Chinese President Xi Jinping Visits Russia - Saturday March 23,2013

Xi Jinping has arrived in Russia on the first stop of his maiden overseas tour as president of China.He is
set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the two likely to discuss energy and investment deals.Xi's wife, well-known military singer Peng Liyuan, is with him on this trip.

Russia is one of the world's biggest energy producers, and China is the world's top energy consumer. Bilateral trade is booming, reaching a record $88bn (£58bn) last year.

Beijing and Moscow have held similar positions over a number of thorny diplomatic issues, from Iran to Syria to North Korea, and some analysts suggest the bond is likely to strengthen
The choice of Moscow as Mr Xi's first destination is seen as symbolic, and a move from China to counter the US pivot to Asia

He will also visit Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo on his tour, which continues until March 30,2013

Croatia Vs Serbia in 2014 World Cup Football Qualifiers -Friday March 22,2013

Some 40,000 Croatian supporters gathered on Friday March 22,2013 in Zagreb,Croatia for the first official match between the now two independent nations - Croatia and Serbia

Croatia won 2-0. Croatia took the lead in the 23rd minute following a wayward pass by Aleksandar Kolarov that subsequently gave Mario Mandzukic a simple tap-in from three yards. Ivica Olic made it 2-0 in the 37th minute

 Croatia's Ivica Olic (R) celebrates after scoring against Serbia during their 2014 World Cup qualifying match at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb, March 22, 2013

Croatia - who will play the return match in Serbia in Sep 2013 - now top their qualifying Group A together with Belgium, and are in a strong position to qualify for the World Cup finals in Brazil in 2014.
But Serbia has all but lost any chances to progress from the group.

There was heavy security in Zagreb, despite an earlier agreement between Croatia and Serbia that travelling fans would be banned from attending the match to reduce the possibility of violence.

And despite repeated appeals by the Croatian football authorities to respect the visiting side, the home crowd soon started singing fascist songs from the 1940s - when tens of thousands of Serbs died in Croatia at the hands of the Ustasa militias.
The Serbian national anthem was booed at the start of the game, and the home fans in Zagreb,Croatia continued with abusive chants against their fierce rivals - Serbia

The two nations fought a war during the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s

Lebanese Govt led by PM Najib Mikati Resigns - Friday March 22,2013

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has announced the resignation of his entire government. 

The move comes after the deeply divided cabinet failed to approve a commission to oversee elections
planned for June 2013It was also unable to agree on the extension of the term of office of the internal security chief, who is otherwise obliged to retire next month.


"I announce the resignation of the government, hoping that this will open the way for the major political blocs to take responsibility and come together to bring Lebanon out of the unknown," Mikati told a news conference on Friday March 22,2013
 

Najib Mikati called for the formation of a national unity government

President Michel Suleiman on Saturday accepted the resignation of the outgoing prime minister

Note
Najib Mikati was appointed PM  in 2011 after the Hezbollah and its allies brought down the unity government of Saad al-Hariri, son of former PM Rafik Hariri who was assassinated in 2005.

US President Barack Obama Visits Jordan - Friday March 22,2013

US President Barack Obama listens to his National Anthem as he participates in an official arrival ceremony with Jordan's King Abdullah II at Al-Hummar Palace, in Amman on March 22, 2013

The US president is spending just over 24 hours in Jordan but the trip is being billed as– a reward for the most loyal of US Arab allies.In 1994, Jordan became the second Arab country after Egypt to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state(Israel) – one of the principal reasons for its close relationship with the US

Analysts see Obama's visit to the Hashemite kingdom as a gesture of support because of the burden of hosting some 450,000 Syrian refugees

Human Rights Watch has, meanwhile, asked Barack Obama to urge Jordan to stop rejecting Palestinian refugees, single males, and undocumented people seeking asylum at its border with Syria.

King Abdullah II told reporters that the conflict has caused 460,000 refugees to flood his country and more were on the way.That equals 10% of Jordan's population, and the total could double by the end of the year, the king said in asking for more help from the international community as his country also deals with internal reforms in response to economic woes that are raising public dissatisfaction.

Barack Obama said he was working with Congress to provide an additional $200 million to Jordan this year to help deal with the refugee influx

Protests held in Jordan ahead of Barack Obama visit

 

Members of the Jordanian Communist Party have demonstrated against US President Barack Obama's visit to the region by staging a protest in front of the US embassy on Thursday March 21,2013 chanting slogans such as "USA go away" and "Obama go away".

