‘I’ll continue to play ODIs’ - We’ve brought a smile on the face of every Indian: Sachin

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar, The Master, briefly spoke to The Telegraph at the team hotel and, then, took questions from a section of the media at the Raj Bhavan, on Sunday evening.

Such is the craze for Sachin (indeed, everybody wants a piece of him) that he couldn’t leave the hotel, for the reception by President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, at the first attempt.

Sachin could cross the lobby only after security personnel quickly cleared the area. Not that he wasn’t mobbed at the Raj Bhavan.

The following are excerpts

Feelings on the day after...

It’s an unbelievable feeling, something I haven’t experienced before.

If he slept at all on Saturday night...

Hardly... That we’d won the World Cup still hadn’t sunk in... Rather, I began imagining that another match was coming up. It’s sinking in now

The achievement...

Huge... Huge... There’s nothing bigger than the World Cup and we’ve won it.

Win unifying the country, perhaps, like never before...

It’s great... We’ve brought a smile on the face of every Indian.

Teammates dedicating the win to him...

I’ve been touched... India have won, the team has won... I won’t forget their gesture... I’d dedicate it to the country.

Player of the Tournament Yuvraj Singh naming him as his special one...

(Laughs) I think he had somebody else in mind!

Having been in tears...

Well, I’d waited 21 years to be a World Cup-winner... I cried out of joy.

What made the difference...

Planning, preparation... The team’s self-belief. An environment where everybody knew his role.

Role played by Gary Kirsten, who is no more the coach...

His has been a big contribution. He’ll be missed in the dressing room.

If thoughts of the 2003 final, at the Wanderers, surfaced...

No... Last night was all about positive things... The good memories.

Message for the billion-plus fans...

Enjoy the moment... Savour the win.

Finally, on speculation that he’d quit ODIs...

No, I’ll continue to play them.

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110404/jsp/sports/story_13807019.jsp

Japanese nuclear plant continues to leak radioactive water into ocean

Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are unable to plug a leak of radioactive water. Meanwhile, Japan's prime minister says it will take months to resolve the problems at the plant. Red Cross says aid payments will begin soon.



Radioactive water continued to seep into the sea Monday after a failed attempt to seal the leak at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant using an absorbent polymer, sawdust and shredded paper.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. officials think the leak has been coming from an 8-inch crack in the concrete pit holding power cables near reactor No. 2. On Monday, Tepco said it would use a dye to try to trace the path of the leak, Kyodo News reported. Radiation levels in the pit water are an estimated 1,000 millisieverts per hour, a high but not immediately lethal dose.

Engineers also planned to begin injecting nitrogen gas into reactors No. 1, 2 and 3 in an attempt to prevent possible explosions from the buildup of hydrogen gas. Explosions at the three reactors in the first four days after the magnitude 9 earthquake and accompanying tsunami March 11 badly damaged the reactor buildings and disabled the cooling pumps that provided water to the reactors. Government officials say it may take months to fully restore the cooling systems.

Japan's official death toll from the disaster topped 12,000 on Sunday, as about 25,000 U.S. and Japanese troops finished an intensive three-day recovery effort. The search located 78 bodies, but more than 15,000 people are still officially listed as missing. About 160,000 survivors remain in shelters.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-reactor-damage-20110403,0,1606193.story?track=rss

India Sri Lanka final: Dhoni's parents keep fingers crossed

RANCHI: "Shaurya" is premises no. H 10A in the Harmu Housing Colony, some 4 kms from Firayalal, the centre of Ranchi town. A two-storeyed building that had closed all its doors and windows on Friday afternoon to keep the pestering media at bay. It's the house where the Dhonis live, the family of the first citizen of Indian Cricket.

Shaurya is superstitious about Saturday's match. The inmates, Mahi's parents and his elder brother's family, do not want to discuss cricket at all. "There's a reason why. In 2007, we were nervous and didn't talk to anybody from the media at all. The Mahi-led India team won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20, defeating Pakistan by 5 runs in the final at Johannesburg. So we were delighted of course! When time came for the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup in England, we talked our hearts out. And India lost !"

