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Gold and silver ornaments worth of over Rs 6 lakh were looted from a trader in Ashok Nagar in Sarnath on Sunday morning. According to reports, Jai Prakash Verma, a native of Ashok Nagar, owns a jewelry shop at some distance from his house. He used to take ornaments of his shop with him at the time of closing of the shop. On Sunday morning, he reached near his shop with a bag containing the ornaments of his shop.

Two motorcycle borne miscreants were already standing near his shop. It is suspected that they had filled adhesive in the keyhole of the locks of his shop. After failing to open the locks in first attempt, Verma put his bag on floor and started to open the locks again. In the meantime, the miscreants fled with his bag. A manhunt was launched to nab the miscreants but no arrest was reported in this connection so far.

Woman dies: Priti Singh (25), a native of Chandua Chhittupur in Sigra died under mysterious circumstances on the terrace of her house on Sunday morning. One Dilip Singh had married his daughter Priti to Awadhesh of Chandua in April 2012. On Sunday morning, Priti was found hanging with an iron grill, the shape of which had not been changed surprisingly despite the load of Priti's body. Parents of Priti alleged that she was murdered by her in-laws. Police sent the body and took father-in-law, husband and a sister-in-law of Priti under custody for interrogation.

Case registered: Sigra police registered a case of fraud against 15 persons after getting a complaint from a company engaged in the trade of gold loan. According to reports, some employees and touts had formed a nexus, who did gold plating on copper to seek a loan of Rs 3 crore.

 Branded jewellery retailer and manufacturer Gitanjali Group has roped in Bollywood actor Salman Khan to endorse two of its schemes that seek to provide a cover to consumers against the rising gold prices.

“Salman is a superstar with a tremendous mass appeal. He speaks the language of the people and establishes an instant connect with them,” Gitanjali Group CMD Mehul Choksi said here.

“He is the perfect choice for reaching out to consumers and letting them realise how easy it is to plan their jewellery purchase for special occasions through regular small savings,” Choksi added.

The schemes are ‘Swarna Mangal’ and ‘Shagun’ Swarna Mangal is a price protection plan. It offers flexibility in payment and redemption options, he said.

Shagun is a jewellery accumulation plan designed to save up to buy jewellery for the big occasions, he added.

RECENTLY I READ an article in the newspaper about former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir shushing the crowd at one of his gigs, then uttering, "Am I interrupting you? Am I bothering you?" before storming off the stage in disgust. Oddly enough he's a co-owner of the venue, Mill Valley's Sweetwater.

Some online comments attribute the problem to a sense of entitlement many believe has begun to permeate this county, which reminded me of something that happened many, many years ago.

It was a fine dining restaurant decked out with the best leather booths money could buy. Certainly, it was the hottest place around. All the foodies were tittering, and all the must-be-seens were there. Every other week there was an article in a magazine or newspaper about the place. I was lucky to have been hired there and was just beginning to learn the ropes.

One night there was a reservation for the guitarist-singer of a band that had its heyday in the late 1960s and early '70s. Some of the staff were fans, and some were not.

Mr. Rock Star arrived late for his reservation, so late that at least two other parties were waiting because of the backlog. Restaurant reservations are not guarantees, they are best guesses based on the behavior of others, which unfortunately can make them prone to quite a bit of error.

The line, "overfed, long-haired leaping gnome," by Eric Burdon in his song with War, "Spill the Wine,"

popped into my head when Mr. Rock Star arrived. Also arriving was an acrid smell that one becomes familiar with when one has hippish parents and has lived through more than a few Summers of Love. Mr. Rock Star's scent, dirty T-shirt and matted hair must have passed the dress code muster because the ma?tre'd sat him. Amazing how the rules go out the window when celebrity is involved.

Eventually a drink order came through for two double Martell cognacs, the best hooch in the house and $160 for two drinks. And this was long before the housing-Internet-stock market bubble even began to inflate; $160 for two drinks seems extreme now, but back then it was obscene.

