PARIS: An Air France plane with 228 people on board was presumed to have crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday after hitting heavy turbulence
on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
Air France said the Airbus flew into stormy weather four hours after its scheduled take-off from the Brazilian city and shortly afterwards sent an automatic message reporting electrical faults.
Company spokesman Francois Brousse said several of the plane's mechanisms had malfunctioned, preventing it from making contact with air traffic controllers.
"It is probably a combination of circumstances that could have led to the crash," he said.
The airliner might have been hit by lightning, he said. The Brazilian air force said the plane was far out over the sea when it went missing. Military planes took off from both Brazil and Africa to hunt for it.
Flight AF 447 left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday at 7 p.m. (2200 GMT) and had been expected to land at Paris's Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday at 11:15 a.m. (0915 GMT).
The carrier said 216 passengers were on board, including seven children and one baby, and 12 crew members. Air France said the pilots were highly experienced.
Tearful relatives and friends were led away by airport staff after they arrived at Roissy expecting to greet the passengers.
About 20 relatives of passengers on board the flight arrived at Rio's Galeao airport on Monday morning seeking information after hearing news of its disappearance.
Bernardo Souza, who said his brother and sister-in-law were on the flight, complained he had received no details from Air France.
"I had to come to the airport but when I arrived I just found an empty balcony." he said. "With a lack of information, it is even more worrying."
Senior French government minister Jean-Louis Borloo ruled out the possibility of a hijacking.
"It's an awful tragedy," he told France Info radio. If no survivors are found it will be the worst loss of life involving an Air France plane in the firm's 75-year history.
SCOURING THE OCEAN
The jet's last known location was unclear and Brazil's air force said it had no contact with the plane after 0133 GMT.
Brazilian air force planes had taken off from the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil's northeast coast to look for the Air France jet, a Brazilian spokesman said. The Brazilian navy said it had sent three ships to help in the search operation.
Jean-Christophe Rufin, France's ambassador in the west African country of Senegal, told French iTele that aircraft had also taken off from there to search for the missing Airbus.
Brazil's air force said that when the plane left its radar area at 0148 GMT it had been flying normally at an altitude of 35,000 feet and at 453 km per hour. It failed to make contact at the next attempt half an hour later at 0220.
An air traffic controller at ASECNA in Dakar, which covers Francophone Africa, said they did not take control of AF 447.
The plane was an Airbus 330-200 powered with General Electric engines. If the plane is confirmed to have crashed, it would be the first time an A330 has been lost during an operational airline flight.
Air France said the plane had 18,870 flight hours on the clock and went into service in April 2005. Its last underwent maintenance in a hangar in April this year.
The last major incident involving an Air France plane was in July 2000 when one of its Concorde supersonic airliners crashes just after taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, bound for New York.
All 109 people on board were killed along with at least four on the ground.
In August 2005, an Air France Airbus burst into flames after shooting off the runway at Toronto airport following a storm. No one died in the crash.
Mamata orders probe after angry mob torch trains in Bihar
Patna:Angry villagers on Monday torched six rail bogies and a station near Patna protesting against the cancellation of stoppage of a train following which Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee withdrew the order against the halt and set up a departmental inquiry.
Thousands of villagers, perturbed over withdrawal of stoppage of the Rajgir-New Delhi Shramjivi Express at Khusrupur, ransacked and torched the station and six bogies of two trains, and uprooted tracks under Danapur division, about 32 kms from Patna.
They stormed the station building, situated on Patna-Rajgir section of the East Central Railway, as soon as it was announced over the public address system that the stoppage of the Shramjivi express had been withdrawn, ECR chief public relations officer A K Chandra said.
The mob set fire to the 3226 down Danapur-Jainagar Intercity Express and the 543 Rajgir-Danapur passenger trains at Baikatpur village near the station, he said. Four general chair car coaches and an airconditioned chair car compartment of Danapur-Jainagar Intercity express were burnt, he said.
The mob also set afire a generator bogie of the Rajgir-Danapur passenger train, which arrived there a short while after the intercity reached.
