27 People Killed in Assam Fatal Bus Accident

Guwahati, May 31 : At least 25 people were feared killed and six injured in Assam when a bus carrying a marriage party plunged into a gorge after hitting a wooden bridge late Monday, officials said.

The accident took place around 11 p.m. Monday near village Charabari in Kamrup district, about 30 km from Assam's main city of Guwahati.

The dead included the groom and relatives.

The bus was on its way from Guwahati to Tihu in Nalbari district.

"The marriage rituals were to take place early Tuesday, with the bus on its way with the groom to the bride's house in Tihu when the accident took place," police official A. Das said.

According to witnesses, the driver probably failed to notice the wooden bridge without any railings or signposts and then straightway plunged into a deep gorge.

"Six people were rescued by locals and admitted to local hospitals, while 25 bodies were recovered so far with rescue workers trying to fish out more bodies," the police official said.

There were 43 passengers on board the bus.

Nigerian Arrested For Murdering Girlfriend

Chong alias Cecelia

New Delhi, May 31 : A Nigerian national was arrested from south Delhi for murdering his Myanmarese girlfriend and dumping her body in a travel bag earlier this month, police said Monday.

Innocent Nwayo, 31, was arrested Sunday from Kotla Mubarakpur when he came to visit his friend Prince Michael, police said.

He killed his 22-year-old girlfriend May 20 and left the travel bag containing her body in his rented house in west Delhi's Uttam Nagar. After the murder he fled to Mumbai.

"The murder took place after the two entered into a scuffle as the victim suspected that Nwayo was attracted to a girl who came to their house along with three more friends April 28," a police official said.

"The body was found in a black travel bag. When the bag was opened it contained a decomposed body of a woman found wrapped in a blanket and tied with a plastic rope," police said.

The victim, identified as Chong alias Cecelia, was from Myanmar and worked in a beauty parlour at Munirka. She was in a live-in relationship with the Nigerian national, the police said.

She hailed from Myanmar but was brought up in Manipur. She came to Delhi in 2005 with her husband, whom she divorced last year.

Police said after killing her the Nigerian bought a travel bag from INA market to dispose of the body.

Before coming to India, he worked in the Nigerian police force.

Chong alias Cecelia Burial

Mizo Opposition Party Youth

Aizawl, May 31 : The youth wings of three major opposition parties in Mizoram have set June 15 as the deadline for chief minister Lal Thanhawla to roll back the recent hike in sales tax imposed by the Congress government in the state.

On Monday, youth leaders of the Mizo National Front (MNF), the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) and the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) threatened to launch a united tirade against the state government if it did not meet their demand.

MNF youth wing president Lalruatkima said at Rs 64.70 a litre, people in Aizawl have to pay more for petrol than their counterparts in New Delhi.

"The price of petrol in Mizoram is second highest in the region, only next to Assam.

The common people of Mizoram will suffer a lot because the prices of essential commodities will go up in the wake of the rise in petroleum produc prices," he added.

The rates of local sales tax were hiked on petroleum products from May 20, a week after Indian Oil Corporation increased petrol price by Rs 5 a litre.

"While the Centre refrained from further hike in petroleum prices to avoid public wrath, it is extremely unfortunate that the state government increased the rates at alarming rates," Lalruatkima said.

On the other hand, the Mizoram Road Transport Union, an umbrella organization of vehicle owners and drivers, and the Zoram Taxi Drivers` Association also criticized the government for "steep rise" in local sales tax rates on petroleum products.

Mizoram Still Highest Consumer of Tobacco in India

Other Northeast states Nagaland and Tripura follow close behind

Mizoram a state couched in north-east India is no doubt permeated with the spirit of natural beauty but it is the same state where 60 per cent of people indulge in smoking. The strange thing that has been put under the light by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is that 22 per cent women of Mizoram indulge in smoking, compared to the meagre national level of 2.5 per cent, which is indeed startling.

This survey has also revealed the fact, that the ratio of women indulging in smoking have a higher death rate than the women who never smoked.

In the words of Nancy Malsawmtluangi:

I sell minimum 50 packs of cigarettes and 170 paans (betel leaves laved with tobacco) every day.

That can be one of the major reasons, why women of Mizoram are topping the cancer list of the country.

I think government will have to do a lot to check this trend and will have to try hard to make people aware of its implications.

Other News of Today of Mizo Smoking

Agartala, May 30 : Mizoram has emerged as the highest tobacco consuming state in the country followed by Nagaland and Tripura, Dr Goutam Majumder, Superintendent of Regional Cancer Centre said here today.

He said despite imposition of ban on smoking in public places, about 55.9 per cent of people in Tripura had been consuming tobacco (67.2 per cent in Mizoram and 56.8 per cent in Nagaland). According to statistics, while female tobacco users in the state was 48.1 per cent, 63.4 males used tobacco in Tripura.

''Females are found to be using smokeless tobacco than their male counterpart. Tobacco users of below 17 years are found highest in the state that counts for 29 per cent in a day,'' Dr Majumder said, adding that the tobacco using habit among minors had been on the rise.

Population based Cancer Registry Programme of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) shows occurrence of oesophagus, lung, mouth, nasopharynx and stomach cancer are relatively higher in Northeastern states as compared to other parts of the country.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has conducted a comprehensive study into the abnormal cancer growth in NE state during 2003-04, which revealed that Mizoram recorded the world's second highest cancer cases.

According to the report of the Development of Atlas of Cancer in India (DACI), Aizawl district has the highest Minimal Age Adjusted Incidence Rate (MAAIR) in India among women, followed by Serchhip district, which was also in Mizoram.

The study revealed, on an average about 40 people in a population of about a lakh suffer from stomach cancer in Northeast and this was only second to Japan's statistics after analysing the data of 105 hospitals spread over 82 districts across the country.

Oil Price Hike Fuels Anger in Mizoram

Aizawl, May 30 :The recent hike in petrol and other fuel products has fuelled public anger in Mizoram, with Opposition parties demanding the Congress government to revoke the increase in local sale taxes on oil not later by June 15.

Youth wings of the three Opposition parties -- Mizo National Front, Mizoram Peoples Party and Zoram Nationalist Party -- in a joint press conference on Saturday, lambasted the Congress government for increasing sales tax on petroleum products exorbitantly.

On Wednesday last, petrol became dearer in Mizoram than Delhi as the Mizoram government hiked prices of petroleum products and lubricants by raising local sales tax rates, a week after Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) increased petrol price by Rs 5 a litre.

