MELBOURNE, Dec 23: The key to the stupendous success together of India’s deadly batting duo, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, is the "short goals" they set over by over.......more

Tight security for
veterans’ cricket match

AGRA, Dec 23: A tight security arrangement has been put in place for tomorrow’s Indo-Pak veterans’ cricket match in the wake of threats by Shiv Sena to disrupt the game............more

Australia have learnt
their lesson: Ponting

MELBOURNE, Dec 23: Australia have learnt their lesson from their shock defeat by to India in last week’s second Test, vice-captain Ricky Ponting said today........more

In Asia, pollution spreads
as economies boom

SINGAPORE, Dec 23: Every two years, Indonesia loses about four million hectares of forest, an area roughly the size of Switzerland, to rapacious logging. Skies in northern China glow orange in sandstorms that cross the Pacific and lay dust on the western United States. In Hong Kong, raw sewage bobs in its pearl-blue harbour................more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 23: Shyam Sharma had best timing of 10.30 minutes in two stroke group on the opening day of the All India Open Mobike Dirt Track Race being..........more

Jammu Red wins district
Korfball championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 23: Jammu Red lifted Jammu district Korfball championship trophy beating Jammu Blue in the final played at Government.....more

Pranav wins
open Kumite gold

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 23: Pranav Singh Jamwal won open Kumite gold fighting in 65-70 kg weight group on the final of the three-day State Karate-do Championship.....more

HSS Rajpura wins district
Korfball championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

KATHUA, Dec 23: Higher Secondary School, Rajpura won the 2nd district Kathua Korfball championship beating Pinto Club.....more

Ian Dev in Indian U-19 School team......

Dravid makes to world’s top ten, Farhat topples Sachin.....

Azad Club wins opening tie in Cricket tourney.....

Laxman lets out the secret of success with Dravid

MELBOURNE, Dec 23: The key to the stupendous success together of India’s deadly batting duo, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, is the "short goals" they set over by over.

Laxman, whose wristy strokeplay has punished Australia’s bowlers, revealed today that "after every over we go and discuss the situation we are in. After every over we go and discuss short goals".

Dravid and Laxman have had numerous big stands in their careers at various levels but none more famous than the two they created in Kolkata in 2001 and in Adelaide just over a week ago.

The pair scripted a mammoth 303-run partnership in Adelaide to fashion India’s historic Test win on Australian soil after a span of 22 years. Their 376-run association in the Kolkata Test had also resulted in an Indian victory.

"It definitely helps when I bat alongside Rahul, a guy who is so intense and is concentrating at all times kind of inspires you at the other end," said Laxman at the end of a practice session at the Melbourne cricket ground.

"The team needs us to get going and the confidence we carry from previous games obviously helps in the next innings," he said.

"I learn from and admire his consistency. We have been together for four-five years and it is a great learning process to bat with him," Laxman said, looking forward to another long association with Dravid in the Melbourne Test as India try to stay ahead of the Australians in the four-match series.

Laxman was expecting the Australians would hit bard Test but said they would rather do their stuff than worry about their rivals’ tactics.

"We are not really thinking what the Australians are thinking. We are just concentrating on improving our game and try to be the best we can be."

"It is going to be a tough match... We are looking forward to the challenge."

Laxman said his team was striving all the time to improve in the areas in which they were lagging.

"There are lot of aspects of the game which we try to improve. We usually discuss those targets after a Test match."

Laxman said his teammates know that they have to keep their feet on ground to concentrate on the challenge ahead.

"The boys were glad we were able to achieve a win in Australia after 22 years. But we know we are competing against the best side in the world. There is no room for complacency."

Laxman had a look at the pitch and found it an interesting deck but did not elaborate whether it would offer pace and bounce.

"It seems a good wicket but we can only assess the conditions when we have a feel of it. We would then play accordingly." (PTI)

Tight security for veterans’ cricket match

AGRA, Dec 23: A tight security arrangement has been put in place for tomorrow’s Indo-Pak veterans’ cricket match in the wake of threats by Shiv Sena to disrupt the game.

Shiv Sainiks who had on December 18 dug up the pitch at the Eklavya Stadium claimed that a large number of their cadres from various parts of the country were in the city to disrupt the match, third and final of the goodwill series.

Players arrived in the city this afternoon and checked into a hotel. The foggy weather meant there was no practice and the touring Pakistan cricketers made use of the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal as a posse of policemen kept a strict vigil.

"Since national prestige is involved in the hosting of this match, one company of PAC comprising 300 constables and a number of magistrates will ensure that law and order is maintained," Ashutosh Panday, Senior Superintendent of Police, said.

Anti-explosive devices, sniffer dogs, metal detectors would be used as part of the security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident during the match.

"A two-tier security system has been placed both inside and outside the stadium. Plain clothes policemen will mingle with spectators to keep a watch on those who might try to disrupt the event," Panday said.

Policemen would also be deployed on roofs of high rise buildings. (PTI)

Australia have learnt their lesson: Ponting

MELBOURNE, Dec 23: Australia have learnt their lesson from their shock defeat by to India in last week’s second Test, vice-captain Ricky Ponting said today.

"I think we’ve learnt from it. We have to be a bit tougher this week," Ponting told reporters at Melbourne airport before for the third Test which starts on Friday.

India lead the four-Test series 1-0.

Ponting made a majestic 242 in Australia’s first innings of 556 in the second Test in Adelaide. The dashing right-hander was out for a duck in the second innings with Australia collapsing to 196 all out.

