President greets people on eve of Mahavir Jayanti

New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday greeted the nation on the eve of Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, the last Tirthankara (saint) of the Jains.


 Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrated on Thursday.

 In his message, Mukherjee said: "On the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, I extend greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens and in particular, members of the Jain community."

 "When the world is faced with multiple challenges, the philosophy and teachings of 'ahimsa', truth and compassion enunciated by Bhagwan Mahavira hold great significance. Let us on this auspicious day resolve to ceaselessly strive for harmony and amity in our country and across the world," said the president.

Opposition candidate leads in Nigeria presidential poll

Lagos, March 31 (IANS) Muhamadu Buhari, nominee of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) political party, is leading the Nigerian presidential election by two million votes over incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, after 51 percent of the votes have been counted.


 So far, Buhari has garnered 8.5 million votes, while Jonathan got 6.5 million due to the low turnout in southern Christian states such as Imo and Abia, two of his major electoral bases, Efe news agency reported.

 The Independent Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC) delayed the announcement of the results on Monday night after having counted the ballots of only 18 states, half of the total electorate, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where the capital city of Abuja is located.

 The INEC is set to announce official results of the presidential elections on Tuesday.

 Although Jonathan took a slight advantage initially, Buhari managed to take the lead by two million votes after winning several key states.

 According to Nigerian electoral law, the winning candidate should get at least 51 percent of the popular vote, and at least 25 percent within 24 of the 36 states.

Rajnath visits Bangladesh border, talks to enclave dwellers (Lead)

Siliguri/Tin Bigha (West Bengal), March 31 (IANS) Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on a two-day visit to West Bengal, surveyed the India-Bangladesh border and visited border enclaves in Cooch Behar district on Tuesday.


 Although scheduled earlier, Rajnath Singh's visit to the border came a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a charge sheet before a Kolkata court said the terrorists involved in the Burdwan blast had conspired with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh to overthrow the government in Dhaka.

 Besides holding talks with officers of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the home minister said a letter to the Mamata Banerjee government has been sent for acquiring land for fencing parts of the border that remain unfenced.

 "It was a cordial meet with BSF and BGB officers. Besides visiting the border, the visit was also to enquire about the problems that our BSF personnel may have. I was here also to look into how the border area development works is progressing," Rajnath Singh told media persons.

 The home minister met BGB officers at Panbari border outpost before heading towards the Tin Bigha corridor, a strip of land leased to Bangladesh to allow access to its Dahagrama-Angarpota enclaves.

 "The visit was also aimed to gather information about the enclave dwellers," Rajnath Singh said after visiting a Bangladeshi enclave in Balapukhri in Cooch Behar and taking stock of the ground reality in the area ahead of the implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh.

 Implementation of the LBA, agreed between the two nations in 1974, will lead the exchange of enclaves.

 While Bangladesh has 51 enclaves in India, there are 111 Indian enclaves spread over four districts of Bangladesh along the Cooch Behar border.

 Though not allowed to talk to Rajnath Singh, the Bharat Bangladesh Enclave Exchange Coordination Committee (BBEECC) -- an organisation fighting for the rights of the enclave dwellers -- said it submitted a memorandum to the home minister.

 "While the BSF allowed us inside the security zone, those accompanying Rajnath Singh prevented us from meeting him. We, however, managed to give a memorandum of our demands concerning the enclave dwellers," committee convener Diptiman Sengupta said.

 Rajnath Singh also said a proposal has been sent to the West Bengal government for acquiring land for fencing the unfenced border.

 "We have submitted a proposal for land acquisition to the state government. If it is accepted, then the entire unfenced border will be fenced," he said.

Six killed in bomb attack in Ira

Baghdad, March 31 (IANS) At least six people, including four Iranians, were killed on Tuesday when a bomber targeted a bus carrying Shia pilgrims north of Iraq's capital, Baghdad.


 Police confirmed that six people were killed in the terrorist attack that took place in the Iraqi town of Taji, 20 km north of Baghdad, Press TV reported.

 The bus carrying Shia pilgrims was returning from the holy city of Samarra when it came under attack by the suicide bomber, who detonated his explosives as the pilgrims were getting off the vehicle at a gas station.

 Nobody has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, but it bears the hallmarks of similar assaults by Islamic State militants, who currently control parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Falcao equals Colombia's goal-scoring record

London, March 31 (IANS) Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao has equalled Colombia's national scoring record with his 24th goal for his country.


 The 29-year-old, at Manchester United on a season's loan from Ligue 1 club Monaco, drew level with former forward Arnoldo Iguaran's record by converting a penalty in a 3-1 win over Kuwait on Monday, reports bbc.com.

 It was his third goal in two friendly exchanges in the Middle East, having netted two in Thursday's 6-0 win against Bahrain.

 Falcao has four goals in 22 games for United so far this season.

 Colombia, who are warming up for the Copa America to be played in Chile in June, took the lead with a stunning volley in the 22nd minute.

 Mesaed Al Enezi, Kuwait's defender equalised at the stroke of half-time, before substitute Edwin Cardona and Falcao clinched the victory for Jose Pekerman's side.

 Falcao's loan deal at United, worth 265,000 British pounds per week, expires at the end of the season, when the club must decide whether to take up a 43.5 million pounds option to buy him.

Iraqi forces recapture government headquarter in key city

Baghdad, March 31 (IANS) Iraqi security forces on Tuesday retook control of Salahudin's provincial government compound and several presidential palaces from the Islamic State (IS) militants in the provincial capital city of Tikrit, a security source said.


 The troops, backed by allied Shia and Sunni militias and covered by US-led coalition and Iraqi aircraft, made significant advance during the past 24 hours, after they seized the government compound, which includes the provincial government building, in the southern part of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, the source told Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity.

 The troops later pushed to the north on the western bank of the Tigris river and seized several presidential palaces of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the source said.

 There are a total of 76 palaces, smaller villas and artificial lakes and date orchards, most of them built near the Tigris river, stretching from northern Tikrit to Saddam's village of Awja, 12 km south of the city.

 The troops continued their slow advance and came closer to the central part of the city, he said.

 The security forces also made progress in albu-Obeid district in southwestern Tikrit and are expected to reach the IS-held western city of al-Zuhour district, he added.

 "At least nine personnel of the security forces and Hashid Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation, have been killed and 18 others wounded in the battles in Tikrit," the source said citing initial medical reports.

 On Monday, the troops reportedly retook control of the main hospital building, which is part of the government compound, and took new positions in the surrounding area as they headed toward the central part of Tikrit.

 Late on Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that the Iraqi forces started the final phase to liberate Tikrit and the rest of the northern parts of Salahudin province with the assistance of the international coalition air support.

 The battles to free Tikrit from IS militants were stalled for about two weeks as the militants planted thousands of bombs and booby-trapped dozens of buildings and cars.

 Since March 2, some 30,000 Iraqi troops and thousands of allied Shia and Sunni militias have been involved in Iraq's biggest offensive to recapture the northern part of Salahudin province, including Tikrit and other key towns and villages, from IS militants.

 Large parts of the province have been under IS militant group's control since last June, after bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and the group.

Lufthansa's insurers set aside $300 mn for Germanwings crash

Berlin, March 31 (IANS) Insurers of German airline Lufthansa have set aside $300 million for possible costs related to the Germanwings crash, a spokesman for the airline confirmed to Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.


 Lufthansa spokesman Michael Lamberty said the amount was currently reserved for all costs arising in connection with the case, including compensation for family members of the victims, costs of the destroyed passenger plane, as well as rescue and support forces.

 An Airbus A320 operated by Lufthansa's budget airline Germanwings crashed on March 24 in a remote area of the southern French Alps. A total of 150 people, including 144 passengers and six crew members, lost their lives.

 Prosecutors believed, based on retrieved data from the cockpit voice recorder, that the co-pilot of the flight 4U9525 had locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane.

 Lufthansa announced on Friday that it had started to offer immediate aid of up to 50,000 euros ($53,660) per passenger to relatives of the victims.

 Those payments, Lamberty told Xinhua on Monday, are currently being offered to relatives of the victims, but more time is needed until the whole payment process is completed

Bakhtiyaar Irani turns choreographer for TV show (With Images)

Mumbai, March 31 (IANS) Actor Bakhtiyaar Irani, who shot to fame through his energetic performances in dance reality shows like the second season of ìNach Baliyeî and ìZara Nachke Dikhaî, will next show off his dancing skills in the upcoming episodes of the alien comedy ìBadi Doooor Se Aaye Hainî.


 As per the sequence, Bakhtiyaar, who plays Ronnie D'Souza in the SAB TV show, will choreograph the perfect couple competition for his co-stars in the show.
 
 ìYes, dance is my first love and I am busy choreographing various dance numbers for the cast in the show for the perfect couple competition which is a dance contest," Bakhtiyaar said in a statement.

 He added: îWhen the makers approached me with the opportunity of setting the performances in the show, I was very thrilled and couldnít say no to them.î

 "Badi Doooor Se Aaye Hain" narrates a comical tale of an alien family which is struggling to settle with humans on Earth while learning the intricacies of human nature and behaviour.