One has to shell out Rs 64.70 and Rs 38.30 for a litre of petrol and diesel respectively in Aizawl and other parts of Mizoram while extra premium petrol costs Rs 67.20 a litre and extra premium diesel Rs 40.15 a litre. This resulted in a hike in sales tax, from 18 to 25 per cent on petrol, from 10 to 15 per cent on diesel and 2 to 4 per cent on cooking gas.

''Whereas the Centre has refrained from hiking petrol prices to prevent public anger, it is really unfortunate that the Mizoram Government has hiked fuel prices at extraordinary rates,'' Lalruatkima, president of MNF Youth said. ''The government has to impose or increase taxes from time to time taking into consideration the peoples ability to pay. The recent increase of taxes by the Congress government was exorbitant,'' Lalruatkima said.

The joint opposition wings also ridiculed a meeting of executive committee of the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee on May 25, which included Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, that resolved to ask the government to make downward revision of the oil prices.

''This only shows that the Congress high command does not have trust in the Congress Cabinet. Also that the Cabinet does not look before it leaps,'' the MNF Youth leader said.

''Therefore, we demand the Congress government to roll back the fuel prices before June 15, as it is also the wish of the Congress party executive committee, chaired by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla,'' he said.

Soon, Internet Connectivity For Every Indian Village

New Delhi, May 30 : Very soon, every village in the country will have an internet equipped service centre to ensure rural access to various online services like railway reservation and weather information for farmers.

The information technology department is working on a plan to have 2.5 lakh such centres across the country - one in every panchayat - by 2012.

While this is an extension of the original plan to have one lakh telecentres - one each at the block level - the department is banking on the recently unveiled National Broadband Policy to provide access to high speed connectivity.

Additional secretary, IT, Shankar Agarwal said, "The existing centres have internet facility but the speed is not very high, just about 256 kbps.

We are hoping that when the national broadband policy comes into force, this will increase to 2 mbps so that the service is more efficient and even video content can be sent.

We have about 6 lakh villages in the country, so the new target will mean that there will be one telecentre for every 2.5 villages."

At present, there are about 94,000 telecentres in the country, mostly at the block level. Each centre has a computer, a scanner, a printer and technical staff to help villagers with their work.

The idea, Agarwal said, is to have a cyber cafe like infrastructure in place for access of people in the rural areas. Private initiatives did not quite take off because of the uncertain nature of the business model which is when government decided to pitch in, he added.

While the department is confident of meeting the 2012 deadline for the panchayat level centres, upgrade of internet service is a very important aspect of the plan as without it the plan to use this in a big way for educational purposes may not be very successful. "Transfer of video content is essential to use the centres as distance learning hub," Agarwal said.

The speed increase as envisaged in the broadband policy would entail laying of fibre cables which could mean possible land issues. The cables would need to be laid and there could be opposition from panchayats or individual farm owners about the digging work that would be essential for this.

The 2 mbps internet speed plan in fact is a take-off from the government's own State Wide Area Network (SWAN) project which is in place for intra-government connectivity under which every block level government office in the country across 27 states is connected.

The states/UTs that are not a part of the initiative now include Goa, Andamans, Daman and Diu, Mizoram and Meghalaya. Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan started late but are now catching up.

Bengal Retain Santosh Trophy Title

Bengal beat Manipur 2-1 to retain Santosh Trophy

Players and officials of the Bengal football team jubilate after winning the 65th Santosh Trophy at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Guwahati. (PTI Photo)

Guwahati, May 30 : Bengal retained the Santosh Trophy with a 2-1 victory over Manipur in the summit clash to win their 31st title of the national championships on Monday.

Strikers Branco Cardozo (21st minute) and Budhiram Tudu (48th) scored for Bengal while Manipur pulled one back through Nabachandra Singh in the 75th minute at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.

Manipur were playing in only their second final after winning the title in 2002.

Both the teams started on an aggressive note. While Manipur went all out for an early goal, Bengal preferred to play sensibly and gained in confidence as they played the waiting game.
Branco put Bengal ahead in the 21st minute. He blasted a Francis Fernandes pass from the top of the box as Bengal went into the interval with a one-goal lead.

After changing ends, Bengal doubled the lead in the 48th minute. Midfielder Budhiram Tudu found the back of the net when he tapped in from close.

With no other option left, Manipur went all out. And it paid dividends when Nabachandra Singh reduced the margin in the 75th minute. Inspired by the goal, Manipur launched a series of attacks to restore parity but it all came a bit too late.

Bengal now have won their second consecutive title after a lull of 11 years since emerging champions in 1999. In the last edition, Bengal had beaten Punjab 2-0 in the final to regain the trophy.

Bengal sports minister congratulates football team

KOLKATA: West Bengal sports minister Madan Mitra congratulated the state football team on winning the prestigious Santosh Trophy after defeating Manipur in the final in Guwahati.

"We are happy for the super performance of the Bangal soccer team who has restored the past glory of Bengal in football arena," Mitra said.

He said that the team would be accorded a reception at the Town Hall by the state sports department.

Mitra said that the state government would encourage sports in various disciplines.

Mile-High Flirting Goes Horribly Wrong

A US man who tried to flirt with a young woman on board a plane by bragging he was carrying enough poisonous gas to knock out the entire aircraft found himself arrested and banned for life from Delta Air Lines.

Bryan Sisco, 40, allegedly knocked back five whiskey-and-cokes at an airport bar in Dallas on Friday before boarding his Atlanta-bound plane, on which he took a wrong seat and found himself next to Danielle Valimont, 23, from Griffin, US, The Commercial Appeal reported.

When confronted by a flight attendant about being in the wrong seat, Sisco said he and Valimont were newlyweds.

The 40-year-old then whipped out a butane lighter, sparking it near Valimont's legs, and boasted that he had a canister that contained enough gas to knock out everyone on the plane.

In further attempt to impress her, Sisco also claimed he was an architect and a federal marshal, and his father was in the CIA, according to Valimont who wrote about the incident on her blog.

"He was very crass with his language and called me "B****" and "F*****" in a friendly, joking way - if that's possible"

The quick-thinking Valimont pretended she needed the bathroom and managed to alert a flight attendant.

The flight was diverted to Memphis, where a baffled Sisco, who had been sleeping and oblivious to the unfolding panic, was arrested by officers who boarded the plane.

"I fell asleep, and woke up in handcuffs in Memphis with the FBI questioning me. ... I couldn't even feel my thumb, the handcuffs were put on so tight," he said.

Sisco added that he was puzzled by the fuss which came about "because of that one comment".

"We were talking, sharing M&Ms, eating chocolate, having a good time," he said. "I fabricated some truths about myself. ... I thought we were getting along pretty good."

