Suicide bombers kill 22 Afghan civilians near NATO base

KANDAHAR: Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a market area in southernAfghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 22 people wounding about 50, authorities said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the explosion, which occurred near small shops in a parking and waiting area for trucks that supply logistics to Kandahar Air Field, a massive military installation run by the US-led coalition.

One suicide bomber detonated his motorbike filled with explosives first. Then, as people rushed to assist the casualties, another suicide bomber on foot walked up to the area and blew himself up, said Javid Faisal, a spokesman for Kandahar province. He said the death toll stood at 22 and that 50 were wounded. All the dead were civilians, he said.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack.

The explosion occurred 500 meters (yards) from an Afghan military base and about five kilometers (three miles) from the main gate to the air field.

Lawyers to renew licence every 5 years

PUNE: The Bar Council of India has passed a resolution making it mandatory for lawyers to renew their sanads (licence to practise) every five years.

The decision, taken on June 1, is to ensure that lawyers don't get engaged in private services, said Manan Kumar Mishra, BCI chairman, at a press conference here on Wednesday.

As per the resolution, lawyers will have to pay Rs 600 as renewal fees within six months, otherwise they will not be entitled to practise in the country.

According to Mishra, a large number of lawyers do private services, businesses, etc after obtaining sanads from the respective state bar councils. This should stop as the councils were facing difficulty in implementing welfare schemes for practicing lawyers.

The BCI is the apex registering and licensing authority in the country. It governs the working of all subsidiary state-level bar councils and is a statutory body constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961.

Vitthal Konde-Deshmukh, chairman of the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, said he would inform all the district bar associations in Maharashtra and Goa, which have 1.27 lakh lawyers, about renewal of the sanads after receiving a copy of the BCI resolution.

Akash missile test-fired again

BALASORE: Defence scientists on Wednesday successfully test fired the indigenously-developed Air Force version of the Akash missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipurnear here. This was the fifth trial of the anti-aircraft system in the last fortnight.
"The Air Force version of Akash missile was test-fired from the ITR. The trial was successful and met all the mission objectives," a senior defence official said.
The anti-aircraft missile, with a strike range of 25 km and capable of carrying warhead of 60 kg, was test fired from a mobile launcher at launch complex-III of the ITR.
The trial, which formed part of the country's routine air defence exercises, was conducted at 7.57 am, an official of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) associated with the Akash missile project said.
To re-validate the technology and operational efficacy of the missile, defence forces conducted the trial with logistic support provided by the ITR, the official said. The Akash weapon system, which has its Army version too, was inducted into the armed forces in 2008.
Wednesday's test-fire came after similar trials conducted from the same test range on May 24, 26, 28 and June 1On June 1, two Air force version of Akash missiles had been test fired successfully in quick succession, the official said. tnn

Rafael Nadal cruises into French Open semifinals

Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his quarterfinal match against compatriot Nicolas Almagro at the French Open in Roland Garros stadium on June 6, 2012. (AP Photo)

PARIS: Rafael Nadal defeated fellow SpaniardNicolas Almagro 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the French Open semifinals without dropping a single set.

It was the 50th win for Nadal at the spiritual home of claycourt tennis since he first competed here as an 18-year-old in 2005.

His only defeat came in the fourth round in 2009 when he lost to Robin Soderling of Swedenin a fourth round match.

This year Nadal is bidding to become the first player to win seven French Open titles, moving him out of a tie with Swedish legend Bjorn Borg. A win on Sunday would also be his 11th Grand Slam title, level with Borg and Rod Laver.

In the end Almagro went the way of so many others over the course of the last seven years, but he gave a solid account of himself especially in a hotly-disputed first set.

Nadal will play either countryman David Ferrer, the sixth seed or fourth seed Andy Murray of Britain for a place in Sunday's final.

The other semifinal has already been set, with top seed Novak Djokovic taking on third seedRoger Federer.

"I was lucky in the last set. He had a few opportunities on my serve to have a break, then with my second or third chance I managed to close the match," Nadal said.

On another cool, overcast Parisian afternoon, games went with serve in the opening set until 6-6 with Almagro, who won the Nice claycourt title in the week before Roland Garros, dominating Nadal at times.

In the ensuing tie-break though Nadal jumped out into a winning 4-0 lead on the back of some brutal hitting down both flanks and Almagro showed the first signs of wear and tear after just over an hour of play.

He held firm till the fourth game of the second set, but then finally crumbled on serve in the face of another assault from Nadal's hammerblows.

Nadal held serve to make it 4-1 and already the writing was on the wall for Almagro as he moved inexorably onwards toward an eighth defeat in eight matches against his fellow 26-year-old.

The 12th seed did conjure up a break point in the seventh game, but Nadal snuffed that out with a big swinging first serve. A game later it was two sets ahead for Nadal as Almagro was broken for a second time.

Nadal took the first game of the third set before rain stopped play for a few minutes. Almagro then let slip two further break points in the fifth game to trail 2-3.

The axe fell on Almagro shortly after as Nadal broke him in the seventh game and then served out for the win

Nadal's drive into the final four has come at the cost of just 30 games.