Tripura tribal council polls on May 3

Agartala, March 31 (IANS) Elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) will be held on May 3, it was announced here on Tuesday.


 "The elections to the 30-seat TTAADC will be held on May 3. The statutory notification for the elections will be issued on April 4. Votes will be counted on May 6," State Election Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Rakesh told reporters.

 A total of 758,554 electors, including 375,117 women, are eligible to vote. Of the 30 seats, 28 are filled through direct elections and two members are nominated by the government.

 Of the 30 seats, 27 are reserved for tribals.

 The TTTAADC was formed in January 1982 under the seventh schedule of the Constitution and later its powers were upgraded by amending the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in August 1984 to protect and safeguard the political, economic and cultural interests of the tribals, who consists one third of Tripura's 3.7 million population.

 The council constitutes two thirds of the state's territory of 10,491.69 square km.

 The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led Left Front had announced their candidates last week. The main opposition Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have also announced they will contest the polls.

 The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), a tribal regional party, had snapped its decades-old electoral ties with the Congress in July last year.

 The Congress had allied with the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity in 1983. Subsequently, the TUJS, formed in 1967 after a series of political development, had formed the INPT along with the Tripura National Volunteers (TNV), a former militant outfit turned political party.

 Tribals play a crucial role in Tripura politics. In the 60-member legislative assembly, 20 seats are reserved for tribals.

NHAI to build Bengaluru-Chennai expressway: Gadkari

Bengaluru, March 31 (IANS) A world-class expressway would be built by NHAI between Bengaluru and Chennai to reduce travel time, save fuel and trigger economic activity, Union Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday.


 "The 260-km Bengaluru-Chennai expressway will be built on the lines of the Mumbai-Pune expressway, which had reduced travel time from eight hours to two hours," Gadkari said here after laying foundation stone for upgrading two national highways in northern and southern Karnataka.

 To be constructed on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis by the state-run National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the greenfield project will have cement-concrete road, with service roads, separate parking bays for trucks and terminals for passenger buses, with 12 major intersections.

 "The six-lane expressway will be an alternative to the 372-km new National Highway (NH-7) to Chennai via Krishnagiri and Vellore and NH-4 via Kolar and Chittor in Andhra Pradesh," a NHAI official told IANS.

 The ambitious national project, estimated to cost over Rs.6,000 crore, will pass through Palamner on Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border and Sriperumbudur enroute to Chennai. Toll will be levied for using the expressway.

 "The expressway will come up between the two existing national highways (NH4, NH7) between Bengaluru and Chennai," the official said.

 The NHAI will coordinate with Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu governments in the land acquisition process after notification to farmers and other owners.

 On the state government's plea to upgrade the 140-km four-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru state highway to a national highway for making it a six lane road in view of the heavy vehicular traffic, Gadkari said the ministry would consider the request to find a viable solution.

 "We are, however, taking up 10 projects across the state from December at an estimated cost of Rs.10,000 crore for widening highways and improving their quality to save time and fuel," Gadkari told state PWD Minister H.C. Mahadevappa.

 The NHAI is developing and upgrading Viajayapura-Kalaburgi-Humnabad stretch on NH-218 (new NH-50) to two-lane with paved shoulders and rehabilitation and upgradation of NH-234 (new NH-69) from Madhugiri to Mulbagal via Gowribidnur, Chikkaballapura and Chinthamani.

Make food safety a priority: WHO

New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The World Health Organisation(WHO) on Tuesday urged each nation in the South-East Asia region to make food safety a priority.


 It stated that over 700,000 children die in the South-East Asia region every year due to diarrhoea and several other diseases caused by the impure food and water.

 "Bacteria, viruses, parasites, chemicals, and other contaminants in our food can cause over 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to cancer. New and emerging threats such as climate change and its impact on food production; emerging biological and environmental contamination -- all Apose challenges to the safety of our food," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO South-East Asia in a statement.

 She said the countries must put in place comprehensive food safety policies and stringently implement it across the food chain.

 Food safety has been set as the theme for the upcoming World Health Day.

 Khetrapal said food safety is one of the key focus areas under the International Health Regulations -- IHR 2005 -- which includes events of all public health emergencies of international concern that involve contaminated food and outbreaks of food borne diseases.

 She informed that the WHO and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have established the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) to rapidly share information during food safety emergencies.

 "WHO supports countries to prevent, detect and respond to food borne disease outbreaks using the Codex Alimentarius, a collection of international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice.

 "Codex provisions concern the hygienic and nutritional quality of food, including microbiological norms, food additives, pesticides and veterinary drug residues, contaminants, labelling and presentation, and methods of sampling and risk analysis -- covering all the main foods and processes," she said.

Harika loses first tie-breaker in World Women's Chess semis

Chennai, March 31 (IANS) Indian chess Grandmaster (GM) Harika Dronavalli on Tuesday lost against Ukraine Women GM (WGM) Mariya Muzychuk in 38 moves in the first tie-break game of the World Women's Chess Championship 2015 semi-finals at Sochi in Russia.


 The other tie-break game between Russian WGM Natalija Pogonina and Swedish GM Pia Cramling ended in a draw.

 The second tie-breaker game was slated for later Tuesday.

Apex court declines relief for Jat students

New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The Supreme Court said on Tuesday that Jat students would not get the benefit of reservation under the OBC category even if their admission process began before it quashed the government notification extending reservation to the community in nine states.


 While declining relief to eight students seeking admission to post-graduate medical and dental courses, a bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, however, did not upset admissions that have already "crystallised" under the OBC reservation for Jats.

 The court order came as it declined two applications by the students seeking to be covered under Jat reservation as their admission process had commenced well before the apex court on March 17 quashed the March 4, 2014, notification by the then UPA government extending Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation to Jats in nine states.

 Appearing for the aggrieved students who gave up their chance for admission under all-India quota to get admission in Delhi under the OBC quota, senior counsel Jayant Bhushan told the court that they are now being turned back after the March 17 verdict though their admission process started in January.

 Counsel for petitioner Ram Singh, who had challenged extension of OBC reservation to Jats, however, said that the court by its April 9, 2014, order had said that every action under the Jat reservation would be subject to the outcome of the case.

 He argued that since Jat reservation has been set aside, no one can claim any benefit of the reservation policy even prior to March 17 when reservation was quashed.

 The apex court, while quashing the Jat reservation, said that it was done ignoring the recommendation of the National Commission for Backward Classes to the contrary.

US prisoner grabs guard's gun, flees

Washington, March 31 (IANS) A prisoner in the US state of Virginia managed to escape from a hospital room early on Tuesday after grabbing a security guard's gun and running off in a hospital gown, authorities said.


 There were two guards with him at the time, CNN reported citing police. One shot was fired when the prisoner, Wossen Assaye, overpowered one of the guards, Fairfax county police said.

 Assaye was being held on federal charges of armed bank robbery. He was taken to the hospital for treatment after attempting to harm himself, police said. A private security company was hired to guard him.

 Assaye was arrested last week and charged with multiple robberies that took place in the Northern Virginia area.

 He was known as the "bicycle bandit" for how he allegedly made his escape after committing the robberies.

Maoist group owns up to Patna blast, two bombs fou

Patna, March 31 (IANS) A Maoist group, People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in a residential colony in the Bihar capital on Monday night, police said.


 No casualties were reported in Monday's blast, and police later recovered two more live high-intensity bombs from the site.

 "A self-styled spokesperson of the PLFI telephoned newspaper and TV channel offices in Patna on Tuesday claiming the group was behind Monday's bomb blast," an official at the police headquarters here said.

 A team of the National Investigation Agency on Tuesday began a probe into the blast to ascertain the involvement of any terror organisation. Officials visited the spot and collected evidence.

 "A timer device of lotus brand was attached to the bombs. Such bombs were also recovered during the 2013 serial blasts in Patna during then BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's rally," police said.

30 nations approved as AIIB founding members

Beijing, March 31 (IANS) China confirmed on Tuesday that 30 countries have been approved as prospective founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).


 The application deadline is March 31 and the number of founding members will be confirmed on April 15, said foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, adding that some applicant states are still undergoing a multilateral review process, Xinhua news agency reported.

 Hua said that the founding of the bank is a "constructive move that will complement the current international economic order and enable China to shoulder more global responsibility".

 The China-proposed development bank will be compatible with established international lenders, said Hua, describing its establishment as a move of mutual benefit to countries in Asia and worldwide.

 Stressing that the AIIB was an inclusive multilateral financial institution, Hua said China welcomed all interested countries to join the bank.

 China would make joint efforts with all the other founding members to build the bank into a professional, efficient financing platform for infrastructure projects, she said.

 With an expected initial subscribed capital of $50 billion, the AIIB will be an international financial institution to fund infrastructure projects in Asia and is expected to be formally established by the end of this year.

 Twenty-one countries, including China, India and Singapore, signed a memorandum of understanding to found the bank in Beijing in October.

Lufthansa cancels 60-year anniversary celebration

Frankfurt, March 31 (IANS) Germany's Lufthansa airlines announced on Tuesday it has cancelled its 60-year anniversary celebration to respect the crash victims of Germanwings flight 4U9525.


