INDIA LIFTS ICC WORLD CUP 2011

A 28 year thirst of Indians and Indian cricket team has come true at Mumbai on 2^nd April 2011 after winning the final match of ICC world cup 2011 against Sri Lanka followed by a historic semifinal match win against arch rival Pakistan. India became the first host-nation to win the world cup with final played in the host country itself. Everyone has witnessed the tear of joy from the players after holding the world cup. "It's the ultimate thing and I'm experiencing it," said Indian great Sachin Tendulkar. "I couldn't have asked for anything better. It's the proudest moment of my life." Also he added "It's never too late as they say. Thanks to all my teammates. Without such fabulous performance and such consistency it would never have happened," he said, adding he wasn't too proud to shed a tear. "They were happy tears, so I wouldn't mind crying." When Sri Lanka set 275 as target, it looked like a chance for both the teams to win the trophy. But the quick succession of wickets of Sehwag and Sachin destroyed the hopes of all the people from India. But the young fires proved their capability and maturity by showing a tremendous performance with such a responsible innings at the end. "He carried the hopes of the nation for 21 years so it's time we carried him on our shoulders," young lad Virat Kohli said.

         

This is the 10^th tournament of this edition and India is winning it after 28 years for the second time. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a captain's knock of unbeaten 91 in the final and was adjudged man of the match. Yuvraj Singh was adjudged man of the series for his performance with both ball and bat. Dilshan was the leading scorer of this tournament with 500 runs. Shahid Afridi and Zaheer khan shared the first place in leading wicket takers. The 2011 Cricket World Cup winning team, India would be taking home prize money of US$ 3 million and a replica of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy that has been awarded since 1999.  The runner-up Sri Lanka would have US$ 1.5 million in its part. The total prize money on offer for the tournament for the teams placing from 1st to 8th is US$7.48 million. The remaining two semi-finalists will receive 0.75 million US$ each. The last four quarter-finalists will each receive 0.37 million US$.

There was no winning farewell to international cricket for Muttiah Muralitharan, the leading wicket taker and the only survivor from Sri Lanka's 1996 winning squad. The biggest upset of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 was the defeat of England by Ireland. Ireland's Kevin O'Brien made 100 in just 50 balls (and a total of 113 off 63 balls), the fastest World Cup Century. Also Ireland made the highest successful run chase in World Cup history beating Sri Lanka's 313 against Zimbabwe at New Plymouth in New Zealand in 1992. There were two hat-tricks in this tournament; one by Roach (WI) and another by Malinga (SL).

YOUTUBE - “NO MORE” IN PAKISTAN

                              

Pakistan has blocked the popular video sharing website YouTube for 'blasphemy'. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) directed Internet service providers to stop access to social network Facebook indefinitely because of an online competition to draw the Prophet Mohammad. CEO of an Internet service provider said, PTA issued an order seeking an ‘immediate’ blockade of YouTube. It was a serious instruction as they wanted us to do it quickly.YouTube was also blocked in the Muslim country in 2007 for about a year for what it called un-Islamic videos. A PTA official said, the action was taken after the authority determined that some caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad were transferred from Facebook to YouTube. Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by Muslims.Publications of similar cartoons in Danish newspapers in 2005 sparked deadly protests in Muslim countries in which 50 people were killed during violent protests. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on Denmark's embassy in Islamabad in 2008, killing six people, saying it was in revenge for publication of the caricatures.

PAKISTAN AMONG TOP 10 FAILED NATIONS

Pakistan, split in the middle with terrorist attacks and facing an economic crisis, remains among the top 10 failed states. The country, placed ninth among all countries last year in terms of its overall achievement, has improved its position only by a notch – it is placed 10th in the index for 2009 published in the July-August issue of the journal. The ranking is done on the basis of the following factors: demographic pressure, refugees/internally displaced persons (IDPs), group grievance, uneven development, economic decline, delegitimisation of the state, public service, human rights, factionalised elites and external intervention. The top 10 failed states in the latest list are: Somalia, Zimbabwe,Sudan, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Guinea and Pakistan.

India is placed 87th among the 177 countries under study, with its score showing an improvement over the previous year. But its neighbours fare badly in this ranking, with Sri Lanka placed 12th, Bangladesh 19th and Nepal 25th. At the other end of the spectrum, the bottom 10 in the list are the top achievers: Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland,Ireland, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands.