Nuku'alofa, Tonga: A strong earthquake struck far off the South Pacific island nation of Tonga on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports the magnitude-7.6 quake struck Friday at 1:57 p.m. (1757 GMT) about 541 miles (870 kilometers) south of Nuku'Alofa on Tonga. The quake struck at a depth of 24 miles (39 kilometers).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert, but its report on the quake said sea level readings indicated that a tsunami was generated.
The quake hit 112 miles (180 kilometers) from New Zealand's remote, volcanic Kermadec Islands. The remote outpost is generally uninhabited aside from a weather station and a hostel for visiting New Zealand scientists and staff.
New Zealand Civil Defense officials issued but then quickly canceled a tsunami warning.
Another magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck the region in July, but the eight New Zealand staffers at the Raoul Island outpost at the northern end of the Kermadecs were unharmed.
The region lies on the "Ring of Fire" - an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim. About 90 percent of the world's quakes occur in the region.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Us And Un Demand Details On How Gaddafi Died
Misurata, Libya: International calls mounted Friday for Libya's interim leaders to provide a fuller accounting of the final moments before Col. Muammar el-Gaddafi's violent, messy death, as new videos circulated that showed him and his son Muatassim alive, apparently while in the custody of the former rebels.
The United Nations and two leading human rights groups called for a thorough investigation into precisely how Colonel Gaddafi, who was seen on the Internet in cellphone videos bleeding and heaving as he was manhandled by screaming fighters, wound up dead with what appeared to be bullet wounds to the head.
One video in particular was receiving heightened scrutiny on Friday because it showed a conscious Colonel Gaddafi wiping blood off the left side of his face, revealing no bullet wound. Later videos of his corpse showed a bullet wound in the same spot, adding to skepticism about the interim government's official explanation that he was accidentally killed during a shootout with Gaddafi loyalists.
The United States, which along with other major Western powers heartily congratulated the Libyan people on Thursday as news of Colonel Gaddafi's death was announced, also said that Libya's post-Gaddafi leaders must furnish a detailed explanation of how he had died.
Officials with the interim government indicated that they would pursue an investigation, although senior military leaders in Misurata, where the bodies were taken, said they saw no need for one.
In Misurata, which harbors special antipathy toward Colonel Gaddafi because of his military's vicious assault here during the struggle to oust him, there appeared to be little concern about the manner of the deaths.
At an ad hoc viewing ceremony in a shopping center at the edge of town, giddy men and children lined up to see the colonel's body, lying on a mattress in a meat locker. All that seemed to matter was that he was gone.
"I felt joy," said Mustafa Ali, 37, who is unemployed, as he left the meat locker. "How long have we been waiting for this? We have martyrs, and this is his penalty."
As night fell, fireworks lighted up the city's skies.
The Transitional National Council, the shaky interim government in Tripoli, had said initially that Colonel Gaddafi would be buried on Friday in accordance with Islamic law, which generally requires a burial as soon as possible, but that the grave site had not been determined.
But Ali Tarhouni, the finance and oil minister, said the burial would be delayed pending an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Colonel Gaddafi's death and a decision about where to bury him. Officials gave no specifics about the timing or possible location.
Mahmoud Jibril, the interim prime minister, visiting the colonel's body in the meat locker, said the burial could take place in the next 48 hours.
The death of Colonel Gaddafi, who was found Thursday hiding in a drainpipe after two months on the run, was a moment of national catharsis in the country he had ruled for 42 years. The interim government said it would formally declare Libya's liberation on Sunday in the eastern city of Benghazi, where the revolution to oust him began in February. Officials said Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the chairman of the Transitional National Council, would make the proclamation.
Council officials have not said whether Colonel Gaddafi's son Muatassim was found dead or alive. But a new video circulated Friday showing the son, too, had been captured alive.
The video showed him sitting upright, smoking a cigarette and wearing a blood-stained shirt. Reporters and photographers who saw his body said it had wounds in the neck and chest.
The whereabouts of another Gaddafi son, Seif al-Islam, who had been reported captured or wounded on Thursday, were unknown, and there were rumors that he may have fled to Niger.
Navi Pillay, the top United Nations human rights official, formally requested an investigation into Colonel Gaddafi's death. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also urged the new Libyan authorities to investigate the killing.
Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, told reporters in Washington on Friday that Libya's interim government had "pledged to provide a full accounting of what happened, what transpired leading up to his death. And we look to them to do that."
The interim government has ignored calls by its allies for similar investigations before, quietly dropping an inquiry into the controversial killing of its top military official in July.
In Misurata, two senior security officials dismissed the need for an investigation, saying the interim government's explanation of what happened - that the colonel and his son had died of injuries sustained on the battlefield - was plausible enough.
Ibrahim el-Sharkasy, the head of the local security committee in Misurata, left open the possibility that Colonel Gaddafi had been executed but said it was more likely that he had been shot and killed during skirmishes. "What investigation?" he said, adding that that the military authorities did not investigate fights on the battlefield.
A senior official in the city's military intelligence service, Col. Ismail Shukri, said it was possible that Muatassim, despite appearing alert in the video, had died of internal bleeding. Another video, he said, showed Muatassim lying down with his hand across his face.
Colonel Shukri, who said he had questioned senior Gaddafi aides in recent days, said that Colonel Gaddafi had been in Surt, his birthplace, since Tripoli fell on Aug. 21, having traveled there in a convoy of about 25 cars. Once there, he moved from house to house. Colonel Shukri said that the ill-fated decision to flee the city in a convoy on Thursday had been made by Muatassim, who was directing military operations for the loyalist forces in Surt.
The plan had been to travel to a small town west of Surt, and then head south through the open desert.
"It was a desperate decision," the colonel said. "It was a failed decision."
NATO forces spotted the convoy before it had traveled two miles, and called in a French airstrike.
NATO said Friday that the strike had destroyed at least 11 of the vehicles, and had probably contributed to Colonel Gaddafi's capture. Anti-Gaddafi fighters arriving soon after the attack described a scene of mass destruction, with as many as 50 bodies scattered about and the charred remains of victims still sitting in the driver's seats of the destroyed vehicles.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday, the alliance's secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that it would seek to end operations in Libya on Oct. 31 but that a formal decision would be made early next week. For now, he told a news conference, NATO would "monitor the situation and retain the capacity to respond to threats to civilians if needed."