 "Out of respect for the crash victims of flight 4U9525, Lufthansa is cancelling the originally planned festivities for the 60th anniversary of the company, which was planned for the April 15, 2015," said a statement by Lufthansa Group.

 Instead, the company confirmed that it would offer live coverage of memorial service for the victims at the Cologne Cathedral on April 17, Xinhua news agency reported citing the statement.

 In an earlier statement, Lufthansa group conveyed the request from family and friends of the victims for media to show restraint. They asked Lufthansa and Germanwings to shield them "from any questions coming from the media", said the statement.

 "It is their wish to not be disturbed and to remember the deceased in privacy," it said

 Flight 4U9525 operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings crashed on March 23 in the southern French Alps while flying from Spain's Barcelona to Germany's Duesseldorf killing all 150 people on board.

World Bank signs $500 mn loan agreement with India

New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) The World Bank said on Tuesday it has signed a $500 million loan agreement with India to improve financial access for the country's small-scale business enterprises in the manufacturing and services domain.


 "Lack of adequate finance is one of the biggest challenges facing the MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) sector. Financial institutions have limited their exposure to the sector due to a higher risk perception, information asymmetry, high transaction costs and lack of collateral," the World Bank said in a statement.

 The project under the Indian government and World Bank will support MSMEs through direct finance options from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the apex financial institution for promotion, financing and development of MSMEs in India, as also through Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) across three components.

 "These include support to start-up debt financing and risk capital as well as support to service and manufacturing sector financing models," it said.

 According to the global financier, the MSME census of 2006-07 estimated that about 87 percent of MSMEs did not have any access to finance and credit towards this segment accounted for only 13-15 percent of institutionalised credit.

 According to the World Bank, the MSMEs account for over 80 percent of total industrial enterprises producing over 8,000 value-added products and employ an estimated 60 million people in India.

 "It contributes around 45 percent to manufacturing output and about 40 percent to exports, both directly and indirectly. In addition, over 50 percent of MSMEs are rural enterprises and widely distributed across low-income states making them an important sector for promoting economic growth and poverty reduction," the statement said.

 The World Bank said with eight million people entering the labour force every year, MSMEs have the potential to create many new and innovative jobs.

 "However, for these ideas to take shape, MSMEs will need easier access to finance. This project will develop innovative products that address such constraints and help them achieve their true potential," World Bank's country director in India, Onno Ruhl said.

 The project will support MSMEs in the manufacturing sector through innovative financial products including Loan Extension Services and cluster financing including women-led clusters.

 "Particular focus will be to expand manufacturing activity in financially underserved areas, including low-income states especially through re-financing, as banks and other PFIs have a deeper network in these states," the global financial institution noted.

Man held for stealing cash from ATM

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) A 25-year-old unemployed man who used the easily available sticky glue to steal cash from ATMs here has finally been arrested, police said on Monday.


 A resident of Bihar, Azarhuddin was caught red-handed by a security guard on Sunday afternoon while stealing money from an ATM kiosk.

 The Bank of India had complained that someone was trying to tamper with the bank's ATM machines in south Delhi's Khan Market. This triggered a police alert in the area.

 CCTV footage showed the man entering the ATM cabin and pouring a sticky liquid on the "cancel button".

 Deputy Commissioner of Police Vijay Singh said: "As soon as a person inserts his ATM card and punches his pin, further processing would stop due to the tampering.

 "The customer would neither succeed in withdrawing money nor would he able to cancel the process.

 "Once the customer left the ATM machine in frustration, the accused would withdraw money from the ATM machine by cleaning the glue with the help of a safety pin," said the official.

 Bank officers said the man had tried the trick three or four times earlier with success.

 Azarhuddin told the police that he came to Delhi looking for work but failed to get any job.

40 killed in airstrike on refugee camp in Yemen: Ministry

Sanaa, March 30 (IANS) A Saudi-led airstrike on Monday hit a refugee  camp in Yemen, killing more than 40 people and injuring 250, Yemen's  defence ministry, which is controlled by Shia Houthi militia, said.


 The refugee camp in the northern Haradh district, which borders Saudi  Arabia, had 4,000 people at the time of the attack. The casualties  included women and children, the ministry said without providing further  details, according to Xinhua.

 The warplanes of Saudi-led Arab coalition forces continued raiding the  Yemeni capital of Sanaa and other major provinces on Monday, as the  airstrikes against the Shia Houthi group entered the fifth day.

 The airstrikes targeted weapons depots and missiles bases on mountains  overlooking the capital, as well as al-Dailami Airforce Base in northern  Sanaa.

 Huge explosions rocked the capital as smoke and fire could be seen at  the targeted sites. There is no immediate report on casualties.

 Official Saba news agency, which is controlled by the Houthis, reported  on Saturday that death toll from the airstrikes over the past four days  rose to 48, with 157 injured.

 On March 26, Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member  states launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, a move  condemned by Iran but supported by the US, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.

 Saudi Arabia said the Saudi-led military airstrikes against the Houthis  in Yemen will continue until security is restored and Yemeni President  Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who fled the country last week, is able to rule.

 The Shia Houthi forces ousted Yemeni President Hadi in February and  forced him to flee the capital city Sanaa to the southern port city of  Aden, turning Yemen into a field of violence and raising fears of a  civil war in the country.

Blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh (Lead)

Dhaka, March 30 (IANS) A blogger was hacked to death on Monday in  Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka, police said.


 Three people attacked Oyasiqur Rahman Babu using sharp weapons around  9.45 a.m. in Tejgaon industrial area soon after the online activist  stepped out of his house, bdnews24.com quoted Tejgaon zone's Deputy  Police Commissioner Biplob Kumar Sarkar as saying.

 He added that immediately after the incident, local residents caught two  madrasa students and handed them over to police.

 Two blood-stained meat cleavers were found at the scene of the murder.

 The victim was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where  doctors pronounced him dead, the police officer said.

 Police identified Babu from the voter identity card found on him and the  statements of the two assailant, identified as Zikrullah, a student of a  Chittagong madrasa and Ariful, a student of Mirpur's Darul Ulum Madrasa.

 During interrogation, they told police that there was another accomplice  named Abu Taher. The trio drew up the entire murder plan on Sunday.

 According to Babu's family, the 27-year-old blogger was working at a  travel agency called Fareast Aviation as a trainer. He was mainly active  on the Facebook where he used to write on religion, science and against  communalism.

 Protesting against the killing of Avijit Roy, he wrote on the banner of  his Facebook page: "I am Avijit. Words cannot be killed."

 In a similar attack on February 26, blogger-writer Avijit Roy was killed  on the Dhaka University campus. He had started the blog 'Muktamona'  (free-thinkers). His wife and fellow blogger Rafida Ahmed Bonya was  seriously injured in the attack.

 Farabi Shafiur Rahman, who had earlier threatened to kill Avijit, was  arrested, but the actual killers are yet to be identified.

10 killed by lightning in Bihar (Lead)

Patna, March 30 (IANS) At least 10 people, including three children and two woman, were killed on Monday when they were struck by lightning in separate incidents in various Bihar districts, officials said.


 Three deaths were reported from two villages under Dharhara police station in Munger district. In the first incident, two children were struck while playing in a field near their home and in the second, a woman returning home from the fields was hit by lightning.

 Two people were also killed in Ramnagri Diyara under Barh in Patna district.

 Similarly two people were killed in Jamui district and one each in Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, and Banka districts.

 Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds uprooted trees, damaged houses and brought down power cables across the state on Monday. The downpour also brought down the temperature.

 According to the weather office here, lightning strikes are usually reported during the June-September monsoon season.

Burdwan blast: NIA chargesheets Assam's Sahanur, Shaikul

Guwahati, March 30 (IANS) The NIA, which is probing the Burdwan blast case, on Monday submitted a chargesheet in a court in Kolkata which included the names of two Assam-based operatives of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) - Sahanur Alom and Shaikul Islam Khan.


 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed the chargesheet against 21 individuals, including four Bangladeshi nationals, for their involvement in the JMB conspiracy to overthrow the existing democratic government in Bangladesh through violent terrorist acts and replace it with a hardline Sharia-based Islamic regime.

 The two operatives are in judicial custody at present.

 The NIA probe, which was spread over four states, revealed that the JMB established its network in India primarily in West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand.

 "Its activities in India primarily included recruitment, radicalisation and training of vulnerable youths in a systematic and organised manner," the chargesheet said.

 During investigation, the NIA had named 32 accused people, of which 16 have been arrested so far.

 More than 250 witnesses have been examined and around 100 searches conducted in many places across the three states, leading to seizure of huge volumes of documents, computers, explosives, chemicals, arms and ammunition, and other incriminating materials, it said.

 Sahanur Alom, his wife Sujina Begum and many others including Shaikul were arrested by Assam Police last year for their links with the JMB and also with the Burdwan blast.

Singapore to finalise Andhra capital's master plan in 6-8 weeks

Hyderabad, March 30 (IANS) Singapore will finalise the master plan for the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh in six to eight weeks.


