ICC World Twenty20 2010 Match Schedule

Men's Groups

	Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
	1. Pakistan	2. SL	3. SA	4. WI
	8. Bangladesh	7. NZ	6. India	5. England
	9. Australia	10. Zimbabwe	11. Qualifier 1	12. Qualifier 2

Women's Groups (all of First Round in St. Kitts)

	Group A	Group B
1	1. England	2. New Zealand
2	3. Australia	4. India
3	5. West Indies	6. Sri Lanka
4	7. South Africa	8. Pakistan

	Barbados	St. Lucia	Guyana	St. Kitts
Fri 30 April			Opening Ceremony West Indies v Q2 Sri Lanka v New Zealand
Sat 1 May		India v Q1 Pakistan v Bangladesh	England v Q2
Sun 2 May		South Africa v India Pakistan v Australia	New Zealand v Zimbabwe
Mon 3 May			West Indies v England Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe
Tue 4 May	South Africa v Q1 Bangladesh v Australia
Wed 5 May				West Indies v South Africa England v Australia
Thu 6 May	A1 v D2 C1 v B2			Sri Lanka v Pakistan New Zealand v India
Fri 7 May	A2 v C2 B1 v D1			Australia v South Africa England v West Indies
Sat 8 May	C1 v D2 A1 v B2			India v Pakistan New Zealand v Sri Lanka
Sun 9 May	C2 v D1 B1 v A2			England v South Africa Australia v West Indies
Mon 10 May		B2 v D2 A1 v C1		New Zealand v Pakistan India v Sri Lanka
Tue 11 May		B1 v C2 D1 v A2
Wed 12 May
Thu 13 May		Women's Semi Men's Semi
Fri 14 May		Women's Semi Men's Semi
Sat 15 May
Sun 16 May	Womens Final Men's Final

Save water

The time has come to address the impending threat of a water crisis which jeopardises the existence of millions of people around the world. With changes in climatic conditions, and steadily declining rainfall in many areas, the stress on water sources poses a major challenge. More than the issue of soaring food prices and the rapid depletion of the world's energy resources, it has been observed that a catastrophic water shortage could prove the biggest threat to mankind in coming years. If we value our own futures on this planet, we should sit up and take notice of the many ways we can conserve water and live in a way that does not pose a danger to the delicate natural climatic processes of the earth. You TOO can join us in our endeavour to save water. Just write in with your comments and ideas and become a part of the campaign. If you have any pictures or videos to share, upload them here and help make an impact. Keep watching this space for more on this campaign.

BJP: Who will take over from Advani?

Sunday ,August 30, 2009, New Delhi

The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has helped the BJP with a roadmap for the party's future. A key part of that roadmap: figuring out who will take over from LK Advani.

At a press conference on Friday, the RSS chief said his approach to the BJP was hands-off, but he was on standby for advice.  That advice was sought just hours later when BJP leaders grouped around Bhagwat for a late-night consultation. Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar were given this plan of action.

The Sangh wants Advani to bring in the generation next leaders quickly.  Advani is likely to step down as Leader of the Opposition by the end of the year.  And the Sangh has made it clear that L K Advani's exit, when it happens, should be graceful and respectable.

 So who will take over from Advani?  Sushma Swaraj, currently Advani's deputy in the Lok Sabha, is the frontrunner to become Leader of the Opposition.

General Secretary Arun Jaitley has emerged as the frontrunner to take over as Party President from  Rajnath Singh, whose term ends in January.

Andhra panchayat bans HIV centre

Sunday August 30, 2009, Nalgonda

Community prejudice against HIV/AIDS patients came to the fore in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh where a gram panchayat passed a resolution asking a community care centre for people living with HIV/AIDS to be shifted out of their village.
"We will get those diseases. We don't want this here. Never ever," said a local. The 10-bedded centre funded by NACO and run by a corporate hospital was moved here in June.
The authorities say though the resolution is passed by a democratic body, it has no legal validity and must be annulled, but the bigger challenge is to address the apprehensions of the locals.
"Let them locate the centre one kilometre away from the village or shift it back into the main hospital premises. Why did they shift it here in the middle of the village,'' said village sarpanch Mangamma.
"Locals are not against HIV positive people but want to safeguard the health of those in the village," said Sadiq, who lives close to the centre.
Some villagers have told NDTV that medical waste was not being disposed off properly and they fear that mosquitoes could transmit the disease.
However, others say they are aware how HIV spreads but are worried about opportunistic infections like tuberculosis in the patients moving around in the village.
"Not just needles, all biological products and disposables, as per universal precautions, we are disposing. If they feel centre is not in their welfare, centre may be forced to closed down,'' said Dr Colonel C G Wilson, principal of Kamineni Institute of Medical sciences.
The authorities say the resolution is not legal or binding. But convincing the villagers is not going to be easy.

