Sachin Tendulkar slams fifth Test double hundred

Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar re-wrote the record books on Thursday, hammering the fifth double Test century to add another feather to his well-adorned cap.

As the crowd erupted with unbridled joy, Tendulkar, tired but composed, took off his helmet, looked skyward, closed his eyes to offer a silent prayer.

His captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came down from the striker's end to shake hands and hug him.

The greatest accumulator of runs in the history of cricket, Tendulkar possesses nearly all major batting record even though he insisted he never chased milestones.

Over the past 12 months, though, Sachin has once again opened up a yawning gap between himself and all his contemporaries, and ensured that if at all any comparisons have to be made, they should be with another Australian - Don Bradman, who was famously reminded of himself when watching Sachin bat.

Earlier on Thursday, India, replying to Sri Lanka's mammoth 642/4 declared, carried their overnight total of 382/4 to 477 without further loss by lunch on the fourth day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

Tendulkar and Raina, who came together on Wednesday afternoon with India struggling at 241-4, have so far added 236 runs for the fifth wicket on a pitch still favouring stroke-making.

Left-hander Raina went to lunch unbeaten on 112, becoming the ninth Indian to score a century in his first Test, while Tendulkar was on a masterly 152 not out.

Tendulkar, the world's leading run-getter, equalled West Indian Brian Lara's record of 19 scores of 150-plus. Australian legend Don Bradman did it on 18 occasions.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-tour-of-sri-lanka/top-stories/Sachin-Tendulkar-slams-fifth-Test-double-hundred/articleshow/6232453.cms

Plane With 152 On Board Crashes in Pakistan, Killing At Least 20

A Pakistani rescue helicopter flies over smoke and wreckage of a crashed passenger plane in The Margalla Hills on the outskirts of Islamabad, 28 Jul 2010

Pakistani officials say a plane carrying 152 people has crashed in bad weather near Islamabad.

Authorities have so far recovered at least 20 bodies and expect the death toll to rise.

Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik said five injured people have been taken to the hospital.

The plane operated by private carrier Airblue slammed into the Margalla Hills near the capital, where smoke was seen rising out of the trees.

Officials say the plane was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad, and was preparing to land in cloudy and rainy conditions when it crashed.

Rescuers are battling the weather and difficult terrain to access the crash site.

A spokesman for European airline maker Airbus confirmed the crash involved one of its aircraft.

Source http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Pakistan-Plane-Crash-2010Jul28-99445839.html

Huge leak of secret files sows new Afghan war doubts

The leak of 90,000 secret military files has emboldened critics of the war in Afghanistan, who raised fresh questions Tuesday about the viability of the increasingly unpopular US-led campaign.

The New York Times said in an editorial Tuesday the documents made public by the website WikiLeaks "confirm a picture of Pakistani double-dealing that has been building for years."

The Times said President Barack Obama will have to deal firmly with Islamabad in response to the most controversial files, which indicate that key ally Pakistan allows its spies to meet directly with the Taliban.

"If Mr Obama cannot persuade Islamabad to cut its ties to, and then aggressively fight, the extremists in Pakistan, there is no hope of defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan," wrote the daily.

Americans are increasingly weary of this costly war," wrote the Times, one of three media organizations, along with German magazine Der Spiegel and Britain's Guardian, to have received the documents weeks ago from WikiLeaks.

Some members of Congress questioned Obama's Afghanistan strategy, as well as an as-yet unpassed 37-billion dollar funding bill for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, following the leaks.

Democratic Senator Russell Feingold said the disclosures "make it clear that there is no military solution in Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Jane Harman, who chairs a Homeland Security intelligence subcommittee, said the documents "reinforce the view that the war in Afghanistan is not going well."

The 92,000 documents released Sunday, dating from 2004 to 2009, triggered an outcry from nations fighting in Afghanistan as the Pentagon scrambled to uncover the source of the security breach and whether it would endanger lives.

US experts were working to see if the huge cache "could jeopardize force protection or operational security, or even worse still, the national security of this country," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told Fox News.

In addition to the Pakistan allegations, the leaked files maintain that the deaths of innocent civilians have been covered up, and that Iran is funding Taliban militants eight years after the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the radical Islamic regime from power.

The bombshell revelations triggered outrage, with a top NATO general calling for increased vigilance against such leaks as the White House slammed them as "irresponsible."

The coalition needed to be aware that some "documents are pushed out into the open via leaks, but that obliges us even more to work with the greatest care," said General Egon Ramms, who is in charge of NATO forces in Afghanistan.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs warned that the leaks had put the names of service personnel and military operations in the public domain, but played down the likely strategic and political impact.

"In terms of broad revelations, there aren't any that we see in these documents," Gibbs said, pointing out that most of the period covered by the leaks was during the previous Bush administration.

Britain, which has some 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, said Monday it regretted the leak while Pakistan has said the reports were "skewed" and not based on the reality on the ground.

In Berlin, a defense ministry spokesman said releasing the documents "could affect the national security of NATO allies and the whole NATO mission."

But WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange defended the decision to publish the leaked files, saying they showed "thousands" of war crimes may have been committed in Afghanistan.

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gZkjOIqwM0xJDr0u5fPrc5rxdEQg

Afghan war logs: inquiry launched into source of leaks

The documents - detailing military operations between 2004 and 2009 - disclosing how Nato forces have killed scores of civilians in unreported incidents in Afghanistan.