 This was decided on Monday, the first day of the two-day visit of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to Singapore.

 The capital is being built near Vijayawada-Guntur.

 Naidu began his day in Singapore by reading a note in remembrance of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, whose funeral was held Sunday, said a statement from the chief minister's office.

 Later, he had a breakfast meeting with Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and Ambassador-at-Large Gopinath Pillai followed by a high-level meeting with Singapore's Second Minister for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran.

 During the meeting with Iswaran and other delegates, the Singapore government presented a broad outline plan of the capital region to which the chief minister suggested few modifications.

 The master plan will be refined by incorporating these suggestions and modifications in the next six to eight weeks.

 Meanwhile, the delegation from Andhra Pradesh gave a detailed presentation on the land pooling process and the various timelines for making the capital ready.

 They explained that the capital area has two ring roads and several radial roads connecting various small towns to the core capital region.

 Both delegations decided to meet in the next six to eight weeks for planning seed capital.

Taylor's wicket turning point of World Cup final: Fleming

Melbourne, March 30 (IANS) Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming on Monday said the wicket of Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor was the turning point of the World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia.


 Australia beat New Zealand by seven wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday to clinch their fifth World Cup title.

 "Taylor's wicket was the turning point of the match. It negated the powerplay and when it became two in three deliveries and then three in eight, the Black Caps found themselves in a position from which they never recovered," Fleming wrote in a column for International Cricket Council (ICC).

 Fleming said many might criticise skipper Brendon McCullum for getting out in the very first over, but it was the skipper who took on the opposition's bowling attack in the entire tournament.

 "There may be those who will criticise Brendon McCullum for getting out in the first over after looking being positive from the outset but I will not be one of them. After all, you cannot have it both ways," he said.

 "McCullum's approach propelled the side forward throughout the journey to the final and he was lauded for it so you cannot suddenly say he should have played in a different way just because it did not come off this time."

 The 41-year-old credited the five-time champions Australia and particularly pacer Mitchell Starc for putting up an impressive performance in the big final.

 "I would rather give Australia - and Starc in particular - credit for the way they bowled, but the frustrating thing from a New Zealand perspective is that, having weathered the storm at the top of the innings, it all fell to pieces when a platform had been laid," the former skipper said.

 "My overriding emotions in the immediate aftermath of the match were pride at the way the team performed throughout the tournament as they really have put cricket front and centre again in the country and that is a fantastic achievement."

 The former left-handed batsman felt sorry for Kiwi spin legend Daniel Vettori for landing on the losing side in his last World Cup match.

 "It is especially sad for Daniel Vettori not to end up with a World Cup winnerís medal after his yeoman service but he did look like he was struggling in the field and was obviously carrying some sort of niggle. And he will still, I am sure, look back at these last few months as an absolute career highlight," Fleming said.

Jadavpur varsity sets up panel to probe 'sanitary pad protest'

Kolkata, March 30 (IANS) Disapproving of the "sanitary pad" campaign against rape and sexism on campus, the Jadavpur University on Monday set up a three-member fact-finding panel to probe the matter.


 Following similar protests in New Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia, a section of students have used sanitary napkins to spread feminist messages and deride sexism.

 Stuck on walls and trees across the campus, the pads have messages like "I wish the rape culture repulsed you more than my blood" and "Naming and shaming the victim is sexual violence".

 "We don't yet know who are behind this. Such a way of protest is unwarranted. We have formed a three member fact finding committee that will find out who are behind this and then we will take suitable action," said Pro Vice Chancellor Ashish Verma.

 The protest comes days after a first year student was allegedly molested and assaulted inside the campus.

 "We wrote scores of messages on sanitary napkins and posters condemning sexual violence and rape culture, also keeping in mind the recent developments in Jadavpur University. We hope this initiative will find acceptance among the students of the University and also ones outside it... Let the battle against Patriarchy continue," one of the protestors said on Facebook.

 The unique protest finds it roots in "Pads Against Sexism" a campaign initiated by Elone Kastratia, a German woman who wrote messages against rape and sexism on sanitary pads and stuck them at public places in Karlsruhe in Germany on International Women's Day.

Salman's driver owns up to hit-and-run accident (Roundup)

Mumbai, March 30 (IANS) In a dramatic twist in the retrial of Bollywood actor Salman Khan's 2002 hit-and-run case, his driver Ashok Singh on Monday told a court here that it was he who drove the killer vehicle, but the prosecution appeared unconvinced by the confession.


 The 43-year-old Ashok Singh told the court of Additional Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande that he was driving the vehicle when the accident took place on September 28, 2002, leaving a pavement dweller dead, public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat told the media here.

 Gharat pointed out that the only person who appeared to agree with Ashok Singh's version was Salman.

 He said the defence had put up the driver to save the Bollywood actor.

 "I have not seen any complaint or any record about Ashok Singh (being the driver) and no other witnesses have spoken about him," he said.

 Ashok Singh told the court that he was at the wheel of the Toyota Land Cruiser which was not speeding when its tyre burst, but the car dragged to the left and he lost control over it.

 As he tried hard to hit the brakes, the vehicle had already climbed the steps of the American Express Bakery, resulting in the death of a sleeping pavement dweller.

 Shocked by the accident, Salman, who was sitting on the left seat attempted to open the door, but it was jammed. So he alighted from the right side or the driver's door, Ashok Singh said to questions posed by defence lawyer Shrikant Shivade.

 Endorsing Salman's earlier statement in the court last week, Ashok Singh said that shortly after the accident, he dialled police control No.100 and informed them of the incident.

 Later, he went to the Bandra police station to lodge a complaint, but said nobody there listened to him and he was made to wait on a bench outside.

 Subsequently that morning, Salman was summoned to the police station and charged with the accident, making him (Ashok Singh) suspect something was wrong as his statement was not recorded.

 Asked where was he for so many years, Ashok Singh replied: "From day one of the accident, I have been saying that I was driving the vehicle and not Salman Khan. But nobody listened, and I was not aware what I should do further."

 Responding to prosecutor Gharat's pointed questions during cross-examination that he was taking the blame on himself in return for a huge sum of money, Ashok Singh denied the charge.

 He countered by saying that he was in the family's employment since 1990 when he worked for Salim Khan, eminent script-writer and Salman's father, and was devoted to the family though he would not sacrifice his life for them.

 Ashok Singh said he came to the court after Salim Khan's advice to do so and he continues to work for the family.

 Besides the death of a man, four others sleeping on the pavement were injured in the accident outside American Express Bakery, close to the actor's sea-front house in Galaxy Apartments at Bandra.

 Salman is facing re-trial in the case in the Mumbai Sessions Court with several charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which stipulates a 10-year jail term.

 The actor was arrested soon after the accident and the case was tried before a Bandra magistrate's court for rash and negligent driving, the charge attracting a two-year jail sentence.

 Later, the enhanced charges were slapped on the actor and the matter was transferred to the sessions court.

 In a statement recorded on Friday under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Salman said he was not drunk, not driving the SUV, and did not flee from the scene of the accident.

 Further arguments in the case will continue on April 1.

'The Fault In Our Stars' Hindi adaptation under scripting stage

Mumbai, March 30 (IANS) Filmmaker Homi Adajania says the Hindi adaptation of hit Hollywood film ìThe Fault in Our Starsî is still in the scripting stage, and he will only finalise the cast when the final draft is ready.


 It was reported that Deepika Padukone and Varun Dhawan will play the lead roles in the upcoming project.

 "Yes, I have been asked to make a Hindi adaptation of the best-selling book 'The Fault In Our Stars'. As of now, itís being scripted and only after I lock the draft will we finalise the cast and decide when to shoot it," said Adajania, who has earlier helmed "Cocktail" and "Finding Fanny".

 The filmmaker, who is in the news for "My Choice", his short video on women's empowerment, also shared that he is working on a film with Sushant Singh Rajput and Alia Bhatt. And he said he will not start before October.

 Talking about the pairing, the filmmaker says that both the actors will look great together

 ìI donít think it is an unusual pair. Itís a fresh pairing... both actors are young and I think there is a nice organic balance between the two. It is not a remake, it is a fresh script written by Dinesh Vijan and it is his story. It is not going to go out before next October, so it is premature to discuss it now,î he said.

 Any English film in the pipeline after ìFinding Fannyî?
 
 ìI would love to, but unfortunately the reach in English is limited in India,î he said adding that ìthe reason that 'Finding Fanny' did well (was) because it also had the backing of a Hindi dubbed versionî.

 ìPerforming in English is very different to Hindi as the syntax is different. Hindi allows for a louder, more dramatic delivery which if done in English, will look hammy. So next time around, even if I shoot an English language film, I will shoot it dual -- in English and in Hindi,î he said.

Day before lapse of Rs.170 crore project, Himachal CM still hopefu

Shimla, March 30 (IANS) Just a day before the lapse of a centrally-funded Rs.170 crore project, which would have enabled 1,500 schools in Himachal Pradesh to become computerised, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday told the assembly that the issue would be sorted out in this fiscal.


 "We will sort out the matter before the close of this financial year," he said.

