Aussies accused of racially abusing Indian players

A cricket tribunal in Australia’s Geelong city is looking into an accusation that 10 local cricketers racially abused a team with six players of Indian descent, a media report said on Thursday.

The Geelong Cricket Association discussed the accusations till early Thursday morning after learning that players from the Thomson club racially abused members of the Waurn Ponds team during a fourth grade qualifying final on Saturday, The Age reported.

Waurn Ponds team has up to six players of Indian descent.

Cricket Victoria has sent its code of conduct commissioner Ron Beazley to speak to the players before the hearing officially started in Geelong.

Geelong Cricket Association president Ron Dew said it was the first time the association had heard such charges. The association, he said, had been glad to accept Beazley’s expertise.

“He is the most experienced person in Australia to deal with this sort of issue,” he was quoted as saying.

There have been a string of attacks on Indians in Australia since May last year. One of the assaults proved fatal. Nitin Garg was fatally stabbed Jan 2 while walking to his place of work.

Govt allows foreign universities to open campuses

The cabinet on Monday approved a proposal to allow foreign universities to set up campuses, a minister said, in a move that could reduce the flow of Indian students abroad.

Tens of thousands of students head to universities in the United States, Britain and Australia among others for quality education each year.

The long-standing proposal to reform the education sector will now go to parliament for ratification, Road and Transport Minister Kamal Nath told reporters following the cabinet meeting.

Political parties have in the past opposed the entry of foreign universities, saying the poor will not be able to afford the fees.

But experts have called for a revamp of the education system, which focuses on learning by rote.

Goldman Sachs counts the lack of quality education as one of the 10 factors holding India back from rapid economic growth. Analysts say it raises costs, including salaries as firms vie for the best recruits, and reduces firms’ competitive edge.

The demand for graduates over the next five years is likely to be 13.8 million, analysts have estimated. But with only 13.2 million students graduating over the same period, the country will face a shortfall of 600,000 graduates.

India’s large English-speaking population and growing middle class are expected to make the country a desirable destination for top foreign universities.

Fresh attack on Indian, Sri Lankan in Oz

In a fresh incident of violence against Asians in Australia, a Sri Lankan man and his Indian wife were attacked and racially abused by a group of drunken men at their home in Melbourne.

A group of 25 drunken thugs bashed up 60-year-old Ranjit Sahasranaman, who is married to Indian-origin Agalya Sahasranamn, outside his own home in Carrams Down suburb on Sunday morning.

Sahasranaman, a Sri Lankan national, revealed his over two-and-a-half hour ordeal of how he fought back with the thugs till police arrived and dispersed them, the Herald Sun reported on Tuesday.

Sahasranaman, who has lived in Australia for 19 years with his wife and two kids, said he was assaulted and racially abused by the gang of mostly white men who damaged his back fence and gained entry to his yard.

He said he was forced to fight back with a bar when the intruders got within centimetres of his back door.

Interestingly, this time the police dropped home one of the injured offender who allegedly got hurt by Sahasranaman.

“They were throwing punches at me,” Sahasranaman said, adding “they were calling names and told me to get lost from this country.”

The attack came at a time when Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith is in India to discuss with authorities there the security preparation for the Commonwealth Games and the issue of attacks on Indians here.

There have been over 100 cases of attacks on Indians, mostly on students, in Australia since the last year.

Meanwhile, Sahasranaman also alleged that police was slow to respond to his ‘SOS’.

Aus to brief India on actions taken against racist attacks

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has arrived in India for a three day visit to brief the Indian Government on the actions taken by authorities to create a safe and rewarding study environment for Indian students in Australia.

“This is my third visit to India as Minister for Foreign Affairs. My visit to India will advance Australia and India’s bilateral, regional and international cooperation under the framework of the Australia-India Strategic Partnership,” Smith said in a statement.

“During my visit to India, I will also brief the Indian Government on the actions taken by authorities to create a safe and rewarding study environment for Indian students in Australia,” he added.

Smith will meet with Minister for External Affairs S M Krishna to discuss Australia’s and India’s close cooperation in trying to solve the recent problems faced by some Indians in Australia.