More than 90,000 documents were leaked to the Wikileaks website and shown to several newspapers around the world.

The release of the huge file of classified papers is described as one of the biggest leaks in US military history.

The White House condemned the publication of the data which it said threatened the safety of coalition forces.

A spokesman said: "We strongly condemn the disclosure of classified information by individuals and organisations, which puts the lives of the US and partner service members at risk and threatens our national security."

The documents also include references to incidents involving British troops.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We have been unable to corroborate these claims in the short time available and it would be inappropriate to speculate on specific cases without further verification of the alleged actions.

"Reducing the risk to local civilians has always formed an essential part of planning for all military operations carried out by UK forces and we always do our utmost to ensure that we shield the civilian population from violence during the course of any military activity.

The leaked documents reveal how:

* Hundreds of civilians have been killed by Nato troops

* There has a been a steep rise in Taliban attacks on coalition troops

* A secret "black" unit of special forces hunts down Taliban leaders for "kill or capture" without trial

* The US covered up evidence that the Taliban have acquired heat-seaking surface-to-air missiles.

* The coalition is increasingly using deadly Reaper drones to hunt and kill Taliban targets by remote control from a base in Nevada.

* The Taliban have caused growing carnage with a massive escalation of their roadside bombing campaign, which has killed more than 2,000 civilians to date.

* There have been more than 50 incidents where local troops have opened fire on their comrades

Although many of the claims have been aired previously, the leak is highly embarrassing.

The documents claim that 195 civilians have been improperly killed and 174 wounded. Many are innocent motorcylists or drivers shot after being suspected of being suicide bombers.

The growing evidence that Iran and Pakistan in supporting and fuelling the insurgency is also detailed in the documents.

Pakistan's ambassador to the United States insisted his country was fully committed to fighting Islamic insurgents.

Ambassador Husain Haqqani called the release of the file "irresponsible", saying it consisted of "unprocessed" reports from the field.

The founder of Wikileaks said the angry reaction showed that the whistleblower website is succeeding in its mission.

Julian Assange, 39, an Australian former hacker and computer programmer, told the Guardian: "If journalism is good it is controversial by its nature.

"It is the role of good journalism to take on powerful abuses, and when powerful abuses are taken on, there is always a back reaction."

Until the Afghan dossier, Wikileaks' most prominent scoop was a video posted in April this year showing a US Apache helicopter strike in Baghdad in 2007.

The not-for-profit website organisation has also been responsible for publishing a Guantanamo Bay training manual, BNP membership lists and details of Sarah Palin's private emails.

The source of the leak to the website is so far unknown.

The last person suspected of providing classified material to the outlet is American soldier Bradley Manning who has been charged with two counts of misconduct for allegedly providing video footage of a US Apache helicopter strike in Iraq in 2007 in which around a dozen people were gunned down in broad daylight.

Source http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7909771/Afghan-war-logs-inquiry-launched-into-source-of-leaks.html

Mystery over change in Krishna's schedule persists

The mystery about the last-minute switch in external affairs minister's meetings with Pakistani leaders persists with S M Krishna himself saying that he doesn't know the reason.

The sudden change in his schedule on the afternoon of July 15 in Islamabad in the midst of his discussions with his Pakistani counterpart S M Qureshi has generated considerable speculation as to how the script may have gone wrong.

"The order of my meetings was changed. I came to know only when I was going. They said I would be meeting the president first and then the prime minister. I do not know what was the reason," Krishna said.

Krishna and Qureshi were said to have made good progress during their first session of talks which started at 11 am and lasted for nearly five hours, well beyond the schedule.

The minister's schedule was to leave at 3.20 pm and to reach Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's office to meet him at 3.30 pm. The call on President Asif Ali Zardari was to follow at 5.30 pm at the Presidential palace.

In the time slot Krishna was to meet Gilani, Pakistan's powerful army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani met the prime minister. Kayani had also met Zardari.

When the talks resumed after Krishna's two call-ons, the atmosphere totally changed and Pakistan took an unexpectedly stringent posture leading to the deadlock at the talks.

Many commentators in India feel that it was Pakistani Army which put spokes in the way of progress between India and Pakistan.

Krishna did not want to go into the details of what went wrong but insisted that his meetings with both leaders went off very well and that was what matters.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mystery-over-change-in-Krishnas-schedule-persists-/articleshow/6200420.cms

It's a conspiracy against me: MK Kaushik

Stunned by allegations of sexual harassment against him, Indian women's hockey coach MK Kaushik on Wednesday said the scandal is a conspiracy hatched by players who failed to get a place in the national side.

"This is a big-time conspiracy against me with many hands behind it. Those who failed to earn a place in the national team have come out with such a cheap act," Kaushik said.

Kaushik has withdrawn from the Asian Champions Trophy in South Korea from July 27, insisting that it was his moral duty to step aside until proven innocent.

"I will prove my innocence. I can't believe that one can go to such an extent to level charges against me," he said.

Indian Hockey on Tuesday plunged into a moral crisis after a member of the women's team sent a written complaint to the federation officials alleging sexual harassment by videographer Basavraj and a member of coaching staff.

Hockey India has sacked the videographer after photographs of him with a prostitute during March-April China Tour surfaced in the media.

