Pak, India agree to resume cricket series

Pakistan on Thursday said it had agreed to play a total of six cricket series against India from 2015 to 2023, the first since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks suspended play between the teams.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said it had signed an MoU with the Board of Control for Cricket in India to play the six series.

A PCB official said the first series could be held in the United Arab Emirates next year, with Pakistan hosting India for two Tests, three ODIs and two T20 matches.

"A total of 14 Tests, 30 ODIs and 12 T20 matches would be part of these six series," chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad said.

Since 2007, the BCCI has not played a proper bilateral Test series with Pakistan due to political and other reasons, particularly after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

India suspended all series with Pakistan after the 2008 attacks, which New Delhi blamed on militants based across the border.

The two countries played one short series of three ODIs and two T20 matches in India in December 2012 otherwise they have met only in ICC organised events or the Asia Cup.

The official also stated that efforts were underway to sign formal agreements with the BCCI under which in case series are held as part of the Future Tour Programmes some compensation can be made available to the host country.

"This MoU is part of our conditional support we have agreed to give to the recent governance and other changes in the ICC led by India, England and Australia," another official confirmed.

He added six of the four expected series in the next eight years would be hosted by Pakistan either at home or at neutral venues.

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Atletico Madrid And Barcelona Set Up Title Decider

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will meet in a winner-takes-all La Liga decider next Sunday after both sides drew their penultimate games.

An outstanding save by Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero denied Atletico the opportunity to wrap up the Primera Division title at their Vicente Calderon stadium.

The Argentinian goalkeeper produced a fingertip save to keep out a curling shot from Adrian in the final minute of stoppage time, ensuring the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

It sets up a mouthwatering showdown between Atletico and their nearest title rivals Barcelona next weekend, with Diego Simeone's side only requiring a point to lift their first league title in 18 years.

Barcelona played their part in setting up the decisive clash against Atletico on the last day of the season after they drew 0-0 against strugglers Elche.

Those results mean Barcelona must beat Atletico at Camp Nou to claim the league honours.

Atletico lead Barca by three points but victory for the Catalans would give them their 23rd Liga crown on head-to-head record, having drawn with Atleti earlier in the season.

Celta Vigo ended any lingering hopes Real Madrid had of league glory by claiming a 2-0 victory over Carlo Ancelotti's men at Estadio Balaidos.

Brazilian forward Charles capitalised on two errors from Real to bag a brace and leave the visitors five points behind leaders Atletico with just one match remaining.

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India Successfully Test Fires Astra Air-To-Air Missile

India on Sunday successfully test-fired its first indigenously-developed air-to-air missile Astra from a Su-30 combat aircraft over a firing range in the western sector.

"The indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range  air-to-air missile 'ASTRA' was successfully test fired by the Air Force from a naval range in the western sector meeting all the mission objectives," a Defence Research and Development Organisation release said.

Astra is India's first BVR air-to-air missile indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation and is an all-weather weapon system. Congratulating the team of scientists involved in the test-firing, Defence Research and Development Organisation chief Avinash Chander said the missile would be soon tested against an actual target and is planned to be equipped on the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas'.

"Astra's successful launch from the Su-30 combat aircraft is a major step in missile aircraft integration. Extensive flight testing that has preceded today's air launch was indeed a joint effort of Defence Research and Development Organisation and IAF. Many more trials are planned and will be conducted to clear the launch envelope," he said.

The Su-30MKI aircraft of the IAF was modified by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited along with IAF specialists. "The missiles have undergone rigorous testing on Su-30 in the captive mode for avionics integration and seeker evaluation in 2013. The project has thus reached the final stage of testing and evaluation, and the Mark-II variant with higher range capability is also planned to be tested by the end of 2014," Defence Research and Development Organisation spokesperson Ravi Gupta said.

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US Jury Orders Samsung To Pay Apple $119.6 Million

A US jury on Friday ordered Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to pay $119.6 million to Apple Inc, after it found the South Korean smartphone maker had infringed two Apple patents.

During the month-long trial in a San Jose, California, federal court, Apple accused Samsung of violating patents on smartphone features including universal search, while Samsung denied wrongdoing.

Friday's verdict marked a big loss for the iPhone maker.

Apple and Samsung have been litigating around the world for three years. Jurors awarded the iPhone maker about $930 million after a 2012 trial in San Jose, California, but Apple failed to persuade U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to issue a permanent injunction against the sale of Samsung phones.

The current case involves five Apple patents that were not in the 2012 trial and that cover iPhone features like slide to unlock and search technology. Apple is again seeking to ban sales of several Samsung phones, including the Galaxy S III, and just over $2 billion in damages.

Samsung also claims that Apple violated two patents on streaming video. It is seeking to ban the iPhone 5, and asserted a $6 million damages claim.

It will be up to Judge Koh to decide if a sales ban is warranted.

The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Apple Inc vs. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, 12-630

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Glenn Maxwell Is The Maddest ‘Mad Max’ Of Them All

There was a time when Aravinda de Silva would walk into the ground with just one intention – to literally smash every ball out of the park. Once he got going, he was hard to stop... he would try shots that others thought impossible, he went about re-inventing the wheel, so much so that his berserker brand of batting earned him the nickname ‘Mad Max.’ “It was after the 1986 tour of India that they started calling me Mad Max. I guess it was probably the way I approached the game in the initial stages of my career. I tried to get on top of the bowler right from the start and I believed a lot in myself. I was able to do that at a very young age,” De Silva once said in the interview. Cut to day-night match in the circus known as the IPL. The venue was Sharjah. Cheteshwar Pujara was in the middle when Glenn Maxwell walked in to bat with the score on 2-10.

Pujara was struggling to get the ball beyond the 30-yard circle. He was giving it his all but the ball simply wasn’t going anywhere – bringing back memories of VVS Laxman trying to slog in his first IPL season. Then, Maxwell, who is also known as Mad Max, stepped up and showed how it is done. The first four balls got him two runs and then he decided he had had enough of a look in. The fifth ball disappeared over deep square leg; the sixth was smashed over mid-on for four. The 25-year-old Aussie had kick-started an innings of manic proportions. Maxwell’s ability to play without any fear makes his really hard to plan for. Take for instance, the three reverse-swept fours he hit off Rajat Bhatia in the 11th over. Most batsmen will play the reverse sweep maybe once in an over to throw the bowler off his line – it is after all a risky shot but Maxwell played it so often and so well that it even threw the field settings in disarray.

A look at Maxwell’s wagon wheel reveals he is just as deadly on both sides of the wicket – 41 runs on the off-side and 48 runs on the leg-side. He manipulated the field with his unorthodox shot-making and then when the gaps appeared he used classical strokes to make the most of the lapse. By the time, he was dismissed after making 89 off 45 balls (8 fours, 6 sixes) – he had done enough to give KXIP a fighting chance despite Pujara’s innings. David Miller came in a finished the job but Maxwell set it up. Now, he has done this before. In the first match of IPL 7 against CSK, he scored 95 off 43 balls as KXIP had chased down a target of 206. In the World T20, he smashed 74 in a losing effort against Pakistan. But the manner in which he took on Saeed Ajmal showcased a talent beyond just big-hitting. In February 2014, Victoria lost six wickets for only nine runs in the worst ever start to a Sheffield Shield innings. Then Maxwell (127) came in and hit an 89-ball hundred in a losing cause but it guided his team to a respectable total.

In August last year, in a match between India A and Australia A, Maxwell came in to bat with his side’s total on 152-8. He responded with typical belligerence to smash an unbeaten 145 of 79 balls. There are more such instances but what becomes evidently clear from these knocks is that nothing can faze Maxwell. His belief in his ability to do what others consider impossible is the gift of confidence built on consistently achieving the targets. "I don't get burdened by pressure," he told IPLT20.com after the game. "Pressure is something that you put on yourself. I put pressure on myself before a game or before I go out to bat. But once when I go out there to bat, I just enjoy it and have a little bit of fun. I look at the total and take it from there." At this point, Mumbai Indians must be wondering why they left him on their bench for a majority of last season. Perhaps, the idea was to keep him away from the other teams. If it was that, then it was a master stroke because now Mad Max has been set loose and no one is safe.

