Messi Turns on The magic champions barcelona

Forward Lionel Messi hailed an "incredible" performance by FC Barcelona after Josep Guardiola's men lit up Wembley en route to claiming their fourth European crown with victory over Manchester United FC.

For Barcelona it was their third UEFA Champions League in six seasons and it came, fittingly, at the venue where they first scaled continental football's greatest peak in 1992. Messi produced a man-of-the-match display and, as he had done in Rome two years ago, scored his team's decisive second goal nine minutes after the break, restoring the Azulgrana's lead with a long-range strike after Wayne Rooney had cancelled out Pedro Rodríguez's opener.

David Villa added a brilliant third to stamp Barcelona's superiority on a match where they had 12 attempts on target to their rivals' one, and confirm a repeat of their 2009 success against the English champions.  Messi said: "We're very happy to lift another trophy. It was a difficult season but we showed who we are. We were the better team. To be the man of the match is the least important thing, because it was incredible how we played. We were very good in all areas."

While the Argentinian international praised his team-mates, Xavi Hernández underlined the key role played by the mesmeric Messi, whose goal was his 12th in this season's competition – equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy's scoring record in the UEFA Champions League era. "He is the number one, he makes the difference – he is just the best player in the world."

A touching postscript to Barcelona's triumph was the sight of Éric Abidal lifting the trophy, the French international, who underwent surgery to remove a liver tumour in March, having been a surprise starter at left-back because of Carles Puyol's fitness problems. Daniel Alves, who like Abidal had missed out on the 2009 final, said his team-mate's involvement was extra cause for celebration.

"Even before all of this we said our biggest victory, our most important trophy, was the recovery of Abi." The Brazil right-back added: "We put on a spectacle for everyone who is passionate about football and who loves football. And I think that people who really like football will be very happy today because they have seen a great match."

Midfielder Sergio Busquets concurred, describing it as an "almost perfect game" by Barcelona. "We suffered a bit at the beginning, and at the end, but by then the match was already decided. I think it was an almost perfect game – we had lots of possession and moved the ball very well. Thanks to that we managed to win." Nobody at Wembley, nor among the estimated 300m worldwide TV audience, would disagre

Nepal History

The first civilizations in Nepal, which flourished around the 6th century B.C., were confined to the fertile Kathmandu Valley where the present-day capital of the same name is located. It was in this region that Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born c. 563 B.C. Gautama achieved enlightenment as Buddha and spawned Buddhist belief.

Nepali rulers' early patronage of Buddhism largely gave way to Hinduism, reflecting the increased influence of India, around the 12th century. Though the successive dynasties of the Gopalas, the Kiratis, and the Licchavis expanded their rule, it was not until the reign of the Malla kings from 1200–1769 that Nepal assumed the approximate dimensions of the modern state.

The kingdom of Nepal was unified in 1768 by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who had fled India following the Moghul conquests of the subcontinent. Under Shah and his successors Nepal's borders expanded as far west as Kashmir and as far east as Sikkim (now part of India). A commercial treaty was signed with Britain in 1792 and again in 1816 after more than a year of hostilities with the British East India Company.

In 1923, Britain recognized the absolute independence of Nepal. Between 1846 and 1951, the country was ruled by the Rana family, which always held the office of prime minister. In 1951, however, the king took over all power and proclaimed a constitutional monarchy. Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah became king in 1955. After Mahendra died of a heart attack in 1972, Prince Birendra, at 26, succeeded to the throne.

In 1990, a pro-democracy movement forced King Birendra to lift the ban on political parties. The first free election in three decades provided a victory for the liberal Nepali Congress Party in 1991, although the Communists made a strong showing. A small but growing Maoist guerrilla movement, seeking to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and install a Communist government, began operating in the countryside in 1996.

On June 1, 2001, King Birendra was shot and killed by his son, Crown Prince Dipendra. Angered by his family's disapproval of his choice of a bride, he also killed his mother and several other members of the royal family before shooting himself. Prince Gyanendra, the younger brother of King Birendra, was then crowned king.

King Gyanendra dismissed the government in October 2002, calling it corrupt and ineffective. He declared a state of emergency in November and ordered the army to crack down on the Maoist guerrillas. The rebels intensified their campaign, and the government responded with equal intensity, killing hundreds of Maoists, the largest toll since the insurgency began in 1996. In Aug. 2003, the Maoist rebels withdrew from peace talks with the government and ended a cease-fire that had been signed in Jan. 2003. The following August, the rebels blockaded Kathmandu for a week, cutting off shipments of food and fuel to the capital.King Gyanendra fired the entire government in Feb. 2005 and assumed direct power. Many of the country's politicians were placed under house arrest, and severe restriction on civil liberties were instituted. In Sept. 2005, the Maoist rebels declared a unilateral cease-fire, which ended in Jan. 2006. In April, massive pro-democracy protests organized by seven opposition parties and supported by the Maoists took place. They rejected King Gyanendra's offer to hand over executive power to a prime minister, saying he failed to address their main demands: the restoration of parliament and a referendum to redraft the constitution. Days later, as pressure mounted and the protests intensified, King Gyanendra agreed to reinstate parliament. The new parliament quickly moved to diminish the king's powers. In May, it voted unanimously to