A four-member inquiry committee has been formed to look into the sex scandal. The committee comprises Rajiv Mehta (chairman), former players Zafar Iqbal and Ajit Pal Singh and Sudharsan Pathak.

Kaushik said the allegations against him are baseless and he is confident of coming out of the crisis clean.

"With my name associated with this scandal, how can I go to the stadium with the team? No question arises of me accompanying the team to South Korea. I am not in the position to lead the side there and work with mental peace," said Kaushik, who had mentored the side to the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games gold medal triumph.

Kaushik said the allegation has sullied his 20-year-old father-like image in the team as he never thought players would go to such an extent to fulfill their vested interests.

"Go and ask the players, why they have done so? I have always maintained that those players who will play to their fullest will remain in the team. Your performance will ultimately be counted and help in cementing your place in the side.

"In the last 20 years as women's hockey team coach, no one pointed a finger towards my integrity. My players have always treated me like a father-figure. It's difficult to understand what prompted them to come out with such false charges against me," Kaushik wondered.

Kaushik said he has not spoken to any of the players over phone after the scandal broke out on Tuesday and will continue to maintain silence until proven innocent.

"What is left for me to speak about? Truth will come out soon and I will treat this incident as an eye-opener for me. I'll urge the media to go and ask these players why they have done it?"

Kaushik's contract as will expire in November this year after the Asian Games in China.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/hockey/Its-a-conspiracy-against-me-MK-Kaushik/articleshow/6195728.cms

Karzai Eyes 2014 for Afghan-Led Security

Afghan President Hamid Karzai told an international donor conference in Kabul Tuesday that he is determined to have Afghan forces in charge of the country's security by 2014.

Mr. Karzai also urged international partners to allow the Afghan government to have more control of aid money coming into the country. Mr. Karzai said the international community has committed enough money to see Afghanistan through the next three years, but called for more of the assistance to be channeled through the government.

Representatives from at least 60 countries and organizations are attending the one-day conference in the Afghan capital.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told delegates that the United States is encouraged by work the Afghan government has done to improve governance and combat corruption, but said much work remains.

She said the United States will continue to assist Afghanistan well beyond the Obama administration's July 2011 target for beginning to withdraw U.S. forces. She also stressed that the rights of women in Afghanistan must not be sacrificed in pursuit of reconciliation with the Taliban.

The Afghan government has developed a plan aimed at re-integrating Taliban fighters who agree to lay down their weapons, renounce al-Qaida and accept Afghanistan's constitution.

Secretary Clinton said the program has created a useful framework, but that progress will depend on whether insurgents wish to comply with the conditions.

Secretary Clinton met earlier Tuesday with Afghan women leaders. She said she announced U.S. support for several new programs designed to improve maternal health services.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is co-hosting the conference with President Karzai, also spoke at the conference, appealing for unity among the Afghan people.

He also called on the Afghan government to protect human rights and hold those responsible for rights violations accountable.

Former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, who ran against Mr. Karzai in last year's controversial presidential election, told VOA the Afghan people need transparency in whatever actions are taken. He said they want a lasting peace, not a never-ending lineup of international conferences and communiqués.

Source http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Karzai-Outlines-Goals-for-Security-Transfer-at-Donor-Conferenc-98809424.html

Lalu says Sainthia disaster a serious lapse

Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today described the train disaster in Birbhum district of West Bengal as a case of serious lapse.

"I don't understand why such accidents are taking place," Prasad said.

"This is a sad incident and a serious lapse," the RJD supremo told reporters here.

At least 60 people were killed and over 90 passengers injured when a train in high speed tore through the rear of another at the Sainthia station in Bhirbhum district of West Bengal, after it apparently overshot the signal in the small hours of the day.

Prasad, however, parried a question about allegations that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee was concentrating on West Bengal politics ignoring her department.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Lalu-says-Sainthia-disaster-a-serious-lapse/articleshow/6186749.cms

India not ready for talks: Pakistan foreign minister

In a subtle move to put blame on India for the 'apparent failure' of the Indo-Pak talks, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday that India was not fully prepared for the talks.

Qureshi also said that Pakistan has its own interests and India should not ignore that.

"If we focus more only on those issues which India gives importance to and ignore those considered important by Pakistan, then I don't think the talks can move forward" said Qureshi.

Qureshi said that Pakistan had shared a 'non-paper' with India.

"We understand India's concerns and want to address them. But Pakistan also has its concerns and core issues which should be understood by India", added Qureshi.

Qureshi says Pakistan wanted a roadmap for the future but Indian side felt they did not have the mandate to commit to a roadmap.

"India was narrowing the dialogue and we said you cannot be selective. Indian foreign minister received foreign policy directions from New Delhi repeatedly during our meeting," says Qureshi.

"Pakistan is ready for talks but dialogue should be subtantive, meaningful and result-oriented. Pakistan's people and Kashmiris cannot be delinked from the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," Qureshi adds.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/India-not-ready-for-talks-Pakistan-foreign-minister/articleshow/6176208.cms

Rupee gets a new symbol

India has finally got a symbol for the Rupee and joined a select club of countries whose currencies have an unique identity.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the design, which includes both the Devnagiri 'Ra' and the Roman capital 'R' and has two parallel lines running at the top. The parallel lines symbolise the equal to sign.

