Saturday, September 4, 2010
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Compact and stylish, full touch Champ offers rich feature set and intuitive interface Champ offers rich feature set and intuitive interface
SEOUL, Korea, May 19, 2010 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the Samsung Champ (model: GT-C3300K) designed for mobile users in developing regions who want an immersive touch screen phone with value-added features at an affordable price. The device will be launched globally in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and Europe starting in June.
Stylish Design
The Samsung Champ is designed for young individuals who seek innovative and productive ways of using their mobile phones. With a stylish and ultra compact design, the Samsung Champ is a portable solution for users who will no longer need to sacrifice design for rich features. The device also has a curved form factor and comfortable grip and consumers can choose from a variety of colors: deep black, espresso brown, sweet pink or chic white.
Touch Screen Experience
Users can enjoy the Samsung Champ’s 2.4” full touch display and the integrative and intuitive experience that it enables. The Champ’s simple and intuitive menu format is designed to fit its compact size and is optimized for a small screen. The main screen features an extended 3x3 widget menu format with options for clock, calendar, shortcuts, and my buddies. The touch screen is also ideal for SMS with friends, downloading apps from Samsung Apps, or playing Java-based video games.
Rich Feature Set
Users will be pleased to learn that despite its affordable price point, the Samsung Champ offers a rich feature set. The Samsung Champ enables an immersive music experience with a built-in radio, 3D sound effects and a dual speaker. With its long battery life, consumers won’t have to sacrifice portability and can enjoy hours of multimedia use. Users can download java applications from Samsung Apps and enjoy embedded java apps. The Samsung Champ also offers Bluetooth, a micro SD card with up to 8GB of memory and comes with a headset and travel adapter.
“With the launch of the Samsung Champ, we will strengthen our leadership within the overall touch screen handset category. The Champ is a perfect option for mobile users who want to snap up a full touch phone for the first time. We expect that the Samsung Champ will follow the success of the Star (model: GT-S5230) which achieved high sales volume at an affordable price point over the past year,” said Younghee Lee, Vice President of Mobile Marketing, Samsung Electronics.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 188,000 people in 185 offices across 65 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
LATEST: Some of the largest aftershocks since yesterday morning's 7.1 earthquake have reportedly been felt in Christchurch.
Staff at the Christchurch civil defence emergency centre said one jolt at just after 1pm felt a lot bigger than recent shocks.
"We had one just now, in the last two minutes, and one ten minutes ago that definitely felt very big. It was very shaky," a spokesperson said.
GeoNet's last reported quake, at 1.04pm, measured magnitude 5.0 and hit 20km north-east of Leeston.
The biggest aftershock since the 7.1 quake measured 5.1, at 5.20am this morning, 10km south of Darfield.
The aftershocks are expected to continue throughout the week and potentially cause more damage to already-fragile buildings.
Meanwhile, strong winds expected to gust to 130km in exposed places today are likely to cause more problems, while forecast rain is likely to create stormwater issues for the already stressed infrastructure.
NO-GO AREAS
Parts of Christchurch city centre will be "no-go areas" for weeks, Civil Defence head John Hamilton has said.
He said teams of structural engineers were in place, scouring buildings for damage, focussing on those which were critical to the functioning of the CBD.
''It could be weeks [as in] some cases overseas. Until a building has been rendered safe by demolition, in some cases. You just have to keep people away because its too risky.
''The number of buildings that have been damaged is quite high. It's a big task.''
Officials will know later today which schools can be opened.
''Schools are a problem. We don't want to put children into risky buildings. You can't have schools operating if there is no fresh water or sewerage. There is a process in place for checking schools.''
Although two local civil defence centres closed because they weren't needed, he expected demand to increase tonight because of bad weather.
Resources, such as tarpaulins, to make buildings weathertight could be deployed by air, but there was no demand for them at yet, he said.
New Zealand had turned down offers of support from the US military, based in Hawaii, and the UN he said. This was met with surprise, he said.
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The army and Burnham and some additional troops in Linton are available to help police but so far weren't required, he said.
Ninety per cent of the city has power, he said, but there are issues in the rural areas with power and drinking water.
WATER SENT
KiwiRail is sending almost 300,000 litres of water to quake-struck Christchurch.
KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn said the water would arrive aboard a train early this afternoon and was in response to the city's need for fresh water after earthquake damage caused by yesterday's 7.1 magnitude tremor.
About 15 percent of the city remains without water, and those with it are being urged to use it sparingly.
Any drinking water should be boiled for at least three minutes.
"It's a practical contribution we can make to Christchurch's emergency response and we will be looking for other ways that rail can be used to support the region's recovery," he said.
"We are grateful to Fonterra for making the tanks available for the shipment."
KiwiRail opened the railway line south of Christchurch last night but continuing aftershocks meant a speed limit of 40kmh had been imposed. That was reduced to 25kmh over bridges.
"We still have work to do repairing damage to the track and one bridge between Belfast and Rangiora. We will be road bridging freight to Christchurch from Rangiora while this work is being completed," Mr Quinn said.
Emergency centre staff in Christchurch would focus on the water supply today, which could still force evacuations in worst-hit areas such as Brighton, Brooklands and parts of Avonside.
