Congress gets the Jolt, BJP the Boost

The anti-incumbency factor and the rising prices marred the Congress prospects in the Assembly elections in Punjab and Uttarakhand. The party suffered setbacks in both the states with Akali-BJP combine returning to power in Punjab and BJP snatching Uttarakhand from Congress. The Akali-BJP combine won 67 seats out of 116 in Punjab, while the Congress managed to win 44 seats.

Uttarakhand produced no surprise, as BJP got back into power by winning 34 seats out of 69. Congress managed to get only 21 seats. According to sources, former union minister B C Khanduri may get the nod to become the next chief minister of Uttarakhand while Prakash Singh Badal will be again the chief minister of Punjab. The Congress Party managed to save its face by retaining Manipur, though by a narrow margin. The recent assembly elections served a wake up call to the party and its leadership.

Lalu's Railway Budget 2007

Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav again showed why is regarded as one of the tallest leaders of the country who can make their own impressions irrespective of the circumstances. He performed his magic in Lok Sabha by presenting a dream railway budget amidst high drama and noise over Quattrochi issue. It was a budget focused on the 'Aam Admi' and people across the country expressed their satisfaction. Here are some key highlights of the Railway Budget 2007:

• Second Class Fares untouched
• AC Fares reduced by 4%
• More unreserved compartments will be added
• Senior citizens and women over 45 years will get lower berth preferences
• Freight rate down by 5% on diesel & petrol; 6% on minerals
• Concessions for UPSC examines
• Rail tickets will be available at ATMs/petrol pumps
• 6,000 Automated ticket vending machines will be installed
• Palmtops will be provided to TTEs for last-minute ticket booking
• 32 New trains will be introduced
• Eight more Garib Raths will be introduced.

In addition, the Railways would design special coaches for physically challenged. Students travelling to attend UPSC and other competitive exams would get a 50% discount on train fares.

Oscar Awards Announced

The 79th Academy Awards were announced in Los Angeles. The The Boston based crime drama "The Departed" has won the Oscar for Best Picture. Martin Scorsese was named best director for "The Departed". Forest Whitaker won the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role for his part in the film "The Last King of Scotland.” Whitaker portrayed the dictator Idi Amin in the movie.

Helen Mirren won the Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role for her part in the film "The Queen". Veteran actor Alan Arkin, won the best supporting actor Oscar. An Inconvenient Truth, based on former US Vice President Al Gore's global warning lecture, won best documentary feature. The hit movie "Happy Feet" won best animated feature.

• The Complete list of the winners:
• Best Motion Picture: “The Departed”
• Lead Actor: Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland”
• Lead Actress: Helen Mirren, “The Queen”
• Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine”
• Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”
• Directing: Martin Scorsese, “The Departed”
• Foreign Language Film: “The Lives of Others,” Germany
• Adapted Screenplay: William Monahan, “The Departed”
• Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt, “Little Miss Sunshine”
• Animated Feature Film: “Happy Feet” Art Direction: “Pan’s Labyrinth”
• Cinematography: “Pan’s Labyrinth” Sound Mixing: “Dreamgirls”
• Sound Editing: “Letters From Iwo Jima” Original Score: “Babel,” Gustavo Santaolalla
• Original Song:“I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth,” Melissa Etheridge
• Costume: “Marie Antoinette” Documentary Feature: “An Inconvenient Truth”
• Documentary Short Subject: “The Blood of Yingzhou District”
• Film Editing: “The Departed” Makeup: “Pan’s Labyrinth”
• Animated Short Film: “The Danish Poet” Live Action Short Film: “West Bank Story”
• Visual Effects: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”
• Jean Hersholt Award (Oscar statuette): Sherry Lansing.
• Honorary Academy Award (Oscar statuette): Ennio Morricone.

Blast in Samjhauta Express, Death toll goes up

In a shocking incident last night, at least 64 people were killed and several others injured in a suspected IED blast in the Samjhauta Express near Deewana in Panipat. The train was running from Delhi to Attari and was scheduled to carry the passengers to Lahore from there in another train. Two blasts occurred at around 12:55 AM. Two bogies of the train caught fire in the explosion. Both the bogies were burnt into ashes. The dead bodies were charred beyond recognition.