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Lindsay Lohan Suffered Miscarriage While Filming Reality Show

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan has revealed that she suffered a miscarriage while filming her reality show Lindsay.

The 27-year-old Mean Girls star made the announcement in the final episode of her reality series for the season. She said it was the reason she took a couple of weeks off from filming the programme for Oprah Winfrey's OWN network, reported TMZ online.

"No one knows this. I had a miscarriage for those two weeks that I took off," she said.

Lindsay made the revelation on her show while explaining why she did not shoot for a few days. "It is a very long story, but that's why on the show when it says she doesn't want to come down, I couldn't move, I was sick. Mentally, that messes with you.

"Watching this series, I just know how I felt at that moment and I can relate to that girl, which sounds kind of crazy, but I'm like, 'Oh my god, this is really sad. Who's helping her?' There was a lot going on in my life then. I cried so many times watching it. Because I didn't see it as me - it is strange. It is weird," Lindsay said.

Lindsay declined to identify who the father was or say how far along in the pregnancy she was at the time of the miscarriage.

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NASA Crashed Moon Mission At 5,700 Km Per Hour

Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), the moon exploring robot of NASA was annihilated when it impacted the surface of the moon, as planned last weekend, the US space agency announced.

"At the time of impact, LADEE was travelling at a speed of 3,600 miles (5,700 km) per hour - about three times the speed of a high-powered rifle bullet," said Rick Elphic, LADEE project scientist.

LADEE lacked fuel to maintain a long-term lunar orbit or continue science operations and was intentionally sent into the lunar surface.

The spacecraft's orbit naturally decayed following the mission's final low-altitude science phase, said NASA.

Launched in September from Virginia, it crashed on the far side of moon as originally planned, safely away from Apollo relics like flags, rovers, plaques and footprints by Neil Armstrong and Aldrin between 1969 to 1972.

LADEE crashed three days after unexpectedly surviving full lunar eclipse. No debris is left and researchers believe that LADEE vaporised after it hit a mountain or crater at a speed of 5,800 kph.

LADEE's orbit was lowered to 300 feet from lunar surface for a definite crash.

"LADEE was a mission of firsts, achieving yet another first by successfully flying more than 100 orbits at extremely low altitudes," said Joan Salute, LADEE program executive, at NASA headquarters in Washington.

LADEE also hosted NASA's first dedicated system for two-way communication using laser instead of radio waves.

In coming months, mission controllers would determine the exact time and location of LADEE's impact and work with the agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) team to possibly capture an image of the impact site.

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Nadal Battles Wardrobe Malfunction In Monte Carlo

Rafael Nadal is battling a wardrobe malfunction that has forced him to alter his serving routine at this week's Monte Carlo Masters.

When he has failed with his first serve, Nadal has had to ask for another ball rather than plucking one from his shorts, because he has been experiencing problems with his pockets.

"The ball comes out of the bottom of them and gets in the way," the Spaniard told Teledeporte on Thursday after dispatching Italy's Andreas Seppi to reach the quarter-finals.

"We'll try to sort it out for the next tournaments but here it won't be possible. When you have been doing something the same way for so many years, when there is a change you have to think about it and it makes things a bit more difficult," he said.

"But it's better to do it that way than have the ball popping out of the bottom of your shorts which is quite uncomfortable," he added.

Nadal won in Monte Carlo eight times in a row between 2005 and 2012 before losing to Novak Djokovic in last year's final. The Spaniard is sponsored by U.S. apparel maker Nike.

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Ukraine Wants To Buy European Gas

Ukraine hopes to buy gas from Europe to shore up its energy security, fearful Russia will cut gas supplies over Kiev's refusal to pay Moscow's 'political, uneconomic price' for supplies, its energy minister said on Friday.

