Paes, Bhupathi to clash in US Open doubles final

NEW YORK: Indian tennis ace Leander Paes kept himself in line of two Grand Slam titles after entering the final of the men's doubles event of the US Open following an upset win over top seeds and local favourites Mike and Bob Bryan on Wednesday.

Third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Bahamian Mark Knowles also coasted to an easy straight set win over fifth-seed Belarussian-Israeli duo of Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram to enter the finals of US Open mixed doubles.

The Indo-Bahamian pair got the better of Belarussian-Israeli duo 6-4, 6-2 to set up title clash with fourth-seed India's Leander Paes and Czech Lukas Dlouhy.

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will now fight it out for the US Open men's doubles title. Paes and his partner Cara Black have already reached the final of the mixed doubles event.

Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy, seeded fourth, overwhelmed the Bryan brothers 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6) in one hour and 51 minutes in the semi-final at the Flushing Meadows.

The match had a sensational climax as Paes and Dlouhy had plenty of match points in the tie-breaker of the third and final set but Bryan brothers made a spirited comeback and saved five match points.

However, Paes and Dlouhy held their nerves and finally converted their sixth match point to clinch the issue.

It was Bryan brothers who got the first chance of a break but Paes and Dlouhy not only saved them but also converted the opportunities that came their way in the opening set.

The first set was tied 2-2 when on Paes' serve, the Americans earned two break points but the Indo-Czech combination played well to ward off the threat and held their serve.

In the next game, Paes and Dlouhy converted their second break point chance as Mike made a forehand error. Dlouhy served out the next game at love to take a 5-3 lead.

The next two games went with serve and the fourth seeds comfortably took the set to go one up.

The second set started on an ominous note for Paes and Dlouhy but they could not convert the early chance.

Dlouhy misfired an overhead volley to hand their rivals a break in the fourth game and it was enough for the Bryan brothers to claw their way back into the match.

Mike held his serve in the next game to consolidate the lead, making it 4-1. The next four games went with serve and the Americans stretched the match to the decisive third set.

The final set began with a marathon 16-point game but Dlouhy managed to hold serve after five deuces and in the process saved two break points.

The next chance of service break came in the seventh game when Paes and Dlouhy were down 0-40 on the serve of the Indian. The fourth seeds held their nerves and saved four break points in that game, making it a brilliant contest.

Bob served the 10th game to save the match and Paes hit a stunning backhand winner to earn their first match point. Bob served extremely well and made it 5-5.

No pair was willing to concede even an inch and it all boiled down to the tie-breaker.

It was a dream tie-breaker for Paes and Dlouhy as they created a 5-0 lead but Bryan brothers played exceptional tennis and saved four match points to make it 6-6.

The partisan crowd cheered for the American duo but Paes hit a backhand volley between the brothers to seal a final berth.

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

UAE air force plane carrying arms, admits pilot

KOLKATA: After trying to fob off Indian officials and investigators all of Sunday night, one of the pilots of the United Arab Emirates air force aircraft detained at Kolkata airport since Sunday finally admitted to the plane carrying a consignment of weapons.

The C-130 Hercules among the biggest transport aircraft in the world was on its way to Xiangyang, China, from UAEAF's Western Air Command base in Abu Dhabi. Although the UAE government had the necessary clearances from Indian authorities for the flight to land in Kolkata, it had not informed that the aircraft would be carrying weapons.

Indian Customs and airport officials interrogated the nine-member crew till Monday afternoon. After that, the ministry of defence (MoD) took over. Talks are on in Delhi to avert a possible diplomatic row. Officials here are tight-lipped.

On September 3, the UAE government had applied to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for a flight information centre clearance that was necessary for a military aircraft not only to overfly Indian airspace but also land at a civilian airport.

