At 45, Salman still amongst Bollywood's hottest bachelors

He set pulse racing with his suave and charismatic approach as Prem in “Maine Pyar Kiya”. Two decades and more than 70 films later, Salman Khan, who turns 43 Saturday, is still among Bollywood's most sought after stars and hottest bachelors.At a time when fresh faces are entering the film industry, Salman, who is considered a part of the formidable Khan trio - Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan - still makes girls go weak in the knees not only because of his body which is close to absolute perfection, but also because of his alluring charm.
Miss World first runner-up and a Salman fan Parvathy Omanakuttan has said: “I would love to do a movie opposite Salman Khan, as I have a big time crush on him.”

He might be infamous for his line of controversies, but industry insiders say that the actor is boyishly likeable.

"I must say that Salman has a heart of gold,” filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who directed Salman in recently released film “Yuvvraaj”, told IANS.

“When I was working with him on my film, not even once did I feel that I'm working with a star. I felt I'm working with a family member, a younger brother," he added.

Echoing the same, Priyanka Chopra, who played his leading lady in "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" and God Tussi Great Ho, had said: “Salman is always fun on the sets”.

Born to renowned scriptwriter Salim, Salman made his acting debut as a supporting actor with the film “Biwi Ho To Aisi” in 1988. He had his first commercial success as the lead with the blockbuster “Maine Pyar Kiya”.

After this he went on to do commercially and critically rewarding films such as “Saajan”, “Hum Aapke Hain Kaun”, “Biwi No.1”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”, “Tere Naam” and “Partner”, among others.

The actor has also won two Filmfare Awards including Best Debut for “Maine Pyar Kiya” and Best Supporting Actor for “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”

Salman's penchant for a fit body is no secret. He was one of the first actors to take a plunge into bodybuilding and since then has given tips for that fab look to many including Hritik Roshan.

Singer Sonu Nigam, who took initial exercising lessons from the actor, has said: “We are familiar with his perfect six-pack abs and the upper body muscles, but fans have yet to see his muscular legs, which are so perfect. I think he should expose his legs too.”

Salman's talent is not just confined to the film domain. The multifaceted star often indulges actively in his by-now-famous passion for painting.

Recently, Salman painted two portraits of his contemporary Aamir Khan on black canvasses, showing his interpretations of the character Aamir plays in his new film.

The small screen too got a taste of the six-pack hunk when he agreed to host Synergy Adlabs' reality show “Dus Ka Dum” on Sony channel.

“Salman was most cooperative and an exceptionally generous and hospitable host, which I believe came through in the show,” said Siddhartha Basu, head of Synergy Adlabs.


“He seemed to enjoy the experience and along with his very personal style and star charisma, his genuine generosity, warmth and connect with ordinary people was evident on the show, together with explosive bursts of energy and a gut feel for entertainment,” he added.

Salman is the fourth Indian actor to have been a wax statue in the Madame Tussauds museum in London.

Though box office success eluded the actor this year with duds like “God Tussi Great Ho”, “Hello”, “Heroes”, and “Yuvvraaj”, he can keep his hopes up, as he has a new release on the horizon, “London Dream”.

Movie Review: Veer

Everyone's awaiting VEER with bated breath. The film industry will get another breather if VEER goes the 3 IDIOTS way at the box-office. The junta will have one more fascinating genre to look forward to, if VEER appeals to them. But your hopes go crashing as reel after reel of VEER unfurl.

Salman Khan [who has been credited as the story writer of VEER] takes TARAS BULBA, adds GLADIATOR, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, TROY, TITANIC and even KRANTI [the end is a straight lift of Manoj Kumar's Dilip Kumar starrer] and comes up with this khichdi which gets unpalatable after a point.


VEER is about a warrior and at the same time, it's a love story too. Sadly, neither does it evoke any patriotism, nor does the love story make your heart go dhak-dhak.

The writing [screenplay: Shaktimaan Talwar, Shailesh Verma] is so fragile that one is mentally exhausted by the time this marathon movie finally reaches its finale. Of course, Salman's star power tries hard to salvage the situation, but window dressing doesn't help if the store has nothing to offer.

Final word? You have to be a veer to sit through VEER. Colossal disappointment!

As the British enslave India with their devious Divide and Rule policy, kings and nawabs fall to their guile and cunning schemes and entrust their precious kingdom to the foreigners. Except for the brave Pindaris, who prefer death to dishonour and will fight to their last breath to save their land.

The bravest, the toughest, the strongest of the Pindaris is Veer [Salman Khan]. As Veer takes on the might of the British Empire, he also has to fight the conniving King of Madavgarh [Jackie Shroff] as well his own jealous tribesmen. At stake is his love for princess Yashodhara [Zarine Khan], daughter of his sworn enemy. At stake is his thirst to avenge his father's dishonour.


VEER has it all - great stars, opulent and majestic sets, adrenaline pumping action scenes, but no soul [read script]. The movie begins with a bang, but the moment the story shifts to London, it crashes!

Frankly, it's a screenplay of convenience. Salman meets the woman of his dreams within minutes of reaching London and that looks so unreal. You try to digest it and move on to the next scene and lo! The damsel studies in the same college that our hero has enrolled in. Now that looks fake!

The sequence at the interval is interesting, although it remains a mystery how Puru Raaj Kumar gets to know of Salman's identity. At this point, Salman becomes a killing machine, slaughters more than a dozen people in the hostel campus [including a few gora soldiers] and conveniently escapes from London with a badly injured brother [played by Sohail]. Now that is taking it too far.

The second hour goes on and on and on, emphasising on unfulfilled promises, seething anger and revenge, love and freedom and frankly, you are least bothered by now. In fact, you lose interest in the proceedings. Period. The climax is so long drawn and more of an anti-climax, while the ending is bizarre and unintentionally funny.

Director Anil Sharma fails to deliver. That's the bitter truth. The project had everything going in its favour, but alas, Sharma and his writers make a complete mess of the story. Sajid-Wajid's music is melodious, but why repeat one song ['Surili Ankhiyon Wali'] again and again? The background score [Monty] is top notch. Gopal Shah's cinematography is splendid. Tinu Verma's action scenes are dynamic and in fact, the saving grace of VEER. The production design [art: Sanjay Dhabade] give an authentic feel of the bygone era.

VEER rides on Salman's star power, but even his hardcore fans will be disappointed by this movie. Zarine Khan resembles Katrina Kaif, but wears one expression all through. Mithun is okay, while Jackie does his bit well. Sohail Khan irritates. Puru Raaj Kumar and Aryan Vaid get no scope. Neena Gupta is as usual. The English actors are stereotype.

On the whole, VEER proves the age-old adage true: All that glitters is not gold. The film may open very well at single screens thanks to Salman's popularity and the hype surrounding the film and may also enjoy a healthy extended weekend [Tuesday, 26th January is a holiday], but given its exorbitant costs and poor merits, VEER will face an uphill task to recover its costs. This one's a monumental disappointment!

Dr M: My 9/11 comment won't affect investment

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that his statement that the 9/11 incident in the United States was staged would not hamper Malaysia's move to attract foreign direct investment.

"I have said this many times even when I was the prime minister. I was very nasty about America and Jews. But we still have the foreign direct investment.

"However, we cannot rely on foreign direct investments alone. We must build on our own system," said Dr Mahathir after launching a book Civilisations, Nomadic Migrations, Empires and The Trail of Islam, at the Islamic Arts Museum, here.

The book which entails the history of mankind, origin and commonality of major religions, is written by Syed Salem Albukhary.

