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In a scathing reaction to the goof-up in the World Cup final which ended on a farcical note on Saturday, BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said there would be quite a few things to be "sorted out" at the next ICC chief Executives meeting in June.
"We are not that satisfied. It (ICC) is becoming more and more bureaucratic. My Board is of the belief that cricket is a simple, enjoyable game, but that is not how it appears at present," Shah, who watched the Australia-Sri Lanka final in Barbados, was quoted as saying by 'The Age' today.
"The ICC has so many staff members. It is unnecessarily employing so many people and that costs the other members. The ICC should move away from the bureaucracy and become more simplified," he added.
Asked whether BCCI's discontent could manifest into a vote of no-confidence against the ICC, Shah said "Why not? It is something we will discuss with our Board. Some of it will depend on how other boards are feeling." PTI
Sarwan named new West Indies captain
Barbados, Apr 30 (PTI) Seasoned middle order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan has been appointed the new West Indies captain, succeeding Brian Lara who quit international cricket after the World Cup.
According to a CMC report, Sarwan was the unanimous choice during the West Indies Cricket Board's special board meeting yesterday and the chairman of selection panel Gordon Greenidge, Andy Roberts and Clyde Butts recommended his name for the job.
Sarwan served as Lara's deputy in the World Cup and the 26-year-old Guyanese, who is reportedly in Miami, will join the selectors in Antigua to pick the team for the tour of England.
West Indies are scheduled to play four Tests, two Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals during the May 12 to July 7 tour.
In yesterday's special meeting, the WICB also discussed issues like appointment of a new coach following Bennett King's resignation after the World Cup, besides its negotiations with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).
WICB President Ken Gordon's offer to resign also featured in the agenda. PTI
Karthikeyan misses podium by a whisker in best ever A1GP show
Brands Hatch (Britain), Apr 30 (PTI) Narain Karthikeyan came tantalisingly close to a podium finish in the A1GP only to miss it by three tenths of a second in what turned out to be Team India's best ever show in the spectacular season finale.
Karthikeyan seemed at home with the Brands Hatch circuit, where he had won a couple of F3 titles earlier.
The former F1 racer drove a fantastic Feature race to take India from seventh to fourth place to secure the team's best ever finish in this World Cup of Motorsport.
Team Germany won the Feature Race, followed by Great Britain and Italy, with just three tenths of a second separating Karthikeyan from a third place finish after 70 minutes of racing.
A1 Team Italy, however, were under investigation for pitting after the safety car had been called.
After Team India had qualified fifth for the 20 minute Sprint race, Karthikeyan took his place between Italy and Malaysia for the rolling start. As the 22 cars thundered down the line to start the first lap, Karthikeyan lost two places to Malaysia and the Netherlands.
With the race consisting of just 15 laps, the team had little opportunity to make up the position, despite looking considerably faster than the orange Dutch car. Karthikeyan went on to cross the line in seventh, just one place out of the points. PTI
Exporters find $160 bln export target unrealistic: Assocham
New Delhi, Apr 30 (PTI) In the backdrop of a sharp rise in the value of Rupee and emerging slowdown in the global economy, a majority of exporters feel the export target of USD 160 billion set by the government is too ambitious, according to an Assocham survey.
"Seventy nine per cent of exporters surveyed on 'Prospects of 2007-08 Exports Targets' fixed by government, feel that the 160 billion dollars export target is too ambitious because of the rise in rupee value and slowdown in global economy, particularly the US and the EU," the Assocham Business Barometer said.
Of the respondents, 59 per cent who showed concern on the appreciating rupee and sought RBI's intervention. Besides 80 per cent of exporters felt that further hardening of the rupee might lead to a sectoral slow growth.
Fifty five percent of the respondents felt that global slowdown is one of the reasons for slower rise in exports and the trend would continue in the current fiscal.
Sixty per cent said the growth in exports would be around 10-15 per cent in the current fiscal and the Government should take note of realities like hardening rupee, increasing interest rates, poor infrastructure facilities and increasing high transaction costs, which make Indian products uncompetitive in the global market The chamber said export growth is projected to be slower at 15.7 per cent given the projected decline in world GDP growth 0.5 percentage points and slower rise in international prices.
"Given the forecasts and predictions by NCEAR, ADB and IMF give us a conclusion that achieving the target of 160 billion dollars is quiet unrealistic and ambitious," Assocham President Venugopal Dhoot said. PTI
Sensex ends 36 pts down as banking stocks plunge
Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI) The benchmark BSE Sensex ended 36 points down today on selling by funds, particularly in banking stocks after ICICI Bank posted lower-than-expected fourth quarter earnings.
The 30-share Sensex, which fell by more than 200 points early in the day, staged a strong comeback toward the fag-end of the session on emergence of buying at lower levels along with short-covering. The index ended 36.21 points down at 13,872.37 points. It had lost 320.30 points on Friday.
However, on the wide-based National Stock Exchange, Nifty ended in the positive zone with a marginal gain of 4.40 points at 4,087.90 after dipping to 4,028.90 points earlier in the session.
Stock brokers said shares of major banks came under selling pressure and plunged between 2-10 per cent after ICICI Bank posted lower-than-expected fourth quarter results, triggering selling.
Besides, concerns of capital raising plans by the country's second largest lender dampened trading sentiments.
With the effect, the BSE banking index dropped by 203.99 points, or 2.88 per cent cent at 6,882.89 points.
