^Marablog.net^

Actress Maria Nafpliotou dressed as high priestess stands next to the cauldron with the Olympic flame at Athens’ Panathenian Stadium on Sunday, March 30, 2008.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Chinese spectators cheered Sunday as Greece handed off the Olympic flame for its journey to Beijing and relay through 20 countries. But protesters brandishing Tibetan flags stole the limelight.

Some two dozen activists chanted “Save Tibet!” and unfurled a banner reading “Stop Genocide in Tibet” before police intervened, detaining 21 protesters outside the Panathenian Stadium. Most were later freed.

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BHUTIA BOYCOTT: Bhutia conveyed his decision to the Indian Olympic Association on Monday. 

New Delhi: Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia has refused to carry the Olympic torch when it reaches New Delhi on April 17.

Bhutia conveyed his decision to the Indian Olympic Association on Monday after he was chosen to run with the Olympic torch on the India leg of its journey.

Bhutia, a Buddhist, said this was his way to show support and solidarity for the people of Tibet and their struggle.

He is not the first public personality to have distanced himself from the Beijing Olympics.
Last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy had indicated France might boycott the games if the situation in Tibet worsened while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will not attend the Olympics in Beijing.

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JUICY NEWSBREAK: Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in ‘Tashan’.

Bebo’s known for her straightforward attitude. Just as she made no bones about in letting the world know about her link-up and a subsequent break-up with Shahid four years on, this sexy diva has been equally public about her relationship with beau Saif Ali Khan.

And while the news of this couple’s clandestine marriage had already created a furore, Bebo’s finally out with the big news. “Oh, all that was just a rumour. Why would I hide if I had gotten married? That would be the day for me. Only I know how I’m looking forward to it.” All right, so any plans of tying the knot soon? “Yes, that’s going to be very soon. Initially, we had thought of giving our relationship some time before we got married. But now I don’t think either of us can wait any longer. So may be, post the release of Tashan this month, you all can see us wedded.”

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NEW DELHI: Country’s largest two-wheeler maker Hero Honda will open its third manufacturing plant in Haridwar on April 8, even as it says rising input costs, specially those of steel, are putting pressure on prices.

“The plant (at Haridwar) will have an initial installed capacity of half a million bike per year. But, in the first year of operation, we will be manufacturing seven lakh bikes,” Hero Honda Motors Ltd Managing Director Pawan Munjal told reporters here.

The company has so far invested Rs 450 crore in the plant, he said. The company had last year announced that along with its ancillaries, a total investment of Rs 1,900 crore would be made in the project, which will have an overall production of 1.5 million units in the next three years.

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