Poor Indians have survived one more terrorist attack. This time target was Mumbai, the most populated financial captial of India. There were a series of ten coordinated attacks on 26 November 2008 and ended on 29 November 2008 when Indian security forces finally regained control of all attack sites. In three days, around 200 people, including 22 foreigners have been killed and more than 400 have been injured. What I feel the possible reason of this attack is to check the growth of Indian economy. India’s economic growth has been the envy of nations like Pakistan and the attack could have been an attempt to divert the world’s attention from India’s growth and development.

Eight attacks took place in South Mumbai: at the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station; at two five-star hotels: the Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point, and Taj Mahal Palace & Tower near the Gateway of India; at the Leopold Café, a popular tourist restaurant in Colaba; at the Cama Hospital; at the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House; at the Metro Adlabs movie theatre; and at the Mumbai Police Headquarters where at least three high-level officers, including the chief of the Anti Terrorism Squad of Maharashtra, were killed by gunfire. There was also an explosion at Mazagaon docks in Mumbai’s port area. The tenth incident involved a taxi blast at Vile Parle near the airport but it is uncertain whether this is connected with the South Mumbai attacks. It was a well-planned terrorist attack.

The aim of this attack was to kill more than 5000 innocent people but thanks to out security forces and Mumbai Police who quicly controlled the situation and finally arrested and killed most of the terrorists. A less know terrorist gang, Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility of this attack by email sent to news organizations. This email came from Pakistan. So the investigators are saying that this attack has its connection in Pakistan. According to recent police reports, the one terrorist who was captured alive disclosed that the attackers belonged to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamist group.

After the attack, all schools, colleges, and most offices, including the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange remained closed on 27 November 2008. Shooting of Bollywood films and TV serials were also stopped. Many international airlines temporarily discontinued operations to Mumbai. The two remaining one-day internationals of the seven match series between the visiting England cricket team and India were canceled. Today, Shivraj Patil, the home minister of India has resigned taking moral responsibility for the security lapse.

So, What Next ?

Indian should attack Pakistan and end all sort of terrorist activities in Pak-occupied Kashmir. At this moment, this is not viable solution. US will never support India in such a situation. Also there are chances of nuclear war. But then what is the solution? You have any idea. Post your comment.

5:07 PM
Categories: India. Author: SacHu

These days, we have season of terrorist attacks in India. The government is trying its best to curb the disease of terrorism but still we all are afraid. Let’s forget that think. Today I am going to discuss one of the popular tools of terrorists, the AK-47. This 7.62 mm assault rifle was first developed in the year 1947 by a Russian called Kalashnikov. The AK-47 is the most wide-spread weapon in the world. More than 50 armies of the world have in their arsenals firearms created by Kalashnikov. For the first time, in 1946 the rifle was presented for official military trials, and a year later the fixed stock version was introduced into service with select units of the Russian Red Army.

The AK-47 was officially accepted by the Soviet Armed Forces in 1949. It is also used by the majority of the member states of the former Warsaw Pact. The AK-47 was also used as a basis for the development of many other types of individual and crew-served firearms. It was one of the first true assault rifles and, due to its durability, low production cost and ease of use, remains the most widely used assault rifle in the world.

“In the years following the Viet-name war, the AK-17 spread all over the world, offering power and fame to drug dealers, murderers and terrorists, that would change face of the world.”

.

The quote is by Lary Kahner, in his book AK-The Weapon that changed the face of world.

Properties of AK-74 Assault rifle

* Caliber: 5.45mm
* Cartridge: 5.45×39
* Magazine capacity: 30
* Loaded weight: 3,600g
* Killing range: 1,350m

Check out the video to see how A K 47 works.

4:59 PM
Categories: General Info. Author: SacHu

This week the mighty computer mouse is celebrating its 40th birthday. Still mouse is one of the most important parts of a desktop PCs. Actually Mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user’s hands, with one or more buttons. The mouse’s motion typically translates into the motion of a pointer on a display, which allows for fine control of a Graphical User Interface. This name “mouse” originated at the Stanford. The early models which had a cord attached to the rear part of the device, suggesting the idea of a tail to the common mouse.

On 9th Dec, 1968, at a computer conference in San Francisco, computer scientist Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute demonstrated a small rectangular wooden device, with a single button which could control a computer. However, it was first introduced with a computer system by Xerox in 1981. But Xerox never understood the importance of mouse. Mouse became indispensable part of computer system only after Apple made it control tool of Macintosh computers. Microsoft also introduced computer mouse, when it launched Windows operating system in 1986. Now one can’t imagine an operating system with a mouse.

Happy Birthday Mouse!

4:57 PM
Categories: General Info. Author: SacHu

The Champions League Twenty20 Anthem. ESPN STAR Sports & Champions League Twenty20 have signed music maestro A.R. Rahman to compose the official anthem of Champions League Twenty20.

Champions League Twenty20 is premium, aspirational, truly world class and the highest honor the game has to offer. It is to cricket what A R Rahman is to music. this anthem will reverberate not just in India but will transcend all language barriers across the global cricket fraternity.

"Only the best only champions" theme song of Champions League T-20 Cricket series has been released. Dowload it from here.

Download

Fans are waiting to watch the T-20.

7:19 PM
Categories: Cini Mini, Cricket. Author: SacHu

Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has reportedly offered to resign from the high-profile post following paceman Rudra Pratap Singh’s exclusion from the ODI team but the BCCI vehemently denied the development.

According to television reports, Dhoni had a disagreement with the selectors during the meeting on Thursday to pick the team for the fourth and fifth matches of the ongoing series against England.

Dhoni was unhappy that the selectors decided to drop RP Singh and include Irfan Pathan in his place and offered to resign, the television reports claimed, quoting an unnamed source close to one of the selectors.

The BBCI, however, was quick to rubbish the reports. “I can’t respond to something that is being floated around by somebody,” BCCI secretary N Srinivisan said.

The Indian players are currently in Bangalore to play the fourth match and the team management could not be immediately reached for their comments. Dhoni’s customary pre-match press conference is scheduled to be held later in the afternoon.

The reports said BCCI President Shashank Manohar was forced to interfere and sort out the issue.

The newly formed selection committee, headed by former Indian captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth had met on Thursday for the team selection when the differences apparently cropped up.