జగన్‌ పాత్రలో నాని

కృష్ణవంశీ ప్రస్తుతం నాని హీరోగా ‘పైసా’ చిత్రం రూపొందిస్తున్న సంగతి తెలిసిందే. ఈ చిత్రంలో నాని యంగ్‌ పొలిటీషియన్‌గా కనిపించబోతున్నాడు. ఈ నేపథ్యంలో ఈచిత్రం వైఎస్‌ఆర్‌ కాంగ్రెస్‌ పార్టీ అధ్యక్షుడు జగన్‌ను టార్గెట్‌ చేస్తూ రూపొందిస్తున్నారనే వార్తలు గుప్పుమన్నాయి. అయితే ఈ వార్తలపై ఎట్టకేలకు దర్శకుడు కృష్ణవంశీ స్పందించారు. ఈ చిత్రం జగన్‌కు వ్యతిరేకం ఏమాత్రం కాదని, ఎవరినీ ఉద్దేశించి ఈచిత్రం తీయడం లేదని స్పష్టం చేశారు. రాజకీయాల నేపథ్యంలోనే సినిమా ఉంటుందని, యంగ్‌ పొలిటిషీయన్‌గా హీరో పాత్ర ఆదర్శవంతంగా ఉంటుందని చెప్పుకొచ్చారు.

నా కెరీర్లోనే హై రేంజ్ మూవీ- నాగార్జున

కింగ్ నాగార్జున హీరోగా కె. అచ్చిరెడ్డి సమర్పణలో ఆర్.ఆర్ మూవీ మేకర్స్ పతాకంపై శ్రీనివాసరెడ్డి దర్శకత్వంలో డా. వెంకట్ నిర్మిస్తున్న ‘డమరుకం’ చిత్రం జూలై రెండో వారంలో విడుదల చేస్తున్నట్లు నిర్మాతలు అధికారికంగా ప్రకటించారు. ప్రస్తుతం ఒక పాట మినహా షూటింగ్ పూర్తి చేసుకుంది. ఈ సందర్భంగా నాగార్జున మాట్లాడుతూ....‘నా కెరీర్లోనే మొదటి సారి ఇలాంటి ఫాంటసీ మూవీ చేస్తున్నాను. హై టెక్నికల్ వేల్యూస్‌తో చేశారు. నా కెరీర్లోనే హై బడ్జెట్ మూవీ ఇది. సినిమా చాలా బాగా వచ్చింది. ఇది నాకు చాలా పెద్ద రేంజ్ సినిమా అవుతుంది’ అన్నారు.

ఆ హాట్ లేడీ రేటు జస్ట్ 5 లక్షలే

తనీష్ హీరోగా వచ్చిన ‘ఏం పిల్లో ఏం పిల్లడో’ చిత్రం ద్వారా తెలుగులో హీరోయిన్‌గా ఎంట్రీ ఇచ్చిన ప్రణీత ఆ తర్వాత సిద్దార్థ హీరోగా వచ్చిన ‘బావ’ చిత్రంలో కూడా నటించింది. అయితే ఈరెండు చిత్రాలు ప్లాపు కావడంతో ప్రణీతకు ఇక్కడ అవకాశాలు ఇచ్చే వారే కరవుయ్యారు.ఆ తర్వాత తన మాతృభాష కన్నడ, తమిళంలో ఒకటి అర సినిమా అవకాశాలు దక్కించుకుంటున్న ప్రణీతా తాజాగా తమిళ స్టార్ హీరో కార్తి సరసన శకుని చిత్రంలో అవకాశం దక్కించుకుంది. త్వరలో ఈచిత్రం విడుదలకు సిద్దం అవుతోంది. ఇంతకీ ఈ సినిమాకు ప్రణీత పుచ్చుకుంటున్న పారితోషికం ఎంతో తెలుసా..? కేవలం రూ. 5 లక్షలు మాత్రమేనట. ఈ సినిమానే కాదు గత సినిమాలకు కూడా అమ్మడు తీసుకుంది ఇంతే నట.

Legalise sports betting, keep criminals at bay, say experts

Justice Mukul Mudgal emphasize that betting on sports existed at an 'exponentially' high level in the country. (TOI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Top speakers at a conference on regulating sports betting in the country backed the idea, saying it would keep criminals at bay and yield revenue to government coffers. The speakers were mirroring an abiding thought in the International Olympic Committee and theInternational Cricket Council in recent times.

The conference, organised by FICCI on Wednesday, saw Justice Mukul Mudgalemphasize that betting on sports existed at an 'exponentially' high level in the country.

"Estimates show that the betting market in India stands at Rs 300,000 crore. The threats posed from this unregulated betting are immense; the society becomes vulnerable as revenue from these activities is used to finance criminal activities, the person placing the bet is at the mercy of the bookies as they have no legal right to have their bets realized. Besides, the sport federations and the government lose an effective tool to detect and curb match-fixing in sports," he said.

Regulation of betting would lead to "minimizing the risks associated with betting and taxation of such activities would yield revenue to the government of over Rs 12,000 crore," he added.

