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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Angels And Demons:religious controversy!

If director Ron Howard hopes religious controversy will help sell tickets to "Angels & Demons" the way it boosted his "Da Vinci Code," the Catholic Church is not playing along with his script.Howard, who premiered the follow-up in Rome, Italy, this week, said there was "residual antagonism from 'The Da Vinci Code,' " but Vatican officials ignored the movie by not responding to suggestions that the church was offended.The first movie based on Dan Brown's mega-selling novels earned $750 million worldwide in 2006."The Da Vinci Code" was intensely criticized by Catholics, especially those from the Opus Dei organization, a small but influential group within the Catholic Church whose members felt that they were vilified in the story.An Opus Dei priest who teaches history and literature at Holy Cross University in Rome said that "Angels & Demons" has "simply not been an issue" among those in the Vatican and that any controversy is a product of the movie's marketing machine.

Goodbye Vista, hello Windows 7

Microsoft releases Tuesday Windows 7, a new operating system meant to replace the much-decried Vista. Early reviews are mostly enthusiastic.A nearly-final version of Windows 7 makes its world debut on Tuesday, giving people a chance to tell Microsoft what they like or hate about the new-generation operating system.The release will be available at microsoft.com/downloads in a move intended to signal that the software giant is putting finishing touches on an operating system that it hopes will escape criticism heaped on its predecessor Vista."It appears that they are on target," said analyst Michael Cherry of private firm Directions On Microsoft which specializes in tracking the US software giant."I think we need to be cautious though. Windows 7 is still in development. While Microsoft is certainly moving on to the next logical milestone this is still a test version of the operating system."Copies of the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) software were made available to developers last week and early reviews have praised the operating system for its stability and avoiding problems that marred Vista's image."Listening to our partners and customers has been fundamental to the development of Windows 7," Microsoft senior vice president for Windows business Bill Veghte said while announcing the RC release date."We heard them and worked hard to deliver the highest quality release candidate in the history of Windows."Complaints about Vista included it not working with some software designed for the previous-generation Windows XP operating system and it being too much for netbooks or older computers to handle.

Nadal wins Rome Masters crown

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

World No 1 Rafael Nadal overcame stubborn early resistance from defending champion Novak Djokovic to claim a record fourth Rome Masters title with a 7-6, 6-2 win on Sunday.took the first set in a tiebreak before breaking the Serbian third seed twice in the second set to bag his fifth title of the year, his third on clay, and continue his dominance.‘It’s one of the most important wins of my career,’ Nadal, who will be gunning for a fifth successive French Open title later this month, told a news conference. ‘Winning in Rome is a big title. I now have 15 Masters Series in my career, so that’s a lot, and I’m very happy for that.’Sunday’s victory lifted Nadal to the top of the Rome league, surpassing the record of three titles he had shared with Austrian Thomas Muster, Australian Martin Mulligan and Czech Jaroslav Drobny.Nadal enjoyed a flying start to the match, which had been slightly delayed because a spectator fell ill during the warm-up, breaking in the opening game.The Spaniard looked unstoppable and had a set point in the ninth game on Djokovic’s serve but let his advantage slip. Nadal dropped serve in the next game with some uncharacteristic loose forehands, allowing the Serb to level at 5-5.Djokovic smashed up a racket up for the second time this week when he immediately conceded serve again.

Team Standings IPL2009

MPWLNRRRP
Chennai8431+1.369
Punjab7430+0.098
Delhi6420+0.088
Hyderabad7430+0.048
Bangalore8440-0.208
Mumbai7331+0.767
Rajasthan7331-1.037
Kolkata8161-1.183

Two matches in IPL today

Two matches will be played in Indian Premier League (IPL) today. Geo Super will telecast these exciting fixtures live from Durban.Bollywood star Preity Zinta’s team Kings XI Punjab will face defending champion Rajasthan Royals in the opening match of the day. Geo Super will telecast the action live at 4:30 pm PST.In another match, Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders meet Delhi Daredevils. The match will begin at 8:30 pm PST.

Dhoni, Jakati guide Chennai to 78 runs victory

Chennai Super Kings beat Deccan Chargers by 78 runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Buffalo Park here on Monday.Chasing a formidable target of 179 set by Chennai, Deccan Chargers found themselves in big trouble after their first three batsmen Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Laxman departed for golden duck.Dwayne Smith (49) and Rohit Sharma (21) put some resistance with some magnificent display of batting, but they also gave in to Jakati, leaving Charges in all sort of trouble. Jakati match-inning spell finished with 22/4. Earlier, a sparkling 58 from skipper MS Dhoni helped Chennai posted a formidable total of 179 runs for Deccan Chargers to chase.