 Raising the issue after question hour, Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal expressed concern that the central fund meant for 2014-15 would lapse if the government did not sign the agreement in this financial year.

 The chief minister said Himachal Pradesh had received the first installment from the central government for the information and communications technology (ICT) project for state-run schools. "Further funding is likely to be received," he said.

 Two-time chief minister Dhumal said the ICT project of Rs.170 crore was sanctioned by the central government for 2014-15 for 1,500 schools -- 850 high schools and 600 senior secondary schools -- for setting up information technology (IT) labs.

 He said the money was to be released in 75:25 ratio for 2014-15.

 "But if the agreement is not signed within this financial year, the money would lapse," Dhumal said, asking the government as to what steps it would take to ensure that the project is executed without fail in the interest of the students.

Not here to preach anything: Paresh Rawal

Mumbai, March 30 (IANS) After starring in a film like "OMG: Oh My God!', which touched upon people's blind faith in god and godmen, Paresh Rawal will now be seen in "Dharam Sankat Mein" as a man in an identity crisis due to his religion. But he says he does not pick such movies to preach anything to anyone.


 Asked how such films will make a difference to the society, he said: "I am not here to preach anything. We just want to make good films. The plot of this film is different and I want to do more films which will have different layers in it."

 The veteran actor also said the intent is not to "hurt anybody's religious sentiments".

 "I want to make a point, but within the boundary," he added.

 "Dharam Sankat Mein" revolves around a Hindu man Dharampal (Paresh), who goes through an identity crisis when he discovers he was adopted as a child and born to a Muslim family.

 Directed by Fuwad Khan, the film also features Naseeruddin Shah and Annu Kapoor and is slated for release on April 10.

 While films based on religious issues have always caught in controversies, Paresh says the audience of today still enjoys their content.

 "Certain section of media is interested in contrversies. We can't fight with anyone... we can only make a good film. 'OMG' also worked. Who is the one who watched that film? Aren't they the audience? I think audience is ready for the change," he said.

Bharat Ratna, Padma awards conferred on prominent people (Round

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) India's high civilian honours - the Bharat Ratna and Padma awards - were on Monday conferred by President Pranab Mukherjee on a galaxy of prominent people who have done the country proud.


 Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, was bestowed posthumously on freedom fighter and eminent educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya at an investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday evening.

 Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who too was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, was presented the medallion and the scroll of the award last week at his residence because of his ill health.

 President Mukherjee, in a simple yet elegant ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, presented the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri to a host of leaders and prominent people from various walks of life.

 The awards, which are announced on the eve of the Republic Day every year, this year included two Bharat Ratnas, three Padma Vibhushans, 12 Padma Bhushans and 34 Padma Shris.

 BJP leader and former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya received the Padma Vibhushan.

 Journalists Swapan Dasgupta and Rajat Sharma, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates were awarded the Padma Bhushan.

 The Gates couple, however, could not come to personally receive their awards.

 Poet-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and playwright Tarak Janubhai Mehta were some of the well-known people who received the Padma Shri.

 Rajat Sharma shook hands with Prime Minister narendra Modi as he stood to receive Padma Bhushan.

 People from the sports world included well-known wrestler Satpal, who received the Padma Bhushan for his outstanding performance in various international tournaments.

 Renowned badminton player P.V. Sindhu and Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh both received the Padma Shri.

 The Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan was overcrowded as relatives and friends of the recipients occupied most of the chairs.

 Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many cabinet ministers and government officials were present.

 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also present at the awards ceremony. He was seen interacting with the media freely after the function.

 Relatives and friends of the recipients cheered when the names of their loved ones were announced to receive the awards.

 Some of them put their hands up while clapping and were seen pointing at the recipients of the honour.

 On March 27, President Mukherjee made a break with protocol to drive down to Vajpayee's Krishna Menon Marg residence to confer the highest honour on the nonagenarian Bharatiya Janata Party leader who has been keeping ill health.

 Ansari, Modi as well as former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Advani were among those who attended the presentation on that day.

 Modi expressed his gratitude to Mukherjee for going to Vajpayee's home to personally hand over the award.

 A photograph of the president presenting the medallion to Vajpayee was released later.

 Vajpayee, 90, was the first non-Congress leader to serve India for a full five-year term (1999-2004). His earlier two stints in office lasted 13 days and 13 months, respectively.

Apex court asks Reliance Industries to respond to audit report

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday asked Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) to respond within three weeks to the official auditor's report that had adversely commented on its operation of gas blocks in the KRishna-Godavari basin.


 A bench of Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice Kurian gave time after senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for the company, said that as against 30 audit objections initially, the government had notified 20 on which his client had to respond.

 On January 16, the court sought RIL's response to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India that had recommended disallowing $357.16 million expenditure the company claimed to have incurred on drilling the wells and payments to contractors for the said gas blocks.

 The report had also hauled up the oil ministry for the delays in fixing hydrocarbon prices and for following inconsistent parameters for expenditure estimation.

 The court allowed three petitioners -- former Communist law maker Gurudas Dasgupta, non-government organisation Common Cause and advocate Manohar Lal Sharma -- and the government to file their replies to the company's reaction to the audit report.

 The court also permitted Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to file the status report in pursuant of the proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee - a parliamentary panel that is examining the report.

 As court deliberated on the next date of hearing, it was requested to assign an early date as RIL's plea for an arbitration on the gas pricing was listed for hearing by Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

 The court directed the listing of the matter for May 5 for directions on the hearing of the matter.

 Besides other issues, Dasgupta, Common Cause and Sharma had moved the court challenging the previous government's decision to double gas prices from then $4.2 per unit to $8.4 per unit.

 However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government by an October 25, 2014, notification issued new domestic gas pricing guidelines which came into force from November 1, 2014.

 Under the new guidelines, the price of the gas was increased from $4.2 per unit to $5.61 per unit. But this was applicable to normal discoveries and not for deep, ultra-deep and other difficult operations. A decision on that is pending.

 The new domestic natural gas pricing guidelines superseded the January 10, 2014, decision taken by the then government that was to be notified to come into force from April 1, 2014.

 Besides pricing of the gas, petitioners Dasgupta and Common Cause have sought the relinquishment of the gas fields not developed as provided under the production-sharing contract.

 The petitioners have also sought the cancellation of the contract with Reliance Industries and NIKO Resources, concerning the block.

Harrison Ford discharged from hospital

Los Angeles, March 30 (IANS) Actor Harrison Ford has been reportedly discharged from hospital after suffering critical injuries in a plane crash earlier this month.


 The "Star Wars" star was discharged from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Medical Center and was spotted driving here on Saturday, a source told people.com.

 Ford was rushed to hospital on March 5 after his vintage World War II training plane crash-landed on a golf course here. The "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" actor later reportedly underwent surgery for broken ankle and pelvis.

 Most recently, Ford's publicist revealed that the actor's injuries were non-life threatening. His son Ben, meanwhile, tweeted that his father "has the best care possible, on the mend and of strong mind body & spirit".

Kids skipping lunch lose out on essential nutrients

New York, March 30 (IANS) Skipping lunch is a common practice among children and adolescents, with 13 percent of younger children and 17 percent of 9-13 year olds skipping lunch on a given day, reveals a new survey that evaluated eating patterns of more than 3,500 children in the US.


 The findings, part of Nestle's new Kids Nutrition & Health Study (KNHS), are of particular concern given that lunch-skippers had lower intakes of nutrients, including calcium and fibre, than lunch consumers.

 "We were concerned to see lunch-skipping happening all week long and even more so on the weekends, with the largest group of skippers being girls 9-13 years of age.

 "Lunch-skippers are missing out on some key nutrients essential for growth and development," said lead author Kevin Mathias from Nestle Research Centre.

 The new analysis of data from the 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) that evaluated eating patterns of 3,647 children ages 4-13 years was presented recently at a conference of the American Society of Nutrition.

 In addition, the data show that for some children, the lunch meal was primarily responsible for the higher essential nutrient intakes of vitamin D, potassium and magnesium, as well as a nutrient of concern, sodium.

 "This study highlights an opportunity for both government and the food industry to develop new strategies to encourage children and adolescents to consume a healthy lunch," Mathias added.

Learn and groove with Google Glass soo

New York, March 30 (IANS) Those who think the eye wearable device Google Glass is dead, be ready to shake a leg with the device. According to media reports, Google Glass will come with a new technology that will teach you some funky dance moves in real time.


 In the popular interactive video game "Dance Dance Revolution", users are prompted to make certain dance moves indicated by the programme controlling the game.

 The wearable headset plans to bring a similar concept by installing the ability to recommend dance moves to users who can hear the beats and rhythm of a particular song, Tech Times reported. The company has already filed a patent indicating it is developing such technology.

 "The content identification module may provide information associated with a content of the media sample, such as identification of the song and the dance, to the wearable computing system," the copy of the patent read.

 "The wearable computing system may determine dance steps corresponding to the content of the media sample and may generate a display of the dance steps on the HMD [head mounted display]," it continued.

 The patent means that Google Glass will have an ability to determine what particular song is playing in the background before suggesting dance moves from a possible library of moves stored in its database.