Clarifying that her ministry had issued no such order, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata that the halt of the train at the station will continue like in the past and ordered a departmental inquiry on the decision to withdraw the stoppage.
My nephew is not one to commit suicide: Harbhajan
LONDON: Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, whose nephew Upkar Singh was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Melbourne, appealed to the Indian government to ensure the safety of students in Australia.
"I request the authorities to ensure that the guilty are brought to book and my nephew gets the justice he deserves. He was a young and dynamic individual who had chosen to go to Australia for studies and was diligently pursuing a successful career and was an asset to the community in Australia," Harbhajan, who is here to play in the World Twenty20, said in a statement on Monday.
Upkar's body was found near the railway track near his apartment in the Thornbury area of Melbourne on May 7. His father said the Australian police had not even conducted a post-mortem examination and closed the case, terming the death a suicide.
Harbhajan alleged that the Australian authorities are yet to disclosed the cause of Upkar's death.
"We were informed that Upkar committed suicide, but in the death certificate they didn't mention the cause of his death. Our family can't accept suicide claims made by police as Upkar was quite happy in Australia and was almost settled there," he said.
There have been four attacks on Indian students in quick succession, with the first incident reported May 9.
Hospitality graduate Rajesh Kumar received 30 percent burns a week ago after someone hurled a petrol bomb through the window of his Harris Park home in Sydney. Three attacks on Indian students took place in Melbourne.
UPA nominates Meira for Speaker's post
Monday June 1, 2009, New Delhi:Meira Kumar, who has resigned as Union Minister for Water Resources, said on Monday that she has been nominated as a candidate for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker by the UPA.
"Yes I have resigned (from the post of the Union Water Resources Minister). UPA has nominated me for the post of (Lok Sabha) Speaker," she told reporters in New Delhi.
She thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA allies for nominating "a woman" for the office of the Speaker.
She, however, declined to take any further questions, saying "I will talk on this only after June 3 when the election of the Speaker is scheduled".
Meira Kumar had resigned as Water Resources Minister last night, just two days after taking charge of the ministry.
Meira's resignation was immediately forwarded by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to President Pratibha Patil for acceptance. Patil has accepted the resignation.
Indian Business News
GM files for bankruptcy
New York:US car maker General Motors filed for bankruptcy protection, marking one of the biggest collapses in the corporate history as the iconic entity grapples with global recession and plunging sales.
The century-old auto maker, which is surviving on American taxpayers money has filed for Chapter 11 protection with the US Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York.
General Motors' move is backed by the Obama administration which is expected to be the major stakeholders, once the restructuring is completed.
While the Government is anticipated to retain as much as 60 per cent in General Motors, the remaining would be held by the union and creditors, among others.
According to the court filing today, General Motors has sought bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11.
The car maker has already received nearly USD 20 billion from the US Government and is expected to get more funds to tide over the bankruptcy process.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection allows the company to continue with its operations and would be protected from the creditors.
No BSNL-MTNL merger; BSNL may be listed: Raja
NEW DELHI: Telecom Minister A Raja on Monday virtually ruled out the BSNL-MTNL merger saying it is difficult due to lack of identical factor between them. "Identical factors are not there legally for BSNL-MTNL merger," Raja said.
The Minister, who assumed charge today, however, said the Department was keen on listing of BSNL and advised PSU management to start talks with the Employees Union for taking the company public. The union has been opposing the listing.
Late Communication Minister Pramod Mahajan had proposed the merger and was revived by Raja's predecessor Dayanidhi Maran for synergy purpose. Government holds 56.25% in MTNL and it is listed in NYSE and in India. BSNL is 100% owned by Government.
MTNL provides telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai, while BSNL serves the rest of India. On plans to list BSNL in the bourses, Raja said the management has been advised to initiate talks with the employees union.
"We want to list BSNL... We want to create a consensus for it. We have asked the BSNL management to talk to the union", said the Minister. Estimates suggest that BSNL is worth 100 billion dollars and dilution of 10 per cent stake would help the company raise $10 billion (about Rs 48,000 crore).