Water supply had resumed for all but 15 to 20 percent, and the council said today's efforts would focus on the remaining areas.
There were more than 200 water leaks around the city, about half of which were significant, the council said.
Residents with water should flush toilets sparingly, portaloos had been provided and water tankers would be located around the city.
Power was back to 90 percent of the city, and would be restored in central Christchurch when buildings were checked.
Eighty police officers from Auckland would help with general duties and recovery, and an air force Hercules was flying to the city with 42 urban search and rescue personnel, and three dogs trained to search for human remains.
Two New Zealand Red Cross emergency management teams with 21 members had also helped around the city, using 4WD vehicles to look for people cut off in the countryside west of Christchurch.
The quake was the nation's most damaging since 1931, but the only person known to suffer critical injury was a man in his 50s, who was in a serious condition in intensive care after being hit by a falling chimney.
A second man suffered serious cuts, and many had cuts, scratches and broken limbs.
Around a dozen people were pulled from either lifts, buildings or holes in the ground, and a large fire in a central city building created more work for an already stretched Fire Service.
Aftershocks continued throughout the night, with GeoNet reporting more than 15 quakes - ranging between magnitude 3.2 and 4.9 - between 10.30pm and 8am in the Canterbury region.
A state of emergency would remain in place until noon on Monday in the city, and until today in other districts.
CIVIL DEFENCE MEETING
The country's top civil servants met this morning in the Beehive's bunker to discuss how to deal with forecast adverse weather conditions, and implications of the quake on education, transport and other infrastructure concerns.
The ODESC (Officials of Domestic and External Security Committee) includes civil defence head John Hamilton, deputy police commissioner Rob Pope and top brass from the defence force.
The meeting began at 10.30am and lasted about 90 minutes.
Officials will now brief Civil Defence Minister John Carter.
ODESC will meet again on Tuesday.
Civil Defence authorities are advising Christchurch residents especially those in areas badly affected by yesterday's quake or with significant damage to their properties, to ensure they continue to have contingency plans in place, especially as bad weather is forecast for the Canterbury region.
Central Christchurch streets are piled with rubble and cordoned off after the magnitude 7.1 quake, which hit at 4.35am yesterday.
A curfew had been put in place in the central business district between 7pm last night and 7am this morning. Police said several people had been arrested trying to enter the area while the curfew was in place.
Jon Mitchell, Canterbury Emergency Management Office Emergency Manager, says that as the emergency enters day two, residents need to look at their longer term plans and prepare for the emergency to continue into next week at least.
"As residents return to their homes or begin to assess damage, they need to be aware of a cold weather front moving across Canterbury throughout the day.
"The forecast indicates that the front will reach Canterbury around mid-morning today, bringing the strong possibility of gale-force winds early on Sunday, followed by rain in the west of the region by Monday.
"The wind may cause further damage to properties and make ongoing repairs difficult," said Mr Mitchell.
"People should remain in their homes and avoid non-essential travel whenever possible, and make provisions to stay with friends or relatives for at least the next 24-48 hours, possibly longer."
Mr Mitchell said that aftershocks are likely to continue and emergency services, local government and voluntary sector personnel are actively supporting affected communities.
Structural engineers are assessing damage. You can report damage to you local council and seek advice from welfare assistance by calling 0800 77 9997. Residents are advised to be patient, as these lines will be busy.
HOUSE DAMAGE
The damage to hundreds of brick chimneys in Christchurch may be under the roofline and not visible, and residents are being warned to treat them as dangerous until they can be inspected.
Christchurch roofer Tony Stuart, who spent most of yesterday repairing roofs and inspecting and removing damaged brick chimneys following yesterday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake, said today visible damage could be only part of the picture.
Mr Stuart said he removed one chimney down to the roof line yesterday and covered the hole with roofing iron. However, below the roof line the chimney had moved on the base and further inspection was needed because it could be unstable.
Other chimneys still standing above the roof line could be fragile.
"In lots of chimneys bricks have gone from the lower part of the chimney but the top part is still there, which makes it really dangerous," he said.
"There is bugger-all supporting the top of it and bricks are really heavy.
"In many chimneys, the mortar holding the bricks together is just sand and cement but over the years it has lost its capacity to hold the bricks together. The bricks are just stacked on top of each other."
People could visually inspect their chimneys from the ground but said the rest should be left to experts.
"They need to get a roofing company to check their roofs and chimneys. They shouldn't get up there themselves. It is too dangerous but they need to be checked.
"Often you can't see the cracks that have appeared around the chimneys until you get up there on the roof."
Before the earthquake he had removed many brick chimneys and in most cases they just picked the bricks off, Mr Stuart said.
"We didn't even have to knock them or do anything," he said.
FARMS DAMAGED
Agricultural minister David Carter is visiting farms west of Christchurch this morning, affected by the quake, accompanied by Selwyn MP Amy Adams. Her home was also badly damaged.
Mr Carter said 50 or 60 farms in the area were affected.