The flight continued on its way to Atlanta, while Sisco was released on a $10,000 bond. He faces charges of carrying a weapon or explosive on an aircraft.

Chinese Labour Camp Prisoners Forced To Play Games

Chinese Labour Camps in gold farming racket of World of Warcraft , says Detainee

The black market in World of Warcraft credits is a full-blown industry in China. Picture: Blizzard Entertainment

• Prisoners forced to break rocks, game
• Physical punishments if quotas not met
• Huge blackmarket in gaming credits

A former prisoner of a Chinese labour camp claims guards are forcing detainees to play online games as part of a huge money-making scam.

Liu Dali told The Guardian website that guards traded the credits inmates built up playing games such as World of Warcraft for money.

"The computers were never turned off."

"Prison bosses made more money forcing inmates to play games than they do forcing people to do manual labour," he said.

"There were 300 prisoners forced to play games. We worked 12-hour shifts in the camp. I heard them say they could earn 5000-6000rmb a day.

"We didn't see any of the money. The computers were never turned off."

Dali — not his real name — is aged 54 and was sent to Jixi re-education camp in Heilongjiang province, in north east China, in 2004.

He said he would spend his days either breaking rocks or assembling car seat covers and his nights playing computer games.

Dali said that if he didn't complete his credit quota, the guards would punish him: "They would beat me with plastic pipes. We kept playing until we could barely see things."

The building up and trading of game credits is known as gold farming.

Millions of gamers around the world pay real money for the credits in order to save hours of playing time.

Gold farming is rampant in China and other developing nations. Many Chinese gamers have full-time jobs as gold farmers but The Guardian story highlights the first time it has been practiced in labour camps.

Quoting figures from the China Internet Centre, the paper says almost £1.2 billion ($1.85 billion) worth of virtual currencies was traded in China in 2008.

Tyson Says Heavyweight Belts 'Garbage'

Mike Tyson says heavyweight belts are 'garbage' to him now

New WBC world heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson after his 3rd round TKO of champion Bruno in their title fight at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, 1996.

Mike Tyson arrives on the red carpet for the premiere 'The Hangover Part II'.

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson says his title belts are nothing more than garbage to him now that he is a reformed family man, CBS News reported yesterday.

At 44, the one-time self-proclaimed "baddest man on the planet" has traded in a life of excess for the Las Vegas suburbs where he lives with his third wife, Kiki, and two of his eight children, Morocco and Milan.

It is also where he trains his beloved pigeons, with his passion for racing the birds detailed on Animal Planet program Taking on Tyson.

In an interview with CBS, Tyson said he was two and a half years sober and a completely different person to the brash, aggressive man who was once one of the most recognised athletes in the world.

"I can't handle being that guy," Tyson said about his younger self.
"You know, that guy's a creation. 'Iron Mike,' the baddest man on the planet. There's nobody like that. People like that don't exist. I just had the audacity, the idiocy, to say it."

Tyson said he was experiencing the happiest period of his life as a full-time family man.

"Right now supersedes all those championship belts, all that money, all that liquor, all that dope," he said.

"I have my wife and my kids," he said.
"I had all the pleasures you could ever give me and still it doesn't match up to my ankle compared to my wife and my children. And they like me and respect me, a little bit at least. So it can't even compare to that. It can't. Not even a little bit."

Asked what his title belts meant to him now that he has changed his ways, Tyson said, "This is garbage. I can say I bled for garbage.

"At one time it meant a lot - when you're just a young kid, this is everything to you," he added.
"But then you realise your priorities change. And you just want your children to be happy and do nice things and that makes you happy. This stuff is nothing. This is just nothing, man."

Help Wanted: See The New 'Billionaire' Jobs

Wanted: See the boom jobs of the next 20 years

By Malcolm Farr

By the numbers: China's boom at a glance / Graphic: Simon Wright

Just add a language course to create the next wave of billionaires / File picture

• China's growth to drive Aussie job boom

Learn Mandarin, "become a billionaire"

• "Service exports" the hot jobs of 2020

China's rapidly growing demand for financial services, urban planners and environmental managers is offering lucrative career choices for young Australians.

China watchers are pointing to the opportunities for well-trained Australians as the northern giant's economy expands and swells its well-heeled middle class.

It will carry the effects of the Chinese boom to a range of skill sets beyond those required by the mining sector.

One experienced China watcher said: "If you are in the construction industry and do a TAFE course in basic Mandarin, you could become a billionaire."

Experts told news.com.au the prospects for skilled Australians will increase over the next 15 to 20 years as China becomes the most powerful consumer economy on the globe.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Trade Minister Craig Emerson will soon travel to China in a bid to make it easier for Australians to get these jobs - known as service exports.

They will underline that while the mining boom benefits a small number of states and miners, the services export boom will benefit a wide range of people.  It won't be necessary to own an iron ore mine to get a lucrative slice of the Chinese phenomenon.

Which jobs?

The jobs include vocations in which Australians already are world leaders, such as mining engineering, but also agri-science, food security, green architecture and business development.

There will be huge demand for architects and urban designers as the Chinese put a priority on ensuring its rapidly growing number of cities - most bigger than Sydney - are both functional and comfortable.

By 2020 there will be 93 Chinese cities of five million inhabitants or more.  By the same date, there are expected to be more middle class consumers in Asia than the rest of the world combined, and most of them will be in China.

Chinese are moving from the country to the city at a rate of about 14 million people a year, and it is calculated some 50,000 additional skyscrapers will be needed for them by 2025.

"The implications for high-value knowledge economies like Australia stretch well beyond the mining boom," Treasurer Wayne Swan said on May 11.

How to clean up

China is spending more to repair environmental damage caused by its initial rush of economic growth, and wants to focus more on preventing future damage.

This will create employment for such service providers as hydrologists, environmental planners and environmental scientists.

The Chinese government also wants to keep its independence in food production.  It wants to strengthen its food security and not have to rely on imports from other countries.

This, plus the more sophisticated menu demands of the Chinese middle class, are certain to produce contracts for agricultural economists, rural scientists, experts in animal husbandry and biotechnologists.

A similar self-reliance is wanted in mineral resources, which would provide work for Australian mining engineers.

Northeast's Got Talent

Guwahati, May 30 : The Programme Production Centre (North East India) Doordarshan Guwahati will be organizing the first ever North East Reality Show for singers of the North East India to give an opportunity to the young people to explore their talents and to give a common platform. 

The Reality Show will be held in two categories, that is, Solo-Western popular Pop songs and popular old Hindi Film melodies. 

The competition will be held for the age group of 16 to 26 years.

In this regard, Director Programme Production Centre (NE) Doordarshan has informed all interested person to collect the application forms from any Doordarshan Kendras of the North East India.

