EMC Corp., the Hopkinton-based data storage giant, said that it plans to invest $1.5 billion in India from 2010 to 2014. That amount represents a threefold increase to previous investments made by EMC in India over the previous five years, the company said in a press release.
The announcement was made as EMC marked the inauguration of a new facility that consolidates research-and-development and EMC Global Services organizations from four locations into one campus that forms a company Centre of Excellence in India, EMC said.
The campus in Bengaluru represents one of EMC's largest R&D centers outside the United States, said EMC, which added that it opened its India operations in 2000.
David Goulden, EMC executive vice president and chief financial officer, said in a statement: "India offers tremendous opportunities in innovation and market potential. In these economic times, leaders get stronger by their ability to make smart investments. EMC's commitment of $1.5 billion over the next five years illustrates the important role India will play in the company's long-term strategic APJ (Asia-Pacific-Japan) and global growth plans."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Indian priests beaten in Pashupati temple
Two Indian priests were on Friday severely thrashed and their clothes and sacred thread torn by dozens of Maoists who stormed into Nepal’s famous Pashupatinath temple, giving a violent turn to the protest against their recent appointment.
Some 40-50 Maoists, posing as devotees, barged into the 5th century Hindu shrine at around 1.30 pm and broke open the door of a room where the priests — Girish Bhatta and Raghavendra Bhatta — were preparing for daily prayers.
The priests, both aged 32 and hailing from Karnataka, were beaten up, their clothes and sacred thread torn.
They were then dragged to the outer gate, the officials said.
The priests were badly injured with one suffering a black eye.
The policemen with the help of local people rescued the duo, who were recently brought here by the temple authorities, said Shiva Sharan Raj Bhandari, a temple aide and part of a three-member selection committee that recommended their names.
Taking a serious view of the incident, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Mr Rakesh Sood, took it up with the Nepal Home minister, Mr Bhim Bahadur Rawal and Culture minister, Mr Sarat Singh Bhandari, who assured him that steps will be taken to ensure the safety of the priests.
Subsequently, the head priest of the temple was provided a personal security officer and a platoon of armed police was deployed at the shrine.
Some 40-50 Maoists, posing as devotees, barged into the 5th century Hindu shrine at around 1.30 pm and broke open the door of a room where the priests — Girish Bhatta and Raghavendra Bhatta — were preparing for daily prayers.
The priests, both aged 32 and hailing from Karnataka, were beaten up, their clothes and sacred thread torn.
They were then dragged to the outer gate, the officials said.
The priests were badly injured with one suffering a black eye.
The policemen with the help of local people rescued the duo, who were recently brought here by the temple authorities, said Shiva Sharan Raj Bhandari, a temple aide and part of a three-member selection committee that recommended their names.
Taking a serious view of the incident, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Mr Rakesh Sood, took it up with the Nepal Home minister, Mr Bhim Bahadur Rawal and Culture minister, Mr Sarat Singh Bhandari, who assured him that steps will be taken to ensure the safety of the priests.
Subsequently, the head priest of the temple was provided a personal security officer and a platoon of armed police was deployed at the shrine.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
YSR's chopper deviated from route, hit a cliff
The helicopter carrying Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy from Hyderabad to Chittoor on Wednesday deviated 18 km from its path towards east, near Rudrakoduru in the Nallamala forest range in Kurnool district, before it hit a cliff and crashed. "The chopper hit the cliff, crashed and exploded. All the five persons in the ill-fated helicopter were burnt to death," state Finance Minister K Rosaiah and Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy said in Hyderabad on Thursday. The chopper might have drifted from its path because of a large cloud formation due to inclement weather and ended up hitting the cliff, they said. Except the tail portion, the body of the Bell-430 helicopter of AP Aviation Corporation was reduced to bits and pieces in the mishap.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
YSR's chopper goes missing over dense Naxal & tiger-infested Andhra jungle
A helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajashekhar Reddy, two of his staff and two pilots went missing in pouring rain A file photo of Andhra Pradesh CM YSR Reddy. Wednesday morning over the Naxal and tiger-infested Nalamalla forests and with no contact until early Thursday, experts and officials feared the worst.
