Month: September 2009

Bangladesh to host 2011 Cricket WC opening ceremony

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London, September 05: International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday declared that the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup will be held on 17 February in Bangladesh.

However, the first match of the World Cup will be played on 19 February in the same country.

Earlier, the ICC had said that both the first match and the opening ceremony would be held on February 19 in Bangladesh.

The full match schedule with venues would be announced by the ICC on November 9 from Mumbai.

Protest turns violent; police opens fire in air

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Ghaziabad, September 05: A large number of people today set a bus on fire and indulged in stone pelting here today to protest a move to evict them from an unauthorised colony, prompting police to lob teargas shells and open fire in the air. The protestors blocked the National Highway-24 at Ghaziabad and pelted stones at policemen this morning during their protest against the government initiating a process to evict them from an unauthorised colony, police sources said.

Iran dismisses bomb studies intelligence as forged

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Vienna, September 05: A senior Iranian official has accused the United States of feeding “forged” intelligence to the U.N. nuclear watchdog that says Iran had studied ways to make atomic bombs.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has lent some weight to Western intelligence reports which imply Tehran secretly combined uranium processing, airborne high-explosive tests and work to remodel a missile cone in a way that would fit a nuclear warhead.

Iran’s new oil minister attends OPEC meet

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Tehran, September 05: Iran’s OPEC governor says new Oil Minister Massoud Mirkazemi plans to take part in the upcoming meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

The next meeting of OPEC in Vienna on Wednesday will review the latest developments in the oil market to make decision about its likely output change.

“The new oil minister … is familiar with the atmosphere of international trade,” Khatibi told Mehr news agency.

Mirkazemi, former commerce minister, received vote of confidence from parliament on Thursday to become the new oil minister.

Kallis ton hands Proteas easy win

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Johanesburg, September 05: Jacques Kallis’ fiery century helped Proteas register a comfortable win against Lions at Sedgars Park. Kallis was well supported by Hashim Amla, who also stroked a quick fifty.

The win helped the South African team step up its training sessions with action in the middle, ahead of the Champions Trophy later this month.

Captains reflect on reversal of fortunes

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Auckland, September 05: How quickly the momentum has shifted. After bossing New Zealand around in the Tests, Sri Lanka have been slightly deflated with a loss in momentum, after defeats in both Twenty20 contests over the past three days.

New Zealand followed up their three-run victory on Wednesday with 22-run win last night to start the limited-overs part of their tough tour on a definite high.

Younis to form players’ association

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Islamabad, September 05: Pakistan captain Younis Khan is keen to launch a players’ association and is believed to have already contacted the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) in that regard.

Younis, who met FICA chief Tim May in London during the World Twenty20 in June seeking details about the formation of players’ association, said he had discussed the issue with current and former players in Pakistan and was also planning to meet PCB officials.

Clarke backs Nielsen’s break

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Melbourne, September 05: Australian stand-in skipper Michael Clarke has backed coach Tim Nielsen taking a break after the first four one-dayers in the ongoing seven-match series against England.

A tired Tim Nielsen will return home, leaving his deputy Troy Cooley to coach the side in the final three one-dayers, before rejoining the team in South Africa on September 22 as Australia prepares to defend its ICC Champions Trophy title.

Kapil not in favour of changing ODI format

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New Delhi, September 05: Former India captain Kapil Dev does not favour tinkering with the format of one-day cricket, as has been suggested by more and more former and current players.

Asked about Sachin Tendulkar’s new idea that 50-over cricket be split into four innings of 25 overs, Kapil said he was all for keeping the original format.

Gambhir not worried by Mendis threat

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New Delhi, September 05: The last time India toured Sri Lanka for a Test series, Ajantha Mendis bamboozled a star-studded Indian batting line-up, but this time around things will be different, promises Gautam Gambhir.

India play Sri Lanka and New Zealand in a triangular one-day series starting next week and Gambhir believed Mendis would pose no threat.

“Mendis had his say in the Tests but you have seen how we beat them in the one-dayers twice after that,” he said.

“We are coming out of a break and have a lot of energy. We have a lot of cricket ahead and it is going to be exciting.

Fifty overs is going to be tough work: Bond

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Auckland, September 05: New Zealand speedster Shane Bond is feeling relaxed and confident two games into his international comeback.

“I’m really pleased. I’m pleased the way I’m bowling at the end of an innings,” Bond said.

“I haven’t really done a lot of work on it, just these games here and one game in India, and it seems to be going pretty well so far.

Caribbean CJ to rule on WIPA-WICB dispute

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London, September 05: The WICB’s external legal counsel, Derek Ali, said at a press conference today that the Caribbean Court of Justice could be asked to rule in the bitter dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).

Mediation talks, headed by former Commonwealth secretary general Sir Shridath Ramphal, broke down last week after the feuding parties failed to find common ground.

Rashid provides the silver lining

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London, September 05: England captain Andrew Strauss saw young leg-spinning all-rounder Adil Rashid’s performance as the silver lining in their narrow loss to Australia in the first One Day International of the seven-match series.

Rashid bowled a tidy spell to return with figures of none for 37 in 10 overs, then smashed 31 off 23 balls to bring England close to victory.

