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Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar has escaped a bid on life after his car was fired at by an unidentified gun man when he was leaving his ashram on Sunday evening in Bangalore. Spiritual leader, who is also affectionately called ‘Gurudev’ by his followers, is unhurt.

A disciple was injured in the firing near Shankar’s Art of Living ashram at Kanakapura Road near Bangalore. He was returning after delivering  a discourse in Bangalore.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

One of his devotees sustained a bullet injury on his thigh as he was grazed by it. He has been discharged by the Hospital after first aid.

It appears that the attacker had the knowledge of Gurudev’s movements that evening who fled the scene after the attack.

Karnataka Home Minister V S Acharya confirmed that Ravi Shankar’s car had been fired at but refused to comment further. “I am waiting for more details. He is safe,” said Acharya about the spiritual leader. (more…)

Instances have come to light where serving and retired Indian officials have been denied Canadian visas. In response to a question regarding denial of visa to an Indian by the Canadian High Commission, the Official Spokesperson said that the matter has come to the attention of Ministry of External Affairs and has been taken up appropriately with the Canadian side. 

External Affairs Minister, S.M.Krishna, has said that Canada’s decision to deny visas to Indian security men is “unacceptable” adding that the Canadians have been told of India’s views. 

“We have conveyed to the Canadian government that the letters issued by their High Commission to serving or retired officers who had applied for Canadian visa are entirely unacceptable. We expect the Canadians to address the situation,” he said.   (more…)

Likely Causes of Crash

Pilot error was being blamed last night after the Air India Boeing 737-800 overshot a runway in Mangalore, plunged over a cliff and exploded in flames, killing all but eight of the 166 people onboard. 

Air India

The AI flight number IX 812 was coming in to Mangalore from Dubai.

Survivors, who had been shifted to the local Hospitals, said it had braked suddenly and veered out of control before the right wing struck an antenna, splitting the plane in two, and  went towards the cliff’s edge. (more…)

Paul Collingwood won the toss and asked Australia to bat first.  Australia lost three quick wickets in the final of ICC World Cup T20 tournament at the Kensington Oval ground on Sunday. The law of averages had caught up with the Australians who were all along on a winning streak, till today. 

Kevin Pietersen

They were in dire straits when David Hussey saved them from a total disaster by scoring 59 runs off 54 balls. With the top cream back to the pavilion, it was the middle order which pushed Australia to 147 for the loss of 6 wickets at the end of 20 overs.

It was again Cameroon White who scored 30 runs off 19 balls in the company of M Hussey who gave some respectability to the Australian total. It was remarkable bowling and superb fielding by the England players that Australia were 8 for 3 in three overs. (more…)

The semi-final match between Pakistan and Australia was the “Match of the tournament’. An unbelievable run-chase which sent Pakistan players for the leather hunt.Australia proved on Friday that they are true champions. They were almost down and out after the 10th over of their innings and the world knew that Pakistan is through to the finals, except one man – David Hussey who had thought otherwise. Australia won the toss and elected to field at the St. Lucia Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Mike Hussey

Australia were mostly out of it when Cameron White walked in. He slammed 43 0ff 31 balls with 5 sixes, but at the fall of his wicket, there was a gloom in the Australian dug-out.

Five sixes in five overs from White had come from the 11th onwards, but Pakistan’s spinners still kept a lid on things and when Saeed Ajmal bowled a five-run 14th, it seemed a crucial one. Australia still needed 70 from five and when White fell, it seemed over. But Hussey had settled and pulled Afridi for a couple of sixes, and the onslaught began. (more…)

India bowed out of the ICC T20 World Cup Championship with a five-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka in the match held in the Caribbean on Tuesday. Team India had lost all of their matches in the Super eight fight and stand last in the  list. On paper, Team India looks one of the best in the world, but when it comes to ground reality, they have fizzled out in their application to the assigned task. 

What happened there is hard to pin point, but if we do a collective soul searching, it was a combined responsibility of the selection committee in the first place and the team management on the ground in the second place. 

With hats off to Krish Srikaant for his splended contribution to Indian Cricket, he should have infused young legs into the 15 players selected for the World Cup. Anyone, who can do a Gayle or a Pollard on the pitch from India was Robin Uthappa, and he did not find a place in the playing XI.  (more…)

Attacks on Indian students have gone unabated in Sydney and Melbourne. After a relative lull in attacks on Indians in Australia, there have been attacks on Indian students during the month of April 2010 and two of them in the last week of April alone. An Indian student was robbed, brutally bashed up and racially abused in a fresh incidence of violence Down Under.
                                                              
According to, The Age, 23-year-old Neeraj Bhardwaj was viciously attacked near Melbourne Aquarium, close to the city police headquarters, at Melbourne, by two drunk men when he was waiting for a tram at 4 a.m. (local time) on Easter Monday after a night out.

The assault left Bhardwaj with a damaged left eye, broken nose, headaches and sore ribs. He said the doctors told him his left eye had lost “80 to 90 per cent” of its capacity and might never recover. (more…)

The victims of the 26/11 carnage at Mumbai have received justice at last. The lone surviving assassin of Mumbai carnage Ajmal Amir Kasab has been found guilty of all the 86 charges against him and has been awarded the ‘death sentence’ on the basis of eye-witnesses, CCTV footages and forensic reports.

 He has been awarded the death penalty on four counts and  life sentence has been pronounced for five others. And then, Kasab broke down.

Ajmal Amir Kasab

Awarding the judgement, Honourable Justice M.L. Tahiliyani “The depravity of the 26/11 attacks is unspeakable….this man has lost the right to humanitarian benefits,” said Judge M L Tahaliyani,  and observed that there was preponderance of overwhelming circumstances that the accused is awarded the capital punishment for murder, waging war against India, conspiring to commit murder, and act of terrorism. (more…)