"We are mainly concerned about farms still without electricity which will be dealing with stock water issues as well as other problems with farm operations. I've had reports of about six dairy sheds with structural damage, but I am also hearing of about 50 or 60 farms in the epicentre area that could be affected," Mr Carter said.
"Reports of damage to essential farm infrastructure are our major concern.''
He said he was grateful for the quick response from the rural community and from Fonterra for providing fresh water for residents.
Mr Carter is visiting Hororata, Glentunnel, Sheffield, Darfield, Dunsandel, Lincoln and Tai Tapu. He has been to parts of Banks Peninsula this morning.
CALLS TO AMBULANCE SERVICE
St John has had steady calls to ambulance communications throughout the night following the quake.
It has first aid teams on rosters stationed at the three welfare centres at Linwood College, Burnside High School and Addington Racecourse.
These teams have dealt with some very minor injuries (cuts and bruises) as well as providing care and reassurance to worried and anxious people.
St John was encouraging members of the community to look after each other and check on their neighbours, particularly the elderly or unwell.
CIVIL DEFENCE SHELTERS
More than 250 people took shelter in civil defence welfare centres in Chrischurch last night.
Civil defence spokesman Stony Wallace said approximately 270 people sought refuge in the three shelters set up at Addington Raceway, Burnside High School and Linwood College.
Mr Wallace expects most of those at the raceway to go home today, but all of the shelters will remain open.
"Their point is to provide a sanctuary for people who have worries about their property," Mr Wallace said.
"There are more aftershocks expected today, as well as high winds. It's a changing situation, it's not static and people's needs may change with that."
Two welfare centres were also open in Waimakariri but no one was using them yet, he said.
The National Crisis Management Centre in the Parliament bunker remains operational.
MORE THAN 500 BUILDINGS DAMAGED
More than 500 buildings in Christchurch are damaged after the quake.
Buildings and infrastructure were damaged throughout the city and region.
The Christchurch City Council said in a statement that of the 500 damaged buildings, more than 90 were in the central city area.
While there had been damage to minor bridges, major ones had withstood the quake. However, some roads had been closed due to liquefaction or flooding.
In total, damage from the quake has been estimated at $2 billion by the Earthquake Commission.
The central city would remain cordoned off and there would be no public access before Monday, with the exception of residents, the council said. People were urged to minimise travel.
The council's building evaluation team would inspect all buildings within the central zone, tagging red placards to buildings considered unsafe, yellow on buildings assigned restricted use, and green on buildings with no restrictions.
The council said it hoped to have the damage assessment completed today, and the yellow and green tagged buildings cleaned up on Monday.
PROMISES OF AID
Promises of aid had started coming in with the Salvation Army, which fed 1000 people at two Christchurch locations yesterday, launching an appeal to help feed and support those affected.
Prime Minister John Key has pledged government support to the people of Canterbury.
"We are here to support them. We are not going to let Christchurch suffer this great tragedy on its own," Mr Key said yesterday.
While people who were insured would get payouts from the Earthquake Commission, there would be a mayoral fund to support those who weren't, Mr Key said.
ANZ Bank is donating $1 million to the proposed fund, and TelstraClear will give $100,000.
Westpac Bank and ANZ were also offering customers relief such as deferral of home loan repayments, or waiving fees.
Mr Key will return to Christchurch later this week.
He told Q+A this morning he will likely go on Tuesday afternoon. "Relevant Ministers" would accompany him, he said.
Mr Key returned to Auckland fron the quake-ravaged city last night.
He said Cabinet would be briefed by the civil defence minister tomorrow. It was likely the Government would contribute to the mayoral fund, he said.
Morning my mushy mushroom tikkas! How goes it with you? I’m in Goa, soaking in the sun as I chill in a hammock by the beach. Never mind the distance, I’ll always have chatpati news, thanks to Sher Lock Holmes and my other sources who regularly fill me in on all that’s hot
and happening in tinsel town. So read on my sweetums…
For starters, I’m being hounded by calls inquiring about Konkona Sen Sharma’s wedding with Ranvir Shorey. The couple, who has been reportedly living in for a while now, finally tied the knot yesterday, I’m informed. Seems they have two two-bedroom apartments in a plush complex in Goregaon, which they have combined to make one huge place.ranvir-konkana
Not surprisingly, both the actors opted to keep away from the limelight a week before the D Day. And even on their Twitter streams, they wrote that they won’t be available for a few days. And knowing Koko and Ranvir, it was a simple affair with only family and close friends.
A khabru from Kolkata called to inform me that Aparna Sen did quite a lot of shopping for saris and jewellery for her daughter and son-in-law. No wonder the room reserved for her in the couple’s sprawling double apartment was full with the purchases.
Predictably, the couple’s friends aren’t spilling any beans on the wedding programme. So I sent Sher Lock bhai to get me an eyewitness account of all the formalities.
In a late night development on Saturday, the Maoists said they would free the three abducted policemen by 8 pm on Sunday.
Self-proclaimed Naxal spokesperson Avinash said in his recorded message that “they would hand over the three policemen to their families, not to police or any government official”. He claimed they had been in touch with the families of the policemen.