NATO has been conducting aerial assaults on Colonel Gaddafi's forces since March under a United Nations Security Council resolution to protect Libyan civilians. The assaults were widely credited with helping the rebels overthrow him.
The United Nations and two leading human rights groups called for a thorough investigation into precisely how Colonel Gaddafi, who was seen on the Internet in cellphone videos bleeding and heaving as he was manhandled by screaming fighters, wound up dead with what appeared to be bullet wounds to the head.
One video in particular was receiving heightened scrutiny on Friday because it showed a conscious Colonel Gaddafi wiping blood off the left side of his face, revealing no bullet wound. Later videos of his corpse showed a bullet wound in the same spot, adding to skepticism about the interim government's official explanation that he was accidentally killed during a shootout with Gaddafi loyalists.
The United States, which along with other major Western powers heartily congratulated the Libyan people on Thursday as news of Colonel Gaddafi's death was announced, also said that Libya's post-Gaddafi leaders must furnish a detailed explanation of how he had died.
Officials with the interim government indicated that they would pursue an investigation, although senior military leaders in Misurata, where the bodies were taken, said they saw no need for one.
In Misurata, which harbors special antipathy toward Colonel Gaddafi because of his military's vicious assault here during the struggle to oust him, there appeared to be little concern about the manner of the deaths.
At an ad hoc viewing ceremony in a shopping center at the edge of town, giddy men and children lined up to see the colonel's body, lying on a mattress in a meat locker. All that seemed to matter was that he was gone.
"I felt joy," said Mustafa Ali, 37, who is unemployed, as he left the meat locker. "How long have we been waiting for this? We have martyrs, and this is his penalty."
As night fell, fireworks lighted up the city's skies.
The Transitional National Council, the shaky interim government in Tripoli, had said initially that Colonel Gaddafi would be buried on Friday in accordance with Islamic law, which generally requires a burial as soon as possible, but that the grave site had not been determined.
But Ali Tarhouni, the finance and oil minister, said the burial would be delayed pending an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Colonel Gaddafi's death and a decision about where to bury him. Officials gave no specifics about the timing or possible location.
Mahmoud Jibril, the interim prime minister, visiting the colonel's body in the meat locker, said the burial could take place in the next 48 hours.
The death of Colonel Gaddafi, who was found Thursday hiding in a drainpipe after two months on the run, was a moment of national catharsis in the country he had ruled for 42 years. The interim government said it would formally declare Libya's liberation on Sunday in the eastern city of Benghazi, where the revolution to oust him began in February. Officials said Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the chairman of the Transitional National Council, would make the proclamation.
Council officials have not said whether Colonel Gaddafi's son Muatassim was found dead or alive. But a new video circulated Friday showing the son, too, had been captured alive.
The video showed him sitting upright, smoking a cigarette and wearing a blood-stained shirt. Reporters and photographers who saw his body said it had wounds in the neck and chest.
The whereabouts of another Gaddafi son, Seif al-Islam, who had been reported captured or wounded on Thursday, were unknown, and there were rumors that he may have fled to Niger.
Navi Pillay, the top United Nations human rights official, formally requested an investigation into Colonel Gaddafi's death. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also urged the new Libyan authorities to investigate the killing.
Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, told reporters in Washington on Friday that Libya's interim government had "pledged to provide a full accounting of what happened, what transpired leading up to his death. And we look to them to do that."
The interim government has ignored calls by its allies for similar investigations before, quietly dropping an inquiry into the controversial killing of its top military official in July.
In Misurata, two senior security officials dismissed the need for an investigation, saying the interim government's explanation of what happened - that the colonel and his son had died of injuries sustained on the battlefield - was plausible enough.
Ibrahim el-Sharkasy, the head of the local security committee in Misurata, left open the possibility that Colonel Gaddafi had been executed but said it was more likely that he had been shot and killed during skirmishes. "What investigation?" he said, adding that that the military authorities did not investigate fights on the battlefield.
A senior official in the city's military intelligence service, Col. Ismail Shukri, said it was possible that Muatassim, despite appearing alert in the video, had died of internal bleeding. Another video, he said, showed Muatassim lying down with his hand across his face.
Colonel Shukri, who said he had questioned senior Gaddafi aides in recent days, said that Colonel Gaddafi had been in Surt, his birthplace, since Tripoli fell on Aug. 21, having traveled there in a convoy of about 25 cars. Once there, he moved from house to house. Colonel Shukri said that the ill-fated decision to flee the city in a convoy on Thursday had been made by Muatassim, who was directing military operations for the loyalist forces in Surt.
The plan had been to travel to a small town west of Surt, and then head south through the open desert.
"It was a desperate decision," the colonel said. "It was a failed decision."
NATO forces spotted the convoy before it had traveled two miles, and called in a French airstrike.
NATO said Friday that the strike had destroyed at least 11 of the vehicles, and had probably contributed to Colonel Gaddafi's capture. Anti-Gaddafi fighters arriving soon after the attack described a scene of mass destruction, with as many as 50 bodies scattered about and the charred remains of victims still sitting in the driver's seats of the destroyed vehicles.
At NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday, the alliance's secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that it would seek to end operations in Libya on Oct. 31 but that a formal decision would be made early next week. For now, he told a news conference, NATO would "monitor the situation and retain the capacity to respond to threats to civilians if needed."
NATO has been conducting aerial assaults on Colonel Gaddafi's forces since March under a United Nations Security Council resolution to protect Libyan civilians. The assaults were widely credited with helping the rebels overthrow him.
Gaddafi's Daughter Sick After Seeing Dead Father On Television
Algiers: Moammar Gaddafi's daughter Aisha was hospitalised in Algeria after learning that her father and brother Muttasim had been killed by Libyan transitional government forces, according to a news report.
The 34 year-old daughter of the late Libyan dictator was admitted to hospital on Thursday after seeing images of her dead father broadcast on television, Algerian media reported.
