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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Mumbai lovers find haven as attitudes to dating change''By Rajini Vaidyanathan BBC News, Mumbai'




Finding a place to love in Mumbai, India's most populous city, is not always easy.
Every day hundreds of young couples line the city's seafront, to escape the prying eyes of their parents. In India dating is still seen as taboo by many.
"When you come here all you see is love," exclaims Rama Shankar. "All they do is kiss, but it's nice watching them kiss," he adds.
Shankar is a mere peanut seller, not a voyeur, but as he roams around the seafront in one of Mumbai's suburbs, it is hard for him to avoid catching a glimpse of an embrace or even more.
Atop rocks with jagged edges which jut out onto gentle waves, sit dozens of young couples.
Many are holding onto each other with an iron grip, the girlfriend's head resting on her boyfriend's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her back protectively.
Some stare out into the sea, barely exchanging glances, while others, the ones who catch Shankar's attention most, are engaged in full-on, lip-locking, saliva-sharing, kisses.
This area, next to the remains of an old Portuguese fort, at Bandra Land's End, is one of the many stretches of the city's coastline which are a haven for young lovers desperate to find a secluded place to be together.
For others, it is not just a place, but space.
'Parents can't catch us' Mumbai, with a high population density of more than 20,000 people per square kilometre, is a cramped city, where there is simply not enough room to conduct a relationship.
While dating is slowly becoming more acceptable in India, it is still not the norm.
Culture has always dictated that you did not have any boyfriends or girlfriends and, instead, waited for your parents to introduce you to a suitable match. Times might be changing, but not as fast as many young people here would like them to.
"This is the most private place for us to be alone," say Ashima and Mayur, who are both 20. It took the couple, who have been together for four years, more than an hour to travel to this spot.
"It's too far for our parents to catch us if we're here," says Mayur.
What makes this journey all the more remarkable is that the pair live next door to each other, but are very afraid of being caught.
"I have no idea how they'd react if they saw us here," adds Mayur, as he grabs his girlfriend's hand to reassure her.
The couple say they only come here to talk and hold hands. "Some people kiss here, but not us," says Ashima, keen that I note this fact down.
In fact, very few of the couples here admit they kiss, even if they perhaps do. This is a country which allowed kisses in Bollywood films only a few years ago. Romance might be revered in the movies, but is often a cause of revulsion in real life.
Twenty-one-year-old Kirti bows her head, blushing, as her boyfriend reveals what she feels is an intimate detail of their relationship, which perhaps shouldn't be shared.
"Sometimes we kiss here," says Aashish, who says his parents know about his three-year-old relationship.
The couple live in the same block of flats, again more than an hour away from here, and met during a religious festival.
"My friend saw him and said, 'he's nice'," says Kirti. "She's just so beautiful" Aashish interjects.
Kirti's parents still have no knowledge of the affair. "I don't know when I'll tell them."
A couple hold hands on Bandra Lands End Many couples want to escape Mumbai's crowded streets
Haven The setting is not as romantic as it first seems. Beneath the craggy rocks are piles of rubbish, rotting food, and a large number of discarded flip flops, the casualties of misplaced footsteps.
The smell in the midday heat can be pungent, but almost all of the couples I meet here ignore these details, happy they can be alone and admire stretches of the stunning coastline.
Most couples are bashful and shy about sharing the details of why they are here. Some are, on the face of it, boastful.
"We're not children, our parents don't mind," says Sachin. "We kiss and hold hands here - why not?"
Sachin comes here with his girlfriend Madhu once a week, making a two-hour round trip. "I asked him out, I just knew it was going to last a lifetime," says Madhu, glancing at her boyfriend proudly, before smiling at me.
And yet, despite their profession of being a modern, open couple, they talk to me away from the view of others, hidden underneath brightly coloured umbrellas.
But, it seems that even if this is a space for freedom, just admitting you might be doing something your parents forbid, is enough to cause shame for many of the young lovers here.
"We're only best friends," say Ashwin and Ritika, the second I approach them. Moments earlier, their hands were intertwined, and the body language from afar seemed to suggest something more than just a platonic connection.
A couple in an in intimate embrace at Bandra Land's End in Mumbai To many Indians public kissing is seen as indecent, but some couples flout convention
"Lovers do come here to date, but we just come here to feel better," says Aswhin.
Half an hour later, as I spot the pair in an embrace, they quickly spring apart.
Despite this jumpiness, the area is seen as a safe haven for couples.
Times are changing A few security guards patrol the area, but even in a city where public displays of affection are banned, and people can be fined for any behaviour which can be construed as indecent, the police here appear to turn a blind eye.
"You can't go to each couple and tell them to stop kissing," says one police officer in the area. "Besides, times are changing," he adds.
They might be, but there will always be detractors.
Like Deep and Shiksha, who had an arranged married six months ago, and who are also here to admire the view.
Well, most of it.
"We don't like these young kids coming here, we don't like seeing them kiss and all that," says Deep. "It's inappropriate, what they're doing, especially as a lot of families want to come here."
Some might brand Deep a killjoy, determined to puncture the pursuit of true love. But in India, this view is still deeply held too.
On the silver screen, true love always prevails, but in this city, the home of Bollywood, finding the strength and space to love remains a challenge for young couples.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi seeks Hague trial

