Next US president must be prepared to deal with India and Pakistan crisis

 The winner of the 2012 US Presidential Elections must be prepared to deal with a potential re-emerging crisis between India and Pakistan and engage with New Delhi over its ties with Iran and interests in Afghanistan, an American expert on South Asia has said.

Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, at Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) - a Washington-based think-tank - said yesterday that the winner of 2012 Presidential Election must be prepared for "a significant potential of near-term crisis" between India and its historical rival Pakistan.

The US would likely be called upon to play an important mediating role in the event of a "Mumbai-type" terrorist event that would lead India and Pakistan to the brink of war, Markey said in a video message posted on the CFR website as part of the Campaign 2012 effort.

Markey said that the President will also have to engage with India on top foreign policy priorities including Iran's nuclear program and the US departure from Afghanistan.

India sees Iran as an important energy supplier and is not eager to enter into an international effort to put pressure on the Iranians, he explained.

The difference between US and Indian interests on Iran "is likely to dog the relationship" and enter into bilateral and multilateral dealings, he said, adding that the president will also have to address Indian concerns over rising Pakistani influence in Afghanistan following a messy US withdrawal.

Markey said he sees opportunities for improved US-India relations following the upcoming leadership change in India.

"The opportunity in US-India relations is really a long-term one," he says, adding that the US president must not allow near-term irritants to get in the way.

India stakes claim to membership of exclusive nuclear clubs

 India today made a strong pitch for membership of four exclusive nuclear clubs contending that it would help strengthen its export control systems and maintain highest international standards of its nuclear programme.

"India has never been a source of proliferation of sensitive technologies and we are determined to further strengthen our export control systems to keep them on par with the highest international standards," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, addressing the second Nuclear Security Summit here.

He underlined that India had already adhered to the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NBG) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

"As a likeminded country with the ability and willingness to promote global non-proliferation objectives, we believe that the next logical step is India's membership of the four export control regimes," Singh said.

India is keen for membership of the NSG, MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and the Australia Group.

At the same time, Singh said an agreed multilateral framework involving all states possessing nuclear weapons was necessary to attain the goal of a nuclear weapons free world.

"This should include measures to reduce nuclear dangers by reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in security doctrines and by increasing universal restraints on the first use of nuclear weapons," he said.

The Prime Minister also announced a contribution of one million dollars to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Nuclear Security Fund for the years 2012-13.

He said India was also expanding its technical assistance to developing countries, including providing "our indigenously developed Cobalt tele-therapy machines -- Bhabhatrons -- for cancer treatment".

The tele-therapy machines have been donated to Vietnam in 2008 and agreements have been signed with Sri Lanka and Namibia for its supply which is a step towards affordable treatment of cancer.

The Prime Minister also released the National Progress Report on the steps taken by India to secure its nuclear installations and fissile material.

On India's nuclear programme, Singh said comprehensive reviews of nuclear safety measures have been undertaken at nuclear facilities.

"India has invited the Operational Safety Review Teams of the IAEA to assist in its own safety reviews and audit," he said.

Nuclear safety evaluations were being put in the public domain to enhance transparency and boost public confidence, Singh said, adding that India was also in the process of setting up a statutory, independent and autonomous Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority.

"We are strengthening emergency preparedness and response to nuclear accidents," he said.

The Prime Minister said India was determined that its expanded nuclear power programme would follow the highest standards of nuclear safety and security, whose synergy is essential to restore public faith in nuclear energy, especially after the tragic events at Fukushima.

He said the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, which India had announced at the Washington Summit in 2010, has been making good progress and the physical infrastructure for the Centre was being set up.

"We have commenced 'off-campus' courses. Such courses will be held more frequently in the future," he said, adding documents have been signed for cooperation on the Global Centre with the US, Russia, France and the IAEA.

India will participate in IAEA's 2013 International Coordinating Conference of various nuclear security activities, including the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and the Global Partnership, he said.

Singh said nuclear terrorism will remain a potent threat as long as there are terrorists seeking to gain access to nuclear material and technologies for malicious purposes.

"India is acutely conscious of this threat," he said, adding that an India-piloted resolution on measures to deny terrorists access to weapons of mass destruction had been adopted since 2002.

He said India backed the extension of the UNSC resolution 1540 and the work of its Committee. The resolution seeks enforcement of legal and regulatory measures against the proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons to non-state actors.

Singh said nuclear security was primarily a national responsibility but there were benefits to be gained by supplementing responsible national actions through sustained and effective international cooperation.

"India is party to the main international legal instruments on nuclear security - the Convention on Physical Protection and its 2005 amendment, as well as the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. We support the universalisation of these instruments," he said.

The Prime Minister also noted that India has contributed actively to the Nuclear Security Summit process, including hosting a Sherpa meeting in New Delhi in January.

