England gold medal hope Yafai pulls out of CWG

When it looks that all is well with the commonwealth games, England`s boxing gold-medal hope Khalid Yafai has become the latest high-profile athlete to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games due to a long-standing elbow injury.



Yafai had travelled with the rest of his team to their holding camp in Thailand despite fears that the injury might rule him out of the competition.The absence of the 21-year-old is a major blow to the England boxing team`s hopes of matching the five gold medals they claimed in Melbourne four years ago.



Although no replacement will be named for Yafai, it is possible Tommy Stubbs, from Liverpool, could move up from the 48kg division to box at the higher weight.

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Posted in Cwg2010 , England , Gold Medal

Bollywood stars appeal for peace

Ahead of the High Court verdict on the RamJanam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, not just the politicians and religious leaders, our Bollywood stars too are coming forward and appealing for peace.



Says Shahrukh Khan, “We should treat this as a decision that we all need to follow with love and peace that we have for each other.”



Priyanka Chopra also appealed for calm as she said, “There are lot of peaceful ways to appeal, please follow them.”



“Common man of this country wants to go to work, he wants to provide for his family. So we should ensure that lives are not affected,” says Director and actor Farhan Akhtar.



“As long as the verdict is peaceful, as long as the verdict doesn`t encourage any kind of violence, any kind of stupidity, you know, that`s all we pray for and I am sure that gonna happen,” says Ranbir Kapoor.

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Posted in bollywood , peace , Shahrukh Khan

Muslims want to move on

As very important judgement would be delivered on RamJanam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the issue is no longer as inflammable for the Muslim youth as it used to be. They feel that preventing fresh unrest is more important. Sixty years since that suit was filed, and 18 years after the mosque’s demolition, the inflammatory issue seems to have lost some of its fire. Muslims once thought the mosque was a metaphor for Indian secularism and its rebuilding alone could restore their faith in their nation.



Today, the debate has little meaning for many among them, or at least the younger generation.

“Me and my Muslim friends may have together discussed this subject once in my entire life,” says Shabbir. “I think it is pointless to shed blood over one mosque when there are so many other mosques around the country.



It had anyway been locked for decades before the demolition. What happened was grossly unjust, but we have to move on.”-- Saif Shahin,editor and publisher,NewageIslam.com. Omar Ilyasi,Islamic scholar and Imam of Kasturba Gandhi Marg mosque of the capital said that the nation has to address other serious issues like poverty,social injustice and unemployment rather than this non-issue. “ I am of the firm view that both parties much accept the court verdict with all the humility,” he concludes.



Echoing the views of Omar Ilyasi, noted social worker and school teacher in capital,Maqsood Ahmed said,” I know for sure that this very issue is now not that important as it used to be for Muslims. Their priorities have changed. They are now more interested in getting good education and jobs. They would accept the court's verdict. I am ateacher in one of the minority schools of the capital and i can tell you with certain degree of confidence that even Muslims kids are not very much interested in this issue. My only worry is that some parties and leaders may to try to whip the communal feelings in order to gain politically.”



Noted historian and teacher in capital's elite Modern School,FerozFeroz Bakhat Ahmed is of the view that this very issue should be resolved at the earliest. There is no point that we concentrate on this matter rather working on other key issues.

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Posted in Ayodhya verdict , Muslims , Nation

Mukesh again tops list of richest Indians

According to the latest Forbes’ India Rich List, Mukesh Ambani is again at the helm. He has topped the Indian rich list for the third consecutive year with a net worth of $27 billion. India’s rising stock market and a booming economy that’s expanding by 8.5% have boosted the net worth of India’s richest people. The combined net worth of India’s 100 richest people is $300 billion, up from $276 billion last year.



This year, there are 69 billionaires on the India Rich List, 17 more than last year. With a net worth of $26.1 billion, steel king Lakshmi Mittal is at No 2. Moving up to third position this year is IT outsourcer Wipro’s Azim Premji. His wealth increased to $17.6 billion from $14.9 billion last year amid an improving outlook for the sector. Shashi and Ravi Ruia have also improved their ranking to No 4 spot with $15 billion. The IPO of their Essar Energy in May, which raised $1.85 billion, was the largest ever listing in London by an Indian company.



Naazneen Karmali, India Editor of Forbes Asia and Mumbai bureau manager of Forbes magazine, said: “As we had predicted, the huge correction in Indian wealth which occurred in 2008 is fast becoming a distant memory. This year’s list illustrates the vibrancy and resilience ofIndia’s economy. It signals a second wave of Indian capitalists accumulating fantastic fortunes especially in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and real estate.”



“The record number of billionaires on this year’s Forbes list of 100 Richest Indians is yet another clear signal that the centre of gravity will increasingly shift toIndia and China over the next decade. Frontline Indian entrepreneurs have once again displayed their ability to harness the unprecedented wealth creation opportunities that exist in this part of the world.” says Indrajit Gupta, Editor of ForbesIndia.

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Posted in indians , Mukesh Ambani , Richest