Col Gaddafi's son has said he wants to be put on trial in The Hague, rather than in his home country, his lawyers have said.
Saif al-Islam said if he was executed after a trial in Libya then it would be tantamount to murder, according to documents submitted to the International Criminal Court.
The 40-year-old is being held by militia in the city of Zintan.
He has been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.
Libya's interim government has so far refused to hand him over for trial in the Netherlands, where the international court is based, arguing that he should face justice in his own country.
Col Gaddafi, whose autocratic rule lasted for 42 years, was killed in unclear circumstances after being captured by rebels in October, in an act criticised by rights groups.
'Fake guard' "I am not afraid to die but if you execute me after such a trial you should just call it murder and be done with it," Saif al-Islam was quoted by lawyers as saying.
In June, a team sent by the ICC were arrested after meeting Saif al-Islam, and held for more than three weeks.
The documents filed to the court said that during that meeting an official who had pretended to be an illiterate guard had stopped an ICC lawyer from taking a sworn statement from Saif al-Islam.
"The 'guard', who is actually Mr Ahmed Amer - a councillor who speaks several languages - was planted in the room to deliberately trick the delegation," the filing said, according to Reuters.
"He came back into the room and (in the presence of the ICC interpreter), started shouting that this statement was very dangerous, violated Libyan national security, and that the Defence could not have it back."
The meeting was cut short after 45 minutes and their documents were confiscated, the lawyers said. The team were later detained.
The actions of the authorities appeared to show they viewed it as "illegal, treason, or a violation of national security for either Mr Gaddafi or his Counsel to indicate that Mr Gaddafi does not wish to be tried before Libyan courts", the lawyers said in the filing.
Libyan officials accused lawyer Melinda Taylor, who was leading the ICC delegation, of smuggling spying devices and a coded letter to Saif al-Islam during the meeting.

Ted Cruz wins Texas Senate run-off election'

A Tea Party Republican has beaten an establishment rival in a closely fought, expensive US Senate run-off election in Texas, projections show.
With more than half of votes counted Ted Cruz had 55%, with Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst on 45%.
The candidates fought for the seat of outgoing Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
The Republicans secured a majority in the US House of Representatives in 2010 and are seeking control of the Senate in November's election.
Hispanic Senator? The Texas Senate seat is considered a safe one for Republicans, but correspondents say it is noteworthy that Mr Cruz, who is backed by the Tea Party, has been successful in the primary process.
His victory comes on the heels of victories for other Tea Party-backed candidates competing against veteran Republicans in state primaries in Indiana and Nebraska.
Mr Cruz, 41, is a lawyer from Houston and was formerly the state's solicitor general. He has never held elected office, but his campaign was endorsed by conservative figures such as Sarah Palin and South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint.
He faced Mr Dewhurst, 66, a wealthy businessman who presided over the Texas state Senate and has served in the US Air Force and CIA.
His campaign had the support of much of the Republican mainstream, including an endorsement from Texas Governor Rick Perry.
It was reported that Mr Dewhurst spent $19m (£12m) of personal funds on the race.
Mr Cruz was born in Cuba and would become the first Hispanic Senator from Texas if - as expected - he defeats the Democratic nominee in November's elections.

Oswaldo Paya death: Spanish politician in jail in Cuba

Cuba has decided that Spanish politician Angel Carromero should stay in custody over the death of well-known dissident Oswaldo Paya in a car crash.
Mr Carromero was driving a rental car that crashed against a tree as it hit an unpaved stretch of road in eastern Cuba on 22 July.
A preliminary investigation blamed the driver for the crash.
A Cuban prosecutor has up to six months to decide whether to press charges against Mr Carromero.
An article published in the official newspaper, Granma, says he "has been accused of the charge of homicide while driving a vehicle on public roads".
Mr Carromero and Swedish politician Jens Aron Modig survived the crash that claimed the lives of Mr Paya and 30-year-old Cuban human rights campaigner Harold Cepero.
Mr Paya's family rejected the official findings and suggested that the car might have been pushed off the road.
But on Monday Mr Carromero appeared in a pre-recorded video released by the Cuban authorities admitting that he had lost control of the car and denying that a second vehicle had been involved in the crash.
In the video, he also asked the international community to focus on getting him out of Cuba and he made a pledge for the accident not to be used "for political ends".
Mr Modig appeared in a media conference in Havana and said he had no memory of a second car hitting them.
Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya  
Oswaldo Paya, a Roman Catholic, was the founder of the Christian Liberation Movement
Breaking the law Mr Modig, a member of Sweden's Christian Democratic Party, and Angel Carromero, from Spain's centre-right Popular Party, admitted that they had taken some 4,000 euros ($4,900; £3,100) for Oswaldo Paya and other dissidents, which is illegal in Cuba.
They were driving Mr Paya and Mr Cepero to meet other dissidents when their rental car crashed in eastern Granma province.
After apologising for breaking the law, Mr Modig was released and has now returned to Sweden.
Oswaldo Paya, who was 60, was best known as the founder of the Varela project, a campaign begun in 1998 to gather signatures in support of a referendum on laws guaranteeing civil rights.
In May 2002, he presented Cuba's National Assembly with a petition of more than 10,000 signatures calling for an end to four decades of one-party rule.
The Cuban government described Mr Paya as an agent of the US who was working to undermine the country's revolution.