Dr Mahathir was asked to elaborate on his statement on Wednesday and in his blog where he claimed the 9/11 attacks were staged as an excuse to mount attacks on the Muslim world.

Dr Mahathir said his statement was based on what he heard and saw on television.

"It sounds logical to me. Until today, you cannot even find scraps of the plane that crashed into the World Trade Centre and there is no picture of the other plane which was supposed to crash.

"The way the tower came crashing down was also funny. People who saw it were also not ordinary people. They were professional engineers and what they say is quite credible.

"I wish some television stations would consent to show the video as it is not long and only three hours. You can then see what I saw."

Dr Mahathir said there was fear among some people to say anything critical as they would be seen as accusing government of powerful countries of doing something wrong.

"But the government of powerful countries said lies to go to war.

"I have great respect for the Arabs but for them to hijack four planes is not very Arab. Just imagine the amount of planning that would be involved.

"They are not good at planning. They tie bomb to their body and crash."

To a question on whether his statement was a publicity stunt, Dr Mahathir said: "What do I gain? I am not going to be the prime minister anymore unless you want me to be ... you propose lah."

On the sand smuggling activities, Dr Mahathir said he was stressing on the issue previously so people could take action.

"Some people are selling a little bit of Malaysia at a time. If you cannot give away one territory then you go ahead giving sand."

Earlier in his speech, Dr Mahathir said that Islam was the most misunderstood religion in the world.

"Often it is misunderstood as a religion of the terrorists but the fact is Islam is a very peace and loving religion."

An inconvienent fee

Budget airline call it a convenient fee. But frequent travellers argue it's an unfair fee.Airasia has since November been charging $5 for every one-way flight paid for online. This fee is added on to the ticket price.

Late last year, budget airlines Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia also increased their convenience fee from $5 to $6 for every one-way flight booked online. So, if you buy a pair of return tickets from either of these two airlines online, you have to fork out $24 in convenience fees instead of $20 previously.

For a pair of AirAsia return tickets, you have to pay $20 in convenience fees. All three carriers said they have no plans to increase the convenient fee in the near future.

170 people arrested in multi—agency operation at Geylang

SINGAPORE : Some 170 people were arrested in a multi—agency operation at Geylang on Friday night,The operation involved Home Team officers from the Singapore Police Force, the Central Narcotics Bureau and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.

They also joined hands with officers from Singapore Customs and the SAF Military Police Command to conduct the raids.The 14—hour operation was led by the Criminal Investigation Department and it deployed more than 200 officers.

The raids were conducted on Friday afternoon and ended early Saturday morning,The people were arrested for a host of criminal offences including illegal gambling activities, secret society involvement as well as peddling of contraband cigarettes.

Officers said the operation on Friday also uncovered persons who were wanted for other offences.
Investigations against those arrested are ongoing

Paraguay striker Cabanas shot in bar attack

Paraguay striker Salvador Cabanas is in serious condition after being shot in the head during an attack in a bar, Mexico City's attorney general has confirmed.

The 29-year-old striker, who was visiting the establishment with friends and relatives, was attacked early in the morning at the bar in the south of Mexico City.

"He was shot in the head," prosecutor Miguel Angel Mancera, told the news channel Televisa. "According to an initial report it [the bullet] was a shot from a firearm with a frontal entry point and without exit."

"We don't clearly know the motive behind the injury ... The player is conscious but he has a heart problem which they're trying to stabilise.

"We're waiting to see what those arrested have to say. It seems that the attack happened in the bathroom of the bar.''

Cabanas is a prolific goalscorer for Primera División de México side Club America - scoring 18 goals in 24 matches this season - and he is an integral part of Paraguay's national side.

Doctor Ernesto Martinez Duhart, who operated on Cabanas, said: "Salvador Cabanas is in a serious condition but stable.''

A statement on Club America's official website added: "The bullet has not yet been removed from his head, because it is in the back of the head and to remove it could cause more damage than leaving it there for now.

"Cabanas is suffering from a severe head injury. The situation remains serious, it was decided to remove clots and other debris. For now he is under sedation and in the coming days we will monitor developments surrounding our player.''

Club president Michel Bauer said he believed the attack to have been unprovoked, having spoken to Cabanas' wife who was present with the striker at the time of the attack.

"He arrived conscious and responded well to the questions they asked him as he was going into hospital,'' Bauer told Televisa. "It's a key point that can be encouraging, but until further notice we cannot speculate on anything at all.

"They wanted to assault him. I can confirm that that is what his wife has said, that it was an assault. There was no shoot-out nor any quarrel.''

The former Paraguayan Footballer of the Year was expected to feature in the World Cup in South Africa where La Albirroja are in Group F with Italy, Slovakia and New Zealand.

Bauer added that he believed the attack to have been unprovoked, having spoken to Cabanas' wife who was present with the striker at the time of the attack.

"He arrived conscious and responded well to the questions they asked him as he was going into hospital. It's a key point that can be encouraging, but until further notice we cannot speculate on anything at all.

"They wanted to assault him. I can confirm that that is what his wife has said, that it was an assault. There was no shoot-out nor any quarrel.''

The club also released an official statment thanking all those who have sent messages of support.

"Club America appreciates all the support, solidarity and expressions of affection for Salvador Cabanas. So far there are no medical reports, but we are awaiting to keep the public informed in a timely way and be the first to announce any progress.

"We deeply regret what happened to our beloved player Salvador Cabanas and express our full support and solidarity with his families and loved ones.

"The directors, coaching staff and players are very attentive to his progress...and will keep the public and our fans informed with the latest developments.

"Beyond being a great player, Salvador, you are a great companion and in these difficult times we are on your side in body and soul.''

Scunthorpe United 2 - 4 Manchester City

Robinho's last hurrah?


Robinho signed off with a flourish at Glanford Park with an 84th minute goal to seal victory for Manchester City in what will probably prove his last game for the club.

The £32 million Brazilian started the day by telling a radio station in his home country he was leaving Eastlands and ended it with the goal to secure a place in the FA Cup fifth round.

Robinho had made little impact on a fiercely-fought cup tie in which Nigel Adkins' Coca-Cola Championship strugglers refused to give in to Roberto Mancini's millionaires.

Despite Martin Petrov's third minute opener the home side hit back to equalise through Paul Hayes - then Cliff Byrne created more anxious moments to reduce deficit after goals from Nedum Onuoha and Sylvinho.

Until his almost inevitable parting shot, Robinho's likely exit had been an inauspicious one under a barrage of pressure from the Championship side.

His only other mark on the game came in the third minute when he followed a flurry of step-overs by feeding Petrov on the left to crash the opener past Joe Murphy.

That apart Robinho was relegated to the role of a virtual passenger as his side struggled to shrug off their persistent opponents amid a white-hot atmosphere.

If City's megastars thought Petrov's goal would take the sting out of their opponents they were sadly mistaken as Scunthorpe pressed in search of an equaliser.

Martyn Woolford cut inside before firing a long-range effort across Stuart Taylor's goal in the 10th minute, and five minutes later the home side came even closer.

Paul Hayes played Marcus Williams into the left side of the box and only a saving challenge by Abdi Ibrahim helped City shepherd the ball out for a corner.

Cliff Byrne got his head to McCann's corner only to see it hammer the underside of the bar then bounce down for Vincent Kompany to boot clear. Hayes then screwed a shot on the rebound wide.

With chants of ''what a waste of money'' greeting Robinho on the rare occasion he touched the ball, the home fans were revelling in a hard-fought tie.