Soon after the chopper lost contact, multiple agencies of the state launched a massive hunt for possible wreckage in the desolate terrain. By evening, it expanded into the country's biggest-ever search operation with satellites in the sky joining remote sensing aircraft, fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, troops on the ground and even barefoot deer-hunting tribals with bows and arrows. The Air Force pressed its topline Sukhoi 30 MKI into a night search and flew in Dornier and Avro reconnaissance aircraft. US ambassador to India Tim Roemer and Union home minister P Chidambaram spoke several times through the evening and the US volunteered to provide information picked up by its satellites.
The search operation is now focussed on a 5 km radius, news channels reported early Thursday morning. Rains and bad weather are hampering the search operation.
It was a flight that should not have taken off at all. The Met office had forecast not only heavy rainfall but the likelihood of fierce lightning and thunderstorms. But the 60-year-old politician was adamant. He was to kickstart a new village mass-contact programme called Rachabanda from Chittoor district (better known for housing the Tirupati temple) at 10.30am and there was no way that he was missing his appointment.
The Bell 430 took off at 8.38am from Begumpet airport, not more than 2km from Reddy's residence, on its 500-km journey. For about 30 minutes, things were fine and the pilot was in touch with the air traffic control (ATC). But soon after entering the space over the Nallamalla forests, it ran into problems. Rain was thick and visibility was zero. What happened thereafter remains a mystery so far but in all probability, the helicopter went down. The helicopter was last in contact with the ATC at 9.12am. The chopper had fuel to fly for 2.45 hours, enough to make it to Chittoor.
Apart from Reddy, the chopper was carrying principal secretary to CM S Subrahmanyam and YSR's chief security officer ASC Wesley. The craft was being piloted by group captain S K Bhatia and captain M S Reddy.
"It was last sighted by villagers between Atmakur and Bandiatmakur close to Rollapenta entering the Nallamalla forests from Kurnool district towards Prakasam district between 9.15 am and 9.30 am," chief secretary P Ramakanth Reddy said.
In New Delhi, there was a flurry of activity in the Congress and the home ministry went into a tizzy, setting in motion all emergency procedures possible. Minister of state for defence P Raju said the emergency locating transmitter (ELT) had not been activated and this gave hope that the chopper had made a safe landing.
What is causing immense worry is that Nallamalla, or 'Black Hills' in Telugu, is a dense, hilly, forest that is an extension of the Eastern Ghats. It was once the main area of operation for AP Naxals and armed cadres are still suspected to be hiding out in the forest camps. But what is known for sure is that the forest is tiger territory.
"For the last three days, the forest region has seen heavy rains and zero visibility. The Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers are overflowing and the Srisailam reservoir is full. The area is full of water," A V Rao, a Kurnool resident, told TOI. The area is sparsely populated with Chenchu tribals. "It is an inaccessible area with no cellphone towers, radio signals," Rao added. Strangely enough for a helicopter carrying the chief minister, the Bell 430 did not have a satellite phone connection.
Alarm bells started ringing in the state government headquarters from mid-day but police parties which were sent out drew a blank as they could not venture out too far in pouring rain. Meanwhile, the rumour mill was active with stories flying thick and fast about how the chief minister had been rescued. Faced with a barrage of queries, finance minister K Rosiah called a press conference to deny that Reddy had been found.
Later in the day, chief secretary Ramakanth Reddy said two IAF helicopters from Bangalore and one private chopper from Krishnapatnam in Nellore district scoured the area but found no sign of the CM's chopper. "Earlier, two IAF choppers from Hakimpet had set out but had to return halfway because of the inclement weather. The state has now deployed an aircraft belonging to the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) which is operating throughout Monday night at a height of 1.5 km over the forest area where the helicopter was last sighted," the chief secretary said.
Teams which entered the Nallamalla forests during the day on foot had to return because of adverse weather conditions. "We went upto 20 km into the forest but had to return as the rivers are in spate," K Subba Reddy, a local resident of Velgodu village, told TOI over phone after returning to the village.
Late on Wednesday night, hundreds of Greyhound personnel, raised to fight Naxals, moved into the Nallamalla forest riding on tractors borrowed from Nallakaluva village in Kurnool district as part of the search operations. Officials from the revenue and forest departments, AP Special Police and tribals were also pressed into service, the chief secretary said.