Aisha, dubbed the Claudia Schiffer of North Africa for her striking looks, crossed into Algeria from Libya with her brothers Hannibal and Mohammed and their families Aug 30, almost six months after fighting broke out between rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi in February.
Algeria said refuge was granted on humanitarian grounds.
Choppy video images of Gaddafi's bloody body surrounded by joyful soldiers were broadcast around the world after he was captured and shot in Sirte, his hometown that fell to government forces Thursday.
Gaddafi was reportedly found hiding in a sewer drain, and uttered his last worlds "don't fire, what have I ever done to you", before being shot.
The 34 year-old daughter of the late Libyan dictator was admitted to hospital on Thursday after seeing images of her dead father broadcast on television, Algerian media reported.
Aisha, dubbed the Claudia Schiffer of North Africa for her striking looks, crossed into Algeria from Libya with her brothers Hannibal and Mohammed and their families Aug 30, almost six months after fighting broke out between rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi in February.
Algeria said refuge was granted on humanitarian grounds.
Choppy video images of Gaddafi's bloody body surrounded by joyful soldiers were broadcast around the world after he was captured and shot in Sirte, his hometown that fell to government forces Thursday.
Gaddafi was reportedly found hiding in a sewer drain, and uttered his last worlds "don't fire, what have I ever done to you", before being shot.
Jayalalithaa Blasts Centre, Says It Is 'A Fascist Government'
New Delhi: J Jayalalithaa has attacked the central government for not giving her state, Tamil Nadu, financial assistance. In a speech read out by her representative at a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) this morning, the Chief Minister said the Centre is "fascist and anti-democratic".
The NDC is headed by the Prime Minister and includes all chief ministers; it helps frame policy for the balanced development of different parts of the country. Jayalalithaa described the meeting as "a ritualistic exercise in futility".
She said citizens in states where the Congress is not in power are given "step-motherly treatment". She cited the example of West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee, who is a key partner of the UPA coalition, has got financial aid while Tamil Nadu has been ignored.
She also accused the government of trying to encroach upon the powers of state governments - interference that she said amounts to "and reducing the state (governments) to the status of glorified Municipal Commission Corporations".
The NDC is headed by the Prime Minister and includes all chief ministers; it helps frame policy for the balanced development of different parts of the country. Jayalalithaa described the meeting as "a ritualistic exercise in futility".
She said citizens in states where the Congress is not in power are given "step-motherly treatment". She cited the example of West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee, who is a key partner of the UPA coalition, has got financial aid while Tamil Nadu has been ignored.
She also accused the government of trying to encroach upon the powers of state governments - interference that she said amounts to "and reducing the state (governments) to the status of glorified Municipal Commission Corporations".
Yeddyurappa's Judicial Custody Extended Till November 3
Bangalore: The Lokayukta Court on Saturday extended till November 3 the judicial custody of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in alleged land scam cases.
Judge N K Sudhindra Rao also extended the judicial custody of former minister and sitting MLA Krishnaiah Settty, another accused in the case relating to alleged irregularities in denotification of government lands.
The court had on October 15 remanded Yeddyurappa and Setty, to judicial custody till today after rejecting their bail pleas.
Except Yeddyurappa, all the other accused, including his sons B Y Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha member and B Y Vijayendra, who are on conditional bail, were present in the court.
Jail authorities in their warrant said Yeddyurappa was not being produced in the court due to his ill health.
Counsels for the other accused surrendered their passports to the court, which then directed the court office to keep them in sealed covers in safe custody.
The Lokayukta Court had issued summons to the accused in August on two of the five private complaints filed by advocate Sirajin Basha, regarding illegal denotification of government land for pecuniary gain.
In both complaints, Yeddyurappa is the main accused.
Judge N K Sudhindra Rao also extended the judicial custody of former minister and sitting MLA Krishnaiah Settty, another accused in the case relating to alleged irregularities in denotification of government lands.
The court had on October 15 remanded Yeddyurappa and Setty, to judicial custody till today after rejecting their bail pleas.
Except Yeddyurappa, all the other accused, including his sons B Y Raghavendra, a Lok Sabha member and B Y Vijayendra, who are on conditional bail, were present in the court.
Jail authorities in their warrant said Yeddyurappa was not being produced in the court due to his ill health.
Counsels for the other accused surrendered their passports to the court, which then directed the court office to keep them in sealed covers in safe custody.
The Lokayukta Court had issued summons to the accused in August on two of the five private complaints filed by advocate Sirajin Basha, regarding illegal denotification of government land for pecuniary gain.
In both complaints, Yeddyurappa is the main accused.
Advani's 'Jan Chetna Yatra' To Skip Bangalore
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader LK Advani, who has been on the road for 12 days now, taking his strong anti-corruption message from state to state, will skip Bangalore. His rally, which was scheduled for October 30 in Bangalore, sources say, has been opposed by the Karnataka state unit with the supporters of former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa upset with Mr Advani over his comments in Nagpur.
On Tuesday, Mr Advani broke his silence on the arrest of Mr Yeddyurappa and admitted that the BJP could not win the battle of perception without putting its own house in order. "We never take any party weakness lightly and we proved the same in Karnataka. We had cautioned them in advance but when the Lokayukta report came out, he had to resign immediately. We are fully aware of the fact that no party can effectively win the confidence of the people against the present corruption of the Congress party if its own house is bedevilled with similar weaknesses," he had said in Nagpur.
Mr Yeddyurappa was arrested and sent to judicial custody on October 15 in alleged land scam cases. The Lokayukta Court today extended his judicial custody till November 3.
Mr Advani's 'Jan Chetna Yatra', even though it will skip Bangalore, would continue in the coastal parts of the state - Mangalore, Udupi and Honnavara - on October 31, party sources said.
There would be no change in the public rally to be held on November 1 at Ankola, the last stop of the yatra in Karnataka, before it enters neighbouring Goa, sources added.
On Tuesday, Mr Advani broke his silence on the arrest of Mr Yeddyurappa and admitted that the BJP could not win the battle of perception without putting its own house in order. "We never take any party weakness lightly and we proved the same in Karnataka. We had cautioned them in advance but when the Lokayukta report came out, he had to resign immediately. We are fully aware of the fact that no party can effectively win the confidence of the people against the present corruption of the Congress party if its own house is bedevilled with similar weaknesses," he had said in Nagpur.
