The 14-year-old Pakistani teenager activist Malala Yousafzai undergoing treatment in a British hospital continues to make good progress, doctors attending her said.

Dr David Rosser, the medical director of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in a statement last night said that the team of specialists from hospitals had been "impressed with her strength and resilience."     

Her condition on Monday afternoon was described as "stable" and her response to treatment so far indicated that she could make a good recovery from her injuries.

Messages of support and offers of financial assistance for Malala have been flooding in to the hospital. A message board has been set up on the Trust's website to allow well-wishers to leave their messages of support.     

The teenager schoolgirl was shot last Tuesday in the head by a Taliban gunman for her campaign supporting girls' education. Malala was flown to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in an air ambulance from Pakistan on Monday evening for treatment. 

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A leading British daily on Tuesday suggested that Britain and other countries, who have decided to engage with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, should "make it clear that rehabilitation is not licence for the type of supremacist inspired nationalism that fuelled the 2002 massacres".

In a strongly-worded editorial, The Financial Times said "The timing (of Britain's decision to engage with Modi) is, however, highly questionable. It comes as Gujarat prepares for elections in December which Mr Modi is expected to win.

"His majority could be enhanced by his new-found international acceptance. Recognition may also boost his chances for India's national elections in 2014, where he is being cited as a possible Prime Minister.”

"Mr Modi is now a far more serious contender than he would have been had he still been shunned internationally".

In the editorial headlined 'Gujarat's Shame, Rehabilitation does not absolve Modi's government', the newspaper said "Modi, chief minister of Gujarat, is one of India's most dynamic and business-friendly states. But for 10 years he has also been an international outcast as the Hindu nationalist leader of a regional government accused of complicity in riots which killed an estimated 2,000 Muslims".

The paper noted that Modi has never expressed any remorse or apologised for the killings. 

No change in stand on Modi: Germany

Germany is not going to follow Britain in re-engaging with the Gujarat government led by chief minister Narendra Modi when the state is going to the polls, the country's ambassador to India said.

"Our stand remains unchanged. There is a domestic elections that will start there (Gujarat) and we do not want to make any statements on it," ambassador Michael Steiner said here.

"UK had informed us before making their announcement. However, our stand is not affected by the UK's decision," he added.

The German envoy was commenting on Britain's recent decision to re-engage with the Gujarat government. Britain was among many other countries that had boycotted the Gujarat government after the 2001 communal riots in the state.

On the trade and investment with India, the envoy said the negativity surrounding the investment environment in India has faded a bit due to the recent decision in allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail and other areas.

"The recent decision on FDI has helped improve the image and atmosphere of investments in India."

On the European financial crisis, the envoy said efforts are being made by EU countries to resolve the crisis, including the use of two instruments -- the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the Fiscal Compact.

The ESM provides for buying up to 780 billion Euros (around $1 trillion) sovereign bonds of euro zone countries which are under financial stress. The Fiscal Compact envisages a singular economic governance policy for the euro zone, including monetary policy and further integration.

Steiner said that despite the current crisis, Indo-German trade will reach the Euro 20 billion-mark by this year-end.

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In yet another incident of crime against women in Haryana, a 30-year-old married woman was allegedly raped in Lakhan Majra village under Meham sub-division in Rohtak, police said.

 

Though the crime was committed on October 13 night, the victim lodged a complaint with the police in this regard on Tuesday.

 

The alleged rapists are close relatives of the victim's husband. The police registered a case of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against two youths and also arrested them.

 

According to the complaint lodged with the police, the accused, identified as Raj Kumar and Subhash, had forcibly taken the victim to the fields on the outskirt of the village on a motor-bike on October 13 night where the duo allegedly raped her.

 

After a couple of days, the victim narrated the crime to her kin who later approached the police.

Rohtak SP Vivek Sharma reached Lakhan Majra village and questioned the victim and her family members about the incident.

 

Later, the police launched a search around the village and apprehended both the accused.

 

"Both the accused have been arrested and will be produced before a court tomorrow. The accused are also being interrogated to get further information about the crime," said the Rohtak SP.

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Activist-turned politician Arvind Kejriwal, who has attacked Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra over the issue of corruption, is expected to come out against BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday.

Arvind Kejriwal had on Saturday declared that "five top politicians", including BJP president Nitin Gadkari, were next in his firing line. "Five more politicians would be exposed very soon," Kejriwal said. "We have received credible evidence against five top politicians, including Nitin Gadkari," he said.

Now it has to be seen who is in the firing line of Kejriwal Wednesday.

On Monday, RTI activist and India Against Corruption (IAC) member Anjali Damania had alleged that Gadkari had tried to approach her through intermediaries last week. Gadkari allegedly wanted Damania to go slow on Maharashtra's irrigation scam.