Argentina war cemetery vandalised in Falklands

The figure of the Virgin Mary was removed until the shrine was repaired
The Argentine war cemetery in the Falklands, where the bodies of more than 200 soldiers are buried, has been vandalised.
The glass that protects a figure of the Virgin Mary at the cemetery has been smashed and shattered.
The Falkland Islands government has condemned the action and has said the police are investigating.
Families of the Argentine war dead have described the attack as an "act of sacrilege".
The Virgin figure has been removed until the shrine is repaired.
Falklands legislator Dick Sawle appealed for anyone on the islands with any information to contact the police.
"Clearly we condemn any action of this sort and very much regret that this might have happened," he said in a statement.
Falklands map
The commission representing the relatives of Argentina's fallen in the 1982 conflict sent a note to the British ambassador in Buenos Aires, John Freeman, and Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman.
"We believe this act reflects escalating hostility by certain British sectors who are influential locally," the note said.
The cemetery, which lies on a hilltop near Darwin, was the renewed focus of attention earlier this year when ceremonies were held to mark the 30th anniversary of the war.
Two hundred and fifty-five UK servicemen and three Falklands civilians died in the war.
An estimated 650 Argentines were also killed.
Argentina claims sovereignty of the islands which it calls the Malvinas, accusing Britain of colonialism.
Britain says Argentina should respect the wishes of the local population.
"As long as they wish to remain a British territory, that is the way it will stay," Prime Minister David Cameron said earlier this year.


US author Gore Vidal dies aged 86

Celebrated writer and political commentator Gore Vidal has died aged 86, according to US media.
He died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening of complications from pneumonia, his nephew, Burr Steers, told AP.
A prolific writer, Gore Vidal produced 25 novels, including the best-selling Burr and Myra Breckenridge, more than 200 essays, and several plays.
He also ran for political office twice and was a well-known commentator.
Mr Steers told the Associated Press that his uncle had been ill "for quite a while".
Along with such contemporaries as Norman Mailer and Truman Capote, Gore Vidal was among a generation of literary writers who were also genuine celebrities - fixtures on talk shows and in gossip columns.
He wrote his first book aged only 19 and later went on to become one of America's most distinguished authors, although he was not always comfortable with the literary and political establishment.
Born in 1925, Eugene Luther Vidal was also the scion of one of America's grandest political dynasties.
His grandfather, TP Gore, was a senator and his father a one-time Secretary of Aviation under President Franklin D Roosevelt.

Olympic female badminton players face charges

The Badminton World Federation has charged eight female Olympic doubles players with "not using one's best efforts to win a match".
Four pairs of players - two from South Korea, one from China and one from Indonesia - could be disciplined.
Meanwhile, Team GB's gold medal hopes on day five of the Games lie mainly with rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, and cyclist Bradley Wiggins.
And America's Michael Phelps has won a record 19th Olympic medal.
Spectators booed the two badminton matches played at Wembley Arena on Tuesday, in which the four accused pairs of players were appearing.
China's Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli and South Koreans Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na are among those facing charges.
The longest rally in their game lasted four shots, with match referee Thorsten Berg coming on to court at one point to warn the players. The players also appeared to deliberately serve into the net and hit the shuttlecock out of the court.
Both pairs were already through to the quarter-finals. Reports have suggested they both wanted to lose to secure an easier draw.

The unseeded South Koreans eventually won their match, meaning they would next play China's Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei.
The South Korean pair did not comment, but Yu said she and Wang were saving energy for the knockout stages.
And a later match between South Korean third seeds Ha Jung-Eun and Kim Min-Jung and Indonesian pair Meiliana Juahari and Greysia Polii is also under scrutiny by the Badminton World Federation.
Both pairs of those teams had also already qualified for the knockout stages, with the winner of Group C to play Yu and Wang and the Korean pairs to face each other if Ha and Kim lost.
At one point the referee, Berg, again intervened and brandished a black card to disqualify the players. However, he then rescinded his decision following protests from the two teams.
Both teams appeared keen to lose and therefore not play the Chinese in the next round, but the Koreans eventually won by two sets to one.
A statement from the BWF confirmed that all four pairs would face charges of "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport".