"With this India will join an elite group of countries which have a distinct currency symbol. It denotes the robustness of Indian economy. I will now hold up the design that was finally selected. This was sent in by Udaya Kumar," said Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni in New Delhi.

She said that the Rupee symbol was a nice blend of modernity and Indian culture.

The symbol selected has been designed by an Indian Institute of Technology postgraduate D Udaya Kumar and was selected from among five short listed symbols. Kumar, who is with the Department of Design at IIT Guwahati, explained thatthe design is based on the Indian Tricolour.

"My design is based on the Tricolour with two lines at the top and white space in between. I wanted the symbol for the Rupee to represent the Indian flag. It is a perfect blend of Indian and Roman letters: a capital 'R', and Devnagari 'Ra', which represent rupiya, to appeal to international and Indian audiences. After working onthe design for few months, I shortlisted eight to 10 designs and then refined them further till I got this one," said Kumar.

All new notes will now bear the symbol.

Source http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/current-affairs/rupee-getsnew-symbol_470128.html

59 ill after chlorine gas leak in Mumbai, 7 critical

About 60 people, mostly students, were taken ill after suspected chlorine gas leaked from a scrapyard in the Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) premises close to a college early on Wednesday. The condition of seven people is critical, officials said, adding that 500 people were evacuated from the area.

TV reports earlier said that three people have died in the leak. However, there has not been any confirmation of the deaths.

"Seven are in a critical state, while the others have minor complaints of health problems. There are no fatal casualties so far," Dean of Sir J.J. Hospital T.P. Lahane told IANS.

According to an official of the fire brigade, the gas leak was noticed around 4 a.m. when the victims started complaining of burning eyes, breathlessness and nausea.

The source of the leakage was traced to a scrapyard in the MBT premises, adjacent to the LBS College in Sewri, south-central Mumbai.

The official said in a preliminary measure to deal with the emergency, water was sprayed on the gas cylinders stored in a container in the scrapyard while experts were summoned to deal with the situation.

As a precautionary measure, police ordered the evacuation of nearly 500 people staying in the vicinity.

The condition of all the victims admitted to the Sir J. J. Hospital is reported to be stable and 14 were discharged after treatment.

Officials of the MPT have said that the gas leak occurred from some old gas cylinders, seized by customs authorities and in the process of being disposed of.

The officials were engaged in procuring caustic soda to neutralise the effects of the gas.

The state administration was monitoring the situation arising out of the gas leak, especially as it happened in the high-security port zone in south Mumbai.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Mumbai/59-ill-after-chlorine-gas-leak-in-Mumbai-7-critical/articleshow/6165579.cms

India captain signs 42-million-dollar deal: report

Newly-married Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has signed a marketing deal worth 42 million dollars over two years, a report said on Tuesday.

Dhoni, 29, has signed up with an Indian sports management company Rhiti, which will handle his endorsements, merchandise, corporate profile, patents and digital rights, as well as visibility on social networking sites.

"We have entered into a two-year contract with Dhoni for 2,000 million rupees (42 million dollars)," Rhiti general manager Sanjay Pandey told the Press Trust of India news agency.

"We signed the contract a week back. From now onwards we will be handling Dhoni's endorsements."

The deal, the richest in Indian cricket history, surpasses batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar's 40-million three-year contract with sports management firm Iconix in 2006.

Dhoni, often described as India's most eligible bachelor, married childhood sweetheart and hotel management student Sakshi Singh Rawat at a private ceremony outside the northern town of Dehra Dun last week.

Dhoni is reported to currently endorse 22 leading brands, including Pepsi, Reebok, Aircel, Godrej and Hersheys.

A Forbes study last year on the world's richest cricketers put him at the top with an annual earning of 10 million dollars, followed by Tendulkar at eight million dollars.

Two other Indian cricketers, Yuvraj Singh (5.5 million dollars) and Rahul Dravid (five million dollars), were ranked third and fourth, while England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was in fifth place with four million dollars, Forbes said.

Australian Test captain Ricky Ponting was in sixth place with 3.5 million dollars a year, the magazine said, adding the figures included club and national team salaries and commercial endorsements.

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5glJEYSBLwbIJ6kk9oqYzCRF8Av6g

UP minister critical after bomb attack; 2 killed

Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Nand Gopal Nandi was critically injured following the explosion of a bomb hidden inside a motorcycle parked near the minister's vehicle near his residence in Allahabad on Monday morning.

Two security guards of the minister were killed and three policemen along with a journalist Vijay Pratap Singh were injured in the bomb explosion. The 36-year-old Nandi, who is the Minister for Institutional Finance, Stamp and Judicial Tax in the Mayawati government, was admitted to Jeevan Jyoti Hospital. The incident took place at around 11 AM when the minister was about to leave his residence.

"One reporter, one policemen and the minister have bullet injuries. We are treating all of them. The minister is in coma. The minister has chest, face and hand injury. All of them are in ICU. The journalist is serious," said Dr DP Singh of Jeevan Jyoti Hospital.

Four Special Operations Teams have been constituted to track and arrest those who had planted the bomb. Soon after news of the attack spread, tension gripped the city and shops were shut down in many areas.

Inspector General of Police S K Singh, who visited the explosion site, said that the blast was "quite powerful" and had damaged a number of other vehicles and walls of buildings located in the congested street where the minister's residence is located.

