Bipasha Basu:I was a short, dark and round girl
January 31, 2009
But she has now moved on from being just a sex icon and is signing on mature roles. But being confident young girl right from the start the actress says being dusky has never a bane in fact the actress says it made her stronger. Reminiscing her childhood Bipasha says “I was never meant to be beautiful. I was a short, dark and round girl. I was incorrigible. I was the brat of the neighborhood. However, I had my defenses in order. Before anybody could scold me, I would start bawling loudly. Nevertheless, I was good kid in school. I was the prefect in my school at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kolkata, later I became the Head Girl. If I had not started modeling at an early age, I would have liked to study. Not having done so will always be regret,” says the actress.
But the actress says that she didn’t have many friends then. “I was always the butt of their jokes since my elder sister was the pretty one in the family. She was taller, fair; always the centre of attention. But somewhere along the way, I shot up in height and started to look better. I won a few beauty contests. Things changed when I won the Ford Supermodel of the World in December 1996″ she reveals.
The actress says there were times when she enjoyed the limelight and at times she didn’t. “There were times when I enjoyed the attention and the lifestyle. At other times I wanted to lock myself in my room and hope the world outside the door would just go away”
Bipasha in fact started life a little earlier than most people. “I started modelling at the age of 16, doing fashion shows all over the world. I used to live between Delhi and Mumbai for most of the year. That is, when I was not abroad. It has taken me a while to accept Mumbai as my home after living in Delhi and Kolkata. I have lived in a series of rented rooms and apartments. Many of them shared with other models for roommates. It was difficult to call any of these places home, until now. I have my own apartment in a secluded lane in the city. It’s a great place to come home to” she concludes.
Pakistan must close Taliban bases that train anti-India militants’
January 31, 2009
The Taliban’s military successes in Afghanistan have to be reversed and Islamabad must help close their sanctuaries on Pakistani territory, he said in an interview at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington think tank.
But Riedel says “trying to get that cooperation out of the Pakistani government in my judgment will be the single hardest test that Ambassador Holbrooke faces and in fact may be the single hardest foreign policy challenge President (Barack) Obama faces”.
The Pakistani military is of two minds about the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the border with Afghanistan, he said.
It has always used FATA “as the place where it could create groups like the Taliban, or encourage the development of the Taliban, where it could train people to operate in Kashmir or to operate in India”.
“But now that it sees that it’s losing control of that area, it’s increasingly concerned about the future,” Riedel added.
US Predator attacks on Al Qaeda targets in that area had scored some important successes, but they had also helped further the alienation of the Pakistani people away from the US and badly eroded American brand image, Riedel said.
“Polling in Pakistan shows that a majority of Pakistanis blame America for the country’s internal violence. India comes in second place, and the Al Qaeda and militancy comes in third place,” he said. “Any time that you are outpolling India as the bad guy in Pakistan, you’re in deep, deep trouble.”
Pakistan’s concerns in Afghanistan derive in large part from its concerns about India, the expert said.
“It can’t try to deal with these problems in isolation. But you also have to deal with them with a great degree of subtlety and sophistication, because there are decades-old fears among all the parties about American intentions,” Riedel said.
India’s 26/11 evidence ‘insufficient’, says Pakistan probe agency
January 31, 2009
The FIA report would be made public after a point-to-point discussion in a high-level joint meeting of top officials of the interior and law ministries to be held at the interior ministry Saturday), The News said.
In an initial meeting, the main features of the report would be discussed, with FIA chief Tariq Khosa elaborating on the key points of the report.
“The report termed the evidences of the Mumbai attacks provided by India insufficient,” the newspaper quoted sources as saying and added: “However, the FIA covered every aspect of the investigation before giving its final opinion about the episode.”
The interior ministry had set up a three-member panel under the FIA chief to examine a dossier submitted by India pointing to the 10 Mumbai attackers being Pakistani citizens.
More than 170 people, including 26 foreigners, were killed in the 26/11 attack and over 300 injured.
“On the basis of the information provided by India on the Mumbai incident, the FIA team has submitted its report to Rehman Malik, Adviser on Interior,” an official spokesman said Friday night.
The report has been handed over to the secretary interior for further examination in consultation with the law ministry, the spokesman said, adding that the response will be shared with the Indian government through diplomatic channels after completing the legal process as soon as possible.
Voting begins in Iraq under tight security
January 31, 2009
BAGHDAD: Iraqis passed through security checkpoints and police cordons to vote Saturday in provincial elections that are considered a crucial test of the nation’s stability as U.S. officials consider the pace of troop withdrawals.