"I was told that Gadkari wanted to talk to me privately. I got a few calls last week, but they backed off when I said he will have to meet me in public. I will expose him on Wednesday," she said. An aide of Gadkari, however, denied any such claim.

Damania is expected to be in Delhi for a joint press conference with Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, during which she may lay out evidence to support the claim against Gadkari.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal on Monday said the number of corrupt political leaders to be exposed by his India Against Corruption in the coming days is growing bigger and may be in double digits, with "insiders" coming forward to voluntarily provide information.

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Speculation of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle gained fresh momentum on Tuesday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi meeting President Pranab Mukherjee separately.

The end of 'pitr paksh', considered an inauspicious period by Hindus, and the beginning of the navaratra season, set abuzz reports that a change in the government was on the cards, possibly this week.

There was no official word on what transpired at the meetings which fuelled fresh speculation about the changes in the Council of Ministers that could take place before Mukherjee leaves on Oct 20 for his ancestral home in Miriti in West Bengal for Durga Puja festivities.

The Prime Minister's meeting for an hour came in the morning before he left for Hyderabad on a day's visit, while Gandhi met Mukherjee in the evening for 40 minutes.       

There was no certainty over whether Rahul Gandhi, who is also likely to meet Mukherjee on Wednesday, would enter the government in the face of strong demands from the party men to assume a "larger" role.

    

There has been speculation about reshuffle in the Cabinet for quite some time now, especially after the exit of Trinamool Congress ministers both at the levels of Cabinet and Ministers of State levels.

There have been berths vacated by DMK representatives A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran in the last two years after their names cropped in the 2G scam.  However, DMK President M Karunanidhi has recently made clear that his party will not not like to reclaim their lost berths.

Congress sources said that the reshuffle and induction could be largely from the party. There is speculation that some young faces, considered close to Rahul, like Manicka Tagore and Meenakshi Natarajan could be inducted into the council of ministers. 

Some among the young ministers like Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada may get promoted to Cabinet rank or get independent charge as Minister of State.

The exercise could see some of the ministers holding charges of two ministries losing one of the portfolios.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal (Telecom),  Road and Transport Minister C P Joshi (Railways),  Law Minister Salman Khurshid (Minority Affairs)  and Corporate Affairs Affairs Minister M Veerappa Moily (Power) and Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi (MSME, S and T and Earth Sciences).

     

With six ministers from TMC leaving, two to three Congress leaders from West Bengal are expected to be accommodated. The names of Deepa Dashmunshi and Adhir Choudhury, known detractors of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and West Bengal PCC chief Pradeep Bhatacharjee are doing the rounds.

A reshuffle of the AICC secretariat is also on the cards and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi is expected to get a larger responsibility in the organisation.

With the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh, there is a vacancy for a cabinet minister from Maharashtra.

Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai and Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaisawal have come under attack from the Opposition on the coal block allocation issue.

Changes in the government and the party could be taking place in tandem as there is a possibility that some of the ministers would be drafted for party work, sources said.

They said the exercise could be a major affair as the team would be leading the party in the next Lok Sabha polls.

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An Australian politician has questioned Prime Minister Julia Gillard's decision to award an Order of Australia to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar for his contribution to sport.

Federal Independent MP Rob Oakshott who expressed his love for Little Master, said the special award should not be used for diplomatic gain, the ABC news reported.

"I love Sachin Tendulkar, I love cricket. but I just have a problem with soft diplomacy as you call it," he said, adding "Getting in on the act of the Australian honours."

Oakeshott said the Order should be focused on recognizing Australians doing community work instead.

"I'm not going to die in a ditch over it...but it's about the integrity of the honours list which should be for Australians," he said.

He said that Tendulkar was an "obvious diplomatic touch point", and further suggested setting up an inter-nation gong, such as an "Australia-India award".

Yesterday Gillard, who is currently on her three day visit in New Delhi, had announced that Tendulkar would receive the special honour.

"This is a very special honour, very rarely awarded to someone who is not an Australian citizen or an Australian national," she said.

"He is away playing cricket - surprise, surprise – but the award will be conferred on him by Minister Simon Crean when he visits India," he said.

ABC also quoted Australia India Youth Dialogue chairman Ruchir Punjabi as saying that approach has worked with the Indian public.

"I think perhaps the Order of Australia to Sachin Tendulkar is probably going to be bigger than the nuclear issue," he said.

"I think the nuclear issue is a trust issue with the Indian government whereas the Order of Australia to Sachin Tendulkar is going to be the headline in most newspapers here. And I think ... things like that play an important role in bringing the two countries closer," he added.

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Accusing Salman Khurshid of tampering with evidences, IAC activist Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that if the Law Minister is given 10 days he will destroy all the proofs of government funds meant for disabled people.

Kejriwal claimed that the names and facts were misrepresented in the list provided by Khurshid's trust -- Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust. He claimed that some of the beneficiaries, whom the trust claimed to have given appliances, had actually died years ago.

The Uttar Pradesh Police's Economic Offences Wing on Monday started collecting documents while probing into alleged financial irregularities in a trust run by Union Minister Salman Khurshid and his wife.

"EOW teams are collecting documents at various levels including state, divisional and district headquarters as a part of the investigation," Director General EOW, Subrat Tripathi said.

When asked about the details, Tripathi said it was neither a raid nor a search. "How can we call it a raid or search when documents are being provided willingly," the DG said.

The Uttar Pradesh government had directed the Economic Offences Wing to probe into charges of misappropriation of funds by Zakir Hussain Trust run by Khurshid and his wife Louise.

Four teams, three under the Kanpur sector and one under the Meerut sector, were constituted for probe in 17 districts where irregularities are suspected. The inquiry is crossing the preliminary stage as order for the probe was issued on July three, Tripathi had said on Sunday.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile, refused to comment on the inquiry on Monday.

"It will not be appropriate to comment on the matter as inquiry is already underway. It was started in previous (BSP) regime. How can how comment without outcome of the inquiry?" Yadav told reporters in reply to a question here.

"Bina inquiry khatam hue ye bhi kehna thek nahi hai ki inquiry nispaksh nahi ho rahi hai (It would not be right to say that inquiry would not be fair, till it is completed)," he said.

In Bulandshahr, former UP Chief Development officer JB Singh, whose signature on affidavits related to the NGO was allegedly forged, told reporters, "Investigation is going on in this matter. It is not appropriate for me to say anything. The investigation is ongoing. I won't say anything."

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Planning to go home this festive season? Seeing a multiple rise in the number of IRCTC agents, you would find it a dreadful task to do so as they are making the availability of tickets too difficult. 

There are lakhs of agents standing between you and your railway ticket. Certainly, your case could be exceptional if you are ready to pay 3-4 times more than the counter price of the tickets. IRCTC has authorized lakhs of the agents during past six years. 

The figures accessed by an RTI activist, Manorajan Rai, are certainly a cause of worry for all those who want to head back to home this festive season. These figures clearly show that the agents involved in ticket booking process are making a common man deprived of railway tickets.

According to figures, the number of authorized railway agents in Mumbai zone has zoomed to a whooping 1,35,157 from a mere 1,537 during 2006-2012. One can now imagine the leap in the number of agents all over the country. Railway agents of Mumbai zone book around one crore tickets in every month. 

But there is a sharp increase in this number during the festive seasons and the agents charge several times more than the actual fare charge from the passengers. The surprising fact is that IRCTC is well aware of these practices of the agents but instead of taking any initiative, it continues to authorize hundreds of agents every day. 

The RTI activist believes that railway is not at all worried about the problems faced by the passengers due to the black marketing of tickets. The railway in fact motivates the agents to make more collections from the passengers. The activist also said that railway does not take action against the agents who violate ticket booking norms.

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The humble Maruti 800, which till the late nineties used to be a dream car for most of the middle class families, is all set to hit the market in a new avatar.

See in Pics: ‘INDIAN CAR’-MARUTI ALTO 800

During its launch in 1983 very few people had imagined that the car would go on to generate such a huge response and become an integral part of the Indian Middle class family.  And on Tuesday when it is being launched in a new form, the excitement among the people to buy the car is the same as it was 29 years back.

Meanwhile, the new Maruti Alto 800 will be equipped with new technology. The interiors of the car will be much improved making it more comfortable. The new Maruti Alto 800 will also be available in CNG version.

Maruti Suzuki India is looking to regain lost ground in the small car segment with the launch of the completely new version of the car.

The characteristics of new Maruti Alto 800:

1. New look with changed interiors

2. Much powerful air conditioner

3. Bigger space

4. Available in petrol and CNG version

5. 23 km/L mileage in petrol version and 30km/Per kg gas

6. Tough competition for Hyundai Eon, Tata Nano and Chevrolet Spark

7. Cost of entry level Rs 2.5 lakh and top model Rs 3.4 lakh. The cost will increase by Rs 50,000 for CNG model. 

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Putting an end to speculations of rift between JD-U and BJP in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said his both the parties will contest the next Lok Sabha elections together.

"JD-U and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) will contest together from all 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar," Nitish Kumar told media persons here.

He ruled out any rift between the two parties, which are partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Early this month, state BJP president CP Thakur said his party was preparing to contest from all 40 seats in the state. 

His remarks drew a strong response from some senior JD-U leaders, who said their party too will contest all 40 seats alone.

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The wait for bollywood’s most awaited and biggest matrimonial affair finally ends today. The Nawab of Patuadi, Saif Ali Khan and daughter of bollywood’s oldest family Kareena Kapoor are set to tie the nuptial knot today after being into a relationship for five years.

KNOW ALL ABOUT SAIFEENA WEDDING

According to the sources, their wedding is going to be a royal private affair which will be attended by very close family members and friends.

A registered marriage will be held on Tuesday at Saif’s residence in suburban Bandra, which will be a quiet affair.

    

"The marriage registration will happen today between 11.30 am and 12 pm at Fortune Heights in Bandra," marriage registrar Surekha Ramesh said.

    

"The notice had been submitted on September 12 and that they had requested that the registry be held at their residence. For the formalities, we will charge Rs 1,000," she said.

Reception    

After the marriage registration is over, there is a buzz that a reception will be held on Wednesday at the Taj Mahal hotel in the evening. This will be followed by another reception in Delhi on October 18. There will be yet another ceremony happening at the Pataudi Palace in Haryana.

Pre-wedding dinner party at Taj

Another pre-wedding related event of Bollywood star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor was held at the Taj Mahal Hotel here in Colaba on Monday.
  
There was a family dinner at Taj Mahal Hotel this evening attended only by members of both the families.
  
The 42-year-old actor has two children--son Ibrahim and daughter Sara--from his previous marriage to actress Amrita Singh.

Saifeena to stay in Pataudi Palace

Though their marriage will not be held in Saif’s ancestral Pataudi Palace, but if the facts are to be believed Saif and Kareena will live in the palatial house till October 21. Soon after the marriage, Kareena will become the ‘Begum’ and her family members will go to the Pataudi Palace to meet her.

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Iconic cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Sachin Tendulkar has advocated "systemic changes" in Indian sports so that "12 medals in next Olympics in Rio or 20 in 2020 is not a pipe dream".

Tendulkar, who has expressed a desire to promote sports in educational institutes, said sports in curriculum and history books highlighting the monumental achievements of greats like hockey legend Dhyan Chand will help stir a passion for the games hitherto less developed.

"Organisation of Asian Games in 1951 encouraged by Pandit Nehru is an integral part of Indian national story that should be read by our students. It helped shape Delhi, as did the 1982 Asiad and the 2010 CWG," he has said in his letter to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal.

Tendulkar's assertion for a change in the system comes from his belief that vision for "sports for all is still in its infancy" in this country.

"...I wish to argue that the time is ripe to build on the success of London to take giant strides in sports and achieve excellence in the not too near future. 12 medals in Rio or 20 in 2020 isn't a pipedream if we appropriate the momentum created and undertake a few fundamental changes," feels Tendulkar.

Outlining his objectives in a three-page letter, he has suggested state-of-the-art finishing schools for specific Olympic disciplines on the lines of National Cricket Academy in Bangalore where the country has shown potential.

For instance, he said, in Haryana the centre of excellence can cater to wrestling and boxing.

"We welcome Sachin Tendulkar's proposals and I have already written to him inviting him for a presentation," Sibal had said.

The cricketer, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, also rooted for a National Institute of Sports Science, saying "India desperately needs" it.

The institute will act as a nodal agency for treating sports-related injuries and ensuring proper rehabilitation facilities for sports icons, besides educating sportspersons about anti-doping regulations, Tendulkar said.

He suggested the setting up of a sports museum to immortalise the achievements of sports-stars.

Stating that the museum could be set up in the capital, preferably at a heritage site, Tendulkar said an advisory body with international experts should be formed for the purpose.

Expressing a keen desire to emulate the US sports system model in India which is reliant on College-University framework producing US Olympians of repute, he said, "my dream is to accomplish the same in India."

He felt mobile phones possessed by most youths today can be used for harnessing sports talent. They could be urged to send SMS or MMS detailing their sports achievement, which experts can examine.

"If the candidate is deemed to have talent, he or she will be called to access the sports facilities created within the academic framework. By making facilities available to them, the talented youngsters, sports, I expect, will get the necessary recognition and become part of India's everyday existence," he said.

Noting that Olympic sports should also dominate India's national imagination, he said the country could well bid for 2024 or 2028 Olympics.

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Johannesburg: Sydney Sixers relied on a superb all-round show from Moises Henriques and a couple of stunning catches as they thumped Chennai Super Kings by 14 runs in their opening Champions League Twenty20 match here on Sunday.

SCORECARD: CHENNAI SUPER KINGS vs SYDNEY SIXERS

Henriques smashed five fours and three sixes towards the close of Sydney Sixers' innings for his 23-ball unbeaten 49 to take his side to 185 for five after being sent into bat in the Group B match. He later took three wickets for 23 in his three overs to play the leading role in his side's victory.

Chasing the big target, Chennai were on course till the 16th over as they needed 50 runs from the last four overs before the Sydney side affected two stunning catches to end their innings at 171 for nine at the New Wanderers Stadium.