Yuri Prodan told parliament the European Union would stand in solidarity with Ukraine if Russia reduced supplies, making sure Moscow could not increase flows through alternative pipelines to bypass its former Soviet neighbour.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned European leaders on Thursday that gas supplies to Europe could be disrupted by Ukraine's failure to pay its gas bills, a move Washington said was using energy 'as a tool of coercion'.

"Ukraine cannot pay such a political, uneconomic price, so now we are negotiating with the European Union about reverse deliveries into Ukraine," Prodan said.

"We will make gas purchases from reverse flows urgently. On the conditions offered by European gas companies. We plan that they will be Germany's RWE and a French gas company."

The ministry's spokeswoman confirmed the French company was GDF Suez, adding no agreement had been signed as yet.

Russia has nearly doubled the gas price it charges Ukraine, punishing an economy that for years was mismanaged by pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovich and has been in freefall since he was toppled in violent protests.

Kiev's new leaders accuse Moscow of using gas as a way of punishing them for pursuing closer ties with the EU, and the standoff has deepened the worst East-West crisis since the end of the Cold war in 1991.

Ukraine has vowed to look elsewhere for gas, but Russian state gas company Gazprom has questioned the legality of reversing flows so that Europe can export it to Ukraine.

Prodan said Ukraine could get small amounts of gas from Poland and Hungary, and a bigger volume from Slovakia, but there were 'political questions' to be solved.

Slovakia has called for talks with Ukraine, Russia and the European Commission, the EU executive, to ensure it can export gas to Ukraine without violating existing contracts.

Russia, Ukraine, the EU and the United States are due to meet in Geneva on Thursday to talk about the Ukraine crisis.

Prodan also said Ukraine would turn to an arbitration tribunal in Stockholm to try to cancel a deal struck with Russia in 2009, when Kiev agreed an inflated price.

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Michael Phelps To Come Out Of Retirement

Michael Phelps is coming out of retirement, the first step toward swimming at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 22-time Olympic medalist will compete for the first time since the 2012 London Olympics at a meet in Mesa, Arizona, on April 24-26.

USA Swimming said on Monday that Phelps is expected to join fellow Olympians Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky at the Arena Grand Prix at Skyline Aquatic Center.

Phelps returned to training last fall and re-entered the US drug-testing program. He has completed his six-month waiting period to be eligible for competition by the US Anti-Doping Agency.

Phelps turns 29 in June and is the winningest and most decorated athlete in Olympic history. He captured 18 gold medals and 22 medals overall at the last three Summer Games. He broke Mark Spitz's record for a single Olympics by winning eight gold medals at Beijing in 2008.

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2 CRPF Jawans Killed In Suspected Naxal Attack

Two jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and four others injured in a landmine blast in Bihar early this morning. The blast took place between Jamui, where voting is being held in the third phase of Lok Sabha election, and Munger.

The blast took place at around 4 am this morning when the jeep of the CRPF personnel, who were on patrolling duty, was blown up. The injured jawans have been rushed to Munger.

The Naxals, who have boycotted these elections, are believed to be behind this blast.

Earlier this week, six landmines planted by the Maoists in Bihar's Gaya were found, a day after three troopers were killed while trying to defuse an explosive device.

Three CRPF troopers were killed in Aurangabad district on Monday when an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up while they were defusing it.

The state and Centre have made elaborate security arrangements in the Naxal-affected ditricts of the state where polling is scheduled to take place today. Extra companies of central forces like the CRPF have been deployed in the areas.

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Jose Mourinho In A Hurry To Get All The Way To Lisbon

Jose Mourinho's touchline dash after Chelsea scored the goal that clinched their Champions League semi-final place on Tuesday was not done just because he wanted to celebrate with his players by the corner flag.

Although it evoked memories of his famous victory sprint and knee-slide with Porto against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2004, the coach explained he had something else in mind near the end of their 2-0 win over Paris St Germain.

