India hopes for grand F1 finale
CHENNAI: India’s top drivers said on Monday they were upbeat about the country holding a spectacular inaugural Grand Prix to complete the 2011 Formula One season after the race was pushed back to December.
The sport’s governing body, the FIA, unanimously voted last week to reschedule the Bahrain race, which was cancelled in March due to civil unrest in the Gulf state.
The Bahrain GP will now be held on October 30, the original slot for the Indian GP which will now be the season-closing finale on December 11.
The Indian race is set to be staged at a new $350 million 5.14-kilometre (3.2-mile) circuit designed by renowned German architect Hermann Tilke in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi.
Karun Chandhok, a Team Lotus reserve driver, said the decision to postpone India’s race provided an opportunity to put together a show worthy of a season climax.
“On one hand it is tough for the people in the teams as this extends the championship and gives them very little time before the next season,” he said in a statement.
“But on the other hand it will be an honour for our entire nation to host the season finale in the inaugural year of the Indian GP.”
Chandhok is hopeful of getting a one-off race seat ahead of regulars Jarno Trulli or Heikki Kovalainen after being limited to practice duties this season.
Hispania Racing Team driver Narain Karthikeyan, from Chennai, said the cool weather conditions in December could have a bearing on the race.
“The one concern is the morning fog. That could make things a little more testing,” said Karthikeyan, 34. “But to host the season finale is very prestigious.”
Karthikeyan, making a comeback to the F1 circuit after six years, is looking forward to driving before home fans although Hispania are struggling at the bottom of the table.
The under-construction circuit is part of an ambitious 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) sports complex being built by the Jaypee group, a fast-rising business conglomerate run by the Gaur family.
The race will be followed by the FIA General Assembly and the prize-giving gala.
Vicky Chandhok, president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), said it would be challenge to rework planning for the event.
“By rescheduling the race, we now have to address logistical issues such as hotel re-booking and flight tickets. But we are ready to put up a great show,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity to prove what India’s capable of.” AGENCIES
Abhijeet Sawant reacts over Tuesday’s late-night brawl
Abhijeet Sawant’s run-in with the law on Tuesday night on an empty stretch of road in Juhu has left the singer shaken but certainly not scared.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon about the series of incidents leading to the ugly spat with a mob on the road, the soft-spoken Sawant said he felt he was being targeted only because he was a known face.
Says the singer, “On Tuesday night I attended a singers’ association’s meeting with my friends and colleagues. Among them was Prajakta Shukre. After the meeting we all left. Prajakta was in her Honda City. On the way she banged her car into a scooter which had two people on it. She called me in panic. And I immediately rushed to the spot to help her, as any friend would.”
Abhijeet, who is happily married, is appalled to read Prajakta being referred to in the papers as his “girlfriend”.
Protests the singer and reality-show host, “She is like my sister. Hum donon mein bhai-behen ka rishta hai. So I rushed to her rescue. When I got there I saw the situation was very bad. The mobs were getting very edgy and aggressive. When I tried to intervene they got rough with me and held my collar.”
Abhijeet denies being drunk or getting abusive with the public on the road. “Throughout I kept my cool and when the cops arrived we went to the police station.”
The injuries to the two boys on the scooter, says Abhijeet, are minor.
“There have been reports that we were drunk. That isn’t true at all. Prajakta got into a bit of trouble. And I helped her out. I don’t think that’s wrong.”
Sloppy Imran Nazir hands Australia Super Sixes title
November 7, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Staff Report
HONG KONG: Australia clinched Hong Kong Super Sixes title after beating Pakistan by two wickets in the final match here on Sunday.
Pakistan was the hot favorite to win the tournament but they lost their way in the last over, giving away 44 runs.
Batting first, Pakistan scored over 130 runs. Ahmed Shahzad scored 92 runs off 28 balls to set a formidable target.
Australian started the chase well and achieved the target with one ball to spare.
Imran Nazir was called to bowl the last over. He lost his cool and gave too many extras, thus handing Australia an unlikely win in the end. Trend Pk
Bilour demands grand operation in Karachi
Leader of Awami National Party (ANP) Bashir Ahmed Bilor has said that a grand-operation is needed in Karachi to stop target-killing. He also said that MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement) should set its direction right or otherwise if the Pakhtoons would lose their cool, it would bring disastrous consequences.