Race against time: missing since Wednesday morning
8.38am: Chopper takes off from Hyderabad for Chittoor (approx 500 km), where YSR was to launch mass contact plan. Accompanied by principal secy S Subrahmanyam & chief security officer ASC Wesley
9.35am: Copter declared missing. Last known coordinates: 168°, 79 nautical miles from Hyderabad. Around 10.15am, private choppers pressed into search operations
1.30pm : Defence Chetak choppers join search but are forced to return within an hour because of bad weather
2.30pm: 2 IAF MI-8 choppers mobilized. Dornier and Avro planes called in. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle put on stand-by
5.30pm: 5 companies of CRPF (600 men) enter Nallamala forest with night vision devices. By sunset, 20 teams, including 3 columns of Army, state police (including anti-Naxal squads), forest and revenue officials enter 1,000 sqkm area
Primitive tribe of Chenchus, who hunt with bows and arrows, approached for assistance
6.30pm: Chopper search called off due to poor light & bad weather. After sundown, IAF’s Sukhoi-30 MKI with thermal imaging devices used
Soon after the chopper lost contact, multiple agencies of the state launched a massive hunt for possible wreckage in the desolate terrain. By evening, it expanded into the country's biggest-ever search operation with satellites in the sky joining remote sensing aircraft, fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, troops on the ground and even barefoot deer-hunting tribals with bows and arrows. The Air Force pressed its topline Sukhoi 30 MKI into a night search and flew in Dornier and Avro reconnaissance aircraft. US ambassador to India Tim Roemer and Union home minister P Chidambaram spoke several times through the evening and the US volunteered to provide information picked up by its satellites.
The search operation is now focussed on a 5 km radius, news channels reported early Thursday morning. Rains and bad weather are hampering the search operation.
It was a flight that should not have taken off at all. The Met office had forecast not only heavy rainfall but the likelihood of fierce lightning and thunderstorms. But the 60-year-old politician was adamant. He was to kickstart a new village mass-contact programme called Rachabanda from Chittoor district (better known for housing the Tirupati temple) at 10.30am and there was no way that he was missing his appointment.
The Bell 430 took off at 8.38am from Begumpet airport, not more than 2km from Reddy's residence, on its 500-km journey. For about 30 minutes, things were fine and the pilot was in touch with the air traffic control (ATC). But soon after entering the space over the Nallamalla forests, it ran into problems. Rain was thick and visibility was zero. What happened thereafter remains a mystery so far but in all probability, the helicopter went down. The helicopter was last in contact with the ATC at 9.12am. The chopper had fuel to fly for 2.45 hours, enough to make it to Chittoor.
Apart from Reddy, the chopper was carrying principal secretary to CM S Subrahmanyam and YSR's chief security officer ASC Wesley. The craft was being piloted by group captain S K Bhatia and captain M S Reddy.
"It was last sighted by villagers between Atmakur and Bandiatmakur close to Rollapenta entering the Nallamalla forests from Kurnool district towards Prakasam district between 9.15 am and 9.30 am," chief secretary P Ramakanth Reddy said.
In New Delhi, there was a flurry of activity in the Congress and the home ministry went into a tizzy, setting in motion all emergency procedures possible. Minister of state for defence P Raju said the emergency locating transmitter (ELT) had not been activated and this gave hope that the chopper had made a safe landing.
What is causing immense worry is that Nallamalla, or 'Black Hills' in Telugu, is a dense, hilly, forest that is an extension of the Eastern Ghats. It was once the main area of operation for AP Naxals and armed cadres are still suspected to be hiding out in the forest camps. But what is known for sure is that the forest is tiger territory.
"For the last three days, the forest region has seen heavy rains and zero visibility. The Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers are overflowing and the Srisailam reservoir is full. The area is full of water," A V Rao, a Kurnool resident, told TOI. The area is sparsely populated with Chenchu tribals. "It is an inaccessible area with no cellphone towers, radio signals," Rao added. Strangely enough for a helicopter carrying the chief minister, the Bell 430 did not have a satellite phone connection.
Alarm bells started ringing in the state government headquarters from mid-day but police parties which were sent out drew a blank as they could not venture out too far in pouring rain. Meanwhile, the rumour mill was active with stories flying thick and fast about how the chief minister had been rescued. Faced with a barrage of queries, finance minister K Rosiah called a press conference to deny that Reddy had been found.