Pak accuses India of 'shying away' from talks

Saturday August 29, 2009, Islamabad

Pakistan on Saturday accused India of "shying away" from peace talks even though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had acknowledged that dialogue is the only way forward for the two countries.
"If the road forward is dialogue, then what are they shying away for? They should come and sit and talk," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a news conference at the Foreign Office in Islamabad.
He pointed out that Prime Minister Singh had "committed to a dialogue with Pakistan" and said "dialogue is the only way forward".
Both countries did not think war is an option for resolving issues as it would be "suicidal" for them, he said.
"When war is no longer an option, what other option do you have? A negotiated settlement and dialogue is the way forward," Qureshi added.
He was responding to questions about the resumption of the bilateral peace process, which was put on hold by India following last year's audacious terror attacks in Mumbai

.
"They (India) hesitate on dialogue. They want cooperation (in probing the Mumbai attacks) and give us a dossier. They want progress and then shy away from talks. Both things cannot go together," he said.
He indicated that if talks are not resumed, the agenda would be "handed over to the extremists" and they would determine the future course of events.
Asked about media reports that Prime Minister Singh had said the situation was not conducive for talks with Pakistan, Qureshi shot back: "Then what was (the joint statement of) Sharm El-Sheikh? What was that agreement? If there is no dialogue, where are we going?"
He said India had not yet responded to an invitation extended to Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao to come to Islamabad for talks.
The proposed meeting between Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir was to have set the agenda for a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, he said.
Pakistan had no objections to the Foreign Secretaries meeting in a third country, he added. Qureshi also pointed out that New Delhi is yet to respond to Islamabad's request to provide information about threats from Pakistan-based terror groups that Prime Minister Singh had spoken about some time ago.
Pakistan is "willing to engage" India because this had been agreed on by the premiers of the two countries during their meeting at Sharm El-Sheikh last month. "Pakistan has no worries. We are firm on our stance... Normalisation of ties is in the interest of both countries," he said.

Priyanka turns Green

After a very successful first year that helped light-up 55 villages with solar power, NDTV and Toyota have announced the launch of Greenathon 2. Greenathon 2 will focus on our everyday activities that harm the environment like the use of plastic and wastage of water. Our campaign ambassador this year is Priyanka Chopra who is urging people to do their bit to save the environment even if it is a tiny step. "This is a fantastic initiative. I'm a part of the young generation who questions almost everything. But we need to understand that it takes little things for something to become big," said Priyanka. "Youngsters often ask - 'What can we do?' But I believe it is only the simple things we can do that can bring about a change. Get involved in such initiatives, spend a weekend doing something good for the environment and you will feel happy... let's make the earth a better place," she added. The first edition of Greenathon, a campaign initiated by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in association with NDTV and Japanese auto giant Toyota, aimed to raise funds for the 'Light a Billion Lives' project. The aim was to take solar lanterns to rural communities. The campaign ended up raising Rs 20 million and lit up 55 villages across India. (With wire inputs)

Advani meets RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

 Saturday August 29, 2009, New Delhi




A crucial meeting between BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat happened on Saturday afternoon amidst reports of a succession plan being mapped out by the Sangh Parivar.
Bhagwat has met several leaders from Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu, Ananth Kumar to Murli Manohar Joshi.
However, the RSS and the BJP have both denied that there's going to be any change in the party leadership.
Meanwhile, in his first comments on the turmoil in BJP, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that it's not good for the country.
"It (infighting in BJP) is not good. In a democracy, stability in political parties is necessary. If there is instability, it will have an impact on the country," said the Prime Minister.
Earlier, NDTV had learnt that Advani and Bhagwat were likely to discuss the party's future. Sources said Advani's future role in the party was also slated to be discussed.
However, the BJP sources said that leadership change was not discussed in the meeting, adding that the two leaders did not discuss anyone's resignation.
The RSS sources too said that no succession plan for BJP was discussed in the meeting. They also said that these meetings are normal routine meetings.

It was being said that the crucial meeting would likely take up the issue of the role that BJP's gen-next will have in the days ahead. But according to sources, the changes are unlikely to take place soon and may evolve over some months.

What is now expected is that Advani will make way for a new leadership to take over. While all plans for succession are expected to become clearer after the Advani-Bhagwat meeting, everything will unfold only slowly. 

As the BJP grapples with a worsening internal crisis, NDTV has learnt that the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has spelled out the BJP's roadmap at his meetings over the past few days with BJP leaders.

Sources have told NDTV that the RSS wants Advani to bring in the generation next leaders quickly.

Sources say the Sangh wants Advani's exit, when it happens, to be graceful and respectable.

Even the RSS refused to be drawn into the controversy. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on the record that the RSS would only advise the BJP, if asked.