Power restored after huge Indian power cut

BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan: "More than half of India's population ground to a halt"

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India's power supply has been fully restored after a two-day blackout across much of the country, an official has said.
More than 600 million people were affected by the power cut after three electricity grids collapsed, one for a second consecutive day.
Outages caused havoc, with whole cities being plunged into darkness.
The breakdowns in the northern, eastern, and north-eastern grids affected 20 of India's 28 states.
Power System Operation Corporation chief SK Soonee said electricity had been restored in all three grids overnight on Tuesday by engineers from the state-owned company.
The blackout caused transport networks to grind to a halt with hundreds of trains stranded and water supplies interrupted.
In Delhi, Metro services were halted and staff evacuated trains. Many traffic lights in the city failed, leading to massive traffic jams.
Other areas affected included Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan in the north, and West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand in the east.
In eastern India, around 200 miners were trapped underground as lifts failed, but officials later said they had all been rescued.
One shopworker in Delhi, Anu Chopra, 21, said: "I can understand this happening once in a while but how can one allow such a thing to happen two days in a row?
"It just shows our infrastructure is in a complete mess. There is no transparency and no accountability whatsoever."
'Technical snag' In a statement on national TV on Tuesday evening, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde blamed the crisis on states taking more than their quota of power from the national grid.
Dark street in Calcutta, India (31 July 2012) Streets in Calcutta were plunged into darkness as night fell
He said he had appealed to states to stop this and instructed his officials to penalise those states which did.
But officials in Uttar Pradesh, one of the states blamed in the Indian media, said there was "no reason to believe" they were at fault.
Anil K Gupta, the chairman of the state's power company, called for "further investigation to ascertain the real cause".
The power minister of Haryana state, Captain Ajay Singh, was quoted by NDTV as saying his was not the only state with overdraw from the grid.
"We are not to be blamed for the technical snag that tripped the grid," he said. "We are simply being blamed for what everyone does."
Also on Tuesday it was announced that Mr Shinde had been promoted to the post of home minister, in a widely anticipated cabinet reshuffle.
He has been replaced by the current corporate affairs minister, Veerappa Moily.
 
 
Power cuts are common in Indian cities because of a fundamental shortage of power and an ageing grid - the chaos caused by such cuts has led to protests and unrest on the streets in the past.
But the collapse of an entire grid is rare - the last time the northern grid failed was in 2001.
India's demand for electricity has soared in recent years as its economy has grown but its power infrastructure has been unable to meet the growing needs.
Correspondents say unless there is a huge investment in the power sector, the country will see many more power failures.
map

Polish groups protest over Madonna's Warsaw show

Catholic and veterans' groups in Poland are protesting against a concert by Madonna because it falls on the anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.
Some are urging ticket-holders to boycott Wednesday's show, which comes 68 years after the city's failed revolt against Nazi occupation began.
Organisers of the concert have agreed to show a short clip about the events of 1944 before the performance.
Every year, Poles commemorate the 200,000 lives lost during the uprising.
One Catholic group called Krucjata Mlodych, or Youth Crusade, has started an online campaign urging people not to attend the concert.
They say more than 50,000 people have signed up to their Don't Go To See Madonna campaign.
The group also says anti-Madonna Mass services and street prayer sessions have been held.
They accuse the singer of offending their faith through her use of burning cross and crown of thorns imagery, and say she promotes pornography and sexual deviation.
Billboards around the capital promoting the concert have been defaced with the sign of the Polish Home Army, the largest underground army in Nazi-occupied Europe, reports the BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw.
'Important moment' Every year, at 1700 on 1 August, sirens wail across Warsaw and people stand still to pay their respects to the victims of the 63-day uprising, our correspondent says.
Conservative opposition MP Stanislaw Pieta has appealed to the government not to allow the concert to go ahead in Warsaw's National Stadium, Polish Radio reports.
Concert organisers have agreed to a proposal by city officials to show a short film about the uprising in the stadium before the show, in an attempt to appease the protesters.
Ania Pietrzak, a spokeswoman for concert organiser Live Nation, told the Press Association: "It is an important moment in Polish history, so we have decided to remind people of that moment."
It is the latest controversy to hit the 53-year-old singer's MDNA tour.
In Paris, some fans booed her when she ended the show after only 45 minutes.
She also angered supporters of France's right-wing National Front party, by showing a swastika imposed on the face of the party's leader, Marine Le Pen.