 The device may also show the user a video of other people dancing to the same song in order to help them understand what moves they should be doing.

 In a recent interview to the Wall Street Journal, Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt admitted that Google Glass will be making a "triumphant return".

 Glass is "a big and very fundamental platform for Google", Schmidt said.

 The firm's decision to stop selling the initial version of the controversial gadget gives Google the opportunity "to make it ready for users", he added.

 The $1,500 Glass eyewear, which was unveiled in 2012, was first offered to so-called "Explorers" -- developers who intended to do something interesting and appealing with the technology.

 Google started selling the smartglasses to the public in May 2014. In January this year, Google said it would stop offering Glass. A new version of Glass could arrive later in 2015.

Exploding head syndrome not a supernatural even

Washington, March 30 (IANS) An unexpectedly high percentage of young people experience 'exploding head syndrome', a new study reveals.


 Exploding head syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which people are awakened by abrupt loud noises, even the sensation of an explosion in their head.

 The researchers found that nearly one in five of college students interviewed said they had experienced it at least once. It was so bad for some that it significantly impacted their lives, he said.

 "Unfortunately for this minority of individuals, no well-articulated or empirically supported treatments are available, and very few clinicians or researchers assess for it," said lead researcher Brian Sharpless from Washington State University.

 The study also found that more than one-third of those who had exploding head syndrome also experienced isolated sleep paralysis, a frightening experience in which one cannot move or speak when waking up.

 People with this condition will literally dream with their eyes wide open. In fact, both exploding head syndrome and isolated sleep paralysis have been misinterpreted as unnatural events.

 The waking dreams of sleep paralysis can make for convincing hallucinations, which might account for why some people in the Middle Ages would be convinced they saw demons or witches.

 The results appeared online in the Journal of Sleep Research. The disorder tends to come as one is falling asleep. Researchers suspect it stems from problems with the brain shutting down.

 "When the brain goes to sleep, it's like a computer shutting down, with motor, auditory and visual neurons turning off in stages. But instead of shutting down properly, the auditory neurons are thought to fire all at once," Sharpless said.

 "That's why you get these crazy-loud noises that you can't explain, and they're not actual noises in your environment," he said.

Want to get styled by fashionista Sonam Kapoor?

Mumbai, March 30 (IANS) Keeping a close eye on a celebrity's style quotient is something that most youths enjoy, but how about getting a makeover by a celebrity herself? Here's your chance with actress Sonam Kapoor.


 Oral care brand Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited has announced the start of Colgate Visible White Makeover Contest that offers the consumers an opportunity to get styled by Sonam along with her team of celebrity stylists.
 
 Sonam, the brand ambassador for Colgate Visible White since its launch in 2013, will be personally grooming and mentoring ten winners during the makeover session, said a statement.

 ìI think one can be beautiful if they are happy from within and are constantly smiling. For me, thatís the most important and I often receive compliments for my smile.

 ìAs far as the contest goes, Namrata Soni has been my make-up stylist since the start of my career and Shehla Khan has designed my wardrobe; both of them, together, have created beautiful looks for me, which we now intend to offer to the winners of the contest. I recommend every girl to enter the contest to stand the opportunity of winning a makeover,î Sonam said in a statement.

 Eric Jumbert, director, marketing, Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited says that over the years, the brand  has led the development of the oral care category in India through relevant innovations.

 ìColgate Visible White Makeover Contest is an integrated campaign which offers the Visible White consumers an exclusive opportunity to be groomed by Sonam who embodies the brand attributes so well,î said Jumbert.

Ecclestone floats idea of female world motorsport championship

Kuala Lumpur, March 30 (IANS) Formula 1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has put forward the idea of creating a women's world championship to run alongside the existing event on race weekends.


 Ecclestone made several suggestions on Sunday during the Malaysia Grand Prix about how the sport's "show" could be improved, including the return of double points but for the final three rounds of the series.

 Ferari's Sebastian Vettel won the Malaysian GP.

 Ecclestone said his idea of a women's world championship is a plausible way of enhancing the presence of women drivers in motorsport.

 Only two females have ever started a Grand Prix with the most recent, Italy's Lella Lombardi, making the last of her 12 appearances in 1976. Susie Wolff serves as Williams' team's test driver.

 "I thought it would be a good idea to give them a showcase. For some reason, women are not coming through - and not because we don't want them. Of course we do, because they would attract a lot of attention and publicity and probably a lot of sponsors," Ecclestone was quoted as saying by skysports.com on Monday.

 "We have to start somewhere so I suggested to the teams that we have a separate championship and maybe that way, we will be able to bring someone through to F1."

 However, Ecclestone said his idea was only a concept and no concrete decision has been taken regarding it.

 "They could race before the main event, or perhaps on the Saturday qualifying day so that they had their own interest. It is only a thought at the moment but I think it would be super for F1 and the whole grand prix weekend."

Flood horror haunts Srinagar, people abandon homes, shops

Srinagar, March 30 (IANS) Nisar Hussain, 65, who lives in the Gogjibagh residential area of Srinagar, repents his decision to have come back home after three months. For his 60-year-old wife and 27-year-old daughter, this has been the second uprooting after unprecedented floods hit Jammu and Kashmir last year.



 When flood waters rose to the second floor of his house in September 2014, Nisar and his family remained trapped in the attic  for three days before the army's rescue team came to move them out in motor boats.

 He and his family moved to a relative's house in old city area of Habba Kadal for two months. And then in December, after locking his flood ravaged house, Nisar shifted with family to Delhi where he lived for three months at a rented accommodation.

 "I came back to my home after over three months. We started living on the first floor of our home as the ground floor still smells of flood and fungus," he told IANS.

 A worried Nisar said that on Sunday night he had to quickly shift his family to Habba Kadal after flood alert was sounded by the authorities.

 "This is a trauma. My daughter simply refused to live at Gogjibagh after the news about the water level rising in  the Jhelum river was flashed on the TV news channels," he said.

 "I would not have come back, had my daughter not to report for duty early this month. It is simply intolerable. What is this? We had floods in autumn, we have them in the spring now. Summers are otherwise also known for floods in Kashmir," he said.

 Nisar is one of dozens of other families who have moved during the past three days in areas like Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Wazir Bagh, and Gogjibagh. These localities bore the brunt of flood devastation in September 2014. Any downpour has been bad news for thousands of residents in these areas since September.

 Ghulam Rasool, 56, another local who had come back to live in his flood hit home in Rajbagh, did not even wait for the authorities to warn him.

 "I left everything behind and shifted out of my home along with my family hardly four hours after it looked the rain was unending during Saturday night," he recalled.

 Shopkeepers in the once posh and fashionable Residency Road, Lal Chowk and Maisuma commercial hubs started shifting their merchandise since Sunday morning, loading goods on big and small load carriers depending on the stocks in their shops.

 These commercial areas of the city had remained submerged under flood waters for over 20 days in September 2014 even after the  water level had receded to normal in the Jhelum river.

 "Once bitten is twice shy. But I don't think there is a proverb about somebody's state of mind who is bitten twice. I have still been redoing the windows and showcases of my shop and here is another disaster staring straight into my eyes. This is maddening," said Altaf Ahmad, 54, who owns a shop on Residency Road in Srinagar.

 What has made matters worse is anti-social elements posting last year's flood pictures showing inundated homes and areas. These posts on social networking sites, claiming these pictures were recent, have caused panic.

 Authorities have asked people living close to the Jhelum to exercise extreme caution. The massive waterlogging in the city has created a flood like situation in roads, bylanes and markets.

 People wading in knee-deep water and vehicles suffering mechanical failure is a common sight in the city.

 Naeem Akhtar, a senior minister in the ruling coalition, says the water table is already high due to last year's floods and a downpour is enough to choke the drainage system in Srinagar.

 It stopped raining in the state since Monday morning and the weather office has said there would be decrease in precipitation.

 "But, another Western Disturbance is likely to hit the state on April 3 although it would not be so active as the present one that resulted in heavy rainfall during the last three days," Sonam Lotus, director of the local weather office told IANS on Monday.

 Authorities have said there has been no breach in the river embankment anywhere in the valley and since the rainfall has stopped, water levels in rivers and streams would start coming down from Tuesday.

 These assurances, however, mean little to people who have been living on the edge since the September 2014 floods ravaged their lives as another is looming large over them.

Women prefer to click selfies from right-hand side

London, March 30 (IANS) If your girlfriend insists on clicking her selfie from the right-hand side, then she is not alone. Women ensure that the camera always captures their best side -- and almost half of women say that they will always turn a particular way when confronted with a camera.


 In a poll of 1,000 women, most preferred to be photographed from their right-hand side, Daily Mail reported. Women said they preferred one side over the other because of their hairstyle or parting, the profile of their nose or to avoid a mole or scar.

 The results showed that the 'selfie' culture has exerted more pressure on women to look attractive in photos, with over half admitting they panic when a photo captures them off-guard.

 The survey, commissioned by an online dating company, found that 23 percent said their right side was better, compared with 18 percent for the left. A confident 16 percent boasted that both sides were 'great' and 43 percent said they did not consider an advantage from either side.