Petrov came close to a second in the 26th minute when he curled a shot from the opposite flank which was held well by the diving Murphy.

But he home side grabbed their richly deserved equaliser in the 29th minute when McCann's short corner led to confusion in the City box and Hayes found space to volley into the top corner.

As confidence continued to flood through the home side Gary Hooper blazed over the bar while Robinho's similar attempt at the other end almost cleared the stand and drew more jeers.

But City nudged back ahead in the final minute of a busy half when Stephen Ireland threaded a neat ball into the Scunthorpe box and Onuoha shot home from a tight angle.

Sam Togwell had the first chance of the second half in the 54th minute when he was cued up by Hooper to hit a long-range shot which Taylor did superbly to tip over the bar.

The ever-dangerous Petrov lashed another left-foot effort just wide after a neat lay-off from Robinho before Sylvinho effectively wrapped the tie up in the 57th minute.

The Brazilian was fed the ball 35 yards from goal and unleashed a stunning left-foot strike which beat the helpless Murphy and crashed into the top corner of the net.

City almost grabbed a fourth in the 64th minute when Petrov's fierce shot was deflected out for a corner, from which keeper Murphy twice blocked shots on the line.

But Scunthorpe found renewed hope in the 69th minute when McCann floated in a corner from the right which dropped for captain Byrne to stab home from close range, although the goal was given to City defender Dedryck Boyata.

The home side pushed for an equaliser but the final say just had to fall to Robinho, who was fed by Petrov before lifting the ball into the roof of the net.

The Brazilian was substituted almost immediately and made a point of shaking hands with each member of the City bench with his brief career at Eastlands seemingly over.

Police alert ahead of Manchester derby return leg

Police are planning to step up security amid fears that the spat between Carlos Tevez and Gary Neville would linger into Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final second leg between Manchester United and Manchester City.

An extra 75 police than normal will be on duty on Wednesday and spot checks will be made at pubs around the ground in what is described as "the highest risk" game at Old Trafford this season.

The first leg, which City won 2-1, saw Tevez and United substitute Neville exchange gestures and later Tevez called his former team-mate "a moron" and "a bootlicker".

Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian admitted the frosty relations between the two, sparked when Neville insisted United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was right not to keep Tevez at Old Trafford, could spill over into Wednesday's encounter.

Joorabchian, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme, said: "Carlos played two years at Manchester United and he has very good relationships with a lot of the players. He admires and likes Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs and he considers a lot of them friends of his.

"I don't think he will expect to have any atmosphere in relation to the players. But I guess he and Gary Neville are not going to be very good friends any time shortly."

Police made 18 arrests at last week's match and expect to make more before Wednesday's return after viewing video cameras.

And Ian Hopkins, assistant chief constable of Greater Manchester police, revealed talks would take place tomorrow with United and City officials and the Football Association in a bid to prevent any trouble.

Hopkins admitted he would also be reminding the players they had a responsibility not to provoke trouble.

He told Sportsweek: "I will be meeting with both the clubs again along with the FA tomorrow to discuss the general crowd behaviour and making sure that they understand their responsibility not to do anything that's likely to incite the crowd.

"We will be making the points very strongly that the players are professionals, they need to recognise the impact they can have on the crowd and it's going to be really passionate again on Wednesday. There's a lot at stake for both teams and for the fans."

Joorabchian, meanwhile, insisted that Tevez is not bitter at leaving Manchester United and his dispute is with Neville alone.

Joorabchian said: "If you don't have respect and class you have to accept that they are entitled to say something back. Gary Neville stepped into something that maybe he shouldn't have done and since he didn't have that respect Carlos felt he he had to answer.

"I don't think he (Tevez) has ever been bitter to Manchester United. I don't think Carlos came anywhere near hitting his peak at Manchester United. In the next three or four years he has a lot more to offer."

The player's advisor also believes the spat with Neville has only increased the anticipation around the match

He said: "When I went to the City match I saw an atmosphere which was absolutely unbelievable, a great vibe, so much passion in it. This little bitter matter has done nothing but improve this passion and it will give us an even greater build-up and a greater excitement."

Ferguson: Tevez deserved red card in derby clash

Sir Alex Ferguson has stirred the pot once more by saying he believes Carlos Tevez should have been shown a red card in Tuesday's heated Manchester derby at Eastlands.

Tevez returned to haunt his former employers with two goals as Manchester City defeated United 2-1 in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final encounter, but the Argentinian frontman has been accused of making a reckless challenge on Wes Brown.

Tevez's high boot caught the thigh of the United defender in a 50-50 tackle, and Ferguson believes the challenge was severe enough to warrant a dismissal.

"Tevez should have been sent off really," said Ferguson. "Have you seen the tackle? He went over the top of the ball. He didn't even get booked."

Ferguson's views have emerged ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford on Wednesday, when emotions are expected to be running high amid the fallout from Tevez's clash with United stalwart Gary Neville.

In celebrating his first goal against United last week, Tevez made a "shut it" gesture in response to pre-match comments from Neville that the Argentina star was not worth the money it would have cost United to keep him at Old Trafford last summer.

Neville responded with a one-fingered gesture, which prompted further reaction from Tevez, who followed up by winning the game with a second-half header and then aimed fierce criticism at the Red Devils skipper.

In a wide-ranging attack, Tevez labelled Neville "a moron" and "a boot-licker".

Santos confirm Robinho talks

Brazilian club Santos have confirmed that they have sent representatives to England for talks with Manchester City over a loan move for Robinho. City boss Roberto Mancini had expressed his desire to keep the forward but Santos have said a six-month loan deal is likely.

Santos press officer Arnaldo Hase said two representatives have flown into London for talks with City bosses on Monday and Tuesday.

"They are in London now and I think they are conducting the negotiations now,'' hase told BBC Radio Five Live. "We are respecting Manchester's directors, they have to be respected.

"We are optimistic without being too optimistic. The negotiations began last week, there were some mails between the Manchester directors and Santos directors.

"The Manchester directors agreed to the possibility of discussing the negotiation. Our marketing directors travelled to England on Saturday and arrived on Sunday.

Hase revealed that Santos will attempt to bring Robinho in on an initial six-month loan, but admitted they would prefer a longer deal.

"City would accept a six-month loan," Hase told Reuters. "Santos want to negotiate for six months or longer, but we will be happy if the deal is closed for six months."

"Under our proposal, Santos would pay Robinho´s wages. The player already said to us he is open to earn less here than in Manchester."

"If everything works out well, Robinho could be a really cheap signing for Santos because we have a lot of partners interested in financially supporting Robinho´s return to Santos."

Regarding the length of the possible loan deal, Hase said: "The first thought of the Manchester directors, it was about six months. Of course Santos would like it to be more - one year, one year and a half if possible.''

Mancini had said he would like the Brazil international to stay after watching him score in City's 4-2 FA Cup victory over Scunthorpe.

"Hopefully in the end Robinho will stay here. In the next day the situation can change but at the moment he stays here and I am very happy for him," the City boss said.

Rahman concert aims to heal Aust-Indian relations

Indian musician AR Rahman hopes his free Sydney concert on Saturday will build bridges between Australia and India.

The Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire composer says he never considered cancelling his trip Down Under in the wake of recent violence against Indian students in Melbourne.

"No. I felt the urge even more to do that [perform] because of all the stuff [that has been happening]. I thought it was very important to do that," he told the ABC.
"I want to have a great concert for people to enjoy, and also to spread the message of togetherness and peace; build a bridge for people who are trying to break it."