The two drinks sat in the service window cooling off. They had been ordered "heated," which any aficionado will tell you destroys the subtleties of cognac; the glass is shaped the way it is so your hand's heat warms the glass. Heating it with hot water is a novice's mistake. Not that I was going to mention it. The customer gets what the customer wants, so in the interest of facilitating that endeavor I picked up the two cognacs and carried them over to the table before they cooled off.

I set down the drinks and noticed that Mr. Rock Star wasn't wearing shoes. Furthermore, it looked as if he hadn't been wearing shoes for quite some time. And now, his dirty feet were resting on our leather booths, the supplest money could buy. I mentioned it to the maitre'd.

"What am I supposed to do? Ask him to leave?"

This, of course, never happened. Instead, two more double cognacs later and the two men left on their own. After holding up reservations for more than an hour, they only spent half an hour in the restaurant. Half an hour, four drinks and $320 later and I had a better understanding of what entitlement meant.

Kim Nguyen is a filmmaker going places. His new movie War Witch, a bleak tale of child soldiers in sub-Saharan Africa, was nominated in the foreign-language category at this year's Oscars.

On March 2 it swept the inaugural Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto, winning in 10 categories including Best Film and Best Director.

I speak to Nguyen two days earlier, and he's in a cab from the airport in Montreal, sounding frantic but upbeat (the Oscar nomination, he tells me, has ''opened a lot of doors'').

How does a filmmaker born and raised in Quebec find himself in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? For Nguyen, who's in his late 30s, an international outlook comes naturally.

''What's really cool for our generation and the generations to come is that the ideas now are free, you know? They come from everywhere and we have access to them with Wikipedia and the web. So if you're in a system that allows for that, you can just delve into whatever powerful stories you can find.''

In fact, War Witch was originally inspired by reading about child soldiers in Burma. He doesn't remember exactly why the setting changed - perhaps because trying to be faithful to history would ''make the story too on the nose and too political''.

Nguyen considered shooting in several African countries, including Kenya and Cameroon. ''I was really afraid to shoot in the Congo before I got there,'' he admits. ''You're a constant target, and you've gotta have security around you, and the logistics are very complex.''

But ultimately, he says, ''we couldn't have made the film anywhere else''.

By his account, the capital city of Kinshasa is full of oddities that create an almost science fiction atmosphere - the satellite dishes left over from a 1980s space program, the cops directing traffic with toy light sabres.

Nguyen's 16-year-old lead actress, Rachel Mwanza, was discovered in Kinshasa through an open casting call. ''She was a kid from the street, abandoned by her parents at the age of six,'' Nguyen says. ''So she had it rough.''
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What surprised Mwanza most about the script of War Witch, it turns out, wasn't the killings or other atrocities, but the subplot where her character falls for a boy her own age (Serge Kanyinda).

For Nguyen, this love story is as vital as anything else in the film. ''I very quickly realised that I didn't want to do an educational movie about child soldiers,'' he says. ''I wanted to do this kind of fresco that reflects sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st century.''

For Nguyen, the creative process is above all about putting himself into each character's shoes, as an actor might.

''I think of myself as completely subjective,'' he says. ''But in a way it makes it more authentic, in the sense of trying to give the spectator a feeling of how it is to be in that character's psyche.''

Two Australian jewellers took to the world stage last week by winning the Craftsmanship Award at the 2013 International Jewellery Design Excellence (IJDE) Awards.

Martyn Brown and Martin Linning from Queensland-based store Jewellery By Design (JBD) won the award for their jewellery piece “Undulation”. The awards, which take place in conjunction with the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, were announced at a gala event held in Hong Kong last Tuesday.  

Last year, the duo’s piece impressed judges at the 2012 JAA Australasian Jewellery Awards and was responsible for Brown and Linning winning the Jeweller of the Year and the CAD/CAM awards.

The biannual IJDE Awards are open to those who have already won a national industry honour, and as such “Undulation” received automatic inclusion.