Last year, Rahul Dravid too had relinquished captaincy. Lack of say in selection matters was widely touted as the reason behind Dravid’s abrupt decision.

3:57 PM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

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3:16 PM
Categories: General Info. Author: SacHu

A Group Discussion is nothing but a formal discussion involving 5 to 10 participants in a group. These days GD is being used by B-schools and organizations to judge whether the candidate has certain personality traits and skills that it desires in its members. Normally in GD, the group of candidates is given a topic or a situation, given a few minutes to think about the same, and then asked to discuss the it among themselves for 20-30 minutes. Let’s take an example of a Cricket match, where you have to play like a team, and aim for a common goal which is Victory, similarly GD is also like a team work, incorporating views of different team members to reach a common goal. So, here is a list of 8 activities which you should not do in any GD.

1. Don’t start of with I think: Yeah, it is true. Once in a GD, there was this topic that should Aishwarya marry Abhishek & this gentleman adjusted his chair & pronounced his arrival by saying that “I think Aishwarya is damn more beautiful for a moron like Abhishek”. Just imagine, the GD organizer is big fan of Abhishek. So, please don’t start with your perceptions. But never be quiet in GD. Just speak out you mind. If you are not speaking how will they judge you.

2. Don’t start with the conclusion: This is the common mistake, people generally conclude everything in their first speech itself. This is really a bad practice during GDs.

3. Don’t keep glancing in the paper: The paper is there to make you feel more jittery. The content which is stored in your mind can’t be explicitly placed on the paper. Don’t stare at the paper much. Look into the eyes of your opponent or better dream of some exotic place & then let the horses run.

4. Don’t put that pen/pencil in your mouth: Not only it gives a negative impression, but also bad for your health. :-)

5. Don’t be a clown: One of my friends is expert in this. His dad is a sweet shop owner. He also sometimes sits at the shop & keeps on flying away the flies. So, once we were sitting in a GD discussing about the nuclear deal. Suddenly due to some provocation this guy thought that he was sitting in his shop & started swaying his arms like a jumbo jet

6. Friends are Foes: I must admit that I am a looser in GD’s. Once during a GD I asked my mate who was a great speaker that in the GD you please point towards me & ask me to speak. He agreed. I was happy. Topic was too general. It became a fish market. My friend somehow controlled the situation & pointing towards me & said: “Abhi, would u like to add something”. As I was about to open my mouth, a guy sitting next to me started his Marathon run. After the GD i asked him his name. He said: “Hi! I am Varun”. Avoid such things while GD.

7. Don’t Speak: Yes! Silence is Golden. I realized this during one of college GD’s. People were discussing in a decent manner. Everyone was speaking & getting properly listened. Suddenly, out of the blue we heard a shrieking voice which pierced our ears. The words were: “Guys! Please maintain the decorum of the GD”.

8. Don’t be anxious: There are people who tend to push up from their chair. It looks like they have got ants in their pants. Guys! its really absurd & definitely makes you loose marks.

11:46 AM
Categories: Education, Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

So the economic meltdown is showing its impact in India also. As according to latest Forbes report, 27 Indians have been moved out of India’s billionaires club. Now we have only 27 billionaires as compared to 54 billionaires in 2007. In 2006, India had 36 billionaires. The honeymoon is over for Indian economy. Indian economy has really bad time. Stock market has fallen by 48 per cent in the 12 months, Indian rupee is depreciated by 24 % against the dollar and GDP(gross domestic product growth) is expected to decrease to 7.5 %. The combined wealth of India’s 40 wealthiest people slumped 60 % to $139 billion which was $351 billion a year ago.


Lakshmi Mittal of Mittal Steel has lost his top position to Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries Ltd. Anil Ambani is the third richest Indian. So the top ten richest Indians are

1. Mukesh Ambani; $20.8 billion
2. Lakshmi Mittal; $20.5 billion
3. Anil Ambani; $12.5 billion
4. Sunil Mittal; $7.9 billion
5. Kushal Pal Singh; $7.8 billion
6. Shashi & Ravi Ruia; $7.6 billion
7. Azim Premji; $7 billion
8. Kumar Birla; $5 billion
9. Adi Godrej; $4 billion
10. Gautam Adani; $3.9 billion

11:38 AM
Categories: General Info, India. Author: SacHu

One more US giant has been forced to follow the path of Lehman Brothers. This company is Circuit City. It is an American dealer and retailer in brand-name consumer electronics, personal computers, and entertainment software. It is a Fortune 500 company which operates over 600 superstores in different parts of USA. On November 3, 2008 it was revealed that Circuit City would close 155 stores and lay off 17% of its workforce by the end of the year as a result of continually struggling to remain profitable. After 4 days, on November 7th this company laid off more than 500 corporate employees from their Richmond, Virginia headquarters. Now the company’s shares have collapsed to historical low of 25 cents.

But all these measures could not make it profitable. Finally today Circuit City has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy. Actually in USA, bankruptcy protection is a popular legal mechanism which allows a troubled company to keep its creditors at bay while it draws up a new business plan, which has to be approved by a bankruptcy judge. This method gives the bankrupt company some time to sort out their problems, cut costs and prevent it becoming completely decimal. Moreover, according to latest Washington’s Labor Department’s official report around 6.5 per cent of the US workforce is now jobless. The situation of American economy is very critical. Now how new president Obama will handle all these troubles will be a matter of concern for the whole world.

11:29 AM
Categories: General Info. Author: SacHu

Once upon a time Orkut was number one social networking website on the internet. Now things have changed for orkut, its honeymoon is over. The latest alexa rank of orkut.com is 66. Orkut was designed to help users meet new friends and maintain existing relationships on internet. Early this year, this was the most visited website in Brazil and second most visited website in India. Now it is at 4th rank in India. A large percentage of users in India are high school and college students. Now this site is unable to attract new breed of students i.e the age group of 18-24.

The main reason behind the recent downfall is evolution of Facebook. Today, Facebook is even ahead of MySpace.com. In India, the new generation is more declined towards Facebook whereas our generation who were early users of Orkut, have stopped using Orkut. You will be shocked to see the downfall of Orkut. Even, Google is completely clueless on this point. Check out the latest Alexa graph of Orkut.