Mr Yeddyurappa was arrested and sent to judicial custody on October 15 in alleged land scam cases. The Lokayukta Court today extended his judicial custody till November 3.
Mr Advani's 'Jan Chetna Yatra', even though it will skip Bangalore, would continue in the coastal parts of the state - Mangalore, Udupi and Honnavara - on October 31, party sources said.
There would be no change in the public rally to be held on November 1 at Ankola, the last stop of the yatra in Karnataka, before it enters neighbouring Goa, sources added.
England Eager To Win Last Two Odis: Trott
Mumbai: With the series already out of their grasp, England are keen to end the five-match rubber against India on a high by at least winning the last two ODIs, visiting middle-order batsman Jonathan Trott said in Mumbai on Saturday.
"I just think we haven't played as well as we did in England. I think India played well. They will admit they played a lot better than what they did in the summer."
"But there are two games to go and a good performance in those games would give us a spring while going back," said the South Africa-born batsman, who made a splendid unbeaten 98 in the third ODI at Mohali which his team lost by five wickets to concede a 0-3 lead to the hosts.
Trott, however, begs to differ with the view that England's keenness to win the remaining games of the dead rubber was a case of damage control.
He was of the view that India played better cricket than the tourists in the series so far.
"It's definitely not a case of damage limitation. It's a case of realising that you haven't played well in the first three games. We haven't played up to our expectations," Trott said on the eve of inconsequential fourth ODI at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday.
"India have played better cricket. It's an opportunity in for us the last two games to put some good performances for the team as well as individuals."
Asked about the differences in their performance back home and in the ongoing India tour, Trott said England failed to play well in key moments in the series.
"I can't pinpoint the exact reason. I think we lost key periods of the games or India played well in the key periods of the games. I think we played well the other night (at Mohali when England mustered 298)."
"Got a good total but just could not get across the line. Our basics haven't been up to the scratch. Things like big partnerships, fielding. We haven't done well. Good opportunity there up tomorrow and the next game," Trott said.
"We take every game as they come. We are playing India in Mumbai and Kolkata. I'm looking forward to those games," the right-hander added.
Trott said after climbing to the numero uno position in Test rankings, England's target was to repeat the feat in the 50-over format.
"We wanted to be the number one Test team and we have achieved that. Now we have similar target for one-dayers. We have lost a few games in a row. But we have to put that right and as I said deliver performances," he said.
He also downplayed the on-field heated exchanges between the Indian and English players during the first three matches, saying such things happen in the heat of the moment.
"Whichever XI takes the field, are highly motivated to win. I think guys get across very well. It comes across differently on TV which is not the case. We get the best out of each other," Trott claimed.
"Sometimes you go out of way to do it and things happen in the heat of the moment. The guys take a lot of pride in their performance and want to win. That's what they want to do."
"The match officials hadn't given any official warning. The officials have spoken to the two captains about that sort of stuff and that's all I've heard about the stuff going on," he said about match referee Roshan Mahanama's decision to talk to the two teams after the Mohali tie.
Trott conceded he and Ravi Bopara should have scored faster in the batting powerplay at Mohali and it was one area that needs improvement.
"I think Ravi and I could have pushed it a little bit. I think Ravi got out in the third power play. So when we lose wickets it put brakes on.
"We have played well throughout the summer, but haven't done well in the last three games. We would be looking to do that right (powerplays). Historically, we haven't done well in powerplays," Trott observed.
"I think 298 the other night is among England's highest scores in India. But we just couldn't get across the line. We will try to do that in the next couple of games," he remarked.
He praised India opener Ajinkya Rahane for his career-best 91 at Mohali after failing in the first two games of the series.
"Rahane is good player. I played against him in the 2007 Duleep Trophy game (between England Lions and West Zone) and he got some runs against us. I always felt he's a good player. He's got a couple of fifties against us. He played well the other night," Trott said.
Trott claimed England batsmen have started to negotiate Indian spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin better as the series had progressed.
"They (Jadeja and Ashwin) are very good spinners. If you are a spin bowler playing for India, you have to be very good. They have been playing well and I've been very keen on how to bat against them for three games in a row."
"Like everything else, you realise every challenge. I think we are getting better and better against them," he declared.
Trott was non-committal when asked about the wicket's nature for Sunday's game.
"I've never played here so don't now what to expect. The nets look pretty similar. It looks like a pretty good batting wicket. Average score here is 270-280. So, hopefully we can have another great game tomorrow."
"I just think we haven't played as well as we did in England. I think India played well. They will admit they played a lot better than what they did in the summer."
"But there are two games to go and a good performance in those games would give us a spring while going back," said the South Africa-born batsman, who made a splendid unbeaten 98 in the third ODI at Mohali which his team lost by five wickets to concede a 0-3 lead to the hosts.
Trott, however, begs to differ with the view that England's keenness to win the remaining games of the dead rubber was a case of damage control.
He was of the view that India played better cricket than the tourists in the series so far.
"It's definitely not a case of damage limitation. It's a case of realising that you haven't played well in the first three games. We haven't played up to our expectations," Trott said on the eve of inconsequential fourth ODI at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday.
"India have played better cricket. It's an opportunity in for us the last two games to put some good performances for the team as well as individuals."
Asked about the differences in their performance back home and in the ongoing India tour, Trott said England failed to play well in key moments in the series.
"I can't pinpoint the exact reason. I think we lost key periods of the games or India played well in the key periods of the games. I think we played well the other night (at Mohali when England mustered 298)."
"Got a good total but just could not get across the line. Our basics haven't been up to the scratch. Things like big partnerships, fielding. We haven't done well. Good opportunity there up tomorrow and the next game," Trott said.
"We take every game as they come. We are playing India in Mumbai and Kolkata. I'm looking forward to those games," the right-hander added.
Trott said after climbing to the numero uno position in Test rankings, England's target was to repeat the feat in the 50-over format.
"We wanted to be the number one Test team and we have achieved that. Now we have similar target for one-dayers. We have lost a few games in a row. But we have to put that right and as I said deliver performances," he said.