The winning bangle is made from a finely wound, anodised titanium wire overlaid by a network of gold rivulets that direct 1,200 loose brilliant cut diamonds, bound together by a hand-cut glass sleeve.

Brown and Linning were the only finalists in their category to design and manufacture a piece. All other finalists were designers only.

Commenting on the win, Brown told Jeweller: “We were obviously very happy to have received the Craftsmanship Award as we designed and manufactured this piece ourselves. We worked very hard to make sure everything worked perfectly so it was gratifying for that to be recognised on an international level.”

Linning said that the two men had no idea whether they had a chance of winning the competition; particularly since the judging criteria differed greatly to anything they had experienced previously.

“Judging in Hong Kong is totally different to that in Australia with more emphasis being placed on personal interviews and having to explain the techniques and materials used,” Linning said.

“Importance is also placed on the journey of the idea - meanings and stories behind the piece. This is definitely not what we are used to.”

Entrants are judged on innovation, craftsmanship, aesthetics, wearability and functionality. Winning pieces are showcased at the Hong Kong show.

Once back on home soil, Brown said “Undulation” would be proudly displayed in JBD’s Townsville store alongside the three awards.

“Its future beyond that is uncertain as we have had some international interest to purchase it. But I think we have grown quite attached to it so letting go might be difficult.”

As for plans to design and manufacture another award-winning jewellery piece, he explained: “We are constantly thinking of new designs and interesting concepts – always trying to push ourselves creatively is the key to our success.”

According to Linning, the decision to enter a design competition should not be taken lightly.

“It’s a huge commitment of our time and resources to enter design competitions. We have always got plenty of ideas. It is a matter of what ones are right at the time.

“Being in Hong Kong and meeting other international designers has certainly given us plenty of inspiration for the future.”

JBD business manager Bevan Hill said: “This award has showcased the passion and dedication these two jewellers have for their industry and on behalf of the entire JBD team we congratulate them on their win. It has been an honour to work alongside them on this journey of creativity and their award win has highlighted their hard work."

Nelson is at the centre of a global aid initiative that has the city and world buzzing with purple-themed fundraisers.

Thousands of people in more than 20 countries are supporting Purple Cake Day today to raise funds for children in Haiti, Kenya and Nepal.

Purple Cake Day is the initiative of the Kenbe La Charitable Foundation, founded by Nelson woman Emily Sanson-Rejouis after she tragically lost two children and her husband during the Haiti earthquake in 2010.

In its third year, the charity is aiming to raise $100,000 to help fund children's education in developing countries, which the foundation believes is the most important focus for reducing global poverty.

Many classrooms and businesses around Nelson have embraced the global cause and are celebrating Purple Cake Day today.

At Hardy Kids early learning centre there is a purple theme with dress-ups, purple playdough, balloons and cupcakes.

To fundraise, the centre has a gold coin "guess how many purple lollies are in the jar" competition, and a purple-decorated baking sale.

Class photos were also being offered to parents, with all proceeds donated to Purple Cake Day.

Teacher Sue Tutty said the children were visited yesterday by Purple Cake Day ambassador Jane Morrison, who had visited Kenya, and shared her experiences, and discussed global inequality with the 3 to 5-year-olds.

Paula's Preschool, in Tahunanui, was having a similar purple-themed day of activities and fundraising today, and Mrs Sanson-Rejouis' daughter, Alayana, will be selling cupcakes in the CBD with her Montessori schoolmates.

Elsewhere around town expect to see builders and McDonald's staff wearing bright purple shirts, and do not be surprised when students from Nayland College take to Trafalgar St to perform a traditional Kenyan dance and skit at 2pm.

Some local fundraising efforts started early, with Nelson College already raising more than $1200 through a purple mufti day. Nelson's Fa'avae family, now living in Queenstown, have committed to raising $3000 by cycling the 150 kilometre Otago Rail Trail.

Purple Cake Day has also inspired fundraising efforts from further afield, including Haiti, Nepal and Kenya, the countries destined to receive education assistance from the foundation.