Download from the website ppcneddguwahati.net the last date for submission of the applications will be 30th June 2011.  

How About Studying Abroad... For Free!

By Apoorva Tadepalli

Most European varsities are government-funded and offer courses for international students charging little or nothing. Some of them even pay you for taking up higher education there, reports Apoorva Tadepalli

Studying abroad is enticing, all right. But the crunch is that along with the big names like Cambridge and Harvard come premium fee tags, especially when your purse is not two-tonne heavy. Is there a way out? Yes, not one but many!

Just look beyond the UK in Europe, you may find many a varsity -- with big names too -- that are ready to take you in for tuition fees that range between a little and nothing.

One of the biggest differences between higher education in the UK and in the rest of Europe is that in countries like Germany, Finland and Sweden, the universities are publicly-funded. These universities offer high standards of education and are becoming increasingly popular.

It's free in Finland

In Finland, higher education is fully funded by the government, and many courses like design, environmental science and architecture, which are popular among international students, are taught in English. However, there are over 100 other courses that are open to international students.

Local and international students are provided with free university tuition for under-graduation as well as for post-graduation. Some masters programmes even pay students to conduct their masters thesis and do research, especially for courses like Computer Applications. Students who pursue their Masters and conduct research get paid up to 50 euros a month.

If a student's research is in connection with a particular industry, they fetch more funds because the industries' funding is heftier than that of the universities.
What more, Finland is gaining popularity among Indian students.

For a chemical engineering master's course, the number of students who got enrolled from India tripled this year. One of the major reasons for this is the convenience of living in Finland.

The total cost incurred by students averages around 800 euros a month, especially when the universities often arrange for accommodation for students through student unions. Lodging is also relatively inexpensive. Student apartments are less expensive than private apartments and can be easily arranged for on www.soa.fi.

Study and work in Sweden

Sweden is another country where a significant portion of the universities are public and tuition fees are low.

Till date, international and national students have received almost free education, paying only around 30 euros per term. This amount gives students a student card that is necessary to write exams at the university, and also use public transport and shop with discounts. However, this structure may change for non-European students.

Though individual universities do not offer scholarships, the Swedish Institute, which is a collective body regulating education in Sweden, does. Hence, international students, who are not given free tuition, may apply for these scholarships. They can also get jobs in the city, because non-citizens do not need a special permit to work.

The other costs that students have to incur average around 750 euros a month, particularly because student dorms are rented out at a lower price than private dorms.
Germany is also emerging as a favourite international study destination.

Like Finland, Sweden and Germany, there are several other European countries that have institutions that offer high-quality education and rank high in the QS World Rankings. The governments in these countries support education to a great extent, whereas in the US, most institutions are private and in the UK, scholarships and financial aid are rare.

Why European countries, apart from the UK, are not so popular among students is because of the assumption that language would be a problem. Besides, they don't want a degree from an obscure name. But, now, students are realising that these are non-issues and, above all, money matters.

Copyright restricted. Under license from www.3dsyndication.com

Santosh Trophy Final: Manipur vs Bengal, A Battle of ‘Unequals’

By Prasanta Mazumdar

Guwahati, May 30 : It will be a contest between experience and exuberance when defending champions Bengal take on Manipur in the final of 65th Santosh Trophy for National Football Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Guwahati on Monday.

Manipur have got a young side with the average age of the players being 23.

In contrast, the Bengal players are vastly experienced with some of them playing for Kolkata’s premier clubs such as Chirag United, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting.

“We know they are a very experienced side. But we are equally good otherwise we wouldn’t have been in the final,” Manipur coach S Ekendra Singh told DNA.

So far, Manipur’s show in this edition of the tournament has been excellent. They rallied to hold Bengal to a 2-2 draw in a quarterfinal league match. They beat Services by an extra time goal in the semifinal.

However, their biggest worry has been poor finishing. “We know we are not doing well upfront. But tomorrow is a different day and the players are raring to go. We are hoping for the best,” the Manipur coach said.

Unlike Bengal, Manipur do not have any injury worries. “We don’t have any fitness problem. (Midfielder) Thoiba Singh isn’t playing tomorrow because of double booking,” he added.

Manipur had won the Santosh Trophy in 2002 defeating Bengal. They have budding talents in the likes of strikers Nilakumar Singh, Tiken Singh, Jimmy Singh and midfielders Santosh Singh, Herojit Singh etc.

Bengal coach Shabbir Ali also spoke very highly of the Manipur players.

“We aren’t underestimating them. They are physically very strong. Besides, most of their players have played at national level,” he said.

Ali said Bengal could not play with their full strength as the clubs did not release the star players because of I League.

“(Striker) Francis Xavier and (defender)) Suman Dey are doubtful starter for the final owing to injuries. We’ll take a call on them tomorrow,” Ali said.

“However, we still have some key players such as (defender) Anupam Sarkar, (midfielders) Snehasish Dutta and Santosh Oraon,” the Bengal coach said.

Bengal scrapped past the Railways by a solitary goal to make it to the final for the 45th time. They won the title 30 times.

Another Scam Hits Mizoram

By Vinod Sharma

Rs 46.76-crore Scam

New Delhi, May 30 : If the much-publicised CBI case against a top MHA official is a comment on the fragile nature of our border management, there’s more in an audit report crying for the government’s attention in Mizoram. It points to grave irregularities in projects designed to reach development to India’s borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The state Accountant General’s report countersigned by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) was tabled in the assembly on March 29. It contains the shocking revelation that Rs46.76 crore was withdrawn from the treasury against “before actual commencement of approved works” between 2005-2010.

Doubts have arisen on whether the findings will be taken to their logical conclusion, the irregularities spanning the Mizo National Front and the Congress regimes. Vanhela Pachuau, principal secretary, rural development from 2006-08 is now the state chief secretary. The state Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is chaired by the Opposition MNF that was in power when the rot set in.

For his part, Pachuau, considered close to chief minister Lalthanhawla, had nothing to say except referring to official explanations rejected by the AG’s report. PAC chairman and MNF MLA B Lalthlengliana couldn’t recall the report, details of which he sought from HT on being approached for his comments. “We’ve not yet studied; we’ll see the report,” he said.

Besides presentation of false bills, Rs30.93 crore was drawn from the treasury and parked in civil deposits for 2-12 months.

The central government account (receipt and payments rules) of 1983 bar withdrawal of funds “unless required for immediate disbursement.” The report rejected the official plea that work couldn’t have been executed without funds. Instead of false bills, money should have been drawn against abstract contingent bills, it said. The AG didn’t also buy the explanation that money in civil deposits helped avoid mandatory re-sanction of funds.