He also downplayed the on-field heated exchanges between the Indian and English players during the first three matches, saying such things happen in the heat of the moment.
"Whichever XI takes the field, are highly motivated to win. I think guys get across very well. It comes across differently on TV which is not the case. We get the best out of each other," Trott claimed.
"Sometimes you go out of way to do it and things happen in the heat of the moment. The guys take a lot of pride in their performance and want to win. That's what they want to do."
"The match officials hadn't given any official warning. The officials have spoken to the two captains about that sort of stuff and that's all I've heard about the stuff going on," he said about match referee Roshan Mahanama's decision to talk to the two teams after the Mohali tie.
Trott conceded he and Ravi Bopara should have scored faster in the batting powerplay at Mohali and it was one area that needs improvement.
"I think Ravi and I could have pushed it a little bit. I think Ravi got out in the third power play. So when we lose wickets it put brakes on.
"We have played well throughout the summer, but haven't done well in the last three games. We would be looking to do that right (powerplays). Historically, we haven't done well in powerplays," Trott observed.
"I think 298 the other night is among England's highest scores in India. But we just couldn't get across the line. We will try to do that in the next couple of games," he remarked.
He praised India opener Ajinkya Rahane for his career-best 91 at Mohali after failing in the first two games of the series.
"Rahane is good player. I played against him in the 2007 Duleep Trophy game (between England Lions and West Zone) and he got some runs against us. I always felt he's a good player. He's got a couple of fifties against us. He played well the other night," Trott said.
Trott claimed England batsmen have started to negotiate Indian spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin better as the series had progressed.
"They (Jadeja and Ashwin) are very good spinners. If you are a spin bowler playing for India, you have to be very good. They have been playing well and I've been very keen on how to bat against them for three games in a row."
"Like everything else, you realise every challenge. I think we are getting better and better against them," he declared.
Trott was non-committal when asked about the wicket's nature for Sunday's game.
"I've never played here so don't now what to expect. The nets look pretty similar. It looks like a pretty good batting wicket. Average score here is 270-280. So, hopefully we can have another great game tomorrow."
Karunanidhi meets Kanimozhi in Tihar Jail
New Delhi: After a court in Delhi decided his daughter, Kanimozhi, would stand trial in the telecom scam, DMK chief M Karunanidhi met with her in Tihar Jail. Kanimozhi has been in jail since May 21 in connection with the 2G case.
The DMK chief is currently meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Earlier in the day, Mr Karunanidhi met with Sonia Gandhi, the President of the UPA, for 15 minutes at her residence. Mr Karunanidhi's party described the 15-minute-long meeting as "a courtesy call" - the southern leader wanted to enquire about Mrs Gandhi's health. She returned a few weeks ago to Delhi after an operation in the United States. But much will be read into the timing of their appointment. From Mrs Gandhi's home, Mr Karunanidhi drove to the court handling the telecom scam, where he dropped off Kanimozhi's mother.
Along with 13 other individuals and three companies, Kanimozhi was told the court has accepted all the charges levelled by the CBI - they include criminal conspiracy to cause criminal breach of trust by a public servant which comes with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Sources say that Mr Karunanidhi, who flew into Delhi from Chennai yesterday, met with Law Minister Salman Khurshid at a five-star hotel last night.
Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, recently applied a third time for bail. Considerable controversy was generated after the media reported that the CBI had indicated that this time around, it would not oppose her bail. Kanimozhi's lawyers say because she is a woman and has to look after her young son, she should be allowed to return home.
Her arrest added a new stress-test case to her father's alliance with the Congress, which delivered disastrous results in the Tamil Nadu elections in May. Mr Karunanidhi was voted out as Chief Minister with the DMK embarrassed by one of its worst electoral scoreboards. Both Mr Karunanidhi and the Congress say a divorce is not on the cards. For the UPA coalition at the Centre, the DMK's 18 Lok Sabha MPs are prize assets.
The 2G scam has torn through the DMK with furious force. A Raja, the charismatic Dalit leader of the party is in jail for allegedly masterminding the swindle. Kanimozhi has been accused of helping him accept a kickback from a company he obliged with a mobile network license. And Dayanidhi Maran, who is Mr Karunanidhi's grandnephew, is being investigated for misusing his office as Telecom Minister before Mr Raja stepped in. Mr Maran had to resign as Union Minister after the CBI said it has evidence that he deliberately delayed licenses for a company named Aircel till the owner agreed to sell the telecom to an entrepreneur named T Ananda Krishnan close to Mr Maran's family. The CBI says Mr Ananda Krishnan of the Maxis Group repaid Mr Maran by depositing 600 crores in a company owned by his brother. And that Mr Maran ensured the pending licenses for Aircel were expedited once it was bought by Maxis.
At the DMK chief's hotel in Delhi this morning, Mr Maran was reportedly seen at Mr Karunanidhi's side, suggesting that reports of an estrangement between the family members may not be correct. Earlier this month, Mr Karunanidhi said, "I treat my daughter Kanimozhi and the Maran brothers equally."
The DMK chief is currently meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Earlier in the day, Mr Karunanidhi met with Sonia Gandhi, the President of the UPA, for 15 minutes at her residence. Mr Karunanidhi's party described the 15-minute-long meeting as "a courtesy call" - the southern leader wanted to enquire about Mrs Gandhi's health. She returned a few weeks ago to Delhi after an operation in the United States. But much will be read into the timing of their appointment. From Mrs Gandhi's home, Mr Karunanidhi drove to the court handling the telecom scam, where he dropped off Kanimozhi's mother.
Along with 13 other individuals and three companies, Kanimozhi was told the court has accepted all the charges levelled by the CBI - they include criminal conspiracy to cause criminal breach of trust by a public servant which comes with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Sources say that Mr Karunanidhi, who flew into Delhi from Chennai yesterday, met with Law Minister Salman Khurshid at a five-star hotel last night.
Kanimozhi, a Rajya Sabha MP, recently applied a third time for bail. Considerable controversy was generated after the media reported that the CBI had indicated that this time around, it would not oppose her bail. Kanimozhi's lawyers say because she is a woman and has to look after her young son, she should be allowed to return home.