India were set 230 to win after what Australia coach John Buchanan said was an "immature" and "soulless" batting performance by the home side.

Rahul Dravid, who made 233 and 72 not out in the match, hit the winning runs for a four-wicket victory.

"If we had batted for one more session, things could have been a lot different," said Ponting, who has hit 19 centuries in 73 Tests. "I think you’ll see a lot more determined team this week."

Melbourne cricket ground’s capacity has been reduced to 70,000 as part of renovations for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. However, Ponting said the Melbourne Test had lost none of its excitement.

"This is my favourite cricket ground in the world and boxing day (December 26)is traditionally a big test match," Ponting said.

"It would be nice to have a big game, to carry on from Adelaide." (AGENCIES)

In Asia, pollution spreads as economies boom

SINGAPORE, Dec 23: Every two years, Indonesia loses about four million hectares of forest, an area roughly the size of Switzerland, to rapacious logging.

Skies in northern China glow orange in sandstorms that cross the Pacific and lay dust on the western United States. In Hong Kong, raw sewage bobs in its pearl-blue harbour.

From inner Mongolia to the Indian subcontinent and tropical southeast Asia, says one senior United Nations Environmental Official, the region’s ecology and environment is deteriorating as its factories and economies boom.

Although Governments are rolling out unprecedented initiatives to tackle Asian pollution — underscored by a meeting of southeast Asian Environment Ministers in mid-December in Myanmar — the policies are often badly enforced, the official adds.

"Things could get worse before they get better," Ravi Sawhney, Director of the Environment and Sustainable Development division of the United Nations economic and social commission for the Asia-Pacific, or unescap, told in an interview.

Sawhney is studying Asia’s environment for the UN "state of the environment report" released every five years. Although the next report is not due until 2005, Sawhney said indications point to a broad-based worsening in environmental conditions.

"There are policy initiatives that have been taken and laws enacted and so on. But the problem is the actual implementation," he said.

As if to highlight what he says, landslips and mudslides as recently as November and mid-December in corners of Indonesia and the Philippines plagued by illegal logging swept away or buried alive whole families.

Six of the world’s 15 most polluted cities are in Asia, and the region generates a third of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. In Asia’s developing regions, around 785 million people lack regular access to safe water, UN statistics show.

But there are pockets of improvement.

The air quality in notoriously polluted Bangkok, Dhaka, New Delhi and several Chinese cities is healthier after most of Asia, except for Indonesia, phased out lead from gasoline, said Cornie Huizenga of the Asian development bank’s clean air initiative.

Bangladesh, which is spending 30 million over two years to bring natural gas to 100 petrol stations, is replacing high-polluting two-stroke engines in its rickshaw taxis in the capital Dhaka with cleaner-burning natural gas power.

"It’s an unequal picture. There are cities where the situation is getting better," said Huizenga, adding that a growing number of cities have put up air monitoring systems.

Thailand’s "tuk tuk" taxis now run on liquefied petroleum gas, while buses and taxis in New Delhi and Bombay are phasing out diesel and running instead on compressed natural gas. "this is very much the story of the future," he added.

Huizenga and other environmental experts helped the association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) draw up an anti-pollution plan as rising wealth brings demands for better urban conditions after decades of squalor in some countries.

Southeast Asian Environment Ministers meeting in Myanmar approved a non-binding "framework" which calls on ASEAN to develop stronger urban anti-polluting strategies beginning with a series of workshops next year.

"Due to rapid growth, you’re getting overlapping problems —water, air, land — on top of each other, making a very complex situation," said Peter Marcotullio, a researcher in the institute of advanced studies at the United Nations university in Tokyo.

"So part of what is being done here is to tease out some of these problems so that city managers can deal with them one at a time, as opposed to what seems to be happening is that they are all coming at them at the same time." (AGENCIES)

Shyam gives best timing on opening day of Mobike Race

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 23: Shyam Sharma had best timing of 10.30 minutes in two stroke group on the opening day of the All India Open Mobike Dirt Track Race being organised by Jammu and Kashmir Motor Sports Association at Mini-Stadium, Parade, here today.

However, the guest rider, Subash Parshnakar of Nagpur could not impress the organisers after he clocked in 11.39 in the first head he competed with Sham Sharma.

In all the three heats took place today, third head had maximum timing with no rider clocking below 11 minutes. The last fourth heat in two-stroke group will take place tomorrow, followed by the heats in four-stroke mobike category.

Earlier, Director General of J&K Police, Gopal Sharma inaugurated the racing. Prominent among others present on the occasion were Siddharth Sharma, Ranjit Singh, Romesh Mahajan, Som Raj Gupta, Vikram Singh and Umesh Joshi.

In today’s initial rounds, Iqbal Singh, Inder Koul, Satpal Khajuria, Dr C M Khajuria, Rakesh Verma and Naresh Joshi. Pritam Singh Rathore was chief judge.

Results (Qualifying rounds in minutes)

Ist heat: Shyam Sharma, 10.30; Rajinder Singh, 10.46; Vijay Singh, 10.51; Subash Pashnokar 11.39; Pardeep Majotra, 13.10.

2nd heat: Arun Manhas, 10.52; Amardeep Singh, 10.53; Sanjay Sharma 10.55; Amit Bandhari, 10.59; Gurmeet Singh, 11.55.

3rd heat: Sandeep Bakshi, 11.15; Rakesh Mahajan, 11.16; Janak Raj, 11.22; Deepak Singh, 11.30; Satnam Singh, 12.20; Santosh Kumar, 12.49.