Pakistan issues global alart for retaliation

Pakistan's main Taliban faction has promised to avenge bin Laden's death and attack "American and Pakistani governments and their security forces".
Already a threat of revenge has surfaced against the US, which carried out the mission to eliminate Laden.
"We are proud on the martyrdom of Laden," Ahsan Ullah Ahsan, spokesman for Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), said late Monday night. "We shall definitely take revenge (on) America."
When asked how the Pakistani Taliban organistion would carry out revenge on America, Ahsan said, "We already have our people in America, and we are sending more there."
A leaked cable released few days ago also revealed a nuclear bomb threat to Europe as it is hidden somewhere in Europe to be detonated if bin Laden is ever caught or killed.
Earlier, CIA Director Leon Panetta said in a message to agency employees that terrorists "almost certainly" will attempt to avenge bin Laden's death.
US diplomatic facilities around the world have been placed on high alert following the announcement of bin Laden's death, a senior US official said, and the US State Department issued a "worldwide caution" for Americans.
The travel alert warned of the "enhanced potential for anti-American violence given recent counter-terrorism activity in Pakistan."
The United States closed two of its consulates in Pakistan to the public yesterday until further notice.
The US embassy in Islamabad and a third consulate in Karachi had earlier also been closed to the general public for routine business, but a decision was taken yesterday for them to re-open as normal, said an embassy spokesman.
Those closed are in the eastern city of Lahore and the northwestern city of Peshawar, which is close to the country's tribal belt that Washington has called the global headquarters of al-Qaeda.
A statement said the embassy and all consulates, however, would remain open for "other business and for emergency American citizen services".
It added that the warning would remain in effect until August 1.
Pakistan has already beefed up security across major cities, diplomatic installations and around the site of the killing in Abbottabad.

More troops were deployed in Islamabad to safeguard government offices and the city's diplomatic enclave, while in Lahore and Karachi, the two biggest cities, extra road blocks and barbed wire were laid around sensitive buildings.
Hundreds of people took to the streets on Monday in the southwestern city of Quetta, close to neighbouring Afghanistan, to denounce America, burn a US flag and pay homage to the al-Qaeda mastermind.
"His martyrdom will not end the movement, it will continue and thousands more bin Ladens will be born," said federal lawmaker Maulawi Asmatullah, who led the protest.

Real blast UEFA inaction

     UEFA champios League                                                                                                                                                                  Real Madrid's assistant coach Aitor Karanka said on Monday UEFA's decision to not take action against Barcelona over their behaviour in the Champions League semifinal first leg clash will overshadow the decider at the Nou Camp on Tuesday.
Barcelona came away from the Bernabeu with a 2-0 advantage from a bad tempered game which will be remembered for fouls and play acting.
There was a war of words before the match between Real coach Jose Mourinho and his opposite number Pep Guardiola, and in the game the situation only deteriorated.
Barca's substitute keeper Jose Pinto was red carded in a clash at half time and in the second half Pepe was dismissed for a kick at Dani Alves who made the most of the challenge by writhing on the ground.
Mourinho was sent to the stands for criticising the decision and will not now be allowed on the bench at the Nou Camp hence why Karanka fielded the press on the traditional eve of match press conference.
UEFA are considering taking action over Mourinho's post match comments but they have thrown out a complaint from Real over the way Barca players acted.
"UEFA's decision means that the game now comes second," said Karanka.
"UEFA talks about fair play and tomorrow (Tuesday) there will players on the pitch that lack this and have made racist comments.
"Meanwhile we will be without Pepe and (Sergio) Ramos.
"Everyone saw what happened at the Bernabeu and yet no decision has been taken, so this means that the game now comes second."
Real wanted up to six Barca players to be punished including Sergio Busquets who was shown on Spanish television to make racist comments towards full back Marcelo.
"We now have to concentrate on the game as we are Real Madrid and we will keep fighting to the end. We have 109 years of history and won nine European Cups," added Karanka.
Real are set to play a more attacking style which includes  Ozil, Ronaldo and Di Maria while Karim Benzema is also fighting for a place along with Emmanuel Adebayor.