He said investigations were on to ascertain the motive behind the blast and if the bomb was a crude one or an explosive device triggered by a remote control.

Source http://ibnlive.in.com/news/up-minister-attacked-injured-2-guards-dead/126465-37-64.html?from=tn

Militants strike at three places in Kashmir, curfew continues

Militants struck at three places in Sopore in North Kashmir, leaving two policemen injured as curfew remained in force in violence-hit areas of the valley for the fourth day today.

Army, which staged flag marches in Srinagar, did not repeat the exercise this morning. The district administration asked the force to remain on stand by for deployment in case of an emergency.

The authorities were working on plans to give phased—relaxation in curfew to allow people to offer prayers.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held an early morning review of the situation with senior administration and police officials and discussed the plan of curfew relaxation keeping in mind Friday prayers and Shab-e-Mehraj, a religious function, tomorrow.

Mr. Omar has also convened an all-party meeting in Srinagar on Monday to discuss present situation.

Suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba Militants hurled three grenades at a police convoy in the outskirts of Sopore city, 54 kms from here at 0030 hours today, official sources said.

The grenades were followed by heavy firing to which security personnel retaliated, they said, adding no one was injured.

The second incident took place at 0130 hours at main crossing of the city in Sopore, which left a jawan of Indian Reserve Police injured.

The third incident took place on Sopore-Baramulla road on 0230 hours when terrorists fired upon police vehicles, leaving one of the police drivers injured, the sources said.

Additional paramilitary forces comprising eight companies (800 personnel) sought by the state arrived last evening and were immediately deployed in troubled areas of Srinagar city.

The curfew restrictions forced local media persons to stay indoors and newspapers did not hit the stands for the second day today.

Curfew was also being enforced strictly in Srinagar, where three persons were killed in alleged firing by security forces on Tuesday.

Amid intercepts suggesting involvement of hardline separatists in engineering some of the violence in the Valley, the state government carried out massive raids during the night and arrested a dozen people including Shabir Ahmed Wani, district president of Hurriyat Conference led by pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram had hoped yesterday that Army would not be required for too long in the valley and had appealed to the people to observe the restrictions.

“Army was deployed at the request of government of Jammu and Kashmir. I am not at liberty to disclose where it has been deployed. But I can assure that most of the places affected are still being patrolled and curfew enforced by Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary forces,” he had said in New Delhi.

Source http://thehindu.com/news/national/article507389.ece

Spain make maiden World Cup final

Germany had a newfangled swift, stylish game, but did they have the fight of old Or was the revamp so complete that any old traditional German-ness had been done away with Carles Puyol’s bomber-like header over a quarter from the end was the perfect script for Germany to turn back the clock.

For once, at the World Cup, they couldn't and with them, departed one of the most captivating ideas of this tournament.

Spain, with all their inventiveness and imagination, have deservedly set up footballs dream date with the technically-brilliant Dutch in Soccer City on Sunday.

Football deserves this most fitting of final battles, the aesthetes dream where finding of the angle to the goal will be a more satisfying and breathtaking experience than scoring itself.

On Wednesday, in Durbans Moses Mabhida Stadium, over 60, 000 were held enthralled by an exhibition of high-end football as Germany were forced off the rails with a super show of possession football by Spain in the second semifinal.

Forcing the Germans to play at their pace, as they jabbed and cut away Xavi and Iniesta playing a strange mixture of matador and maitreid, the men carving out and handing over the portions Spain went about their business of nullifying their rivals, by passing the ball, asking it back, and then passing it once again.

By doing this, they had already created a million dazzling chances, and had it not been for the absence of a left foot in Xabi Alonsos repertoire, or was it his and his teams fondness to keep on passing, they would have won by over a couple of superblycrafted goals.

It was a second half of dazzling football Andres Iniesta slicing away from under the normally-solid and experienced Phillip Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger along the left flank as he twisted and turned his foot and hip at will and came over any challenge. As the rest joined into the fray, for once, David Villa took a backseat and watched.

After weathering a late first-half onslaught by the untypically silent Germans, Spain had garnered nearly over 60 per cent possession in the first half not an entirely terrible prospect if it doesn't come with a few goals alongside, but it can still be terrifying for the team without the ball.

Xavi,Iniesta,Alonso and Pedro then, kept the Germans on their toes, their eyes rivetted at closing off any gaps exposed. Maybe Thomas Mueller’s absence and quick game was sorely missed, for Germany just couldn't turn on their own magic. In a goalless first half, that they had managed to keep the dangerous Villa in check was working to the Germans benefit.

Kept under his thumb by the tall Per Mertesacker and his central defending partner, Arne Friedrich after the sixth minute lapse, where the Spaniard found himself free with a clever Pedro through, and one which almost put them in arrears, Germany then focussed on dismantling the Spanish first line of defence Sergei Busquets and Alonso and the wide gap-leaving Sergio Ramos.

When they did get the ball, however, the Germans showed flashes of their recent fearsome form.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football-world-cup/news/Spain-make-maiden-World-Cup-final/articleshow/6141367.cms

A Flick of the Head, a Nod to the Past

Though simply saying “The Dutch” will bring a smile to the lips of many a lifelong soccer fan, the reality is that the Dutch have made a national rule of faltering in the decisive phases of the World Cup.