The Portuguese leapt out of his technical area and sprinted away, punching the air with his right fist after Demba Ba's 87th minute stike levelled the aggregate score at 3-3 and saw Chelsea qualify on the away goals rule.

"I didn't go to the corner flag to celebrate, but you can see I can run," Mourinho told reporters at Stamford Bridge.

"I went to tell them the changes we had to make. There were three minutes plus added time left and the way we were playing was too risky.

"I wanted Demba Ba to play in front of the defenders and (fellow substitute striker) Fernando Torres to defend (PSG's) Maxwell. I tried to use them in different jobs."

It speaks volumes for Mourinho that he tried to get through to his men when they were screaming in delight and the noise from the delirious home fans was at its peak on an incredibly tense night.

Having glimpsed success, he was not prepared to waste a moment securing it as he stayed on course to become the first man to lift the European Cup with three different clubs after his triumphs with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.

He could get the chance to do it at the end of May at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, the home ground of Benfica, the club where he was briefly in charge at the start of his coaching career before reaching the heights of the European game.

domestic league titles in England, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

The Portuguese has won all nine European competition quarter-finals he has been involved in - eight in the Champions League and one in the UEFA Cup.

His team outfought PSG in the end as the French side, 3-1 up from the first leg, dominated the early part of the game before visibly wilting in the face of unrelenting Chelsea pressure in the second half when they were already 1-0 down after Andre Schuerrle scored in the 32nd minute.

Mourinho added: "I think we did enough at beginning of the second half to score before we did. In the second half we totally dominated and we had all the possession. But it was difficult for us to penetrate.

"We did it in training yesterday, with three different systems, all of which we used. The players knew what they had to do. Demba Ba made a crucial finish for us.

"It was a deserved win that the team that tried to defend was punished. The team that played with their heart deserved to go through."

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INS Vikrant Sold To Ship-Breaker For Rs 60 Crores

India's first aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, which played an important role in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, has been sold to a ship breaker for Rs. 60 crores.

Defence sources are being quoted by the media, as saying that the auction process was completed last week. A company named IB Commercial Pvt Ltd. has purchased the decommissioned aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.

Earlier, the Government of Maharashtra said it was unable to maintain the INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in 1961 and decommissioned in January 1997. Once the money is paid, IB Commercial Pvt Ltd. will have to tow the ship away from the Naval Dockyard here within thirty days. There were plans earlier of converting the ship into a museum, but its condition was so bad that the project was abandoned.

The Indian Navy and the Ministry of Defence have maintained in court that the ship's operational life is over. The Majestic-class aircraft carrier was purchased from Britain in 1957.

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Dhoni Defends Underfire Yuvi, Says He Tried His Best

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday did not sound convincing as he desperately tried to defend Yuvraj Singh whose painstaking 21-ball 11 put paid to India's hopes of a historic treble.

India's quest ended in heartbreak as a gutsy Sri Lanka produced a clinical display to win their maiden ICC World Twenty20 trophy with a convincing six-wicket victory here.

"It was an off day for Yuvraj. He tried his best but it's not easy to come in and start slogging from ball one," Dhoni said at the post-match press conference, though his statement lacked conviction.

There were a few questions on Yuvraj which he completely deflected during his shortest media interaction in the whole tournament.

Asked if there was a message for Yuvraj when he got stuck in the middle, Dhoni said, "No, he was just trying his best. That's the most you can do."

Dhoni was specifically asked about Yuvraj's future in this current set-up considering others have more or less performed their duties or at least have age on their side. The smiling skipper gave an open-ended reply. "Indian cricket season is over...The next selection is far away, so let's not talk about it."

There had been angry reactions from the fans and he got a bit serious while answering a query. "Look, you need to understand that fans can be angry but they can't be more disappointed than the individual who is out there in the middle.

"As a player, you don't want to do badly in front of 40,000 people. You don't want to drop catches, but off-days happen. And it can happen with any athlete. May be it was an off-day for him [Yuvraj].

"Fans will be disappointed but it is the player who is always more disappointed than the fans," he explained.