11:21 AM
Categories: General Info. Author: SacHu

Do you know what is an optical illusion? Today I will tell you about optical illusion and share a cool video on this also. Actually, optical illusion refers to visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed and the brain to give a percept that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source. Optical illusions are divided into three categories. First one is literal optical illusions which create images that are different from the objects that make them, secondly we have physiological illusions that are the effects on the eyes and brain of excessive stimulation of a specific type - brightness, tilt, color, movement, and the third is cognitive illusion where the eye and brain make unconscious inferences. Now watch out this cool video on optical illusions.

11:18 AM
Categories: General Info. Author: SacHu

This week, Google has introduced Gmail voice and video chat. Through which you can now enjoy free voice and video conversations in Gmail. The new Video chatting feature is as easy as sending an instant message or an e-mail. Just you need to click on the new “Video & more” menu in a Gmail chat window and select “Start video chat” or “Start voice chat.” Here you can also easily switch to a full screen view or pop out of the chat window and change the size and positioning of the chat window. In case you don’t have web cam, then don’t worry. You can still enjoy voice conversations alongside your email and regular chat.
To know more about voice and video chat watch out this video

Click here to install Gmail Voice and video chat.

11:15 AM
Categories: Latest Tech. Author: SacHu

So the first African American US President Obama is all set to challenge the recent economic slowdown. He is also confident that very soon the Amercian economy will recover and job opportunities in US will increase. Actually for the first time, the weekly Democratic address of the new president has been released on YouTube. It will also continue to air on the radio and other TV channels. Obama plans to to publish these weekly updates through the Transition and then from the White House. In his first address, Obama speaks on his concerns about the current economic crisis in USA.

“

Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today”

His speech is as follows:

Today, the leaders of the G-20 countries a group that includes the world’s largest economies are gathering in Washington to seek solutions to the ongoing turmoil in our financial markets. I’m glad President Bush has initiated this process — because our global economic crisis requires a coordinated global response.

And yet, as we act in concert with other nations, we must also act immediately here at home to address America’s own economic crisis. This week, amid continued volatility in our markets, we learned that unemployment insurance claims rose to their highest levels since September 11, 2001. We’ve lost jobs for ten straight months — nearly 1.2 million jobs this year, many of them in our struggling auto industry. And millions of our fellow citizens lie awake each night wondering how they’re going to pay their bills, stay in their homes, and save for retirement.

Make no mistake: this is the greatest economic challenge of our time. And while the road ahead will be long, and the work will be hard, I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis because here in America we always rise to the moment, no matter how hard. And I am more hopeful than ever before that America will rise once again.

But we must act right now. Next week, Congress will meet to address the spreading impact of the economic crisis. I urge them to pass at least a down-payment on a rescue plan that will create jobs, relieve the squeeze on families, and help get the economy growing again. In particular, we cannot afford to delay providing help for the more than one million Americans who will have exhausted their unemployment insurance by the end of this year. If Congress does not pass an immediate plan that gives the economy the boost it needs, I will make it my first order of business as President.

Even as we dig ourselves out of this recession, we must also recognize that out of this economic crisis comes an opportunity to create new jobs, strengthen our middle class, and keep our economy competitive in the 21st century.

That starts with the kinds of long-term investments that we’ve neglected for too long. That means putting two million Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools. It means investing $150 billion to build an American green energy economy that will create five million new jobs, while freeing our nation from the tyranny of foreign oil, and saving our planet for our children. It means making health care affordable for anyone who has it, accessible for anyone who wants it, and reducing costs for small businesses. And it also means giving every child the world-class education they need to compete with any worker, anywhere in the world.

Doing all this will require not just new policies, but a new spirit of service and sacrifice, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. If this financial crisis has taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people. And that is how we will meet the challenges of our time together.
Thank you.

Watch out the video of this speech.

11:04 AM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

A fight for $6 Million, Top Twenty 20 Champions teams from 5 Countries. Starting from 3rd Dec 2008, Twenty20 Champions League schedule has been announced and listed below:

Dec 3rd - Middlesex Crusaders vs Victoria Bushrangers in Mumbai
Dec 4th - Sialkot Stallions vs Western Rambal Warriors in Banglore
Dec 4th - Chennai Super Kings vs Victoria Bushrangers in Mumbai
Dec 5th - Middlesex Crusaders vs Pretoria Titans in Chennai
Dec 5th - Rajasthan Royals vs Sialkot Stallions in Mumbai
Dec 6th - Western Australia vs Natal Dolphins in Banglore
Dec 6th - Victoria Bushrangers vs Pretoria Titans in Chennai
Dec 6th - Chennai Super Kings vs Middlesex Crusaders in Chennai
Dec 7th - Natal Dolphins vs Sialkot Stallions in Bangalore
Dec 7th - Rajasthan Royals vs Western Rambal Warriors in Bangalore
Dec 7th - Chennai Super Kings vs Pretoria Titans in Chennai

Dec 8th - Semifinal 1 (Group B Top team vs Group A Second placed team)
Dec 9th - Semifinal 2 (Group A Top team vs Group B Second placed team)

Dec 10th - Final (Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2)

Enjoy T20 Champions League!!!

5:35 PM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

We’ve all seen “The Exorcist”, the infamous film based on William Peter Blatty’s equally infamous book. We also know that Blatty based his story on something that really happened, the exorcism of a boy in 1949 that took place at no less than four different places during the months-long exorcism. For years it was thought that a house in Mt. Rainier, Maryland was where it all started. Problem is, it wasn’t the place. For years the Mt. Rainier house sat vacant, presumably in part because of its “history”, where it was frequently broke into by teenagers who were undoubtedly scared out of their wits and the place became the brunt of god knows how many ghost stories. Ultimately, the local fire department burned the home in an exercise and that should have been the end of the story. It wasn’t. In 1998 writer Mark Opsasnick determined in an article for Strange Magazine that this home wasn’t just the wrong house, it was in the wrong city. The actual case began in a home located in Cottage City, Maryland. I am uncertain as to whether or not this house is still standing, but the other places associated with the exorcism are not. After moving the boy from Maryland to St. Louis, three places have gained notoriety for their involvement with the story. Two of them are gone. A rectory on the campus of St. Louis University that is no longer standing, and a demolished wing of the Alexian Brothers Hospital. Of particular interest is the room at the hospital. This was demolished in the 1990’s, and at the time, stories around St. Louis ranged from demolition workers opening the locked room and seeing a black figure escape, to inverted crosses being found painted on the walls of the room in dried blood even though supposedly no one had entered the room since 1949.