Asserting that since the government had been ruthless towards them, they would only trust the policemen’s families to hand over the abducted cops and then would discuss how to go about the government’s offer of talks, he added.
Bihar ADGP P K Thakur, however, said they had not received any intimation about the latest move of the Maoists and got to know about it only through the media.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar offered talks with the Maoists and assured them of not taking any legal action against their representative coming forward for the dialogue with the government.
“We want face-to-face talks, not through telephone as we want to be sure of the identity of the person on the other hand. As their telephone information (on SI Abhay Prasad Yadav) was misleading, we want one-on-one conversation,” Kumar said after an all-party meeting, attended by the RJD, BJP, Congress and LJP besides JD(U). RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and LJP president Ramvilas Paswan had sent their representatives to the meeting.
While not setting any pre-conditions for talks, the CM said Maoists should set free three policemen — SI Abhay Prasad Yadav and Rupesh Kumar Sinha, and BMP-10 Havildar Ehsan Khan.
BEIJING: Chinese foreign ministry's controversial statement describing Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as "northern part of Pakistan" is missing in its web site, which provides transcript of all other questions and answers at the press briefing on Thursday.
This is seen in Indian diplomatic circles as an "important signal" suggesting that New Delhi should not read too much into the statement. External affairs minister S M Krishna has already voiced concern over the statement because it amounts to neglecting India's claims over all of Kashmir.
"The story that China has deployed its military in northern part of Pakistan is totally groundless and out of ulterior purpose," Jiang Yu, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said during Thursday briefing at the ministry. This part of the press conference details does not figure in the website, which usually records details of the briefings.
The web site recorded Jiang's answer to another question about the role played by the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the Red Cross Society of China, local governments and Chinese enterprises towards flood relief in Pakistan.
"An international relief team sent by the Chinese government has arrived in the hardest-hit southern part of Pakistan and set up a mobile hospital which is in operation now," she said.
One day later, Chinese vice minister for foreign affairs Zhang Zhijun acknowledged to the Indian ambassador S Jaishankar that there was indeed some Chinese presence in the Gilgit-Baltistan area of PoK, but this was purely for flood relief and humanitarian reasons, embassy sources said.
Since the ministry earlier said that the southern part of Pakistan was hardest-hit, the motivation behind sending forces into the disputed Gilgit-Baltistan in the northern areas remains a mystery.
Pakistan test opener Yasir Hameed denied on Saturday he had told the British tabloid The News of the World that he had accused his teammates of fixing matches.
The Sunday newspaper has quoted Hameed as saying that some of his teammates were fixing “almost every match“.
“They were doing it (fixing) in almost every match. God knows what they were up to,” he is quoted as saying.
However Hameed, who played in the last two tests of the series against England, said he had never spoken to the newspaper.
“I have given no interview to this newspaper. So the question of my saying my teammates fix matches does not arise,” Hameed told Geo News in Karachi.
“I am deeply disturbed right now with this development. I am trying to speak to the Pakistan manager to tell him this is wrong.”
Pakistan team sources told Reuters that the News of the World statement had come as a shock to the players and officials who are already under pressure because of the inquiry into the spot-fixing betting allegations against the suspended trio of test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir.
“The team is in a meeting right now and I can’t speak to you right now,” manager Yawar Saeed said from Cardiff, where Pakistan play England in a Twenty20 international on Sunday.
The sources said Pakistan High Commissioner, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, was also attending the meeting.
While India has independently confirmed that the presence of Chinese troops in Gilgit and Baltistan is a bit exaggerated in terms of numbers, the real concern here is on the number of projects and works China has undertaken in those areas and in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). And the footprint is only growing larger.
At last count, South Block had noticed at least 17 confirmed projects in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan.
These constitute more than half the Chinese projects in areas under Pakistan’s control, making it a cause of major concern because of the disputed status of the areas. At present, according to government inputs, 122 Chinese companies are active in Pakistan, and most of them are also involved in projects in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan areas.
China, sources said, has suddenly increased its involvement in almost every key sector, and has virtually taken upon itself the responsibility of building basic infrastructure in these areas. The list of projects range from providing mobile connectivity services to building power projects, highways and rail links.
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Karakoram Highway upgradation: The China Road and Bridge Corporation has taken up this project and will give preferential credit of $327 million through its Exim Bank in what is a $491-million project. Two other MoUs on double-laning of the Karakoram Highway as well as widening of the Jaglot-Skardu road have also been signed.
Pakistan-China rail link: This is a 750 km-long rail link between Havelian and the Khunjerab Pass along the Karakoram Highway. While feasibility studies are on for this project, Pakistan and China have agreed to establish a joint venture between Pakistan Railways and Dongfang Electric Corporation to initially run only freight trains on this route.
Former J&K CM and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Resources, Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday advised Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to take a tough line with the Maoists. Abdullah, whose tenure as CM witnessed the release of a number of jailed terrorists in exchange for hostages, asked Kumar not to give in to Maoist threats.