 

Govt of India Disinvestment of PSU Shares in 2012-13

 

Govt Of India is targetting Rs 30000 Crore from stake sales in PSU's in 2012-13 

"In 2011-12, as against a target of Rs 40,000 crore, the government will raise about Rs 14,000 crore from disinvestment. For 2012-13, I propose to raise Rs 30,000 crore through disinvestment," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in his Budget speech.  

Alcatraz Island Federal Prison(1933-63) in San Francisco

Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offshore from San Francisco,California,USA .

Alcatraz, the island measures 1,675 feet (511 m) by 590 feet (180 m) and is 135 feet (41 m) at highest point during mean tide. However, the total area of the island is reported to be 22 acres (8.9 ha

Often referred to as "The Rock," the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison (1868), and a Federal Prison  from 1933 until 1963.

^{Attorney General Robert F Kennedy ordered the penitentiery closed on March 21,1963 because the penitentiary cost much more to operate than other prisons(nearly $10 per prisoner per day,as opposed to $3 per prisoner per day at Atlanta)and half a century of salt water saturation eroded the buildings}

In 1972 Alcatraz became a national recreation area and received designation as a National Historic Landmark  in 1986.

This 1963 image shows the last prisoners depart from Alcatraz Island federal prison in San Francisco. The National Park Service on Thursday celebrated the 50th anniversary of Alcatraz Island's closure as a federal penitentiary with an exhibit of newly discovered photos of the prison's final hours

Nightclub in Kent advertise free entrance for women if they show their cleavage

A nightclub has provoked an angry backlash after offering women free entry if they expose their cleavage.
The Casino Rooms Nightclub in Rochester, Kent, is promoting its "National Cleavage Weekender" next month with pictures of seven women in low-cut tops and the slogan "It's not about the size, it's about the presentation!".
The club's poster also boasts: "Free entry for exposed cleavage b4 11pm on any night! Only at Kent's biggest & breast party venue."
The club's boss Aaron Stone has defended the promotion as lighthearted and fun.
But a steady stream of people have come forward to slate the stunt as sexist.

Tory MP for Chatham and Aylesford Tracey Crouch said: "This is disgusting and degrading to women, particularly at a time when we're trying to do such good work to improve the body image of women of all shapes and sizes.
"This is an incredibly misguided PR stunt."
Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington Diane Abbott tweeted: "Casino Rooms nightclub in Kent promotes 'National Cleavage Weekender' £everydaysexism."

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was fined €10,000 ($13,000) by UEFA -Friday March 22,2013

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was fined €10,000 ($13,000) by UEFA on Friday for failing to fulfill his post-match media duties after a Champions League match against Real Madrid on March 5,2013

Champions League regulations compel clubs to "make their manager/head coach available" for a UEFA-run news conference within 20 minutes of the final whistle. United sent assistant manager Mike Phelan to conduct interviews with television and the written press, and he told the media that Ferguson was too "distraught" to speak

Background
Alex Ferguson was incensed at the decision to send off Portugal winger Nani for dangerous play in the second half of the match at Old Trafford on March 5. Manchester United was 1-0 up at the time of the red card and ended up losing 2-1 in the second leg of the last-16 match, eliminating the team from the competition.

Nani was given an automatic one-match ban on Friday for the offense, which came as he tried to control the ball and inadvertently planted his right boot onto the chest of Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa

Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir's decision to show Nani a straight red card infuriated Ferguson, who remonstrated with the fourth official on the touchline after the 56th-minute incident.

Within 15 minutes, Real Madrid scored through Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo to lead for the first time in the two-legged series
.