Later in the day, chief secretary Ramakanth Reddy said two IAF helicopters from Bangalore and one private chopper from Krishnapatnam in Nellore district scoured the area but found no sign of the CM's chopper. "Earlier, two IAF choppers from Hakimpet had set out but had to return halfway because of the inclement weather. The state has now deployed an aircraft belonging to the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) which is operating throughout Monday night at a height of 1.5 km over the forest area where the helicopter was last sighted," the chief secretary said.
Teams which entered the Nallamalla forests during the day on foot had to return because of adverse weather conditions. "We went upto 20 km into the forest but had to return as the rivers are in spate," K Subba Reddy, a local resident of Velgodu village, told TOI over phone after returning to the village.
Late on Wednesday night, hundreds of Greyhound personnel, raised to fight Naxals, moved into the Nallamalla forest riding on tractors borrowed from Nallakaluva village in Kurnool district as part of the search operations. Officials from the revenue and forest departments, AP Special Police and tribals were also pressed into service, the chief secretary said.
Race against time: missing since Wednesday morning
8.38am: Chopper takes off from Hyderabad for Chittoor (approx 500 km), where YSR was to launch mass contact plan. Accompanied by principal secy S Subrahmanyam & chief security officer ASC Wesley
9.35am: Copter declared missing. Last known coordinates: 168°, 79 nautical miles from Hyderabad. Around 10.15am, private choppers pressed into search operations
1.30pm : Defence Chetak choppers join search but are forced to return within an hour because of bad weather
2.30pm: 2 IAF MI-8 choppers mobilized. Dornier and Avro planes called in. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle put on stand-by
5.30pm: 5 companies of CRPF (600 men) enter Nallamala forest with night vision devices. By sunset, 20 teams, including 3 columns of Army, state police (including anti-Naxal squads), forest and revenue officials enter 1,000 sqkm area
Primitive tribe of Chenchus, who hunt with bows and arrows, approached for assistance
6.30pm: Chopper search called off due to poor light & bad weather. After sundown, IAF’s Sukhoi-30 MKI with thermal imaging devices used
AP student dies in car accident in US
A 22-year-old student from Hyderabad was killed in a freak car accident in the US. Naresh Dacha, first year MS (EE) student at Wright State University, was driving from his home to the university on Monday morning along with his friend Varun when his car hit a tree on Route 22 in Dayton, Ohio. The incident happened around 5.30 am when Naresh hit the tree in an effort to save a cat.
Varun, who was in the front passenger's seat, is safe with minor injuries, said Prasad Thotakura, president-elect of Telugu Association of North America (TANA)."We have informed the parents of Naresh. We are making all the necessary arrangements to send the body of Naresh to Hyderabad as soon as possible," Thotakura said.
Naresh completed his BTech from Arora Engineering College, Bhuvangiri, Nalgonda district in 2008 and joined Wright State University in January 2009. He is survived by his parents and brother who live in Hyderabad. "It is very sad to see a young bright student losing his life in a freak, horrific accident. Bhaskar Dacha, father of Naresh, was in a great shock seeking TANA help to send Naresh's body to Hyderabad to pay last respects to his beloved son," said Jayaram Komati, president, TANA.
Varun, who was in the front passenger's seat, is safe with minor injuries, said Prasad Thotakura, president-elect of Telugu Association of North America (TANA)."We have informed the parents of Naresh. We are making all the necessary arrangements to send the body of Naresh to Hyderabad as soon as possible," Thotakura said.
Naresh completed his BTech from Arora Engineering College, Bhuvangiri, Nalgonda district in 2008 and joined Wright State University in January 2009. He is survived by his parents and brother who live in Hyderabad. "It is very sad to see a young bright student losing his life in a freak, horrific accident. Bhaskar Dacha, father of Naresh, was in a great shock seeking TANA help to send Naresh's body to Hyderabad to pay last respects to his beloved son," said Jayaram Komati, president, TANA.
Indian cricketers dominate 2009 ICC awards list
India's recent superb run in Test and one-day cricket on Wednesday reflected in the ICC's annual awards nominations as captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was listed in three categories for honour.
Dhoni was nominated for ICC Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year and ODI Player of the Year awards.
Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh were the other Indian nominees for the prestigious Cricketer of the Year award.
