India, Pakistan to play ODI series in December

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India, Pakistan to play ODI series in December

Clean Media Correspondent


New Delhi, July 16 (CMC) India and Pakistan may play cricket again after five years. The cricket boards of the two countries have agreed in principal to play three One-Day International matches in December this year, and the BCCI says, only the approval of the Indian government is now needed.


The series, if it's on, will be played during the Christmas break and in India. Mohali, New Delhi and Dharamsala are the venues tentatively picked, say sources.


India has a packed cricket schedule this year and the Indo-Pak matches will be accommodated in the middle of England's tour to India. England will finish the Tests series and the team will fly back for Christmas. They will be back in the New Year to play ODIs. 


An India-Pakistan encounter on the cricket field will be manna for fans; the two countries last played a Test and ODI series way back in 2007. Then came
the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 plunging bilateral ties between the two countries to an all-time low. Cricket suffered. India were scheduled to tour Pakistan in January 2009, but most players said they were reluctant to go.


Sri Lanka stepped in and agreed to tour Pakistan instead, but a terror attack on the visiting team in Lahore on March 3, 2009, saw an end to international cricket in Pakistan. Since then, no international team has toured Pakistan. Even World Cup 2011 matches scheduled to be played in Pakistan were shifted to other venues in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.  


On the sidelines of efforts to revive bilateral ties between the two nations, the Pakistan Cricket Board has been pushing hard to resume cricketing ties with India and also bring back international cricket to Pakistan. Earlier this month, the foreign secretaries of both the countries had talked about resuming sporting contact and last week, PCB chief Zaka Ashraf made three offers  - that India could tour Pakistan, or play them at a neutral venue, or then it could allow PCB to host their home series in India.


The PCB chief has held several meetings with BCCI president N Srinivasan. Later this year, the BCCI has invited Pakistan's domestic champion outfit the 
Sialkot Stallions to participate in the qualifying Tournament of Champions League Twenty20 to be held in South Africa later this year.


For the last five years, India and Pakistan have only played each other in multi-team series and in the famous semi-final of the 2010 World Cup when India defeated Pakistan at Mohali.

In difficult economic times - the Prime Minister, India

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अर्थव्यवस्था मुश्किल दौर में है- प्रधानमन्त्री, भारत 
क्लीन मीडिया संवाददाता 

नई दिल्ली: 15 अप्रैल: (सीएमसी)  प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने कहा कि भारत की अर्थव्यवस्था मुश्किल दौर से गुजर रही है, लेकिन उन्होंने यह उम्मीद भी जताई कि चुनौतियों से पार पा लिया जाएगा। उन्होंने यहां पैनल चर्चा के दौरान संक्षित हस्तक्षेप में कहा, ‘कठिनाइयां हैं, लेकिन अगर कोई कठिनाई नहीं हो तो जीवन का मतलब नहीं रह जाता है। मुझे विश्वास है कि अधिक दृढ़ता के साथ हम इसे दूर कर लेंगे।’ प्रधानमंत्री ‘भारत में आर्थिक सुधार की चुनौतियां’ विषय पर पैनल चर्चा में मुख्य अतिथि थे।

सिंह ने चर्चा के बाद कहा, ‘मैंने इस शर्त पर निमंत्रण स्वीकार किया था कि मैं इसमें कुछ नहीं बोलूंगा। मैं इसे तोड़ना नहीं चाहता हूं।’ इससे पहले चर्चा में भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक के गर्वनर डी सुब्बाराव, शिकागो विश्वविद्यालय के प्रो. रघुराम जी राजन और बिजनेस स्टेंडर्ड के अध्यक्ष टी एन निनन ने हिस्सा लिया।

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India, Sri Lanka hold defence dialogue

Clean Media Correspondent

New Delhi, Feb 01 (CMC): Aiming to enhance bilateral defence cooperation and to discuss the regional security situation, India and Sri Lanka have held the inaugural round of Annual Defence Dialogue here. 

The two sides were on Tuesday represented by the Defence Secretaries, officers of the armed forces and those from the Defence Ministry. 

"Regional security situation including issues of maritime security in the Indian Ocean region dominated the inaugural Annual Defence Dialogue. Issues relating to bilateral defence interactions also came up for discussion at the meeting," Defence Ministry officials said here. 

Indian delegation comprising officers of the armed forces and senior officials from the Ministry was led by Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma. Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa co-chaired the meeting alongwith with officials. 

The two officers later also called on Defence Minister AK Antony at his office in the South Block. 

India and Sri Lanka share a close defence relationship with several exchange programmes and exercises. 

While some of the officer cadets of Sri Lankan armed forces are trained in National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA), its officers also come to other military institutions on exchange programmes. 

India, Norway Reach Agreement, Kids to Be Released in couple of days

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India, Norway Reach Agreement, Kids to Be Released

Clean Media Correspondent
New Delhi/Oslo, January 26 (CMC) The nightmare of two Indian children separated from their parents by Norwegian childcare authorities may end soon following an agreement between India and Norway today to hand over their custody to a Kolkata-based uncle.
Under the agreement which puts a closure to an eight month-long custody row, three-year-old Abhigyan and his one-year-old sister Aishwarya will be given to their uncle, Arunabhash who lives in Kolkata.
"I thank the media...I have not seen the agreement and the conditions," Arunabhash said adding he would bring the children back.
The children's grandfather Ajay Bhattacharya too expressed his joy after receiving the news about the agreement.
"I am very happy," said an emotional Ajay.
The agreement was firmed up by the Indian government through its mission in Norway with the Municipality of Norway, Norwegian Childcare Services, the parents (Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya) and their lawyer, official sources said.
Arunabhash has agreed to the parents wish and is aware of the responsibility and he will be the children's primary caretaker.
The sources said Barnevarne (Norwegian Child Welfare Services) has approved and agreed to give children to the uncle.
Arunabhash will soon leave for Norway and all the expenses of his travel will be born by the government, they said.
Under the agreement, the parents will have visitation rights, they added.
The sources said the family has to provide information in response to any inquiry by the family and child welfare ministry.
Abhigyan and Aishwarya were taken under protective care last May by Barnevarne, which claimed emotional disconnect with the parents, and placed them in foster parental care as per the local Norwegian court's directive.
The Bhattacharyas say cultural misunderstandings are to blame - the Norwegian authorities objected to the children being fed by hand and sleeping in the same bed as their parents.
The other reasons cited were use of unsuitable toys and clothes besides insufficient room for the children to play in the house.
The NRI couple's desperation for a quick resolution also stemmed from concerns that their visas for Norway expire in March.
After that, fighting a legal battle there will prove to be extremely tough, they say.
Following the plea by the family, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had spoken to his Norwegian counterpart and requested them to find an "amicable and urgent" settlement.
India expressed its concerns to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the children were being deprived of the undoubted benefits of being brought up in their own ethnic, religious cultural and linguistic milieu.
"I think the diplomatic pressure has helped," Svein Michelson, Norway Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
The couple were staying in Stavenger, about 500 kms from the Norwegian capital.
Anurup works as a geo-scientist with an American firm Halliburton.
Krishna has also written a letter to his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr thanking him for his help and cooperation.