Talking to a group of media persons during a function organised by Jammu Kashmir Cricket Association here on Saturday, he said, “We made mistakes in Kashmir. The first mistake was committed when we released five terrorists during the V P Singh government’s tenure. The next mistake was when we gave into terrorists’ pressure and released them in Kandahar,” he added. “I hope Nitish will not make that mistake, otherwise terrorists will continue to dictate,” Farooq said. “India should appear to be a strong nation,” he said, adding, “You should fight them and you fight them hard. Otherwise, you will appear to be a soft state. However, the choice is for Nitish to make”.
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He also expressed concern over the situation in Kashmir, saying that the government made some mistakes in dealing with stone pelters. “The police and CRPF are not trained to deal with such situations,” he said, adding that if they had been equipped with certain special gadgets or equipments, it would not have resulted in casualties. “However, we will have to train forces and we have to do it soon,” he added.
Paul Collingwood said: 'It may be up to the players to tell the authorities if they think something is going on. We've all got a job to do to get rid of all this.' Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images The International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit has been monitoring the activities of a leading Sri Lanka player since the World Twenty20 in England last year after team-mates became increasingly unsettled by his late-night fraternising with a man they believed to be an illegal bookmaker. They passed on their concerns to the captain, Kumar Sangakkara, who followed ICC protocol by contacting the anti-corruption unit.
The player has since been investigated by Sri Lankan police, although no charges have been laid; officials from the ICC's anti-corruption unit are said to be dismayed at the lack of progress. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, has admitted to a general sense of frustration, saying: "The [anti-corruption unit's] working is not that of a policing agency or a newspaper. They have no power to arrest or seize, or carry out a sting operation."
Getting international players to question the honesty of one of their own team‑mates is a considerable challenge, but it is essential if the ICC is to root out corruption. England's one-day captain, Paul Collingwood, admitted ahead of today's Twenty20 international in Cardiff the difficulty faced by players in casting aside dressing‑room loyalties by reporting a team‑mate suspected of involvement with a betting scam.
As England and Pakistan prepared for the start of the one-day series, in a lingering atmosphere of despondency and mistrust, Collingwood said: "I love this game fondly. It's very hard to say whether you would blag on someone or whatever but I would like to think I would take every decision in the best interests of the game of cricket."
No England player, as far as Collingwood is aware, has ever felt the need to phone the ICC's anti-corruption hotline. "In my experience, I would probably say never, but I don't know for certain. You don't know whether players have done it individually and not told anybody else. This is probably stuff that will be done confidentially and kept kind of under the carpet."
England also seem to have stopped short of reporting suspicions about opponents. They are regularly implored, as are players from all countries, to pass on all suspicions and leave the anti-corruption unit to investigate, but pointing the finger of suspicion without evidence is not easily done. "From a players' point of view, we pretty much just want to focus on the game in hand and let the authorities deal with it and make strong decisions," Collingwood said. "It may be up to the players to tell the authorities if they think something is going on."
Pakistan's new captain, Shahid Afridi, who took over from the suspended Salman Butt, made a remarkable public apology before his side's net session in Cardiff yesterday on behalf of the three players – Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – whose alleged involvement in betting scams is being investigated by the Metropolitan police and who have already been charged under the ICC's code of conduct. Afridi made no attempt to proclaim their innocence. "I think it is very bad news," he said. "On behalf of these players – I know they are not in this series – but on behalf of these boys, I want to say sorry to all cricket lovers and all the cricketing nations."
The News of the World, which published its exposé into cricket corruption a week ago after a sting operation against the Pakistan players' agent, Mazhar Majeed, provides further evidence over 19 pages today to support its allegations. The newspaper has been praised by the head of the anti-corruption unit, Ronnie Flanagan. The newspaper claims that the Pakistan players face 23 ICC charges between them and that the Metropolitan Police have recovered between £10-15,000 of bills marked by the News of the World from Butt's room.
It also states Butt was warned five times that he must report any irregular dealings. It also derides as "rantings" the suggestion by the Pakistan high commissioner in London, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, that the evidence had been faked.
Yasir Hameed, who was recalled for the final Test at The Oval – the Test that was the subject of the News of the World sting – is quoted as saying: "They were doing it [fixing] in almost every match. God knows what they were up to." Hameed last night denied he had made the allegations and said he was "deeply disturbed" by them.
Friday, September 3, 2010
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7:19 PM
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Prince Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary and son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi is believed to be flirting with a Hyderabadi girl. According to a latest magazine report, Rahul is dating with the 30-year old girl, who happens to be the daughter of a former union minister, who is known to be an aggressive politician. This girl, who had a broken marriage with an ophthalmologist, is now into documentary film making. Shifting her base completely to New Delhi, she is said to be a very flamboyant and outspoken girl.
The report also says Rahul frequently spends time with the girl at a family farmhouse on the outskirts of Delhi, which is completely fortified. The Hyderabadi girl who gave up her career in advertising has done a number of documentaries on various subjects, including Hyderabad biryani.
Earlier, there were reports that Rahul had a love affair with Junaita, daughter of a Columbian businessman. There were also rumours that he had already married her. But, that has not come out in public at all. We have also heard about Rahul’s alleged connection with the daughter of the former union minister, but it is definitely news if he really marries her. If he does not, it is yet another simple rumour, written in the magazines for sensationalism!