Mrs Sanson-Rejouis said Purple Cake Day had received unprecedented support from Nelsonians, New Zealanders and the global community.

"I feel proud and inspired knowing that together we are connecting and celebrating children around the world and creating a brighter and more educated future for children in need."

The state is set to get its first laboratory of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) at Kochi. Along with gold, various items listed under the BIS Act 1986 will be examined in the lab. Union Minister of state for Food and Public distribution K V Thomas said that the state government has allotted 30 cents of land for the laboratory at the European Economic community building at Maradu.

“The BIS has its office in Thiruvananthapuram but not a laboratory. Manufacturers have to travel all the way to Coimbatore, Chennai or Bangalore to get their products tested. The new lab would easily settle this issue,” he said.

Kochi is a suitable place to set up the lab, as Palakkad, Thrissur and Alappuzha have the highest number of jewellery outlets. A laboratory at Kochi would be of immense help to them, added Thomas. The efforts to set up a BIS lab started in 2009. But it could not be materialised due to the unavailability of land. “Now we have managed to get the land due to the interventions made by Excise Minister K Babu,” he said.  As setting up a lab would take time, the government has already made a temporary arrangement for the lab at Palarivattom.  “A building is being renovated and would house the lab for the time being. The lab would be shifted to Maradu once construction is completed.

Jewellers and other manufactures have lauded the decision made by the government. Ramesh Pai, Managing Partner, A Geeri Pai Jewellery opined that a lab at Kochi would definitely help manufactures. “To redress any doubts related to the quality of products, one has to travel all the way to Thiruvananthapuram. This could be solved with a laboratory at Kochi,” he said.

Though he was in appreciation of the move made by the government, B Giri Rajan, Managing Partner, Bhima Jewellers, did not hide his disappointment with government institutions which are deemed incompetent when compared with private agencies.

“People always prefer  institutions with sufficient facilities that will not consume their time, be it a government or private entity,” he pointed out. The Kerala State Small Industries Association (KSSIA) welcomed the decision. T Bijukumar, General Secretary, KSSIA, said that it would solve many problems pertaining to the marketing of products manufactured by small-scale industries. “Now the consumers choose items with certain standards. This lab will enable to set the mandatory standard for various products,” he said.

For the fifth straight year Cycling Classics Inc. is presenting the two-day Chain of Lakes Cycling Classic in Central Florida, attracting the best bicyclists in the Southeast to compete on behalf of the Polk County Humane Society.
 
After five years survived economic downturn, ugly political games among cycling promoters trying to keep groups of riders for their own events, and a sanctioning body trying to make more money off the event than the event could raise for donations but none of that daunted Cycling Classics organizers. The group, founded in 2008, has never strayed from its core principles: Community, Charity, Cycling.

Cycling Classics still puts on one of the most popular events in the state, despite not offering fat purses and bonus championship points. The event is popular because the Cycling Classics crew—100 percent volunteer—work hard to make sure the weekend offers an exceptional experience for riders, spectators, and sponsors alike.

Cycling Classics was incorporated as a non-profit in 2008 by Bill Cundiff, Dan Rooney, Bob Rayburn, Scott Miller, and Howard King, riding buddies who wanted to give back to their sport and their city, and to support charity; specifically, helping the Polk County Humane Society in its quest to keep abandoned or abused pets alive.

The Polk Humane Society operates a no-kill shelter—the only one in the area. Despite the cost, the staff keeps unwanted and abused pets alive and cared for until suitable owners adopt them.

In 2009 Cycling Classics Inc. successfully staged its first two-day event, and every year since its reputation has grown.

The Chain of Lakes Classic’s has not changed much since its inception. Saturday is devoted to road racing in Fort Meade, while Sunday is reserved for Criterium races in downtown Winter Haven, punctuated by the always popular Kids’ Race, where riders from toddlers to the age of ten get a chance join the excitement.

In the event’s second year the organizers experimented with adding a time trial event on Saturday afternoon, after the road races; this proved so popular it has become a permanent part of the program.