Bliss in Immersed

A bath drawn just right and the mood set perfectly can be an enriching experience. The rigours of life leave even the strongest and the most stoic minds exhausted and in need of a sensuous retreat. Not all of us have the time or the resources to make visits to spas as a regular habit. If it's relaxation and rejuvenation on your mind, a well-drawn bath with accessories suiting your needs will do it every time.
The Past, The Present and The Future
The benefits are not limited to stress relief. There is a reason why the immersion of the body in water has been such an enduring practice over the annals of time. We all know of the Roman and the Greek bathhouses that existed solely for the purpose of bathing. It was then seen as a communal activity, where citizens could conduct business and socialize. Baths were seen as the key to maintaining good health.
Fast forward to the 21st century and recent studies have echoed those beliefs. One study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that diabetics who spent just half an hour in a hot tub could reduce their blood sugar levels by around 13 per cent - as the heat dilated their blood vessels, the blood-flow improved and the body made better with the use of its insulin, the hormone that converts blood sugar into energy. Another study in Japan claims that 10 minutes in a warm bath improved cardiovascular health in elderly men and women, helping them to cope better in exercise tests and reducing pain.
Starting out
“The temperature of the water is very important,” opined a housewife for whom taking baths during the precious bits of free time available to her is an invaluable source of rejuvenation. “It should not be so hot that it takes an exercise of will just to get in. Remember, this is for stress relief, so you shouldn't be stressed out about getting in. The temperature should ideally be warm, just how much is up to the individual. You can also draw the curtains in order to trap the heat for the maximum possible time.”
Accessorize
Relaxation is a state of mind and bathing is a process. The right accessories can get you into that frame of mind. A comfortable, pampering bath robe and soft towels will do the trick. And that's not all. To create a mood of meditative serenity, add scented candles to the mix.
The essentials
Now that the peripherals are out of the way, it is time for the main ingredients. Whenever there is talk of baths, bath salts can't be too far behind. Universally accepted as beneficial to the skin, high quality natural bath salts can take years off your appearance by helping your body defend against climate, genetics and other elements that speed up the aging process. They cleanse the skin and soften the rougher parts of our bodies, like the knees, elbows and heels. Hold a spoonful under running water as you are drawing the bath, allowing the salts to release their fragrance and oils as they mix with the bath water. Almas Superstore carries a range of bath salts including strawberry, blueberry and orange, all containing vitamins C and E.
Bath oils do a world of good to dry or damaged skin. Oil is the perfect skin therapy to use in a bath because the warmth of the water helps the oil absorb into your skin. The right oil will enable you to leave the bath with your previously dry skin feeling healthy and nourished.
Bath soaps are another vital part of a refreshing soak in the tub. Natural soaps like those of The Body Shop, also found at Almas are usually handmade, created with pure and natural ingredients. They leave the skin feeling soft and supple. It must be noted that these should be acquired from reputable companies, as the wrong type could cause the skin to dry out.
Last but not the least, nothing says “pamper” like a foam bath. For many, foam or bubble baths add the finishing touch to the experience of being transported away to another, more peaceful world. There are a lot of foaming creams around, each having different ingredients (Vaseline's version enriched with Chamomile is highly recommended by the lady behind the counter at Almas) to suit your needs.

Atmosphere
You can't create a mood without music. To get into the relaxed frame of mind, it is best to stick to soothing instrumental music, such as the western classics or our own Sitar aficionados. You can also take a novel or magazine that you have been wanting to read but just not had the time, to the bath with you.
The most important thing to remember is that those 20 30 minutes are for you and you only. In the end, whether you emerge relaxed or not is up to you. You have to embrace this bit of relief from stress just as the warm water and all its ingredients embrace you when you settle in. You know best what tone to set to help you unwind. Choose the right ingredients and the right setting, and meet them halfway.

Barcelona and Realmadrid semifinal today

           UEFA champions league                                                                                 Iker predicted Real would reach the final at London's Wembley arena on May 28 by choosing to eat a sardine from a glass cylinder decorated with the club's badge instead of one from a cylinder with Barcelona's badge on Tuesday at the Sea Life Aquarium in the southern city of Benalmadena.

The two sides will face each other in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal at Real's Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday. The second leg will take place at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium on May 3.            
Whichever Spanish team makes it to the final will face either Manchester United or Schalke 04.
During the  last year World Cup in South Africa , Paul, an octopus in the German city of Oberhausen, became world famous after correctly predicting all the results involving the Germany, as well as that of the final, won by Spain.
Paul died on October 26, 2010.

fishes Halda attraction

 In conditions adverse to laying eggs, a number of indigenous fish species yesterday released spawns in the Halda river in Rawzan and Hathajari upazilas of the district, a major natural sweet water fish breeding spot.

Mother fishes usually depend on factors like temperature of water, current, rain and thunder to lay eggs during the full moon, said experts and local fishermen.

Despite the absence of any such condition this time, different fish species including ruhi, katol and mrigel released eggs in the river.

Asked about this, Md Manjurul Kibria, assistant professor of Zoology at Chittagong University, said they found such happening for the first time. It seems unusual.

This might be an impact of climate change, he said. They will observe the situation for a few days to find out the reasons.

Manjurul, however, said tests yesterday found Halda water salty, and they advised spawn collectors to preserve the eggs in sweet pond water.

Meanwhile, fishermen have started collecting spawns from the Halda but fear high tide might carry those away.