 The poll was commissioned by Fuzzy Banter, a new dating app service which blurs users' profile photos until they feel comfortable enough to reveal them. It found that a third of women have become more anxious about having their photo taken since the advent of social media.

UN chief arrives in Baghdad

Baghdad, March 30 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Baghdad on Monday for talks with top Iraqi leaders.


 "The UN secretary-general arrived in Baghdad this morning on an official visit to Iraq," the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said.

 An Iraqi foreign ministry official told Xinhua news agency that Ban is expected to meet Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other top officials to discuss political and security developments in the country.

 Ban previously visited Iraq on January 13, 2014, when he met leaders to discuss the turmoil in Iraq's Anbar province and regional issues such as the crisis in Syria.

PM calls for top-notch maritime museum

New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) On the occasion of National Maritime Day on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a top-notch maritime museum to showcase India's age-old maritime heritage.


 Meeting a delegation from the maritime sector led by Minister for  Shipping Nitin Gadkari, the prime minister remarked: "India's maritime  heritage goes back nearly 5,000 years, with the oldest known port being Lothal."

 He urged all stakeholders to work together to establish a world-class maritime museum that would showcase the glorious aspect of India's history, said an official statement.

 The prime minister also emphasised tapping India's great potential in shipbuilding as part of the "Make in India" initiative.

 Gadkari pinned a flag on Modi's lapel to mark the occasion and briefed him on plans for skill development in the shipping sector.

Passionate lovers idealise their partners' faces

New York, March 30 (IANS) Women who are passionately in love idealise their partners' faces, according to a new study which tried to find out how love affects people's perception of their partners' appearances.


 For the study, heterosexual women were presented with two computer-generated male faces. Both originated from the same base image, but with "noise" overlaid to make them slightly different, Bustle reported.

 Participants were asked to choose the face that looked most like their partner, after which they completed a Passionate Love Scale. Based on their answers to the survey, they were classified as being in high or low-passionate love. Researchers then created an "average" face for each group to approximate how each group of women viewed their partners.

 A separate group of women rated the trustworthiness, competence and, of course, attractiveness of these average faces.

 Researchers from Bilkent University and Indiana University teamed up for the study, published in PLOS One.

 The researchers found that, overall, the representations of partners created by high-passion women were rated by other women as more trustworthy, competent, and attractive than those in the low-passion group.

 The researchers pointed out that it was highly unlikely for all the high-passion women to have wildly attractive partners, so it must mean that they idealise their significant others.

 Previous research has established that idealising your partner is an important feature of passionate love. In fact, it's even been associated with longer and happier relationships because it creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 When people think their partner is a bombshell, they excuse things that would normally bother them to no end, just because they think their significant other is awesome.

Sensex closes 522 points up (Second Lea

Mumbai, March 30 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities markets, the 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex), provisionally closed on Monday with healthy gains ending 522 points or 1.90 percent up.


 The wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also gained substantially during the day's trade. It provisionally closed 161.55 points or 1.94 percent up at 8,502.95 points (provisional figures, subject to change).

 The Sensex of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 27,655.79 points, closed at 27,980.92 points (at 3.30 p.m.), up 522.28 points or 1.90 percent from the previous day's close at 27,458.64 points.

 The Sensex touched a high of 27,990.90 points and a low of 27,624.76 points in the day's trade.

Pune FC take on Royal Wahingdoh in I-League

Shillong, March 28 (IANS) Pune FC will look to maintain their 100 percent record against Royal Wahingdoh when they face the north-east side in an I-League Round 13 encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.


 Playing their second away game in a row, third-placed Pune FC (16 points) will also be eager to close the gap at the top and a win will be key as the league enters the final two months. Similarly, fourth-placed Royal Wahingdoh (14) too hope for a positive result to climb up the standings.

 Facing the Shillong-based side exactly a month after the first-leg clash at Balewadi Stadium, Pune FC will be hoping to match and improve on the 1-0 win logged that night.

 However, the game being played at a much higher altitude wonít be an easy one for Pune FC, who played their last game in Mumbai at sea-level. The cold conditions here will definitely make a difference and coach Karim Bencherifa wants his side to be prepared.

 Nonetheless, having arrived in the Meghalaya capital on Thursday, Pune FC has completed a couple of sessions to acclimatise with the surroundings.

 ìThe change in conditions is part and parcel of the I-League. We have to adjust with that. But the game will be a tough one not only because of the weather but also because of the quality of the opposition," Bencherifa said.

 ìWe havenít played many games with the full squad at our disposal. We have missed players to injuries and national camp. But we have to overcome these situations and I am really looking forward to the young players to step in and take their chance.î

 The last time both sides faced off, Pune FC came out on top on a rain soaked chilly night at home. The conditions might be something similar on Sunday with rain being forecast throughout the weekend.

 On the team news front, Pune FC have travelled with almost the same team that faced Mumbai FC a week ago, making just one change. While Darko Nikac misses out having suffered an ankle injury, midfielder Ryuji Sueoka returns to the Pune FC line-up.

 Meanwhile, Pune FC will continue to miss the trio of Amrinder Singh, Thongkhosiem Haokip and Nikhil Kadam who are all away on national duty.

 On the other hand, Royal Wahingdoh come on the back of mixed results. Having suffered back-to-back losses before going into the international break, they resumed action with a 1-1 draw against Bharat FC at home.

 The Santosh Kashyap-led side will depend heavily on their overseas contingent of Densill Theobald, Kim Song Yong and Bekay Bewar to lead from the front. Meanwhile, the likes of Jackichand Singh and Godwin Franco will add to the experience.

 The hosts will be missing the services of defender Loveday Okechukwu, who will be serving a one game ban for receiving four bookings.

Audience wants realism, not fantasy: Varun Dhawan

Mumbai, March 28 (IANS) Actor Varun Dhawan, who has scored a critically acclaimed dark and intense performance in "Badlapur", believes that audiences these days want realistic cinema and "not a lot of fantasy" - something that Bollywood movies are known for.


 "Right now, I feel the people want some other type of cinema. Some more thrill, something a little bit more realistic, not a lot of fantasy," said Varun, whose role of a grieving family man seeking to avenge the death of his wife and child in "Badlapur" met with appreciation.

 The "Main Tera Hero" actor feels it's a great time to be in the industry.

 "The time is now... the things that we were talking about five years back, saying to ourselves, 'This should be done in Hindi cinema'... that time has come now. Youths today have started accepting new ideas; people have become broadminded," he added.

 Although the 27-year-old actor makes it "a point" to "connect with the youth" with his work, he doesn't feel that he is a youth icon.

 "I make it a point, whenever I'm promoting a film, that I go and try to connect with  youth because I think my connect is more with them.

 "I don't really know if I am a youth icon. I would like to tell the youth: please choose Virat Kohli or Sania Mirza or Saina Nehwal. Please choose these people as youth icons because my youth icons while growing up were Sachin (Tendulkar), (Rahul) Dravid, (Saurav) Ganguly when they were playing.

 "I chose sports stars as my icons because you get to learn so much from sports in terms of determination, in terms of comebacks and the general attitude in life," said Varun, who made his debut with "Student Of The Year".

 Asked what he wants to convey to his young fans, he said: "Just be yourself! Individuality is the main thing. Express yourself, ask a lot of questions. Experience everything once in life, but don't do anything that you feel would embarrass your parents."

 Varun, the son of filmmaker David Dhawan, believes getting a platform to "express and explore" is really important for an artiste to perform and grow.

 "Only when you get a platform, you can express and explore. Like I've done street plays and that really helped my confidence. There is a small crowd, but  a few people watching you also helps. When we perform as actors, our confidence grows. We make our craft better," he said.

 Varun's next film is "ABCD 2", which also stars Shraddha Kapoor. It will release on June 26.

 He is also now busy shooting for Rohit Shetty's directorial "Dilwale", which also stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

'CSK': Good thriller that needed more thrills (IANS Tamil Movie Review)

Film: "CSK"; Cast: Sharran, Vimal, Narayan, Mishal and Jai Quehaeni; Director: Sathiyamoorthy; Rating: **



 "CSK" is the kind of thriller that attempts something offbeat but doesn't quite succeed in keeping us on the edge of our seats.

 The opening moments are impressive and instantly thrill-inducing -- a woman with her mouth and hands tapped, is surrounded by three men. She's lying at their feet and as one of them swings a wooden log at her head, the story goes back a few hours in time.

 In CSK, which stands for Charles, Shafiq and Karthiga; the girl is wanted by four men. It's nice how the entire story rests on the shoulders of Karthiga, played here by Jai Quehaeni, who was last seen in Lakshmy Ramakrishnan's "Aarohanam". The only other recent Tamil film where the heroine had a similar role to essay was Balaji Kumar's "Vidiyum Munn", in which all the characters are after Pooja Kumar, who played a hooker. Interestingly, both these stories unfold in a single night. But that's where the similarities end.

 Karthiga is an independent working woman who singlehandedly takes care of her family, which includes her paralysed father and mother. Her close friend is Charles, a passionate cricketer with the ultimate dream of playing for Chennai Super Kings.