The validity of any of these stories, like anything else, are seriously questionable. But the last place associated with the exorcism still stands. Its a non-descript house in the North St. Louis County suburb of Bel-nor. Stories abound about this home, everything from the victim’s bedroom always being strangely cold, to talk of an otherworldly vortex that can be felt by sensitives on the upper floor of the home. This Halloween, a local radio program known for an annual show broadcast from a haunted location spent the evening there seemingly to much paranormal success.

11:31 AM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

India captain Anil Kumble has announced that he plans to retire from Test cricket after the third Test against Australia.

In 132 Tests, Kumble took 619 wickets, the highest among Indians and third in the all-time list.

The champion leg spinner has decided to call it quits on a ground where he has tormented the best of batsmen and teamsn over the years. Kumble's illustrious career spanned nearly two decades.

It was at the Feroz Shah Kotl, where Kumble bagged all 10 Pakistani wickets in the February of 1999 and spun India to a magical win.

Over the last few months, Kumble has not had the best of time on the field and has come under criticism for his form and fitness. Kumble injured his fingers in the first innings of the Kotla Test when he tried to take cach to send back Matthew Hayden.

The gritty spinner came back to bowl with 11 stitches on his fingers.

3:30 PM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

England were demolished as the Stanford Superstars became dollar millionaires in the high profile Twenty20-for-20 contest.

Chris Gayle's Caribbean collective cruised home by 10 wickets in typically flamboyant style after England were dismissed for a paltry 99 at Coolidge.

It will not go down in the official records but this clash for cash was one of the most humiliating defeats for an England team in history.

Although England captain Kevin Pietersen opted to bat first in Sir Allen Stanford's financial bonanza, only three men reached double figures during a regular tumbling of wickets.

They managed only seven fours between them, a proportion of which were via edges - a total the opposition openers managed inside the first five overs of the reply.

Upon levelling that boundary count, home captain Chris Gayle then upped the tempo to pump up the volume levels in the stands, by turning his attention to sixes, cracking Steve Harmison over the rope at long-on and deep midwicket.

Gayle towered a third off spinner Samit Patel to overshadow his younger partner Andre Fletcher, who nevertheless laced the boundary boards himself to follow up an unbeaten 90 against Middlesex two nights ago.

If England were to have any chance of triumphing in the US dollars 20million match, they required early wickets.

But two spurned run-out chances in the opening overs involving Patel and Pietersen were coupled with two television consultations going against Harmison.

First a leg-before appeal against Gayle in the first over was annulled after the ball was shown to be pitching outside leg-stump, then Fletcher survived after inconclusive replays of a waft that looped through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Failure to separate the first-wicket pair provided the licence the home team needed to provide the excitement associated with the 20-over format.

Gayle revelled in the limelight, depositing off-spinner Graeme Swann for another maximum on his way to a 33-ball fifty.

If Fletcher's early blitz of fours provided the impetus, Gayle took on the baton to the finish, which came when he blasted Flintoff for his fifth six in only the 13th over.

While the Superstars emphasised the value of executing classical cricket strokes with extreme power, England suffered for their improvisation.

Openers Ian Bell and Prior both paid the price for moving around in their crease in the same Jerome Taylor over, the fourth of the innings.

Bell attempted to give himself room and only succeeded in jabbing a yorker into leg-stump while Prior walked across his stumps two deliveries later and was spectacularly bowled.

Such was the dominance of the Superstars' attack in the powerplay period, in fact, that only two boundaries were struck, both by Prior, a flowing extra-cover drive off Taylor and a pull over mid-on off Daren Powell.

With uneven bounce a feature of this week, cross-batted shots were potentially perilous as Owais Shah discovered.

In an attempt to haul the ball from outside off-stump, Shah skied a steepler to deepish square-leg where Dave Mohammed judged the catch perfectly despite team-mate Kieron Pollard almost causing a nasty collision.

England were deep in trouble when star man Pietersen missed an attempted sweep shot off medium-pacer Darren Sammy, which exposed and knocked over his leg-stump.

It triggered one of a number of extravagant celebrations from the West Indian players - Sammy lying on his back with arms aloft in an outpouring of emotion.

When Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood perished in consecutive overs, England were 54 for six and struggling to set a three-figure target.

Flintoff, who had crashed Pollard for a straight four the previous delivery, swished too soon at a slower ball and was bowled. Then Collingwood swung giant left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn low to Ramnaresh Sarwan at deep midwicket.

Within two overs, England had also lost Luke Wright and Swann, who was preferred to fast bowler James Anderson when the XI was named yesterday morning.

Wright's attempt to hit the match's first six resulted in a failure to clear Sammy at long-on, who held a comfortable catch above his head off Pollard.

Swann was subsequently outfoxed by Benn, bowled by a full toss.

The only respite for England against a Superstars side, who had been drilled during a six-week training camp, came when Samit Patel was given a life on five by Mohammed at deep midwicket off Pollard.

That came with Pietersen's men on 66 for eight and Patel, who scampered for two, followed up by pulling the next ball for four.

He edged another one during a 28-run stand with Stuart Broad, which came to its conclusion in the penultimate over when he was run out after attempting to steal a second run from Gayle's misfield.

Benn wrapped the innings up when he castled last man Harmison at the death.

9:35 AM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

Ajith starrer 'Billa' along with 'Kanchivaram', 'Kalloori' and 'Mudhal Mudhal Mudhal Varai' ('M3V') have been selected to be screened in the film festival.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced the Indian panorama films (feature and non-feature films) to be screened at the thirty-ninth International Film Festival of India 2008 (IFFI) in November-December in Goa.

Ajith-starrer 'Billa' (directed by Vishnuvardhan) has gained entry in the feature film section. Priyadarshan’s 'Kanchivaram', which stars Prakashraj and Shreya Reddy, will be screened in the non-feature film section and will also compete in the film festival for the best film award. It is heartening to see Balaji Sakthivel’s 'Kalloori' which made Tamannaah a household name, in this festival. It is a big honour for director Krishnan Seshadri Gomatam as his first film, 'M3V', managed to grab the attention of the elite jury of IFFI.