The Australian Foreign Minister will also discuss Australia-India education, science and technology links and the importance of trade and agriculture for two countries, as well as discuss the progress in the joint Australia-India Free Trade Agreement feasibility study.

“I will brief the Indian Government on Australia’s recently announced Counter-Terrorism White Paper. I will also seek an update on security arrangements for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi later this year,” Smith said.

India end Australia’s reign as No.1 Test team

India ended Australia’s seven-year run at the top of the Test rankings as they will finish as the numero uno Test team this year (2009-10) after their emphatic victory against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.

India beat South Africa by an innings and 57 runs to level the series 1-1 and also retain the No.1 position in the Test rankings.

It is the first time India have topped the table at the annual cut-off date (April 1) since the rankings were introduced in June 2003. It has been a steady climb by the Indian team as they were ranked sixth in 2004. They were placed third in 2005 and 2006 and finished second last year.

India are at 124 ratings points while South Africa stayed second with 120 points. Australia are third with 116 points.

India will thus retain the Test championship mace, which it received after defeating Sri Lanka last year in December, and will also pocket a cheque for $175,000.

For South Africa, it was heartbreak for the second successive year. Last year they needed a series-win against Australia to finish at the top of the Test table, but lost the home series 1-2 and finished nine ratings points behind Ricky Ponting’s side.

This year, a series win again would have fetched them the top spot.

India and South Africa will fight for the second spot in the One-day rankings during the three-match series starting Feb 21. Australia have guaranteed themselves a number-one finish.

Australian court favours release of teenage duo who attacked Indians

Activists of All India Student’s Association protest against the attacks on Indian students in Australia, in front of the Australian Embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday

 An Australian court on Wednesday favoured release of two teenage brothers, who spent less than a year in youth detention for racially assaulting a group of Indians, even as it termed the attack which left one of the victims with permanent brain injuries as “extraordinarily grave“.

Victorian County Court judge Christine Thornton said that because the two, aged 17 and 18, were “children” she should indicate that they would not be locked up again for the December 2008 incident, according to AAP.

However, Ms. Thornton described the assault as “extraordinarily grave“.

The re-sentencing of the two boys, who served less than a year in youth detention, is set to take place shortly after Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) appealed against their sentences.

As per the appeal system, Ms. Thornton is required to re-sentence the duo, even if she does not increase their jail terms, the report said.

The two brothers carried out an unprovoked attack in an Indian convenience store in Sunshine, where eight men were injured, including one who spent 15 days in coma and was left with permanent brain injuries.

Chief Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert SC told the court that the older youth smashed 27-year old Sukhraj Singh with a piece of wood, leaving him unconscious and bleeding with multiple skull and face fractures.

Mr. Singh had been told his injuries were permanent and there was a chance he would suffer from epilepsy.

The younger brother is believed to have started the spat, asking the Indian men in the store if they were ‘Singh or Desi’, which the prosecution said was a racist remark.

Mr. Silbert said when the Indian men said they were “Singh boys”, he punched one of them without warning.

A group of four co-offenders, including his older brother, entered the store and caused mayhem, assaulting the victims and stealing a till containing several hundred dollars.

The assault was captured on CCTV and when the judge viewed it she said it was very serious attack.

The brothers were sentenced in the Children’s Court to 12 months in a youth detention, but were released early on parole.

The DPP asked the County Court to re-sentence the older brother to two and a half years and the younger to two years.

“There is a racial motive apparent in this,” Mr. Silbert told the court, adding “the culpability is relatively high.”

He also called the offence as “extraordinarily grave” and said “it was entirely unprovoked.”

“It was committed in company. It involved weapons,” Mr. Silbert said.

The DPP said that a 12-month sentence for the injuries caused were inadequate.

The offenders admitted charges of intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury and theft.

Hairdressing college shuts down; students’ fate uncertain

A hairdressing college in Australia has permanently shut down leaving fate of many overseas students, including from India, hanging in balance.

The Sydney college that charged USD 7000 each as fees and equipment three weeks ago from the overseas students finally announced its closure, apparently due to amended migration skills programme.