Play ODIs like T20 Tests: Dean Jones

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Melbourne, September 05: Former Australian batsman Dean Jone has offered his recipe to revive One-day internationals suggesting a 40-over game with features of both Twenty20 and Test cricket.

Jones said fans are bored of this format and unless some drastic changes are made on the 50-over game, there will be only Test and Twenty20 cricket left.

NATO investigates airstrike on hijacked tankers

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Kabul, September 05: NATO investigators sought to determine Saturday if any of the scores of people killed in a U.S. airstrike on two tanker trucks hijacked by the Taliban were civilians trying to siphon fuel, while a bomb blast targeted German troops in the same northern Afghan province.

The 10-member investigative team flew over the site on the Kunduz river where a U.S. jet hit the tankers before dawn Friday with two 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombs, triggering a fireball that killed up to 70 people.

US, SKorea envoys discuss NKorean nuclear claim

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Seoul, September 05: Top nuclear envoys from South Korea and the United States held talks Saturday on a strategy to bring North Korea back to disarmament negotiations, a day after the North claimed to have succeeded in experimental uranium enrichment.

U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, and South Korean envoy Wi Sung-lac made no comments after their meeting. Bosworth later met with South Korea’s unification minister in charge of relations with North Korea.

Bosworth said in Beijing on Friday that any nuclear development in North Korea was a matter of concern.

US questions N Korea nuclear claims

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Washington, September 05: American experts have cast doubts over North Korean claims that the country is rebuilding a nuclear reactor to recover plutonium from fuel rods.

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said a black and white satellite image of the Yongbyon nuclear facility showed key parts of the reactor still in disrepair, AFP reported.

“Based on an analysis of imagery, there do not appear to be any reconstruction efforts at the reactor site,” the ISIS said.

India condemns attack on Indian priests in Nepal

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New Delhi, September 05: India Saturday condemned the attack by Nepali Maoists on two Indian priests at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.

‘We are aware of the attack by Maoists on the priests and we are in touch with the government of Nepal,’ External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters in Bangalore.

‘The information we have received is that security has been increased around the temple and priests who were attacked have been provided ample security,’ he said.

UN seeks more help for ending Somali piracy

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Mogadishu, September 05: The United Nations has sought greater international cooperation in controlling the increasing incidents of piracy near the Indian Ocean.

“The war against piracy off Somali waters will not be won unless more emphasis is laid on containing pirates on land before they reach the sea,” a UN military advisor said.

Military advisor to the UN Political Office on Somalia (UNOPS), Colonel Victor Gamor, made the remarks at a regional maritime forum currently underway in the Kenyan capital, Mombasa.

Dozens dead, wounded in Yemeni clashes

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Sanaa, September 05: Clashes between the Yemeni Army and Zaidi local fighters have left “dozens” of people dead or wounded, just hours after the government said it would suspend its attacks against the fighters.

“The armed forces and rebels engaged in violent clashes overnight which continued until dawn on Saturday in Malaheez and Hafr Sufyan” in Saada province, AFP quoted a military source as saying.

“Dozens of people have been killed and wounded in both camps,” the source added, without elaborating. No official confirmation of the toll was available.

US ex-pointman wants nuclear talks with Iran

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Washington, September 05: Former US undersecretary of state for political affairs, Nicolas Burns, says that negotiations are now the ‘right way to go’ in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.

In an interview with World Politics Review published on Friday, Burns — who served as the point man on Iran under former President George W. Bush — deemed both negotiations and sanctions necessary while maintaining that diplomatic measures may fail to solve Iran’s nuclear dispute.

‘Hamas-Israel prisoner swap deal imminent’

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Gaza, September 05: Hamas political bureau leader Khaled Meshaal plans to visit Cairo this weekend to finalize a prisoner swap deal with Israel, the Saudi daily al-Watan reports.

Senior Palestinian sources told al-Watan on September 4 that Meshaal’s upcoming Cairo visit was arranged for the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who has been held as a prisoner of war (POW), in return for hundreds of Palestinian captives in Israeli prisons.

Visiting Chavez backs Iran nuclear program

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Venenzuela, September 05: The Venezuelan president, who arrived in Tehran early Saturday, says Iran ‘will not back down’ in its plans for peaceful nuclear energy.

“We are certain that Iran, as it has shown, will not back down in its effort to obtain what is a sovereign right of the people: to have all the equipment and structures to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes,” Chavez said after his arrival in the Iranian capital.

At Friday prayers: Ministers advised on colleagues

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Tehran, September 05: Tehran’s substitute Friday prayers’ leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani urges the country’s new cabinet to materialize the objectives of the Islamic Republic.

Delivering his second Friday prayers sermon, referring to the parliament’s (Majlis) strong vote of confidence given to President Ahmadinejad’s minister nominees, Ayatollah Kashani urged the ministers to choose managers and directors that would help them reach the objectives of the Islamic Republic, IRNA reported.

US sides with Israel against Swedish article

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Stockholm, September 05: Members of the US Congress have sided with Israel on a row provoked over an article published by the Swedish daily Aftonbladet on an organ-theft scandal in Israel.

US Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, who is chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe accused the Scandinavian daily of racism over the article which accused the Israeli army of harvesting organs from wounded or killed Palestinians.