It will well known that most of the passengers on the Samjhauta Express are Pakistanis. Officials, rescue workers and others rushed to the spot. According to latest reports, the Union Home Minister and the Railway Minister also left for Panipat.

The Haryana Chief Secretary admitted that the incident was a clear case of sabotage. According to him, two live time bombs were also recovered from the train, which were later defused by the Bomb Disposal Squad. Investigations are going on and more facts are likely to come out at a later stage.

Another Defeat for Australia, Slipped to Second Spot in ICC Rankings

Is it the same Australian team, which was considered invincible just a few weeks ago? Australia suffered their fourth successive defeat in ODI and the second successive one to the Black Caps. New Zealand now leads the three-match series 2-0. With this loss, Australia slipped to second spot in the ICC cricket rankings for the first time. South Africa moved to the top.

Australia posted a mammoth total of 336/4 in 50 overs after skipper Michael Hussey scored a brilliant 105 and Brad Hodge scored an unbeaten knock of 97. However, the kiwis were always on the target and reached the target with more than a over to spare. Ross Taylor made 117 and Peter Fulton scored a brilliant 76*.

Road to World Cup: India Wins the Series against Sri Lanka

A moral boosting comprehensive victory at Visakhapatnam helped India to win the 4-match series against a spirited Sri Lanka 2-1. After losing the first match by a narrow margin, India bounced back strongly to win back-to-back matches and the series. The victory just before the World Cup lifted the Indian morale to a great extent. India can now take tremendous psychological advantage to the World Cup in the West Indies. The series win against the in-form West Indies and Sri Lanka raised hopes of India doing well in the Caribbeans.

The third match at Vizag was very significant from Indian point of view, as both Sehwag and Yuvraj played brilliant innings to mark their return to form. After being put into bat, Sri Lanka scored a fighting 259/7 in stipulated 47 overs. At one stage, they were 56/4. However, the maiden century (107*) by Chamara Silva helped Sri Lanka to reach a comfortable total. Indians were always on the track and the team's run chase was bolstered by Uthappa's 52, Sehwag's 46, Ganguly's 58* and Yuvraj's 95*.

India reached the target with 6 overs to spare. Chamara Silva was declared man of the match and Saurav Ganguly was adjudged man of the series for his consistent performance in the series. Let's hope that India will continue its fine form and do better in the World Cup 2007.

Black Caps Thrashed Kangaroos: Australia Slumped to the Biggest Ever ODI Defeat

A few days back, I had written a post about Australia's declining dominance in world cricket. After losing the tri-series to a depleted England side, Australia suffered another setback when they were thrashed by the Kiwis at Wellington. This is the first ever 10-wicket loss for Australia in one-day cricket. The rude shock came just a few weeks ahead of the World Cup 2007 where the Kangaroos are considered the most favorites.

It is no secret that the current Australian side is completely beatable and New Zealand proved it again. A full-strength New Zealand side exposed the inexperience of the Australian side that missed the service of Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke and Brett Lee. Shane Bond's impressive five-wicket haul helped the Kiwis to dismiss the visitors for a paltry 148 in 49.3 overs. The black caps batted only for 27 overs to complete the formality of a win and thus handed over the worst-ever defeat to their arch-rivals.

3 AIADMK Men Sentenced to Death in Dharmapuri Case

In a sensational verdict, a Salem court sentenced 3 AIADMK men to death in the Dharmapuri bus burning case. It can be recalled that three girl students were charred to death while 18 others were injured in Dharmapuri when the AIADMK workers burnt the bus without any warning. The court held 25 others guilty of rioting and wrongful confinement. The quantum of the sentence would be pronounced on February 17.

The deceased girl students belonged to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The incident occured when the AIADMK workers were protesting against Jayalalitha's conviction in the Kodaikanal Pleasant Stay Hotel case. The verdict was hailed as a victory for justice.