A 24-year old hairdressing student Neil Ahuja of New Delhi was quoted as saying that he had paid the college USD 5000 for his first semester fees and USD 2000 for equipment.

“We asked the principal about the academy about the course after the new rules were announced. She told us, ‘Don’t worry you guys are safe’,” Neil was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

“They had been pressuring us to pay the USD 2000 for our hairdressing kit, which we could have got for a few hundred dollars. Otherwise we couldn’t do the course. Now we have been left high and dry. I just arrived in Australia and I don’t know what to do.”

Students and staff were locked out of The Edge Academy, whose registration renewal was under consideration by State government authorities.

The closure of the privately-owned college in Sydney’s west is being seen as a result of the recently- amended immigration rules announced earlier this month that delinked certain trade occupations including hairdressing and cookery from permanent residency.

Brand Australia suffering from attacks on Indian students: Minister

Australian Minister for Resources Martin Ferguson

Brand Australia has suffered following attacks on Indian students in the past nine months and this will cause long-term damage if not attended to, says a visiting Australian minister.

“The attacks (on Indian students) have hurt us in terms of perception about Australia and that’s why our law enforcement agencies have been so committed to pursuing arrests and prosecution and have been successful in some instances for long-term imprisonment. There have been 67 prosecutions in recent times,” Australian Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson told IANS in an interview here.

Mr. Ferguson said that the Australian government was not taking these attacks lightly and will do everything possible to curb the criminal acts.

“Of course if you don’t attend to these difficulties then they will do us long-term damage. Historically one of the attractions of Australia is that it’s a safe welcoming society…it’s very much such a society,” said the minister who has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1996, representing the Batman, a constituency in Melbourne, which has been the epicentre of recent attacks.

“My constituency is close to central Melbourne and there are people from 150 different countries. It a harmonious local community and there are very few places in the world where you get people from so many different countries living together and working together,” said the 57-year-old Australian Labour Party member.

“My constituency is a prime example of society in Australia. But I also have a significant number of young university students living in my electorate, in universities of Melbourne and Trobe who are very much devoting their energy and applying their minds to educational opportunities,” he said.

The spate of attacks on Indians in Australia has caused an outcry in India. One of the vicious attacks proved fatal.

The minister said steps needed to be taken to ensure quality education to Indian students at affordable cost.

“I think it is fair to say that in terms of vocational education and some English language courses, we have to attend to some issues to make sure that young Indian students get a quality education opportunity and are capable of paying for it without spending too much time working rather than applying their minds to educational requirements,” he said.

According to the minister, one of the major causes of attacks on Indian students is that they live in crime-prone suburbs and work in late shifts to survive in the country.

“There has been a 27 percent increase in the number of students in 2008-09 from the previous year. There has been tension in Victoria (the province of which Melbourne is the capital). More than 50 percent Indian students actually go there. The real problem we had is with respect to some of the students living in some of the suburbs which historically had high instances of criminality,” Mr. Ferguson said.

“They work in service stations, fast food outlets, take shift jobs at all hours of night, which is when criminality occurs. In some ways their lifestyle has put them in the frontline of attacks. We tried some laws in Victoria, we have put more police and we have got them to do random checks on people,” he added.

Attacks on Indians ‘regrettable’: Australian PM

Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Amid allegations of racism in Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Thursday said the recent attacks on Indian youths were “regrettable” but insisted that these should be seen in the context of broader incidences of violence against locals and students of other ethnic groups.

“Regrettably, there have been some incidents recently, let’s accept that, but let’s put it into context, and also in the context of, let’s call it, the broader incidences of violence to students of other ethnic backgrounds, acts of violence against Australian students, acts of violence in particular parts of our large cities at any given time of the day,” Mr. Rudd told reporters in Adelaide.

“I think it’s important to keep all this into its context,” he said, adding “Obviously these are difficult matters in India; they are difficult matters in Australia.”

Nearly 100 cases of attacks on Indians, mostly students, were reported in Australia in 2009 as against 17 incidents of assaults in 2008.

“We are working through them in a practical and effective way over time,” Mr. Rudd said.

About 100,000 Indians were currently studying in Australia.

