Olympics closing ceremony organisers describe event as disco at end of wedding

London, Aug. 12
The man given the challenge of organizing the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, has described the event as a 'disco at the end of the wedding'. "The show we are putting on is very shiny, it's very colourful. We don't want to bang on about our culture. We just want to have fun at this moment," The Telegraph quoted Kim Gavin, who is a former ballet dancer, as saying. Gavin made his name as a creative director with the Circus and Progress tours for the band Take That. "Let's have a party. I don't want anyone to say, 'I don't understand this,'" Gavin said. According to the report, Gavin is not Danny Boyle, who had created an eccentric celebration of Britishness for the opening ceremony two weeks ago. "If I had been doing the opening ceremony, I would have had a different approach," Gavin admitted. Gavin's creative team for the closing ceremony includes designer Es Devlin, music director David Arnold and lighting director Patrick Woodroffe, along with executive producer Stephen Daldry. According to the report, together they have prepared a two-and-a-half hour show that celebrates the best of British music, incorporating all the ritual that goes with the closing of the Games. Arnold has put together a seamless soundtrack that will incorporate remixes, new recordings of old tracks, live vocals and a few surging moments when bands such as The Who or Muse play. Calling it the disco at the end of the wedding conveys the sense of familiarity and fun they are after, but it does not do justice to the spectacle that will be on offer, the report added.

Sushil Kumar assures sixth medal for India in Wrestling

London, Aug 12
Sushil Kumar assured India of a sixth medal at the London Olympics by powering into the men's 66 kg freestyle wrestling final at the ExCel Arena here Sunday. Sushil, bronze medallist in Beijing four years ago, edged out Kazakhstan's Akzhurek Tanatarov 3-1 in a thrilling semifinal, his third fight of the day. He faces Japanese Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu in the gold medal play-off later Sunday. Tanatarov seemed the likely winner in the third and final period before Sushil fought back through grit and experience. With the Kazakh leading 3-0, Sushil came up with brilliant moves to leave Tanatarov reeling on the mat. The contest ended with the Indian winning the period 6-3 and his opponent bleeding from the right ear. Sushil had won the first period 3-0 and Kazakh levelled the fight in the second. Earlier, the 2010 World Champion muscled his way into the last four beating Ikhtiyor Navruzov of Uzbekistan 3-1. The Indian could have wrapped up the fight in period 2 but Navruzov turned the tables on him with six seconds remaining. Sushil got the measure of his opponent in period 3, winning it 2-0 to seal the contest. The 29-year-old started the day in a scintillating fashion, dismissing the Beijing gold medallist, Ramazan Sahin, in the opening round.