Her arrest added a new stress-test case to her father's alliance with the Congress, which delivered disastrous results in the Tamil Nadu elections in May. Mr Karunanidhi was voted out as Chief Minister with the DMK embarrassed by one of its worst electoral scoreboards. Both Mr Karunanidhi and the Congress say a divorce is not on the cards. For the UPA coalition at the Centre, the DMK's 18 Lok Sabha MPs are prize assets.
The 2G scam has torn through the DMK with furious force. A Raja, the charismatic Dalit leader of the party is in jail for allegedly masterminding the swindle. Kanimozhi has been accused of helping him accept a kickback from a company he obliged with a mobile network license. And Dayanidhi Maran, who is Mr Karunanidhi's grandnephew, is being investigated for misusing his office as Telecom Minister before Mr Raja stepped in. Mr Maran had to resign as Union Minister after the CBI said it has evidence that he deliberately delayed licenses for a company named Aircel till the owner agreed to sell the telecom to an entrepreneur named T Ananda Krishnan close to Mr Maran's family. The CBI says Mr Ananda Krishnan of the Maxis Group repaid Mr Maran by depositing 600 crores in a company owned by his brother. And that Mr Maran ensured the pending licenses for Aircel were expedited once it was bought by Maxis.
At the DMK chief's hotel in Delhi this morning, Mr Maran was reportedly seen at Mr Karunanidhi's side, suggesting that reports of an estrangement between the family members may not be correct. Earlier this month, Mr Karunanidhi said, "I treat my daughter Kanimozhi and the Maran brothers equally."
Sehwag Targets Comeback Against West Indies
New Delhi: Virender Sehwag has said his shoulder is feeling better and he hopes to return to the India side for the Test series against West Indies that starts on November 6. Sehwag played for Delhi in a domestic Twenty20 match against Jammu and Kashmir on October 21, his first competitive game since returning prematurely from the tour of England. He was dismissed for 1 but notably bowled two overs, something he was not able to do before undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in May.
"This game helped me test my fitness," Sehwag told Hindustan Times after the match. "I can bat and bowl as well. I am still having trouble with my throwing. I am doing my strengthening exercises and following the fitness routine."
Sehwag had been rushed back into the India Test team after his surgery, but after poor performances in the last two Tests in England it was determined that his shoulder had not fully recovered and he returned before the one-day series. Sehwag said he wanted to be completely fit before making his next comeback.
"My target is to get fit for the West Indies series," he said. "But before that I need to undergo a fitness test. I will play only if I feel fit and fine."
Sehwag will not play in Delhi's next Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Punjab on Saturday but may play against Hyderabad on Monday or Services on Tuesday.
"This game helped me test my fitness," Sehwag told Hindustan Times after the match. "I can bat and bowl as well. I am still having trouble with my throwing. I am doing my strengthening exercises and following the fitness routine."
Sehwag had been rushed back into the India Test team after his surgery, but after poor performances in the last two Tests in England it was determined that his shoulder had not fully recovered and he returned before the one-day series. Sehwag said he wanted to be completely fit before making his next comeback.
"My target is to get fit for the West Indies series," he said. "But before that I need to undergo a fitness test. I will play only if I feel fit and fine."
Sehwag will not play in Delhi's next Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Punjab on Saturday but may play against Hyderabad on Monday or Services on Tuesday.
Sangakkara, Jayawardene Foil Pakistan For First Test Draw
Abu Dhabi: Kumar Sangakkara hit his eighth double hundred and Prasanna Jayawardene notched up a fighting century to thwart Pakistan's hopes of victory to salvage a draw for Sri Lanka in the first Test here on Saturday.
Sangakkara scored 211 during a marathon near eleven-hour stay while Prasanna made 120, for his fourth century, as Sri Lanka piled on 483 to frustrate Pakistan on the fifth and final day at Abu Dhabi stadium.
A cluster of wickets in the final session with Umar Gul taking 4-64 left Pakistan with an improbable target of making 170 in a maximum 20 overs, but they called it quits on 21-1 after 10 overs.
Sangakkara finally fell in the last over before tea, when he was trapped leg-before by the part-time leg-spinner Azhar Ali for his first wicket in Test cricket but not before he had frustrated Pakistan for almost two sessions.
Sangakkara batted for 651 minutes, faced 431 deliveries and hit 18 boundaries during an epic knock.
With just 25 overs remaining and the match heading towards a draw, Prasanna fell caught behind off paceman Aizaz Cheema but by that time he and Sangakkara had changed the course of the match.
Sangakkara flicked Cheema to fine-leg for his 18th boundary to reach his double hundred after 604-minutes of defiant batting, punching the air in delight.
Together with Prasanna, Sangakkara added 201 for the sixth wicket stand, erasing the previous best of 169 in Pakistan-Sri Lanka Tests for this wicket between Kamran Akmal and Yasir Arafat at Karachi two years ago.
Sangakkara, 33, has also achieved a personal landmark by scoring a double hundred as he is now third behind Sir Donald Bradman (12) and West Indian Brian Lara (nine) in terms of scoring Test double hundreds.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq employed all possible means but the Sangakkara-Prasanna pair did not served up any chances in the first three hours. Prasanna reached his hundred with his 11th boundary, an uppish drive off spinner Saeed Ajmal.
In all Prasanna hit 12 boundaries during his 273-ball knock.
Resuming at 298-5 Sri Lanka survived the morning session unscathed as the overnight pair of Sangakkara and Prasanna kept Pakistan's three-pronged pace attack at bay to take their team to 364-5 at lunch.
Prasanna, dropped by substitute Wahab Riaz off Gul on 11 - one of six catches Pakistani fielders dropped on Friday - hit Aizaz Cheema and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for consecutive boundaries to help Sri Lanka erase the deficit.
Sangakkara, whose wicket was crucial for both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, then came into his own hitting Ajmal for an exquisite cover drive to the ropes and gave no chance to bowlers.
Pakistan used all five bowlers but were left to rue the missed chances of Friday which spoiled their chances of taking the lead in the three-Test series.
The second Test starts in Dubai on October 26, while the third will be played in Sharjah from November 3.