Indigenous fish species usually release spawns during the Bangla month of Chitra when it rains and thunders. But this time they did not, some fishermen said.

“We were really surprised to see spawns floating in the river yesterday,” a fisherman said.

In the 1960s and 70s, Halda fish spawns used to meet about two-thirds of the need for that for fish cultivation in ponds in the country, experts say.

Illegal fishing has led to a drastic fall in the quantity of eggs available from the Halda. Only Twenty kgs of fish fry were collected from the river in 2004 compared to 2,500 kgs in 1946, they add.

even in first clash

Real Madrid all but relinquished the league title and yet when the final whistle blew, there was a huge roar from the Santiago Bernabeu. Soon, a chant of " Madrid!" went round the stadium. If this game's real value was to be found in the psychological impact it could have on the series of four matches in 18 days upon which these sides embarked on Saturday night, for Real Madrid it shifted from fatalism to optimism in 10 unexpected second-half minutes.

With 10 minutes to go, Barcelona were leading 1-0 through a Leo Messi penalty and were strolling, their superiority embarrassing this mighty arena. Madrid were forced to chase the ball, only to see it denied them, for ever arriving too late. They had just 23% of the ball, were down to 10 men and even Jose Mourinho appeared to have given up. His substitutions withdrawing Angel Di María and Xabi Alonso suggested a coach who was already seeking to protect his key players for the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday and the Champions League semifinal. Their morale, though, was already irrevocably damaged.

Or so it seemed. The change, with  Ozil coming on, turned out to have major impact. Marcelo was played in. Dani  make the challenge, diving in to nudge the ball behind for a corner. But Marcelo tumbled and, with Mourinho leaping at the side of the pitch, a lifeline offered, referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez pointed to the spot. Cristiano Ronaldo scored and this saga shifted. Madrid had been rescued, Barcelona shook.

It was the second penalty of a match that until then had left many hoping that this series of games will improve and that the climax will be better than the opening chapter; a series that left few in any doubt that Barcelona were dominant. The first had arrived 10 minutes into the second half, when Villa was sent dashing behind the Madrid defence as the ball, holding up on the turf, bounced up slowly. As the  tried to turn away from Albiol, the defender, wrong-footed, handled the ball accidentally and then rather more intentionally grabbed Villa around the neck and pulled him to the ground. Muniz Fernandez pointed to the spot and then pulled out a direct red card which means that the defender will not be able to play in the final of the Copa del Rey. Mourinho smiled sarcastically. Messi scored his 30th league goal of the season, his 49th in all competitions. It was the first he had scored against a side managed by Mourinho.

There was little reason to suppose Madrid would get back into it, either. This had been a surprisingly flat game but one that the opposition had largely dominated.

Barcelona had much more of the ball but there was a slowness to their play  had ordered that the grass be left long and a lack of clarity and fluidity, the ball moved around reduced spaces and deep areas of the pitch, accumulating bodies and passes but not opportunities. For Barca, who knew that a draw would preserve their league advantage, nor did there appear to be much urgency. For Madrid, the urgency came in the speed with which they launched themselves forward from deep, where they lay in wait, and the pressure they applied to their opponents.

In the opening 22 minutes, Barcelona had 84% of the possession. By half-time, Madrid had managed to claw back a bit of possession but not much: they had just 23%, 116 passes to Barcelona's 383. Víctor Valdes had made more passes than Xabi Alonso. Chances were few a Ronaldo free-kick and header, a Messi lob and a strike after a weaving run and those stats would not change much. But Madrid had more, if largely speculative shots and both teams appeared comfortable, happy to bide their time Barcelona seeking space to thread through the pass; Madrid seeking the swift diagonal and the break, the chance to suck the rivals in and sprint beyond them.

Barcelona did find one of those passes on 26 minutes. Messi slotted the ball through for Villa. He got to the ball fractionally quicker, turned away from Iker Casillas and turned to seek the contact. He found it too, the goalkeeper catching him, but the referee saw it differently. He would have another chance to point to the spot in the second half and this time did not deny Barcelona a penalty. When Messi scored, Barcelona's huge morale-boosting victory and title-clinching victory looked a certainty. Complete control, already exercised, followed. Definitive, too, it seemed. But then, when it looked so easy for the visitors, another penalty also appeared.

The draw means that Barcelona's league lead remains a virtually unassailable eight points, plus head to head goal difference with six games to go. But 10-man Madrid ultimately, unexpectedly felt like the victory was the

 score   Real Madrid 1 (Ronaldo 82-pen) Barcelona 1 (Messi 53-pen)

Getafe 1 (Flores 75) Sevilla 0

Malaga 3 (Seba 26, Baptista 40, 56) Real Mallorca 0

Almeria 0 Valencia 3 (Soldado 50, Stankevicius 66, Alba 80)

Protest in Syria for more reformation

A pledge by Syria's embattled president to lift almost 50 years of draconian emergency rule within a week was brushed aside as not enough yesterday, as activists called for more protests.
President Bashar al-Assad's long-awaited announcement came on Saturday, on the eve of Independence Day, after a month of bloody protests and a global outcry for change in the autocratic country.
But protesters took to the streets within hours of his speech, which was followed by calls for more demonstrations yesterday posted on social  website Facebook, a motor of the pro-reform movement.
"The day of independence is the day of liberty across Syria," the Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page said of the 65th anniversary of the end of French rule.