Fake passports helped Dawood Ibrahim to escape from India

The simplicity with which fake passports can be acquired is cited as one of the reasons for gangsters' ability to slink across borders and elude the police.

According to Indian agencies, Dawood Ibrahim has at least 20 fake passports, 8 of which were issued in Mumbai, Chhota Rajan has 8, and Chhota Shakeel 6. Besides them, most senior D-Company members - including Tiger Memon, Ayub Memon, Ali Moosa and Pathan Izaz - have bogus Indian and Pakistani passports. Before they ended in police's dragnet, cops say, Abu Salem had 12 counterfeit passports, Santosh Shetty had 4 and Bunty Pandey 6.

"The figures may not be definitive, but there is no denying that gangsters hold several fake passport that allow them to elude the authorities," said additional director general of police (Maharashtra ATS) Rakesh Maria. "In cases of Salem and Shetty, we are certain of the number of fake passports they had."

Police officers explain that gangsters adopt different ways to acquire bogus passports, primary among which is a method called 'mundi cut'. In this method, the original photograph is cut out of a stolen passport and replaced with the don's. Another favourite modus operandi is to get a genuine passport using fake documents. This method too is considered uncomplicated since all that is required is to grease a few officials' palms and pay off a few agents.

Gangster Salem, police say, got three passports from India while he was at large in the Middle East and Europe. The documents were in the name of Akil Ahmed Azmi from Lucknow, Danish Baig from Bhopal and Ramin Malik from Hyderabad. His girlfriend Monica Bedi, who was extradited from Portugal along with the don, too had fake passports.

"Criminals pay hefty sums to travel agents who bribe officials and get the verification procedure ignored. Take the Kandahar hijack case, where terrorists got forged passports or the 13/7 Mumbai terror plotters," Maria said.

Joint commissioner of police (crime) Himanshu Roy said there are highly sophisticated machines that can duplicate an Indian passport. "Apart from Mumbai, fudging of passports and visas is common in Hyderabad, West Bengal, Karnataka," he said. Once criminals fly out of India on a fake passport, it is difficult to catch them since "airport officials in foreign countries can track them only if an alert has been sounded by Indian officials".

World Bank offers $500 million loan for education in India

The World Bank has offered $500 million interest-free credit to India for improving the standards of secondary education, an official statement said Friday.

The World Bank Thursday approved the credit that will help the Indian government's efforts to make good quality education "available, accessible and affordable to all young persons at the secondary level.

The project will support all activities as envisioned in the $12.9 billion Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) programme, a flagship government of India programme for gradual universalisation of secondary education, the World Bank said in a statement.

"This World Bank project will support the objectives and activities of RMSA. It will facilitate a whole set of mechanisms built around identifying what is needed to improve the quality of secondary education," said Venu Rajamony, joint secretary, economic affairs in India's finance ministry.

The project will be financed by a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) -- the World Bank's concessionary lending arm - which provides interest-free loans with 25 years to maturity and a grace period of five years.

The money will be used for setting up libraries, computer laboratories, upgrading primary schools in to secondary schools and providing training to teachers.

In addition, expansion, repair and renovation will take place in some 60,000 existing government secondary schools; some 44,000 upper primary schools will be upgraded into secondary schools; and about 11,000 new secondary and senior secondary schools will come up mainly in underserved areas.

Efforts will also be made to strengthen the role of local bodies in school management, which can, over time, lead to greater accountability and improved outcomes, the World Bank said.

"RMSA is a young programme which is expected to grow rapidly and hence it is an opportunity for the World Bank to support the government of India in building effective systems as the programme expands while improving quality," said Roberto Zagha, World Bank country director for India.

Zagha pointed out that a major concern in India these days was the issue of quality education.

"Mere improvement in access, if it is of differential quality, may not be conducive for inclusive growth. Recent international research confirms that improved quality - measured by cognitive skills - is important in determining future income and contribution to economic growth," he said.

"Hence the country needs all their young people to get good quality secondary education," Zagha added.

The World Bank's funded project is designed to meet critical needs in secondary education.

"First, to make sure that secondary education expands in such a way that quality and equity are enhanced at the same time; second, to develop and evaluate innovative approaches to secondary education; and, third, to leverage World Bank resources to help the government address systemic issues in the sector."

India, China in US firing line over Iran oil

The United States has not included India and China in a list of 11 nations that would be spared financial sanctions as they have significantly reduced purchases of Iranian crude oil.

The exempted countries are Japan and ten European nations - Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom, according to a State Department statement.

"The actions taken by these countries were not easy," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the US Congress Tuesday.

"They had to rethink their energy needs at a critical time for the world economy and quickly begin to find alternatives to Iranian oil, which many had been reliant on for their energy needs," she said.

"The United States is leading an unprecedented international coalition of partners that has brought to bear significant pressure on the Iranian regime to change its course," Clinton said.