When someone asked if Yuvraj's innings "robbed the team" of momentum, Dhoni seemed like wanting to put an end to the endless queries. "It's a team thing. So let us not talk about individuals.

"We wanted to score as many runs as possible in the last four overs but credit to Lankan bowlers. They bowled perfect wide yorkers. I, for one, know that Malinga bowls these superb wide yorkers. They got only one wide during that phase. They executed their plans brilliantly.

"We were a bit disappointed at the break for not having scored more than 130 but then we were thinking about Champions Trophy. It was also a 20-over match but here we had one fielder more outside the circle," the skipper said.

As for why he didn't start with his best bowler Ravichandran Ashwin, Dhoni defended the move saying, "We wanted to use Ashwin in the middle overs against left-handers. So we couldn't start with him. But the pacers went for runs and I had to bring him early and he also got a wicket.

"Also the wicket changed a bit under lights as the ball started coming onto the bat," he added.

Dhoni tried to count the positives from the tournament, having been consistent right from the practice match against England.

"The spinners have bowled well as they got a bit of help and turn from the track. Virat has been brilliant for us as he has been in the last one and half years and even more. We were consistent from start and hence there weren't too many changes in the playing XI."

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ICC World Twenty20: Virat Kohli Leads India To The Final

India stormed into the final of the ICC World T20 with a resounding six-wicket victory over South Africa, with Virat Kohli once again rising to the occasion with a scintillating unbeaten 76 here on Friday.

Chasing a competitive target of 173, India completed the task with five balls to spare to reach their second World T20 final. The reigning ODI world champions will lock horns with Sri Lanka in the title clash on Sunday.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni deliberately played a dot ball to ensure that the day's hero got a chance to score the winning stroke off Dale Steyn.

Kohli produced his best T20 International knock when it mattered the most, scoring his runs off just 44 balls and with the help of five fours and two sixes.

Suresh Raina's 21 off 10 balls was equally important in the final context of the match as India reached the final for the first time since the inaugural edition in South Africa.

Needing 51 off the last five overs, Kohli upped the ante as he smacked Imran Tahir over deep mid-wicket for a huge six to complete his 50 off 35 balls. But Tahir got a breakthrough when Yuvraj Singh (18) didn't get the elevation and A B de Villiers took one of the best catches of the tourney, running from his long-on position.

New man Raina got into the act immediately as he pulled Wayne Parnell behind deep fine leg for a six to bring down the equation. An uppish shot through vacant third man and an inside edge meant that Parnell gave away 17 runs. The over proved to be the turning point as India got the equation down to 23 from three overs.

Indian started the chase with a flurry of boundaries, including three in J P Duminy's first over. Ajinkya Rahane's was a backfoot punch through the covers while Rohit Sharma got an edge through slips and banged the next past mid-off as 14 came off the opening over.

Albie Morkel got the new ball from the other end and Rohit's spanking square cut got him his third boundary. His fourth boundary came when he pulled Morkel over the mid-wicket fielder.

With 23 from two overs, India's chase was on the right track.

Dale Steyn was promptly brought in and the last ball of his opening over was slashed over point by Rohit for a six.

However, Rohit was gone when he offered a skier off Hendricks, as skipper Faf du Plessis ran from his mid-off position to take well-judged catch. Rohit's 24 came off 13 balls with four boundaries and six.

The 50 came off five overs as Rahane moved towards the leg-side to lift Parnell over extra cover for a huge six.

Parnell had his revenge when he bowled one just short of length and Rahane's short arm jab was taken by de Villiers, running from mid-wicket boundary position. Rahane took 30 balls for his 32 that had two fours and a six.

Kohli played himself in and his first big shot was a six off Duminy.

When Hendricks bowled a short one, Kohli pulled him behind square as the 100 came up in the 13th over. The script then pretty much unfolded on expected lines as India romped home comfortably.

Earlier, Du Plessis came back from his one-match suspension with an attractive half-century as South Africa posted a challenging total. Riding on Du Plessis' 58 off 41 balls and senior campaigner Jean-Paul Duminy's 40-ball 45, the Proteas scored their highest total against India in the tournament so far.