That was Narendra Singh Dhoni , Mahi's elder brother, speaking to ET on Friday. "You know what? All this cricket means we are forced to remain under voluntary house arrest till it ends. Just look at the crowd in front of our house and you would know what I mean" he said. Sure enough. Between H10A and the BJP party office bang opposite the road, there were atleast six OB vans and some 40-50 mediamen milling around.

The Dhonis of Shaurya are, therefore, taking no chances this time. Not a word to the media, nothing at all that may come in the way of India and the Cup, not a deed that might make the Gods angry. Yes, the Dhonis are simple, God-fearing people.

As a mutual friend informed, the family visited Tarapith in West Bengal's Birbhum district with a local priest, to offer their prayers just before the semis with Pakistan at Mohali. Tarapith is Tantric hotspot and famously potent. Legend has it that the third eye of Sati fell here, when Shiva went on the rampage with his dead consort's lifeless body on his shoulder and Lord Vishnu decimated the body into 51 bits with his Sudarshan Chakra to pacify Shiva.

Narendra of course parried the question. "Is it not natural that we will pray?" he asked. Sure, and it's not only Mahi's family that is praying. Even his neighbours are. His closest neighbours these days are employees of State Bank of India , Harmu branch and the lady present in the bank on Friday, despite it being a bank holiday, said she certainly has prayed too and that she would be delighted if India wins the World Cup. Old neighbours at the Mecon colony, where the Dhonis first lived at N-171 and later at E-25 and where Mahi was born and brought up, said they were also praying for Mahi and India.

Kalyan Pramanik, who lived in N-172, and Satyajit Panda who lives in E-26, both were counting the uneasy hours before Saturday's finals. Being a Dhoni is tough at times and they are basically simple folk. Narendra is some 40 plus and runs his own private business. "We are very private people, but being a Dhoni doesn't allow us to lead a very private life" said Narendra. He had joined the BJP for sometime against the wishes of everyone in the family, including Mahi and his own wife. The intense opposition finally forced Narendra to quit politics.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/india-sri-lanka-final-dhonis-parents-keep-fingers-crossed/articleshow/7847809.cms

Customs detain WC trophy

The Customs authorities in Mumbai detained the cricket World Cup trophy at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on early Friday when it arrived from Colombo. The Customs detained the trophy, as no commercial value was attached to it making it difficult to assess the duty.

An International Cricket Council (ICC) representative had carried the trophy and also a covering letter not addressed to anyone, but saying, "To whomsoever it may concern".

Customs officials said that the letter mentioned that this property is not for commercial purposes and hence has nil value.

The representative arrived at around 2am by a Sri Lankan Airlines flight with the trophy kept in an aluminum box. The trophy made of silver and gold weighed around 11kg.

A senior Customs official, requesting anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media said that the trophy was detained because under Customs Act there is no duty exemption for the same.

"The ICC should have in advance approached the government and got adhoc exemption for the trophy through a notification," the official said explaining the procedure for getting exemption in such cases.

The Customs officials called experts to find out the value of the trophy following which the duty on the same would be ascertained. The experts were busy ascertaining the value of the trophy till evening.

Officials said after the duty is paid, the trophy would be released.

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/Customs-detain-WC-trophy/Article1-680157.aspx

Afghanistan: Ban Ki-moon condemns UN staff killings

The BBC's Paul Wood: "It shows how this issue really inflames passions"

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned an attack on a UN building in Afghanistan as "outrageous and cowardly".

At least 12 people were killed when demonstrators torched the building in the city of Mazar-e Sharif.

Three UN workers and four Nepalese guards were among the dead.

Local officials said clerics had urged people to protest over last month's burning of a copy of the Koran in the presence of US pastor Terry Jones.

He has denied responsibility for the violence in Afghanistan.

Witnesses said the protest began peacefully but suddenly turned violent.

Several demonstrators were killed by guards, who were then overpowered by the mob.