IFFI is a very prestigious international film festival that takes place in Goa in November-December every year. It is organized by Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Films from all over the world are screened at this festival. This is a competitive event and the best film will be awarded a cash prize, a trophy (Golden Peacock) and a citation.

IFFI also includes a special Indian Panorama section for Indian films which carries great prestige and is divided into two sections – feature and non-feature. Any Indian filmmaker can send his or her entry provided it satisfies the regulations of IFFI. The IFFI jury selects some entries (usually 25 feature and 25 non-feature films) for the Indian Panorama section. This is not a competitive section; all the selected films will be promoted at various international film festivals in India and abroad. They will also be a part of cultural exchange programmes organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

If the jury deems it appropriate to permit a film entry into the competitive section, it can always do so. This year, Priyadarshan’s 'Kanchivaram' has been selected by the 7-member jury headed by K. Sastry to compete in IFFI’s competitive section. It might not be surprising if it wins the Golden Peacock as it came close to winning awards at several film festivals worldwide, including the Toronto Film Festival.

3:37 PM
Categories: Cini Mini. Author: SacHu

Few days back I predicted that soon one dollar would become equal to 50 rupees. Just after one week, my prediction became correct. Now one US dollar is around 50 rupees. Now I think it is right time to tell you the history of Indian currency, rupee. The origin of the word “rupee” is found in the Sanskrit word rup or rupyah, which means “wrought silver,” originally “something provided with an image, a coin,” from rupah “shape, likeness, image.” Before independence, India was a land of hundreds of princely states. They used to run their own coins and currency notes.

After Independence in 1947, the Indian government brought out the new design Re. 1 note in 1949. The Lion Capital of Asoka was used for the design of that note.


Devaluation of Rupee started in 1960s due to war with China and Pakistan, large government budget deficits and drought there was problem of inflation in India. There was sharp rise in prices. So Indian Government was forced to start some liberal policies to stabilize the economy which finally resulted into huge devaluation of Rupee.

During mid eighties, India started having balance of payments problems and by the end of 1990, India was in serious economic trouble. Our foreign exchange reserves had dried up to the point that India could barely finance three weeks’ worth of imports. Once again, the government decided to devaluate the Rupee. By the start of 21st century, the Rupee stopped declining and stabilized at 45. However in mid-2007, the rupee started gaining strength one dollar came below 40 Rupees. Now again due to recent economic crisis in world economy, one dollar has started touching the historical figure of 50 Rupees.

12:52 PM
Categories: General Info, India. Author: SacHu

Through this post I am sharing the most viewed YouTube video in India. This video is on Tsunami. A tsunami is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. The effects of a tsunami can be devastating due to the immense volumes of water and energy involved. Check out the effect of tsunami in this video.

12:24 PM
Categories: India, Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

I am not joking. It is now possible to get a free laptop in India. Just you need to get an internet connection. Reliance Communication has launched a nice plan for internet users. Just subscribe to their net connection for Rs 1500 every month only and get a free laptop. Moreover, there will not be any hidden cost. You will have to pay this amount only for two years and the laptop will be yours. For giving free laptop to its internet users, Reliance Communications has done strategic agreement with five leading laptop manufacturers of India - HCL, Intel, Acer, Asus and Lenovo. According to company’s spokesperson more details regarding availability, schemes and pricing are expected to be released shortly.

“

The growth of Internet services in India is one of the key visions of Reliance Communications. The next phase of growth of Internet penetration in the country is linked to the growth in PC and Laptop penetration offering an opportunity to empower all Indians by making the overall cost of Internet access more affordable,” said Mahesh Prasad, President - Reliance Communications.

Reliance NetConnect is India’s one of the leading wireless internet service providers,with over One Million customers, available across 20,000 towns and 4.5 lakh Indian villages. I am very happy with this new plan of Reliance, this will definitely boost the growth of internet users in India.

12:09 PM
Categories: India, Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

Few days back I got a phone call from my friend and he told me that he lost 300,000 Rupees in share market in last one month. I said to him don’t worry, see top 10 Indian business tycoons, they have lost 139 billion US dollars. All these losses whether for small investors like my friend and giants like Mukesh, Anil, K. P Singh etc is due to recent economic crisis or better say economic depression. According to Economic Times, this amount is equivalent to around 16% of India’s gross domestic product(GDP) and more than the combined GDP of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Actually, India’s top billionaires have lost more than 60% of their wealth since January 2008.

Now India’s top 10 business houses are now worth $84 billion (Rs 4.1 lakh crore) compared with $223 billion (over Rs 10 lakh crore) in January 2008.

So who all are biggest losers?

* Anil Ambani’s total wealth is now worth $12.9 billion against $45.1 billion in January this year.
* Mukesh lost 54% of his money.
* Unitech’s Ramesh Chandra lost 85%.
* DLF’s chief K. P Singh has now only $ 9 billion against $35 in January 2008.
* Bharti Airtel’s Sunil Mittal lost 31% money.

If you have already invested in share market, mutual funds etc and lost a good amount of money then these figures will give you some relief and you will start thinking that you are the only loser.

7:01 AM
Categories: General Info, India. Author: SacHu

Zaheer Khan made short work of the Australian tail as India secured a 320-run victory in the second Test of the series.

Left-arm paceman Zaheer claimed three wickets in his first two overs as Australia crashed from 141 for five overnight to 144 for eight.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra completed the rout by picking up the last two wickets as Australia, chasing a target of 516 for an improbable win, were eventually bowled out for 195.

Zaheer ended a blossoming partnership between Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke by bowling Haddin with the last ball of his first over.

Just one run was added to their sixth wicket stand, already worth 83 overnight, when Haddin was bowled by one which came back slightly off the pitch.

Haddin failed to add to his overnight score of 37.

Zaheer struck twice again off consecutive deliveries in his second over, first removing Cameron White (one) and then Brett Lee (zero).

White traded flash for prudence, slashing at an away going delivery and only edging to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Lee was done in by one which moved slightly off the seam, knocking back off stump as the tailender shaped to defend.

"Especially at one time in the first innings, they [Australia] were 22 from 13 overs. I said to Rahul [Dravid], 'Look at the board, we won't see that again'"

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mitchell Johnson saved the hat-trick by playing forward and defending solidly.

