18:03
So with that last update we come to the end of the day's updates. How did the Mohali semi-final go, who cost the match for who, those are topics for another day:)
17:48
The CBI was today allowed by a Delhi court to interrogate Asif Balwa and Rajeev Agarwal, arrested for their alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam for transferring Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd, in its custody for two days. Special CBI Judge O P Saini allowed CBI's plea saying...
17:41
Alleging that UP Chief Minister Mayawati is treating her opponents like enemies, the Samajwadi Party today said the situation in the state was worse than Emergency. The CM has gagged democracy and is treating her opponents like enemies, SP state president Akhilesh Yadav said after meeting a youth...
17:32
Before he met his counterpart in Mohali and effectively took the day off, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took to the floor of both houses of Parliament today to defend himself and his party from a growing furor over the WikiLeaks cable alleging government corruption. Opposition politicians spent...
17:10
Actor Shiney Ahuja has been convicted in a rape case by Mumbai sessions court today. The actor had been accused of raping his teenaged domestic maid in June 2009. The maid had lodged an FIR against the actor. She had said that he had raped her while they were alone at the actor's flat . The...
17:02
Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke out for the first time today about the heart-rending media accounts of a rogue US army unit accused of deliberately killing civilians for sport. In his first public reaction to the scandal, Hamid Karzai said he wanted to ensure ordinary Americans knew about...
16:50
Omar Abdullah:Kashmir valley is sucking more than 780MW power at the moment & grids R tripping. Please switch off some heaters & lights so more TVs work. By the way, this is not the J&K CM.
16:47
Deserted streets and markets, empty buses and trains and people bunking work presented the picture of a nation riveted to the heart stopping World Cup cricket semi-final clash today between arch rivals India and Pakistan. As work in a cricket crazy nation with billion plus population came to a...
16:38
The ICC today apologised to India for the insult to the tri-colour at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium here today. In a bizarre incident, a spotter for ICC merchandise rights holder, trampled upon a balloon which had the Indian national colours. The spotter was objecting to the sale of...
16:37
Hollywood superstar George Clooney was surprised to be named a witness in the prostitution trial of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. It is not clear whether the actor will testify in the sensational case but he finds it odd to be named in the trial. It seems odd since I've only met...
16:31
In Balochistan, mutilated corpses bearing the signs of torture keep turning up, among them lawyers, students and farm workers. Why is no one investigating and what have they got to do with the bloody battle for Pakistan's largest province? Declan Walsh of the Guardian.co.uk reports
16:22
Bahrain today assured India that it would ensure the safety and security of the 3.5-lakh strong Indian community in that country, which is witnessing wide-spread anti-government protests. Bahrain's Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa met External Affairs Minister S M...
16:02
Ramesh Srivats #WC11God is done with Matsya, Kurma, Varaha & Narasimha. Currently Vamana is batting. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala:Kamran Akmal's teeth are jealous of Ashish Nehra's teeth
15:50
A sessions Court today granted the Enforcement Directorate permission to take Pune-based stud farm owner Hasan Ali -- arrested for alleged money-laundering and lodged in Arthur Road jail here -- to its office till April 1 for interrogation. On March 25, sessions court had remanded Ali to...
15:46
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: Dear Misbah Ul Haq : Thank you for dropping Sachin's catch.This will take the Indo-Pak peace process forward
15:39
@burrp_chennai: See what I mean when I say Sachin is God? Back from the dead, twice. Jesus, only once.
15:38
The Guardian.co.uk reports that the US and Britain have raised the prospect of armingLibya's rebels if air strikes fail to forceMuammar Gaddafifrom power. At the end of a conference on Libya in London,Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said for the first time that she believed arming...
15:24
An alleged extremist believed to be one of the masterminds behind the 2002 Bali bombings has been arrested in Pakistan. here has been no immediate confirmation from authorities in Pakistan. The AFP reports that Indonesia's counter-terrorism police have been tracking Patek for years. He has a...
15:20
In Japan, (yes, remember Japan) four stricken reactors at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, is to decommissioned. Tokyo Electric Power made the announcement three weeks after failing to bring reactors 1to 4 under control. Locals would be consulted on reactors 5 and 6 which were shut down...
15:14
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: I Think Sehwag was sent in simply to molest Umar Gul.Now that the molestation is over,the Shakti Kapoor stuff will begin. And... This is India's revenge against Pakistan for sending Veena Malik over to our country.
15:02
Rest of India seems to have decided not to make news. Very little happening from around the country. So stick with cricket for a while. 2G accused Shahid Balwa will remain in CBI custody till April 2.