Petrol, Diesel Prices Slashed

Here is a good news for people who are reeling under the pressure of rising inflation rate. After a series of bad news about home loan, car loan and increase in prices of the commodities, the common people got a huge relief when the Petroleum Minister Murli Deora announced to cut the petrol and diesel prices by Rs 2 and Re 1 per litre respectively. The reduction would be effective from midnight tonight. The retail price of petrol in Delhi would be Rs 42.85 a litre and diesel Rs 30.25 a litre.

The decision was taken after the Petroleum Minister met the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Finance Minister in a meeting. The Finance Ministry will make duty adjustments including a cut in excise rates so that the oil companies do not face the heat following the price reduction.

Carnival of Sensational News #1

Greetings! Welcome to the first edition of the Carnival of Sensational News. I am overwhelmed to receive a large number entries to the first edition of this carnival. Without further ado, here are the posts in the order they were received:

H.S. Ayoub presents Doctor Claims Americans Paid $150M for Stem Cell Treatment Abroad posted at BioHealth Investor. The FDA issued a warning letter to Dr.Alfred T Sapse of Stem Cell Pharma, Inc., a Las Vegas company, alleging that the doctor and the company had violated federal law by injecting placental stem cells into patients without prior approval.

Phil presents Recycle a Penny for Two Cents « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity. The United States of America spends 1.73 cents to make a one cent coin and spends 8.74 cents to make a five cent coin. That's right, it costs more money to make a penny and nickel than they are worth!

Ray Basile presents Naked Cowboy Exposed In Seattle posted at Mr. Besilly's Blog. Naked Cowboy Exposes Himself in Seattle.

Maureen presents Prince Charles. The Prince of Green posted at Empty Nest. Prince Charles is a pioneer on environmental issues.

Leonard Alexander presents Space waits for Stephen Hawking posted at All About aBILITIES. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic service, has shown enormous interest to help Mr. hawking realize his dream. a 2 hour suborbital trip (about 87 miles above the earths atmosphere) would cost $200,000.

Chris Dolley presents David Eddings appointed Special Adviser to Tony Blair posted at Chris Dolley's Page. In a surprise statement, Tony Blair announced the appointment of David Eddings as his new Special Adviser.

H.S. Ayoub presents HIV Protection Trial Halted Due to Increase Risk of...HIV! posted at BioHealth Investor. Shares of Canadian firm Polydex Pharmaceuticals (POLYXF) absolutely sank more than 50% on Wednesday as the company announced that phase III trials of Ushercell, a topical microbicide gel for the prevention of HIV infections in women, were halted internationally.

Jon Swift presents Breaking News: Michael Ledeen Is Dead posted at Jon Swift. According to a confidential source, Michael Ledeen, Pajamas Media's supreme pundit, is dead.

LolaLondon presents 12. A Rose by Any Other Name posted at L'undone. Here is a tale of high-weirdness, big love, cyber-crime and the mutual insane obsession of two people that never even met. This blog is the true story of how it happened.

Avant News presents Windows Vista Startup Music Designed on Macs posted at Avant News. Microsoft Corporation refused to comment today on the embarrassing revelation that the new Windows Vista "startup music", the musical vignette that is played to calm and distract users while waiting for the operating system to boot up, was created exclusively on Apple computer systems.

John Hill presents What Can We Do About Climate Change? posted at Universe Of Success. It may already be too late to make a difference.

With that, the Carnival of Sensational News is concluded. It is important for all carnival participants to do their part to support the carnival and help it grow by promoting it on their personal site. We will appreciate any such gesture on your part. If you want to host this carnival in future, let me know at sagarsatapathy (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Is Australia Invincible? 'No' is the Answer!!!

Everyone will acknowledge the might of Australia in world cricket. It is true that they are the No. 1 team in the world and also the most favorite to win the coveted World Cup 2007. However, if you think that Australia is still invincible, then you are completely wrong. With two consecutive spectacular performances in the triangular one-day series finals, England pipped Australia to win the Cup.

It is an irony that England struggled through the season and suffered a 5-0 whitewash in the Ashes. They also looked fragile against Australia and New Zealand in the tri-series. However, finally they bounced back and shocked the "mighty" Australia.