An air defence/AOR clearance was also sought from MoD through proper channels. "As permission was sought through proper diplomatic channels and UAE is a friendly country, the clearances were given. Both applications were made in specific proformas with columns where the UAE authorities were supposed to mention if the aircraft would be carrying any weapons. These columns were marked 'nil' in both applications. Later, it was discovered that the aircraft was indeed carrying weapons. This was in clear violation of rules and the crew was detained," said a senior officer.

The aircraft was to land in Kolkata around 4 pm on Sunday, refuel, stay for the night and take off for China at 10.30 am on Monday. Crew members were booked for the night at a star hotel.

It was 5.30 pm on Sunday by the time the Hercules captain, Ismail Samsi, sought permission from Kolkata ATC to land. The details of what happened after this are slightly hazy. One version is that the pilot was asked upon landing whether his aircraft was carrying any weapon. He answered in the negative. But an alert Customs officer saw a sidearm on one of the crew members. Soon, a team from air intelligence arrived to check the plane for its cargo.

According to another version, every foreign aircraft parked in the bay overnight is checked. Customs officials accompany the crew on board for an inspection before the doors are sealed. That was when they noted something amiss.

There is a third version, which speaks of a tip received by Indian intelligence agencies from an undisclosed source.

A team from the air intelligence wing, led by B Jha, boarded the aircraft around 7 pm on Sunday and found three boxes that resembled those for carrying rifles. The pilot admitted there were weapons inside but that he did not have any details. He allegedly told officials that he was a mere courier and would often fly weapons to China for 'tests'.

The crew who were in military uniform were detained and led to the airport lounge. The plane was towed to hangar 14 and sealed. No effort was made to open the boxes in the cargo hold. The interrogation lasted till 2 pm on Monday after which the nine crew members now in civilian clothing were transferred to a hotel. According to the customs department, the ministry of defence would interrogate the crew there.

"Although the pilot's declaration regarding the weapons on board has dismissed the theory of the crew being involved in gun-running, the aircraft cannot be allowed to leave. All clearances granted have expired. There are some issues that still need to be checked out. We have also demanded an explanation from the UAE embassy in New Delhi," an officer said. The army is guarding the plane.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Preity does it for Salman!

You would be forgiven for thinking Preity Zinta’s doing a Kajre Re in this song for Salman Khan’s home production Main Aur Mrs Khanna.

Far from it, and the perky Preity doesn’t want any comparisons or confusion with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who shook her hips for father and son Bachchan in the 2005 hit Bunty Aur Babli.

Turns out Salman’s her buddy, and this is not an item song she’s doing for him, but a special number in the film co-starring Kareena Kapoor
and Sohail Khan. “It’s an interesting cameo. The song’s called Happening and I agreed to do it because director Prem Soni is a friend. And since Salman has played Prem so often, let’s just say this one is for Prem,” the bubby actress said.

Prem (the director, not Salman) added, “Unlike Ash, who was just a part of Kajra Re, Preity plays an important role in the film.” Incidentally... ahem, Preity look’s kinda ‘happening’ because she worked out hard for the song. With two super fit actors in the film in Salman and Kareena, Preity forced herself to follow a special diet, take up a tough exercise regime and do yoga.


Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

30 YSR fans die of shock

HYDERABAD: Shell-shocked by the sudden demise of their beloved leader Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, 30 people died in different parts of the state on
Thursday.

In East Godavari, nine people died, while former minister Jakkampudi Ramamohan Rao fainted on hearing the news. Seven died of heart attack and shock, while two hanged themselves unable to bear the grief. According to district police, N Yesubabu, 20, of Narendrapuram in Rajanagaram mandal and Achanta Ramakrishna, 48, of Nagaram in Mamidikuduru mandal committed suicide.