Sangakkara scored 211 during a marathon near eleven-hour stay while Prasanna made 120, for his fourth century, as Sri Lanka piled on 483 to frustrate Pakistan on the fifth and final day at Abu Dhabi stadium.
A cluster of wickets in the final session with Umar Gul taking 4-64 left Pakistan with an improbable target of making 170 in a maximum 20 overs, but they called it quits on 21-1 after 10 overs.
Sangakkara finally fell in the last over before tea, when he was trapped leg-before by the part-time leg-spinner Azhar Ali for his first wicket in Test cricket but not before he had frustrated Pakistan for almost two sessions.
Sangakkara batted for 651 minutes, faced 431 deliveries and hit 18 boundaries during an epic knock.
With just 25 overs remaining and the match heading towards a draw, Prasanna fell caught behind off paceman Aizaz Cheema but by that time he and Sangakkara had changed the course of the match.
Sangakkara flicked Cheema to fine-leg for his 18th boundary to reach his double hundred after 604-minutes of defiant batting, punching the air in delight.
Together with Prasanna, Sangakkara added 201 for the sixth wicket stand, erasing the previous best of 169 in Pakistan-Sri Lanka Tests for this wicket between Kamran Akmal and Yasir Arafat at Karachi two years ago.
Sangakkara, 33, has also achieved a personal landmark by scoring a double hundred as he is now third behind Sir Donald Bradman (12) and West Indian Brian Lara (nine) in terms of scoring Test double hundreds.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq employed all possible means but the Sangakkara-Prasanna pair did not served up any chances in the first three hours. Prasanna reached his hundred with his 11th boundary, an uppish drive off spinner Saeed Ajmal.
In all Prasanna hit 12 boundaries during his 273-ball knock.
Resuming at 298-5 Sri Lanka survived the morning session unscathed as the overnight pair of Sangakkara and Prasanna kept Pakistan's three-pronged pace attack at bay to take their team to 364-5 at lunch.
Prasanna, dropped by substitute Wahab Riaz off Gul on 11 - one of six catches Pakistani fielders dropped on Friday - hit Aizaz Cheema and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for consecutive boundaries to help Sri Lanka erase the deficit.
Sangakkara, whose wicket was crucial for both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, then came into his own hitting Ajmal for an exquisite cover drive to the ropes and gave no chance to bowlers.
Pakistan used all five bowlers but were left to rue the missed chances of Friday which spoiled their chances of taking the lead in the three-Test series.
The second Test starts in Dubai on October 26, while the third will be played in Sharjah from November 3.
India Vs England: Beware The Euphoria Of A Whitewash
All those astonished by the 3-0 scoreline in the five-match India v England ODI series, please raise your hands. To you, it can only be said: ye of little faith. Or rather, ye of short memory.
Fine, so 4-0 and 3-0 are not the kind of souvenirs anyone in Indian cricket would have wanted from an English summer, but India are among the game's more accomplished shape-shifters. And so, the course of this ODI series, while enjoyable and entertaining, has been far from surprising.
Simply put, India at home in the short game are very, very hard to beat. Despite a rapidly changing line-up and ever-growing injury lists, their players have become adept masters of their own conditions, be it the bowlers who extend their variety, or the batsmen's fearlessness in the crunch, considered by many to be one of the IPL's more valuable cricketing rewards. Over the last five years in the 50-over format, India have only gained in strength and have virtually reformatted their own record of winning at home.
In the first five years of the 2000s, India approximately had the 55-45% win-loss record that television executives believe is the minimum needed to keep the home audience riveted. It is what they have done since that offers the pure weight of proof about their home advantage.
From March 2000 to April 2005, India won 22 and lost 24 of their 47 ODIs at home. From October 2005 to date, India's record is 51 wins in 76 ODIs, and 27 in 36 over the last three years with a single defeat in 16 home ODIs in the last 12 months. In the 2000s, India have lost only six of 18 bilateral series at home (not counting a single BCCI Platinum Jubilee ODI against Pakistan as a series). There have been three humongous margins of victory at home in the last six years: 6-1 over Sri Lanka in 2005, 5-1 over England in 2005-06, and two "doughnut" results: a pre-World Cup bludgeoning of New Zealand last year, and before that a 5-0 drubbing of, erm, England again, in the interrupted seven-match series in 2008-09.
Still overwhelmed by 3-0? Just because they had a poor tour of England doesn't mean the Indian team has forgotten how to play in India.
In each of the ODIs this month, India have been impressive in their execution and methodical dismantling of England. Anything less, however, would have been disappointing. This is how world champions are meant to perform in their own backyards. In any case, amongst the frontline nations, England in India are relatively less problematic opposition than, say, Australia or South Africa.
The Australians are the only touring team to win an ODI series in India in the last four years, not once but twice, and South Africa make a respectable fist of every format they play in here. The last time England won a series of any kind in India was in 1984-85; no matter how much they plan or how early they turn up, a tour of India usually seems to end up a discombobulating ordeal.
In real terms, more than bring notions of revenge or delirium to Indian cricket, this series will sober England. In cricketing terms, India, however, are exactly where they were after the England tour, only happier, with more smiling faces. Suddenly the bench seems loaded with strength, playing off the back foot is an art well distributed along the batting order, the fielders have found their inner Jonty, and god alive, an Indian fast bowler who hits 145kph actually exists.
India have had such eureka series over and over again in the past, only to have short-sightedness, mismanagement and poor scheduling helpfully fling one banana peel after another onto the team's path. If anything reflects Indian cricket's inability to think ahead, it lies in how its fast bowlers are handled: the career paths of Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma at one point started exactly where Umesh Yadav's is at the moment. RP Singh was a successor to Zaheer Khan in 2007. As far as batsmen go, in 2008, Rohit Sharma was where Virat Kohli is now - and with success against Australia as his benchmark. The Indians have trundled ahead because talent is never in short supply. It comes through in a dazzling blaze; if one blaze is snuffed out, its vacant space is lit up by another.
The only way this ODI series can have a greater significance beyond mere momentary delight is if it becomes a launch pad for India's ambitions. Or at least gives us a sign that, for a change, Indian cricket is thinking ahead.