“The truth is this: the vast majority of Indian students in Australia are embraced entirely by the Australian community, get on with their business of studying hard, getting their qualifications and going off to do whatever they want to do with their lives,” he added.

Latest attack on Indian not racially motivated: Australia

Australia has said Saturday’s attack on an Indian was not “targeted” or “racially-motivated”. Police said they believe the attack on Singh, 29, who was set afire by four men in Melbourne’s Essendon suburb, was not racially motivated as it was “surrounded by strange circumstances”.

“I believe there is no reason at this stage to consider this in any way as racially motivated.The circumstances of him parking the car randomly in a side street and just some people approaching him are a bit strange,” Acting Senior Sergeant Neil Smyth said. “It’s highly unlikely, therefore, to be a targeted attack on any individual.”

Smyth said police are have a general description of “who the offenders could be”.

In Sydney, detectives probing the killing of Ranjodh Singh, 25, detained two men, believed to be Indian seasonal workers, quizzed them and their seized their passports at the city’s airport when they were about to board a flight to Nepal via Singapore, Sydney Morning Herald reported. They were later released.

The partially burnt body of Ranjodh Singh, who recruited Indian immigrants to work on farms in the Riverina, was found on the side of Wilga Road at Willbriggie on December 29. Police believe he may have been murdered in a fight over unpaid wages.

Meanwhile, Australia has said it was pleased by Indian government’s “constructive and responsible advice” to the media to exercise restraint while reporting attacks on the Indian community. “I am very pleased that overnight the (Indian) government has issued what I believe is a very constructive and responsible advice (to the media) and that is not to overreact to it, to understand that investigations are being undertaken,” Australian media quoted Acting Foreign Minister Simon Crean as saying. Crean noted the Australian government was going through a difficult time in its relationship with India because of the attacks on Indians.

Another Indian’s partially burnt body found in Aus

New Delhi: In Australia, the partially burnt body of a 25-year-old – believed to be an Indian immigrant – has been found in New South Wales. The body was found on a roadside near the area of Griffith on January 1, and is yet to be formally identified. However, the police suspect it is of an Indian national.

An Australian Police team is reportedly visiting Punjab to check whether this could Ranjot Singh, a young man who went missing on December 27. The Australian Police team, Australian embassy officials will collect DNA samples of his family to confirm the parenthood of the youth.

“The body has kara and an earring which my brother wore when he went missing. We got a call from Australian Police saying they are coming to Lohra village and to our house to conduct a DNA test on my father,” said Ranjot’s brother, Satnam Singh.

On Saturday, 21-year-old Indian national Nitin Garg was brutally stabbed to death in Melbourne, days after his birthday.

President of the Federation of Indian Students in Australia, Gautam Gupta said, “This is a shocking news for all of us. It is more brutal attack on Indian students. I hope the police and authorities take strong actions, but till now nothing has really been done. The student community is very upset, but we are receiving support from all quarters of the student community – even from the non-Indian community. The church group also called us and assured us that they will stand by us in this tough time.”

Meanwhile, Australia’s acting Foreign Minister Simon Crean said there’s no evidence the attacks were racially motivated.

“Over the Christmas period there has been a spate of stabbings. This, unfortunately, is a violent threat and a violent tendency that has emerged. It so happens that one of the victims is Indian. There have been other victims. Melbourne is not the only city in the world in which this happens. It also happens in Delhi, it happens in Mumbai, and it is the responsibility of all law enforcement authorities to get on top of those issues,” he stated.

Australian authorities insist there is still no evidence that the attack on Nitin Garg was racially motivated, claiming that the country is a safe place for international students and migrants.

Australia may lift its ban on uranium sale to India

According to latest media reports, Australia could drop its ban on selling uranium to India.

Adopting a fresh approach, an international panel expert report has indicated Australia could give India access to its uranium provided “equivalent disciplines” were applied to help meet disarmament obligations.

According to latest media reports in Australia on Wednesday, Australia could drop its ban on selling uranium to India after a report commissioned by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Japanese counterpart recommended changes to the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

The report suggested that three nations not covered by NPT treaty – India, Pakistan and Israel – should sign up to “parallel instruments” designed to ensure they did not divert civilian nuclear materials to military use that will pave the way for them to access uranium and other nuclear materials and technology.