Suresh Raina, who top-scored with an impressive 33-ball 57 which included eight fours and two sixes, fell in the 17th over to a stunning catch by Steven Smith who held onto a high ball just inches before the boundary ropes.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was out two balls later as his pull shot was held by Josh Hazlewood who dived forward to take a superb catch.

Chennai had two substantial partnership in their run chase - 61 for the second wicket between Faf du Plessis (43) and Michael Hussey (16) and then the 55-run stand for the fourth wicket between Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath (6).

They began slowly in their run chase and they were dealt with a blow as Murali Vijay was out for just one in the second over as his stump flew cartwheeling while trying to hit a swinging full delivery without moving his feet.

At three for one, Chennai had to settle down for a while but they did not take much time to launch their attack with du Plessis and Hussey finding the boundaries to keep the asking rate under control.

Du Plessis punished Mitchel Starc with a six in the fourth over while Hussey also found a boundary as Chennai took 12 runs from that over.

Du Plessis then smashed three fours off Pat Cummins in the next over which yielded 13 runs before launching Hazlewood for a six and a then a four in the seventh over.

It was an even contest till then, but Chennai lost two quick wickets in successive overs with du Plessis and Hussey departing in quick succession in the eighth and ninth overs respectively.

Du Plessis walked down the wicket to hit a Cummins delivery out of the park only to miscue and land at Mitchell Starc's hands at long-on, thereby ending the second wicket stand of 61 runs from 6.3 overs. Du Plessis hit five fours and two sixes from 25 balls in his 43.

Hussey was out in the last ball of the ninth over as his slog-sweep off Steve O'Keefe landed straight at Michael Lumb's hands.

Chennai were 73 for three at the halfway mark with the asking rate climbing to 11 and a half per over and new man in Raina had to press the accelerator straightaway.

Raina hit a six and four from an over off O'Keefe and Henriques while also smashing two boundaries off Shane Watson.

Raina was so dominant that his partner Badrinath could just contribute six runs in the four-wicket stand of 55 from 5.2 overs before the latter was out.

Chennai needed 61 runs from the last five overs and 50 from the last four but the dismissals of Raina and Dhoni, who scored just eight from as many balls ended their hopes.

Ravindra Jadeja (2) could not do much as he was out in the penultimate over while Ravichandran Ashwin (18) and Yo Mahesh were out in the final over.

Besides Henriques (3/23), Mitchell Starc grabbed three wickets for 31 runs while Watson, Pat Cummins and Steve O'Keefe took a wicket each.

Earlier, Henriques, who came at the 14th over as number six batsman, produced a stunning late onslaught of fours and sixes as Sydney Sixers posted a big total of 185 for five after being sent into bat. His onslaught took the Sixers from 124 for four at the end of 16th over to 185 for five.

He was joined in the exhibition of strokeplay for a brief period by Smith (26 off 17) balls. The duo shared 75 runs for the fifth wicket from just 6.3 overs.

World Twenty20 man-of-the-tournament Watson was instrumental in a solid start for the Sixers with a 30-ball 46 which included five fours and two sixes as he and Michael Lumb (18) were involved in a quick 50-run stand in 6.1 overs for the opening wicket.

But, run rate slowed down once Watson was out in the ninth over and the Sixers were 82 for six at halfway mark. The Sixers were then jolted by a double dismissal - of captain Brad Haddin (20) and Nic Maddinson (12) - in the 14th over before Henriques' stunning show saved them.

The onslaught began in the 17th over with Henriques and Smith hitting a four each off du Plessis as Sixers took 13 runs from that over.

The next over also yielded 13 runs with Henriques clobbering a four and a six off Ravichandran Ashwin. But, the highlight of the innings was in the penultimate over when Doug Bollinger was plundered for 22 runs.

Henriques hit Bollinger for two sixes and a four while Smith also joined in with a boundary.

Smith was out in the last ball of the innings off Hilfenhaus who conceded 13 runs for the wicket in that over.

Off-spinner Aswin was the pick of Chennai Super Kings bowlers with figures of two for 32 while Ravindra Jadeja and Hilfenhaus chipped in with a wicket each.

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c), R Ashwin, Michael Hussey, Doug Bollinger, M Vijay, Faf du Plessis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nuwan Kulasekara, Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, S Anirudha, Yo Mahesh, S Badrinath.

Sydney Sixers: Brad Haddin (c), Patrick Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Michael Lumb, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McCullum, Ian Moran, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Dom Thornely, Shane Watson.

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Hyderabad: Yuvraj Singh made a brilliant comeback into first-class arena as he smashed an unbeaten century for North Zone against Central on the first day of a semifinal match in the Duleep Trophy.

At stumps, North were in commanding position having scored 346 for 4, riding on Yuvraj's superb unbeaten 133 while skipper Shikhar Dhawan also made his presence felt with an innings of 121.

The innings on Sunday will certainly end any doubts whatsoever about Yuvraj's fitness and his ability to withstand the rigours of longer version of the game after recovering from rare germ cell cancer.

He played only 152 deliveries during his knock and hit 20 boundaries and two huge sixes off discarded India veteran Murali Kartik.

Both sixes were sent soaring over deep mid-wicket and the second one saw the talented left-hander reach three-figure mark. This is Yuvraj's 19th first-class century but certainly one he would remember for a long time to come.

There were no demons in the 22-yard strip at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal and Yuvraj didn't for once looked like in any sort of trouble as he kept on punishing the Central bowlers.

Credit should also be given to Dhawan who scored his second Duleep Trophy century of the season. His 200-ball innings contained 14 hits to the fence and, more importantly, added 160 runs with his senior partner for the third wicket in just over 20 overs.

Such was Yuvraj's dominance that he came to bat only in the 53rd over of the innings which was well after lunch but took on the bowlers from the very beginning.

The trio of Praveen Kumar (2-72), Bhuvenshwar Kumar (0-63) and Rituraj Singh (0-67) were treated with equal disdain while Kartik was singled out for special treatment.

36-year-old Railways left-arm spinner Kartik, who is not known to perform well on good batting tracks, was hammered for 92 runs in 19 overs as Yuvraj sent him on a leatherhunt.

The two towering sixes he hit off Kartik were majestic as the veteran bowler looked clueless during Yuvraj-Dhawan partnership.

Yuvraj's innings can give Sandeep Patil and Co another option in the Indian Test team's middle-order. With his handy left-arm spin to complement his elegant batting, the day might not be far when Yuvraj might be seen playing Test matches where he badly wants to make a mark.

At least today's innings was an indicator of what can be expected from this enormously gifted cricketer.

Brief Score: North Zone 346/4 (Yuvraj Singh batting 133, Shikhar Dhawan 121, Praveen Kumar 2-72) vs Central Zone.

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Johannesburg: Defending champions Mumbai Indians started their campaign on a disappointing note, losing to Lions by eight wickets, in their opening match of the Champions League Twenty20 here on Sunday.

SCORECARD: MUMBAI INDIANS VS LIONS

The catalysts for Lions' victory were Neil McKenzie (68 not out off 41 balls) and 19-year-old Quinton de Kock (51 not out off 33) as the duo helped the side chase the target of 158 with seven balls to spare at the New Wanderers Stadium. 

Mumbai posted 157 for six after being invited to bat and then failed to find an answer for McKenzie and de Kock's joint assault that left them bruised and battered.

For the record, Mumbai had lost to Lions in the second edition of the event two years ago.

It could have been anybody's game till Dhawal Kulkarni and Mumbai skipper Harbhajan Singh were taken to the cleaners in the 16th and 17th over.

While Kulkarni conceded 17 runs, Harbhajan was smashed for 16 as Lions inched towords the target.

Kulkarni's three overs went for 37 while Harbhajan gave away 36 in his four. Pragyan Ojha was knocked for 19 in his two.

Lions lost their first wicket when Ambati Rayudu pulled off a blinder at cover, holding on to Alviro Petersen's full-blooded shot off Lasith Malinga.

Bringing himself on in the seventh over, Harbhajan was on the money straightaway as he got Ghulam Bodi to edge one to first slip where Rohit Sharma completed a good catch.

At 37 for two in the seventh over, the prospect looked gloomy for Lions. However, an unbeaten 121-run partnership for the third wicket between de Kock and McKenzie sealed the match in Lions' favour.

While de Kock was the more dominant of the two initially, the experienced Mckenzie, who got off the mark with a reverse- paddle four off Harbhajan, too played his part before launching into a flurry of boundaries.

The 50-partnership between the two was up in six overs and they continued to torment the Mumbai bowlers till the task was achieved.

Earlier, Mumbai relied on useful contributions from their batsmen to reach a total, which did not prove to be enough.

Mitchell Johnson scored 30 while Rohit Sharma and Dwayne Smith fell in the 20s after getting starts. Dinesh Karthik scored a breezy nine-ball 19 towards the end.

Helping the visiting side to a great extent was the 24 extras conceded by Lions.

Mumbai were off to a brisk start as Smith smashed half a dozen fours to put the South Africans under pressure first up.

Chris Morris erred in line and the easy pickings were treated with disdain by Smith. The bowler, however, had the last laugh when he had the West Indian trapped in front of wicket.

After missing out on the strike initially, Tendulkar steered Sohail Tanvir in front of backward point for his first boundary.

Tendulkar found the fence one more time before left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso disturbed his stumps after the batsman tried to make room and launch into a heave.

This was the fourth time in recent months that Tendulkar has been bowled. He got out in similar fashions thrice in the Test series against New Zealand in August-September. The bowlers, though, were pacers on those occasions.