VVS Laxman joined the trio of Dhoni, Gambhir and Harbhajan to be in the line for the Test Player of the Year award while Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag were also in the fray for the honour of ODI Player of the Year.
Dhoni has already been the ODI Player of the Year in 2008 besides being named in the ODI Team of the Year.
Zaheer Khan was nominated for Twenty20 Performer of the Year award while Amit Mishra will be vying for the honour in the Emerging Player of the year category as Indians led the overall nominations for the award.
Mithali Raj was nominated for the Women's Cricketer of the year award.
The nominations were announced by dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag and former captain Ravi Shastri in the presence of International Cricket Council Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat while the awards will be presented on October 1 in Johannesburg, South Africa during the Champions Trophy.
The nominations were based on performances from August 13, 2008 to August 24, 2009 and were selected by a five-member selection panel, headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.
The panel also included former India Test captain Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan, Bob Taylor of England and New Zealand's Stephen Fleming.
The awards include eight individual prizes and also features the selection of the Test and ODI Teams of the Year and the award to the side that has adhered most to the Spirit of Cricket.
Besides Dhoni, Tillakaratne Dilshan has also been nominated in three different categories, while 18 players make appearance in two distinct categories in the sixth edition of the awards.
The individual player awards will be selected by an academy of 25 highly credentialed cricket personalities from around the world.
The academy includes a host of former players and respected members of the media, representatives of the Emirates Elite Panels of ICC Umpires and ICC Match Referees.
The nominations for Women's Cricketer of the Year were decided after a committee of former players, current administrators and journalists created a long-list. The Spirit of Cricket Award was voted on by all international captains as well as all members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.
The Umpire of the Year Award was voted on by the captains and the match referees based on the umpires' performance statistics.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
[Lists of nominees (in alphabetical order)]
Cricketer of the Year:
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Gautam Gambhir (Ind), Saqib Al Hasan (Ban), Mitchell Johnson (Aus), Graham Onions (Eng), Thilan Samaraweera (SL), Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Harbhajan Singh (Ind), Graeme Smith (SA), Andrew Strauss (Eng), Daniel Vettori (NZ), AB de Villiers (SA)
Test Player of the Year:
Stuart Broad (Eng), Michael Clarke (Aus), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Gautam Gambhir (Ind), Saqib Al Hasan (Ban), Mitchell Johnson (Aus), VVS Laxman (Ind), Jesse Ryder (NZ), Thilan Samaraweera (SL), Ramnaresh Sarwan (WI), Peter Siddle (Aus), Harbhajan Singh (Ind), Graeme Smith (SA), Dale Steyn (SA), Andrew Strauss (Eng), Graeme Swann (Eng), Daniel Vettori (NZ), AB de Villiers (SA).
ODI Player of the Year:
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Andrew Flintoff (Eng), Chris Gayle (WI), Umar Gul (Pak), Martin Guptill (NZ), Michael Hussey (Aus), Nuwan Kulasekara (SL), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Muttiah Muralidaran (SL), Yuvraj Singh (Ind), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Thilan Thushara (SL)
Emerging Player: Martin Guptill (NZ), Ben Hilfenhaus (Aus), Philip Hughes (Aus), Amit Mishra (Ind), Graham Onions (Eng), Kemar Roach (WI), Jesse Ryder (NZ), Peter Siddle (Aus)
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year:
Shahid Afridi (Pak), Saeed Ajmal (Pak), Dwayne Bravo (WI), Alex Cusack (Ire), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Chris Gayle (WI), Umar Gul (Pak), David Hussey (Aus), Sanath Jayasuriya (SL), Zaheer Khan (Ind), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Wayne Parnell (SA), Abdur Razzak (Ban), David Warner (Aus).
Women's Cricketer of the Year:
Suzie Bates (NZ), Holly Colvin (Eng), Charlotte Edwards (Eng), Laura Marsh (Eng), Sana Mir (Pak), Shelley Nitschke (Aus), Mithali Raj (Ind), Karen Rolton (Aus), Priyanka Roy (Ind), Lisa Sthalekar (Aus), Claire Taylor (Eng), Sarah Taylor (Eng), Stafanie Taylor (WI), Haidee Tiffin (NZ), Aimee Watkins (NZ)
Umpire of the Year:
Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Daryl Harper, Asad Rauf, Simon Taufel.