After Curiosity, uncertainty lingers on NASA's Mars program

Pasadena, Ca.
This week's arrival of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity set the stage for a potentially game-changing quest to learn whether the planet most like Earth ever had a shot at developing life, but follow-up missions exist only on drawing boards. The United States had planned to team up with Europe on a trio of missions beginning in 2016 that would culminate in the return of Mars soil and rock samples to Earth, an endeavor the National Research Council considers its top priority in planetary science for the next decade. Citing budget concerns, the Obama administration terminated NASA's participation in Europe's ExoMars programme earlier this year, spurring the U.S. space agency to re-examine its options before another flight opportunity comes and goes. Earth and Mars favorably align for launches about every 26 months. The situation is complicated by massive budget overruns in the $2.5-billion Curiosity mission, intended to determine if Mars could now or ever have supported microbial life, and in the $8 billion James Webb Space Telescope, a successor to the Hubble observatory. Those overruns are partly to blame for leaving Mars exploration short of the multibillion-dollar commitment needed for another "flagship" mission of the scale it would take to fetch rocks and soil from the Red Planet and bring them home. A NASA report due for release this month is expected to outline lower-cost alternatives for Mars missions that could launch in 2018 and 2020. A second rover mission to follow up on Curiosity's findings or to explore one of three other candidate landing sites originally identified for Curiosity would be "the next logical step," said NASA's Mars exploration program chief, Doug McCuistion. But he doubts he will have the money for it. Although unlikely to draw a crowd to New York's Times Square like Curiosity's spectacular landing did, a new orbiting satellite to detect and analyze minerals or peer beneath the planet's surface with infrared eyes would help scientists zero in on the best place for an eventual sample-return mission. It also would provide a welcome backup communications link for Curiosity and any future landers and rovers, scientists say. PLAN B "We have to address the overall goal that the (National Research Council) decadal survey set for Mars exploration, which is sample return," NASA's chief Mars scientist, Michael Meyer, told Reuters. "I suspect there are other things that we may do on Mars, but if they don't help sample return they may be viewed as a non-starter." Searching for evidence of life or its key ingredients on Mars, believed to have once been warmer and covered with water like Earth, is not the only rationale for a sample-return mission. Detailed analysis of Martian minerals also could tell the story of what happened to the planet itself and why it ended up the cold, dry and acidic desert that exists today. "Finding life is not why most of the science community is interested in sample return. There's a reasonable proportion who figure, 'Well, we don't see life on Mars now, so it's probably not there, and that if the only payoff is finding life you're wasting your time.' That's some of the science community," Meyer said. "The fact that you could look at all the information that's in your samples, determine what environments it saw, is tremendous. There's a lot of things that would really boost our understanding that have nothing to do with life," he said. VIKING Fresh off the heady days of its Apollo moon missions, NASA took a stab at a direct search for life on Mars with its Viking probes in the 1970s. Most scientists chalked up the results as a big negative, and exploration of the fourth planet closest to the sun slipped into a 20-year hiatus. Later, encouraged by discoveries of life in extreme environments on Earth, scientists returned to Mars with orbiters and a pair of small surface rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, to consider a tangential question: Since life on Earth depends on water, where did Mars' water go? Rather than focus on direct detection of living organisms or fossilized remnants, NASA's strategy has been to "follow the water," by looking for particular rocks and features that form when water is present. Curiosity's landing site in Gale Crater, located in the southern hemisphere near the planet's equator, was selected in part because it is one of the lowest places on the planet. "Water flows downhill, so we chose to go to a low place," said John Grotzinger, a California Institute of Technology geologist who is the mission's lead scientist. At the center of the crater is a 3-mile- (5-kilometer-) high tower of layered rock, named Mount Sharp, which is believed to have formed from the remains of sediment that once filled the impact basin. During its planned two-year mission, the rover is expected to ascend Mount Sharp, analyzing and dating its rocks and soil and looking for niches that may once have supported, and perhaps still host, life. That information, in turn, will sharpen planet-wide analysis of Mars that is obtained from orbital imagery and sensors. "We're going to get some ground truth to figure out the most interesting places to do sample return," said NASA's associate administrator for science, John Grunsfeld, a former astronaut. The only other Mars mission in NASA's pipeline at the moment is an atmospheric probe scheduled to launch at the end of next year. The agency plans to submit its follow-up Mars proposals to the White House in September, in time for the fiscal year that begins in October 2013.