The frontrunners in BJP:

• Sushma Swaraj, Advani's deputy in the Lok Sabha could be the frontrunner to don the mantle of the Leader of the Opposition.
• While party general secretary Arun Jaitley has emerged as the frontrunner for the BJP president's post. 
• The present incumbent Rajnath Singh's term comes to end in January next.

BJP defends Advani

LK Advani's former colleagues, Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, George Fernandes and Brajesh Mishra had categorically stated that Advani was indeed aware of plans to send Jaswant Singh to Kandahar where the Indian Airlines flight IC 814 had been hijacked. But now the party has come out strongly to his defence.

Cash-for-vote scam

BJP may take action against media
Press Trust of India, Saturday August 29, 2009, New Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may take legal action against certain news channels and periodicals for showing the 'cash-for-vote' scam as the party's handiwork.
"We strongly denounce reports in a section of media that cash-for-vote scam was a BJP handiwork. Some people have even attacked L K Advani for it. We will not tolerate these things and the party will consider a legal course against such malicious and motivated reporting if needed," BJP spokesman Prakash Javdekar told reporters in New Delhi.
On expelled party leader Jaswant Singh's statement about Advani's involvement in the scam, he said, "He has talked only about the issue of whether the cash bundles should have been shown in the Parliament or sent to the Speaker."
Javdekar said even Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh also regrets making all out efforts to save the government during the trust vote in July 2008 on the nuclear deal issue.
Singh had on Friday termed as "historical blunder" its decision to support the government at the Centre and said it was disenchanted with the Congress.
"It is ironical that in this country giving bribe and purchasing majority is not a crime but unearthing the truth is viewed as a crime," Javdekar added.

Vidarbha farmer suicides on reel life

Saturday August 29, 2009, Nagpur

A young farmer dies in the arms of his friend. The friend screams Nandyaa. The wife, the son, the mother, sister, everyone starts crying. Another family loses their only earning member to farm debt, this time on reel life.
At a time when almost half of the country is battling drought and the lives of farmers across the nation is in question, zooming in on just how a family survives after their earning member commits suicide is a Marathi film running to packed houses in Vidarbha region.
'Goshth Chhoti, Dongraa Evadhi--A Small Story, as Small as a Mountain--is a recent Marathi release making headlines, as much for its story on farm suicides, as for bringing the farmers of Vidarbha region to the multiplexes.
One such man is Maruti Kambli, whose son Devendra killed himself last Diwali.
"He killed himself over a debt of Rs 23,000. Had he been given a government loan, he wouldn't have gone to a moneylender. He would have been alive today," Kambli said.
In the film, the hero abducts the agriculture minister and makes him witness their misery. But in reality, no minister found time to visit the Kamblis. They got no compensation because technically Devendra was not a farmer since he had no land to his name. His widow is now a daily wage labourer and the only earning member of the family.
According to Shyam Pethkar, a journalist, "We urban people consider the farmer a very small being. If he is dying, so be it. He must be crazy or drunk."
For Shyam, the story is a factual narration of a problem, as complex and self-contradictory as the title of the movie.
However, as art imitates life, for the people of Vidarbha, the film has struck an eerie connection and they have been coming literally for every show.

Girl paraded naked in school for not paying fees

Girl paraded naked in school for not paying fees

Ajit Sinha, Saturday August 29, 2009, Faridabad

A class three student was paraded naked on her school premises after her family failed to pay the school fees, in Faridabad, Haryana. The nine-year old girl is a student of Faridabad Model School in Sector-31. The victim's parents, who are entitled to a full-fee concession, had actively participated in an agitation against a fee hike by the school recently. "Since I didn't attend school on Thursday, I was forced to take off my T-shirt. When my teacher caught my skirt, I told her not to do that. When I asked why she was doing it, she said it was the principal's order. Then I was asked to stand half-naked for a long time and when I tried to cover myself, she asked me to stand straight," the girl said.

Jaipur: Student raped by school Principal

Reshma, a 13-year-old student of Jaipur's Maharaja Public School, is living a nightmare. She was raped by the Principal even as her classmates played outside during recess.

Saturday August 29, 2009, Jaipur

"Sir asked me to keep a bucket in his room, then he caught me and stuffed a cloth in my mouth so I could not scream. He shut the door and switched off the lights. He undo the drawstring of my salwar and then he hit me again and again," she said.
The principal, Ramesh Saini, even threatened to kill Reshma, but the horror was too much for her to bear. When he raped her again the next day in school, Reshma broke down.
As the news spread people in the area went on a rampage, attacking the accused. But other students from the school say the Principal probably abused other children as well.
"We heard from junior students that girls were too scared to go to his office as he used to misbehave," one of the students said.
"He used to make them sit in his lap, he used to call them to his room on some pretext or the other either to clean the room or make tea," another student said.
The school has been running for 12 years, but what's surprising is that no one spoke up before; the children perhaps were too scared to speak and the parents complicit by trying to cover up.