Rahman also rejected widely reported accusations in India that the killing of one student and attacks on others were racist, instead blaming the attacks on drugs.
"I think the media should be responsible and not attribute them to racist killings," he said.

He advised young Indians to avoid walking at night in areas frequented by drug addicts and alcoholics.
"Because that's the main reason for the killing. It doesn't matter what race they are, they just want to kill because they're not in their own senses."

The Australian and NSW governments have seized on Rahman's visit as a way of mending relations between the two countries.
Welcoming Rahman at today's news conference, Acting NSW Premier Carmel Tebbutt said Saturday's concert at Parramatta Park is an opportunity for Sydneysiders to get a taste of Bollywood while acknowledging "the amazing contribution Indians have made to our city and country".

"We're very much committed to community harmony. We're very much committed to continuing strengthening our relationship with India," she said.
"We recognise that music and creative activities is a way to strengthen our cultural bonds."

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have paid for a group of Indian journalists to visit Australia to coincide with the concert.
Requests to interview the journalists have been denied by department officials, who said they will talk at the end of the visit.

Individual Indian journalists also declined to be interviewed because they said they would need the permission of their news organisations.

More than 100,000 people are expected to attend Saturday's concert, where Rahman and a troupe of 40 musicians and dancers will perform music he has written over the past 18 years, including his international hit Jai Ho!

More treats for football fans

A daily feast of football, that’s what fans can expect when the new season of the English Premier League kicks off in August.

SingTel, which won the broadcast rights for the lucrative content for three years starting with the 2010 season, is rolling out a line—up of programmes to cater to all tastes and ages.

For the first time ever, fans in Singapore will be able to catch ’live’ all 380 matches of the Barclays Premier League.

There will be nine shows throughout the week, meaning BPL fans can tune in to a fresh programme every day of the week.

A Sunday morning highlights show will offer comprehensive analysis, full highlights and full studio presentation.

This is something that has not been seen in Singapore in the last three years.

Another offering will be the fans feedback show, which will feature a full review of the weekend action and allow interaction via a combination of video, email and SMS.

Well—respected hosts and pundits will feature in the "live" football coverage for next season, and fans can also expect several famous ex—BPL stars to make appearances in Singapore.

Another bonus — Mio TV customers will win trips to UK to watch the actual matches, and there will also be monthly on—the—ground events across Singapore to engage fans.

SingTel CEO, Allen Lew, thinks the new offering is not an overdose of football.

He said: "The next phase for us between now and August, when we really have to deliver this, is to work to see who is the best partner to be our production agency and who is the best partner that can deliver this to us."

Pricing for the package has been announced and the latest move, SingTel feels, will woo more customers, ahead of the August kick—off of the 2010 EPL season.

Already, the telco says that it has seen a 70 percent increase in Mio TV subscribers after it announced the "early bird offer" in late 2009.

Singapore firm bids for $3 bln India defence deals

* Plans local manufacturing base; open to JV, acquisitions

* Sees $1 bln revenues from India non-defence business

* To begin India trials of Towed Howitzer in February

NEW DELHI, Jan 15 - ST Kinetics, part of Singapore Technologies Engineering , said it bid for five Indian defence contracts worth $3 billion and is keen to set up a manufacturing base in the country.

The tenders comprise two artillery gun projects and a light strike vehicle for the army and two carbine rifle projects for internal security.

ST Engineering, majority-owned by Singapore state investment agency Temasek [TEM.UL], is the city-state's biggest arms manufacturer and the world's largest aircraft repair firm.

India is upgrading its largely Soviet-era arsenal to counter potential threats from Pakistan and China. The Indian army needs new weapons urgently as its last major acquisition, of Bofors Howitzers, was in 1986.

"If all five tenders we have bid for come through, we will have revenue of $3 billion over five years," Patrick Choy, chief marketing officer of ST Kinetics, told reporters.

Choy said the company hopes to earn $1 billion from non-defence business in India over 3-5 years, mainly through selling speciality vehicles used in mining, excavation and road construction. The firm is keen to set up a base in India to manufacture speciality vehicles and is looking for a local partner.

"We are prepared to form a company here, or do a joint venture or buy out a local firm to start manufacturing in India."

ST Kinetics is also talking to local companies to help set up an MRO business in India, Choy added. The company already has a strategic pact with Punj Lloyd for defence production.

The Singapore firm will begin India trials next month of its 155 mm Towed Howitzer for the army, where it will compete against the Bofors guns, Choy said.

As part of its broad military upgrade, India is seeking millions of dollars worth of heavy-lift helicopters, submarines, ships and artillery for its army, a KPMG report has said.

Only 15 percent of India's equipment is "state of the art", according to the first comprehensive report on the country's defence sector prepared by KPMG and the Confederation of Indian Industry. (Writing by Bappa Majumdar; Editing by Malini Menon and Ian Geoghegan)

Chicago businessman charged over Mumbai attacks

A Chicago businessman was charged with helping an old friend from military school in Pakistan plot the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, officials said.

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 49, has been held in jail since his October arrest on charges of helping plot an attack on the Danish newspaper that published incendiary cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in 2005.

Prosecutors allege that Rana helped his friend David Coleman Headley, a key suspect in the Mumbai attacks, by allowing him to use his immigration company as a cover for surveillance trips to India and Denmark.

Rana was charged Thursday with three separate counts of providing material support for terrorism in the Mumbai attacks, the Denmark terror plot, and to the banned Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Also indicted on conspiracy charges related to the Denmark plot were Ilyas Kashmiri, an alleged terror kingpin in Pakistan who prosecutors accuse of being in regular contact with Al-Qaeda leaders, and Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, a retired major in the Pakistani military. Neither man is in US custody.

Headley, 49, has pleaded not guilty to 12 terrorism related charges and remains in custody where he is cooperating with prosecutors.

The Washington-born son of a former Pakistani diplomat and American mother, Headley reportedly befriended Bollywood stars and even dated an actress during his lengthy surveillance trips to Mumbai.

The indictment alleges that Rana acted as a messenger while Headley scoped out the Mumbai terror targets, taking photos and video and entering their positions on a GPS device.

Nearly a year after the bloody 60-hour siege which began November 26, 2008, Headley was allegedly recorded discussing five future targets with Rana.

Prosecutors said the targets included Bollywood, the Indian temple Somnath, the National Defense College in Delhi, Shiv Sena, a political party in India with roots in Hindu nationalism and the Danish newspaper.

Headley had already begun the planning for a second Indian attack during a March 2009 surveillance trip whose targets included the National Defense College and Chabad Houses in "several cities" in India, the indictment alleges.

He was also working on the Danish newspaper plot weeks before the Mumbai attack was carried out, the indictment alleges.

Headley is accused of once again using Rana's immigration business as a cover in order to arrange a visit to the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices of Jyllands-Posten, Denmark's highest circulating daily.

During a February meeting in Pakistan, Kashmiri allegedly told Headley that they should use a truck bomb to attack the newspaper and directed him to meet with European contacts who could provide the money, weapons and manpower for the attack.

Headley and Rana were arrested in October on terror charges related to the plot to attack Jyllands-Posten and kill an editor and the cartoonist.

Headley was charged last month with spending two years casing Mumbai, even taking boat tours around the city's harbor to scope out landing sites for the attackers.

Rana, a Pakistani-born Canadian citizen who owns the Chicago-based First World Immigration Services that Headley allegedly used as a cover, insists that he is a pacifist who was "duped" by his friend.

A date has not yet been set for Rana's arraignment on the new charges.

