IPL braces for big expenses

Pushed into a corner by the Union government, the Indian Premier League had no option but to look for overseas venues to stage the second edition of the event. South Africa and England have emerged as alternate venues for the event, which is good news for cricket fans but increases IPL’s headaches manifold.

When the IPL was launched in 2008, the eight franchises signed on to the tournament looking at the long-term profits associated with the venture. It is a known fact that Kolkata Knight Riders were the only franchise to break even in the first season of the mega-event.

However, it was a profitable venture for the Board of Control for Cricket in India as the inaugural edition of the tournament added a profit of Rs 350 crores to its coffers. With the tournament moving out of India in its second edition, all franchises are looking at the substantial losses.

IPL matches go abroad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Premier League’s administrators on Sunday dropped a bombshell, saying they had no choice but to take the second edition of the tournament to an overseas venue as they were not in a position to either trim the schedule or to find alternate dates for IPL-2.

Bowing to pressure from the Union government as IPL-2 was clashing directly with the forthcoming elections to the Lok Sabha and some state Assemblies, the game’s administrators met in Mumbai and in consultation with the eight franchise owners decided to relocate the second edition of the tournament to either South Africa or England.

In a statement, BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan said: “Under the given circumstances, there is no other period for the conduct of IPL matches. There are many stakeholders in the Indian Premier League apart from the BCCI - the players, franchise owners, media partners, team sponsors, venue sponsors, apart from the cricket loving public at large.”

“The BCCI, therefore, is not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the second edition of the IPL. It is a matter of great regret that, in the prevailing atmosphere, where the government is expressing concern for providing security to IPL matches, the BCCI is left with no other option but to conduct the IPL in another country.”

Speaking at a press conference earlier in Mumbai, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said a final decision on where IPL-2 would be played - South Africa or England, which have emerged as the two front-runners among possible host countries - would be taken by Monday and a schedule would be announced accordingly.

Pope criticised

Two days after Germany and France condemned Pope Benedict’s controversial remarks on condoms in Africa, Vatican insiders have claimed that the pontiff's four-year-old papacy is proving to be "a disaster".

Pope Benedict's repeated gaffes and the Vatican City's inability to manage his message in the web era are threatening to undermine his papacy, leading British newspaper The Daily Telegraph quoted the unnamed insiders as saying.

The pontiff on Tuesday said the use of condoms was complicating the fight against AIDS in Africa, while touring the continent. Prior to this, he landed into another row over his lifting of the 20-year excommunication of a British bishop who has questioned the Holocaust.
"The Pope is isolated and fails to adequately consult his advisers," said a Vatican source with 20 years' knowledge of the Holy See.

Another Vatican insider has described Pope Benedict's four-year-old papacy as "a disaster". "He's out of touch with the real world. On the condom issue, for example, there are priests and bishops in Africa who accept that condoms are a key part of the fight against Aids. "And, yet the Pope adheres to this very conservative line they encourage promiscuity. The Vatican is far removed from the reality on the ground," the insider said.

According to Francis X Rocca of Religion News Service, the Vatican's traditional culture of secrecy has made it ill-equipped to communicate its message in the Internet age. "The problem is that the Internet and the blogosphere won't wait for the Vatican, so its message gets swamped."

India end 33-year wait in Style

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh turned in a six-wicket haul as India registered a famous victory by beating New Zealand by 10 wickets in the first Test at Seddon Park here to take a headstart in the three-match series. The win was India’s first in a Test in New Zealand in 33 years — Sunil Gavaskar’s side won by eight wickets in 1976 at Auckland. It was also the best in terms of margin, eight wickets and 272 runs being the previous best; and only the fifth Test win in Kiwiland. It was a complete turnaround, since India had lost both Tests played in this country on their last tour, in 2003. The New Zealanders were no match for the Indians, who came on top of every session even as they were not at their best many a time. When the Kiwis began Day Four at 75/3 in their second innings, a massive 166 runs behind the Indian first innings total of 520, the writing was clearly on the wall. They were well and truly trapped, it was only a matter of time before they would be executed. The hosts took the game into the last session though courtesy some stiff resistance from the tail but it was all over bar the shouting by then.