Besides India, China, and South Korea, which do not figure on the list there are nine other major importers of Iranian that could face sanctions.

A State Department official who briefed reporters on the announcement would not list the countries, but said the US is in conversation with India, China, and South Korea on the issue.

"We look very much forward to hearing what kinds of messages those countries are able and willing to bring to us and to continue to pursue them in a serious and professional conversation," the official said.

Major oil importers could look at Japan as an example of how to wean off Iranian oil, he said. Japan has reduced its oil purchases from Iran by 15 percent to 22 percent in the last half of 2011, the official said.

Under the 2012 National Defence Authorization Act, President Barack Obama can impose financial sanctions on foreign banks that carry out financial transactions with Iran's central bank "for the purchase of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran."

However, under the law he can exempt nations from sanctions if he determines that a country with primary jurisdiction over the bank has "significantly reduced" its volume of crude oil purchases.

One arrested for Israel embassy car blast in Delhi

An Indian national has been arrested in connection with the February 13, 2012 blast in an Innova car belonging to the Israeli Embassy in Delhi. The 50-year-old man, claiming to be a journalist and identified as Syed Mohammed Kazmi, is the first person to be detained in the case in which the wife of Israel's defence attache, Tal Yehoshua, and the driver of the car were injured. He will be produced in the Tis Hazari court on Wednesday afternoon.

Kazmi has been arrested for allegedly being part of the conspiracy to plant the bomb on the car. He claims to have been writing for an Iranian publication and was arrested up after a probe showed that he had been in touch with the suspect who is believed to have stuck the magnetic bomb on Israeli embassy car.

Sources say police are close to a breakthrough in the blast case, which Israel has blamed on Iran.

According to the police a stick-on bomb was planted on the car by two men on motorcycle.

Israeli authorities pointed out that February 12 was the death anniversary of a senior Hezbollah leader, and the blast may not be entirely coincidental.

Indian men's hockey team book 2012 London Olympics berth

On a day when their favourite cricketers let them down in the tour Down Under, Indian hockey stars turned it into a Super Sunday for the fans after winning the final of the FIH Olympic qualifier.

Goal machine Sandeep Singh netted five and completed the second hat-trick of the tournament in the process to give India a perfect evening and a ticket to 2012 London Olympics. Tactical accuracy and the lightning pace displayed by Michael Nobbs men undone a sorry France. The scoreline of 8-1 in favour of the hosts said it all.

India attacked from the word go but were deprived of space as the French fullbacks defended stoically. Their frustrations were furthered when French custodian Matthies denied a sure shot goal in the 15th minute. But two minutes thereafter India scored the decisive goal. A cross from Manpreet found a taker in the form of Birendra Lakra in the French goalmouth who fired it in swiftly with a reverse flick. The atmosphere was electric.

Vociferously cheered by the crowd, Indians went searching for another goal. Sandeep stepped in to increase the lead in the 19th minute. It was Sandeep’s 12th goal in the event, a figure he had set as his target. He scored four more and was adjudged Player of the Match.

India’s pace and their crowd’s loud cheer troubled French players but silenced them for once when Simon Martin-Brisac deflected off Sebastian in the 23rd minute. Sreejesh, who came in place of Bharat Chetri, looked stunned. India retaliated in the 26th minute, a typical Sandeep converted a short corner to up the ante for the hosts while France caved in.

After leading by three goals to one at the end of first half, the men in ‘white’ made it 4-1 in the 38th minute through Sandeep. The referee had a field day as the final saw tension flare between the two sides and a number of referrals, most of which benefitted India. India’s penalty conversion rate was near perfect on Sunday as six out of eight goals came through penalty corners. On sparse occasions they were tested, Indian defense held fort tenaciously.

Apart from Lakra, Raghunath and SV Sunil got themselves into the score sheet, which was monopolized by Sandeep.

India's continue importing Iranian oil is a slap on US face

India's decision to continue importing Iranian oil is a slap on the face of the United States, which is galvanising the international community to isolate Tehran, according to a former US diplomat who was Bush Administration's pointman on Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.

"This is bitterly disappointing news for those of us who have championed a close relationship with India. And, it represents a real setback in the attempt by the last three American presidents to establish a close and strategic partnership with successive Indian governments," former under secretary of state for political affairs Nicholas Burns wrote in an op-ed in current-affairs magazine 'The Diplomat' on Monday.

"India's decision to walk out of step with the international community on Iran isn't just a slap in the face for the US... it raises questions about its ability to lead," said Burns.

India, which relies on Iran for 12 per cent of its oil imports, has refused to scale it down.

Only recently, Burns had written an op-ed in The Boston Globe arguing that the US should commit to an ambitious, long-term strategic partnership with India. "I remain convinced of its value to both countries and to the new global balance of power being created in this century," he wrote.