3 fires at Woodlands St 81; SCDF says arson a possibility

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it has not ruled out arson as the cause of three fires at Woodlands Street 81 early Thursday morning.

SCDF was alerted to the first fire at 3.52am.

Discarded items, including a sofa, were set alight at the ground floor of Block 810.

Several minutes later, two more fires were reported at Block 802 and an open carpark nearby.

A container outside the rubbish collection centre at the block was ablaze, together with two motorbikes at the carpark.

Both fires were quickly put out.

SCDF investigations are in progress.

Micah Richards denies exit talk

Micah Richards has revealed manager Roberto Mancini told him he has the potential to become a great player, and the Manchester City defender is not interested in reports linking him with other clubs.

Richards, 21, is enjoying a run of games in the side under the former Italian international and scored a fine goal in the 4-1 defeat of Blackburn.

His good form could force England manager Fabio Capello to hand him a recall in World Cup year. Richards' priority, though, is to continue to improve after a pat on the back from Mancini.

"He told me that I was a good player but that if I listened and learned he would turn me into a great player,'' Richards said on the club's official website. "Those words were really encouraging but I know that it is down to me to work hard.

"I keep saying it but I am still young. There are aspects of the game that only come with experience and I am gaining that all the time whether I am in or out of the side. I know I had a dip in form last season but I believe that I have been better this time around and in recent weeks I have done okay.

"All I am concentrating on at the moment is playing well, winning games and staying in the side when the injured players come back.''

Richards has come through the ranks at City and is in no hurry to go anywhere else. He said: "Everyone seems to get linked with someone at various stages of the season and me more than most. I have always said that I wanted to stay here so I don't know why these rumours keep appearing.

"I have not expressed any wish to leave and yet some people are reporting things as if they are done deals. Why would I want to leave a club that is so obviously on the up and up?

"There is still so much for me to learn and my best is to come, and this will be great place to be in coming seasons, I am sure of that.''

Preview: Everton v Manchester City

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While last month the critics were railing against the poorly handled dismissal of Mark Hughes and the appointment of Roberto Mancini, now the talk is that the Italian could be the man to lead Manchester City to a genuine title challenge.

The Manchester Evening News said this week that "everything he has done at City has turned to gold so far"; the Daily Telegraph added that "after just four games, he has revitalised the club and banished any discord among the supporters over the dismissal of his predecessor". Yet four wins out of four does not tell the full story: Saturday's trip to Everton is, by some distance, the biggest test of Mancini's reign.

They beat out-of-form Stoke 2-0 in his first match, won 3-0 against relegation-battlers Wolves in the next, knocked mid-table Championship side Middlesbrough out of the FA Cup by a solitary goal and then thrashed a woeful Blackburn side 4-1. So far, so good, of course, but they must now overcome an Everton team that look to be slowly recovering their form.

Leaving aside the defeat to BATE Borisov in the UEFA Cup - David Moyes selected a severely weakened side for that game - Everton have not lost since the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the end of November, and they have gone on to secure draws with Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal. They are still contending with a number of injuries, but they look increasingly like the side that finished in the top six three seasons in a row and, on Saturday, they will be out for revenge against the club that prised Joleon Lescott away in the summer.

Everton player in focus: Steven Pienaar. David Moyes was full of praise for Pienaar's goal at Arsenal that nearly saw Everton leave the Emirates Stadium with all three points, and he has been a key figure in most of Everton's better performances. He has more talent than many realise and is a hard worker, so City will need to ensure they do not allow him the space to cause problems.

Manchester City player in focus: Carlos Tevez. While Craig Bellamy had been the club's star man earlier in the season, Tevez is taking all the headlines at the moment. Having scored a hat-trick against Blackburn on Monday, he has 11 goals in nine appearances and is now showing what he is capable of once he is made the focal point of the team.

Key battle: Marouane Fellaini v Nigel De Jong. Known as a defensive midfielder during his time at Standard Liege, Fellaini showed last season that he could score goals and he has now returned to his favourite position behind the strikers. Whether Roberto Mancini will throw new signing Patrick Vieira into the match at Goodison Park remains to be seen - he has become an increasingly defensive player in recent years and could be responsible for using his intelligence, experience and power to screen Fellaini and disrupt his goal threat - but Nigel De Jong has enjoyed an excellent season and there is little reason to think he will be dropped against such tricky opponents.

Tactics: Everton have become draw specialists in recent weeks, but that has owed more to conceding late and unnecessary goals than a defensive mindset. Nonetheless, Everton are a hard-working team and showed last week against Arsenal that they can stifle teams in the midfield and provide a threat of their own on the counter. City, meanwhile, have adopted a 4-4-2 under Roberto Mancini, with left-footed Martin Petrov on the right and right-footed Craig Bellamy on the left.

Quotes: Everton manager David Moyes suggests Manchester City should be looking at younger targets: "Patrick Vieira has been a magnificent player and I have a great deal of respect for him as a footballer, but is that what City need? I don't know. They'll know what they need. It's not our business. We would try to bring in young, up-and-coming players who we think we can have here."

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini on his success so far: "I have given City more balance and a greater sense of conviction. The potential is incredible, but you need to draw it out. And the road ahead is long."

In the news: Lucas Neill is joining Turkish side Galatasaray just four months after signing for Everton on a free transfer. At City, Emmanuel Adebayor is still recovering from the gun attack on the Togo team bus on Friday. "My head is not on football now," he said. "We are talking about lives - life is more important than football."

Probable Manchester City line-up (4-4-2): Given, Zabaleta, Richards, Kompany, Garrido, Petrov, De Jong, Barry, Bellamy, Tevez, Santa Cruz.

Rashy Cruz's prediction: Everton will be desperate for all three points after a number of draws in recent weeks and City face a big task at Goodison but, given the quality available to Roberto Mancini and the current form of Carlos Tevez, the visitors should be able to take at least a point.

De Jong: Manchester City are targeting the title

Manchester City midfielder Nigel De Jong says that the club are not just pushing for the top four, but are targeting a challenge for the Premier League title as well.

City have been in good form of late and are unbeaten under new manager Roberto Mancini. De Jong has played a key role in the club's charge up the table and now says that a title tilt will not be beyond them.

"Of course the title is a possibility. Nothing is impossible," said De Jong. "Though nothing is impossible, you have to work for it. You have to be realistic as well and remember this is only season No.1 for us after the big spending and we have to take it step by step.

"That's what it's all about at City at the moment, to try and make a difference between the past and the future. Right now you can see what's happening. Everyone is excited. It was a good performance against Blackburn and we've got to keep that going.

"Of course we can stay in the top four. You see how big the squad is. It's not only the first 11 but the 22 players in the squad. The important thing is the Champions League place and trying to continue in that position. Then, we will see in March and April where we are standing."

De Jong has also paid tribute to Carlos Tevez, with the diminutive Argentine having already struck as many goals for his new club as he did for United in the whole of last season.

"Carlos is on fire at the moment - I hope it will continue for the rest of the season" De Jong continued. "Some people have a different view of Carlos but if they look at him now then they will change their mind.

"He had a hat-trick against Blackburn but he's unbelievable in every game. He makes players around him better as well.

"Look at the impact he's had in the last few weeks - he's not Player of the Month for December without good reason. At the moment he's maybe the best striker in the Premier League."

Man City tell Adebayor to play when he's ready

Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor can have as much time off as he needs following the attack on his team in Angola and will not be asked to play for Manchester City until he is ready, his club manager Roberto Mancini said.


Adebayor is spending time in Lome, the capital of Togo, for three days of official mourning following last Friday's attack in Angola which left two Togo delegation members dead and prompted the team to withdraw from the African Nations Cup.