11 dead in Afghan suicide attack

A suicide bomber in a police uniform detonated explosives he was carrying inside a police headquarters in southern Afghanistan on Monday, killing 11 people and wounding 29 others, the interior ministry said. The bombing followed a surge in violence in Afghanistan over the weekend that led to the deaths of eight foreign troops, including four Americans. The bomber on Monday set off his explosives after slipping inside the main police building in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, while the police were exercising, said Asadullah Sherzad, the provincial police chief. The attack killed nine police and two civilians and wounded 29 others, mostly police, the interior ninistry said in a statement. The attack is most likely the work of Taliban militants, who regularly use suicide bombers in their attacks against Afghan and foreign forces in the country. The lightly armed police force has suffered greatly in Taliban attacks, with more than 800 officers killed in 2008 alone.

PM expected to attend G-20

With his health improving fast, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to attend the G-20 Summit in London on April 2, a visit that will provide an opportunity for his first meeting with US President Barack Obama. “The Prime Minister intends to attend the G-20 and preparations are being made in this regard,” an official said here on Tuesday. However, a confirmation about the visit is awaited and it would depend on Dr Singh’s health condition and a clearance from doctors, the official said. Meanwhile, a team of Indian officials is in London for preparations for the Prime Minister's visit. Dr Singh underwent a bypass surgery on January 24 and has since been recovering fast. He has started attending to some work and a few official functions. The G-20 Summit, a group of developed and major developing countries, is meeting to discuss the global meltdown and ways to meet the challenge. During his expected visit, Dr Singh will have bilateral meetings with some world leaders. This will include a meeting with President Obama, their first since the new US President took over on January 20.

200 tourists rescued from Ooty forest fire

At least 200 tourists, who were caught in a forest fire near Coonoor, had been rescued. The forest department has suspended tourism activities following the incident, an official said. The fire, which was noticed in the wee hours of today, had spread from Lampsrock to Dolphin Nose (both tourist spots) sides till around noon. In the meantime, a batch of tourists arrived in buses for sight-seeing in the Coonoor forest range. After seeing the fire spreading, the tourists got panicked and the forest department officials assisted by fire force personnel and local people brought them out of the forest. Though a tourist's motorcycle was gutted in the fire, several tourists developed nausea and itching in the eyes due to the smoke emanating from the fire. Some 500 acres of forest area were damaged in the fire, the sources added. Forest fires have been destroying green cover in the Nilgiris district over the past two months.

No respite on H-1B visas to US

Though India has stressed on gains from a liberal H-1B visa regime, New Delhi has said that granting of such visas was the sovereign right of the US. “This (H-1B) is not an issue that India and the US negotiate or discuss. This is not part of a bilateral agenda and it can’t be by definition,” the foreign secretary, Mr Shiv Shankar Menon, told reporters at the end of his visit here for a first dialogue with the new US officials under President Barack Obama’s administration.

“H-1B visas were mentioned; yes in the conversations. We discussed the situation. We were told what the present policy is and we spoke about it. The rest is for the US to decide about what to do about it. Issue of US visas is America’s sovereign function,” he said. Mr Menon was asked about the restrictions imposed on H-1B visa holders in the stimulus package.

“It is not for us to tell the US what their policy is going to be or vice versa. But when it effects our nationals, we mention to them what we think about it.” Responding to another question, Mr Menon said there is an issue of free movement of person, and it’s an issue which is being discussed consistently.

Obama supports nuke deal

The Obama administration on Wednesday assured India that it will proceed with the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal, signed during Mr George W. Bush’s tenure.
Senior US state department officials gave the assurance to the foreign secretary, Mr Shiv-shankar Menon, who is on a four-day official visit.

“The Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, its current status and the way forward too was discussed during the meeting (between Mr M-non and Ms Clinton),” state department acting spoke-sman, Mr Robert Wood, said.

US to court soft Taliban

The US President, Mr Barack Obama, has indicated that his troops could reach out to moderate elements in Taliban for reconciliation. Mr Obama’s inspiration comes from the US’ success in peeling Sunni insurgents away from hard-core elements of the al-Qaeda in Iraq. He said, “there may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and in the Pakistani region.”

Mr Obama’s strategy comes on the heels of the US support to Pakistan, where the North-West Frontier Province administration has signed a peace deal with the “good” Taliban faction of Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhamm-adi in the Swat valley. Mr Obama was answering questions during an interview with The New York Times.

He acknowledged that the outreach in Afghanistan may not meet with the same success as in Iraq. He mentioned the presence of warring tribes, sometimes operating at cross-purposes, and said, “figuring all that out is going to be much more of a challenge,”

For US military planners, reaching out to some members of the Taliban is fraught with complexities, the newspaper reported. Officials would have to figure out which Taliban members might be reachable, “no easy task in a lawless country with feuding groups of insurgents.”