SP leader's son shot dead in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad, Aug 12 The son of a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader was Sunday shot dead in Ghaziabad by his own uncle in a dispute over buying a luxury car, police said. Prashant Kaushik alias Sachin, son of Samajwadi Party leader Sudhir Kaushik, sustained six bullet injuries on his chest and head when his uncle Hari Mohan Kaushik, also a party leader, opened fire from his licensed 9mm pistol in Shastri Nagar residential locality here, police said. "Hari Mohan Kaushik, a former councillor of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, opened indiscriminate firing on his nephew after a dispute arose between them over withdrawal of Rs.28 lakh to buy a luxury car from their real estate company," said sub-inspector Sudhir Tyagi of Kavi Nagar police station. "After pumping six bullet into Prashant, Hari Mohan alias Tinku fled the spot. We have found six empty cartridges from the spot," said Tyagi. Prashant's elder brother, Anurag Kaushik said that around 1.30 a.m. Sunday Prashant and Hari Mohan were drinking whisky in Hari Mohan's Terricona SUV car. They quarelled over Prashant withdrawing Rs.28 lakh from the company's account for an expensive car. Hari Mohan also insisted buying a new car from company's joint account. When Prashant opposed, a heated discussion took place and Hari Mohan pumped six bullets into Prashant from his licensed revolver and fled away from the scene. Hari Mohan had already withdrwan Rs.18 lakh three months ago for his Hyundai SUV Terricona car. "We are trying to arrest Hari Mohan Kaushik. Raids are being conducted at his possible hideouts in Ghaziabad and other places in the adjoining districts," Tyagi added. Sudhir Kaushik was a former treasurer of the Congress party. Recently he joined Samajwadi Party along with his brother Hari Mohan Kaushik.

India lose to SA in Hockey, finish 12th

London, Aug 11
South Africa gave the finishing touches to India's disastrous campaign in the Olympic men's hockey competition with a 3-2 win in the classification match for 11-12 positions here Saturday. India thus ended their worst-ever Olympics in 12th position after failing to win or draw any of their six matches, five of them in the league. Though the Indians showed some purpose against the South Africans, their overall performance in the match was no improvement on their showing in the previous outings. A weak defence yet again allowed the South Africans to score through Andrew Cronje (8th), Timothy Drummond (33rd) and Lloyd Norris-Jones (64th) while Sandeep Singh converted a penalty corner in the 14th and Dharmavir Singh (66th) reduced the margin for India. For India, it was a most forgettable Olympics outing that was preceded by much hype after winning the qualifying tournament at home in Delhi for the Games while South Africa achieved their first-ever win against India in a major international tournament. The first-half proceedings, the three goals notwithstanding, were largely pedestrian with neither side able to establish supremacy or dictate the flow. The game began rather ominously for India whose defender Manpreet Singh was stretchered out after being hit on the side of the head when he ran into the swinging stick of Lloyd Norris-Jones in the very fourth minute. A key member of the midfield, Manpreet, however, returned to the field for the second-half after medication and a huge bandage around his head. South Africa dominated the early minutes and struck in the eighth when Julian Hykes latched on to a long ball into the circle and essayed a push that a diving goalkeeper Sreejesh stopped, but the ball slipped from underneath and a lurking Cronje pushed home. The lead lasted a mere six minutes as India forced their first penalty corner that Sandeep Singh converted with a low and firm drag-flick past goalkeeper Erasmus Pieterse. Thereafter, the ball swung from end to end, but with both teams being error prone, the exchanges never looked to result in any goal and so it proved to be. In the last 10 minutes before the break, the teams showed some urgency and India had a couple of scoring chances, but failed to convert. Rather, the Indians were reduced to 10 men two minutes from half-time with defender Ramachandra Raghunath receiving a yellow card suspension. The South Africans took advantage of the situation and found the net for the second time through Drummond who put home a Jonathan Robinson pass with about 90 seconds left on the clock. On resumption, the pace picked up noticeably with both teams putting together some fast attacks, but goalkeepers Sreejith and Pieterse were in their elements to bring off several good saves to keep the score-line pegged at 2-1. India, besides wasting two gilt-edged chances from open play, failed to convert two penalty corners as Sandeep Singh's attempts were parried by Pieterse. The lapses were punished as South Africa struck a third time, Norris-Jones converting a Wade-Paton pass before India hit back at the other end with Dharmavir flicking in Shivendra Singh's pass.