Yesterday, customs seized a consignment of arms, including assault rifles and night-vision goggles, in a container at the Tanaf border crossing with Iraq, the state news agency SANA reported.
It said arms have also been intercepted at posts with Turkey and Lebanon.
In a televised address, Saturday to a new cabinet tasked with launching reforms, Assad also expressed his sorrow over the deaths of an estimated 200 people in a month of protests demanding greater freedoms.
"We are sad for all the people we have lost and all the people injured, and consider them all martyrs," he said.
Assad addressed the broad spectrum of complaints that have sparked countrywide protests, including unemployment, corruption and a crisis in agriculture.
He told the new government unveiled on Thursday to act quickly and "take responsibility" and be "transparent" in their action.
But within hours of his speech some 2,000 protesters staged a sit-in in the suburb of Douma north of Damascus, demanding the release of relatives arrested on Friday during a major day of nationwide protests, activists said.
The official SANA news agency also reported around 2,000 people demonstrated in the southern protest hub of Daraa late Saturday, chanting slogans for "freedom" and the lifting of emergency law.
The notorious law in force since 1963 restricts public gatherings and movement, authorises the interrogation of any individual and the monitoring of private communications and imposes media censorship.
Top human rights lawyer Haytham Maleh told AFP yesterday that Assad's pledge to end emergency law was "not enough."
Maleh also insisted on the scrapping of Article 8 of Syria's constitution which stipulates the ruling Baath party is the sole leader of society and the state.
The party's newspaper, Al-Baath, meanwhile hailed Assad's speech and his call for a national dialogue.

Britis William Hague welcomed Assad's call for emergency law to be lifted, in the first reaction by a Western leader.

Make U - turn Chennai

        indian premier league
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings rode on a blistering unbeaten michael hussey  from 83 runs as they thumped Royal Challengers Bangalore by 21 runs to bounce back after their last match defeat in the Indian Premier League here on Saturday.
Playing his first match of the tournament, Hussey smashed 11 fours and a six in his 56-ball knock to anchor Chennai to an imposing 183 for five after electing to bat at the mamma  Chaidambaram Stadium.
Chasing 184 for five for a win, Bangalore struggled throughout after losing three key wickets inside the first five overs before AB de Villiers made a last-ditch effort to snatch a win with a strokeful 64.
But the asking rate, which rose to nearly 15 by the 15th over, was too much to overcome and Bangalore could manage 162 for seven in 20 overs to slump to their third successive loss in the tournament.
De Villiers played some stunning shots, including a reverse-sweep six off Tim Southee, to make a match out of it before he was out in the penultimate over. His 64 off 44 balls contained five fours and two sixes.
Albie Morkel and Suraj Randiv took two wickets each for Bangalore while Tim Southee, Ravichandran Ashwin and Sadab Jakati scalped a wicket each.
Bangalore were at the backfoot as soon as they started the chase with two batsmen returning to the hut for just 17 runs on the board by the second over itself.
Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan's poor run of form in the tournament continued as he fell for a first-ball duck, caught by Anirudha Srikkanth at mid-wicket region off Morkel in the second ball of the chase.
One-down Asad Pathan looked like he was not concerned by the early jolt and hit two fours and six off Morkel as if taking revengedilshan for dismissing Dilshan.
Pathan's brief aggression turned out to be flash in the pan as he was sent packing for 14 (off five balls) in the second over by Southee who bowled the batsman who played across while attempting a scoop shot.
Bangalore's misery was compounded as the other opener Mayank Agarwal (7) departed in the fifth over with Ashwin striking in his first over.
Agarwal inexplicably went for a big shot without reaching to the pitch of the ball and ended up skying one to Morkel. Bangalore were 31 for three in the fifth over.
Besides de Villiers, Virat Kohli was the other Bangalore batsman who took the Chennai bowlers to task before he was out while trying to accelerate the pace with the asking rate rising steeply.
Kohli, who made 71 in a losing cause in Bangalore's last match, gave special treatment to Jakati with two fours and a six in quick succession but it was the same bowler who had the last laugh.
Jakati enticed Kohli to come charging down the track and the batsman top-edged the ball to Anirudha at long-on. Kohli's 35 came from 28 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six.
At 73 for four in the 11th over, it looked a tough task for Bangalore to overhaul the target but de Villiers, who had been ordinary in the tournament so far, kept RCB in for a chance with some lusty hits.
De Villiers also picked out Jakati as he hit the bowler for a six and a four to take 13 runs from the 14th over but the South African did not get much support from the other end.
Saurbh Tiwary departed in the 15th over, dismissed by Suraj Randiv leaving Bangalore to score 111 runs from 9.1 overs with five wickets intact.
The late heroics by de Villiers gave a ray of hope to Bangalore but the hiccups in the initial overs proved costly in the end.
Earlier, Hussey cashed in on two dropped chances to score unbeaten 83 to help Chennai score 183 for five.
The Australian was well supported by opener Murali Vijay (31 off 21) and S Raina (29 off 16) while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (22) provided late burst with some lusty hittings as the home side entertained the packed crowd.
For Bangalore, paceman Johan van der Wath (2/49) and off-spinner Ryan Ninan (2/31) were the most successful bowlers though both were quite expensive. Zaheer Khan also grabbed a wicket giving away 33 runs from his quota of four overs.
Openers Vijay and Hussey struggled to get off the blocks against the pace and spin combination of Zaheer Khan and Bangalore skipper Daniel Vettori, with the first four overs yielding just 18 runs.
Vettori introduced South African medium pacer van der Wath into the attack in the fifth over and he had almost accounted for Hussey's wicket on his second ball but Md Kaif dropped a sitter at the mid-off region.
Vijay took van der Wath for special treatment in the same over as he hit him for two consecutive fours and a six to take 15 runs from the over.
Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan was not spared either as this time Hussey, playing in place of New Zealander Scott Styris, hit him for two consecutive fours in the sixth over.
Chennai reached the 50-run mark in 6.2 overs but immediately Vijay was dismissed by Ninan.
Next man in Suresh Raina (29) and Hussey put on a 45-run stand for the second wicket to take the Chennai total close to 100-run mark.