Yahoo to finally shut Yahoo 360
NEW DELHI: Another Yahoo service is closing officially. Yahoo 360, which was supposed to close early last year, is finally shutting its doors on July 13, according to a blog post written on the site.
"Over the past two years there has been a lot of discussion about the closure of Yahoo! 360° and the transition to our new profiles experience that we’ve had in the works. Today, we’re able to firmly say that on July 13, 2009 Yahoo! 360° will be closing down and you’ll be asked to move into your new profile on Yahoo!, by July 12, 2009," goes the blog.
Yahoo 360 was launched in March 2005 as a ocial network/blogging service. However, the service could never really gain popularity. In fact, several analysts cite Yahoo 360's failure as an example of a hot Internet property that Yahoo failed to cash on.
According to ComScore, Yahoo 360 had 13.9 million worldwide unique visitors in April.
In October 2007, when the company first announced that it would close Yahoo 360, it aimed move to a 'universal' Yahoo profile. The company reiterated the plan during its Yahoo Open Strategy (YOS) launch in April 2008.
In September last year, Yahoo also shut its other social-networking site, Yahoo Mash. Late last year company launched its "universal" profile service, Yahoo Profiles, which incorporates basic social-networking functions. However, Yahoo Profiles doesn't match the features of Yahoo 360.
Indian Cricket News|World Sports News
Lady luck seems to shine on Dhoni in England sun
London:Lady luck always has had an irresistible attraction for Mahendra Singh Dhoni but this time it has moved heaven and earth to favour the Indian captain. With London set to record the hottest Monday of England at 27 degree Centigrade (80.6F) and the entire country basking in second successive week of 'wall-to-wall' perfect sunshine, Dhoni's liability has turned into unimaginable riches. Dhoni's team was saddled with a number of part-time spinners who were expected to wilt under coolish, seamer-friendly English conditions.
Instead, they all now appear a pack of aces under the brutish English sun. Experts agree that at least seven each specialist batsmen and bowlers make up for an unbeatable combination in Twenty20 cricket which didn't appear the case with Dhoni's men when they left home to defend their Twenty20 crown. The team was certain to sweat on their fifth, if not the fourth bowler, as part-time spinners were given no chance to succeed on fresh English pitches.
However, the heat of last two months with the month of May the hottest in last decade have ensured that the wickets would be dry and scruffy and suitable for slow bowlers.
The Suresh Rainas and Yuvrajs; Sehwags and Rohit Sharmas can all lick their fingers in anticipation while opposition can only chew their nails in frustration as precise planning against this squad of match-winners is almost impossible. India can look forward to have a team where everyone, barring skipper Dhoni, can be a steady influence in both bowling and batting.
Dhoni hopeful of defending World T20 title
Mumbai:Beaming with confidence, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Friday that he was hopeful of retaining the World Twenty20 title with a balanced team having some outstanding talent.
Dhoni also said his team was not under pressure as the defending champions as they leave for the second edition of the prestigious event, beginning in England on June 5.
"We have a very balanced side, very strong in batting. We bat right down to 8 or 9. This is not to say we lack in bowling. We have a strong bowling attack too," he told reporters in a pre-departure match conference.
"We have some outstanding talents in our team and we need to focus on playing to our potential without worrying about the result. We have to give 100 per cent and hopefully we can defend the title," the flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman said.
Dhoni, however, admitted that his players were tired after the hectic IPL schedule in South Africa but said the Twenty20 extravaganza had only helped the players hone their skills ahead of the World Cup.
"When you play so many matches you do get tired, after all it's a human body, but it (IPL) helped us a lot in terms of exposure and skills. So it was more beneficial for us. There was no time to rest for the players. But fatigue is a part of Indian cricket. Till now Indian players have done well with it," he said.
Dhoni also said he was pleased with the fact that he had plenty of options with regards to non-regular bowlers, especially in spin department and that all his players have the experience of handling pressure by playing in the IPL.