One common question on the minds of people was addressed at the conference: will regulation of betting help in curbing match-fixing?

"Regulation can curb, even root out the malaise. Firstly, any unusual betting pattern on a match is reported by the betting operator to the authorities and the teams for immediate action. Secondly, once such patterns are noticed, the betting process on the match can be voided (cancelled). Thirdly, since the procedure is legal and transparent, the authorities can use the details about irregular betting to collar the criminals," sports law expert Vidushpat Singhania said at the conference.

Gambling law expert Carl A Rohsler too felt regulation was a must. "It will keep a check on criminality as gambling operators will be identified and monitored along with the clients they deal with. Fair and transparent regulations will be established and specified which types of gambling are permitted. Also vulnerable youngsters can be protected from getting exposed to gambling."

Leading tax attorney V Lakshmikumaran said: "The greatest advantage is that there will be accountability for the large amounts of money transferred through illegal channels leading to reduction in cases of match-fixing, money-laundering and crimes. The question now is how to tax the money involved in gambling and need to devise a system which encourages betting operators to function openly."

Earlier, Justice Mudgal released a knowledge report which threw more light on the issue. "India's position in relation to gambling has always been complex. Betting is permitted on horse racing tracks and accounts. But it is an open secret that there has always been a problem of unregulated betting which accounts for a much more substantial sum," it said.

Pointing to the menace of online gambling and betting, the report said there was little evidence that government measures had been effective.

4-year-old girl killed for 3 gms of gold

HYDERABAD: A couple killed a four-year-old girl for just three grams of gold. The gruesome incident came to light on Wednesday when theSaroornagar police nabbed the duo while they were trying to sell the stolen gold.

The girl, Ramya Sri was the daughter of Sukesh and Mahalakshmi from Champapet. Sukesh is a vehicle mechanic. On June 1, Ramya went missing while playing in front of her house.

The same day, Sukesh lodged a missing complaint with the Saroornagar police.

On Tuesday night, police caught Sukesh's neighbors Srilakshmi and her husband Raju while they were trying to sell gold ear rings weighing about three grams at a small jewellery store in Saroornagar.

During interrogation, the two confessed that they had kidnapped the girl and throttled her to death after removing her ear rings.

"After committing the murder, the couple wrapped the body in a sack and dumped it in a nala at Talabkatta.

"Based on their confession, we recovered the decomposed body from the nala on Wednesday morning and shifted it to Osmania General Hospital for a post-mortem," Saroornagar inspector AVR Narasimha Rao said.

During the interrogation, Srilakshmi confessed that she had committed two more thefts in the city.

Police booked the couple under section 302 (Murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Following the arrest of the couple, angry family members of the girl staged a dharna in front of the Saroornagar police station demanding capital punishment for them.

Is Chiru the corrupt at tax??

Posted June 7th, 2012, 01:04 AM IST

Adhinayakudu Report

Posted June 7th, 2012, 03:12 AM IST

Post Muslim inspectors, sub-inspectors in areas having higher community count: Centre to states

The Sachar Committee report recommended that at least one Muslim inspector or sub-inspector be posted in police stations in areas having high concentration of Muslim population.

NEW DELHI: Observing that the states have not yet fully implemented one of the key recommendations of the Sachar Committeereport, the Centre has recently written to all the states reminding them to post at least one Muslim inspector or sub-inspector (S-I) in police stations that fall under areas having high concentration of Muslim population.

In a note written to chief secretaries of all the states, the Union home secretary RK Singhurged them to send a status report on it by the end of this month.

The committee, which was constituted on March 9, 2005, under the chairmanship of Justice Rajinder Sachar to prepare a comprehensive report on the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in India, had in its report in November, 2006, recommended this as an initiative to build confidence among community members.

It suggested that it may be useful to have, at least, one Muslim inspector or S-I in police stations in areas having high concentration of Muslim population "not as a matter to eliminate discrimination but as an initiative to build confidence".

Home ministry following up on Muslim cops plan

Reminding the states about an elaborate note written by the then Union home secretaryMadhukar Gupta four years ago on the issue, Singh in his note in March had said: "I would once again request you to take appropriate action in the light of the recommendation and also apprise this ministry about the action taken in this regard".

Singh also asked them to do the follow up exercise again in December and make it a practice to send status report to the home ministry on a half-yearly basis.

Sources in the home ministry said that though a number of states had started the practice to post at least one Muslim inspector or S-I in such police stations, the implementation was erratic and consequently the full compliance was yet to be achieved.

Sachar Committee had made various recommendations which are being followed up simultaneously by different ministries, taking into account their jurisdiction and subject.

"The particular suggestion on posting of Muslim cops is being followed up by the home ministry," said an official, adding the status of implementation of other recommendations concerning overall welfare of Muslims will be discussed in the national conference of state ministers for minority welfare here on Thursday.

He said: "The Sachar Committee report was prepared after detailed and wide ranging consultation with state governments, NGOs, Universities, academic bodies, intellectuals and different bodies of the Central government."