INDIA MUMBAI: The Anti-Terrorism Squad(ATS) of Maharashtra State Police apprehended two persons in Mumbai for allegedly plotting to blow up storage tanks of the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
Talking to media, chief of ATS said that these two militants planned to target three locations in Mumbai. He informed that the two nabbed were identified as Abdul Latif and Royas Ali, both had contacts in Pakistan.
Security in Mumbai has been tight since a bombing in neighbouring Pune city last month that killed 16 people, the first major militant strike since the 2008 attacks on Mumbai. Mumbai is hosting several Indian Premier League cricket matches featuring Indian and international players.

Ovechkin Hit on Jagr Video, Ovechkin hit on Jagr during the Olympic hockey game between Russia and the Czech last night. Alexander Ovechkin hit on Jaromir Jagr early in the third period, which led to a goal. Czech Republic lost to Russia, 2-4. Watch the video:  As Jaromir Jagr was carrying the puck through the neutral zone, Russia’s Alex Ovechkin lit him up with a booming, open-ice hit, forcing a turnover that resulted in Evgeni Malkin’s game-winning goal just two minutes into the third period  Ovechkin is a hard hitting, goal scoring barbarian and I love him. This hit led to a game changing Russian goal 5 seconds later. – Sports Video Clip.

World Cup 2011, Security concern in India are raising higher and higher as with several cricketers in line to pull-out from the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to terror threats. With the prevailing concerns reports are also floating for the contingency plans to shift the next year’s World Cup from the Indian subcontinent to Australia and New Zealand.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan has indicated that there were plans to move the World Cup from India to Australia or New Zealand if the security situation deteriorated. “You cannot move the timing of the tournament, in March-April, so really there’s only Australia, New Zealand and South Africa who could host it,” Vaughan was quoted as saying in The Australian.

“By tightening the security measures around the teams, we somehow have to make it safe. Otherwise the sport will struggle to survive if we cannot find a solution.”

But International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive officer Haroon Lorgat said they will do everything to keep the World Cup in India and world cricket would not let the sport be derailed by terrorism, as has happened in Pakistan. “The World Cup is the big piece of work that we have to deliver and we intend to do so,” Lorgat said.

“The whole issue of security is dynamic, but we will assess it very carefully and implement whatever measures are necessary to ensure safety and security. I do not share the same concerns for India as Pakistan.”

Concerned over security, Kiwi Striker Simon Child has decided to pull out of the New Zealand hockey squad for the World Cup.
Speaking to reporters, Child said he took the decision because he felt he could not give his best under such heightened security environment.” He said, “It’s not an ideal environment to be trying to play your best hockey and to be performing for your country.” Last week, al Qaeda issued a threat for competitors to avoid the World Cup, the Indian Premier League cricket competition and the Commonwealth Games. New Zealand coach Shane McLeod admitted that security fears have made it difficult for his players to focus on the game. Australia also decided not to go to India for fear of security hazards.

Sydney: Australian and New Zealand sports organizations said Wednesday their athletes would continue to compete in India despite a purported threat by an al-Qaida-linked guerrilla group to target major upcoming sports events.

Officials said they would heed advice from their governments, international sports bodies and specialist security advisers over the level of threat associated with the forthcoming men’s field hockey World Cup, Indian Premier League cricket tournament and Commonwealth Games.

The Asia Times Online Web site published a message reportedly from guerrilla commander Ilyas Kashmiri, whose Kashmir-based 313 Brigade is an operational arm of al-Qaida. The message warns of potential attacks on the Hockey World Cup, the IPL cricket tournament and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi later this year.

“We warn the international community not to send their people to the 2010 Hockey World Cup, IPL and Commonwealth Games. Nor should their people visit India — if they do, they will be responsible for the consequences,” the website quoted a translated message as saying.

The message was not verified.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and New Zealand’s John Key said Wednesday their governments were working closely with Indian authorities to monitor the level of risk.

“Indian authorities have pledged to implement strong security procedures for all upcoming sporting events in India,” Rudd said. “We, however, will be following this very, very closely.”

Key said his government could not instruct New Zealanders not to compete in India but would offer the latest security advice.

“The decision whether to travel or not ultimately rests with the sporting team. We wouldn’t stop a sporting team going but it’s important we are able to give them the best information possible so that they can assess that,” Key said.

The Australian and New Zealand field hockey organizations both said they would send teams to the men’s World Cup, to be held in New Delhi from Feb. 28 to March 13.

Australian cricket vice captain Michael Clarke said he and other Australian players heading for the Indian Premier League in March had confidence in the security advice they were receiving. Clarke said Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association were closely monitoring developments.

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan called for truce and peace vis-à-vis the violent protests staged against screening of Shahrukh Khan’s new movie ‘My Name Is Khan’, reportedly instigated by activists of Shiv Sena.
He said this at a function to mark the launching of ‘Bachchan Bol’, an initiative to connect him with his fans via mobile and landline phones across the globe at Mumbai. Bachchan said that the topic has been stretched too far and its time for peace and harmony. “I think this topic has been stretched too far, I think its time to talk about peace, and to talk about harmony. Rather than keep hinting on something, which is not going to get you or me anywhere. So please let’s talk about peace and harmony and I hope that it exists. Everything is working out fine,” he added. Shiv Sena activists have been targeting the theatres and warning theatres operators to stop the screening of the movie ‘My Name is Khan’. Earlier, they had vandalised a cinema hall and broke the glass showcases heralding the movie. It may be recalled that Khan, who is also the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, one of the teams competing in the ensuing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), had said that the participant teams should have considered inclusion of players from Pakistan. The comment has invited the wrath of the Shiv Sena, who have threatened to halt the screening of the film in Mumbai.