Till the time he was there in the middle, Sharma gave Mumbai solidity, playing some opportunistic shots before Dirk Nannes cleaned him up.

Sharma was severe on Zander de Bruyn who was smashed for a six and two fours, the maximum sailing over point region.

The promotion of Johnson, who is returning from a toe injury, ahead of specialists Ambati Rayudu and Karthik, and the powerful Kieron Pollard, seemed to have boomeranged on Mumbai as they lost momentum halfway into the innings.

Though he top-scored for the visitors, Johnson gobbled up a lot of balls, and it was largely due to Karthik's enterprise towards the end that Mumbai reached a respectable total.

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Lucknow: Former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Rajinder Sachar on Friday said the Uttar Pradesh government should immediately release the report of the inquiry commission relating to youths arrested in connection with 2007 serial court blasts.

Talking to the reporters Justice Sachar said that the RD Nimesh inquiry commission report, which is with the state government since August 31 regarding arrest of Tariq Qasim and

Khalid Mujahid should be made public.

He said that people have full right to know that what was in the report as not only the lives of those arrested was at stake, but there was a question of justice to people killed in terrorist activities.

A list of 68 people titled 'Muslim Youths and Terrorist Incidents' was released and demand was raised for an inquiry into charges against them.

He demanded a separate commission for enquiry of those accused in terror activities saying, "Muslim youths, after spending over ten years in jail, were being acquitted by the courts."

He said that due to these incidents a feeling was emerging among Muslims that governments were framing them due to policy reason which was dangerous for democracy.

Raising question over commitment of the political parties towards secularism, he alleged that though Modi government was not there in Delhi and at the Centre, but Muslims were being arrested on fake charges of terrorism which exposes non-secular character of non-BJP parties.

Demanding abolition of sedition law, Sachar said "there could be no place for the law framed by the Britishers in democracy."

He said that it was unfortunate that Congress government was not abolishing the law, even when Jawaharlal Nehru himself was against it.

On the question of FDI, Sachar said that the manner in which East India Company made the country slave for decades in the name of trade, so called democratic governments were pushing it towards new slavery.

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New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal and some activists were detained by police after they were stopped from marching towards the Prime Minister's residence demanding resignation and arrest of Union Minister Salman Khurshid over allegations of irregularities by an NGO run by him.

Kejriwal along with about 70 activists of Rashtriya Vikalang Party (RVP) marched from Janpath to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Race Course residence, a few kilometres away, but were stopped at Rajpath crossing by police. They were later detained when they refused to disperse and staged a sit-in.

The activist announced that his day-long protest will now continue for an indefinite period. Kejriwal said they will not leave the venue till the Prime Minister met them or Khurshid resigned from the Cabinet.

Kejriwal said now this is a fight to finish and "now let's make this place another Tahrir Square".

Kejriwal-led India Against Corruption has been maintaining that it was a protest programme by RVP and they were just guests. But after Kejriwal's protest IAC started sending text messages asking people to join the protest. 

"IAC in support of disabled people is sitting on protest near National Archives, Janpath. PM refused meeting. Would sit on dharna unless PM meets or Salman Khurshid resigns," an IAC spokesperson said.

Kejriwal claimed he had sought time from the Prime Minister but his office refused to give him and disabled people any appointment.

The IAC had alleged financial irregularities in the functioning of Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust run by Khurshid and his wife Louis, a charge denied by both. Khurshid has also threatened to take Kejriwal to court.

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New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar against the recent steep hike in prices of cooking gas, electricity and diesel.

   

Many prominent leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Vijay Kumar Malhotra  participated in the protest organised by BJP Delhi Pradesh Mahila Morcha.

   

Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj has claimed that the UPA government will not be able to survive beyond the Winter Session of Parliament.

Slamming the government as the being the most corrupt, Arun Jaitley said the government was also not sensitive to people.

“The government is not sensitive- PM says money doesn't grow on trees. We knew that - but the people of this country will teach the PM a lesson; if money doesn't grow on trees, votes are also not to be found on trees.    This is the most corrupt government in India's history,” he said. 

The Delhi unit of the party is all set to launch a 40-day public movement in the national capital from October 14 to protest against hike in power tariff, cooking gas and oil and decision to allow FDI in retail by the government.

The party claimed the country is heading towards mid-term polls and parties like Samajwadi Party, BSP and DMK, all UPA allies, will not support the government in Parliament on the issue of FDI.

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Johannesburg: After their not so memorable outing in the just-concluded ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka, it will be a test of character for the Indian boys in the Champions League Twenty20 which enters the business stage on Saturday.

There are four Indian Premier League teams in the fray in the cash-rich tournament, including defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and this season's IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The other two IPL sides are Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Daredvils (DD).

But the interesting to watch in the tournament will be the desperation of the Indian cricketers, who will be eager to erase the scars of their Super Eight elimination in the Twenty20 World Cup.

While KKR and DD have been placed in Group A, the other two IPL teams -- MI and Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK -- are in group B, raising the hopes of an all India clash in the semis, as the top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.

However, in no sense it would be an easy task for the Indian outfits as they will be up against some of the best T20 outfits of the world.

And with Titans and Highveld Lions, both from South Africa, enjoying home advantage, the task for the Indian units will be even more cut out.

Apart from the two African teams the championship also hosts Australia's Perth Scorchers, which boasts of players like Shaun Marsh and Herschelle Gibbs in their ranks.

The other Aussie side in fray is Sydney Sixers and with the presence of Shane Watson along with young pace sensation Mitchell Starc and skipper Brad Haddin in their line-up, they the Sixers definitely look a side to be watched out for.

The tournament will also witness Auckland Aces and Yorkshire, both of whom made it to the main draw after topping their respective pools in the just concluded qualifiers. The Indian challenge in the tournament will start with a battle between two IPL biggies -- KKR and Daredevils.

While the Gautam Gambhir-led KKR would be out there to prove that their victory in the IPL V was no fluke, Daredevils under new skipper, Mahela Jayawardene, would like to stamp their authority on the tournament in which they have so far remained the underachievers.

The Daredevils boasts of some big names like David Warner and Kevin Pietersen in their ranks, and with Virender Sehwag being declared fit for the tournament, the Delhi side definitely has what it takes to be the champions.

The tournament will also be an opportunity for Sri Lanka's Jayawardene to redeem himself after his side lost in the final of the World T20 Championship to the West Indies earlier this month.

The 35-year-old was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the side after Sehwag opted out of the job to concentrate on his batting.

Jayawardene, however, stepped down as the captain of Sri Lanka's T20 side after losing to the West Indies and it remains to be seen how he handles the new responsibility.

KKR, on the other side, possesses a healthy mix of Indian and foreign players.

Jacques Kallis and Brendon McCullum have been phenomenal for KKR and the team has really done well under Gambhir.

The other Indian franchisees to look out for in the championship are Dhoni-led CSK and Harbhajan Singh-led MI.

Both the teams have tasted success in this championship earlier, with CSK winning the 2010 edition and MI lifting the trophy a year later.

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Haryana's Sarva Khap Jat Panchayat, which has been at the forefront of demanding reservations for Jats in government jobs, will now discuss the bizarre suggestion that the marriage age for girls be lowered to curb rising incidents of rape in the state.

The supreme council is an umbrella body of khap panchayats across the state. Khaps have no legal sanction but often function like kangaroo courts and issue social diktats that are enforced in the villages.

A meeting called for Saturday in Sonipat, about 40 km from Delhi, to discuss the reservation issue will focus instead on the marriage age issue and how the government could be compelled to get the bar lowered in Haryana, where at least 15 rapes have been reported in the past month.

"The meeting aims at knowing the views of various khap panchayats about the issue of lowering the marriageable age to prevent rape incidents in the state. Representatives of around 100 khaps across the state will attend the meeting to share their opinion and to present their proposals on the issue," Sube Singh Samain, spokesperson of the Sarva Khap Jat Panchayat said.

Sube Singh had hit the national headlines last week with his suggestion that lowering the marriage age for women would prevent rape.

He found backing from Indian National Lok Dal leader and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala who said, "I am with the khaps on this issue. This will protect women."

On Saturday, also on the agenda, besides age and reservations for Jats, is the rising incident of heinous crimes in Haryana."The role of khap panchayats in checking crime will also be discussed in length at the meeting," Sube Singh said, adding that the khaps wished to play a vital role in controlling crime.

"The meeting was earlier convened to talk about stepping up the Jat reservation movement but the issue of lowering the marriage age will now also be prominently discussed to draw up a consensus among the khaps in this regard," said Sube Singh.

Randhir Singh, chief of the Sarva Khap Panchayat Meham Chaubisi (which represents 24 villages of Meham sub-division in Rohtak) said that the government should not only remove the existing restriction on the marriageable age but leave the decision on this on a girl's parents.

Under the law, girls below 18 years and boys below 21 years cannot legally get married."Let the parents decide when they want to marry off their wards.

Girls can be married off a couple of years earlier than the stipulated age of 18 years if they have physically grown up," Randhir Singh said. The view has been met with outrage.

Jagmati Sangwan, national vice president of the Janwadi  Mahila Samiti, said: "There is no direct relation between rape and the marriageable age. Hence the suggestion cannot be described as appropriate.

Besides other precautionary measures, bringing about a change in the mentality of the people is also required to check crimes against women."Jagjit Dagar, district president of the Haryana Janhit Congress' youth wing, said, "The suggestion is entirely wrong and it will give a boost to social evils. The government should make some serious efforts for the security and safety of women in the state."

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