If a subdued England side can achieve this milestone, why can't other teams like South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and India and New Zealand repeat this? If you follow a proper game plan and stick to your basics, then there is no reason why you can't beat Australia. England's spectacular performance should serve as an eye-opener for other teams. Let's hope that the coming World Cup will witness some great cricket actions rather than a dominance of a single team.

Vodafone Bags Hutch

British telecom giant Vodafone bagged the 67% Hutchison Telecom International (HTIL) stake in Hutch-Essar for $19.3 billion, which is approximately Rs 86,000 crore. Vodafone emerged victorious in the bidding process, pipping Reliance, Hinduja and Essar. Essar sources expressed satisfaction with the bidding.

According to reports, Vodafone has offered to make Essar its partner and Essar is currently evaluating the offer. Meanwhile, Hindujas has congratulated Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin and his team on the successful acquisition of Hutch.

Robin Singh's Name in Match Fixing Scandal

The skeletons have begun to tumble in the match fixing case. It took an interesting turn after the Maharashtra DGP Pasricha revealed that Robin Singh's name came up during the taped conversation between Marlon Samuels and Kochchar. However, the DGP refused to comment if the mentioned person was the former cricketer Robin Singh or not. The name could be either Robin Singh or Robinson. Investigations are going on and more revelations are certain to come up.

It is hard to believe that a fighter and hard-working cricketer like Robin Singh could be involved in match fixing. Robin Singh, an athletic allrounder, has always showed great commitment towards the game of cricket. He proved his detractors wrong in his second coming at 33 - seven years after his international debut.

He batted and bowled in different positions and gave 100 percent performance in every match he played. His never-say-die attitude earned him accolades in the cricketing circle. Robin Singh became a full-time coach after retirement. Let's pray that he comes out clean of this allegations and his image is not tarnished further. Otherwise, it will be great loss to Indian cricket.

Ratan Tata Flies F-16 Fighter Jet

Ratan Tata added another feather to his cap, when he flied the F-16 Fighter Jet at the Aero India 2007 in Bangalore. Tata was invited by the US Embassy to take this honor. He undertook the flight in co-pilot's seat. Paul Hattendorf, the test pilot of Lockheed Martin commanded the aircraft. With this milestone, Tata became the oldest Indian to fly the American-made aircraft. It must be remembered that he flies the Falcon 200 owned by the Tata Group company.

Ratan Tata was recently in news when he sealed the $11.3 billion deal to buy Anglo-Dutch steel-maker Corus. Ahead of the flight, he has undergone medical check-up, briefing and ground training. Tata family is not new to aviation. The late JRD Tata is regarded as the father of India's civil aviation. He had launched the Tata Airlines in 1932, which was later nationalized in 1953 and became Air-India.

Samuels Named in Match Fixing

The ghost of the match fixing scandal is back again. According to Nagpur police, West Indies cricketer Marlon Samuels was in constant touch with the notorious bookie Mukesh Kochchar and talked to him several times over phone. Kochchar is believed to be an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Kochchar had allegedly called up Samuels in Room No 206 of Hotel Pride, located just a kilometre away from the airport in Nagpur.

The Nagpur police has intimated the BCCI about the latest development that is all set to shock the cricketing world ahead of the World Cup in West Indies. The alleged involvement of a West Indies player will mar the joyous mood in the Caribbean Islands. Ironically, Samuels played relatively well in the Nagpur ODI and made 40 runs off 60 balls, which is not bad though. Since the police investigation is going on, we may get more shockers in the coming days.

According to the latest reports, Samuels told Times Now TV channel that he knew Kochchar, but was not aware that Kochchar was a bookie. He refused to comment further on this issue.

Carnival of Sports #4

Greetings! Welcome to the fourth edition of the Carnival of Sports! Without further ado, here are the posts in the order they were received.

Vahid Chaychi presents Doping and Cancer Kill Athletes Cruelly posted at Healthoma.com - Cancer and Health Related Discussions.