MUMBAI : My Name is Khan, Police have arrested more than 1,000 right-wing Hindu activists in the Indian city of Mumbai as part of increased security to stop violence over the release of new movie ‘My Name Is Khan’.

“Right now, 1,000 plus people have been arrested. Most of them (the arrests) are preventive,” senior officer Devan Bharti told AFP on Wednesday.

The arrests come amid a simmering row between top actor-producer Shah Rukh Khan, who stars in the film “My Name Is Khan”, and a local hardline Hindu nationalist party, the Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena leaders have called on Khan to apologise after comments he made regretting the absence of any Pakistan players in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament starting next month.

The party champions the rights of local people from the western Indian state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is capital, and the local Marathi language.

It is also vocally anti-Muslim and sees itself as a defender of traditional Hindu moral values, often backing up its stance with violence.

Khan, who part-owns IPL outfit the Kolkata Knight Riders, has refused to apologise and defended questions about his patriotism.

Shiv Sena activists on Tuesday broke windows at one cinema in Mumbai during protests and have vowed to disrupt the film’s release on Friday.

Police on Tuesday announced that cinema-goers would be frisked and officers deployed to theatres showing the movie.

Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of the the franchise representing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League has been heavily criticised by by from the Shiv Sena political party over his recent comments in favor of Pakistani cricket players for not being included in third edition of lucarative Indian Premier League.

“Shah Rukh Khan must withdraw his comments if he wants his new film to be released in Mumbai,” Shiv Sena’s senior party leader Manohar Joshi, told reporters in Mumbai Wednesday. The Shiv Sena, one of the active party in the western state of Maharashtra of which Mumbai is the capital – protested against Khan’s statement and some of its members burned posters of the actor’s upcoming film, “My Name is Khan.”

Khan accepted that Pakistan players should have been chosen for the third edition of the lucrative tournament but he went on to say that since there were issues between India and Pakistan, the IPL should have handled the issue better. “I truly believe they (Pakistan players) should have been chosen,” said Khan a TV interview. “I wanted Abdul Razzaq and I think it was in newspapers much earlier than the auction started that I was very keen,” he added.

Khan said it was humiliating to him as a KKR owner that no one bid for the Pakistani players despite them being put up for auction. “I truly believe, Pakistani players are the best T20 players in the world they are the world champions they are wonderful.”

Read more here:
Shah Rukh Khan criticised for backing Pakistan player for IPL

Lahore, Pakistan News: Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt says that Pakistan Government has allowed players to play Indian Premier Leagu.
Talking to media in Gaddafi Stadium Lahore Butt said that players wanted to play Indian Premier League while board also wished them to play maximum cricket. He told that Indian Government has also allowed IPL franchise to include Pakistani players in IPL. Butt maintained that NOC would be issued to the players for IPL.

NEW YORK: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has topped the list of world’s 10 top earning cricketers compiled by Forbes, which also features
Dhoni and Sachin four other players from the sub-continent – Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

Raking in $10 million, Dhoni is at the top of the chart followed by Tendulkar at the second spot with earnings worth $8 million in the list of ‘The World’s Top-Earning Cricketers’.

While Singh and Dravid are at the third and fourth spot, respectively, Ganguly and Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting share the sixth place.

“Paycheck figures include club and national team salaries and commercial endorsement income over the last 12 months,” Forbes said.

According to the magazine, Singh earned $5.5 million while Dravid and Ganguly raked in $5 million and $3.5 million, respectively. Ponting also earned $3.5 million.

“With its deep-pocketed owners and global appeal, nine of the 10 highest-paid cricket players call the Indian Premier League (IPL) home, the publication added.

At the fifth spot is England’s Andrew Flintoff with earnings of $4 million followed by Australia’s Brett Lee and English cricketer Kevin Pietersen – both at eighth place – and Australian Michael Clarke is ranked tenth.

While Lee and Pietersen raked in $3 million each, Clarke earned $2.5 million.

“Take Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings and tops our list as cricket’s first $10 million-a-year man (that’s $5,426 for each run scored).

“His $8 million in endorsements, from the likes of Reebok, General Electric and Pepsi, is 45 per cent more than any other player.

“Among all Indian athletes and entertainers, Dhoni’s 17 corporate sponsors is second to only Bollywood star and co- owner of the Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan,” Forbes said.

About Tendulkar, the magazine said the holder of numerous offensive records, is considered among the greatest batsman in cricket history.

“… he’s one of five IPL players who have been bestowed ‘icon’ status, meaning he automatically receives a paycheck 15 per cent larger than his highest paid teammate.

“Tendulkar’s $ 1.1 million salary from the Mumbai Indians helped push his total earnings to $8 million over the last 12 months,” it added.