India, China sign mechanism for border peace

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India, China sign mechanism for border peace

Clean Media Correspondent 

Beijing, Jan 17 (CMC): China is keen to resolve in a "peaceful manner" its long-standing boundary dispute with India and wants to ensure that 2012 is a year of cooperation and development between the two sides. 
As Special Representatives of the two countries -- Shivshankar Menon and Dai Bingguo -- held the 15th round of border talks in New Delhi for a second day on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it is committed to resolve the issue through friendly consultations to "find a mutually acceptable, fair and reasonable solution in a peaceful manner". 
"As for China-India boundary issue, since 2003 through the mechanism of the meeting of the special representatives the two sides have had candid and practical dialogue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Liu Weimin told a media briefing here declining to go into details of the talks in New Delhi while stating that the meeting is still going on. 
He said the two countries have reached a consensus on the guidelines of settling the boundary issue which is an important foundation for the settlement of the boundary issue. 
"Our position on the issue is consistent and clear. We believe that through friendly consultations we will find a mutually acceptable, fair and reasonable solution in a peaceful manner," he said. 
"We believe the peaceful development of China and India is an opportunity for both sides and the whole world. With the joint efforts of the two sides, 2012 will be a year of greater and better exchanges and cooperation between China and India. 
The year 2012 will become a year of cooperation and development," he said. 

India, US, Japan to hold trilateral meet

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India, US, Japan to hold trilateral meet
Clean Media Correspondent 


Washington, Dec 06 (CMC): The United States, India and Japan will hold their first trilateral meeting here on December 19 to discuss "a range of Asia Pacific regional issues" among three leading "Pacific democracies". 
"This meeting is going to be an opportunity to hold comprehensive discussion on a range of Asia-Pacific regional issues," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on Monday. 
The specific agenda is still being determined, "but obviously, as the three leading Pacific democracies, we look forward to productive exchanges with India and Japan," he said.
Asked why India, an Indian Ocean country, was invited to the meeting as one of the "Pacific democracies," Toner said, "This is a chance for us to discuss regional issues." 
In response to a question that why Australia was not invited to the meeting, Toner explained that it "isn't all-inclusive." 
"I don't know about Australia. All these talks don't have to be completely inclusive. Again, this is a chance for us to meet with three leading democracies in the region." 
The dialogue earlier scheduled for October 8 in Tokyo was postponed at US request. 
Driven by Tokyo and finalised during then foreign secretary Nirupama Rao's visit to Japan in April 2010, the dialogue is also part of New Delhi's effort to go beyond the stated Look East policy and engage North Asia as well. 
From the US perspective, the dialogue is seen as part of what is described as a policy "pivot" toward Asia as wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down. 
President Barack Obama recently returned from an Asian tour that stressed US interests in the region. 

India, China Annual Defence Dialogue from Dec 9

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India, China Annual Defence Dialogue from Dec 9
Clean Media Correspondent 

New Delhi, Nov 20 (CMC): India and China will hold their Annual Defence Dialogue (ADD) here starting December 9 during which they will discuss resumption of joint Army exercises and border issues between the two sides. 

"The ADD will be held here in Delhi where the two sides will take a final decision on resuming the Army exercise," Defence Ministry officials said here. 

They said earlier the plan was to hold the talks in January next year but then it was decided jointly to hold it in December. 

At the talks, the Indian side will be led by Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma whereas the Chinese delegation will be headed by a senior People's Liberation Army official. 

The last round of Sino-Indian defence dialogue had taken place in Beijing in January 2010. 

Various issues such as the situation along the Sino-Indian border and resumption of exercise between the armies of the two sides will be discussed during the meeting, they said. 

New Delhi had suspended military exchanges with China in August 2010 after it refused to grant permission to a senior Indian Army Commander to proceed on an official trip to Beijing. 

As immediate fallout of the event, India refused to hold the third round of exercise with China and had put all other military exchanges on hold. 

The first two editions of the Army to Army exercise had taken place in Kunming in China in 2007 and in Belgaum in 2008. 

Putting an end to the strained military relations, India had sent its first military delegation to Beijing in June this year. 

China also reciprocated by sending its military delegations under a Lieutenant General earlier this month. 

The delegation visited important defence installations in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai and held talks with their Indian counterparts including Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Bikramjit Singh. 

Meanwhile, India and China will also hold the special envoy level talks on the issue of border management here, before the end of this year. 

National Security Advisor Shivsankar Menon will be leading the Indian delegation during these talks.