 Charles likes Karthiga, and he literally follows her everywhere. But this isn't stalking because she likes his presence and in one scene, she's concerned why he doesn't come to see her off at the bus depot. But like a curse on all good relationships in our movies, Charles's mother doesn't like the idea of welcoming a Hindu daughter-in-law. And the scene where she conveys the message loud and clear to Karthiga, takes places outside a church. It's a nice touch by the director.

 Shafiq belongs to a struggling Muslim family. And to get his sisters married, he agrees to get his hands dirty by doing a transaction of smuggled diamonds. When his plan goes awry, he entrusts the diamonds with Karthiga, who is a witness to the murder of a colleague and the killers are after her. Charles and Karthiga have a misunderstanding and he wants to right the wrong.

 With an interesting premise set against the backdrop of a single night, CSK is yet another small film wonder that shouldn't be taken lightly. Most of the second half takes place inside a shopping mall, where Karthiga is being hunted by the killers. She escapes from the clutches of her killers far too many times too easily, but you still don't mind because here's a heroine who doesn't wait for her boyfriend to come to her rescue. And finally, when her boyfriend does arrive, there's a feeling that too much time was spent on building the premise and the film feels overdrawn.

 Until one point, the multiple stories in the film run parallely, but once Karthiga gets trapped, we lose interest in Shafiq's plot because very little time is spent on it. Also, Karthiga's boyfriend realises quite late into the film that she could be in danger. Had the director not prolonged the story, the thrills would've worked better. But with the long drawn narrative and just a few thrills, you feel let down after being impressed initially.

 The appreciating factor of the film is the strong female protagonist. Rarely do you see a courageous heroine in Tamil cinema, and it's a treat to see how Karthiga deals with her relationship, a box of smuggled diamonds that she mysteriously finds in her handbag, the murder of her colleague and finally protect herself from her killers. And all this during the course of a single night. Brilliant!

 CSK has some problems, especially with its narrative but kudos to the team for daring to experiment.

AAP should not lose to political immaturity: Jaitley

Varanasi, March 28 (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the AAP government must not lose opportunity to work for the people of Delhi due to "political immaturity".

Varanasi, March 28 (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the AAP government must not lose opportunity to work for the people of Delhi due to "political immaturity".


 "People voted for this government with high hopes and they expect the promises to be fulfilled. Because of political immaturity, they should not lose this opportunity," Jaitley said in response to a question on Saturday.

 He also slammed the recording of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's conversation by a party member, calling it a new kind of politics.

 "This is a new kid of politics that conversation between two politicians is recorded, this is not expected," he said.

 Differences in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came out in open on Friday when Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan addressed a press conference, and offered to resign from the party.

 In another press conference, AAP members slammed the two for working against the interests of the party.

 Later, a tape surfaced in which Kejriwal is heard slamming Yadav and Bhushan and threatens to walk out of the party to form a new outfit.

 The conversation was allegedly between Kejriwal and Umesh Singh, an AAP worker from Benaras. The authenticity of the tape has not been established.

Yadav, Bhushan sacked from AAP National Executive (Lead)

New Delhi, March 28 (IANS) Dissident leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were sacked on Saturday from the National Executive of the AAP, a party that had stormed to power in Delhi last month


 Yadav's supporters Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha were also removed from the Aam Aadmi Party's 21-member National Executive, the party's highest executive body that coordinates its activities at the national level.

 "Democracy has been murdered in the National Council meeting," said a visibly miffed Yadav after coming out of the meeting. Bhushan said people who disagreed with Kejriwal were beaten up and thrown out of the meeting.

 Yadav and Prashant Bhushan had branded Kejriwal an autocrat surrounded by "yes men" and accused him of deviating from the party's ideals. The AAP, in turn, had accused them of having tried to sabotage the party in the run up to the Delhi polls last month which it won handsomely.

 Nearly 300 people were present in the meeting where Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia moved the resolution to oust Yadav and Bhushan. The resolution was passed, bringing the curtains down for the two founder members of the party that was born in 2012.

 A large number of AAP activists had turned up at the meeting venue. Holding placards against Yadav and Bhushan, volunteers said that they were present for the interest of the party.

 "Please stay united," read a placard. Another one read: "We are with you Arvind Kejriwal."

 AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta said 247 members had voted in favour of the proposal to remove the four members from the National Executive. He said only eight people opposed it while two gave their dissent in writing. Fifty-four members expressed no view, he said.

 Yadav had earlier claimed there was no proper voting for taking the decision of ousting them.

 "This is murder of democracy... There was no distinction between members and invitees. Manish Sisodia announced they have a petition signed by 160 people... There was no voting, no discussion," said Yadav, a psephologist.

 He added: "There were many people who opposed it, they were not even given the chance. It is a total mockery of democracy."

 Bhushan, a noted Supreme Court lawyer, claimed the AAP meeting was scripted. "Everything happened there in a planned manner. It seems that everything was scripted," Bhushan said.

 AAP member Sanjay Singh denied that anyone was beaten up during the meeting. "No violence had taken place. No one was hit or injured," he told media after the meeting.

 Yadav and Bhushan had five demands -- transparency in the AAP, autonomy for local units, a Lokpal probe into graft charges against party members, AAP should come within the ambit of the RTI, and an end to secret ballot during election to key posts.

 Ever since the AAP came to power in the national capital by winning 67 of its 70 assembly seats, the party has been embroiled in an internal crisis that has pitted Bhushan and Yadav against Kejriwal, the party's best known face.

 Anand Kumar, a Jawaharlal Nehru University professor who was also ousted, however said they will not leave the party.

 Giving his account of the events, he said: "Kejriwal said we caused trouble in the elections, and asked members to decide whether we should be ousted. But they did not let us speak."

 "We are not out of the party. We will neither leave nor break the party. This is a party of the workers," he said.

 They also said one of Yadav's supporter was injured in the fracas.

Trans-Tasman rivalry takes centrestage in World Cup final (Preview)

Melbourne, March 28 (IANS) Much more than the World Cup title will be at stake when co-hosts Australia and New Zealand square-off in the final of the quadrennial event at the majestic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Sunday.


 After six weeks and 48 matches among 14 teams, the game pits four-time champions Australia, the numero uno side in One-Day Internationals (ODI), against their trans-Tasman rivals and maiden finalists New Zealand.

 The Black Caps had faltered in the semifinals six times previously but overcame South Africa to enter their first summit clash.

 If familiarity between the two sides has not quite bred contempt, several highly competitive clashes in the past, including the underarm-marred match in the 1980s, will make Sunday's game a fierce contest.

 Australia, with a balanced side and having experience in dealing with big occasions, will have the home advantage even though they will be up against an in-form side.

 New Zealand are on an eight-match unbeaten streak and have 13 wins from their past 14 ODIs. Their victory over Australia in the group stage will give them a lot of confidence going into the match.

 However, this will be the first time in the tournament that the Kiwis will play away from home. Moreover, many former players are saying that their habit of playing at small grounds at home will be a hard reality to overcome when they take the field at the massive MCG in front of a hostile crowd.

 In the last 11 games played at the 'G', the team batting first has won eight with the highest successful run chase being 297. One thing going for the Kiwis is that five of them played at the MCG in 2009 when they defeated Australia, the last time the two teams met in an ODI in Australia.

 In their last 12 ODIs at the MCG, Australia lost only twice and are unbeaten in their last six encounters.

 In the man-to-man match-up, Australia look a more balanced side. They bat deep, going all the way down to No.9 and 10, with all-rounders Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner adding versatility to the team.

 David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, Michael Clarke and veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin will have the responsibility to provide stability to the batting line-up.

 So far in this World Cup, New Zealand have been spot on -- be it with the bat or the ball with each and every player stepping up when the situation demanded.

 Skipper Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill have provided good starts with vice-captain Kane Williamson, experienced middle-order batsmen Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot consolidating on the platforms provided by the openers.

 All-rounder Corey Anderson and wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi have also been crucial in their dual roles.

 The Black Caps' bowling trio of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, 36, have been key to their success. Left-arm seamer Boult is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 21 scalps while Southee and Vettori have 15 scalps each.

 Former captain Vettori, with experience of 294 ODIs, is still New Zealand's go-to-man in tough situations.

 On the other hand, Australia have fearsome quicks and should have ascendancy with the ball. Left-arm seamers Johnson, Starc, Faulkner and right-armer Josh Hazlewood are difficult to score off and New Zealand batters will have to be at their best.

 So far, Johnson has taken a backseat with Starc accounting for 20 wickets in eight matches while the former has only 12. Considering the importance of the match, Johnson may rise to the occasion.

 The match will also see an intriguing battle between the two of the most attacking captains in world cricket. Clarke has long been known for his innovative field placements but he needs to match McCullum, who has employed as many as five slips in a Test-match style field at certain stages.

 It will be wrong to bill the match as a final as the two best sides with tales of long standing rivalry face off for cricket's biggest prize. Come Sunday, it remains to be seen whether the sport gets a new title holder or will Australia vie for their fifth title and