"With its unhelpfulness on Iran and stonewalling on implementation of the landmark US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, however, the Indian government is now actively impeding the construction of the strategic relationship it says it wants with the United States," Burns said.

Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush have met India more than halfway in offering concrete and highly visible commitments on issues India cares about, he said, adding unfortunately India has made no corresponding gesture in return for the big vision that Obama and Bush have offered.

"It's time that India speaks much more clearly about the priority it places on its future with the United States. Most importantly, India must begin to provide the kind of visible leadership on difficult issues such as Iran that its many friends in the United States and around the world had expected to see by now," Burns wrote.

"The Indian government's ill-advised statement last week that it will continue to purchase oil from Iran is a major setback for the US attempt to isolate the Iranian government over the nuclear issue," he said as he took head on the Indian defence that India relies on Iran for 12 per cent of its oil imports and can't afford to break those trade ties.

"India has had years to adjust and make alternative arrangements. Ironically, the United States has had considerable success on the sanctions front in recent months.

"The EU has decided to implement an oil embargo on Iran, the US is introducing Central Bank sanctions and even the East Asian countries, such as China, have imported less Iranian oil in recent months. That makes India’s recent pronouncements seem extremely out of step and out of touch with the new global determination to isolate and pressure Iran to negotiate in order to avoid a catastrophic war," Burns said.

Tendulkar to go for precautionary MRI scan today

Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar is likely to go for a precautionary MRI scan on Monday after he was hit on his head by a sharply lifting delivery from Brett Lee while batting in the tri-series match against Australia here.

Tendulkar seemed to have misread the pace and lift of the final delivery of Lee`s second over, which hit the grill of his helmet and bounced off to mid-on where Xavier Doherty took the "catch".


Every Australian fielder went up in appeal, thinking they had their man, but umpire Steve Davis was convinced it hadn`t touched Tendulkar`s bat before striking his helmet at the Gabba on Sunday.

Apparently, some sort of blow from that delivery had also deflected on to Tendulkar`s forehead, above his right eye.

The batsman continued with his innings, which ended off the very next delivery he faced, in Ben Hilfenhaus` next over from the other end.

After his dismissal, Tendulkar was given ice treatment on the swelling in the dressing room, and even though he`s shown no discomfort, a precautionary MRI scan has been advised for him.

It capped a miserable day for the champion Indian batsman who was hit on his shin off an edged stroke from Peter Forrest in the slips in the 25th over of Australian innings and while batting, he made an unconvincing three off 12 balls as the visitors lost the match by a whopping 110 runs at the Gabba.

India's quest for Olympic berth begins today

Past masters of the game, India could not have asked for a weaker oposition than Singapore to kick start their hockey Olympic Qualifiers campaign here on today as they look to avoid the ignominy of missing out on a berth for the quadrennial event for the second successive time.

India, with a record eight Olympic men`s titles, suffered a setback four years ago when they failed to make it to the 2008 Beijing Games for the first time in 80 years.

But come this time around, a favourable draw and familiar conditions have made the 10th-ranked Indians a strong favourite for the lone ticket to London, which is up for grabs from the six-team competition, comprising Canada (14th), France (18th), Poland (19th), Italy (28th) and Singapore (41st).

The upcoming qualification tournament is also the first big test for India`s Australian coach Michael Nobbs, who has done a commedable job with the Indians in terms of fitness and performances since joining the team last year.

Because of his low-profile and the attacking style of hockey he preaches, Nobbs struck a chord with his wards from the word go and instilled belief in the players as well followers that India can regain its lost glory again.

There is a blend of experience and freshness in the 18-member Indian squad which Nobbs has handpicked for the qualifiers.

In ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, veteran Ignace Tirkey, Shivendra Singh, Tushar Khandekar and captain Bharat Chetri, the Indian team boasts of ample experience. In fact, Sandeep and Ignace are the only two players in the current team who have played in an Olympics (2004 Athens) before.

Another youngster, S V Sunil, who has replaced former captain Rajpal Singh in the team, has been a revelation in the right flank, while as always Sardar Singh is the king of India`s mid-field.

The availability of three drag-flickers in Sandeep, V R Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh, also give the Indians a rare upperhand over their opponents in the tournament.

It should be relatively easy outings for the Indians in the first two games against Singapore and Italy, who are way behind the Asian giants in international hockey.

Singapore, which has replaced the United States` barely three weeks before the event, is a young team and comprises university students with little experience of playing international hockey, a reason why the column of international caps in their team sheet is blank.

"The matches against Singapore and Italy will be our practice matches," India skipper Chetri had said when asked whether lack of practice matches would be an impediment for his team ahead of the tournament.

Having already played in these conditions twice before, Canada (14) is expected to give India a tough fight in the competiton, while France and Poland could create some surprises.