IPL experience will come handy in T20 WC: Smith
London, June 01, 2009:With not many Twenty20 matches under their belt, South Africa skipper Graeme Smith is looking to cash on their Indian Premier League experience during the World T20 Championship starting in London on June 5.
"Most international cricketers have not played a lot of international T20 cricket to date and the 14 matches in the recent Indian Premier League has given them the chance to formulate new ideas and plans for this format of the game," Smith said.
And after watching Jaques Kallis' successful stint in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore team, Smith hopes the all-rounder will continue with the form to become the mainstay of his side in the World Cup.
"He probably is the player with the most to prove. He has worked out how he wants to play this form of the game and he had an excellent Indian Premier League season which means he comes into this tournament full of confidence," Smith said.
Kallis, who was left out of Proteas side for the inaugural edition in 2007, scored 361 runs from 15 matches to help his team finish runner-up.
Stating the current South Africa team the best side he has led till the time, Smith said fusion of youth and experience has made them "Twenty20 fit" and now he is aiming nothing less than the title.
"We have an exciting squad with pace, swing and spin in the bowling department and plenty of depth to our batting. In terms of talent, flair and confidence this is the strongest Proteas' team that I have captained.
"We are very well balanced both in terms of youth and experience and in terms of having all our bases covered regardless of whether the conditions favour swing or spin," he said.
French Open News|French Tennis News
Paes in men's doubles semis, Bhupathi out of French Open
Paris:Leander Paes kept the Indian challenge alive by advancing to the men's doubles semifinals with Czech Lukas Dlouhy but it was curtains for Mahesh Bhupathi and his partner Mark Knowles of Bahamas at the French Open here on Monday. Third seeds Paes and Dlouhy thwarted a late challenge from fifth seeds Bruno Soares of Brazil and Kevin Ullyett of Zimbabwe to emerge 6-2 7-6 (5) victorious and enter the last-four stage.
The Indo-Czech pair face either top seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia or Russians Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov in the semifinals. Paes and Dlouhy dominated the opening set and broke their rivals twice before wrapping it up in just 36 minutes. However, they had to stave off a strong challenge from the fifth seeds in the second set that lasted 56 minutes.
However, Bhupathi and Knowles bowed out of the tournament with a tough three-set pre-quarterfinal loss to unseeded Jose Acasuso of Argentina and Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. The fourth seeds toiled hard for an hour and 56 minutes before eventually losing 7-5 4-6 6-4. With this loss, Bhupathi's French Open campaign came to a disappointing end as partnering Sania Mirza, he had already crashed out of the mixed doubles event, losing in the first round against French-Israeli duo of Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram.
Defeat of clay: Nadal knocked out
Paris:Rafael Nadal has still never played a five-set match at the French Open, but he is no longer undefeated at Roland Garros. In one of the biggest upsets in the long history of tennis, Nadal, the four-time defending champion who had won 31 straight matches here, was beaten in the fourth round, 6-2 6-7 (2) 6-4 7-6 (2) by Robin Soderling of Sweden.
Though Soderling, the 23rd seed, had never reached this stage of a Grand Slam tournament before, he is an established figure on tour whose huge forehand and serve have caused plenty of trouble for the game’s leading men over the years.
“I have to accept with the same calm when I win than when I lose. After four years, I lose here, and the season continues,” Nadal told a news conference. “Sure, he did well. He did very well but I didn’t play my best tennis. I didn’t play my tennis, and for that reason I lose. That’s it.”
Defending his Wimbledon title will be Nadal’s next major goal, but that will come after a little rest and relaxation. “Right now, my preparation is for the swimming pool at my house,” joked Nadal, who was also trying to become the first man to win five straight French Open titles. “Give me three more days.”
Costly errors
The Spaniard failed to generate depth consistently on Sunday, which allowed Soderling the space to keep applying pressure. He made errors off the ground from positions where he would normally generate winners or high-bouncing shots to the corners.
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