Adebayor is expected back in England after that but is unlikely to play for City against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Mancini, speaking after City's 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers on Monday, told reporters: "We will speak to him when he returns.

"Then we will decide. Whenever he wants to play, whenever he feels ready, that is OK. At the moment, we are just very sorry for him. The situation is incredible."

Adebayor has yet to feature for City since Mancini took over as manager from Mark Hughes in mid-December since when City have won all four games they have played.

Roberto Mancini hails Carlos Tevez following masterclass

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini paid tribute to Carlos Tevez after the Argentina striker scored his first hat-trick for the club in the 4-1 win over Blackburn at Eastlands.

The former Manchester United forward opened the scoring for the home side side before curling home two superb efforts to complete his treble. Mancini was pleased to get another win under his belt but was "angry'' at seeing his side concede the first goal under his management.

"It was a good night for us. The players played very well in this match. I thought this match was very hard,'' he told ESPN.

"Carlos Tevez played very, very well. All the team concentrated for 90 minutes but I'm angry because we conceded a goal. Our gift. I think it's most important we stay concentrated for all the time. For me we were playing very, very well. We must continue to play well and not concede one goal.''

The win took City up to fourth in the Premier League - just seven points behind leaders Chelsea - but Mancini is not getting carried away just yet.

He added: "We don't watch the table. We watch the table (in) two months. Now it is not important. There are 17 games to the end. Now it's important that we continue this way, we continue to play well and we continue to improve.''

Holland international Nigel de Jong added: "He [Tevez] was fantastic and he keeps scoring. He is very important to us and he is on fire as they say. It was an excellent performance and you have to give it to him, but he also has a good team behind him.''

De Jong also saluted new boss Mancini, who has now won four out of four after taking over from Mark Hughes.

"If you win four games after each other it is a great impact,'' he said. "He has put pressure on our defence and we were good at the back. He has changed a lot of technical stuff. We have the same players but he has brought in some players who were written off. You have to give credit to him that he is putting out a good XI every game. We just need to keep the momentum going."

Micah Richards, who scored City's other goal, told ESPN: "Since the boss has come in he has brought a confidence and we are showing it on the pitch. I am back at centre half. I feel I am at my best there and I am taking every game as it comes and hopefully I can take this form into the weekend game at Everton."

Man City 4-1 Blackburn Rovers (Match Report)

Manchester City 4
Tevez(7,49,90) Richards(39)

Blackburn Rovers
Pedersen(71)


Carlos Tevez scored his first Manchester City hat-trick to send Roberto Mancini's men soaring into the top four. It may have been snowing in these parts recently but Tevez is on a real hot streak.

His seventh-minute opener put City in charge,and then, after Micah Richards had added a brilliant second, he scored twice more after the interval to take his goals tally for the campaignto 15 as Blackburn were outclassed.

Man City Vs Blackburn Rovers (Match Preview)

The signs have been good since Roberto Mancini took over from Mark Hughes at Eastlands, as his side have not conceded a goal and have won three of their games since he took charge. City has certainly turned a corner after conceding 9 goals in their last three matches under Hughes and the Italian will hope to keep the run going against Blackburn side who will be glad of some addedd rest following the cancellation of their Carling Cup game in midweek.

In contrast to City's recent success, Rovers have failed to win any of their last eight away matches since beating Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok stadium in November and are in prospect of a relegation battle, as they sit just three points away from the drop zone.

City will certainly be favourites, but have a few squad issues- including the departure of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to the African Nations Cup- and numerous injury concerns. The absentess may give Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce cause for optimism, but City cruised to a 3-1 win at Eastlands last season, so he won't be too confident of pulling a shock result.


Prediction
Rashy Cruz-Man City 3-1 Blacckburn Rovers
Brian Miller-Man City 3-0 Blackburn Rovers

Mancini assures that Micah Richards and Roque Santa Cruz are not for sale

Roberto Mancini has assured City fans that England defender Micah Richards & Paraguayan Hit-man Roque Santa Cruz won't be off during this transfer window and has indicated that he doesn't wish to sell the highly-rated defender who made a second-half entrance during the FA Cup 1-0 win over Middlesborough. Mancini said"Micah & Santa Cruz will be with us and will play an important part in this team and the goals that we've set for the club,Both players do feature in my future plans and therefore there isn't any truth behind the rumours that both players are going out of this club, They're 2 of the most important players in this team and i won't make any mistake to sell off such world-class players."

It was reported that Roque Santa Cruz was linked with a move to Spanish outfit Espanyol. Thanks to Mancini it look like it's not going to happen afterall.


Reported by : Rashy Cruz

2nd Night Shift?It's Damn Relaxed!

It's the 2nd night shift of the week,and it's kinda relaxing,suprisingly!!hahaha..not that much flights today compared to last week.it was hell!everyone was going back to their hometown for the new year and there were last minute insertions of flights that weren't supposed to be departing at all on that day..finally found the time to write abit of my day today and was wondering if it could be as relaxed as this everyday but NAH! i'm juz dreaming though:)

Fellow colleagues seem happy today but well it'll go back to worst come saturday,1st morning!i really hate morning shifts as it's always the busiest.Sometimes or should i say most of the time you'll be running from gate to gate,due to the shortage of manpower at the company due to the shortages of salary,most workers tend to resign and that causes us the problems.You don't even get to have a proper meal,it's always rushing!

It can get frustrating at times that u juz feel that NAH!take ur uniform and keep it,i'm outta here!hahaha anywayz i'm waiting for my morning flight at 0400 hrs,it's a Northwest Airlines flight,the security is 100% and that means APD will be around watching from the Cctvs making sure we do our job properly.

Can't wait for the sun to rise as that would mean it's my first off day!time to relax and go for my facial and massage at yishun.god i really need those!haha i'm also disappointed with the Carling cup cancellation as i was hoping and looking forward to the man city Vs man utd game,and was predicting man city to woop man utd out of the Semi-final!!!but well like they always say,be patient and you'll be rewarded so hope i to get rewarded on the 19th of Jan when the fixture is gonna take place :)

love,
Rashy Cruz

Veron rejects offer from Manchester City

Argentina's Juan Sebastian Veron turned down a personal offer from new Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini to join the premier league team. He played two seasons under Mancini at Inter-Milan and left the club in 2007 to returned back to his childhood and family club Estudiantes.The two were also former team-mates at Sampdoria and Lazio.

The 34-year-old told radio station La Red that he was phoned by Mancini to make the offer. Veron's agent Miguel Pires went into detail about City's offer. "Veron said to me that he received a phone call from Manciniand that he had offered him 7 million pounds and the same to Estudiantes for a one-year contract," he revealed."In addition that amount would have been duplicated if he would have continued at Manchester City during 2011."


Rashy Cruz: I just don't understand what's wrong with Mancini,Veron has been a great performer for Argentina and a delight to watch when he plays.But Veron is also known as a player who couldn't adjust to the Premier League during his Big-Money move to Manchester United in 2001 and then to Chelsea where he still couldn't live up to the price tag and expectations of a player of his calibre. Luckily he had some sense and rejected the offer plus he's ageing,he's already 34!!,Gd on him and for heaven's sake Mancini, there are other players available,Open the Cheque book and start searching for them.

Australia condemns murder of Indian student

Tuesday,Jan 5
Nitin Garg(left, in Picture)

MELBOURNE (AFP) - – Australia on Monday "unreservedly" condemned the murder of an Indian national as New Delhi angrily slammed the attack and warned it could hurt bilateral ties.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard stressed that Australia welcomed foreign students after accounting graduate Nitin Garg, 21, was stabbed by unknown attackers Saturday night before collapsing in the Melbourne burger restaurant where he worked.

Indian students have been hit by hundreds of alleged race attacks, prompting street protests last year and damaging Australia's lucrative international education industry.

"I obviously unreservedly condemn this attack," Gillard said. "People in Melbourne's west, people around the nation, I think they will be joining together to say we unreservedly condemn this violence."

She was speaking after India decried the murder as a "crime on humanity" and said it would "certainly" affect ties between the two countries.

"This heinous crime on humanity, this is an uncivilised brutal attack on innocent Indians," Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters.

"It certainly will have some bearing on the bilateral ties between our two countries," he added.

Police have said there is no evidence the murder was racially motivated, but also told AFP that 1,447 people of Indian descent were crime victims in Victoria state in the 12 months to July 2008.

Gautam Gupta, president of the Federation of Indian Students of Australia, said many more attacks went unreported and questioned why police were playing down race as a factor.

"If they have not caught the criminal, how can they eliminate racism as being behind this attack," Gupta told AFP. "What were they expecting to find on the scene? A business card saying: 'I am a racist'?"

According to his housemate Parminder Singh, Garg, understood to be from Punjab in northern India, had been targeted by drunken louts at a train station in an earlier incident.

"They were just drunk and they wanted to find anyone to beat," Singh said.

"If they find someone alone they just beat (them) because they know nothing is going to happen after that. What will happen? Police will not do anything."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Gillard and Victoria Premier John Brumby have all visited India recently to ease frictions and promote the 15.4 billion US dollar foreign education export industry, Australia's fourth largest export earner.

Australia has forecast a 20 percent drop in students from India next year after earlier attacks prompted a barrage of negative publicity in the country.

Each allegedly racial attack sparks outrage on India's passionate TV news channels, amid rising concern from families and friends of students studying in the country that was previously seen as a safe and even glamorous destination.

Following Garg's death, India's Mail Today tabloid splashed the headline "Racist Aussie gang knifes Indian to death" across its front page as it slammed Australian police for failing to protect Indian students from "hate gangs".

But deputy police commissioner Kieran Walshe said Victoria had a large Indian population and he did not believe the community was being singled out.

"I don't believe that there has been any really detailed rascist motives around assaults on Indian people in the past," he told reporters.

"In some cases there may well be. But in the general sense of it, a lot it we've seen has been around opportunistic theft."

Australia attracted some 117,000 Indian students in the year to October, about 19 percent of foreign enrolments as universities and colleges actively target the country's growing middle class.

Australia's education sector has also been tarnished by a series of visa scams involving agents who exploit foreign students.



Rashy Cruz: It saddens me as a singaporean indian to know that my fellow countrymen from india who go overseas for studies and to build a better future for themselves and their families are being treated like that. The indians in australia or should i say the immigrants regardless of nationalty who slog everyday and do the jobs that the own australian people shun do pay high taxes abt 30-40% and that money goes to the goverment of australia and then it goes back to those australians who aint working but are getting the taxpayers money every fortnight,its not that the immigrants are there to enjoy life.i seriously condemn this vicious stabbing by all means and hope justice is served to the bastards who stabbed the indian student.it'll help in a way But not a big one though to bring a closure to the family of the victim.

My heartfelt condolences are with the family of the victim.

George Yeo stresses due process in resolving hit—and—run case

Tuesday, January 5

SINGAPORE: Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo has stressed the need for due process in resolving the hit—and—run accident at Bukit Panjang last year, where Romanian diplomat Dr Silviu Ionescu remains a suspect.

Mr Yeo is the first Singapore minister to speak on the issue.

He said the Romanian embassy is helping the police, and investigations are ongoing.

Meanwhile, police said Wednesday it has established the identities of relevant parties, including witnesses.

Responding to media queries, the police said it is currently ascertaining the accuracy of all information given.

It said investigations must always be conducted with professional thoroughness and meticulous care to ensure the collection of all pertinent evidence.

While it understands the natural interest the public may have on this case, it stressed against making any premature or inappropriate comments or disclosures when a case is under active investigation.

It added that results of the investigation will be forwarded to the Attorney General’s Chambers for consultation on the appropriate course of action to be taken.

On December 15, the embassy’s car — a black Audi A6 — hit three pedestrians at about 3.10am.

One of the victims, 30—year—old Tong Kok Wai, suffered brain damage and died on Christmas day, while the other two suffered injuries.

Dr Ionescu had reported to the police that his vehicle was stolen.

The diplomat is currently in Romania.

"What happened was very bad, a man was killed, people were injured," said Mr Yeo. "The police are pursuing the matter very thoroughly but investigations are still ongoing and I should not be commenting on them. Let’s take this one step at a time, there must be due process in such matters."

Benjani told to stay as Mancini eyes United

Sunday, January 3

MIDDLESBROUGH, England (AFP) - – Benjani Mwaruwari has been told he still has a future at Manchester City after scoring for the first time in more than a year during the 1-0 FA Cup third round win away to Middlesbrough.

Victory extended new manager Roberto Mancini's 100 percent unbeaten record since the Italian replaced the sacked Mark Hughes as City geared up for next week's eagerly-awaited League Cup semi-final against Manchester United in impressive style at the Riverside here on Saturday.

Zimbabwe international Benjani made the most of a rare start with the only goal to see-off Championship side Middlesbrough as Mancini displayed the strength in depth at his disposal by making five changes and leaving more than 30 million pounds of talent on the bench to keep his side fresh for Wednesday's first leg of the League Cup semi-final.

Asked immediately after the game if he was close to signing Inter Milan defender Ivan Cordoba, Mancini replied: "No, not for now.

"At the moment, what is important is this game and Manchester United."

Benjani has been linked with a move away in the January transfer window after falling down the pecking order at Eastlands, especiallly as Mancini is expected to bolster his squad with at least two new signings this month.

But the 31-year-old provided a timely reminder of his predatory goal-scoring instincts with a first strike since he appeared on the scoresheet in the 1-1 draw against Fulham in the Premier League in December 2008.

The goal, carved out by midfielder Martin Petrov in first-half stoppage time, settled a contest fought-out in near blizzard conditions.

Mancini insisted the African could play a significant role in the second half of the season, with City aiming to make it to Wembley on two fronts.

The former Inter boss, whose job prospects beyond this season may hinge on ending the club's 34-year wait for a major trophy, said: "Benjani came in and took his goal really well.

"He looked good throughout the game and I was pleased with his display. He's shown me what he can do and that can only be good for the club and log may it continue."

Mancini intends to watch Manchester United when City's local rivals face Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Sunday.

City's latest manager has won his three games in charge without conceding a goal, but knows he faces by far the sternest test of his short reign in the first-leg at Eastlands as injuries begin to hurt even a squad with his club's strength in depth City.

After introducing Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy from the bench in the second-half against Middlesbrough, Mancini said: "We've got a big problem at the moment because we have a lot of players injured so I made changes today because I can't play my players all the time.

"We're pleased to get through this test because the FA Cup is an important competition for us and it's something we want to pay our full attention to."