India coach Nobbs, however, refused to take any team lightly and warned his wards against complacency.

"Every match is crucial for us. So, we will play all the matches with same intensity," he had said.

China: India's political system is delay for solving China- India border issue

Blaming India and its multi-party political system for the delay in solving the vexed Sino-India border issue, Chinese state media on Wednesday said the two sides were "far away" from reaching a "fair" agreement due to "suspicion and distrust", which is also impeding progress in bilateral ties.

Though the 15th round of border talks were concluded last month leaving a "good trend" in the bilateral relations, some contradictions and issues are still severely disturbing the normal development of the China-India relations, a write up in the People's Daily online said today.

"The first issue is the China-India border negotiation. China and India have held 15 meetings of special representatives for the border issue.

"Although the meetings have made many positive achievements, it is still far away from reaching a fair, just and reasonable agreement," the write up in the opinion page said.

The main barrier still comes from the Indian side as Indian media insist that the border line between China and India should be based on the "McMahon Line" left by British colonists, it said also India believes that the border dispute between the two countries covers not only the eastern region of 90,000 square km but also 30,000 sq km in the western region.

"This wrong argument, which totally disregards the history, still has supporters in India," it said.

Yet another reason that delaying the agreement was India's multi-party political system as well its society which is extremely complicated, it said.

"Various Indian political parties have different understandings on the China-India border issue, and therefore, it is hard for them to reach an agreement on the issue," it said.

The Daily also referred to India's concerns about China-Pakistan ties.

"There are still misunderstandings about the China- Pakistan relations. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Indian government for the most part believes that China has adopted an "equal justice" policy in handling India-Pakistan relations, not only attaching importance to developing relations with Pakistan, but also paying attention to the bilateral relations with India," it said.

There were concerns about Gwadar port and Chinese navy coming to India's door step and "inflow of nuclear technology from China to Pakistan", it said.

Referring to India's concerns about Chinese troops in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), it said they were the personnel sent by China to assist Pakistan in the earthquake relief work.

"The China threat theories like these are quite popular in India. Indian public opinion still holds that at present China is looking for a balance in relations between India and Pakistan to seek the best interest in South Asia and that once the India-Pakistan situation has changed, China will give full support to Pakistan and use Pakistan to curb and combat India," it said.

The governments of China and India should both "stand on a higher level, and take a broader perspective, to enhance mutual trust and eliminate the problems and give full play to the wisdom and talents of the people of China and India, to creatively draw a beautiful blueprint for the final settlement of the China-Indian conflicts and problems," it said.

Sunny Leone to chat with fans on Valentine’s Day

Sunny Leone has come up with a special Valentine’s Day surprise for fans who want to get in touch with her.

The Indian-origin porn star, who became famous in India with ‘Bigg Boss’, has put up a phone number on Twitter for her followers to chat with her on 14th February.

“INDIA- Dial 50 50 50 on 14th feb @ 2:00 pm to speak to me. Applicable for Airtel users only. Valentine’s Day Chat,” she tweeted.

Leone is set to make her Bollywood debut in Pooja Bhatt’s upcoming film ‘Jism 2’ where she will be seen with Randeep Hooda and Arunoday Singh.

Cricketer Yuvraj posts bald-headed picture on twitter

Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who is undergoing treatment for lung cancer in the US, posted his latest bald-headed picture on twitter on Friday.

He wrote, “Finally the hair has gone ! But #livstrong #yuvstrong.”

The southpaw is in prayers of the country and many cricketers and doctors have lauded him for his mental strength and will to overcome odds.

Yuvraj has not played competitive cricket since November, when he took part in two of the three home Tests against the West Indies, missing India`s current tour of Australia.

Yuvraj was unavailable for the ongoing triangular one-day series in Australia and also opted out of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts in April.

India clinch Perth second ODI by 4 wickets

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja played sensibly to stitch a crucial partnership that drove India home in the second ODI at Perth on Wednesday. India chased down a target of 234 runs against Sri Lanka to register their first win of the CB series.

From a position of strength, where India were looking certain of a win, their batsmen, almost as if they had a change of heart, started throwing away their wickets that allowed Sri Lanka to crawl back into the game.

It started with Rohit Sharma followed by Suresh Raina and their captain MS Dhoni joined the party playing an irresponsible shot to gift his wicket leaving India in a spot of bother.

Rohit Sharma, who was agonizingly kept out of the final playing XI throughout the Test series against Australia yet again failed to make a mark getting out after scoring just 10. His dismissal was a result of a cut that was snaffled brilliantly at point by former captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were to be blamed themselves for their dismissals as they were tempted by the Lankan bowlers to play short deliveries. Raina’s dismissal was a typical example of how the lefty’s weakness with the short ball has been exploited. A reckless short towards midwicket was pouched easily by sub. Senanayake off Angelo Mathews to end his innings at 24.