Shane Warne gushes about 'best' family

Washington, August 11 Shane Warne believes that he has the "best family" in the world. The former cricketer feels very "lucky" to have his three kids, Brooke, Summer and Jackson, fiancee Elizabeth Hurley and her son Damian in his life, Contactmusic reported. He tweeted: "Dragging myself away from watching my son play COD 'n' off to my daughters netball practise So lucky to have the best children on the planet ! "No, no, no !!!! I have the best children on the planet, in the universe and on earth !!!! True guys... Hahahah "My beautiful 3 + @elizabethhurley and son = the best family in the world, planet, universe True, we are all so lucky to have each other (sic)" Elizabeth recently admitted she thinks the future with Shane and their combined families will be "chaotic" because it is so tricky to coordinate everyone's schedules. "My future plans are as chaotic as ever. We are now juggling school dates from Shane's children in Australia alongside Damian's here in the UK, while working all over the globe and trying to have fun too. It's a good challenge to have," she said.

Bomb kills Yemeni officer, al Qaeda suspected

Aden A senior Yemeni military officer was killed when a bomb planted in his car exploded in the southeastern city of Mukalla in an attack blamed on al Qaeda, a security official said on Friday. The bombing was the latest in a series of attacks on senior figures or government institutions in Yemen since a U.S.-backed offensive drove Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda from their strongholds in the southern part of the country in June. Brigadier Omar Barasheed, dean of the Command and General Staff College, died in hospital from injuries incurred in the bombing, the official told Reuters. His bodyguard was killed and a civilian was wounded. The official, who asked not be named, said all signs indicated al-Qaeda was behind the attack, which happened late on Thursday in the capital of Hadramaut province. Earlier this week, security forces foiled a plot by an al Qaeda-linked cell to carry out attacks in the capital Sanaa and seized 40 belts packed with explosives, highlighting risks posed by Islamist militancy in the impoverished Arab state. The Defence Ministry said seven militants had been detained in the southern town of Jaar, where a suicide bomber killed 45 tribal fighters and threatened further attacks. The United States has been pouring financial and military aid into Yemen to stem the threat of attacks from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and prevent any spillover of violence into neighboring Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter. It has also stepped up a campaign of drone missile strikes against AQAP, which has been behind several failed attacks on the United States, including an attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009. In the latest such strike, residents said a drone on Friday struck a farm owned by a former Islamist militant in Jaar where suspected militants from Ansar al-Sharia group (Partisans of Islamic Law) have been present, but there were no reports of any casualties. Also on Friday, suspected Islamist militants attacked a Yemeni army patrol on duty between Hadramaut and the nearby Ma'arib province killing two soldiers, a local official said. The official said two other soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Ramdev asks PM to act on black money

New Delhi, Aug 10
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev Friday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to act on getting back black money stashed abroad and demonstrate his "political honesty and will" as he addressed thousands of supporters at the Ramlila Maidan here on day two of his fast. "Why is the prime minister not acting on the issue of black money? The government should reveal the names of those who have black money stashed abroad... Stop making excuses," Ramdev asserted, to cheering by his supporters. "The prime minister should demonstrate political honesty and will on black money," he added. Ramdev said the government should at least inform the people by when it would get the black money back. "If black money is brought back to the country, the issue of price rise will be solved and high taxes will reduce... The Naxal and Maoist problem will also be solved," he said, adding that every Indian pays around 30 different types of taxes. "We will wait till Saturday and then announce our future course of action," Ramdev said, reiterating his statement Thursday that he would give the government three days to act and then decide on the next course of action. Ramdev had earlier said that if the Olympics gave a medal for corruption, India could have won a gold. The crowds swelled as the day progressed on day two of the agitation. Ramdev went to sleep around 10 p.m. Thursday on the stage itself and woke up at 4 a.m. After freshening up in a makeshift washroom behind the dais, he meditated for an hour, a close aide said. The aide told IANS "no special arrangements" have been made for the yoga guru. Ramdev began the day Friday with a yoga camp for his supporters, before addressing them. He has demanded that the government get back black money stashed abroad, as well as sought a stringent Lokpal bill, an independent Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a citizen's charter. These are also the demands of the now disbanded Team Anna. "If the CBI is made independent, politics will become clean, because CBI is being used to blackmail opposition leaders," Ramdev said, echoing Team Anna leaders. His three-day symbolic fast started Thursday.