Baiguai presents How Far is Too Far to Push Ourselves? posted at Kung Fu Artistry. How do we know when we are pushing ourselves too hard? Read on...

Carlos Figueroa presents Childress Chases Senser Off Vikings Broadcast Team posted at Kick Ass Offense.

Binit presents Cricket World Cup 2007 : All informations. posted at It's Only Cricket!. Any informations on Cricket World Cup 2007, in one blog post.

Tyler presents Wayne Gretzky Fights posted at National Hockey League Digest. Wayne Gretzky "The Great One" drops the gloves and gets beaten to a pulp by Neal Broten in this video!

Raymond David Salas presents Using Visualization for Success posted at ZenChill.com - Power Tools for Mind, Body, and Soul. How the University of Florida used visualization to win the national championship in football.

Baiguai presents Five Animal Styles (part 1) posted at Kung Fu Artistry. A brief introduction to the kung fu five animal forms, this article focuses on the tiger form.

Hockeydino presents What's wrong with hockey in Detroit? posted at Detroit Sports Snobs.

Dr. Hal presents North Star Mental Fitness Blog: Bo Schembechler posted at North Star Mental Fitness Blog.

Joshua Galligan presents 10 Reasons I'm a Moron posted at SPORT CRACK.

Kathy Maister presents Superbowl Chili posted at Kathy Maister's startcooking.com. Football fans across American have family and friends over on Super Sunday (Feb 4) to watch the Superbowl. For a taste of American football fare, try this traditional American crowd-pleaser chili recipe.

Videos de Deporte presents Tremenda carrera de Traverso posted at Videos de Deporte. Argentina Cars race. The car set's on fire but the driver keeps going till the end and win the race... really amazing!

R Waldhoff presents The Death of Professional Tennis? posted at Britannica Blog. Rick Horrow on what's wrong with professional tennis.

Jonathan presents Best of People/Health/Fitness posted at The Loan Clutter.

Eitan S. presents Pakistan cricket: South Africa hold upper hand in ODI series - Sportingo posted at Sportingo Sports News. Coming close on the heels of a 2-1 Test series defeat, Pakistan are looking for the injection of more power for the One-Day series in South Africa.

R Waldhoff presents Muhammad Ali's Lost Legacy posted at Britannica Blog. Ali's official biographer Thomas Hauser on Ali's legacy.

Ted Reimers presents Top 10 best things about College Basketball posted at CampusGrotto.

Mark McManus presents Why I Love Bodybuilding & Fitness posted at Build Your Life To Order (tm). Mark explores his love for bodybuilding & fitness, pictures included too. He also explains how it relates to other areas of personal development, it's a passionate article! He expects feedback for this post.

Jennifer Miner presents Super Bowl Fact or Fiction: A great article by Bill Briggs exposes some Super Bowl myths. posted at Travel Articles. Might be useful for next year?

Michael presents Come Back Moss posted at Aids Has Yet to Find Me.

That concludes the fourth edition of the Carnival of Sports. You will definitely acknowledge that it is important for all carnival participants to do their part to support the carnival and help it grow by promoting it on their personal site. I will appreciate any such gesture on your part. Thanks!

Congress gets the Jolt, Shiv Sena-BJP Combine Holds the Edge in BMC Polls

In a significant development that might have far-reaching conclusion in Maharashtra politics, Shiv Sena-BJP combine is all set to capture the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation), which is a massive jolt to ruling Congress party. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine won 111 out of 227 seats in the civic polls. They are set to capture the BMC with the support of a few independents.

After Narain Rane and Raj Thackeray's exit, the Shiv Sena was in a bad shape. However, thanks to the intra-party rivalry within the Congress and the broken alliance with NCP, Shiv Sena managed to retain its vote bank intact. Bal Thackeray's rally just on the eve of BMC elections, also gave an edge to the saffron combine.

Interestingly, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, floated by rebel Sena leader Raj Thackeray bagged seven seats and made its presence felt in style. Not surprisingly, there is joy and celebrations in and around 'Matoshree', Bal Thackeray's residence.