Pragyan Ojha,becomes the third fastest Indian to get wickets in test matches - Saturday March 23,2013

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha on Saturday March 23,2013 became the third fastest Indian bowler to reach the milestone of 100 wickets in Test cricket. Ojha's 100th wicket was Australian tailender James Pattinson, who edged to Virat Kohli at first slip.
Ojha did not play the first two Tests against Australia in Chennai and Hyderabad, but returned in Mohali where India clinched the series 3-0 and took four wickets.
In the Delhi Test Match which was his 22nd Test Match,Pragyan Ojha had to wait 26.1 overs since the time to take wicket No. 99 in Mohali until Pattinson became his 100th, off the first ball of Ojha's 27th over on Saturday March 23,2013
Pragyan Ojha being greeted by Ravindra Jadeja after getting James Pattinson out on Day 2 of the 4th Test between India and Australia at Ferozshah Kotla Ground in New Delhi on 23, March, 2013

The other two indian cricketers were -
Erapalli Prasanna who took his 100th wicket in his 20th Test, which came against Australia in Delhi on November 28, 1969 and
Anil Kumble who reached the landmark in his 21st Test, which was in Bangalore against New Zealand on October 15, 1995
The next closest are -
 Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma with 95, followed by Harbhajan (92) and R Ashwin (90).

In terms of days -
Pragyan Ojha took 3 years and 32 days to reach the 100-wicket mark.
Anil Kumble needed 5 years and 70 days to get to 100 wickets and
Erapalli Prasanna took 7 years and 22 days to get to 100 wickets, but this included 5 years of absence from the Test scene as he finished his undergraduate studies

About Pragyan Ojha

• made his Test Match debut against Sri Lanka in the 2nd Test at Nagpur on Nov 24, 2009 and had figures of 2-37 off 23 overs and 2-36 off 15.3 overs in India's 100th Test win

• became the 18th Indian overall and world’s 163rd bowler to get to the 100-wicket figure

• had the most success against New Zealand as he has taken 25 wickets in 5  Tests at an average of 27.56

• Next best for Ojha are England and West Indies, against whom he has taken 20 wickets

• 18 of his 22 Tests have been played in India, at an average of 29.34 and strike-rate of 67.6

• In 3 Tests in Sri Lanka, Ojha took eight wickets at an average of 64.37 and strike-rate of 123

• In his solitary Test in Bangladesh, Pragyan Ojha took 4 wickets at an average of 31.50 and strike rate of 57

• has featured in 13 Tests wins out of 22, taking 73 wickets at an average of 25.84 and strike-rate of 57.20
• Pragyan Ojha's best bowling figure (6/47) came against the West Indies in Mumbai in 2011. 

• majority of Pragyan Ojha's wickets have been - caught (54); (31) lbw;(10) stumped and (7) bowled

• Pragyan Ojha made his ODI debut agianst Bangladesh in June 2008

• Pragyan Ojha made his T-20 debut against Bangladesh in June 2009, in which took 4/21 in 4 overs and was awarded Man of the Match for his outstanding and match-winning performance

• Pragyan Ojha became the 800th and final Test victim of Muttiah Muralitharan(Sri Lanka) the highest wicket taker in Test Match Cricket History in Galle.(In 133 matches, Muttiah Muralitharan has 800 wickets at an average of 22.72,has taken 10 wickets in a match an astonishing 22 times and 5 wickets in an innings 67 times -- the most by any bowler.Murali made his debut against Australia in Colombo in 1992 and claimed Craig McDermott as his first Test victim.Shane Warne is the second best with 708 wickets in 145 Tests at an average of 25.41)

Communal Violence in the Town of Meiktila,Burma

A state of emergency has been imposed in the Myanmar(Burmese) town of Meiktila following three days of communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims.At least 20 people are reported to have been killed since the violence began, but exact figures are unclear.

A statement announcing the decision on behalf of President Thein Sein was broadcast on state television

The disturbances began on Wednesday March 20,2013 when an argument in a gold shop escalated quickly, with mobs setting mainly Muslim buildings alight, including some mosques. 

Fighting in the streets between men from rival communities later broke out.

Abdullah Ocalan,Kurd Rebel Leader Calls for Turkey Truce - Thursday, March 21, 2013

Abdullah Ocalan(64)the jailed leader of Kurdish rebels in Turkey has told his fighters to lay down their arms after decades of fighting for greater Kurdish autonomy.

More than 40,000 people have died in the nearly 30-year conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in south-eastern Turkey.

A statement from Abdullah Ocalan was read out by a pro-Kurdish member of parliament and broadcast live on Turkish national television.

As the rebel leader's words were read out, thousands waved banners bearing his portrait, chanting: "In peace as in war, we are with you, chief."

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the ceasefire call as a positive development, but said the real test would be putting it into action
The announcement was timed to coincide with Kurdish New Year