Ever since the Saira Banu – Jyothi incident has surfaced up, another person caught the attention of the electronic media and she is being chased from all corners for reactions and opinions. She is none other than Bhuwaneshwari who shot to headlines just recently on a similar note. Bhuwaneshwari was caught in Adyar in Chennai but in no time, she was released and today, she is back into films with renewed fame and increased recognition. Looking at this, many are saying that Sairabanu will take inspiration from Bhuwaneshwari and find some moral strength.
There has been better projection for Bhuwaneshwari after the incident and even today, she claims that it was a ‘kutra’ by jealous people and she has never indulged in such activities. So, it appears that Sairabanu may have a stronger second innings once the issue settles down.
Yesteryear’s diva Sridevi is planning to revive her South connections to launch her daughter Jhanavi in movies here. The actress who made it big first in the South and was paid more than the heroes in the 80s and 90s, is planning to launch her daughter in a couple of years. Though there were rumours that she was to launch Jhanavi with Tamil director Sashi of Nadodigal fame, the project didn’t materialise. Jhanavi is believed to be training as an actress.
Sridevi is believed to have put in a word with directors in the Telugu film industry to contact her if they find a suitable script to launch her daughter as heroine. The usually aloof Sridevi made it a point to fly down to Hyderabad all the way from Mumbai for the launch of RGV’s Telugu movie.The actress was seen bonding big time with her Tollywood directors and filmmakers. She spoke in Telugu and expressed a wish to revisit the city for the success meet of the movie later.
Sources in film nagar say if Nagarjuna’s second son Akhil is launched into movies, the heroine will be Sridevi’s daughter Jhanavi.
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The wise men say that the dangers caused due to low levels of confidence are very less compared to the perils of over confidence. A classic example for that seems to be Colors Swathi. The reason for this seems to be her latest decision. Apparently, this big eyed girl has been shunning several offers in the search of a ‘good script’ and ‘strong role’ but now her latest decision seems to have brought in sharp criticism. This has to do with Swathi’s nod to pair up with Sunil for the new movie ‘Katha Darsakatvam Screenplay Appalaraju’. Many say that Swathi’s ‘smart’ thinking was the mention of Ram Gopal Varma as the director.
Apparently, the skinny lady seems to have dreamt of big bollywood dreams working with Ramu and that could have been the cause for her decision, is the general talk. On the flip side though, those who paired up with Sunil went down crashing. After pairing up with big guns like Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, Aarti Agarwal’s pairing in ‘Andala Ramudu’ has taken her graph spiraling down. The latest example is that of the seductive Saloni whose career was expected to take off with ‘Maryada Ramanna’ but nothing of that sort happened.
For someone who is budding as an actor from itsy bitsy roles as a comedian, becoming his leading lady seems to be the reason why the big heroes are not keen on having them anymore. With Swathi pairing up with Sunil and already working with a struggling Sumanth for a different project, many are saying that she has dug her own grave. For now, they are suggesting that she can prepare herself mentally to take up side heroine roles or pair with B-Grade heroes.
Alternatively, she can look at playing her cards well to impress Ramu and make her foray into Bollywood. Let us see what happens…
It's just that it happens so very rarely. After all, it isn't everyday that you hear of the synopsis of an under-production Hollywood flick being startlingly similar to that of a 2005 Bollywood flick. Now, we're not saying Just Go With It is copied or inspired by Salman-Sush-Kat starrer Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, just that the coincidences are quite a few. Consider this... Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya starred Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Katrina Kaif, Arshad Warsi and Eesha Koppikhar. It released in 2005. It is about about Samir (Khan), a successful doctor who is a ladies' man.
Afraid of commitment, he tells every girl who tries to get close to him that he's married. They back off. The tables are turned when he meets Sonia (Kaif), who learns that he's 'married' and wants to meet his family.
He gets his dutiful nurse, Naina (Sen) to stand in and pretend to be his wife and her nephew and niece to be his kids for a short while and even arranges for a 'fake' divorce to take place so he can marry the girl he loves.
It is about a plastic surgeon (Sandler), who is afraid of commitment, and tells his much younger girlfriend (Decker) that he's married with children to avoid having a serious relationship with her.
When she starts to believe he's lying and threatens to leave him, he asks his office manager (Jennifer Aniston) and her children (Bailee Madison, Griffin Gluck) to pose as his family in order to prove his honesty.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
Amy Adams starrer Leap Year's synopsis on the Universal Film News homepage clearly states: The film is loosely based on Jab We Met, a 2007 Bollywood film.
Directed by Anand Tucker, the film stars Amy Adams, Matthew Goode and Adam Scott. Shot in Ireland, the movie's settings have been adapted to local customs. According to Irish legend, a man who is proposed to on a leap day must accept, thus the title.
The film tracks the journey of a girl who is out to meet her boyfriend who she feels is the right man for her. Enroute she meets a guy who helps her in her journey which ends in her making a connection with the stranger.
Keeping in mind the Irish landscape, most of her journey is through road and waterways. In Jab We Met, the modes of commute were road and rail.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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For Karan Johar the past few weeks have been very stressful. Since Kajol one of the leading ladies of his production We Are Family is on maternity leave and since his other leading ladyKareena Kapoor has to leave for the shooting of Saif Ali Khan's Agent Vinod the producer has no choice but to promote We Are Family on his own.