Indian moon mission Chandrayaan-I over: ISRO sources

India loses contact with Chandrayaan: India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft is lost in space. ISRO has confirmed that radio contact with Chandrayaan-1 was lost at 1.30 am today.

 There is still hope of recovery: Nair on Chandrayaan

India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 is lost in space. Speaking to NDTV on the issue, ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair has said that the Chandrayaan glitch is disappointing.
"Chandrayaan's situation is akin to a patient's whose symptoms are known but precise problem is still not understood," said Nair.
"There is still hope of recovery," he added.
He further said that data analysis would see what went wrong.
"Effort will be made when Chandrayaan passes in line of sight over Bylalu, site of the big dish that talks to Chandrayaan," said Nair.
"Conclusive understanding on whether the 'mission is over' will hopefully be available by tomorrow evening," he said.
Nair also said that Chandrayaan has brought back to earth some spectacular data, which scientists are analysing.
Earlier, the project director of Chandrayaan-1, M Annadurai, said that the mission was over.
"The mission is definitely over. We have lost contact with the spacecraft," said project director M Annadurai told PTI.
However, he added that Chandrayaan had done its job technically 100 per cent.
"It has done its job technically 100 per cent. Scientifically also, it has done almost 90-95 percent of its job," he said.
ISRO had earlier confirmed that radio contact with Chandrayaan-1 was lost at 1.30 am on Saturday. The Health of Chandrayaan-I subsystems is being analysed, according to ISRO. It was launched in Sriharikota in October, 2008.
Experts say the mission has completed its objective: to reach the moon and place India's flag on the moon. India is the fourth country to accomplish that. Chandrayaan has delivered lots of crucial space data to India. It has also been studying whether there's water on the moon.
NDTV's Science Editor, Pallava Bagla, says "Chandrayaan shold not be written off.  ISRO may manage to recover contact with it. But earlier this year, it faced over-heating and other technical problems. Yes, Chandrayaan is on its last legs, but it has met its objective".
The spacecraft has completed 312 days in orbit, making more than 3400 orbits around the Moon. India has spent close to Rs 400 crore on the Chandryaan mission.

2011 WorldCup

2011 World Cup

ICC and PCB resolve 2011 World Cup dispute

David Morgan, the ICC president, and Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, arrived at an agreement during a meeting in Dubai

The ICC and the PCB have resolved their dispute over the staging of the 2011 World Cup. The PCB, which was stripped of its rights to host the tournament in the aftermath of the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, will retain its host fees and also receive payment as additional compensation for the loss of hosting rights. The two parties reached an agreement during a meeting between the ICC president David Morgan and the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt in Dubai. It is expected that the settlement will be signed later today, at which point the PCB will withdraw its legal proceedings against the ICC.

It was also agreed that the PCB would be free of its liabilities and obligations associated with hosting matches during the tournament, including the location of the tournament secretariat which had originally been set for Lahore.

"This resolution is good for world cricket and provides an improved platform for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as we now have a degree of certainty surrounding the event that was not there while the dispute was ongoing, " Morgan said after the agreement was reached. "I am glad we were able to come to an amicable agreement and I believe this is a fair resolution for the PCB and the ICC."

He added that international cricket would return to Pakistan once the ICC deemed the security situation in the country was fit for teams to tour. "When the position in Pakistan, from a safety and security point of view, becomes satisfactory to the ICC and its specialist security advisors as well as to visiting teams, then international cricket will return to Pakistan," he said.

Butt, who had strongly opposed the ICC's decision to move matches out of Pakistan, welcomed the breakthrough. "The PCB is content with the settlement that has been reached," he said. "We are able to see this dispute from the other side. We realise also the logistical and administrative difficulties that would be associated with organising our matches in the other three co-host countries.

"Our number-one priority is that cricket in Pakistan must not be allowed to suffer unduly and I believe this agreement is the best possible outcome for the game," he said.

The PCB had reacted sternly over its loss of hosting rights for the tournament and had issued a legal notice to the ICC in May, calling the decision "discriminatory" and "legally flawed".

Six Sri Lankan cricketers were hurt in the attack on their team in March when they were touring for a two-Test series; other countries, prior to the tour, had refused to visit citing concerns over the volatile security situation in Pakistan. The PCB had also filed a case in the Lahore court against the ICC's decision to move the headquarters of the 2011 World Cup (the World Cup secretariat) from Lahore to Mumbai.

In June, the ICC ruled out the possibility of Pakistan's matches being hosted at neutral venues, including the UAE. It confirmed the decision to allocate Pakistan's share of the matches to the three other co-hosts, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The row showed signs of abating when, earlier this month, the PCB said it was looking for an out-of-court settlement to resolve the matter and added it was entitled to a substantial compensation for its share of matches being taken away.