Suicide attack on military vehicle kills five: police

The suicide attacker rammed his car into the military vehicle

At least five people have been killed in a suicide attack on a Frontier Corps convoy in Peshawar, PakistanTwenty-five people including nine security men have also been wounded in the attack that occurred near Bara Qadim police checkpost on the border between Peshawar and the Khyber Agency.According to police, the suicide attacker rammed his car into a vehicle of the security convoy near a police checkpost. The checkpost and two vehicles were destroyed in the blast.Nine of the injured are security men, four from the Frontier Corps, three from the Frontier Constabulary and two are policemen.The injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital.Police say about 200 kilograms of explosives was used in the blast that created a huge crater.

Pakistan Peace Deal Threatened Amid Attacks

Clashes in a northwestern region covered by an increasingly fragile peace pact killed seven militants and one soldier Monday, authorities said, adding to strains on an agreement seen in the West as a capitulation to extremists.Washington has said it wants Pakistan to fight the militants, not talk to them, and is unlikely to mourn the three-month-old deal in the Malakand region if it breaks down. Still, many in the staunchly Islamic region have welcomed the pause in hostilities even though it did not lead to the eviction of the Taliban.The deal will feature in talks between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and President Obama later this week in Washington where Zardari is also expected to ask for more money to help his country's battered economy and under-equipped security forces.Under the deal, the government agreed to impose Islamic law in the districts that make up Malakand in hopes that the militants would lay down their arms. But the Taliban in Swat, the movement's stronghold, did not lay down their weapons and were emboldened, soon entering the adjacent Buner district to impose their harsh brand of Islam.The proximity of Buner to the capital of Islamabad raised alarms domestically and abroad. Pakistan's military went on the offensive over the past week to drive the Taliban out. On Monday, security forces killed seven insurgents in an attack on a hide-out there, the military said in a statement, bringing to almost 90 the number of insurgents slain since the operations began. Thousands of civilians have fled the region.

Prime minister resigns over army chief's firing

Nepal's Maoist premier has resigned over the crisis following his dismissal of the head of the army for refusing to integrate former Maoist rebels into the ranks. Nepal's centrist president told General Rookmangud Katawal (pictured) to remain.Nepal's ruling Maoists warned Monday that the Himalayan nation's peace process was "in peril" after the country's president attempted to stop them sacking the powerful army chief. The ultra-leftists fired General Rookmangud Katawal for refusing to integrate former Maoist rebel soldiers into the regular army, a key part of a 2006 peace deal that ended a decade of civil war. But centrist President Ram Baran Yadav has told the army chief to stay.Maoist spokesman and cabinet minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara told AFP that this was tantamount to a "constitutional coup" and vowed to fight back with street protests."The president is... violating constitutional norms. The president's move has put the peace process in peril," he told AFP. "Our party has taken the president's step as a constitutional coup and we will fight against it.""The executive power to sack and appoint an acting army chief lies with the government and not the president. We will stick to our decision. We don't have any plans to quit the government," he said.He said that the decision to sack the head of the army -- traditionally a bastion of Nepal's elite and former monarchy -- was necessary to bring the army under civilian control.The row is the worst crisis to hit Nepal since the peace deal was signed and follows months of worsening tensions between the ex-rebels and their formers foes in the military.

S Korea navy saves N Korea ship

A South Korean naval patrol has saved a North Korean ship from attack by pirates in the sea off Somalia, military officials in Seoul have said.South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said in a statement on Monday the unnamed North Korean ship had sent a distress call that it was being chased by pirates.Snipers were sent to the area on board a helicopter after a South Korean warship picked up the signal.The pirates gave up the chase after the snipers fired warning shots, the statement said.The statement said the North Korean ship had sent a message of thanks to the South Korean warship, but did not say when the incident took place."The pirates came close to the North Korean ship but retreated as our helicopter approached," a South Korean military spokesman told the AFP news agency.It was the second time that the South Korean unit has reported driving off pirates since it deployed last month in the sea lanes off Somalia.A South Korean helicopter drove pirates away from a Danish-registered ship on April 16, the military said.