Indian captain MS Dhoni failed to middle a short ball, launching it above long on. Lasith Malinga took a good running catch to hand Dhamika Prasad his first wicket of the match.

Three quick wickets gave Sri Lanka hopes of clinching the match back from India’s grip. With Ravindra Jadeja and R Aswhin on crease, they were fancying their chances.

However, the two played sensibly and kept away the lure of playing fancy shots while concentrating on rotating the strike. They kept Sri Lankans on their toes, keeping the scoreboard ticking with regular singles and doubles.

When Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene decided to clear the outfield of fielders to stem the flow of singles, the two did not hesitated from looking for the odd boundary.

By the time Ashwin mishit Mathews over mid off, India had already leveled the scores and with the ball falling safely between the confused fielders, India completed their chase after a brief hiccup.

In the end, the duo of Jadeja (23*) and Ashwin (30*) collected 53 runs for the seventh wicket which was the second highest partnership of the Indian innings next only to Virat Kohli (77) and Sachin Tendulkar’s (48) stand of 75 runs.

After Virender Sehwag (10) was caught at third man off Malinga, Kohli joined Tendulkar guiding Indian score past 50 runs.

Tendulkar looked in his elements, hitting freely but just when anticipation around his elusive landmark started building, the maestro played a Mathews delivery on to his stumps to depart on the brink of a half century.

Kohli, on the other hand, looked certain to steer India to a comfortable victory even as he kept running out of partners. His innings of 75 runs was laced with eight boundaries hitting a six straight down the ground even as he struggled with cramps. The next delivery, he ran himself out attempting a quick single, walking out of the field in pain.

Sri Lanka must have felt they were 20-30 runs short of a competitive total.

Much of this has to do with a disciplined Indian bowling and sharp fielding that forced them to play rash shots.


Dinesh Chandimal (64) top scored for Sri Lanka hitting four boundaries in his innings. He got out after trying to increase the run rate, charging down the track to be stumped by Dhoni off R Aswhin.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (48) provided a quick start to the innings but got out with a similar intention at a time when their innings was progressing without a boundary in 11 overs.

Zaheer Khan began the proceedings for India, keeping a probing line and getting the wicket of Upul Tharanga in the third over of the innings.

Khan later ended Kumara Sangakkara’s innings as MS Dhoni took a brilliant diving catch behind the stumps. R Ashwin kept on the pressure grabbing three wickets while giving away 32 runs in his quota of 10 overs.

UK snow chaos: Some India bound flights cancelled

Some flights to Mumbai scheduled to depart from London's Heathrow airport on Sunday night were among half of scheduled 1,300 flights cancelled as authorities grappled with the fallout of snow and icy conditions across transport links in Britain.

Conditions of several arterial roads were described as "treacherous", as tempers ran high at Heathrow when hundreds of flights to destinations in Europe, US, India and other countries were cancelled.

Trains were also delayed, and cars abandoned on clogged motorways.

According to information from Heathrow, the following India-bound flights last night were cancelled: 9W117 to Mumbai, AC6004 to Mumbai, UA9822 to Mumbai, VS9117 to Mumbai, IT002 to Delhi.

Other India bound flights last night were described as "scheduled".

Snow conditions also adversely affected flights from other airports in Britain.

Many people spent the night in cars when traffic grounded to a halt on roads as swathes of snow swamped Britain amidst severe warnings by the weather office.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the arterial M25 and M40 motorways, with drivers forced to spend the night in their cars.

Authorities at the Heathrow airport cautioned that due to adverse weather across the UK and Europe, "Heathrow is operating a reduced flight schedule today.

"If you are travelling today or over the next couple of days, please check your flight’s status with your airline before setting out and allow extra time for your journey to the airport as the road and rail networks may be affected," a Heathrow statement said.

Drivers stranded in cars overnight described difficult conditions last morning as British officials struggled to reopen roads.

Road traffic was disrupted from Saturday evening as snow hit southern Scotland and parts of Wales before moving south-east through England.

Over 10,000 tonnes of salt were being spread on London roads to facilitate movement.

Heathrow's chief operating officer Normand Boivin said the decision to introduce a revised flight schedule taken to minimise disruption to passengers.

Similar disruptions in air traffic have been reported across Europe.

Flights from Rome and Amsterdam's Schiphol airports to UK destinations, and Saturday morning flights to Amsterdam from Birmingham, Manchester and Heathrow were cancelled or delayed. The British Airways said it would allow passengers scheduled to fly on Sunday to re-book for journeys between Monday and Thursday.

In many parts of Europe, temperatures have fallen as low as -30 C in some parts, and scores of people have died, including more than 100 in Ukraine.

US defends TV host Leno’s remark on Golden Temple

The US has come to the defence of US television host Jay Leno and said the visual of Golden Temple in Amritsar during "The Tonight Show" was a "satirical" reference to Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's vacation home.