He briefly held up India's charge, putting on 50 runs with Clarke for the ninth wicket and in the process showing runs could still be had from the fifth day's pitch.

He struck four boundaries in his 26 before offering a simple return catch to leg spinner Amit Mishra.

Clarke, meanwhile, reached his ninth half-century, getting past the mark by scampering through for a couple of runs courtesy of a mis-field in the covers.

He was the last man out attempting to pull Mishra through midwicket where Sehwag pulled off a smart catch to bring up India's biggest victory over the World Champions in terms of runs.

Is this THE BEGINNING OF THE END of the Ausies dominance in cricket?

6:29 AM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

Yesterday Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh visited Google’s London headquarters where she uploaded a video clip to YouTube for the first time. Yesterday Queen The video contains footage from a reception held at Buckingham Palace for returning Olympians in 1968. She also had face-to-face meeting with daveyboyz, aka David Bass, and U.K. YouTube superstars Peter Oakley and Lauren Luke. Google European President Nikesh Arora headed up a group of 50 staff and senior management greeted the queen in Google office. The British Queen also saw the demonstration of the Google search engine, a tour of Google Earth, and participated on a talk on Google advertising and its contribution to U.K. industry.

This is the video clip which was uploaded by Queen.

6:51 PM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

Today one dollar is equal to 48.8 rupees. Very soon it will become 50 rupees. Then it will be very easy for Indian bloggers to calculate their income in Indian Rupees. Do you know why it is happening? Before writing this post, I also have not much idea on this point but I searched many finance related websites on Google and get the reasons behind this depreciation of Rupee against dollar. These days there has been increased demand for dollars due to a spurt in oil prices.



As a result of this foriegn exchange is flowing from India. Another main reason is that foreign investors sold more Indian shares than they bought. The recent downfall in Indian share markets also added more flavor to this issue. What has happened to growing Indian economy? Depreciation in Rupee, decreasing sensex, layoffs in big companies. I am worried, what about you?

6:30 PM
Categories: General Info, India. Author: SacHu

A look at the top 10 leading run-scorers in Test cricket after Sachin Tendulkar went past Brian Lara’s record on Friday.

Tendulkar, who now has four world records, not only went past the West Indies legend but took it a step further as he crossed the 12,000-run mark.

The top ten list is dominated by India and Australia with three players each, while West Indies, South Africa, England and Pakistan are represented by a player each.


This is my biggest milestone: Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar Friday said that going past 12,000 runs in Test cricket was the "biggest milestone" in his career.
"It has taken me 19 years to get here, it cannot happen overnight. In the journey there have been ups and down. It is a process of success and failures and during this time stones have been thrown at you and you have to turn them into milestone," he said after being felicitated by the BCCI at the close of the first day's play of the second Test against Australia at Mohali.

The stadium erupted in celebrations once Tendulkar reached 15 in his innings of 88 as he went past Brian Lara's record to become the top run-getter in Tests. Sachin, however, said he was not that excited and wanted to carry on with the game.

"I was not that excited to be honest, the focus was on continuing the game and not lose my concentration. Sourav (Ganguly) and I decided that we had to concentrate and make a big partnership."

Tendulkar and Ganguly put on a 142-run stand after India were reduced to 174 for four at tea after getting off to a flying start.

The Mumbai Bomber, who was dismissed for 88, said he was disappointed at losing his wicket at that stage.

"It was disappointing that I got out as the role was to stay there and get a big knock. There was a lack of footwork, I was a fraction late to judge the new ball."

Even though he would have preferred to have his record come earlier, he was happy to have got to the record against a top side like Australia.

"I would have preferred to get my record earlier, but I am happy it has come at the right time. And australia are a top side and I am happy to get it against them," he said.

Asked whether he felt butterflies in the stomach as he approached the milestone, he said: "I was okay. I was trying to concentrate on my game but everyone was reminding me of the record."

Did he rue missing out on the record in Bangalore?

"No," pat came the reply. Tendulkar said the important thing on day five of the first Test was to save the game.

"I thought the most important thing was to save the Test match. We lost a couple of early wickets and then we had some decemt partnership. By the time I got out (on 49), I knew I had done my job and was relieved. I told myself that the record will come sometime."

Tendulkar said there was no special preparation for getting the record. "I decided to keep it simple and keep watching the ball."

5:56 PM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

Sachin Tendulkar has asserted that he would play as long as he enjoys his game and nobody should dare tell him when to stop.
Basking in his new-found glory as the highest Test run getter after breaking Brian Lara's record of 11,953 runs, the batting great said he does not have anything to prove to anyone and nobody should tell him when to call it quits.

"I don't need to prove anything to anyone. I have been around for 19 years and all those 19 years I did not play to prove anything to anyone, not in my first year not in the 10th, 15th or 19th year," a combative Tendulkar said.

"What I need to do is to contribute to whatever my team's requirements are. I'm not here to answer what x,y, and z is writing about me or saying about me. People will say lot of things, not necessarily they are always correct. I don't take thir opinions seriously," he said.

"What happens in the dressing room is more imporant. The planning of the captain, coach, manager and other players are much more important. I just focus on that," he said.

Tendulkar made it clear that though the clamour is growing for the retirement of the senior players in the side, he was in no mood to hang up his boots.

"I'm going to continue obviously, I'm feeling good. As I said, so many things are being said and written and not necessarily those are right. Those are only opinions", he said.

Meanwhile in Mumbai, Sachin's wife Anjali echoed similar sentiments sayinf that the cricketer will not stay a "minute longer" when he is not enjoying the game.

"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play," Anjali told reporters.

She also rubbished the speculation that the 'Fab 5' are under pressure from the BCCI for their retirement.

"So far there has been nothing from the Board's side... nobody is telling anyone that you have to retire. I think people respect these guys enough."

5:52 PM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone is reported to have confirmed India will be added to the race calendar in 2011.

Ecclestone also hinted that Russia may get an event in the near future.

"In Russia we have two or three open options," Ecclestone told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The first regards Moscow obviously. But it is not the time to think about a date.

"Then there is India and here I can say that the race will be on the calendar in 2011."

For 2009 Canada lost its place on the calendar while Abu Dhabi was added as the season-ending race.