Salman Khan's Best performance in Wanted

Court orders Maharashtra to release Salman Khan's dues

Mumbai,Jan 3 (IANS) A Mumbai court Wednesday ordered the Maharashtra government to clear Bollywood actor Salman Khan's dues of Rs. 2.50 million that have been outstanding for long.Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) judge Y.D. Shinde gave his ruling on an application filed by Salman to clear his dues for acting in the movie "Chori Chori, Chupke Chupke" that shortly before its release had became controversial with several government departments investigating the sources of its finances from questionable quarters and the suspected mafia links of the people associated with it.
As per Salman's agreement, he was entitled to a payment of Rs.15 million from the movie's producers Bharat Shah.

While Shah and filmmaker Nazim Rizvi were among those arrested, the court appointed a receiver to handle all the financial aspects of the movie post-release, Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian told reporters this evening.

Later, the court receiver deposited the income generated by the movie and the payment due to be made to Salman in the state government treasury, she added.

Shinde has ordered that Salman's dues must be cleared by the state government, but the judge did not indicate any time-frame.

Meanwhile, Shah was convicted under sections of the Indian Penal Code but not under MCOCA, while Rizvi is out on bail.

The film, a musical family drama that did above-average business, featured Salman, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee.

Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan patch up

Mumbai, Dec 27 (IANS) Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, who were not on talking terms for quite sometime, met up on the sets of "Veer" and poured their hearts out to each other.A few days earlier when Salman heard Sanjay was shooting on an adjoining set at Film City, he decided to pay his estranged friend a visit.
"It's true Salman came all the way to Sanju's set. But when he realised Sanjay was shooting for Bunty Walia he quickly beat a retreat," said a source.

Walia, it must be remembered, was a Salman groupie until a few years ago when things soured between them. And now Salman doesn't want to see Bunty's face.

"So he (Salman) turned back from his meeting with Sanjay. When Sanjay heard about this, he took charge of the situation. On Thursday afternoon, he walked up to Salman's set and spent a good 45 minutes with his old friend.

"The ice between them broke the minute they hugged each other. They spoke about everything under the sun, except films," the source said.

At the end of the reunion, Sanjay and Salman, who teamed up in hit movie "Sajan", decided to do a film together. The two will be coming together in a film to be produced by Sanjay.

So what had gone wrong between Salman and his erstwhile mentor and role model?

The two were thick as thieves until a world tour where Salman apparently cut his hand to impress Sanjay, but it didn't go down well with the senior actor.

Soon after this incident in the US, Sanjay had said: "I wish he would model himself on my better qualities. I do have many good qualities. Salman should keep a low profile and work hard and get serious in life. All the playing around isn't finally worth it. Ultimately all of us want to be remembered as good hardworking human beings. The hit-and-run incident wouldn't have made such a media splash if it wasn't Salman Khan. But because he has been constantly in the news he went to jail and had to suffer. Being rash and brash in life is finally self-defeating."

Having come to terms with his own rashness and brashness Salman seems to be mending the bridges with old friends. Sanjay was on top of his list.

"They met like nothing had gone wrong between them and have promised to meet up regularly," the source said.

Benjani on target for visitors

January 2, 2010


MANCHESTER CITY 1
MIDDLESBROUGH 0

Striker Benjani Mwaruwari edged Manchester City into the draw for the FA Cup fourth round with a narrow victory at Middlesbrough.

The former Portsmouth frontman scored the game's only goal on the stroke of half-time to ease the Premier League side through against a spirited Boro on a bitterly cold winter's afternoon in the north-east.
Gordon Strachan's men more than made a game of it against a City team featuring five changes from their league trip to Wolves, and after substitute Carlos Tevez had passed up a glorious opportunity to double their lead, might have snatched an equaliser in front of a crowd of just 12,474.



Ultimately though it was Roberto Mancini who left Teesside with a third successive victory under his belt and looking forward to Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final first-leg clash with arch-rivals Manchester United.
Strachan had insisted in the run-up to the game that it was one he was looking to win in an effort to restore some of his team's battered confidence after a run of just two victories in the ten matches since he replaced Gareth Southgate, and he was as good as his word as he fielded his strongest available side.
By contrast, opposite number Mancini was afforded the luxury of being able to leave influential midfielder Gareth Barry and in-form strikers Craig Bellamy and Tevez sitting on the bench, while the absence of Stephen Ireland through injury and Kolo Toure because of the African Nations Cup forced him to make further changes.


For the best part of 45 minutes, the Italian saw his reshuffled team enjoy the greater share of the possession, although they rarely looked like making it count.
They went close with seven minutes gone in the unlikely shape of full-back Pablo Zabaleta, who saw his initial shot blocked by a combination of David Wheater and Rhys Williams, and was then denied by Julio Arca when his follow-up struck his fellow Argentinian's back and dropped wide.
But despite dominating play in the middle of the field, where Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong were seeing plenty of the ball, they were rarely able to stretch the Teessiders, who grew in confidence as a result.
That said, Boro were no more effective in putting any great pressure on Mancini's centre-half pairing of Micah Richards and 18-year-old Belgian Dedryck Boyata, although the teenager had to make one vital interception to deny substitute Marvin Emnes a clear run on goal.


The Dutchman had arrived as a 32nd-minute replacement for leading scorer Adam Johnson after he once again limped off with a hamstring injury amid ongoing speculation that he could be sold during the transfer window.
Strachan's men survived a 39th-minute scare when Martin Petrov and Benjani combined to carve them open, although the Bulgarian midfielder shot wildly past the post. However, Petrov returned the favour in the final minute of the half to slide the frontman in, and his right-foot shot past goalkeeper Danny Coyne was unerring.
Despite his side's lead, Mancini introduced two of his big guns at the break when he replaced Richards and De Jong with Barry and Tevez, a move which saw Kompany drop into the back four.
But City's advantage might have evaporated within two minutes when Gary O'Neil went down under Sylvinho's challenge inside the box. The Boro captain was convinced he had been tripped, but referee Stuart Attwell rewarded his protests with a yellow card.
Strachan's cause was not helped when Emnes limped off gingerly after landing awkwardly following an aerial challenge and was replaced by Mark Yeates.
Tevez served notice of his intent within seconds of Yeates' arrival when he fired in a firm right-foot shot which Coyne claimed gratefully, and he passed up an opportunity to double his side's lead when he rounded the goalkeeper with 68 minutes gone, but shot wide of the empty net.
In the meantime, Williams had looped a header just over the crossbar with the Teessiders refusing to throw in the towel, and Kompany had to head a Wheater effort out for a corner after he had met O'Neil's 72nd-minute corner with the home side pushing for an equaliser.
It was then that Mancini introduced Bellamy as a replacement for 20-year-old Slovakian Vladimir Weiss, although it was Tevez who went close again with nine minutes remaining when he curled a free-kick just wide.
Coyne kept out Bellamy's injury-time effort with a fine low save and Tevez and Petrov went close with follow-ups, but the job was already done.

Man City boss Mancini wants to cool transfer talk

January 4, 2010

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says that he wants all transfer talk put on ice until after Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final showdown with Manchester Utd.

Mancini has been linked with a number of former Inter Milan stars this week, including Ivan Cordoba and Cristian Chivu and, most recently, is reported to be keen on a loan deal for Patrick Vieira.
The Italian boss, however, wants to cool any potential rumours until he can focus on them properly.
"All the players want to join Manchester City. That is normal with a big club who is going to have a big future,'' he said. "People are not only talking about Patrick Vieira, they are also saying Ivan Cordoba and Cristian Chivu.

"They are all good players but the most important thing for me is the match against Manchester United. The other things we can talk about with the club after the derby. We will see then."
Mancini has confirmed record signing Robinho and defender Micah Richards should be available for the midweek encounter, but Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nedum Onuoha and Roque Santa Cruz are major doubts through injury.