While the US had "absolute respect" for the people of India, including Sikhs, "The Tonight Show" host's comments "are constitutionally protected in the United States under free speech", State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters on Monday.

The US, she said, had so far "had not had any communications from the Indian government" on the controversial comments that have angered the Sikh community in the US which has launched an online petition against Leno.

Asked about the US government's stand on the issue, Nuland said: "Well, I think that Mr Leno would be appreciative - I hope he'll be appreciative - if we make the point that his comments are constitutionally protected in the United States under free speech, and frankly, they appear to be satirical in nature."

"But from a US official government perspective, we have absolute respect for all the people of India, including Sikhs here, there," she said.

Noting that President Barack Obama was the first president ever to host a celebration in honour of the first Sikh guru Guru Nanak, Nuland said "our view is, obviously, that Sikh Americans have contributed greatly to the United States".

Visiting Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi had on Sunday asked the Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao to take up with the State Department the issue, featured on Leno's show on Thursday.

"It is quite unfortunate and quite objectionable that such a comment has been made after showing the Golden Temple," Ravi told Indian reporters here.

"The Golden Temple is Sikh community's most sacred place. Even our Prime Minister went there for praying in the New Year. I believe that the person who has shown it is not that ignorant. The American government should also look at this kind of thing," Ravi had said.

U.S. Suspects India haked e- mails of US commission

US authorities are investigating allegations that an Indian government spy unit hacked into e-mails of an official US commission that monitors economic and security relations between the United States and China, including cyber-security issues.

The request for an investigation came after hackers posted on the Internet what purports to be an Indian military intelligence document on cyber-spying, which discusses plans to target the commission - apparently using technical know-how provided by Western mobile phone manufacturers.

Appended to the document are transcripts of what are said to be e-mail exchanges among commission members.

"We are aware of these reports and have contacted relevant authorities to investigate the matter. We are unable to make further comments at this time," Jonathan Weston, a spokesman for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, said on Monday.

The document's authenticity could not be independently verified. But the US-China commission is not denying the authenticity of the e-mails. Officials in India could not be reached for comment on the document's content or authenticity. One India-based website quoted an unnamed Army representative as denying that India used mobile companies to spy on the commission and calling the documents forged.

The purported memo says that India cut a technological agreement - the details are not clear - with mobile phone manufacturers "in exchange for the Indian market presence”. It cites three: Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry; Nokia; and Apple.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said her company had not provided the Indian government with backdoor access to its products. A spokesman for Nokia declined comment; RIM officials could not be reached for comment.

The US Congress created the commission in 2000 to investigate and report on the national security implications of the economic relationship between the United States and China. The bipartisan, 12-member panel holds periodic hearings each year on China-related topics such as cyber security, weapons proliferation, energy, international trade compliance, and information policy.

The e-mail breach, if confirmed, would be the latest in a series of cyber intrusions that have struck US institutions ranging from the Pentagon and defence contractors to Google Inc.

A group calling itself the Lords of Dharmaraja said in an Internet post that it had uncovered the hacking. It said it had discovered the source codes of a dozen software companies in Indian Military Intelligence servers.

A US government official, who asked not to be identified, said the matter is under investigation. The FBI has jurisdiction to investigate cyber-hacking inside the United States. An FBI spokesman declined to comment.

Many of the previous hacks have been blamed on China. In this case, it is unclear whether India might have been eavesdropping on the US-China commission for itself or sought to pass any information collected to authorities in China.

India interested

India would be intensely interested in the official US view of Beijing. Ties between the two countries, which fought a brief border war in 1962, remain difficult. New Delhi sees Beijing as a long-term rival. Stewart Baker, a former cyber-security policy expert at the National Security Agency and US Department of Homeland Security, said the commission "would be a high-priority target for China, since USCC has been one of the most vocal US agencies in warning against Chinese hacking”.

"What's interesting is that they seem to have become a target for India for the same reason," Baker said. "If it's genuine, it should cause red faces all around. At USCC for apparently getting hacked by Indian intelligence, and even more so at Indian intelligence for getting hacked by what may be a bunch of amateurs."

The purported e-mails between US-China commission staff members, dating from September and October 2011, include discussions of how senior analysts from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence were scheduling a classified briefing for commission officials on a forthcoming National Intelligence Estimate looking at global manufacturing trends.

The messages also contain discussions between commission staff members about legislation pending in Congress related to alleged currency manipulation by China.

In one e-mail, a staff member, reacting to criticism that a China currency bill pending on Capitol Hill would be "ineffective”, argues: "Don't make the perfect the enemy of the good; we should confront bullies even if there is a risk we will get punched back."