 BRIEF IN SCORES                                              
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: 183-5 in 20 overs (Hussey 83 not out, Vijay 31, Raina 29, Dhoni 22; Ninan 2-31, Van der Wath 2-49)
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE: 162-7 in 20 overs (De Villiers 64, Kohli 35; Randiv 2-24, Morkel 2-34)
Result: Chennai Super Kings won by 21 runs.
Man-of-the-match: Mike Hussey.

Nuclear plant damaged of Japan could take 9 months to shut down

-- Engineers will need up to nine months to fully shut down the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the scene of the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, its owners announced Sunday.

It would take three months to bring down radiation levels and restore normal cooling systems at the plant, Tsunehisa Katsumata, the chairman of the Tokyo Electric Power Co., told reporters.

An additional three to six months would be needed before the reactors reach their cold shutdown point, he said.

The plan announced Sunday is the first timetable that Tokyo Electric has disclosed for reining in the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi, which was swamped by the tsunami that followed Japan's March 11 earthquake.
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Inside the Fukushima evacuation zone
RELATED TOPICS

    * 2011 Japan Disaster
    * Fukushima Daiichi
    * Nuclear Energy

It comes five days after Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan called for Tokyo Electric to develop a timeline for bringing the disaster to an end.

The ultimate plan for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant involves the construction of a giant concrete box around all damaged reactors, according to the timeline. Design for the box should begin within nine months.

Also on Sunday, a top Japanese official headed to towns now slated for evacuation after safety officials warned of a possible new leak of radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano met with workers at the command center for efforts to stabilize reactors at Fukushima Daiichi on Sunday morning and held talks with the governor of Fukushima Prefecture.

After meeting with the governor, Yuhei Sato, Edano spoke to reporters.

"Ensuring people's livelihoods and security is our foremost priority," Edano said.

Edano also stopped in Minamisoma, a largely evacuated city in the outer belt of the 30-kilometer danger zone drawn around the plant, and in Iitate, a village outside the zone where elevated levels of fallout from the accident have been detected.

Both Minamisoma and Iitate are now scheduled to be evacuated in the coming weeks due to concerns about the long-term effects of radiation on their residents. Radiation levels recorded in both cities are not high enough to cause immediate health effects, but prolonged exposure could cause an increased risk of cancer, according to government data and reports from outside researchers.

Edano has been the government's top spokesman on the 5-week-old crisis at the plant, which was swamped by the tsunami that followed northern Japan's March 11 earthquake. The 14- to 15-meter (45- to 48-foot) wave knocked out the plant's coolant systems, causing the three reactors operating at the time to overheat.

The damage to the reactors and the resulting release of radioactivity led Japan's government to declare the situation a top-scale nuclear disaster last week, and experts from Japan's nuclear industry estimate the crisis could last another two to three months.

Workers at the plant are trying to drain thousands of tons of highly radioactive water from the flooded basements of the three reactor units. At the same time, workers are trying to pour tons of fresh water into the reactors and pools of still-energetic spent fuel to keep them cool.

Workers stopped a severe leak of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean on April 6, but elevated levels of the short-lived nuclear waste iodine-131 recorded over the weekend could indicate a new problem, a Japanese safety official announced Saturday.