Suggestions in International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament report – released by Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday – could resolve this impasse, the report said.

The report said the reality is that India, Pakistan and Israel would not sign up to the treaty and this meant “every effort should be made to achieve their participation in parallel instruments and arrangements which apply equivalent non-proliferation and disarmament obligations”.

“Provided they satisfy strong objective criteria demonstrating commitment to disarmament and non-proliferation…these states should have access to nuclear materials and technology for civilian purposes on the same basis as an NPT member,” the report said.

Rudd and his then Japanese counterpart set up the commission 18 months ago amid concerns the treaty was unravelling as countries such as North Korea and Iran stepped up their nuclear programs.

Dhoni & Co celebrate with wine and women after Hyderabad loss

Dhoni and pals take a beating after television channel News X show them partying after Thursday’s loss in Hyderabad.

 

Photographs from a Hyderabad hotel aired by the television channel NewsX, has shown captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and some of his famous teammates enjoying the company of male and female admirers at a party which the channel claimed was held after India lost to Australia by three runs in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The loss put India 2-3 behind in the series before Dhoni’s Indians succumbed meekly in Guwahati on Sunday to lose the home series. The seventh and final match is scheduled to be played in Navi Mumbai today.

The channel reported yesterday that the party was held within hours of the thrilling match which witnessed an epic innings of 175 from Sachin Tendulkar, whose effort went in vain due to to some careless bowling, fielding and batting by his teammates.

On a special show aired last night, channel guest Bishan Singh Bedi, the former India captain said that it was not unusual for players to let their hair down in a party. “Nothing wrong with it. After all, they are all adults,” he said. But when the show host asked whether it was the right thing to do in the midst of an important series, Bedi remarked, “Now that is a big question mark.”

Bedi wondered whether this was the reason why players were against the World Anti Doping Agency’s whereabouts clause in the International Cricket Council’s anti-doping procedure. He also seemed amazed as to how the Board was behind its players who refused to give out their whereabouts after play.

Australia announces new visa measures for students

Melbourne, Nov 9 (IANS) The Australian government is introducing new measures to assist overseas students, including many Indians, affected by the closure of an international education provider, a minister said Monday.

 Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Senator Chris Evans said that from Jan 1, 2010, overseas students who require a new visa to complete their studies at another school or college will be exempt from paying the A$540 (approx. Rs.22,500) student visa application charge.

 Just this year alone, 12 education providers have closed affecting about 4,700 students.

 Evans said that although most students will be able to complete their studies on their existing student visa, some may need to enrol in a new course that finishes after their existing student visa expires and will require a new visa.

 ‘In situations where an education provider can no longer offer a course, the government’s primary concern is the welfare of the student.’

 ‘We understand that these situations are not the fault of the student and the introduction of a fee exemption will ensure they are not shouldered with an additional financial burden,’ Evans said.

 Students will be able to apply to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for a refund of their visa application fee if they have been affected by the closure of an education provider in 2009 and have had to apply for a new student visa.

 The government is also increasing the minimum financial requirements for overseas students to ensure they can meet their living costs while in Australia.

 From Jan 1, 2010, prospective overseas students will need to demonstrate that they have access to at least A$18,000 (approx Rs.748,000) a year to fund their living costs in Australia, instead of the current A$12,000 (approx Rs.498,000).

 Evans said: ‘It is important that students understand these financial requirements are only the minimum amount required for a student visa.’

 ‘International students can supplement their income through part-time work in Australia but the primary purpose of a student visa is to study and students should not rely on part-time work to meet their expenses.’

 The measures target parts of the student visa caseload in India, Mauritius, Nepal, Brazil, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.

 There are over 500,000 international students in Australia pursuing university education and vocational studies of which about 94,000 are Indians – the second highest after the Chinese.

 Thousands of Indians are enrolled in vocational courses in government and private Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes.

 In recent years, Australia’s education industry has boomed to become the country’s third-largest foreign currency earner after coal and iron ore, generating about $12 billion in revenue in 2008. Indian students in Australia alone contribute $3.5 billion a year to the economy.