Israel ultra-Orthodox lose army exemption

Defence Minister Ehud Barak has given Israel's army one month to prepare to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jews, after a law exempting them expired at midnight (21:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
In February, the Supreme Court ruled the Tal Law, under which seminary students can defer military service, unconstitutional.
It said a revised law should be drafted by the end of July, but the political parties have failed to reach agreement.
Secular Israelis say the law is unfair.
Now that the law has expired, conscription is in theory governed by a law - passed in 1949 and last amended in 1986 - that requires all Israelis above 18 to enlist, unless specifically exempted by the defence ministry.
Mr Barak has instructed the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to draw up a "practical proposal" on how to implement the 1949 law within a month, according to a statement by his office.
The proposal "will reflect and take into consideration the ruling of the High Court of Justice, the requirements and values of the IDF, the principle of sharing the burden of national service more equally, and the suitability of individuals for service, as is commonly accepted", the statement said.
It is widely expected that until it is ready, no steps with be taken to conscript any ultra-Orthodox.
The temporary solution is to remain in place until the Knesset agrees on a new law, according to Mr Barak's office.
'Not ready' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the expiry of the law had caused a problem, insisting that the army would immediately begin widening its list of recruits.
"There is no vacuum, there is no vacuum, there is a law," he told Israeli TV.
"There's a new law about equal service.The Israeli military will decide whom to draft, how many to draft - and it will draft. I will give it all my support."
Ultra-Orthodox leader Meir Porush, a former Knesset member, told Associated Press that any attempt to conscript members of his community would unleash "civil war", but added that the army was itself unlikely to want religious conscripts.
"The Israeli military is not ready, won't be ready and doesn't want to be ready" to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews, Mr Porush said.
Last month, the centrist Kadima party left Mr Netanyahu's government after rejecting his right-wing Likud Party's proposals to replace the Tal Law.
Religious parties in the coalition also threatened to quit if the exemption was abolished.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Lithuanian 15-year-old Ruta Meilutyte wins shock gold

Teenager Ruta Meilutyte won Lithuania's first ever Olympic gold in the pool by beating American Rebecca Soni in the women's 100m breaststroke.
The 15-year-old, who goes to the same Plymouth school as Tom Daley, led from the start and beat the fast-finishing Soni by 0.08 seconds.

Analysis

"Coming into this with her times you would never have predicted she would get to the final. She was just blown away by the occasion but what a way to do it."
Japan's Satomi Suzuki earned bronze, while Australia's defending champion Leisel Jones finished fifth.
"I can't believe it," said a stunned Meilutyte. "It's too much for me."
Having set a new European record in the heats - a mark that beat her personal best by two seconds - Meilutyte swam even faster in the semi-finals on Sunday to qualify fastest for the final ahead of world champion and Beijing silver medallist Soni.
In the final, following a fault at the start, where the bleep went before the swimmers were told to take their marks, Meilutyte astonished both herself and the crowd to hold off her challengers and win in 1:05.47.
The gold was Lithuania's first medal of the London Olympics.
Meilutyte, who moved to Britain three years ago with her father, is trained by English coach Jon Rudd.
He said that a fast swim had been "brewing for a while".
"We didn't realistically know what she would do," said Rudd, who revealed that Meilutyte was a freestyler when she arrive in the United Kingdom.
Play media
Ruta Meilutyte's coach Jon Rudd
Meilutyte has everything - coach
"Her breaststroke was pretty tidy and we tidied it up even more.
"A big swim around the 1:05-1:06 mark was brewing for a while, it was just about putting the elements together on the day.
"She is a talented and vigilant worker. When you've got talent and work ethic you've got a great kid."
Meilutyte could add to her medal tally as she is competing in the women's 50m and 100m freestyle.
Plymouth College  assistant headteacher Sarah Dunn said of her student's triumph: "We are almost in tears, it was such an achievement.
"We knew she had great potential when she arrived here three years ago. Not only is she a fantastic athlete, but she is also a great scholar.
"She has always demonstrated superb talent and the hunger and desire to succeed. We had every confidence in her.
"To achieve what she has at such a young age is incredible. She is a real credit and we are so proud of her."