The e-mails are attached to what purports to be a memo dated October 06 and signed by a Colonel Ishwal Singh of India's Directorate General of Military Intelligence, Foreign Division.

In the memo, Singh describes how "the President" had given "sanction" to an operation "to gain access to USCC transmittals”. What "President" the memo is referring to is not further explained.

According to the memo, because "MI" - presumably Military Intelligence - had trouble accessing US-China commission cyber networks, the "decision was made earlier this year to sign an agreement with mobile manufacturers (MM) in exchange for the Indian market presence”.

One US law enforcement official said the commission would be a logical target for intense surveillance by Chinese authorities, since its principal mission was to produce policy studies and recommendations about the US-China relationship.

In October 2009, the commission produced a detailed study on the "Capability of the People's Republic of China to Conduct Cyber Warfare and Computer Network Exploitation”. A spokesman for the commission said it was working on a second study of cyber security issues related to China.

LeT is raising female terrorists group readying to sneak into India

The Lashkar-e-Toiba is raising a group of 21 female terrorists at its training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for carrying out sabotage activities in India, Army sources said on Tuesday.

"We have confirmed reports that LeT is imparting training to 21 selected female terrorists at its training facilities in Muzaffarabad in PoK for carrying out terrorist activities in India," an Army official said here.

They said the new group, named as Dukhtareen-e-Toiba, is planned to be made active in the Kashmir Valley by the LeT.

In the recent past also, reports have suggested presence of female terrorists operatives in the 42 active terror training camps in PoK.

The women terrorists are planned to be infiltrated into India through routes in Uri sector or using the aerial route through some other country.

Sources said the raising of the female terror group was brainchild of LeT senior functionary and mastermind of Mumbai terror attacks Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

They said the terror group has suffered serious setbacks in Jammu and Kashmir with the elimination of their top leadership by the security forces.

They are also working on recruiting local youth in certain areas of the state, including Pulwama, to expand terror network and the task has been assigned to a person, Usman Bhai alias Chhota Rehman, they said.

Foreign individuals can now invest in India

India announced on Sunday that it would open up its stock market to individual foreign investors for the first time, in a major economic reform designed to boost overseas investment.

The Indian economy has grown strongly over the last 15 years and many foreign investors have been keen to enter the market in a fast-developing country of 1.2 billion people.

 However recent financial data has been disappointing, with the main Sensex index for the Mumbai market recording a 25 per cent plunge in 2011 and many analysts predicting more falls in 2012.

 The government said in a statement that it had taken the move "in order to widen the class of investors, attract more foreign funds, and reduce market volatility and to deepen the Indian capital market."

It said the reforms would be put into operation by January 15.

 Previously, foreign investors were only allowed to invest in the stock market via mutual funds or institutional schemes.

Indian batting stars under fire after MCG debacle

The Indian media on today lashed out at the country's famed batting line-up for letting the team down in the opening Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Chasing a 292-run target on Thursday, India failed to cope with Australia's pace attack as they were shot out for 169 despite the batting experience of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag.

"Melbourne Meltdown" said a Times of India headline after the tourists' 122-run defeat. "Those expecting India's much-vaunted batting line-up to give Australia a run for their money were disappointed when Dhoni and Co surrendered without even putting up a semblance of a fight," the paper wrote.

Australian fast bowlers James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle all struck it rich on a seamer-friendly track, grabbing 19 of the 20 Indian wickets to lead their side to a crushing victory.

"'Foreign fever' returned to grip the Indian team as Pattinson, Hilfenhaus and Siddle tormented them - much like the English bowlers had done in England - with a heady cocktail of pace, bounce and movement served with relentless consistency," said the paper.

It was India's fifth successive Test defeat away from home after a 4-0 loss in England.

"Mauled in Melbourne" the Hindustan Times said on its front page and "Bat-erred India fall apart" on its sports page.

"The chase was always going to be an uphill task, considering the recent barren run which has seen the famed batting line-up not cross the 300-run mark in the last 10 away innings," said the paper.

The Hindu newspaper also blamed the batsmen for defeat, saying the "famed batting line-up fails to deliver".

Ravi Shastri, former India all-rounder and now a noted TV commentator, said the Indian batsmen needed to show grit to bounce back in the four-Test series.

"India need runs from all their main batsmen. Now that bowlers look the part, batters have no business to let them down," he wrote in the Times of India.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this completely turns out to be a bowlers' series. If so, then every run saved or made would count. India have the skills. All they need is resolve," he wrote.

Former India paceman Javagal Srinath said the tourists could fight back.

"Saddled with the reputation of being poor starters overseas, India did precious little to rectify the anomaly in the Melbourne Test," he wrote in the Hindustan Times.

"Barring England, where nothing went right for them, India have bounced back after first-Test losses. There is no reason, given the experience and quality of the India batting, why they can't do so again in Sydney."

The second Test starts in Sydney on January 3.