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year:
Rizwan Cheema (Can), Khurram Chohan (Can), Alex Cusack (Ire), Ryan ten Doeschate (Ned), Trent Johnston (Ire) Neil McCallum (Sco), Kevin O'Brien (Ire), Niall O¿Brien (Ire), William Porterfield (Ire), Boyd Rankin (Ire), Edgar Schiferli (Ned), Steve Tikolo (Ken), Regan West (Ire), Bas Zuiderent (Ned).
Dhoni was nominated for ICC Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year and ODI Player of the Year awards.
Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh were the other Indian nominees for the prestigious Cricketer of the Year award.
VVS Laxman joined the trio of Dhoni, Gambhir and Harbhajan to be in the line for the Test Player of the Year award while Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag were also in the fray for the honour of ODI Player of the Year.
Dhoni has already been the ODI Player of the Year in 2008 besides being named in the ODI Team of the Year.
Zaheer Khan was nominated for Twenty20 Performer of the Year award while Amit Mishra will be vying for the honour in the Emerging Player of the year category as Indians led the overall nominations for the award.
Mithali Raj was nominated for the Women's Cricketer of the year award.
The nominations were announced by dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag and former captain Ravi Shastri in the presence of International Cricket Council Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat while the awards will be presented on October 1 in Johannesburg, South Africa during the Champions Trophy.
The nominations were based on performances from August 13, 2008 to August 24, 2009 and were selected by a five-member selection panel, headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.
The panel also included former India Test captain Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan, Bob Taylor of England and New Zealand's Stephen Fleming.
The awards include eight individual prizes and also features the selection of the Test and ODI Teams of the Year and the award to the side that has adhered most to the Spirit of Cricket.
Besides Dhoni, Tillakaratne Dilshan has also been nominated in three different categories, while 18 players make appearance in two distinct categories in the sixth edition of the awards.
The individual player awards will be selected by an academy of 25 highly credentialed cricket personalities from around the world.
The academy includes a host of former players and respected members of the media, representatives of the Emirates Elite Panels of ICC Umpires and ICC Match Referees.
The nominations for Women's Cricketer of the Year were decided after a committee of former players, current administrators and journalists created a long-list. The Spirit of Cricket Award was voted on by all international captains as well as all members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.
The Umpire of the Year Award was voted on by the captains and the match referees based on the umpires' performance statistics.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
[Lists of nominees (in alphabetical order)]
Cricketer of the Year:
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Gautam Gambhir (Ind), Saqib Al Hasan (Ban), Mitchell Johnson (Aus), Graham Onions (Eng), Thilan Samaraweera (SL), Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Harbhajan Singh (Ind), Graeme Smith (SA), Andrew Strauss (Eng), Daniel Vettori (NZ), AB de Villiers (SA)
Test Player of the Year:
Stuart Broad (Eng), Michael Clarke (Aus), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Gautam Gambhir (Ind), Saqib Al Hasan (Ban), Mitchell Johnson (Aus), VVS Laxman (Ind), Jesse Ryder (NZ), Thilan Samaraweera (SL), Ramnaresh Sarwan (WI), Peter Siddle (Aus), Harbhajan Singh (Ind), Graeme Smith (SA), Dale Steyn (SA), Andrew Strauss (Eng), Graeme Swann (Eng), Daniel Vettori (NZ), AB de Villiers (SA).
ODI Player of the Year:
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Ind), Andrew Flintoff (Eng), Chris Gayle (WI), Umar Gul (Pak), Martin Guptill (NZ), Michael Hussey (Aus), Nuwan Kulasekara (SL), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Muttiah Muralidaran (SL), Yuvraj Singh (Ind), Virender Sehwag (Ind), Thilan Thushara (SL)
Emerging Player: Martin Guptill (NZ), Ben Hilfenhaus (Aus), Philip Hughes (Aus), Amit Mishra (Ind), Graham Onions (Eng), Kemar Roach (WI), Jesse Ryder (NZ), Peter Siddle (Aus)
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year:
Shahid Afridi (Pak), Saeed Ajmal (Pak), Dwayne Bravo (WI), Alex Cusack (Ire), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Chris Gayle (WI), Umar Gul (Pak), David Hussey (Aus), Sanath Jayasuriya (SL), Zaheer Khan (Ind), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Wayne Parnell (SA), Abdur Razzak (Ban), David Warner (Aus).