Mexican citizens to return from China

Amid the global swine flu outbreak, an airplane is headed to China to pick up dozens of Mexican citizens who want to return home after being held by Chinese officials for "health reasons," Mexico's Foreign Ministry announced Monday.The plane will stop in various cities in China, where there are "concentrated" numbers of Mexican citizens who wish to leave the country, the foreign ministry said in a statement.Chinese officials have quarantined 68 people -- including 13 Aeromexico crew members -- from a Mexico City to Shanghai flight that carried a passenger who tested positive for the virus, known as the H1N1 virus, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.None of the other passengers who were being held have exhibited any flu-like symptoms, one Chinese health official said.About 110 other people who were on the plane went on to other destinations, and may face quarantines elsewhere, the news agency said. Fifteen were quarantined at a hotel in Beijing,

US Senate takes up aid to Pakistan bill

The bill proposes to give Pakistan $7.5 billion over five years 
$1.5 billion a year —and an additional $7.5 billion
 over the following five years

The US Congress made a friendly gesture to President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday,  introducing a bill to triple American aid to Pakistan on the day he arrives in the US capital on a four-day visit.Two influential senators – Democrat John Kerry and Republican Richard Lugar – introduced the Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement or the PEACE Act of 2009, in the Senate on Monday afternoon after a long delay.‘The legislation intents to help transform the relationship between the US and Pakistan from a transactional, tactically-driven set of short-term exercises in crisis-management, into a deeper, broader, long-term strategic engagement,’ said a statement issued by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.The bill, first introduced in the 110th Congress, proposes to give Pakistan $7.5 billion over five years —$1.5 billion a year —and an additional $7.5 billion over the following five years.Senator Kerry, the 2004 presidential candidate who now chairs the Senate committee, is a strong supporter of US economic assistance to Pakistan.

Israeli Prime Minister Calls for 'Triple Track' Approach to Peace With Palestinians

Israel's prime minister on Monday outlined a "triple track" approach to peace with the Palestinians, a strategy that emphasizes political, economic and security planks to resolve the decades-long conflict.Benjamin Netanyahu said his government is ready to resume peace negotiations without any delays or preconditions."The sooner the better," Netanyahu told a convention of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington. Netanyahu's brief remarks were broadcast by satellite from Jerusalem.He also cautioned, however, that Israel never would compromise its own security as it seeks peace.Echoing remarks to the convention made earlier in the day by Shimon Peres, Israel's president, Netanyahu said Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Netanyahu said Jews and Arabs in the Middle East share that goal and must work together to meet it."For the first time in my lifetime, Arabs and Jews see a common danger," he said. "There is a great challenge afoot. But that challenge also presents great opportunities."While the Obama administration supports a two-state solution to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Netanyahu did not mention creation of a Palestinian state during his remarks.

US army 'does not promote religion'

The US's highest ranking military officer has said it is not the US military's position to promote any specific religion, after Al Jazeera revealed footage of troops apparently preparing to convert Afghans to their Christian faith."From the United States' military's perspective, it is not our position to ever push any specific kind of religion, period," said Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Monday.The US military has also confiscated Bibles that Christian US soldiers in Afghanistan had apparently intended to give to local Muslims, a military spokesman told.In addition, some of the soldiers who appeared in the video have also been reprimanded, US government and military officials told.The video, shot about a year ago, appeared to show military chaplains stationed in the US air base at Bagram discussing how to distribute copies of the Bible printed in the country's main Pashto and Dari languages.

Armed assailants attack wedding, killing at least 44Armed assailants attack wedding, killing at least 44

At least 44 people were killed in an attack on a wedding party a village of Mardin in southeastern Turkey, a mainly Kurdish area, on Monday. Turkish officials have ruled out that terrorists could be involved.Masked gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked a wedding party in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, killing at least 45 people including many women and children, authorities said.The attack on Monday evening was one of the worst involving civilians in European Union candidate Turkey’s modern history.  Interior Minister Besir Atalay said initial evidence did not point to involvement of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).Television broadcasters said there had been a blood feud between two families in the small village in recent years.The deputy governor of the province of Mardin, Ahmet Ferhat Ozen, told Reuters by telephone the assailants stormed a house in Bilge village near Sultankoy, some 20 km (12 miles) from Mardin, hurling grenades and opening fire on wedding guests.“There were a few people, they broke into the house and started spraying the place with bullets, hitting both men and women, their faces were covered with masks,” said a 20-year-old female eyewitness, who declined to be named.She said there were some 200 people at the wedding party.The assailants escaped from the isolated region of Turkey on the border with Syria before soldiers surrounded the village and cut off road access. Pursuit of the attackers was being hindered by a sandstorm, authorities said.Local media said the families of both the bride and the groom included members of the Village Guard, a heavily armed state-backed militia set up to combat Kurdish separatist guerrillas and provide intelligence in southeast Turkey.