On the other hand Interior Minister Sindh Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza called on ANPs President of Sindh Chapter Shahi Syed. Zulfiqar Mirza said that he was trying hard to create an atmosphere of reconciliation amongst all political factions whereas Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has vowed to establish the writ of government in Karachi.
Leader of MQM Wasey Jalil, while talking to Dunya News, condemned Bashir Bilors statement and said that MQM aspires for peace in the city. He also advised Bashir Bilor to take notice of killings in KhyberPakhtunkhwa; and not to intervene in the matters of Karachi.
PCB calls emergency meet over match-fixing row
September 5, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Staff Report
LONDON: PCB officials, Pakistan envoy to UK and team management called an emergency meeting as British tabloid News of the World came out with another set of revelations that a fourth player is under ICC probe for spot-fixing.
The Pakistan camp preparing for Sunday’s T20 encounter with England in Cradiff was rocked by the statement which said that a fourth Pakistani player, not named for legal reasons, was also under investigation for spot-fixing.
Much to the team’s worry, NOTW in a statement said it will appear with transcripts, CCTV footage, text messages and photographs in a special 18-pages edition on Sunday that would confirm the involvement of Pakistani players match-rigging activities.
Furthermore, former Test opener Yasir Hameed’s confirmation that his teammates fixed “almost every game”, forced the officials to sweat in the cool
spelling bee
June 5, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
WASHINGTON – Shantanu Srivatsa and Anamika Veeramani sat nervously, side by side on stage.
Once again, an Indian-American was going to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It was just a matter of what word and what time on Friday.
Shantanu, 13, an eighth-grader from West Fargo, N.D., stepped to the microphone first and couldn’t spell “ochidore.”
Anamika — showing the cool demeanor she kept throughout — kept her hands behind her back and rattled off the correct letters for the medical term “stromuhr.” She didn’t crack a smile until the trophy was presented.
“It was too surreal,” she said. “It was an amazing experience. I usually have a poker face, so that’s what that was.”
The 14-year-old girl from North Royalton, Ohio, won the 83rd bee, claiming the trophy and more than $40,000 in cash and prizes — some of which she says she intends to spend.
megan slankard
June 1, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
We love the beautiful Megan Slankard, who performed at the shop for our first Thriving Discoveries event not too long ago. Especially Michaela, who has been following Megan music since her appearance on “What Not to Wear” and all but freaked out when she heard Megan would be playing here. Mac recently asked the songbird a few questions about her sense of personal style…Michaela: How would you describe the evolution of your style over the years?
Megan: My style was actually pretty caveman-like for the first 19 years of my life. It took a lot of redefining what “style” actually was for me to realize I could use it to express myself and feel good about myself and not even have to spend a ton of money or wear “what the cool kids would wear.” I am a lot more confident than I used to be now.Jeff Campbell and Megan Slankard are also in town 
tonight and are set to play a couple of shows. First they’ll be at Flying Possum Leather on Dickson at 5 p.m. Later in the evening, they’ll be at George’s for an Indigo Girls after party.
The Seedling Film Association is hosting an event called “Seedling’s Short Storm” at the UARK Bowl & Ballroom. They’ll screen some award winning short films, and you can also compete in a short film conception contest, with the winning short getting produced for the upcoming Seedling Film Festival.
US soccer team arrives in SA ahead of WC
JOHANNESBURG: The U.S. World Cup team arrived in Johannesburg on Monday following a 17-hour flight and was greeted by the same visible security presence that was on hand for the arrival for other countries.
Armed special task-force members, dressed in dark blue uniforms, surrounded the South African Airways plane at the O.R. Tambo airport as the players emerged on a cool, overcast afternoon.
After leading his team off the plane, coach Bob Bradley immediately picked out the opening game against England on June 12 as a chance to make an impression on the tournament.
“There has been a lot of attention on our first game with England,” Bradley said. “It”s a great opportunity for us.
“But we certainly know that Slovenia and Algeria are excellent teams. It will be a tough group and we are looking forward to it.
Plainclothes security officials, wearing earpieces and sunglasses, also patrolled the arrivals facility — set aside for World Cup teams — where the Americans cleared immigration.
The U.S. should be familiar with its surroundings after it made an impressive showing in the Confederations Cup in South Africa last year. Bradley”s team reached the final and played in Rustenburg, Pretoria and Johannesburg at the same venues it visits in the group stages.