David Miller's 12-ball 23 helped to prop up the total.

Barring Ravichandran Ashwin, who had brilliant figures of three for 22 from his four overs, other Indian bowlers had a disappointing day in office.

Amit Mishra gave his worst performance (0/36 in three overs) of the tournament, even as Dhoni was unable to complete the quota of his three specialist bowlers.

The most impressive part about South Africa's batting was that their batsmen did not try to fight the conditions. Du Plessis showed the virtue of spending some time before going on the ascendancy, while the seasoned Duminy also played an important hand in the team's total.

The Duminy-Du Plessis pair added 71 runs in 8.4 overs for the third wicket, laying the foundation for a fighting score.

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Team India Says Yuvraj Singh Fit For World T20 Semi

India received a boost ahead of Friday's World Twenty20 semi-final against South Africa when Yuvraj Singh was declared fit following an ankle injury, an official said.

The dashing left-handed batsman hurt his left ankle while playing football with team-mates on Wednesday, but the Indian squad's media manager R.N. Baba said there was no cause for worry. "Yuvraj is fit. He will attend practice," Baba told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka.

The 32-year-old overcame a lean trot to smash an attractive 60 off 43 balls, containing four sixes and five fours, against Australia on Sunday. Yuvraj, who was man of the match during India's World Cup-winning campaign in 2011, was diagnosed with a rare lung cancer later that year and received chemotherapy treatment in the United States.

Meanwhile, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin refused to tip his team as the favourites to beat South Africa, despite being the only unbeaten team in the 16-nation tournament.

"When it comes down to the semi-finals, it's anybody's game," the off-spinner said. "Whoever plays well on that particular day will have the advantage."

Ashwin said India, who won the inaugural World Twenty20, was not taking into consideration South Africa's reputation for choking in major events.

"They'll have to use it for themselves for our advantage," he said. "We are not looking at things like that or what happened in the past. If they want to do it, it's their problem."

If India win the tournament, they will become the first team to hold all three major titles, having won the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy last year.

But Ashwin insisted the hat-trick was not on the team's mind. "We've never been a team that believed in talking about all these things, because it's only going to make things tougher for you," he said.

"There are four teams in the semi-finals, everybody has a 25 percent chance to win." Defending champions West Indies meet Sri Lanka in the first semi-final later on Thursday.

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Thomas Isaac Challenges Mani To Open Debate

Left leader and former Finance Minister Thomas Issac, has challenged Finance Minister K M Mani to an open debate on the state's current financial position.

Saying that the financial situation is extremely grave, the former minister said that the absence of K M Mani in the capital highlighted his irresponsibility.

Issac said that the financial situation of the state was becoming chaotic. The first instalment of debt that the state used to take during Onam is now being availed much before Onam. Issac sad that the state was facing its most critical financial crisis in history.

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Yuvi Misses India's Practice Session Due To An Ankle Injury

The left ankle injury during Tuesday's barefoot football match forced Yuvraj Singh to opt out of the team training session on Wednesday.

Yuvraj sustained the injury during the team's customary football session at the BCB Academy in Mirpur. Later, he was seen limping with his left ankle being protected by a crepe bandage.

Yuvraj did not accompany the team for the training session at the Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah. He was advised to stay back in the team hotel and take rest.

"Yuvraj singh had a blow on his left ankle. For precautionary reasons, he is taking rest today," said the team's media manager Dr RN Baba in a media release.

It is not known whether he will train on Thursday or not

While the extent of the injury is not known, the idea of trainer Sudarshan to do something different could well cost the team dearly if Yuvraj does not get fit for Friday's semi-final match against the South Africans.

Interestingly, Yuvraj had sustained a serious knee injury in 2006 before a Champions Trophy game against Australia in Mohali.

Back then, the Indian team, coached by Greg Chappell, played a game of 'kho-kho' for entertainment and Yuvraj twisted his knee while turning.

But on Tuesday, the team did not play football to start off training and straightaway started with their serious net session.