The heart attack victims were: Yerravarapu Raji, 40, a barber shop owner, in Mangaturthi village in Pithapuram mandal, Bonam Tulasiveni, 56, of K Yenugupalli village in Gannavaram mandal, Ramayanam Radhakrishna, 62, a panshop owner at Masjid Centre in Kakinada, Ch Satyanarayana, 45, of Telugodupalem in Tallarevu mandal, Anaparthi Sriramulu, 50, Marnidi Venkannadora, 50, of Tuni and Pothula Tirupati Reddy, 70, of Bikkaolu mandal.

B Padma, 44, a Rajiv Arogyasri beneficiary and a daily-wager from Vanamalla in Punganur of Chittoor, collapsed on hearing the news of YSR’s death at 10 am and died. Parvathamma, 22, from Kummaragunta village in Punganur mandal died of shock. An ardent fan of YSR and TV shop owner, N Raja Reddy, 52, died of cardiac arrest at Pileru as soon as he saw the news of YSR’s death on the TV. “The people around him tried to resuscitate him, but he died a hospital,” a relative said.

A farmer from Kadapa, Narsaiah, 75, who had come to Piler along with his wife and children two days ago died of cardiac arrest after hearing the tragic news. In Durgasamudram, Shankaramma , 37, a daily-wager , who recently underwent a heart surgery under Arogyasri, died at around 6 pm. A Congress worker in Satyavedu, Muniratanam, 45, also died but its not confirmed whether he died of shock.

Laxminarayana, 19, a student of Chittoor Government Degree College, consumed pesticide. Earlier , a 25-year-old physically-challenged woman, Adari Raji, died of cardiac arrest at Jogannapet village in Vizag. Her father Suraynarayana was a former TDP sarpanch. She collapsed when she was watching the news about YSRs death, a relative said.

An ex-employee of RTC, P Seetha Ramaraju, 65, of Gajapathinagaram in Vizianagarm collapsed while watching TV. Though he was rushed to a nearby hospital , he was declared brought dead. An aged woman, Pyla Chandramma, 68, died of shock while standing in a queue for pension when fellow pensioners told her about YSRs demise.

Farm labourer Chinna Velugondarao, 30, of Podili in Prakasam district ended his life at Kambalapadu. A note was found in his shirt pocket which said, I am dedicating my life to YSR. Another person committed suicide in Unguturu in West Godavari, while toddy-tapper Kagita Rasalu, 22, slashed his neck with a knife at Chintalapudi. Ganta Lakshmamma, 70, of Eluru died of cardiac arrest upon hearing the news, while a die-hard YSR fan, Bhaskar, 45, died of shock in Tadipatri.

YSR fan Srinivas, 35, of Hyderabad collapsed and died. Gedala Aseervadam, 50, of Vempadu village in Kallal Mandal, Shaik Mohiuddin, 25, of Akiveedu, Raja Sesharatnam, 67, of Bhimavaram died. P Suresh, 22, of Papadu village and Mekala Krishna Rao, 30, of Tatakulagudem attempted suicide. Narayana, 27, a Congress activist from Marpally hanged himself. Yadgiri, 40, a barber in Amberpet died of cardiac arrest. Srinivas, 35, a private employee also suffered heart attack.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

YSR's chopper located near Kurnool: IAF

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's chopper has been traced near Kurnool. An Air Force spokesperson has said the chopper has been located on top a hill at a distance of 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool. The spokesperson, however, did not confirm if the chopper crashed.

Air Force helicopters are flying over the region, trying to find a position to land. More details are awaited.

The helicopter carrying YSR Reddy, two of his staff and two pilots went missing in pouring rain Wednesday morning over the Naxal and tiger-infested Nalamalla forests.

The Chief Minister left Hyderabad on a six-seater Bell chopper at 8.35am for Chittoor accompanied by his secretary and chief security officer. After 9.27am, radio contact was lost with the helicopter.

Soon after the chopper lost contact, multiple agencies of the state launched a massive hunt for possible wreckage in the desolate terrain. By evening, it expanded into the country's biggest-ever search operation with satellites in the sky joining remote sensing aircraft, fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, troops on the ground and even barefoot deer-hunting tribals with bows and arrows.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Mob fury at station, cops fire in air

Mumbai Around 12,000 angry commuters at Nalasopara station in Thane on Tuesday brought trains on the western line to a halt for around four hours. They went on the rampage and attacked policemen forcing cops to open fire in the air.

The protest was triggered when train services were hit in the morning after an overhead wire snapped between Borivali and Dahisar stations.

Because of the snag, train services were disturbed from 7 am and trains were late, which got the commuters agitated. They pelted stones at policemen injuring two officers, senior police inspector Namankit More and inspector Ramesh Pawar, who are posted at Vasai railway police station, when they were trying to save a motorman from the fury of commuters.

“When my senior inspector More and I were taking the motorman to a safe place, commuters pelted stones at us. More was injured in the leg. I was injured in the head and nose,” said Pawar.

“To control the mob, police had to fire in the air. It was similar to the agitation two years back at Virar, when goons in the guise of commuters vandalised the station and entered into a fight with photographers capturing the act,” said a police source at Nalasopara. Today, commuters did not cause much harm to railway property. A sweet shop at Nalasopara station (east) was damaged.

According to SS Gupta, Chief PRO, WR, “Trains ran late between Churchgate and Virar due to the snag. And 10.55 am, services were restored. But at 10.30 am, the mob staged the agitation which continued till 1 pm.” The OHE wire broke down on the down line between Borivali and Dahisar station at 7 am. Till services were restored at 10.55 am after the wire was repaired, local trains were running on three lines ( one slow up line and two up and down fast line). These were delayed around 25 minutes. Meanwhile 5 up and down outstation trains were given halts between Virar and Borivali, said Gupta.

Pramod Harlaka, going to Palghar for his son Ronak’s admission in a computer course at St John technical college at Palghar, said, “We boarded Vapi passenger train from Bhayandar at 10.25 am, but when we reached Vasai, it stopped there for hours. There was no announcement. We reached Palghar at 4 pm. Today was the last day for admission. So, we left the train at 12.30 pm and took a taxi to Palghar and reached just in time for the admission,” said Harlaka.

This is the second day in a row that an ovehead wire is snapping on WR. On Monday, a wire had snapped at Bhayander. Today, 22 train services were cancelled.

Today’s incident is the seventh OHE breakdown this financial year. Last financial year, six cases of OHE breakdown were recorded between Churchgate and Virar.

Source:http://www.expressindia.com

139 colleges get varsity affiliation in 2 hours flat!

NAGPUR: The Nagpur University’s academic council granted affiliation to 139 new colleges on Monday. Only four proposals including one of an MPEd
college were rejected, university sources revealed to TOI. Additionally, 83 new courses were also granted permission to begin from this year while five colleges received permanent affiliation. With this, the total number of colleges affiliated to Nagpur University
, has jumped from 610 to 749.

According to rules, the local enquiry committees (LEC) reports of new colleges and shortcomings pointed out in them must be discussed in detail by the council members. However, the procedure is ritually ignored each year. This year was no different. Sources added that most colleges belong to politicians and influential persons and therefore, no council member dares to raise doubts.

The recent CBI investigations into shortcomings of engineering colleges
also failed to stir the university. CBI sleuths found that management of KDK College of Engineering was reportedly accommodating a school, a pharmacy college and also holding engineering classes in annexe building that was still under construction. After this, even LEC’s role came under the scanner as to how it had given a go ahead to the said college.

The story may be even more awful in the colleges offering general courses, especially in the rural areas. Surprisingly, the CBI’s verification checks found mention in the meeting with the members deciding to thoroughly verify whether the new professional colleges were strictly following norms set by AICTE and NCTE before granting affiliation.

Sources informed that during the meeting, pro-vice chancellor GS Parasher had requested the members not to grant affiliation to the new colleges without ensuring that they had appointed full-time, regular teachers.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com