 An official said since these enhanced integrity measures were introduced, there has been an increase in the number of applications being withdrawn, from five percent in July to 17 percent in September.

 ‘To date, more than 150 agents have had their eVisa access suspended due to evidence of fraud or inactivity.’

 Indo Asian News Service

 

Tendulkar’s incandescent innings in vain

 

AP MASTERCLASS: Sachin Tendulkar raises his bat to the crowd after scoring his 45th ODI century. India ultimately went on to lose the match by three runs and now trail 2-3 to the Australians.

It was a remarkable exhibition of strokeplay by Tendulkar, who not only notched up his 45th ODI hundred but also became the first cricketer in the history of the game to cross the 17,000 run mark

It was a night that broke hearts. The evergreen script of Sachin Tendulkar single-handedly fighting cricketing battles for India was enacted again.

In the end, sadness and silence lingered. The maestro, egged on by the challenge of a daunting target and a familiar foe, played an incandescent innings that turned the clock back, clipped a milestone 17,000 ODI runs, and raised hopes on a feverish Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Tendulkar’s 175, a number resonant with Kapil Dev’s triumphant effort against Zimbabwe during the 1983 World Cup, was, however, destined to embrace tragedy.

Chasing Australia’s 350 for four in 50 overs, India scored 347 in 49.4 overs to lose the fifth ODI of the Hero Honda Cup by three runs and trail the seven-match series at 2-3.

Tendulkar’s innings (175, 141b, 19×4, 4×6) was reminiscent of his knocks against the Aussies in Sharjah in 1998. He punched Ben Hilfenhaus for his first four. Soon he pulled Doug Bollinger, tucked Clinton McKay, slammed Shane Watson and danced down and lofted spinners — Nathan Hauritz and Adam Voges.

Dainty touch

The dainty touch was evident too as he late cut and finely swept Michael Hussey in a 209-minute tenure remarkable for its power, placement and poise.

Tendulkar’s 45th ODI hundred was also a manifestation of his genius. Shaping to pull Voges, Tendulkar realised that the delivery was fuller in length and he quickly shortened his extravagant back lift to whip the ball past a bemused Ponting at mid-on.

Tendulkar also found an enterprising ally in Suresh Raina (59, 59b, 3×4, 3×6) and as the duo scripted a 137-run fifth-wicket partnership, a fairytale began to take shape.

The required equation boiled down to 75 from 60 balls, 41 from 30 and eight from the last six deliveries but Raina and Harbhajan Singh fell in succession, Tendulkar’s effort to scoop one over short fine-leg proved fatal and the tail ran itself out.

Frail top order

In a night that was a tribute to Tendulkar’s longevity, his partners in the top order displayed frailty. Virender Sehwag (38) continued his obsession with playing cameos and top-edged Ben Hilfenhaus as Doug Bollinger plucked a fine catch running from short fine-leg.

Gautam Gambhir gifted memories and a first ODI wicket to debutant seamer Clinton McKay. Yuvraj Singh popped a return catch to Shane Watson and M.S. Dhoni was surprised as he found a diving Adam Voges at point before Tendulkar hinted at a near-miracle.

Like father like son

Earlier, it was a case of like father like son. Geoff Marsh scored his first One-Day International hundred at India’s expense in 1986. And 23 summers later, his son Shaun Marsh notched up his maiden ODI century, that too against the Indians.

Marsh junior’s cultured 112 (112b, 8×4, 2×6) along with Shane Watson’s opening blitz (93), skipper Ricky Ponting’s 45 (45b, 3×4, 1×6) and Cameron White’s 57 (33b, 2×4, 5×6) helped Australia grab the initiative after opting to bat.

Marsh did enjoy his reprieves on 29 and 51 when Dhoni and Virender Sehwag dropped him and he was also a subdued player during the opening partnership of 145 runs from 152 deliveries with an aggressive Watson.

However, there was no mistaking the southpaw’s talent. Marsh bided his time while Watson (93, 89b, 9×4, 3×6) cut loose against an erratic trio of Ashish Nehra, Praveen and Munaf Patel, who replaced Ishant Sharma in the Indian XI.