Iodine-131 has a radioactive half-life of eight days, and a more than fivefold increase in iodine concentrations in seawater behind the intake for the No. 2 reactor could be either from a fresh leak or from sediment stirred up while placing steel panels around the intakes, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, the top spokesman for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

"They will continue to monitor this carefully," Nishiyama said. "At this point, they have not visually found any leakage of any water into the ocean, and it is hard to check the conditions around No. 2 due to high radiation levels."

The iodine concentrations found were more than 6,500 times Japan's legal standards, up from 1,100 times on Thursday. But that number is far below the levels recorded when the earlier leak was spewing radioactive iodine into the ocean at 7.5 million times the limit. Authorities have built a silt and placed steel plates around the intake fence to corral the contamination since April 6.

They have also been dumping bags of an absorbent mineral into the water to limit the spread of radioactive cesium, another reactor waste.

Real cruise into semis

Real Madrid secured a Champions League semifinal showdown with Barcelona as Cristiano Ronaldo punished Heurelho Gomes's blunder to clinch a 1-0 win over Tottenham in the quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday.
Jose Mourinho's side already had one foot in the last four after romping to a 4-0 victory in the first leg and the 5-0 aggregate success sets up an epic instalment of their 'El Clasico' feud with bitter rivals Barca.
Tottenham had two decent penalty claims turned down at White Hart Lane, but their hopes were extinguished when Brazilian goalkeeper Gomes allowed Ronaldo's shot to squirm into the net early in the second half.
Mourinho can now look forward to another semifinal meeting with Barca, who were eliminated by the Portuguese coach when he was in charge at Inter Milan last season.
Real and Barca will fight for three trophies over the next month as they are also scrapping for the La Liga title and clash in the Spanish Cup final.
Harry Redknapp did a good job of making Tottenham's mission impossible seem slightly less implausible at his upbeat pre-match press conference but, for all his faith in a miraculous escape, he knew no team had ever come back from four goals down in the second leg of a Champions League tie.
Redknapp's side needed an early breakthrough to make Madrid nervous.
Gareth Bale led the way as he fired over a shot that Iker Casillas could only parry. From the rebound Luka Modric appeared to be fouled by Xabi Alonso, but Spurs' penalty appeals were rejected by referee Nicola Rizzoli.
Another incisive burst from Bale left two Madrid defenders trailing in his wake before the Welsh winger was finally crowded out. Mourinho responded by turning to his bench with a look of admiration as much as relief etched across his face.
The Real boss was glued to the edge of his technical area and he had another scare in the 26th minute as Spurs created their first clear chance.
Rafael van der Vaart's turn and quick pass sent Aaron Lennon away down the right and his cross looked perfect for Roman Pavlyuchenko, only for the Russian to shoot wildly over the bar.
After being hamstrung by Peter Crouch's reckless red card in the first leg, Spurs were showing they could hold their own against Real with 11 men.
But for all their attacking energy, Redknapp's team couldn't make the breakthrough and Sergio Ramos almost punished them with a goal-bound header that Gomes just clawed away.
Despite having five stars one booking away from a European suspension, Mourinho had sent out a full-strength team.
He knows how desperately Real crave a tenth success in the Champions League and was determined to make sure there was no shock collapse.
The move slightly backfired when Ricardo Carvalho was booked for a foul on Tom Huddlestone, ruling the defender out of the semi-final first leg. But Mourinho's men remained firmly in control of their main aim of reaching the last four.
Rizzoli turned down another penalty claim for Raul Albiol's trip on Pavlyuchenko, while Bale's 'goal' was rightly ruled out as Luka Modric was standing offside when he headed back to his team-mate.
Tottenham's hopes were fading by the minute and a horrendous mistake by Gomes put the tie completely beyond their reach five minutes into the second half.

Ronaldo was 25 yards out when he let fly and the Portugal forward's effort seemed to be heading straight to Gomes, only for the keeper to fumble

World's oldest man dies in US aged 114

The world's certified oldest man, whose advice to others included the observation "you're born to die", has passed away aged 114 in the US.

Walter Breuning was old enough to remember his grandfather recounting his part in the slaughter of the American Civil War, during the 1860s.

In his final years in Montana, he was passionate about ending two modern wars, those in Iraq and Afghanistan