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RBI Grants Preliminary Bank Licences To IDFC, Bandhan Financial

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday said it has given in-principle approval to IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services to set up new banks in a country where about half of the households do not have access to formal banking services.

The RBI said the approval would be valid for 18 months during which the two financial firms will have to comply with the requirements laid down by the central bank, according to a statement.

The central bank said it will also consider the application of India Post, but under a separate process to be carried out in consultation with the government.

The central bank said 25 applicants had been considered, and judged under various criteria including analysis of their financial statements, track record of running their business over the past 10 years and potential to run a bank.

"RBI's approach in this round of bank licences could well be categorised as conservative," the central bank said in the statement.

"At a time when there is public concern about governance, and when it comes to licences for entities that are intimately trusted by the Indian public, this may well be the most appropriate stance."

IDFC, a Mumbai-based non-bank financial company, specialises in infrastructure lending, while Bandhan Financial is a micro-finance organisation based on the eastern state of Kolkata.

The RBI last year allowed corporate houses to form banks as part of an effort to expand access to financial services in the country. About half of Indian households in the country of 1.2 billion are outside the banking system and branch penetration is low.

As many as 27 companies had applied, including billionaire Anil Ambani's Reliance Capital. Tata Capital, part of the Tata conglomerate, later withdrew its application citing operational difficulties in setting up a bank.

No new Indian bank has been formed since Yes Bank in 2004.

Proponents of issuing more licences hope deep-pocketed corporate-backed banks will bring the technology and appetite to operate in under-served markets, but critics have worried about whether companies can strictly separate their banking operations from their main businesses.

The RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan had formed a four-member external panel to scrutinize applications for new banking licences, headed by a former RBI governor Bimal Jalan. It started evaluating the applications from November.

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Missing Jet: Passengers Cleared Of Suspicion, Search Continues

No sightings were reported at the conclusion of Wednesday's search operation in the southern Indian Ocean for the “lost” Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 even as a senior Malaysian official said that all passengers on board the jet have been “cleared” in a criminal investigation that is being conducted.

On Wednesday, 10 aircraft and nine ships searched an area of about 237,000 sq km, about 1,500 km northwest of Perth, Australia's Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said in its latest update.

“There were no sightings reported of any objects related to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370,” it stated.

“Weather in the search area was fair, with visibility of approximately 10 kilometres.”

The JACC also said that the HMS Tireless, a Trafalgar Class submarine of the British Royal Navy, has arrived in the southern Indian Ocean to assist with the search.

“With her advanced underwater search capability, HMS Tireless will be a valuable contribution to the search for the missing plane,” it added.

Additionally, HMS Echo, a coastal survey ship also of the British Royal Navy, is in the search area to assist in efforts to locate the transponder on the black box.

It would also play an important role in the search for debris on the ocean surface and its advanced environmental assessment capability will help to optimise search operations, according to the JACC.

“The Australian Transport Safety Bureau continues to refine the area where the aircraft entered the water based on continuing ground-breaking and multi-disciplinary technical analysis of satellite communication and aircraft performance, passed from the international air crash investigative team comprising analysts from Malaysia, the United States, the UK, China and Australia,” the JACC update concluded.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished mysteriously about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur shortly after midnight March 8.

The Boeing 777-200ER was scheduled to land in Beijing the same day. The 227 passengers on board included five Indians, 154 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said Wednesday that all the passengers on board the missing MH370 flight had been "cleared" of hijacking, sabotage or having psychological or personal problems by the police.

A criminal investigation into the incident has freed the 227 passengers from the four elements, he said, according to Xinhua which cited Bernama news agency.

"They have been cleared of the four (elements). It (is) according to our own procedure (investigation)," Khalid said after officiating a seminar for the police.

He said the cabin crew, including the pilot and the co-pilot, are still being investigated in these four areas.

Khalid said the police have so far recorded statements from over 170 individuals on the incident, adding that more statements would be recorded.

The police would not release any findings of the investigation in case it would jeopardise the ongoing probe, he added.

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