Olympic gymnastics: bronze for GB as Japan win silver on appeal


Great Britain's men won an astonishing Olympic bronze medal in the gymnastics team final - having originally taken silver before a Japanese appeal.
Louis Smith, Sam Oldham, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock and Dan Purvis sealed GB men's first Olympic team medal since a bronze in 1912.
China cruised to gold, with GB second, as the medal prospects of the United States and Germany disintegrated.
Japan, initially placed in fourth, moved up to second after an appeal.
They were unhappy with the pommel horse score awarded to Kohei Uchimura and were elevated above Britain, after lengthy deliberation by the officials, with Ukraine missing out on a bronze medal in the process.
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Great Britain
Olympic gymnastics: Bronze in team final is still unbelievable - GB men
The result is beyond the expectations of the British team, even though they qualified for the final in third place and knew they had the ability to challenge for a medal.
"For all these guys, their first Olympic Games, to get a medal is unbelievable," Smith told BBC Sport. "Silver? Bronze? It doesn't matter, we enjoyed it, it was fantastic."
Thomas added: "It's an Olympic medal at the end of the day, it's what dreams are made of. All I could think about was winning an Olympic medal when I was younger.
"Silver would've been nice but I couldn't complain at all right now. We're in London, it's once in a lifetime and we've made the most of it."
Uchimura, whose appeal denied Britain the silver, told reporters through an interpreter: "I feel sorry [for the British]. It's strange to say I feel sorry for them, though. This is the scoring system so I shouldn't feel sorry. This is just the score."
His appeal centred on whether he had been correctly rewarded for a partially botched dismount in his pommel horse routine. The three-time world champion's score was upgraded by 0.7 marks, enough to take Japan past Britain.
Before the final, not many would talk in more than hushed tones of a bronze medal, let alone of beating Japan. So the 10 minutes spent in silver-medal position, before Japan's successful appeal, were breathtaking as a stunned and elated audience tried to take in the scale of the British men's achievement.

Mali unwed couple stoned to death by Islamists

A couple who had sex outside marriage has been stoned to death at the weekend by Islamists in the town of Aguelhok in northern Mali, officials say.
The man and woman were buried up to their necks, then pelted with stones until they died.
The northern half of Mali has been overrun by rebels - Tuareg and Islamist - following a coup in Mali's capital.
Aguelhok in the region of Kidal was one of the first to be captured by Tuareg separatist rebels.
The Islamists in Aguelhok stoned the couple to death in front of about 200 people, officials said.
"I was there. The Islamists took the unmarried couple to the centre of Aguelhok. The couple was placed in two holes and the Islamists stoned them to death," a local government official told the AFP news agency.
"The woman fainted after the first few blows," he said, adding that the man had shouted out once and then fallen silent.
'Invaders'
A Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali triggered a military coup in March and in the ensuing chaos Islamist groups seized control of several towns in the north.
Mali's interim President Diouncounda Traore photographed in May before he was beaten up President Dioncounda Traore spent two months in France after being attacked
There has been international condemnation of the Islamists for destroying centuries-old shrines to saints revered by Sufi Muslims in the ancient city of Timbuktu.
Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore on Sunday evening called for talks with the militants.
He made the call in his first national address two days after returning from two months in France, where he was treated for injuries sustained when he was beaten by supporters of March's coup.
Mr Traore said he would lead talks to form a unity government in Mali and would spearhead efforts to open dialogue with Islamists.
Malians should unite against "invaders", he said, referring to foreign jihadis who are allegedly operating in the north.
"Given the complexity of this crisis and the extent of the distress of our people from the north... we must together, I say together, clear the path ahead to free our country from these invaders, who only leave desolation, deprivation and pain in their wake," Mr Traore said.

Uganda's Yoweri Museveni warns of Ebola threat

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has urged people to avoid physical contact, after the deadly Ebola virus claimed one life in the capital, Kampala.
Fourteen people have now died since the outbreak began in western Uganda three weeks ago, he said in a broadcast.
There have been no confirmed cases of the infection spreading in Kampala.
Ebola, one of the most virulent diseases in the world, is spread by close personal contact and can kill up to 90% of those who become infected.
Mr Museveni said health officials were trying to trace everyone who had had contact with victims so that they could be quarantined.
People should avoid shaking hands, kissing or having sex to prevent the disease from spreading, he added.
Mr Museveni said relatives and friends should not bury anyone who is suspected to have died of Ebola.
"Instead call health workers because they know how to do it," he said.
Shocked Mr Museveni said seven doctors and 13 health workers at Mulago hospital - the main referral hospital in Kampala - were in quarantine after "at least one or two cases" were taken there from Kibaale district, about 170km (100 miles) west of Kampala.
One victim - a health worker who had been transferred to the capital - later died.
"I wish you good luck, and may God rest the souls of those who died in eternal peace," Mr Museveni said as he ended his address to the nation.
The BBC's Ignatius Bahizi in Kampala says that some people have not yet heard about the latest outbreak of Ebola and are shocked when they find out.
At a bus station in the city centre, our correspondent saw officials warning passengers about the virus and telling them to avoid physical contact.
The first victim of the latest outbreak was a pregnant woman.
It then spread at a funeral, Mr Museveni said.
Uganda has seen three major Ebola outbreaks over the past 12 years.
The deadliest was in 2000 when 425 people were infected. More than half of them died.
There is no vaccine for the virus. Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, weakness, headache, vomiting and kidney problems.