Outtara urges peace, vows justice, security

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara yesterday faced the challenge of healing a divided nation, vowing justice, reconciliation and security after his forces captured rival Laurent Gbagbo.
"I ask you to remain calm and show restraint," Ouattara, the 69-year-old elected leader of the west African nation, said in a televised address late Monday, while hailing "the dawn of a new era of hope".
He also announced "legal proceedings against Laurent Gbagbo, his wife and his allies", adding that "all measures are being taken" to protect them following their dramatic capture after a four-month long crisis.
Gbagbo, his wife Simone and son Michel are being held at Ouattara's temporary headquarters at an Abidjan hotel, where they are being guarded by UN police amid fears of reprisals or summary justice.
The UN has said that at least 800 people have been confirmed killed in the conflict between the rival camps following the November election.
Meanwhile, clashes involving heavy weapons erupted in two districts of Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan loyal to former president Laurent Gbagbo one day after he was captured, witnesses told AFP.
The weapons were heard in the central Plateau district and in the northern Cocody area as forces loyal to Gbabo's rival, President Alassane Ouattara, struggled to return security to the city after 10 days of fighting.
The European Union said it would work with Ouattara's government to remove all sanctions imposed to pressure Gbagbo to step down.
European foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg yesterday, with the situation in Ivory Coast high on their agenda.
The ministers are expected to adopt a statement voicing support for Ouattara's reconciliation efforts and to pledge to help Ivory Coast overcome the humanitarian crisis brought on by the presidential stand-off.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, whose country has been at pains to deny it is playing a neo-colonial role in its former dominion, said that Gbagbo's capture was good news for African democracy.
France said its military had taken part in the weekend raids at the UN chief's request.

First Win kolkata

Jacques Kallis hit his second half-century in a row to set up a nine-run win for Kolkata Knight Riders against Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League on Monday.

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Kallis, 35, hit seven fours and a six in his 45-ball 53 as Kolkata piled on 163-4 before restricting Deccan to 154-8 off 20 overs on a slow Eden Gardens track.
This was the first victory for Kolkata in the Twenty20 tournament after having lost to Chennai by two runs in their opening match last week.
Kallis also picked up four catches to cap a fine day in the middle.
Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah gave Kolkata an early breakthrough, removing Ishank Jaggi in the third over before Rajat Bhatia grabbed the key wicket of skipper Kumar Sangakkara (16) to reduce Deccan to 53-3 in the ninth over.
Deccan could never really recover from the early setbacks, succumbing to their second defeat in as many matches despite a fighting 48 by Bharat Chipli.
Abdullah finished with 3-24 while Bhatia and Jaidev Unadkat took two wickets each.
Kallis, opening the innings, gave a flying start to Kolkata after captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to bat.
The all-rounder raced to the 50-run mark with a six off his South Africa teammate JP Duminy but was out the next ball as he attempted to clear midwicket again.
Gambhir, who batted at an unusual number six against Chennai, promoted himself up the order and shared 43 runs off just 26 balls with Manoj Tiwary (30 not out) for the third wicket.
Gambhir (29) was bowled by legspinner Amit Mishra, the most impressive among Deccan bowlers with two wickets for 19 runs off his fours overs.
Big-hitting Yusuf Pathan hit a typically aggressive 22 off 15 balls in a late assault to prop up Kolkata's total.
SCORES IN BRIEF
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: 163-4 in 20 overs (Kallis 53, Tiwary 30 not out, Gambhir 29; Mishra 2-19)
DECCAN CHARGERS: 154-8 in 20 overs (Chipli 48; Abdulla 3-24, Bhatia 2-29, Unadkat 2-36)
Result: Kolkata Knight Riders won by nine runs.
Man-of-the-match: Jacques Kallis.

Australia face Bangladesh today

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is likely to make a comeback in the Tigers' first one-day international against Australia  at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium mirpur today
The match will be telecast live on NEO Cricket and Bangladesh Television from 9:30am.
The major talking point around the national team over the last week has been the return of Mashrafe, though the fast bowler himself has not sounded all too confident given his physical improvement from the knee injury he suffered last December that ruled him out of the World Cup.
Apart from the drama surrounding Mashrafe, the Tigers will actually be playing their first game after the World Cup exit with a few changed made to the team that played against South Africa on March 19, Bangladesh's last group game.
Alok Kapali has earned a recall into the national setup after more than two years but a call-up into the 
                                

Japan stops highly radioactive leak into Pacific today

Workers stopped a highly radioactive leak into the Pacific Japan's today  flooded nuclear complex Wednesday, but with the plant far from stabilized, engineers prepared an injection of nitrogen to deter any new hydrogen explosions.

Nitrogen can prevent highly combusAtible hydrogen from exploding — as it did three times at the compound in the early days of the crisis, set in motion March 11 when cooling systems were crippled byA Japan's 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami.
Nuclear officials said there was no immediate threat of more Aexplosions, and but the nitrogen plans were an indication of the serious remaining challenges in stabilizing reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and halting the coastal radiation leaks that have cast a shadow on northeastern Japanese fisheries.
Nitrogen normally is present inside the containment that surrounds the reactor core. Technicians will start pumping more in as early as Wednesday evening, said Junichi Matsumoto, a spokesman for the plant operator. They will start with Unit 1, where pressure and temperatures are highest.

"The nitrogen injection is being considered a precaution," said spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
Workers have suffered near-daily setbacks in their race to cool the plant's reactors since they were slammed by the tsunami, which also destroyed hundreds of miles of coastline and killed as many as 25,000 people.
But there was a rare bit of good news Wednesday when workers finally halted a leak of highly contaminated water into the ocean that had raised concerns about the safety of seafood.