They have been perennial fan favorites with their orange colors and their flashy players and their legacy with the catchy name: Total Football. But for all the Ruud Gullits and Marco van Bastens and Dennis Bergkamps they have fielded through the years, they have not been in a World Cup final since 1978.

That paradoxical state of affairs ended Tuesday night with a 3-2 victory over Uruguay in a South African city the Dutch helped build. It ended with a three-minute flurry of ball movement and finishing in the second half in which this Dutch team’s stars lived up to their name recognition: with the lightweight playmaker Wesley Sneijder manufacturing a goal in the 70th minute with a firm shot through heavy traffic and with left wing Dirk Kuyt setting up the next goal in the 73rd with a cross that Arjen Robben headed off the inside of the left post.

That collective burst of creative energy pried open a semifinal that had been as tight as a clenched fist, with Uruguay’s industrious midfielders sealing off the spaces and winning the bulk of the duels.

The Uruguayans, true to their spirit throughout this competition, did not go quietly, even with a lineup deeply diminished by injuries and the suspensions of defender Jorge Fucile and the star striker Luis Suárez. It was Suárez’s deliberate handball on the goal line in the final moments of a quarterfinal match against Ghana that led to his expulsion but also allowed Uruguay to have the chance to win.

But there would be no hand of God or Suárez or any other Uruguayan player on Tuesday, and despite a goal in added time from the defender Maximiliano Pereira that turned the closing moments into a scramble, the Netherlands held just firm enough to win.

“We survived, and we were just so relieved in the locker room,” said Bert van Marwijk, the silver-haired Dutch coach. “It’s quite something we’ve achieved after 32 years, and it’s something I thought about toward the end on the bench. This is great, but the thing is we’re not there yet.”

The Netherlands and Spain are the strongest soccer nations never to win their sport’s ultimate title. Both are still in contention here in what has turned into a European World Cup after all the early focus on Brazil and Diego Maradona’s Argentina team.

In Sunday’s final in Johannesburg, the Netherlands will face the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between Spain and Germany. Whomever wins the final will become the first European team to win the Cup outside of Europe, which is no great surprise considering the generally cool weather and similar time zone has made this competition feel less foreign than usual to Europe’s top teams.

The Netherlands, though not on the list of clear favorites with Brazil and Spain before the tournament, is hardly a shock finalist. They won all their qualifying matches and all six of their matches in South Africa, including one against Brazil in the quarterfinals.

Though the Dutch continue to show occasional weakness on their back line and can lose their muse for extended periods, they have an abundance of weapons and a consensus-building coach in Van Marwijk. They have clearly been a more explosive team with Robben, the Bayern Munich star, back in the lineup for the knockout round after his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Sneijder has been the most productive team member, however, and his goal on Tuesday was his fifth in the tournament, tying him with the Spanish striker David Villa for the goal-scoring lead.

But the goal of the night was scored by a Dutchman who scores them rarely: the defender and captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who was left free to shoot from about 40 yards in the 18th minute and responded with a beautiful left-footed strike that goalkeeper Fernando Muslera could only graze with his fingertips before it glanced off the post and into the upper right corner of the goal.

Uruguay’s star striker Diego Forlán, one of the top players of the tournament, responded shortly before halftime with a long-range, left-footed strike of his own that seemed to fool goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg as it soared over him.

Forlán later came close to giving Uruguay the lead after halftime with a curling free kick over a Dutch wall that forced Stekelenburg to dive quickly to his right. But according to Uruguay Coach Óscar Tabárez, Forlán was playing with an undisclosed injury, and Tabárez substituted for him in the 84th minute.

By then, the Dutch, with Rafael van der Vaart replacing the injured Demy de Zeeuw in midfield for the second half, had already gone on their three-minute run. Sneijder’s goal, like so many in this Cup, generated debate, with Tabárez claiming that striker Robin van Persie was in an offside position when Sneijder struck his shot in van Persie’s direction.

“The second goal I think was decisive because you see it and now you see of course that it was an offside, and that the match could have been different,” Tabárez said.

Back home in Uruguay, Tabárez’s compatriots curtailed office hours and reportedly postponed wedding ceremonies to watch the game. But this Uruguayan team, however valiant, will not equal the performances of the 1930 and 1950 teams that won the World Cup

The Dutch still have a chance to improve on their history, and they have four days to rest for their nation’s most important game since the 1974 and 1978 finals. The Netherlands lost both to the home team: to Franz Beckenbauer and West Germany in 1974 and to Mario Kempes and Argentina in 1978.

But with their traveling horde of orange-clad fans, the Dutch may feel more like the home team this time.

Source http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/sports/soccer/07netherlandsgame.html

Bharat Bandh causes losses of several thousand crores

Bharat Bandh hit economic activity across the country, causing losses of several thousand crores as railways, road transport and aviation services were suspended in several states and trading activity disrupted across markets.

More than 50 lakh trucks, autorickshaws and taxis remained off the road damaging perishable goods and causing nuisance to commuters. About 200 train services were disrupted and passengers were stranded in Mumbai and the New Delhi airports as scores of flights were suspended.

“We estimate that most of the 52 lakh vehicles remained off-road today, in support of the strike,’’ said G R Shanmugappa , president of the All India Motor Transport Congress. “The total losses arising out of non-transportation of goods could be over Rs 10,000 crore and rollover effect of today’s strike in form of goods accumulation could be felt for next few days.”