During the past week Karan has been making do with a few hours of sleep and almost no time for any other work except the promotion of We Are Family.
“I've completely sidelined the film I'm going to direct next. I've no idea what it is going to be simply because I haven't had the time to think about it. Maybe I'll make My Name Is Karan and cast myself in the lead, ” jokes Karan.
Karan is specially worried about We Are Family because it isn't a typical macho entertainer.
In fact Karan jokingly admits that his product was intimidated by the power of machismo in the Salman Khan starrer Dabangg.
“Yeah we ran away to two Fridays before Dabangg, ” says Karan. “Ours is the kind of film that would have a gentler impact. We are not the hare. We are the tortoise.
Kajol is of course the undisputed queen of the show. But Kareena will surprise you. She has given the best performance of her career. And Arjun Rampal balances the fire and the passion of the two women. ”
Karan Johar's production house now starts shooting for its Imran Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer in October.
He confirms that all talk of Kareena losing more weight for the Imran-Kareena starrer directed by Shakun Batra is baseless. “I never said Bebo would have to lose weight or wear 'chaddis' for the part, as reported. Nor is the film called Short Term Shaadi. That's just the working title and we're changing it. ”
It's just that it happens so very rarely. After all, it isn't everyday that you hear of the synopsis of an under-production Hollywood flick being startlingly similar to that of a 2005 Bollywood flick. Now, we're not saying Just Go With It is copied or inspired by Salman-Sush-Kat starrer Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, just that the coincidences are quite a few. Consider this... Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya starred Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Katrina Kaif, Arshad Warsi and Eesha Koppikhar. It released in 2005. It is about about Samir (Khan), a successful doctor who is a ladies' man.
Afraid of commitment, he tells every girl who tries to get close to him that he's married. They back off. The tables are turned when he meets Sonia (Kaif), who learns that he's 'married' and wants to meet his family.
He gets his dutiful nurse, Naina (Sen) to stand in and pretend to be his wife and her nephew and niece to be his kids for a short while and even arranges for a 'fake' divorce to take place so he can marry the girl he loves.
It is about a plastic surgeon (Sandler), who is afraid of commitment, and tells his much younger girlfriend (Decker) that he's married with children to avoid having a serious relationship with her.
When she starts to believe he's lying and threatens to leave him, he asks his office manager (Jennifer Aniston) and her children (Bailee Madison, Griffin Gluck) to pose as his family in order to prove his honesty.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
Amy Adams starrer Leap Year's synopsis on the Universal Film News homepage clearly states: The film is loosely based on Jab We Met, a 2007 Bollywood film.
Directed by Anand Tucker, the film stars Amy Adams, Matthew Goode and Adam Scott. Shot in Ireland, the movie's settings have been adapted to local customs. According to Irish legend, a man who is proposed to on a leap day must accept, thus the title.
The film tracks the journey of a girl who is out to meet her boyfriend who she feels is the right man for her. Enroute she meets a guy who helps her in her journey which ends in her making a connection with the stranger.
Keeping in mind the Irish landscape, most of her journey is through road and waterways. In Jab We Met, the modes of commute were road and rail.
This year, the foundation is providing financial support to the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind and Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Aishwarya, who has pledged her own eyes to the noble cause, applauded the initiative. "It is absolutely wonderful the kind of work and effort that these ladies have come together to do in such a subtle yet unconditional and sincere manner," Ash told BT.
Ash also spent quality time with the children of the school, which was established in 1902. They sang for her in their passionate voices, making the eyes of the Most Beautiful Woman in the World turn moist. The principal of the school then acquainted the actress with the proposed projects that will be undertaken with the help of the funds raised.
From the Foundation's annual calendar of fund-raising initiatives, the 'Design One' shopping fiesta is the most widely publicized and high-profile event. Scheduled to be held on September 8 and 9 at World Trade Centre, Design One provides a pre-festival exhibition platform on which designers showcase their creativity and do client-building. The range of merchandise includes fashion wear, accessories, jewellery, home and lifestyle products, silverware, gift items, packaging and food. This year, eight NGOs will be given complimentary stall space at the exhibition. Sahachari Foundation is thus encouraging entrepreneurship and promoting creativity while remaining committed to a philanthropic objective.
Talking about why she chose to support this cause, Ash says, "It's our own little steps to try and make a difference. It doesn't make all the difference but believe you me one step in itself quantifies as plenty. I have always believed that."
From: Times of India
Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were supposed to be the cure for the malady of booth-capturing in elections in India, but in the present form of use they have only worsened the problems. Moreover, EVMs also do not meet the legal requirements set out in the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were supposed to be the cure for the malady of booth-capturing in elections in India, but in the present form of use they have only worsened the problems. Moreover, EVMs also do not meet the legal requirements set out in the Information Technology Act, 2000.
EVMs, as they are being used by the Election Commission of India (ECI), create worries about the very legitimacy of the choice of governments through elections based on them, and raise questions about whether the ECI has become partisan in its defence of EVMs.
The duties of the ECI as set out in Article 324 of the Constitution include ensuring that elections conducted by it are free and fair, and reflect the will of the voters.
To be considered free and fair, the international standards an election has to meet are:
individuals have to be accurately identified as eligible voters who have not already voted;
voters are allowed only one anonymous ballot each, which they can mark in privacy;
the ballot box is secure, observed and, during the election, only able to have votes added to it by voters: votes cannot be removed;
when the election ends, the ballot box is opened and counted in the presence of observers from all competing parties. The counting process cannot reveal how individual voters cast their ballots;
if the results are in doubt, the ballots can be checked and counted again by different people;
as far as the individual voter is concerned, he must be assured that the candidate he casts his vote for, actually gets that vote.
Over the last few centuries, the system of paper ballots was developed that could meet all these six requirements. But the pattern of use of EVMs in the last few general elections in India does not meet the fifth and sixth requirements set out here.
In correspondence with the ECI, I suggested that it incorporate in EVMs the safeguard of a “paper backup” or “paper trail” as is done in some countries. This will easily and in an inexpensive manner meet the last two requirements mentioned above.
As suggested and developed by many experts, this “paper trail” procedure is meant to supplement the procedure of voting, as follows:
“Once approved, the voter views the ballot and makes the desired selections … If the voter confirms that the choices displayed are correct, the machine records the vote on some storage medium.
“The EVM then prints out a readable receipt, much like in automated teller machines (ATM), which is confirmed by the voter, who then deposits it in a ballot box on the way out of the booth, and which poll workers are monitoring.
“If the election is later disputed, officials can optically scan these paper ballots or hand-count them.”
If the EVM is linked to the Unique Identity system being developed, and the EVM can check voters' biometric details before allowing them to vote, that will eliminate bogus voting as well.
But the ECI reacted as if I had violated its electoral chastity. It demanded that I go to the Commission's premises and demonstrate that EVMs can be rigged — although I had not made such an accusation but had only wanted the machine to be safeguarded.
The demonstration
On September 3, 2009, I went to Nirvachan Bhavan along with Vemuru Hari Prasad, a software specialist from Hyderabad, to demonstrate that EVMs can indeed be tampered with. (Dr. Prasad has since been arrested.)
The proceedings at Nirvachan Bhavan were videotaped by the ECI, in the presence of officials of the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which manufacture EVMs. But the ECI has refused to provide me a copy of the recording made.
Dr. Hari Prasad was given an EVM and asked to give a demonstration. He efficiently went about seeking to prove that it could be tampered with. When he was in the final stage of his work, suddenly the ECIL and BEL representatives began to protest, and claimed that he was violating the companies' ‘intellectual property rights'.
I have obtained documents from the World Intellectual Property Organisation, with its headquarters in Paris, to show that ECIL and BEL had applied for a patent for the EVM in 2002. But in 2006 they withdrew their applications when it became clear that the applications would be rejected. The two outfits do not hold an international patent.
The ECI aborted the meeting despite our protests — all recorded on tape. Now, much like Richard Nixon, it does not want to part with the tapes. No further meetings have been scheduled; only Dr. Hari Prasad was called to the Commission to wear him down. His recent arrest in Mumbai was a desperate act motivated by the ECI to terrorise him, on the charge of theft of an EVM. It was much like the Manipur government issuing an arrest warrant in 1978 against Indira Gandhi for stealing chickens from the State.
It thus became necessary for me to file a writ petition before the Delhi High Court. When such an obvious safeguard as the paper trail is easily and relatively cheaply available, the ECI refuses to even consider it. Hence it is unreasonable and smacks of mala fide. The next hearing of my writ petition is scheduled for November 24. The ECI will then have to explain the patent fiasco and why it lied about it in public.
Doubts about e-elections
There is worldwide acceptance of the need for a paper trail in conjunction with EVMs. Electronic voting was introduced in many countries. But serious doubts were soon raised about the security, accuracy, reliability and verifiability of electronic elections. In October 2006, the Netherlands banned the use of EVMs. In 2009, the Republic of Ireland declared a moratorium on their use. Italy has followed suit. In March 2009, the Supreme Court of Germany ruled that voting through EVMs was unconstitutional, holding that transparency is a constitutional right but efficiency is not a constitutionally protected value.
The official stand of the ECI is that EVMs are 100 per cent reliable and tamper-proof, that the functioning chips have their instructions indelibly burnt into them at the time of manufacture; that these chips are then “mother-sealed” into the EVM; and that this can never be altered. This claim is presented as an immaculate premise, a mantra requiring no proof thereof.
The field of hacking is continually developing, and ECIL's and BEL's advisers belong to an era of soldering two wires together (the “diode and triode era”). They are in no position to counter the averment of international scholars that no electronic machine has been devised that cannot be rigged or hacked.
The ECI must cut its losses and agree to a paper receipt. If it cannot arrange that, we should return to ballot papers. Ballot papers are riggable at a ‘retail' level; but with EVMs, an entire election can be stolen with a chip.
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For Karan Johar the past few weeks have been very stressful. Since 