Consequently North America will have no race at all after the American Grand Prix was axed last year.

"America works differently," added Ecclestone. "Certain world events such as Formula One in some countries or Olympic Games are financed by the state.

"But in America they are organised by private entities who want to profit before the race is held. That is too much."

Following the success of Formula One's first-ever night race in Singapore two weeks ago there have been suggestions more night races could be added to the calendar.

But Ecclestone confirmed that Singapore will remain the only race under lights in 2009 while adding there is no reason for a European race to be held at night.

"A GP in Singapore was born from the requirement to have a race that was at an acceptable time to watch in Europe," he added.

"All GPs in that part of the world could in theory be moved to night (races) but in 2009 there will be just Singapore.

"In Europe I do not see any reason for a race to be held after sunset."

7:50 PM
Categories: India, Sports. Author: SacHu

Finally Google is going to introduce one good way to monetize YouTube, the world’s number one video website. Now you will find a type of e-commerce ad that we can click to buy digital goods from Apple’s iTunes or Amazon.com. Actually there will be a click-to-buy links to its popular YouTube video-sharing service, letting customers purchase songs and games. That link will take users to online stores such as Apple’s iTunes or Amazon.com. At present this service is available in US only. In order to gain more money from YouTube Google has also future plans to inserts text and image ads inside youtube videos.

The official Google blog said “We’re getting started by embedding iTunes and Amazon.com links on videos from companies like EMI Music, and providing Amazon.com product links to the newly-released video game Spore(TM) on videos from Electronic Arts.”

This is really a brilliant buiness plan to monetize the YouTube website and make it profitable. So google has taken the first step towards the building a profitable e-commerce application. Hoping this trick will work for YouTube. What do you think? Will it work for Google’s YouTube.

10:50 AM
Categories: Latest Tech. Author: SacHu

Sourav Ganguly, who will retire from international cricket after the Australian series, has said he was tired of the constant humiliation and at being singled out for scrutiny. He has also issued a sharply worded criticism of his team-mates, saying some "have changed their hairstyle more than they have scored".

"I am bound to feel bad. I had to fight with my heart," he told Aajkal, a Bengali daily. "If there is a gun to your head all the time, how long can you bear this? After all, I have played 400 matches for India. I have played badly in only one series. Yet every Tom, Dick and Harry is playing in the team.
"
"There are players who haven't scored in the last three series for India, even for the last one year. There are some who have changed their hairstyle more than they have scored for India."

"How long would I have played? Maybe upto 2009. Maybe seven more Tests. For that I was not prepared to take any more humiliation. I was tired of being humiliated again and again. I don't want to play cricket at the mercy of others."

Ganguly made an impressive return to international cricket after losing his captaincy, and his place in the side, in early 2006. "Everything is possible in Indian cricket," he said. "When Greg (Chappell) dropped me, TP Singh (of Railways, now with the ICL) was my replacement. Where is he now?"

Asked what hurt more, being dropped by Chappell or being excluded from the Irani Trophy squad this year, Ganguly said: "Definitely the Irani Trophy. I couldn't imagine being dropped for that. That's when I said, not again."

"I thought a lot before reaching this decision. I have also thought about my plans for the next one year. If this (selection) committee had come three years earlier, the situation would have been slightly better for me."

8:39 AM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

Astronomers have sighted a very dense planet-sized object that orbits its parent star in just four days and six hours. The object, COROT-exo-3b, fits into the category of a failed star known as a brown dwarf, but the team that made the discovery has not ruled out the possibility that it is a planet. Brown dwarfs are failed stars. They burn lithium but are not massive enough to generate the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen and helium that powers real stars. Planets do none of that. "It has puzzled us; we're not sure where to draw the boundary between planets and brown dwarfs," said Hans Deeg, an astronomer at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) in the Canary Islands, Spain. The object has a mass 20 times greater than that of Jupiter, but is roughly the same size. It falls outside the range of planets and stars discovered to date, with the largest planets having 12-Jupiter-mass and the smallest stars 70-Jupiter-mass. If astronomers confirm the object as a planet, it would weigh in as the most massive and densest planet found so far. A full study will be detailed in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. "COROT-exo-3b might turn out to be a rare object found by sheer luck", said Francois Bouchy, an astronomer at the Institut d'Astrophysique in Paris. "But it might just be a member of a new-found family of very massive planets that encircle stars more massive than our sun. We're now beginning to think that the more massive the star, the more massive the planet.

" Ground-based telescopes around the world helped pinpoint the object, including observatories in France, Chile, Germany, Hawaii, Israel and Spain's Canary Islands. The hunt for exoplanets has intensified over recent years, with astronomers usually finding such objects indirectly by observing their gravitational influence on parent stars. Another team showcased what might be the first direct image of an exoplanet around a sun-like star in September.

8:29 AM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

Early wednesday morning, a crowd of hundreds again gathered outside a Mercy Medical Center office on Stafford Street to view what some believed to be an apparition of the Virgin Mary appearing in a second story window. Crowd first gathered Tuesday afternoon, taking photographs of the shadow outlined on the window with their cell phones and saying the rosary. "I think it's Our Lady of Guadalupe," said Olga Romero who lives in the nearby Saab Court Apartments, referring to the apparition of the Virgin Mary reported in 1531 in Mexico. Sister Kathleen Sullivan, senior vice president at Mercy, said an image was observed on the window of a vacant office at the 300 Stafford St. medical building late this morning. "What it is I don't know, but it was certainly humbling to see the faith of the people. It was so beautiful," she said. Word spread, bringing possibly as many as 300 hundred people into the parking lot at one time. The crowd was extremely orderly. Elderly women led others in reciting the rosary and singing. Others were overcome with emotion and crying. Romero said she came to pray for her health. She brought her daughter and granddaughter with her. Deirdre Gogel, of West Springfield, said she found it comforting that the apparition occurred when the United States is going through such trying economic times and people are frightened. Mark E. Dupont, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said the diocese was informed of the situation by officials at Mercy Medical Center. Dupont said he went to the medical center and saw a clearly defined outline as sunlight shone through a window.

"Certainly it was inspiring people, and Catholics throughout their history have a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin," Dupont said. He said it would take years for the church to investigate an apparition. "We want to be careful not to mislead people, but what we can't debate is the faith of the people," he said. Sister Margaret McCleary, of the Sisters of Providence, said she stopped by after she heard news of the apparition.