“We”re very fortunate that we have had experience here,” Bradley said on the airport tarmac. “The people here in South Africa have always treated us so well so in that regard, it”s a comfortable feeling to be back for the World Cup.
“We are very excited… The travel went really well and the team is looking to get started with our work here.”
Dressed in blue-and-red team tracksuits, the U.S. players then boarded a bus for the 25-minute drive up to their base at the Irene Country Lodge, a luxurious, rural-style hotel in a village between Johannesburg and the capital city Pretoria.
The lodge is billed as “a haven of peace and tranquility in the hub of South Africa”s economic heartland.”
The group was greeted by dancing and singing staff members on its arrival at the hotel. Police then led sniffer dogs through the rooms in a final security sweep before the players were allowed in.
A colorful vuvuzela — the plastic trumpet which is set to be a constant feature at the World Cup — was left in each player”s room as a welcome gift.
The hotel is where the U.S. will begin to get used to the cool, early winter conditions ahead of a final warmup match against Australia on Saturday.
“I think the weather here is great for football,” Bradley said. “It”s going to mean that the games are played at a good tempo. We have enough time between now and June 12 to acclimatize so I think, on that end, it”s going to be a great World Cup.”
Tough day for people in hot gripped areas
ISLAMABAD: A severe heat wave swept in different parts of the country on Thursday with maximum temperature reaching up to 51.6 C in Moen-jo-daro.
The scorching heat reduced traffic on roads, leaving markets deserted with people preferring to shop in the evening.
People traveling on motorbikes and public transport faced a tough time.
The highest temperatures recorded in other cities included Jacobabad 51 C, Sukkur 50.5, Rohri, Larkana and Multan, 50 each, Dadu and Nawabshah 49.5 each, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur and Bhakkar 49 each degrees celsius.
In this scorching heat young boys found a foolproof way of beating the heat by jumping into the cool waters of canals.
Hundreds of people, frustrated with the heat were witnessed sitting at the side of the canals, with their feet dipped in water.
Faisalabad saw temperatures rise up to 47 degrees celsius.
Adding to the misery, people were facing with power cuts as the demand for electricity also increased. Water supply has also been affected.
According to Met Office, during next 24 hours hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country whereas isolated dust-thunderstorm/rain is expected in upper Punjab including Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.
It is said current heat wave conditions likely to abate from tonight in upper parts of the country whereas in Sindh and Balochistan from Friday.
Hottest place in the country was Moen-jo-daro where maximum temperature 51.6xC was recorded.
Temperature of main cities of Pakistan:
Islamabad 44 C, Karachi 35 C, Lahore 45 C, Peshawar 43 C, Quetta 34 C, Gilgit 28 C, Muzaffarabad 39 C, Murree 30 C, Multan 50 C and Faisalabad 47 C.
Australlia win ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup 2010
ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Cup 2010 Final at Barbados against Australlia vs New Zealand. Australlia made only 106/8 in 20 overs. New Zealand very easy Target but New Zealand had been outstanding in the field, taking early wickets and keeping the pressure on throughout. New Zealand made 103/6 in 20 overs. Australlia made clinical victory against New Zealand with 3 runs win. Man of the Match and 18 year old Australlian fast Bowler Ellyse Perry outstanding perfomance, Perry took 3 wickets for 18 runs.
Australlian Batsman not played very well only Leah Poulton’s 20 rus was the highest score for Australlia. New Zealand chasing a modest 107 for victory, but New Zealand batsman super flop opposite Ellyse Perry outstanding bowling and fielding.
New Zealand Captain Aimee Watkins fell first, caught at short midwicket off pace bowler Clea Smith, Sara McGlashan was run out for just one after a dreadful mix-up with Suzie Bates, Bates made (18) was out trying to hit Ellyse Perry across the line and lobbing a catch to mid-off. Devine and Nicola Browne (20) led the fightback, with three overs left and 33 rus needed to win for New Zealand. but Ellyse Perry had Browne caught behind cutting for 20, New Zealand score reached 77 for 6 wickets. After Devine smashed Rene Farrell for a six and a Four the last two balls of the 19th over and last over New Zealand need 14 runs to win. Ellyse come for bowling in the last over, She kept her cool and when a boundary from the final delivery from the last delivery would have tied the game, Perry stuck out her foot to stop a cleanly-hit straight drive from Sophie Devine that might have decided the outcome.