Polls opened shortly after dawn after a step-by-step security clampdown across the country, including traffic bans in central Baghdad and other major cities and closure of border crossings and airports.
There were no reports of serious violence as voting got under way. In Tikrit, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, three mortar shells exploded near a polling station, but caused no casualties, said police, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.
In the Baghdad neighborhood of Karradah, Iraqi police and army soldiers manned a series of checkpoints — some only 200 yards (meters) apart. Stores were closed and the streets cleared of cars.
A group of U.S. soldiers patrolled on foot, but well away from polling centers. The U.S. military assisted in security preparations for the elections, but said troops would only be called in on election day if needed.
In the western city of Fallujah — once a center of the Sunni insurgency — police used their patrol cars to help some people get to voting stations.
More than 14,000 candidates are running for 440 seats on the influential councils in all of Iraq’s provinces except for the autonomous Kurdish region in the north and the province that includes oil-rich Kirkuk, where ethnic groups were unable to reach a power-sharing formula. Polls were to close at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT, 9 a.m. EST). Results are not expected for several days.
Although violence is sharply down — and with pre-election attacks relatively limited — authorities were unwilling to take any risks.
Afghan presidential vote set for August 20
January 29, 2009
KABUL: Afghanistan has postponed presidential elections until August 20 because the vote could not be organised by late May as scheduled, the country’s election commission announced Thursday.
The vote will be the second presidential election in Afghanistan’s history, and a postponement from the May date stipulated in the constitution had been widely expected.
“The commission decided to hold the election on the 29th of Asad which corresponds to August 20,” Independent Election Commission chief Azizullah Ludin told a news conference.
Ludin said technical, logistical and security issues meant the election could not be held by May 22.
Afghan electoral law gave the commission the power to change the date of the poll if any problems, whether technical or security-related, could call the legitimacy of the vote into question, he said.
President Hamid Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since the US-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime in 2001, has said he will run for a second, five-year term, but few other candidates have emerged.
Karzai was picked to lead the transitional government and won 55 percent of the vote in the country’s first presidential elections in 2004, but his position has been weakened by failure to stem violence and corruption.
While an election delay had been expected, opposition groups may raise objections.
The United Nations said that postponement was a “pragmatic necessity”.
“We hope very much there will be consensus in the community on this date and the pragmatic necessity of it,” spokesman Adrian Edwards told AFP.
3 Terrorists involved in Liberty Blast Arrested
January 29, 2009
LAHORE: Three terrorists involved in bomb blasts in Liberty and other areas of Lahore have been arrested by Lahore police.
Large arms cache has also been recovered from the terrorists.
Sixteen more people including seven militants were killed
January 29, 2009
PESHAWAR: Sixteen more people, including seven militants, were killed and 23 others injured in Swat violence on Wednesday, as Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani vowed to establish the writ of the government.
Meanwhile, several people were shot dead for violating curfew. On the eve of the COAS’s visit to Swat, the military spokesman, Maj Nasir Ali, came out with a hard-hitting statement saying the operation would be “decisive and final” and the militants, who were sponsored by foreign spy agencies, would be completely crushed, while their strongholds would be destroyed or captured.
The spokesman claimed that the security forces had killed seven militants and injured 11 others in Manglawar and Sanghota towns during a ground action backed by helicopters. “The two were strongholds of the militants but we have completely secured them now,” he claimed.
Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, made an unannounced visit to the militancy-torn valley and issued fresh directions about the operation. Though the spokesman did not comment on the details of “fresh directions”, a press release said that the army chief vowed that “no amount of sacrifice will deter us from our duty.”
While giving fresh directions for the operations, Kayani reiterated that the army had both the will and resolve to establish writ of the government.The operation would possibly be intensified to get the desired results. The COAS lauded the morale of the troops fighting against the militants in the valley. Kayani met field commanders, troops, notables and civil administration.
Maj Nasir Ali urged the people of Swat to join hands with the forces in eliminating the menace of terrorism from the valley. “People’s support will enable us to put the valley back on track to progress and development,” he hoped.
The militants’ commander and presenter on FM Radio channel, Maulana Khalil, who recently replaced Shah Dauran, claimed to have killed 35 security forces personnel in Qambar. As an indefinite curfew remained in force in Manglawar near Mingora, six people were reportedly killed there for curfew violation. Those shot dead by the security forces were reportedly attempting to migrate from the troubled area. Those identified among the dead were Ismail, Ghaffar and Zafar. One of the slain persons was stated to be insane.