Shares of ICICI Bank plunged Rs 67.75 at Rs 865.90, HDFC Bank by Rs 9.65 at Rs 1026.15 and Oriental Bank of Commerce by Rs 16.10 at Rs 197.15. PTI
Sensex plunges by 197 pts in early trade
Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI) Tracking global trend, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex today plunged by nearly 197 points on heavy selling in blue-chip stocks like ICICI Bank and Reliance industries.
The 30-share Sensex, which had lost over 300 points on Friday, dropped further by 196.95 points at 13,711.63 as index-heavy ICICI Bank plunged 7.5 per cent on equity dilution concerns.
With the effect, the BSE banking index dropped 3.5 per cent while shares of Punjab National Bank declined 3.5 per cent, and HDFC Bank and State Bank of India lost 2 per cent.
The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty fell by 45.05 points at 4,038.45. PTI
China undergoes over 130 inspections on chemical weapons
Beijing, Apr 30 (PTI) The Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has conducted over 130 on-the-spot inspections on China, often accused of clandestinely exporting sensitive dual-use chemicals to countries like Iran.
This was stated by the vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Zhang Guobao here yesterday while marking the 10th anniversary of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
"China gave active cooperation and assistance to these inspections. The results show that China has strictly implemented the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention," Zhang said in a statement.
"The Chinese government has punctually submitted original and annual reports to the OPCW. By March this year, China, whose chemical industrial facilities account for one-third of the world's total, had witnessed more than 130 on-the-spot examinations by OPCW inspectors. The results of the inspections show that China is strictly implementing the provisions of the convention," Zhang says.
"China is resolute in opposing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. It attaches great importance to the role of the convention in preventing the proliferation of chemical weapons and their raw materials", he said.
"In recent years China has continuously strengthened its anti-proliferation capacity and strictly censored its chemical imports and exports according to the law", he said.
However, in the past, the US has imposed sanctions on Chinese companies for allegedly supplying dual-use chemicals to Iran. Beijing dismissed the charge, saying it has tightened regulations concerning chemicals and is opposed to the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).PTI
Sharif may end alliance with Bhutto: PML (N) leaders
Islamabad, April 30 (PTI) Deposed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may end his alliance with his arch rival of the past and former premier Benazir Bhutto in view of her emerging rapprochement with President Pervez Musharraf, leaders of his PML-N party have said.
The relations between the two former Prime Ministers currently living in exile may sour after Bhutto said in a recent interview that she was ready to become prime minister with Musharraf as president, a report said here today Sharif, who heads Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), is convinced that the time has come to say "goodbye" to Bhutto after their alliance reached the stage where they can no longer work together, PML-N leaders in London were quoted as saying by 'The News'.
"Why do we forget that there are no permanent friends or foes in politics," was the reaction of a PML-N leader while reacting to Bhutto's interview.
Bhutto had told the 'The Times' that she is ready to work with President Musharraf if she is elected as the Prime Minister in the next elections.
"If the people vote for my party (Pakistan People's Party) and Parliament elects me as prime minister, it would be an honour for me to take up that role, and General Musharraf would be there as President, so I think a good working relationship between him and me would be a necessity for Pakistan," she had said.
In view of this, the report said the so-called Charter of Democracy signed on May 14, 2006 vowing to oppose the military dictatorship might be the first causality of this new development followed by the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) in which the two parties are partners. PTI
Six LTTE rebels killed in clash
Colombo, Apr 30 (PTI) Sri Lankan troops killed six Tamil Tiger guerrillas in a clash in the island's northeast, hours after the rebels bombed two oil depots in the capital.
"Security Forces confirmed that the Tiger cadres were killed when troops retaliated against an LTTE small arms attack targeting an army foot patrol yesterday," the Defence Ministry said in a statement today.
The bodies of six LTTE cadres were recovered by troops during a search operation following the confrontation. Three of them were women, the Ministry said.
The clash came hours after the Tigers bombed two oil depots here causing extensive damage. One of the oil storage tanks destroyed by the attack is partly owned by the Indian Oil Company.
Following yesterday's pre-dawn Tamil Tiger attack, two international airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates have suspended their flights to Sri Lanka amid safety concerns for their aircraft.
Airline officials contend that Sri Lanka's air traffic controllers are no longer in full control of the country's airspace after the Tigers are using aicraft to carry out attacks.
"This could cause a dangerous threat to international flights," an airline official added. PTI
Zia ready to cooperate with EC in carrying out poll reforms
Dhaka, April 30 (PTI) Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has expressed her willingness to cooperate with the country's poll body in its plans to carry out electoral reforms while seeking parliamentary polls at the earliest.
"She called upon to the commission to hold the parliamentary elections as soon as possible," the leader of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and former minister Osman Faruque said after visiting Zia at her residence inside Dhaka Cantonment yesterday.
Faruque said Zia also wanted to cooperate with the Election Commission in its plan to bring about electoral reforms for ensuring free and fair polls as "electoral reforms are also necessary in the interest of the party".
These were Zia's first comments on politics since the interim administration in emergency-ruled Bangladesh last week denied widely speculated government plans to exile her and restrict her movement.
Coming out of her residence for the first time in 25 days, Zia yesterday told reporters that she would visit Saudi Arabia to perform "Umrah Haj".
However, her brother Eskandar Mirza said she was yet to get a visa despite pursuance of the government. "The government is now saying she will have to obtain the visa herself," Mirza told the Prothom Alo newspaper.
Awami League leader and ex-premier Sheikh Hasina had two days ago sought general election as early as possible to establish an elected government to fight poverty and corruption.
"Without an elected government, there is no transparency and accountability. And without transparency and accountability, poverty and corruption, the twin enemy of the country, cannot be eradicated," she had said.
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