14:57
Americans clamoring to adopt children of the Japan tsunami's victims will likely be disappointed. Tony Dokoupil on what happens to orphans in a country where adoption is virtually unheard of. The Daily Beast on where Japan's tsunami orphans will go
14:51
OK, back to news that's not cricket. The Centre today said the probe into the Samjhauta Express train bomb blasts, in which 43 Pakistani nationals were killed, was still on to find out the identities of all perpetrators of the crime. A day after the Indo-Pak Home Secretary level talks, where...
14:47
India 27-0. Afridi just muttered an expletive as Sehwag scored another four.
14:40
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Dear Indian team : Please win this match.If you don't you will be denying some poor girl's lifelong dream of getting naked in public
14:37
A flashback to what happened before India began playing. After the national anthems of the two countries were played with players in attendance, the two Prime Ministers were introduced to the competing teams. The leaders shook hands with the Pakistani players first and then with the Indian...
14:27
After the national anthems of both countries, a moving experience that, both PMs meet the teams. ICC chief Sharad Pawar takes them around.
14:19
Pak skipper Shahid Afridi says everything is fine, boys are doing fine. Dressing room spirit fine. Pitch is fine.
14:17
After attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for inviting his Pakistani counterpart to the Cricket World Cup semi-final match between India and Pakistan, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has now objected to the Pakistani team performing 'namaaz' in Mohali stadium. The Pakistani team could have...
14:14
A group of 70 or so books, each with between five and 15 lead leaves bound by lead rings, was apparently discovered in a remote arid valley in northern Jordan somewhere between 2005 and 2007, dailymail.co.uk. A flash flood had exposed two niches inside the cave, one of them marked with a...
13:50
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in Chandigarh to watch World Cup semi-final and for talks with Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Meira Kumar also reach.
13:43
Loved this one. Faking Newsby suchetadalal Update: Vodafone's 3G zoozoo has been shot down for flying over#mohalino-fly zone.
13:40
A tweet from Pakistan: Tazeen: Subhan Allah! 1 billion Indians assured that one Ms Poonam Panday is trending over Tendulkar or Dhoni or Mohali. MashaAllah Indian Boy. Poonam Pandey, we are sure you know, has promised or is it threatened, to streak if India wins
13:39
Pak XI reach Mohali's PCA stadium. Shoaib Akhtar among them, but no confirmation yet on whether this will be his swan song.
13:36
News is that Myanmar's military handed power to a nominally civilian government after almost 50 years in power today, as the ruling junta was disbanded and a new president appointed.
13:28
For good measure, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi tweets: Our rebuke for outrageous analysis about Mahatma Gandhi by Joseph Lelyveld is natural. He must render a public apology. (That was after the state banned the Gandhi book)
13:25
Indian-origin novelist Rohinton Mistry is among 13 authors shortlisted for the prestigious USD 96,070 Man Booker International Prize, where strangely British thriller writer John Le Carre withdrew his name. 59-year-old Canada-based Mistry, who was born in Mumbai and graduated from Bombay...
13:18
The Gujarat government today banned the controversial book Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India by Pulitzer-winning author Joseph Lelyveld in the state. The announcement was made by the Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the state Assembly here today, and the opposition Congress...
13:11
Ramesh Srivats #WC11Soon we will hear an unbearable noise from Mohali. From Sidhu, I mean. And lots of these-- if cricket is this, Sachin is that, tweets. Sidin:If cricket is music, Sachin is the iPod. Manaswi M Gundi: If cricket is insect, Sachin is arthropod. Ashish Shakya: If cricket is...
12:54
Break to announce an exclusive first look of Shah Rukh Khan in Ra.One. Watch
12:51
Both the PMs will meet the teams at the PCA stadium before the match begins.Gilani says the match will bridge the gap between the nations. Incidentally,Gilani has announceda half-day forhis countrymen.
12:46
So who is with Pak PM Gilani on his cricket diplomacy tour? PTI says its a delegation comprising political party leaders, parliamentarians and federal ministers, including PML-Q chief and former premier Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Interior Minister Rehman...
12:41
Gilani's delegation includes interior minister Rehman Malik. Gilani says he is looking forward to a great time and is thankful to the Indian PM for his invitation. The PMs have complete flexibility to go in and out of the match. Delegations from both counries will join them (including Sonia and...
12:37
FYI: PM Manmohan Singh will host a dinner for Gilani at 7.30 pm. No formal agenda. Match postmortem probably. Pakistan Airforce aircraft still on Chandigarh runway, plane door open. Gilani steps on to Indian soil and is being greeted by the Punjab governor. PM to reach Mohali at 1.45 pm to...
12:28
Ground up from Mohali.(Two hours to go) Excited spectators, draped in tricolours and holding placards and posters, have begun queuing up at the gates of the PCA stadium since morning as the city geared up to host the high-voltage World Cup semifinal clash between India and Pakistan amid...