Power hitting

Later, Marsh displayed power in carting Harbhajan down the ground and finesse while hoisting Nehra over mid-wicket with a turn of the wrist.

Watson (93, 89b, 9×4, 3×6) fell to Harbhajan, who bowled a tight first spell of 8-0-28-1 while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja went for runs.

Meanwhile, Marsh relished the deliveries homing into his pads and registered his maiden ODI century on a day that would be remembered for Tendulkar’s brilliance.

The Scores

Australia: S. Watson c Jadeja b Harbhajan 93 (89b, 9×4, 3×6), S. Marsh c Gambhir b Nehra 112 (112b, 8×4, 2×6), R. Ponting b Praveen 45 (45b, 3×4, 1×6), C. White c Tendulkar b Praveen 57 (33b, 2×4, 5×6), M. Hussey (not out) 31. Extras (lb-6, w-5, nb-1): 12. Total (for four wickets in 50 overs): 350.

Fall of wickets: 1-145 (Watson), 2-236 (Ponting), 3-270 (Marsh), 4-350 (White).

Power Plays: One (Overs 1-10): 56/0; Bowling (11-15): 41/0; Batting (35-39): 44/1.

India bowling: Praveen 9-0-68-2, Nehra 10-0-79-1, Munaf 9-0-73-0, Jadeja 5-0-44-0, Harbhajan 10-0-44-1, Yuvraj 7-0-36-0.

India: V. Sehwag c Bollinger b Hilfenhaus 38 (30b, 5×4, 1×6), S. Tendulkar c Hauritz b McKay 175 (141b, 19×4, 4×6), G. Gambhir c Hilfenhaus b McKay 8 (13b, 1×4), Yuvraj c & b Watson 9 (10b, 1×4), M.S. Dhoni c Voges b McKay 6 (16b), S. Raina c Manou b Watson 59 (59b, 3×4, 3×6), Harbhajan c Manou b Watson 0 (2b), R. Jadeja (run out) 23 (17b, 3×4), Praveen (run out) 9 (9b, 1×6), A. Nehra c Hussey b Bollinger 1 (2b), Munaf (not out) 2 (3b). Extras (b-1, lb-5, w-8, nb-3): 17. Total (in 49.4 overs): 347.

Fall of wickets: 1-66 (Sehwag), 2-92 (Gambhir), 3-126 (Yuvraj), 4-162 (Dhoni), 5-299 (Raina), 6-300 (Harbhajan), 7-332 (Tendulkar), 8-333 (Jadeja), 9-335 (Nehra).

Power Plays: One (Overs 1-10): 68/1; Bowling (11-15): 33/1; Batting (45-49): 38/3.

Australia bowling: Hilfenhaus 10-0-72-1, Bollinger 10-0-75-1, McKay 10-0-59-3, Watson 8.4-0-47-3, Hauritz 5-0-43-0, Voges 3-0-19-0, Hussey 3-0-26-0.

 

Over 20 feared dead as boat carrying 40 sinks off Australia

Nearly 23 people were feared dead after a boat carrying about 40 suspected asylum seekers sank on Sunday, hundreds of nautical miles off the Cocos Islands, west of Australia.

Passing merchant ship LNG Pioneer and Taiwanese fishing craft came to the rescue following a plea by Australian authorities after the boat got into trouble late last night.

Since then Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has been marshalling resources at sea and in the air to find the survivors, ABC reported.

At least 17 people have been rescued, but the rest are still missing, it said.

It is feared there were at least 40 suspected asylum seekers on board and they were trying to reach Australian waters, the media report said.

AMSA spokeswoman Rhianne Robson said the crew was still searching for survivors, but they held grave concerns.

“The LNG Pioneer is a large vessel and they are trying their best with life rafts and their life boat to recover those in the water,” the spokeswoman said.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor said, “We’ll ensure that we do everything we can, firstly to rescue any remaining passengers that are at sea and provide whatever other support is required to assist the commercial vessels.”

He said: “That’s our focus at the moment but of course we’ll look to the other issues about where the passengers should head as soon as we’ve done everything we can to save people that may be in the sea at this point.”