A local police spokesman told the BBC that a number of people had subsequently been arrested.

Dan McNorton, spokesman for the UN mission in Afghanistan, said: "Three international Unama (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) staff members were killed, and four international armed security guards were killed."

Initial reports said eight foreign UN workers had died.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt later confirmed that one of the dead was a Swede, 27-year-old UN worker Joakim Dungel.

The Norwegian defence ministry said another of those killed was Lt Col Siri Skare, a 53-year-old female pilot. The other foreign victims are believed to be a Romanian and four Nepalese guards.

US President Barack Obama condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms", saying the work of the UN "is essential to building a stronger Afghanistan".

The top UN representative in Afghanistan, Staffan De Mistura, has flown to the area to handle the matter.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12944851

Ford leads sales in March with fuel-efficient lineup

LOS ANGELES — March was another strong month for auto sales.

Ford sales jumped 19.2 percent to 212,777 from the same month a year earlier, pushing the automaker past General Motors to become the top seller in the U.S. auto market in March. Ford was helped by strong sales of its core Ford brand — up more than 28 percent.

Ford said its efforts to retool the company to produce more fuel-efficient passenger cars has paid off as gas prices have risen in recent months.

"Consumers are placing a high priority on fuel efficiency in every size and kind of vehicle," said Ken Czubay, Ford's sales chief.

In March, GM's sales rose 9.6 percent, to 206,621 vehicles, compared with March 2010. GM slashed its incentives and discounts during the month and that hurt its results.

Nissan said its March sales rose 26.9 percent to 121,141, the most it has ever sold in any month in America.

Chrysler reported U.S. sales of 121,730, a 31 percent increase compared with March 2010. It was Chrysler's highest sales for any month since May 2008. The company's passenger-car sales increased 46 percent.

Toyota attributed its 6 percent sales drop in March to reduced rebates. Auto-information company TrueCar.com said Toyota's incentives fell 23 percent from March 2010 and 11 percent from February.

Toyota officials tried to reassure customers that it will have adequate supplies of the Prius, which saw sales jump 52 percent in March. Production has resumed in Japan and shipments will be arriving soon, they said.

Other automakers reporting sales Friday included:

• Kia, with a 44 percent increase from March of last year. Sales of the new Optima midsize car were up 90 percent.

• Honda said sales jumped 23 percent. The subcompact Fit, which is made in Japan, led the way with a 49 percent increase.

• Hyundai reported a 32 percent sales jump and said sales of the Elantra compact more than doubled.

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014663485_autosales02.html

Microsoft should make Google the April Fool

Google has given Microsoft a great competitive opening, and it's one the software giant shouldn't let go. Opportunities like this just don't come `round often enough, or so rightly timed.

Twice in about a week, Google has cracked down on Android licensing. From one perspective, the search and information giant is asserting needed leadership. From another, Google is closing the door on so-called openness of its software. Either way, Microsoft has a hook to grab developers and encourage further OEM adoption of Windows Phone 7.

Quick recap: Last week, Google revealed that it wouldn't immediately release Android 3.0 as open source; there was no real time horizon given. My analysis "Honeycomb tests Google's 'Open Principles'" questions whether the search and information giant broke promises made to the open-source community. From the standpoint of controlling fragmentation, withholding Honeycomb makes business sense, however.

Something else: According to a report from Bloomberg Business Week, Google also is cracking down on which handset manufacturers get access to Android. They'll need Android chief Andy Rubin's blessing to get the newest operating system version, according to the report. For a mobile operating system that's supposed to be open, Android suddenly looks closed. Again, there is business justification -- Google trying to diminish Android fragmentation. However, handset manufacturers like HTC or Sony may find Google suddenly resistent to skinning Android with their own custom user interfaces. They use these skins to differentiate the experience between their phones from others running Android; perhaps no longer.

Google is between a rock and a hard place, and Microsoft should put on the squeeze.

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http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/Microsoft-should-make-Google-the-April-Fool/1301690774