Lakers complete deal to acquire Dwight Howard

The Los Angeles Lakers have reached a deal to land six-time All-Star Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic as part of a four-team trade including the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets, ESPN reported on Thursday. According the report, the Lakers have a trade call scheduled for Friday to secure the necessary approval from the National Basketball Association (NBA) to make the deal official. As part of the deal, Philadelphia will get Andrew Bynum from the Lakers and Jason Richardson from the Magic, Denver receives Andre Iguodala from the 76ers, the report said. In exchange, Orlando will take Arron Affalo and Al Harrington from the Nuggets and Nikola Vucevic and Maurice Harkless from the 76ers, and one first-round draft pick from each of the other three teams involved in the deal, ESPN said. Howard, the centerpiece of the deal, is a three-times NBA defensive player of the year who has lead the Magic in scoring and rebounds in each of the last seven seasons. If the deal is approved, Howard will instantly bolster a Lakers team looking to recapture their championship form after being knocked out of the second round of the NBA playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Last month Howard reiterated to the Magic his desire to be traded and said if a move was not made he would leave the team when his current contract expires at the end of next season.

Imperious Bolt blazes to sprint double-double

London
Jamaican Usain Bolt etched his name deeper into Olympic folklore by completing an unprecedented sprint double in successive Games with a smooth 200 metres victory on Thursday in the race he calls his "pet" event. The world's fastest man, whose imperious performances in London have blown away any doubts that he deserves the unofficial title of greatest ever sprinter, stopped the clock at 19.32 seconds, the joint fourth quickest time ever run. Bolt holds the world record with an eye-popping 19.19 at the Berlin world championships in 2009. The showman again put compatriot and younger rival Yohan Blake, the pretender to his sprint throne, firmly in place and has now matched his stunning Beijing 100 and 200 crowns four years ago following his shorter-dash victory on Sunday. Blake, as he did in the 100 behind his friend and training partner, took silver in 19.44 and Warren Weir completed a Jamaican podium sweep with bronze in 19.84. All three share the same coach - Glen Mills. Bolt crossed the line with his finger to his lips before doing a handful of press-ups on the track. Then, taking a photographer's camera, he took snaps of the crowd and Blake who was posing as "The Beast", the nickname Bolt afforded his rival. "I've got nothing left to prove. I've showed the world I'm the best," said the athlete who has lit up track and field since turning his prodigious talent into global dominance. "This is my moment. I'll never forget this. I did what I wanted. I came out of a rough season and did what I had to do." The 25-year-old, who came into the Games with lingering doubts over his fitness after a far from vintage season, was the first man to win two 200 Olympic golds and, as he did in 2008, he will look to complete the treble in the 4x100 relay. Bolt's winning time matched that of American Michael Johnson who set a then world record of 19.32 to win Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996. Bolt lowered that to 19.30 in Beijing before his 19.19 a year later. On a warm and windless evening with the electric atmosphere inside an expectant Olympic stadium already raised by Kenyan David Rudisha's 800m world record less than an hour earlier, Bolt, relaxed and smiling in the preliminaries, flew out of the blocks. Drawn towards the outside in lane seven, Bolt glided around the bend and kicking powerfully down the home straight was always ahead of Blake who could not match his exploits in the Jamaican trials when he beat Bolt in both sprint events. "It's great. Of course. I want to thank Usain," said Blake. "This is my first Olympics. I can't complain." Weir edged Wallace Spearmon for third but the American hailed the performances of Bolt and Blake. "Those guys are on another plant right now, congratulations," said fourth-placed Spearmon, hiding his disappointment at again missing out on a medal after being disqualified from third place in Beijing for stepping out of his lane.