Bodies of the victims were still lying on the road due to curfew. Three persons including a child were killed separately when mortar shells landed on their houses in Sanghota. They were identified as Rafiullah, Shahrum and a younger son of one Anwar Ali.
Twelve persons, children and women among them, were also injured in the shelling. They included Abdullah, Ijaz, Sana, Saqib, Saifullah, Shazia, Malook, Zia-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Anwar, Ranizai, Mehboob Ali and Islam.
Several houses were also destroyed in the daylong shelling by security forces in the same area and it was feared that the number of casualties could rise as people faced hardships in removing the debris of demolished buildings due to curfew and continued shelling.
Sources said security forces also used gunship helicopters to pound the suspected hideouts of militants in Sanghota and its adjacent areas. “Those killed during the last two days could not be laid to rest as security forces shoot everybody that comes out of his house in Sanghota and Manglawar areas,” said a resident of Sanghota adding that injured also could not be taken to hospitals because of the prolonged curfew.
Security forces also continued targeting the suspected hideouts of militants in Chuprial area. One of the shells fired by security forces landed in a taxi stand in the village. However, no human or material loss was reported.
In another development security forces abandoned the fortified security checkpost in Venai area near Matta. It was the last military post before the Taliban-controlled area. The abandonment of the Venai security post prompted both the militants and security forces to take new positions in the adjacent Sarbanda and Aghal areas.
On the other hand curfew remained in place in Koza Bandai, Bara Bandai, Ningolai, Shakardarra, Khwazakhela, Fizza Ghat, and most parts of the troubled Kabal tehsil of Swat valley for the fourth consecutive day.
Pakistan cricket board director quits
January 28, 2009
KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board director general Javed Miandad quit Wednesday following disagreements with the crisis-hit governing body of the country’s national sport.
“The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) wanted to restrict me to domestic affairs and I don’t want any interference in my work. I have therefore resigned,” Miandad told AFP.
His resignation comes just a day after the PCB replaced Shoaib Malik with Younus Khan as captain of the Pakistan team following a humiliating defeat to Sri Lanka that sparked huge criticism in the cricket-mad country.
Jayasuriya ton lifts Sri Lanka to 246/7 against India
January 28, 2009
Jayasuriya slammed 107 off 114 balls for his 28th century in ODIs.
After India elected to field, Sri Lanka received an early jolt when in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan was run out without a run on board. Dilshan faced just three balls before a mix-up with Jayasuriya ended his innings.
Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara (44) then rebuilt the innings with a 118-run stand for the second wicket.
The duo took their time to settle down and looked at ease against the Indian attack. They accumulated runs at a steady pace.
Sangakkara fell six runs short of a half-century as he stepped out to hit left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha but failed to clear Suresh Raina at mid-on.
Jayasuriya, who struck 10 fours and one six, also went past the 13,000-run mark in one-day internationals, becoming only the second player to reach the milestone after Sachin Tendulkar.
He added 51 runs for the third wicket with Thilina Kandamby (17) before falling to Zaheer Khan (1-40).
Farveez Maharoof came up with a quickfire 35 in 27 balls with two four and one six to accelerate the scoring rate in the slog overs.
Ishant Sharma finished with a haul of three for 51 from 10 overs.
Amrita Rao:I’m jealous of Harman Baweja
January 28, 2009
“Don’t sprinkle salt on the wound,” whined Amrita when she was asked if she got to share screen space with any of the cricketers in “Victory”. “I didn’t get a single chance to shoot with any cricketer. It has all been Harman’s privilege and I am very jealous of him,” Amrita told IANS.
Releasing Firday, “Victory” is directed by debutant Ajitpal Mangat and is the story of a father’s dream that his son, who is from a small village in Rajasthan, will become a national cricketer. How the young man becomes an acclaimed cricketer forms the remaining plot.
The film has cameos by cricketers including Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Allan Border, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, R.P. Singh, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Sanath Jayasurya and Dilhara Fernando.
About her role, Amrita said: “I play Nandini, a medical student from Jaisalmer. The character is very strong and inspiring. Nandini’s character is basically very vocal about her mind.”
Amrita was here Tuesday to promote a new range of watches by the Gitanjali Group at the Rajouri Garden market.
The actress, last seen in Shyam Benegal’s “Welcome To Sajjanpur”, says she had “a nice time working with Harman”.
“Not even once it come across that he was acting like a cricketer. He used to give such subtle expressions while shooting with the professional cricketers and facing bowls from legendary players,” said Amrita.