Cycling Classics still puts on one of the most popular events in the state, despite not offering fat purses and bonus championship points. The event is popular because the Cycling Classics crew—100 percent volunteer—work hard to make sure the weekend offers an exceptional experience for riders, spectators, and sponsors alike.

For a while, the Chain of Lakes Cycling Classic carried special status as a Florida Cup or Florida Crown event, which gave professional riders extra championship points. The elevated status was supposed to attract more riders, but also cost the organizers a higher sanction fee. Eventually the organizers decided that the event had enough appeal on its own merits, and this year’s event proves their wisdom. All the region’s best cyclists showed up not for bonus points, but to compete in a superior event.

Russia is planning a world-class velodrome on the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics and hopes to create a Tour of Russia with a Red Square finish to promote the sport, its cycling federation chief said on Wednesday. The head of Russia’s cycling body, Igor Makarov, told reporters that the federation’s plans to renovate the country’s cycling infrastructure with a view to staging major events had received full backing from the government. He said that Russia’s cycling ambitions would be centred around 2014 Winter Olympics host city Sochi, a resort on the Black Sea with a temperate climate and surrounded by huge mountains.

“We decided to transform one of the skating rinks which are now under construction in Sochi into a top-class cycling racing track after the end of 2014 Olympics,” he said. “We need it desperately, as none of the existing racing tracks in Russia fit the strict demands for the Olympic cycling track. “Besides, we’re going to create a great cycling centre in the city using the classy highways which are currently being constructed there for the Games.” Russia has made little impact in track cycling in recent years, as advances in technology and training by the likes of Britain and Australia left other nations with less funding trailing in their wake. Some racers like Denis Menchov have made an impact in road racing, however, while Russia also has its own Katusha road racing team. But the country has never been considered a great force in the big European tours.

Makarov also revealed that he was also planning to stage a professional Tour of Russia – an annual multiple-stage race. Sochi, the western city of Saint Petersburg and the capital Moscow would be ready to host the stages of any race soon after the 2014 Sochi Games end, he added. “I believe a professional race with its overall finish in Red Square in front of Moscow’s ancient Kremlin would attract the attention of millions of sport lovers everywhere,” he said. “I believe such a race will also seriously boost cycling’s popularity in Russia,” said Makarov, a former Soviet champion-turned-businessman who is an influential figure in cycling. Makarov said he wanted to concentrate on the development of cycling in Russia, adding there was much to do to revive the winning traditions of the Soviet era.

“After the fall of Soviet Union, the cycling infrastructure in the country fell into decay,” he said. “It’s a miracle that Russian cyclists managed to win medals at the Olympic Games, the world and European championships under the existing situation. We need to work out a plan of cycling revival in Russia and put it into practice day by day.” Makarov meanwhile dismissed the rumours that he was set to run for the post of the International Cycling Union (UCI) president. “It’s not true. I have no intention to run for the post of UCI boss,” said Makarov, who is also the head of the Russian gas company ITERA. “I’m too busy and already hold too many posts to stand for this chair also.”

George North has been teased by teammates following his girlfriend Becky James's record haul at the Track Cycling World Championships – but he insists it will only drive him to success. The Wales wing and the cycling queen are fast becoming the golden couple of British sport.

James took four medals including two golds at the world championships in Minsk to put her rugby-playing boyfriend, currently playing in the Six Nations, in the shadows.

North, 20, kept a close eye on Belarus via television coverage and internet streams whenever he could between the preparations for and celebrations after Wales's 26-9 victory in Italy.

North's Wales colleagues claim he is the lesser athlete in the relationship, but he insists that will only inspire him. He said: "It was awesome. I watched some of it live in between training and the Italy game. It was pretty hard to keep up, with the time difference and then the build-up to the match and all the boys on the internet slowing the feed down!

"Becky works so hard, focuses on herself, and went there with confidence and it showed. I've had more banter from the boys than from her. They're giving me the standard stuff and Ryan Jones tweeted saying I'm the second-best athlete [in the relationship].