Women's Cricketer of the Year:
Suzie Bates (NZ), Holly Colvin (Eng), Charlotte Edwards (Eng), Laura Marsh (Eng), Sana Mir (Pak), Shelley Nitschke (Aus), Mithali Raj (Ind), Karen Rolton (Aus), Priyanka Roy (Ind), Lisa Sthalekar (Aus), Claire Taylor (Eng), Sarah Taylor (Eng), Stafanie Taylor (WI), Haidee Tiffin (NZ), Aimee Watkins (NZ)
Umpire of the Year:
Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Daryl Harper, Asad Rauf, Simon Taufel.
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year:
Rizwan Cheema (Can), Khurram Chohan (Can), Alex Cusack (Ire), Ryan ten Doeschate (Ned), Trent Johnston (Ire) Neil McCallum (Sco), Kevin O'Brien (Ire), Niall O¿Brien (Ire), William Porterfield (Ire), Boyd Rankin (Ire), Edgar Schiferli (Ned), Steve Tikolo (Ken), Regan West (Ire), Bas Zuiderent (Ned).
Obama hosts Iftaar at White House; praises Islam
US President Barack Obama praised Islam and American Muslims during an Iftaar party hosted by him at the White House and said he was committed to build a better relationship between the US and Muslim world. "Together, we have a responsibility to foster engagement grounded in mutual interest and mutual respect. And that's one of my fundamental commitments as President, both at home and abroad," Obama said at the Iftaar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan, last evening - his first at the White House. "That is central to the new beginning that I've sought between the United States and Muslims around the world. And that is a commitment that we can renew once again during this holy season," Obama said before a host of diplomats including Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar, lawmakers, his cabinet colleagues and eminent American Muslim leaders.
"Tonight, we celebrate a great religion, and its commitment to justice and progress. We honour the contributions of America's Muslims, and the positive example that so many of them set through their own lives. And we rededicate ourselves to the work of building a better and more hopeful world," he said. Ramadan, a month long period of prayer, reflection and sunrise-to-sunset fasts, began on August 22 in most of the Islamic world. Nearly two dozen Ambassadors were invited to attend the White House Iftaar wherein the menu included dates, kitchen garden green salad, spiced marcona almonds, Charlie's honey vinaigrette, organic chicken, potato and leek puree, late summer peas, kataifi wafers, oranges and lemon sorbet.
Quoting from one of the statements of the legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali, the US President said: "Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams -- they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do - they all contain truths." They all contain truths, Obama said. Among those truths are the pursuit of peace and the dignity of all human beings. That must always form the basis upon which we find common ground, he said. "And that is why I am so pleased that we are joined tonight not only by so many outstanding Muslim Americans and representatives of the diplomatic corps, but people of many faiths -- Christians, Jews, and Hindus -- along with so many prominent Muslims," Obama said.
White House dinners marking the holy month are nothing new. Former President George W Bush held Iftaars during his eight years in office.
"Tonight, we celebrate a great religion, and its commitment to justice and progress. We honour the contributions of America's Muslims, and the positive example that so many of them set through their own lives. And we rededicate ourselves to the work of building a better and more hopeful world," he said. Ramadan, a month long period of prayer, reflection and sunrise-to-sunset fasts, began on August 22 in most of the Islamic world. Nearly two dozen Ambassadors were invited to attend the White House Iftaar wherein the menu included dates, kitchen garden green salad, spiced marcona almonds, Charlie's honey vinaigrette, organic chicken, potato and leek puree, late summer peas, kataifi wafers, oranges and lemon sorbet.
Quoting from one of the statements of the legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali, the US President said: "Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams -- they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do - they all contain truths." They all contain truths, Obama said. Among those truths are the pursuit of peace and the dignity of all human beings. That must always form the basis upon which we find common ground, he said. "And that is why I am so pleased that we are joined tonight not only by so many outstanding Muslim Americans and representatives of the diplomatic corps, but people of many faiths -- Christians, Jews, and Hindus -- along with so many prominent Muslims," Obama said.
White House dinners marking the holy month are nothing new. Former President George W Bush held Iftaars during his eight years in office.
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