Mitt Romney Poland visit stirs Solidarity

Mitt Romney went to the Gdansk shipyard, the heart of Poland's trade union movement
US presidential candidate Mitt Romney has met Polish ex-President Lech Walesa in Gdansk, on the final leg of a tour that has included Israel and the UK.
The Republican candidate is due to lay a wreath on Tuesday, to mark the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939.
But trade union movement Solidarity has distanced itself from the visit.
Mr Romney has just travelled from Israel where comments he made about the Palestinian economy angered a senior Palestinian official.
He told an audience of Jewish donors that cultural differences explained why Israel's economy was much larger than that of the Palestinians.
"You notice a stark difference in economic vitality. And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognise the power of at least culture and a few other things," he told the gathering in Jerusalem.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Mr Romney's statements were racist and betrayed his ignorance of the region and the conflict in the Middle East.
Mr Romney's campaign spokeswoman said his comments had been "grossly mischaracterised".
The first leg of his tour, in London, had also proved controversial when the UK media reacted angrily to comments he made about the readiness of Olympic Games organisers prior to the opening of London 2012.
'Brimming with values' The former Massachusetts governor's tour is intended to drum up support and increase his profile globally as he faces incumbent President Barack Obama in November's presidential elections.
Mr Romney was met in Gdansk by Mr Walesa - Solidarity's first leader and Poland's first democratically-elected president - and by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
"He's very open, and brimming with values, his wife is always by his side, he's got five kids -- we're very much alike, I really like him and am pleased we met," Mr Walesa told reporters.
But the trade union movement, which originated in Gdansk and toppled Poland's communist regime in the late 1980s, said it had nothing to do with Mr Romney's trip to the city.
"Regretfully, we were informed by our friends from the American headquarters of AFL-CIO (trade union in the US), which represents more than 12 million employees... that Mitt Romney supported attacks on trade unions and employees' rights," Solidarity said in a statement.
Mr Walesa and Solidarity have not seen eye to eye for some years.
On Tuesday Mr Romney plans to conclude his tour with a speech in Warsaw where he will address the country's relationship with the United States.


Japan and the fax: A love affair ''By Mariko Oi BBC News, Tokyo ..

Fax machines gather dust in parts of the world, consigned to history since the rise of email. Yet in Japan, a country with a hi-tech reputation, the fax is thriving.
At Japan's talent agency HoriPro Inc, Yutaro Suzuki is busy writing up his next project proposal. Not typing, but writing by hand.
HoriPro is one of the largest and oldest agencies in the country and Suzuki publicises almost 300 singers and actors. But behind this glamorous profile, he cordially writes detailed schedules by hand.
"It takes longer but my feelings and passion come across better," says the 48-year-old public relations expert. "I find emails very cold so I prefer to fax handwritten documents."
In a country which boasts one of the fastest broadband speeds in the world, Suzuki thinks his affection for the fax may be a rare case in such a tech-savvy country. But 87.5% of Japanese businessmen surveyed by the Internet Fax Research Institute say that a fax machine is a crucial business tool.
And Suzuki's preference reflects aspects of Japanese culture which still embrace fax machines, despite their disappearance from parts of the developed world.
Firstly, the culture of handwriting is firmly rooted here. For example, the majority of resumes are still handwritten because Japanese employers are said to judge people's personalities from their writings.
For season's greetings cards, don't dare think of sending computer generated messages, says Midori's "how to write a letter" website.
"New Year's cards without handwritten messages come across as businesslike and automatic," it says.
Yutaro Suzuki Emails lack warmth, says Suzuki
Not surprisingly, people aspire to have good handwriting. Calligraphy remains one of the most popular lessons that parents send their children to and many adults take private lessons to improve their writings, too.
Secondly, Japan is obsessed with hard copies. People like to hold actual documents, not just to receive soft copies.
"You may miss an email but if you fax a document, it's physically there so you cannot miss it," says Setsuko Tsushima who runs a real estate agency.
"Even if I am not in the office, other staff would notice that an urgent document has come through," she adds.
For any official documents including housing contracts, they also require seals instead of signatures in Japan.
The majority of the population has a seal called jitsuin which is officially registered as theirs through a government office.
Unless original documents must be submitted in person, fax machines again come in handy because documents stamped with seals can be sent.
There is another reason Japan continues to use fax machines in the email era.
Japan is a country known to be high-tech but not everyone is. More than a fifth of the population is aged over 65.
The older generation who cannot keep up with emails still prefer to use fax machines.
That is why Supermarket Aeon has decided to take orders by fax and phone, not just on their website.
"We started taking orders online in 2008 but received quite a few requests from customers, especially in rural areas, that they prefer to order by phone or fax," says Hideo Binnaka who heads the online sales team.
"They are mainly our older customers so we also offer to check up on them if we don't receive any orders for a month to make sure that they are ok."
Japanese calligraphy Calligraphy is highly valued
There are two types of Japanese consumers: those who are very high-tech and others who are still wedded to traditional forms.
The majority of Japanese households - 58.6% of them according to the government - still owns a fax machine, which also functions as a phone.
They are not necessary clunky and old, however, because the manufacturers continue to release new models which have the latest technology including online faxing. It allows users to fax a document by using the internet.
The Internet Fax Research Institute says that more Japanese companies are keen to use e-fax (a fax sent using the internet) due to advantages such as cost reduction, business efficiency and environmental friendliness.
But for Suzuki, nothing beats handwriting.
"I draw maps, too," he says.
And there it is, on his summer party invitation, a map to the venue with every detail that partygoers need.