“The reply is not acceptable,” the report said. The first instalment of Rs20.07 crore out of the allocated Rs24.95 crore for 2008-09 was released in October 2008, affording enough time for withdrawals prior to the fag end of the financial year for timely implementation of schemes.

Funds for the border area development programme are provided as special central assistance on a 100% grant basis. The objective is to improve the quality of life in inhospitable terrains to check local support and sympathy for insurgent groups and foreign agents.

Mizoram’s 722-km border with Myanmar and Bangladesh is infested with insurgents, gun-runners and drug traffickers. The audit bares down to the bone the financial indiscipline, manipulation of rules and the lack of planning in development projects. “The perfunctory approach compromises border security,” said an official. For instance, fake bills contained cost of material and labour wages.

Instead of being disbursed to labourers or supplier, the entire Rs46.76 crore reached private individuals appointed for project execution. Over Rs22 crore out of the Rs46.76 crore were en-cashed in 2009-10 showing completion of approved projects in the period. But work commenced in the first quarter of 2010-11 and remained in progress as of July 2010, noted the report containing photographs of unfinished projects.

Another glaring anomaly was non-identification of villages located 0-20 kms from international borders in the plans for 2009-10. “This obviated the very purpose of prioritising these villages (for development).”

Defence, Home Ministries in Turf War Over Myanmar Border Security

The home ministry is arguing that the Assam Rifles has failed to effectively deliver on the dual problem of keeping the border secure and fighting off inflitration attempts by insurgents

By Sahil Makkar

New Delhi, May 30 : Abid to realize operational control of the security apparatus along the border between India and Myanmar, which is vulnerable to illegal intrusions, has degenerated into an ugly face-off between the home and defence ministries.

At present the border is manned by the central paramilitary Assam Rifles.

The irreconcilable differences have forced the government to refer the matter to the cabinet committee on security (CCS), which is headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Defence minister A.K. Antony, home minister P. Chidambaram, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and external affairs minister S.M. Krishna are the other members of the country’s highest decision-making body on national security.

India shares a 1,643km border with Myanmar; it borders the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Insurgent groups such as the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) operate out of Myanmar.

The home ministry is arguing that the Assam Rifles has failed to effectively deliver on the dual problem of keeping the border secure and fighting off inflitration attempts by insurgents. It has demanded that they be replaced with another central paramilitary, the Border Security Force (BSF), presently deployed at the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The defence ministry, on the other hand, has opposed the idea and argued that dismantling or replacement of the Assam Rifles would rob the government of domain knowledge of the area that could be useful to hold off a Chinese military offensive.

The CCS, due to meet this week, will find it difficult to take a decision, especially given that there is a long history to the dispute. A group of ministers set up in 2001 had recommended that since the home ministry oversees border management, the defence ministry should hand over operational control of the Assam Rifles, a decision that was rejected by the defence ministry.

At present the Assam Rifles, which has a strength of 46 battalions, of which 31 are deployed for counter-insurgency operations and 15 for border-guarding duties, is operationally under the control of the defence ministry while its administrative control is with the home ministry. It is tasked with preventing the infiltration of arms and drug trafficking from the other side of the border.

“It is a turf war between the two arms of the government,” said B.G. Verghese, a political analyst. “Since Assam Rifles is doing operational duties, it can be placed under the army. But if it is performing peace duties, home ministry can have control over it.”

According to official documents, prepared ahead of the CCS meet and reviewed by Mint, the home ministry has raised serious questions on the effectiveness of the Assam Rifles.

“Assam Rifles has traditionally been a counter-insurgency (CI) force. The Assam Rifles is located not exactly at the border, but very much inside in the interiors to be also able to conduct CI operations. The attention of an essentially CI force to both guarding border and carrying out CI results in neither of the objectives being addressed effectively,” the note said.

The home ministry, therefore, argues that freeing the Assam Rifles of border duty would allow it to focus on counter insurgency.

“Like Pakistan and Bangladesh, where the BSF performs the role of the first line of defence, on Myanmar border also during war, if any, BSF will perform the similar role. Therefore, any force deployed at this border need not be under the operational control of Army as suggested by the MoD (ministry of defence),” the home ministry said in its argument.

It further argued that though the defence ministry was supportive of raising 26 additional battalions (nearly 30,000 security personnel) in the Assam Rifles, the army, which is already facing a shortage of officers, will not be able to provide its officers to man the new battalions. The force is officered primarily by army officers on deputation.

The defence ministry supported the idea of raising additional battalions in the Assam Rifles but refused to hand over their operational control to the home ministry. Consequently, the home ministry decided to raise 41 battalions in the BSF for deployment along the Myanmar border.

The defence ministry’s remarks appended to the same note suggested that it viewed this debate from its perception of a potential threat from China.

“The Chinese interests in infrastructure development in Myanmar with the aim of enhancing its military capabilities, the haste to construct Stilwell Road and development of several air fields with specifications not corresponding to aircrafts held by Myanmar belie its intentions,” the defence ministry said.

Given that Arunchal Pradesh and Nagaland are vulnerable to any Chinese miltiary intrusion, the defence ministry is pusing to keep the area under the operational control of the army. “Any replacement of this force will result in loss of vast domain knowledge and rich operational experience in the region, which the replacing force if at all will take years to build up.”

“There is no harm in replacing Assam Rifles with BSF, provided that MHA (ministry of home affairs) deployed seasoned police officers in BSF at the border,” said E. Ramohan, formera director general of the BSF.

sahil.m@livemint.com

Bethanie Mattek-Sands: The Lady Gaga of Tennis

Eye grease and tattoo
The stripes of grease swiped under the eyes are usually the reserve of football and baseball players but Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US has brought it on the tennis court. Mattek-Sands sports a tattoo, plays in knee-high socks and plans to attend the Wimbledon players' party in a dress crafted from tennis equipment by one of Lady Gaga's designers Alex Noble.

USA's Bethanie Mattek-Sands returns the ball to Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja during their first round match for the French Open tennis tournament, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, May, 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Laurent Baheux) Eye black originated in the 1940s when football players began smearing ash from a burnt cork on their cheeks. Today it is a must have for baseball and lacrosse players.