"At the moment she's probably the best known of us and it's just deserts – the first British athlete to get four medals at the world championships. It's a massive achievement.

"If you look at any elite sport, athletes bounce off each other. She is doing really well at the moment and hopefully I can keep up my end of the bargain in the Six Nations."

It is something 21-year-old James clearly agrees with and she believes the shared support and understanding is integral to their individual success. She says North's match-winning try in the victory over France – where the wing's father David raced on to the pitch – helped fire her to glory.

James added: "It's great because we go through the same things. If I'm stressed out with cycling I know he has gone through the same thing in rugby, so we can talk about it and forget it. It makes it so much easier.

"We definitely bounce off each other and drive each other on. When I see him score a try, that just makes me want to perform and I'm sure it's the same for George. But it's the same for me and I was luckily sitting by the BBC guys and they were keeping me up to date with the rugby scores. I have a couple of weeks off now and I'm just looking forward to being able to relax and support him in the Six Nations."

James has already been dubbed the new Victoria Pendleton but North says she will handle the pressure.

"I don't think it's a celebratory status. It's different, it's massive sport," he said. "It's obviously huge for Becky but she's a level-headed girl. Since I met her she has never changed and I don't think she ever will.

"That has been shown in her mental preparation to get where she has with an incredible achievement."

Greatness is not a word regularly thrown around with reckless abandon among the British Cycling hierarchy but head coach Shane Sutton believes the new breed of track cyclists are destined for just that.

In the absence of performance director Dave Brailsford, who has been focusing on Team Sky, Sutton has overseen the team here in Minsk, which consisted of experienced riders like Jason Kenny but in which the average age of the gold medallists was just 21.

Britain won five golds to maintain their place as the world's leading track cycling nation, and Sutton warned their rivals that he expected more to come from a team which consisted of six World Championship debutants, two of whom, Simon Yates and Elinor Barker, came away with rainbow jerseys.

"This team is heading towards greatness in four years' time," said Sutton. "They're joined already as a team, they're a very young squad and they all get on. They're all on the same page."

With such a young squad, many of them experiencing the world stage for the first time, the appetite for medals at every championship seems greater than ever before, perhaps surprising in the year after an Olympics.

Whatever the success in Belarus, British Cycling loves its number-crunching and all the various statistics will still be geared towards one ultimate goal once more, the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Looking ahead to 2016, Sutton said: "If you're working from platforms and data and whatever, if you look to where we were at the beginning of the last Olympic cycle, I think we're in a much stronger position, a much healthier position, you can virtually name your team for Rio now."

A slight exaggeration maybe but the foundations are already laid for the Olympics. While the basis of the women's squad now seems pretty clear, with Jo Rowsell likely to return to what will be a four-woman line-up in the pursuit, and Jess Varnish and Becky James set to lead the sprint aspirations.

Vicky Williamson adds a potential alternative while Sutton admitted that Danielle Khan and Rosie Blount would travel to the next sprint camp in Majorca for the first time.

The exact make-up of the men's team sprint and team pursuit line-ups are far from finalised. The issue of man three in the sprint remains unresolved in a post-Chris Hoy Olympics. It is still hoped that Kian Emadi can do the role and it's worth remembering that man one, Philip Hindes, only made his debut in the line-up three months before the Olympics and went on to catapault the team to gold.

There are plenty of alternative line-ups for the pursuit but Sutton said he did not expect either Bradley Wiggins or Geraint Thomas to slot back, which had been mooted previously.

"In Brad's case, I've always said there is a possibility but the longer time goes on and Brad puts another couple of Tours in his legs, I think it would be a big call for him," said Sutton. "As far as G [Thomas] is concerned we are not doing our jobs if G can come back and ride team pursuit in four years' time because we should be going too quick. He won't come back. The more time you spend out on the road, the more you deplete that speed and we need to be fast."

There are three more World Championships between now and Rio, and Sutton has set his riders the challenge of topping the medal table at each and every juncture.