Kenya arrests six over Venezuelan diplomat's murder

Six people have been arrested in Kenya in connection with the murder of Venezuela's acting ambassador.
The diplomat, Olga Fonseca, was found strangled to death at her official residence in Nairobi on Friday.
Kenyan officials said some staff at the residency had complained about being fired by Ms Fonseca after they refused to retract allegations about her predecessor, Gerardo Carrillo Silva.
He left Nairobi two months ago after six years in the post.
The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was conducting an investigation into the allegations against Mr Carrillo Silva.
Venezuelan assistance
Two Venezuelan government officials arrived in Nairobi on Saturday to help with the probe into Ms Fonseca's killing.
She had started her new role in Nairobi on 15 July.
Staff had found Ms Fonseca, 57, in her bedroom on Friday morning.
She had only moved into the official residence, which is surrounded by an electrified fence, two days previously.
Chief of Nairobi police Anthony Kibuchi said investigations were progressing well.
He told local media he expected to charge some of the suspects either on Monday or Tuesday.

Syria crisis: Rebels hold out in Aleppo strongholds

Syrian rebels have held out for another night in the city of Aleppo as a government offensive enters its fourth day.
With battles raging in several areas, hospitals and clinics in the city are said to be filling up with casualties.
Thousands of people are continuing to flee the city, adding to a growing humanitarian crisis in the region.
Meanwhile, the US and Turkey have agreed to step up efforts to achieve "political transition" in Syria.
This would include the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the White House said.
In a phone call on Monday, US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also agreed to help the growing numbers of refugees - both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.
Turkey has been a staunch critic of President Assad and has given refuge to large numbers of army defectors.
Thousands of Syrian refugees are also living in refugee camps on the Turkish side of the countries' long border.
As the crisis deepened, Iran - a close ally of Damascus - warned Turkey not to intervene militarily, the Syrian state-controlled al-Watan newspaper said.
"Any attack on Syrian territory will meet with a harsh response, and the Iranian-Syrian mutual defence agreement will be activated," it reported on Monday.
 
Mohammed, rebel fighter in Aleppo
The newspaper said Turkey and the US were planning to create "a safe haven guarded by the armed gangs" in the north of Syria.
"Turkey has received very strong warnings in the past few hours and the following message - beware changing the rules of the game," al-Watan said.
Turkey has said it will use troops if necessary to prevent another Halabja - a reference to a notorious massacre in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
In Aleppo, rebels said they were holding out in the strategic south-west area of Salah al-Din, rejecting government claims to have retaken it.
Pro-government forces have been attacking with artillery, ground forces and helicopter gunships.
Analysts say Salah al-Din provides an important route for Syrian troop reinforcements coming from the south.
"We always knew the regime's grave would be Aleppo," said one young fighter named only as Mohammed, quoted by Reuters news agency.
"Damascus is the capital, but here we have a fourth of the country's population and the entire force of its economy. Bashar's forces will be buried here."
A medic in one clinic in Aleppo told Reuters: "Some days we get around 30, 40 people, not including the bodies. A few days ago we got 30 injured and maybe 20 corpses, but half of those bodies were ripped to pieces. We can't figure out who they are."
The BBC's Ian Pannell, in the Aleppo area, says it is a vital city that neither side can afford to lose.
Vital supplies are running out in certain areas, he says, and those staying behind face long queues for bread.
Cars and lorries can be seen carrying people out the city, but most of those fleeing are women and children, with the men opting to stay and fight, our correspondent adds.
Greek officials were due to reveal further details of new border security plans on Tuesday, aimed at stopping Syrian refugees crossing from Turkey.
On Monday, Greece - one of the busiest entry points for illegal immigrants entering the EU - said it was quadrupling the number of guards along its border with Turkey.
In New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon repeated that he was particularly concerned by the continued use of heavy weapons by Syrian government forces.
He also called on the Syrian government to renounce the possibility of using chemical weapons under any circumstances, and to secure its stockpiles.
Damascus has implicitly acknowledged its possession of chemical weapons but said it would not use them against its own people, only against foreign invaders.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Olympic game is comming

show the game in internet.please visit bd24allnews.blogspoat.com

Sunday, July 29, 2012

BBC Fundraiser Luncheon report.
Thank you to all participants in the BBC luncheon fundraiser including all the helpers, which made it a success.
We raised a total of $352.00 from the ticket sales plus an additional $90.00 from the wine auction.
All food was donated by Rolande.
A special thank you to Dorothy Martin for donating the wine.

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