USA's Bethanie Mattek-Sands reacts as she plays Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja during their first round match for the French Open tennis tournament, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, May, 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Laurent Baheux) Mattek-Sands has gone a step further and etched cute Bs in the grease under her eyes. Mattek-Sands indulged her interest in fashion with a recent behind-the-scenes tour of Paris's Moulin Rouge cabaret club, but admitted her attempts to join in with the dancers yielded mixed results.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US returns against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in her third round match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Friday May 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau) She played the 2007 US Open in a what looked like a black push-up bra and has been fined for wearing a cowboy hat during a match.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US looks down in her match against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the third round of the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Friday May 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau) The eccentric dresser Mattek-Sands says she draws her inspiration from pop superstar Lady Gaga, and admits she has already started planning her outfits for this year's Wimbledon.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US blows air on her injured right hand in her match against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the third round of the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Friday May 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau) Quizzed about the inspiration behind her outfits, Mattek-Sands said she felt a stylistic affinity with Lady Gaga, who is as famous for her jaw-dropping costumes as she is for her multi-million-selling albums.

USA's Bethanie Mattek-Sands cenches her fist as she plays Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja during their first round match for the French Open tennis tournament, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, May, 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Laurent Baheux) At the 2006 championships she sported a football-themed ensemble, replete with football socks bought from the famous Harrods department store for USD 16 the night before.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the U.S. returns the ball to Vania King of the US during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris May 25, 2010. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau. The 26-year-old American teamed a pink T-shirt with black shorts and socks in her 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 defeat of compatriot Varvara Lepchenko in the second round of the French Open at Roland Garros.

Behind the Scenes: Kim Kardashian's Skechers Shoot

Backstage with the reality star at her latest photo shoot.

Kim Kardashian got a lot of attention with her sexy Skechers Super Bowl ad earlier this year. Now she's back with a magazine ad campaign, and we have a few hot behind-the-scenes shots.

Kim was accompanied on the shoot by he mom Kris Jenner.

Kardashian told Extra that she could run all day in her Skechers, and that she needed to, because she can't turn down anything with sugar in it.

Cookies, candy - you get the picture.

Skechers is just one of the many lucrative endorsement deals Kardashian has signed.

Last year, she made a reported $35 million from her show and product deals.

It looks like 2011 could even top that.

Brooklyn Decker's Hot Body Secret: Throw that scale away!

Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker may have made a splash in a teeny-tiny yellow bikini in her debut film, “Just Go With It,” but the Ohio native has a unique piece of advice on how to get her killer figure: Chuck the scale!

“Throw it out the window,” declares Decker. “I got rid of mine three years ago, and I haven’t been on one since. When you put on muscle, you gain weight, and it has nothing to do with size.”

The bodacious blonde doesn’t waste time dreaming of cheeseburgers, “Eating is more fulfilling if you talk about what you should eat rather than what you shouldn’t,” the 24-year old explained to Self magazine. “Instead of worrying about what foods might have too much fat or sugar, think, ‘Oh I should eat these blueberries for the antioxidants.’”

Decker eats “clean” throughout the day, “For breakfast, I usually have Greek yogurt and lots of berries or an egg-white omelet,” she tells Us Weekly.

For snacks, Decker goes nuts, “(They’re) my favorite snack,” she says. “I love nuts, I love berries, and I love hummus, so I’ll have hummus with carrots or pita. And, for me, I think snacking’s so important. When you snack, it helps maintain your metabolism throughout the day. You don’t get hungry, and you fill your body with nutrients.”

To get Decker’s bikini-ready body, you have to eat right and (gulp!) exercise, “I’m curvier and more athletic than the typical-size model, so I work out,” she explained to OK! magazine. “A lot of girls are like ‘I eat a cheeseburger, and I’m a size zero.’ Me? No way! I have to workout, and it’s part of my life and I love it. I do yoga, cardio, boxing – everything. For me, it’s about mixing things up and staying in shape.”

Yoga is one of Decker’s favorite exercises, ” I noticed it really enhanced my other workouts because I work out like an athlete,” she explains. “I go for long runs or spin classes and I do weights, which I think a lot of women are scared of. I think it’s so important to do weights, because they don’t make you bigger, they make you more lean and toned and all that good stuff.”

Decker lifts weights faithfully, “I do free weights three days a week,” she says. “I do walking lunges with a weight, then squats, then rotating twists with a plate on my chest, and then arms, too. Having more muscle means burning more calories, which is a reason guys lose weight faster than women. Lifting makes me leaner.”

And to keep your stomach as flat as Decker’s, do sit-ups—every day, “Do 10 or 15 or 20 or 50, however many you can do. Just do them. If your core is strong your back will be strong.”

Decker’s final piece of bikini advice? “The most important thing is to have a suit that covers enough and supports your boobies! At the beach, you don’t want to be vulgar, you want to feel radiant.”

Naga Girl Caught in Between Two Lovers

Two to tango, a crowd to thrash

Rozy Nehoshe and Moe Lattif being questioned by a policeman

Bangalore, May 30 : Wilson Garden residents beat up two foreign students fighting over a girl.

Two foreign students and a girl were reportedly beaten up by some residents in Wilson Garden on Thursday night for allegedly disturbing their sleep.

The two students were fighting over the girl! Their brawl dragged residents out of their beds.

Moe Lattif (24) from South Africa, a final year information technology student at Sampoorna Academy of Higher Education near Hennur Cross, and his one-time friend Yasser (25) from Saudi Arabia, a final year Bachelor of Computer Application student at the same college, were involved in a fight over Rozy Nehoshe (27), from Nagaland.

Both Lattif and Yasser, who were treated for injuries at a hospital on K H Road and were later charged by the Wilson Garden police for creating public nuisance.

HOW IT STARTED
It all began when one of Rozy’s colleagues invited her for a dinner at a restaurant on KH Road. She called up Lattif and asked him to accompany her. Yasser, who has a crush on Rozy, also managed to get an invite. At the dinner table, Yasser was piqued as Lattif sat close to Rozy and even draped his arm around her.

He felt Lattif was deliberately getting cozy with “his” girl just to provoke him. Yasser then demanded that Rozy sit next to him. She ended up sitting between the two of them. This angered Yasser even more and he began to abuse both Rozy and Moe. He accused Moe of “stealing” his “sweetheart”. 

Sometime during the dinner, Rozy and Lattif left the restaurant together on some pretext and Yasser went looking for them. He found the two hugging each other on 7th Cross, where Moe’s bike was parked. Yasser at first tried to separate them, but when the two refused to be parted, he went down the road shouting for help.

Yasser was further infuriated when no one came to his aid. He began hurling stones at the windows of residents. The scene turned ugly when angry and sleepy residents walked out of their houses to find the reason for the commotion. Some auto drivers too joined the crowd. Things got out of control when Moe hit a resident who ordered Rozy to get back home. The residents, along with auto drivers, ganged up and thrashed the trio before handing them over to the police.

INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL
Medical tests proved that the three were under the influence of alcohol. While Rozy was let off, Moe and Yasser were produced before the VI Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on Friday. They were released on conditional bail.

This is not the first time foreign students have been involved in a public brawl over a girl. Brigade Road-Residency Road junction witnesses similar brawls between foreign students almost every fortnight.

Shillong Showers Welcome Tourists From Scorching Kolkata

By Manosh Das

Shillong, May 30 : With pre-monsoon showers bathing the Scotland of the East into a more lush shade of green, tourists, especially from neighbouring Kolkata are making a beeline to bask in the cool climes of Shillong.

"Oh, it is unbelievably cool out here," exclaims Sauravi Chatterjee, a tourist from Kolkata, who has escaped to the Pine City to escape the sweltering heat in her hometown.

"We love the hills out here and people are so elegant," gushes Saswati Dutta, yet another tourist from West Bengal. "We performed pujas at the Kamakhya Shrine in Guwahati before coming to Shillong," says Sudhir Dey, also from Bengal.

With the official monsoon just a few weeks away, botanists and zoologists from across the world are waiting with bated breath too to descend on the verdant Cherrapunjee (Sohra), its treasures multiplying fast with every bout of rainshower.

"Wild flowers and moss grow all over the hills in the region during the rains," says a botanist at the headquarters of Botanical Survey of India, Shillong.

Officials in the tourism department say tourist flow to the state has been rising steadily over the past few years. "The overall peaceful atmosphere and the sheer beauty of pristine nature, besides better communication, lodging and food facilities and popular annual festivals have been attracting tourists to the state," says an official in the state tourism department.

Beautiful lakes, breathtaking waterfalls set in pine forests and rolling green hills make the Shillong a popular hill station in the country.

Also reputed as the hub of western music, Shillong has emerged as an important destination for international music groups, attracting a large number of music buffs from not only the Northeast but other parts of the country and abroad as well.

Trekking, swimming, bird watching, shopping, golf and water sports are some of the activities that keep visitors engaged here. Home to an amazing variety of flora and fauna, Meghalaya has two national parks and two wildlife sanctuaries. There are also many caves, some the longest in Asia.

An added attraction for tourists here is the leave travel concession (LTC) package offered by the Centre to government employees traveling to the Northeast.

"The enhanced LTC facilities under which tourists can travel economy class on air encourages many to visit Shillong, apart from its sheer beauty of course," says a travel agent.

"The Centre is keen on luring LTC travelers to the relatively peaceful and enchanting, yet lesser visited Northeast, also to dispel misconceptions about the place," says a senior tourism official. "With direct flights between Kolkata and Shillong, the flow of tourists to Meghalaya is expected to increase," the official adds.

"Almost all hotels in the city have been booked by budget tourists," says the owner of a popular hotel in Police Bazar.

Mizoram Road Works Gather Speed

Aizawl, May 29 : The two-lane projects on two of the six national highways in Mizoram are in progress with nearly 60 per cent of works having been completed, PWD officials said today.

The two-lane construction works on NH 154 and 54 would be completed by mid 2012.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had allocated Rs 189.66 crore for double-lane construction of the 58-kilometre national highway 154 connecting Kolasib and Bairabi in northern Mizoram, the officials said.

The ministry had also earmarked Rs 123.93 crore for two-lane construction of stretch of 35 km on NH 54 connecting Kawnpui-Buichali (Sairang), which is a bypass of Silchar-Aizawl National Highway. Split into two packages, the double-lane works on NH 54 are being carried out by ABCI Infrastructure Pvt Ltd.

Once the double-lane project on NH 54 are completed, the distance between Kolasib and state capital Aizawl, which now takes three to four hours, would be reduced to a two-hour drive by light vehicles and three hours by heavy vehicles, PWD officials said.

‘Bigfoot’, Hits YouTube

Is this Bigfoot caught on video? Hiker swears she really HAS caught him this time

A woman hiker got the fright of her life after she went walking with a friend in Spokane, Washington, and stumbled across what she claims is Bigfoot.

Samantha, who has not revealed her surname, caught the footage in Downriver Park with her iPhone camera and posted the video on YouTube.

After capturing the mysterious creature, also known as a Sasquatch, on film, her YouTube video has become a hit and has already been viewed almost 8,000 times within four days.

The hiker took a walk in Downriver Park in Spokane, Washington, and end up catching Bigfoot on her iPhone

In her post, Samantha said she didn’t realise Bigfoot was there until she replayed her video after the hike at home.

She wrote an email to KXLY news website in the US, and said: ‘Someone asked me in the comments section if I believed in Bigfoot before the video.

‘I have never given it much thought, but now I’m not so sure. Seem real enough to me.

KXLY apparently showed the video to students and staff at Spokane Community College to ask for their opinion, seeing as their school mascot dresses as Bigfoot.

Student Margaret Clarke said: ‘Looks like just a normal person to me.’

While fellow pupil Ryan Constable added: ‘I think there is something big and hairy walking around out there like that.’

The Bigfoot YouTube video has become a hit and has already been viewed almost 8,000 times

And Professor of Theatre and Film Arts, Adam Sharp, said he has seen Bigfoot around their school grounds from time to time.

He said laughing: ‘We do get messages from him, from the faculty and staff. But he’s pretty elusive, he doesn’t like the spotlight a whole lot.’

Bigfoot is allegedly an ape-like cryptid that is said to inhabit forests mainly in the Northwest regions of North America, but his existence has not been scientifically proven.

Watch the video of the alleged Bigfoot below:

Condoms For Calif. Porn Stars?

New California law may require porn stars to wear condoms in sex scenes

Condoms would be soon made compulsory for porn films made in California.

Though it's only in draft stage, a new proposal would require adult entertainers to wear condoms in sex scenes to prevent ‘genital and oral contact with the blood or (any other bodily fluids) of another person,’ reports the New York Daily News.

The legislation is based on a state law requiring that hospitals provide nurses with gear to prevent exposure to blood and fluid-borne illnesses.

Cal/OSHA officials have always said they believe that porn performers fall under that law, but the new rule would make it more specific to porn sets.

The bill would also reiterate some of the basics of safe sex: condoms could not be reused, expired or worn with multiple partners, according to the proposal.

It would also require that performers not share razors and that sex toys must be kept clean.

The proposed rules come in response to a complaint filed two years ago by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and shortly after a California health care clinic for porn stars was shut down.

Tata To Launch New Nano

Tata Motors to launch new Nano variants in 2011-12

New Delhi, May 29 : Although the company has not specified anything about the forthcoming variant, it is widely speculated that a diesel version of the car is in the offing.

In a presentation, the company said it will introduce a host of products in 2011-12 fiscal.