8:26 AM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

A new remote sensing technology has peeled away layers of mud and rock near Peru's Cahuachi desert to reveal an ancient adobe pyramid, Italian researchers announced on Friday at a satellite imagery conference in Rome. Nicola Masini and Rosa Lasaponara of Italy's National Research Council (CNR) discovered the pyramid by analyzing images from the satellite Quickbird, which they used to penetrate the Peruvian soil. The researchers investigated a test area along the river Nazca. Covered by plants and grass, it was about a mile away from Cahuachi's archaeological site, which contains the remains of what is believed to be the world's biggest mud city. Via Quickbird, Masini and colleagues collected high-resolution infrared and multispectral images. After the researchers optimized the data with special algorithms, the result was a detailed visualization of a pyramid extending over a 97,000-square-foot (9,000-square-meter) area.The discovery doesn't come as a surprise to archaeologists, since some 40 mounds at Cahuachi are believed to contain the remains of important structures. "We know that many buildings are still buried under Cahuachi's sands, but until now, it was almost impossible to exactly locate them and detect their shape from an aerial view," Masini told Discovery News. "The biggest problem was the very low contrast between adobe, which is sun-dried earth, and the background subsoil." Cahuachi is the best-known site of the Nazca civilization, which flourished in Peru between the first century B.C. and the fifth century A.D. and slid into oblivion by the time the Inca Empire rose to dominate the Andes.

Famous for carving in the Peruvian desert hundreds of geometric lines and images of animals and birds that are best viewed from the air, the Nazca people built Cahuachi as a ceremonial center, molding pyramids, temples and plazas from the desert itself.

8:22 AM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

Iran has announced plans for a new car designed specially for women.

Its features will include automatic transmission, parking and navigation aids and a jack for changing tyres without getting grease on your chador.

Iran's biggest car producer, Iran Khodro, says it will come in a range of feminine colours and interior designs.

Other features are proposed to make it easier for women when they are doing the family shopping or taking their children to school.

If that suggests a degree of sexist stereotyping in Iranian society, it is, just possibly, true.

Despite the fact that Iranian women now make up around 60% of university students, Iranian men have yet to absorb fully the message of equality.

A recent study by an academic from Allameh Tabatabaii University in Tehran found that working Iranian women believed that the domestic chores should be shared more equally.

However, according to the report "their husbands think and act traditionally".

Indeed, the idea of married men cooking for their wives is viewed in Iran as highly eccentric.

As a result, the report concludes, Iran's new generation of working women "are obliged to play the role of a superwoman to resolve their contradictions in handling all tasks."

It says such women "have become increasingly frustrated with their life".

'Modesty bikes'

Officially, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists that Iranian women are the most equal in the world.

And the authorities proudly boast of the achievements and opportunities open to Iranian women.

But the official Iranian concept of equality is very different from that understood by Western feminists.

Among the more eccentric policies here, Iran recently announced plans for a special bicycle for women.

None of the machines has been spotted yet, but apparently the idea is to provide special covers, to help preserve female modesty as they pedal.

Women, however, are still banned from riding motorcycles.

However, they can often be seen perched on the back, sometimes with one or two small children in their arms, as their husband weaves through the Iranian traffic.

11:37 AM
Categories: Latest Tech, Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

The $20m (£11.5m) match between England and Sir Allen Stanford's Caribbean team is in doubt after a High Court ruling.

The West Indies Cricket Board has lost its case against team sponsor Digicel and been told it cannot sanction the match, set for 1 November in Antigua.

Digicel, overlooked as a sponsor, took action as it felt it had full branding rights on the match, claiming it was effectively a West Indies match.

The ruling added that no West Indians on central contracts could play.

That would mean star players like captain Chris Gayle and batsmen Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan would be barred from playing for England's opponents, the Stanford Super Stars XI.

Digicel had been unhappy that Texan billionaire Stanford was only prepared to grant them minimal branding on the bowlers' run-ups and boundary boards. It felt it had a right to a larger slice of the publicity and marketing surrounding the match.

BBC Sport understands he, Digicel and the WICB will now be locked in furious negotiations over the next few days in a bid to save the match which is due to feature a whole week of warm-up matches.

Domestic Twenty20 champions Middlesex are also involved in the action - and are due to be paid handsomely should they win their match against Trinidad & Tobago.

The news is a blow to Kevin Pietersen's England squad, each of whom is set to become overnight dollar millionaires should the match go ahead - and they win it.

BBC Radio 5 Live reporter Pat Murphy said: "It is a humiliation for the West Indies board.

"Digicel maintain [England's opponents] are a full-strength West Indies XI and as the game is recognised by the ICC they are entitled to more than just recognition of their company on the bowlers' run-ups and boundary boards. After all they are the official sponsors of the West Indies Cricket Board.

"The game is now in doubt, the next couple of days will be absolutely crucial."

BBC sports editor Mihir Bose said all parties remained confident of an eventual settlement, with the cash-strapped WICB - which has the most to lose should the match not proceed - likely to have to forgo some of the money that was due to come to them.

WICB chief executive Dr Donald Peters said: "We understand the arbitrator has ruled against us and at this point we are trying to evaluate what the terms of the ruling are before we make any statement."

The England and Wales Cricket Board is keen that the match goes ahead as planned, as it feels it is the best way to lure the top players away from the temptations of the Indian Premier League.

On Monday, ECB chairman Giles Clarke was bullish there would be nothing in the High Court ruling to jeopardise the match, saying: "I'm sure the wise heads involved will sort out the issues.

"It's a matter between the West Indies Cricket Board and Digicel and I'm sure that everybody is seeking to find a sensible solution to enable this very dramatic and extremely exciting game of cricket to go ahead."

Stanford Super Series schedule:
25 Oct: Stanford Super Stars v Trinidad & Tobago
26 Oct: England v Middlesex
27 Oct: Trinidad & Tobago v Middlesex
28 Oct: England v Trinidad & Tobago
29 Oct: Stanford Super Stars v Middlesex
30 Oct: Rest day
31 Oct: Legends Beach Cricket match
1 Nov: Stanford Super Stars v England

11:36 AM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu