (33,974), and Canada (29,051) round off the top five countries sending students to the US, together accounting for 49 per cent of all international students.
The surge in foreign enrolments has relieved and pleased the US administration, which was under criticism from the academia for instituting stricter controls that led to a momentary decline in foreign students after 9/11. Tougher US procedures had led many foreign students to countries such as Canada, U.K, Australia, and Singapore, but the US has evidently regained ground. Foreign students are also a major source of revenue for US universities.
"In today's competitive international environment, the increase in enrolments noted in this year's Open Doors data demonstrates again that the US remains the premier destination for international students," noted Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Goli Ameri, who is himself an international student who graduated from an American university, adding, "US higher education is unparalleled in its vitality, quality, and diversity. The US government joins the US higher education community in a commitment to welcome international students to the United States."
Among the many noteworthy facts in the 2008 Open Doors reports was the surge in students from Nepal coming to the US. There was a 15% increase in enrolments from Nepal this past year, putting it at number 11 with 8,936 students, following a 28% increase the previous year. The Nepalese surge coincided with the decline in the number of students from Pakistan, which went down by one per cent to 5345, and pushed Pakistan out of the top 20 to number 23. Saudi Arabia is on the top ten and Indonesia and Nigeria in the top 20.
The report also looks at the trend of American students going abroad to study and finds that this has increased by 8.2 per cent over the past year and almost 150 per cent over the last decade. A record 242,000 US students studied abroad in 2006-2007, with UK, Italy, France and Spain taking the top four spots.
But there was a surge in US students' interest in China, and a 11,000 went there to study, up 25 per cent from the 8800 who went in 2005-2006. Along the same lines, there was also a 25 per cent increase in US students who went to India, but it was only around one-fourth the number who went to China. Around 2600 American students went to India in 2005-2006 compared to 2100 in the year before.
Other highlights of the Open Doors report: The top ten most popular fields of study for international students in the United States in 2007/08 were
Business and Management (20% of total), Engineering (17%) and Physical and Life Sciences (9%), Social Sciences (9%), Mathematics and Computer Science (8%), Fine & Applied Arts (6%), Health Professions (5%), Intensive English Language (5%), Education (3%), Humanities (3%), and Agriculture (2%).
For the seventh year in a row, the University of Southern California is the leading host institution with 7,189 international students. New York University hosts the second highest number of foreign students (6,404). Other campuses in the top 10 are: Columbia University (6,297), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (5,933), Purdue University (5,772), University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (5,748), University of California – Los Angeles (5,557), University of Texas – Austin (5,550), Harvard University (4,948), Boston University (4,789), and University of Pennsylvania (4,610). California remains the leading host state for international students (84,800, up 9%), followed by New York (69,844, up 6%), Texas (51,824, up 6%), Massachusetts (31,817, up 11%), Illinois (28,804, up 12.5%), Florida (26,739, down 0.5%), Pennsylvania (26,090, up 12.5%), Michigan (22,857, up 8%), Ohio (19,343, up 4%), and Indiana (15,548, up 8%). 17 of the top 20 leading host states experienced increases in total international students, with Washington (21.5%) and Virginia (13%) showing the largest percentage increases.