What India do in the tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka next year is going to be noticed and remembered far longer than this result against England. Even if the temptation of producing another doughnut is what is keeping MS Dhoni in the last two ODIs. This when there's a clear choice of either taking a short ten-day break, or at least giving the gloves to Parthiv Patel. He often holds out his badly damaged and bent fingers when asked how he's doing. Until the tour of England his results have been preternatural, born out of an extremely cruel work load. But if Dhoni wants to be around when India defend their World Cup title, those fingers are not going to mend themselves out of sheer sympathy.
The Indian team sheet at the 2015 tournament is going to look very different from what it did on April 2, 2011. To begin with, it will need new opening partnerships in both batting and bowling. To be competitive in Australia requires a wider range of skills than the ones India worked with when planning their 2011 campaign. In 2015 the players with those skills will need to have been seasoned over at least 80-odd ODIs (only two men in India's World Cup winning squad had played less than 50 ODIs and neither played in the final), which means that the most promising candidates must get a move on.
India's selectors must at least work out their first steps in a general direction. These could be exhilarating times because the best selectors are both seers and clinical succession planners. The bloopers of K Srikkanth's committee though, are worrying evidence to the contrary.
The echo of a resounding series win over England may drown out all references to India's errors in a woeful, revealing summer. With Australia beckoning, what is more important though, is that they are neither forgotten nor repeated.
Fine, so 4-0 and 3-0 are not the kind of souvenirs anyone in Indian cricket would have wanted from an English summer, but India are among the game's more accomplished shape-shifters. And so, the course of this ODI series, while enjoyable and entertaining, has been far from surprising.
Simply put, India at home in the short game are very, very hard to beat. Despite a rapidly changing line-up and ever-growing injury lists, their players have become adept masters of their own conditions, be it the bowlers who extend their variety, or the batsmen's fearlessness in the crunch, considered by many to be one of the IPL's more valuable cricketing rewards. Over the last five years in the 50-over format, India have only gained in strength and have virtually reformatted their own record of winning at home.
In the first five years of the 2000s, India approximately had the 55-45% win-loss record that television executives believe is the minimum needed to keep the home audience riveted. It is what they have done since that offers the pure weight of proof about their home advantage.
From March 2000 to April 2005, India won 22 and lost 24 of their 47 ODIs at home. From October 2005 to date, India's record is 51 wins in 76 ODIs, and 27 in 36 over the last three years with a single defeat in 16 home ODIs in the last 12 months. In the 2000s, India have lost only six of 18 bilateral series at home (not counting a single BCCI Platinum Jubilee ODI against Pakistan as a series). There have been three humongous margins of victory at home in the last six years: 6-1 over Sri Lanka in 2005, 5-1 over England in 2005-06, and two "doughnut" results: a pre-World Cup bludgeoning of New Zealand last year, and before that a 5-0 drubbing of, erm, England again, in the interrupted seven-match series in 2008-09.
Still overwhelmed by 3-0? Just because they had a poor tour of England doesn't mean the Indian team has forgotten how to play in India.
In each of the ODIs this month, India have been impressive in their execution and methodical dismantling of England. Anything less, however, would have been disappointing. This is how world champions are meant to perform in their own backyards. In any case, amongst the frontline nations, England in India are relatively less problematic opposition than, say, Australia or South Africa.
The Australians are the only touring team to win an ODI series in India in the last four years, not once but twice, and South Africa make a respectable fist of every format they play in here. The last time England won a series of any kind in India was in 1984-85; no matter how much they plan or how early they turn up, a tour of India usually seems to end up a discombobulating ordeal.
In real terms, more than bring notions of revenge or delirium to Indian cricket, this series will sober England. In cricketing terms, India, however, are exactly where they were after the England tour, only happier, with more smiling faces. Suddenly the bench seems loaded with strength, playing off the back foot is an art well distributed along the batting order, the fielders have found their inner Jonty, and god alive, an Indian fast bowler who hits 145kph actually exists.
India have had such eureka series over and over again in the past, only to have short-sightedness, mismanagement and poor scheduling helpfully fling one banana peel after another onto the team's path. If anything reflects Indian cricket's inability to think ahead, it lies in how its fast bowlers are handled: the career paths of Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma at one point started exactly where Umesh Yadav's is at the moment. RP Singh was a successor to Zaheer Khan in 2007. As far as batsmen go, in 2008, Rohit Sharma was where Virat Kohli is now - and with success against Australia as his benchmark. The Indians have trundled ahead because talent is never in short supply. It comes through in a dazzling blaze; if one blaze is snuffed out, its vacant space is lit up by another.
The only way this ODI series can have a greater significance beyond mere momentary delight is if it becomes a launch pad for India's ambitions. Or at least gives us a sign that, for a change, Indian cricket is thinking ahead.
What India do in the tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka next year is going to be noticed and remembered far longer than this result against England. Even if the temptation of producing another doughnut is what is keeping MS Dhoni in the last two ODIs. This when there's a clear choice of either taking a short ten-day break, or at least giving the gloves to Parthiv Patel. He often holds out his badly damaged and bent fingers when asked how he's doing. Until the tour of England his results have been preternatural, born out of an extremely cruel work load. But if Dhoni wants to be around when India defend their World Cup title, those fingers are not going to mend themselves out of sheer sympathy.
The Indian team sheet at the 2015 tournament is going to look very different from what it did on April 2, 2011. To begin with, it will need new opening partnerships in both batting and bowling. To be competitive in Australia requires a wider range of skills than the ones India worked with when planning their 2011 campaign. In 2015 the players with those skills will need to have been seasoned over at least 80-odd ODIs (only two men in India's World Cup winning squad had played less than 50 ODIs and neither played in the final), which means that the most promising candidates must get a move on.
India's selectors must at least work out their first steps in a general direction. These could be exhilarating times because the best selectors are both seers and clinical succession planners. The bloopers of K Srikkanth's committee though, are worrying evidence to the contrary.
The echo of a resounding series win over England may drown out all references to India's errors in a woeful, revealing summer. With Australia beckoning, what is more important though, is that they are neither forgotten nor repeated.
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