Larsen & Toubro, the biggest engineering company, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Bangalore offices of Dell Services, Infosys Technologies and Wipro were among companies partially shut. These firms asked staff to stay away from work to avoid hardship and getting caught in sporadic violence.

“We have declared a holiday for our staff today,’’ said an official at Larsen & Toubro. “`But we will not incur any loss as we will be working a full day in compensation for the strike.”

Production at the German automobile company Volkswagen’s unit in Chakan near Pune, that assembles the Jetta and the Polo models, fell by half as buses carrying workers had to turn around mid-way.

But Tata Motors, makers of Nano cars and the Kolkata-based RPG group of companies, with interests from retail to power generation, said that production would not be affected much, although attendance has been below average.

Retailers bore the brunt of the strike with many of them downing shutters amid fears their stores could be easy targets to stone pelting. Future Group, which runs the Big Bazaar and Pantaloon chain of stores, may have lost Rs. 20 crores.

“Because of the lack of public transport, employees could not report to work,” said Rakesh Biyani, CEO of Future Retail. ``About 15% of employees reported to work in company’s offices, but in stores, attendance was much thinner.”

“The Bharat Bandh has led to significant impact on business and trade in some parts of the country,” said a statement from the Confederation of Indian Industry, which estimates the economic loss to be more than Rs. 3.000 crores. “As is the case with any bandh, the worst affected are daily wage earners and people dependent on small trade. The transport sector is also another part of the industry, which has had a major impact.”

The shut-down was near total in the states ruled by the opposition parties, notably the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and Communist parties, but partial in regions ruled by Congress and its allies.

The government, battling a soaring fiscal deficit, on June 25 raised fuel prices for the second time this year, which opposition parties say further pinches the common man who is already paying at least 15% more on year for food articles. Petrol rose Rs 3.5 a litre and diesel by Rs 2 a litre. Kerosene, the fuel used by the poor was increased by Rs 3 a litre, while cooking gas got dearer by Rs 35 a cylinder. These increases will partly cut the deficit, but still leave Rs 53,000 crore budgetary deficit on account of fuel subsidy.

Increases in the price of diesel may set off yet another round of inflation since more than 70% of the goods move by road. The wholesale price inflation rate is more than 10%, almost double the central bank’s target of 5.5%. RBI raised borrowing costs last week by 25 basis points, for the third time this year.

Trading volumes in the stock and currency markets were lower than average as many traders did not step out fearing violence in Mumbai, where 78 local buses were damaged and suburban train services were disrupted.

Combined volumes on the Bombay and the National stock exchanges stood at 83 crore shares, some 26% lower than Friday’s, while turnover fell 35% to Rs 10,622 crore. The rupee fell against the US dollar closing at 46.77 per dollar.

Source http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Bharat-Bandh-causes-losses-of-several-thousand-crores/articleshow/6132988.cms

NDA, Left nationwide bandh hits normal life

Life in many parts of the country was disrupted on Monday with non-Congress political parties enforcing a nationwide bandh against the increase in fuel prices.

Many schools, colleges and offices were shut across the country and flights were cancelled. The impact of the strikes varied from state to state.

Delhi was partially affected by the strike with reports of BJP workers disrupting movement of vehicles in some parts of the city. However, flights and trains services were functioning normally. Most schools, colleges and offices remained open.

Rail routes were disrupted and several trains stopped were in Uttar Pradesh. BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Lalji Tandon were among a number of activists arrested while they were taking out a procession in Lucknow to protest fuel price hike, a PTI report said.

IANS reported that in Mumbai, taxis and most autorickshaws remained off roads, more as a precautionary measure against damage from hooliganism than in support of the shutdown call. At least 86 domestic flights were cancelled to and from Mumbai. Schools, colleges, many private offices remained closed, but the city's lifeline - suburban trains and BEST - were partially affected.

In Pune, 12 city buses were damaged by activists trying to enforce the bandh, PTI reported. The buses plying in Kothrud and Pimpri area were stopped and stoned, damaging window panes, a spokesman of the Pune municipal corporation said.

Authorities have deployed about 40,000 police personnel on the streets of Mumbai to avert any incidence of violence, PTI added.

Train services were obstructed trains in Patna as several protesters stopped express trains. BJP-ruled Karnataka and state was practically shut down, many software firms closed in Bangalore. There were few autos and taxis on the roads. However, trains were reported to be running normally in the state.

The air services in Kolkata, a leftist bastion, no flights were operating to and from the airport. Many private airlines have cancelled flights till 6 pm. In Orissa, normal life was affected as road and rail services were hit in the state, reports said. Several trains were running late as protesters sat on rail tracks. Although the state government has not ordered closure of schools and colleges, most of them witnessed thin attendance.

On Sunday, NDA working chairperson L K Advani after a meeting of top NDA leaders said, "This may be the first time in the history of India's politics that almost all political parties will participate in the Bharat bandh."

Advani claimed the government had become "insensitive" to price rise and said that though UPA had been espousing the cause of the common man since 2004, prices were on the rise. "Despite so much increase in food prices, the government has increased prices of petroleum products," he said.