"Future products in pipeline for FY'12 -- Nano variants, Vista refresh, Manza limited edition, New Safari, Aria 2WD," the presentation mentioned referring to product line up for its passenger vehicles for the ongoing fiscal.

Currently, Nano is available in three different petrol variants and are priced between Rs 1.41 lakh and Rs 1.97 lakh.

When contacted, a company spokesperson said the firm does not have any detail at this moment.

Pune FC Names David Lalbiakzara as U-19 Best Player

Keita is 'Pune FC Player Of The Year'

Pune, May 29 : In the Under-19 section, David Lalbiakzara, who hails from Mizoram, and joined the Pune FC fold in February this year was adjudged ‘Best Player (Under-19)’ and received his award by Head Coach (Youths) Norbert Gonsalves.

Guinean striker Keita Mandjou was adjudged 'Pune FC Player Of The Year 2010-11' and with it carried forward the trend of foreign players walking tall in their debut year for the club.
Thirty one-year-old Kieta in company of attacking midfielder Lester Fernandez stood out at the glittering Pune FC’s Award Night held on Friday night as they grabbed two awards respectively. This was the second year of the awards instituted by the city’s only professional football club.
The function held at Hotel Vits, situated within the Balewadi Sports Complex precinct, saw Keita receive a glittering trophy and a cash-incentive of Rs 2.0 lakh. Keita is one of the two new foreign players signed this season and his 11-goal effort in the on-going league (PFC has one round left this season) was an important reason in end analysis.
“I thank God and my family for all their support. Thank you Pune FC for the honour,” was his modest address to the gathering after Pune FC directors Rajeev, Nandan and Harsh Piramal handed over his award.
The other award that went Keita’s way was the ‘Players’ Player Award,’ an award nominated by the entire Pune FC senior team (I-League) squad. The award carried a Rs 1 lakh cash incentive and was presented by India’s and Pune FC’s first choice goalkeeper Subrata Paul.
In a total of 10 awards (six for the seniors and four for the juniors) given away at the gala, Bangalore-born Lester Fernandez was handed the ‘Goal of the Year’ and was also voted ‘Fans’ Player of the Year’.

Lester, like Keita, was signed this year and his strike against Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Bangalore in Round-23 was voted best. The goal, incidentally, was Lester’s first in Pune FC colours and coincidentally netted it in his home town.
Pune FC coach Derrick Pereira and local-boy Mayur Karanjkar, who was shortlisted from a 23,900-odd Pune FC fan base on Facebook, gave away the prizes respectively
The ‘Best Under-23 Player’ award went to Punjab-born Gurjinder Kumar, who like Keita and Lester joined the Pune FC this season. The left wing back was richer by Rs 1 lakh and received the honours from Pune FC directors Harsh Mehta and Kunal Chandra.
Defender Selwyn Fernandes claimed the ‘Man of Steel,’ which is an award given to the player with the maximum minutes played for the Pune FC seniors in the Federation Cup and I-League.

The Goan, who is playing his third year for the club, had a staggering 2324 playing minutes to his name having turned out in 24 full games, was substituted once and missed two matches due to double bookings!
This year, Pune FC included another first to their awards by acknowledging the junior players’ efforts as well. Pune FC Head of Operations Chirag Tanna said, “The awards was needed and it was necessary to showcase their efforts to enhance motivation at the junior level.”
Goa’s Vellington Rocha, a second-year player at the club, was handed the ‘Best Disciplined Player’ award by Pune FC Head of Youth Development, Ranjan Choudhury.
The ‘Best Under-17 Player’ award went to defensive midfielder Riyan Yadgiri, while the Rushab Dhere claimed the ‘Best Under-15 Player.’ Both Riyan and Rushab are city players, skippered their respective teams this season and are in their second year with the club. Assistant Coach (Youths) Gift Raikhan and Manager (Youths) Amit Dharap gave away the awards respectively.

All junior awards carried a cash award of Rs 20,000 apart from a trophy.
At the conclusion of the function, which was peppered by a recap of all activity Pune FC had conducted on and off the pitch including and a solo act by PFC Assistant Coach (Youths) Gift Raikhan, Chirag Tanna spoke on the next big thing at Pune FC – the Peninsula Pune Football Club Academy.
THE AWARDEES
Best Player of the Year: Mandjou Keita
Best Under-23 Player: Gurjinder Kumar
Goal of the Year: Lester Fernandez
Players’ Player: Mandjou Keita
Fans’ Player of the Year: Lester Fernandez
Man of Steel: Selwyn Fernandes
Best Player Under-19: David Lalbiazara
Best-Disciplined Under-19 Player: Vellington Rocha
Best Under-17 Player: Riyan Yadgiri
Best Under-15 player: Rushab Dhere

Tripura Bans Animal Slaughter in Open Places

Agartala, May 29 :  The Tripura government Friday banned slaughtering of animals in open places and temples and threatened tough action against offendors following stringent ciriticism of the practice, officials here said.

"The government has issued a notification banning the slaughtering of animals in open places in Tripura. From now on stern legal action would be taken against violators," Agartala Municipal Council chairperson Prafullajit Sinha told reporters here.

"Animals were slaughtered openly in the markets, roadside stalls, on pavements and at temples throughout the state, which affected children's psychological make-up. These are unhygienic too," Sinha said.

A large number of animals, including buffalos, goats and pigeons are sacrificed in the Tripura temples. The state government has been unable to enforce any law to stop the slaughter in government sponsored temples.

People For Animals (PFA) chairperson Maneka Gandhi, a former union minister, had written letters to the district magistrates in Tripura asking them to stop the "cruel killing of animals in temples".

The erstwhile princely state of Tripura merged with India Oct 15, 1949, through an agreement signed between Kanchan Prabha Devi, then regent maharani, and the governor general.

The agreement made it obligatory for the Tripura government to continue the sponsorship of temples run earlier by Hindu rulers. It continues to this day.

The animal lovers and environmentalists have been condemning the state government for sponsoring animal sacrifice in temples.

App Allows Fetus To Pick Own Name

Your kids won’t have anyone but themselves to blame when it comes to their name, thanks to the Kick to Pick app now available for iPhone, though some might feel that’s a bit too much pressure for a being that hasn’t even laid eyes on daylight yet.

Just so your little pink bundle doesn’t end up picking out the name “Mortimer,” parents can use a predetermined list of names or sort by gender, then monitor the baby’s movements to see which gets the biggest reaction.

How one can tell if they’re violently protesting or nodding vigorously is a mystery, but the app is sure to liven up some slow nights in front of the TV.

Full story at Kick to Pick via Geekologie.