12:24
Jennifer Garner has landed the title character in Walt Disney Pictures' upcoming big-screen adaptation of Agatha Christie's 'Miss Marple' mystery novel series. The character -- immortalized in countless films and TV shows over the past 50 years -- is traditionally an elderly woman, but Disney's...
12:16
Sunil Shetty has already decided that today's match is one of the best matches.
12:15
Vivek Oberoitweets from Mohali: Cars full of indian fans, wearing blue t-shirts screaming & cheering for india! The energy on the roads is mad!
12:14
News flash: Six people have been killed in blast near a police post at Swabi in northwest Pakistan.
12:13
News flash: A trial court today acquits Abhishek Kasliwal,in a 2006 rape case. Kasliwal, the Sriram Mills scion, was accused of raping a 56-year-old woman in a Mercedes Benz in the early hours of March 11, 2006. Refresh your memory
11:58
India's star batsman Yuvraj Singh has requested India to inspire the home team by singing the national anthem loudly before their high-profile World Cup semi-final clash Pakistan at the PCA stadium in Mohali today. Request all people in the stadium to inspire us by singing national anthem...
11:55
Back to cricket. Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has left for India from a military air base in Rawalpindi. Before leaving he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has a positive attitude and wants to bring peace and prosperity to the region. Much love and bonhomie. Hope it lasts when...
11:52
Now for some international news and we don't mean Pakistan. George ClooneyandCristiano Ronaldomay be called to testify in defence ofSilvio Berlusconiwhen he stands trial on charges of underage prostitution. The Italian prime minister's lawyers have submitted a list of 78 witnesses they intend...
11:44
Interior Minister Rehman Malik described the proposed meeting between the two prime ministers on the sidelines of the match as a win-win situation for both the countries. Let's work out a way forward where we have friendship, where we have peace, where we do not have to think each other as enemy...
11:39
Apart from patriotism, national spirit, fervour etc etc., here's also why India wants the semis win. Read the Poonam Pandey story
11:37
Some details of the dishonour of the India flag at Mohali. Apparently an ICC official in a hurry to get to the stadium, which is a kilometre's walk from the car park, stepped on some Tricolour balloons. Instead of apologising, she allegedly made some unsavoury remarks and stormed off. ICC has...
11:34
Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, who has left Islamabad for Mohali, on the personal invitation of PMManmohan Singh, says his presence in India is to promote cricket and friendship and urges both countries should enjoy cricket and appreciate performance.
11:33
On the agenda for Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is suddenly dishing out mush for Manmohan (calls him a peaceloving man), is a discussion of all issues of mutual interest. The two Prime Ministers are expected to have a conversation on all issues of mutual interest on the...
11:32
Vivek Oberoitweets: Just landed in mohali----i've never seen so many aircrafts waiting to land on one small airstrip!!! INDIA all the wayyyyyyy!!! Aamir, Akshay, Deepika, Katrina expected in Mohali as well.
11:17
After Ponting, left arm spinner Daniel Vettori has confirmed that he will stand down from the New Zealand cricket captaincy, and also retire from Twenty20 cricket.Speaking after his side's five-wicket World Cup semi-final loss to Sri Lanka in Colombo on Tuesday, Vettori confirmed he would retire...
11:11
Outgoing Australian captain Ricky Ponting says that the stigma of losing three Ashes series as skipper will remain with him for life. For all his brilliance as a batsman and record-breaking exploits as skipper, the retiring Ponting's epitaph will be those defeats in 2005, 2009 and 2010-11....
11:05
By the way, the ICC has lifted its ban on the coverage of the World Cup match. And a tweet from Ramesh Srivats:Good to see so many people on Twitter advising us not to go mad if India loses. Lemme see if I can get a refund on the stones I had bought.
11:00
Cricket news. Michael Clarke was today appointed as Australia's Test and ODI captain, a day after his mentor Ricky Ponting stepped down from the post following their shocking World Cup exit. Clarke, who was long seen as Ponting's successor, will take charge of the team in the upcoming...
10:54
TV reports say the national flag has been desecrated outside Mohali. This is what Derek O'Brien tweets: Do not allow ICC 'official' Sohini Sen Oberoi to watch match.Punishment for desecrating the tricolur outside Mohali stadiumcricket. Details awaited.
10:51
Will not be giving you the top news headlines in the papers, because we know you're in a rush to be done with work and head home.But a concession,read what happened yesterday.
10:43
What's up ahead you ask? Absolutely nothing of consequence till 2.30 pm. And then, the world, as we know it stops...and begins in Mohali. The first India-Pakistan match in India since 26/11,and the decider for the World Cup finals. We will have a live commentary from Mohali, so stay tuned. In...