Price rise will figure in the forthcoming monsoon session, Advani said, adding that even if prices were not rolled back, it was the responsibility of the Opposition to voice the people's protest.

The government was unfazed, with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee ruling out a relook at the decision to increase prices and Congress slamming what it called "cheap and opportunistic politics at the cost of the nation".

What can provide edge to the protest this time is that both the BJP-led NDA and Left are a part of the action on Monday, raising the possibility of serious disruptions in states where non-Congress governments are in power.

The BJP and the Left have worked hard to pre-empt any perception of a collaboration, to deny Congress an opportunity to accuse CPM of a partnership with "communal forces".

But the competition among Opposition parties to emerge as the main vehicle of the popular unease over price rise is likely to lead them to put their best agitational foot forward on Monday.

Emergency services will not be disrupted during the strike. Advani appealed to all NDA members participating in the strike to ensure that it was conducted peacefully.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NDA-Left-nationwide-bandh-hits-normal-life/articleshow/6129719.cms

Suicide bombers kill 42 in attack on Pakistan shrine

Pakistan's cultural capital Lahore was on high alert Friday after two suicide bombers blew themselves up in an Islamic shrine packed with worshippers, killing 42 people and wounding scores more.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Pakistan has been hit by a wave of attacks carried out by the Taliban and other Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist extremists that have killed more than 3,400 people in the last three years.

Television pictures from the scene of the carnage at a shrine dedicated to a Sufi saint showed people crying and beating their chests and heads. Bystanders helped ambulance crews load the wounded into vehicles to take them to hospital.

"The first blast occurred in the basement followed by another one with a deafening sound," said one witness.

"I saw dead bodies and injured people lying on the floor in pools of blood," said another.

Thousands of people were at the shrine in the crowded centre of Lahore dedicated to Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Ali bin Usman Hajweri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, at the time of the attacks.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the attacks, saying: "Terrorists have no consideration for any religion, faith or belief."

"These terrorists neither respect human values nor care for human lives, and their brutal act is manifestation of their evil designs," he said.

The shrine's caretaker said the blasts occurred within minutes, triggering panic and sending people running in different directions.

"A total of 42 people have been martyred," Mazhar Ahmad, a senior rescue official told AFP by telephone. Khusro Pervez, the city's top administration official also confirmed the death toll.

Authorities said they had found the heads of two suicide bombers and were investigating how they had penetrated the area despite strict security measures.

Another senior city police official, Chaudhry Shafiq, confirmed two suicide attacks and said one bomber blew himself up in the complex's courtyard while the second detonated his explosive vest in the basement of the shrine.

Hours after the blasts, two firecrackers exploded near the American consulate and Lahore Press club, adding to nervousness in the city.

"Nobody was hurt in these two blasts, these were cracker bombs," Mohammad Faisal Rana, a senior police official told AFP.

Large numbers of police and other security personnel were patrolling all busy and sensitive areas in Lahore, a city of around 10 million people.

Security was particularly tight around mosques ahead of weekly Muslim prayers, Rana said.

Lahore has increasingly suffered Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked violence, with around 265 people killed in nine attacks since March last year.

The city is considered a playground for Pakistan's elite and home to many top brass in the military and intelligence community.

"There were at least 2,000 to 2,500 people present in the shrine when the twin attacks took place," said the shrine's caretaker, Mian Mohammad Munir.

Gilani said he had directed the provincial government and law enforcement agencies to investigate the attack and catch those responsible.

A senior investigating officer told AFP that the bomber in the basement set off his vest after he was intercepted by a group of worshippers and that police were combing the scene for forensic clues.

Sufism is a mystical movement that spreads the message of Islam through music, poetry and dancing. Radical groups consider the movement, which includes both Shiites and Sunnis, as un-Islamic.

In May suspected Sunni Muslim militants wearing suicide vests burst into two Ahmadi prayer halls in Lahore and killed 82 worshippers.

They were the worst attacks in Pakistan since a suicide bomber killed 101 people on January 1 at a volleyball game in Bannu near the tribal belt along the Afghan border that Washington calls Al-Qaeda's global headquarters.

Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants have orchestrated a three-year bombing campaign in Pakistan to avenge military operations and the government's alliance with the United States over the war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iF-rBwcndcAhfn3KHOlN96w0-vpg

Maoists shot jawans, slit their throats: Autopsy report

The post-mortem reports of the 27 CRPF jawans who were killed in the Chhattisgarh attack have revealed the savagery unleashed by the Maoists on Tuesday.

The preliminary reports said the Naxals pumped in 3 to 4 bullets into each of the bodies that were found.

But the brutality didn't stop there. Several jawans had their throats slit open while others had their heads smashed and limbs severed.

The CRPF personnel who survived however managed to prevent the Naxals from taking away the arms of the jawans killed.

CRPF men say several Naxals were also killed in the encounter, but their bodies haven't been found as Naxals are known to carry away the bodies of their slain colleagues.

Twenty-seven CRPF jawans were killed and seven injured when heavily-armed Maoists opened fire from automatic weapons on the 63-member security contingent, 3 km from the CRPF camp in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) top brass toured Chhattisgarh on Wednesday to take stock of what went wrong. Their preliminary assessment said basic precautions were once again ignored.

Source http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/maoists-shot-jawans-slit-their-throats-autopsy-report-34881?from=rightpanel