Indians feel attacks not due to race, but other factors

With incidents of attacks on Indians here on the rise, many community members feel the root cause of such assaults is not race but the students’ financial conditions that force them to be out at night for odd jobs to meet high cost of living in Australia.

Many Indians in Australia feel students from India should be “alert” and “careful” if they are travelling at odd hours in the night. “It is not the race that is the problem but it is their hard financial conditions,” Ravi Bhatia, Primus CEO and a leading community member, said reacting to the latest attack in which a 22-year old Sikh was attacked while he was asleep at a bus stop.

“What makes you sleep at that time at a bus stop? Are you not inviting problems by doing so?” he asked.

“Students as migrants have some obligations also and they should take basic safety measures,” he said.

Srinivas Vasan of Federation of Indian Association of Victoria (FIAV) said Australia is the most multicultural society and has allowed people from all over the world to live here peacefully.

Over 30 Indian students were attacked in various Australian cities from June to September.

“We have been urging students on some do’s and don’ts like organising their late night travels, not carrying cash and being careful and alert. If you are working late nights and travelling odd hours in public transport you are expected to be alert and careful,” Mr. Vasan said.

Echoing his views, Neeraj Nanda, Editor of a local Indian newspaper who conducted a survey on what could be the cause of such attacks, said majority of Indians settled here felt that their own countrymen were largely responsible for the attacks.

“Talking to many families I found all most everyone felt that Indians were to be blamed for inviting problems.

They refuse to integrate in Australian society that sorts of annoys the localites,” he said.

While Australia still tops as a safest destination for many Indian students, for many of them things are not as rosy as painted by their agents back home and interestingly, there has been a pattern noticed in such incidents.

Most of the students in vocational courses hail from rural parts of India. With little or no financial support they pick odd jobs like in security, cleaner, at petrol stations or drive a cab late at night.

To add to the problem, they rent out in cheap and crime-prone areas and use public transport at odd hours which make them highly prone to such attacks.

“We have many Indian students who work odd hours and do not sleep properly for days as they work odd hours,” said Elizabeth Drozd, Victorian multiculturalism commissioner and a university teacher.

“They attend their classes in the morning and work late nights to meet out their living,” Ms. Drozd said, adding many of these students feel so tired and they sleep anywhere.

However, Gautam Gupta of Federation of Indian Student Association disagrees with the view. He said if someone sleeping at late night at a bus stop was risky then half of India was at high risk.

Mr. Bhatia said like Indians even Chinese student population is huge here but majority of Chinese belong to affluent families and they can afford expensive education and living.

“Chinese do not become such targets as they are from rich families and can easily afford the expenses of living and studying here. Aspiring students should be able to fully fund course fee and not rely on a part-time work wages,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Australian government has suspended almost 200 agents operating in a number of countries for lodging online student visa applications because of evidence of fraud or poor approval rates.

Indian students retaliate following racial abuse in Australia

PTI This file photo shows the cars of Indian students that were torched in Melbourne in May, 2009.

In a fresh incident against Indians, a group of Australians racially abused community members coming out from a Kabaddi match and damaged their car here, prompting them to retaliate.

The incident took place at a carpark outside Meadowglen International Athletics Stadium in Epping when a local skateboarder damaged the rear window of a car belonging to an Indian.

The skateboarder also used abusive language against some Indians who were leaving the stadium where a Kabaddi match had ended on Sunday night.

“Associates of the person, whose car was damaged, came to his assistance. Two men were assaulted and hit with sticks in the brawl. These two injured men were from the group outside who had allegedly started to verbally abuse the people from the vehicle,” police said in a statement.

The two Australians-aged 25 and 42-were taken to Northern Hospital with minor injuries, they said. However, no arrests have been made and the incident was being investigated, the police told PTI.

Around 30 Indian students were attacked in various cities from June to August. Last month, three Indians were “brutally bashed” by a group of around 70 youth while playing here.

“A lot of people were leaving, the presentations were on at the time. I spoke to one of the boys who was there and he said a guy had smashed the rear window of a car that was leaving,” Councillor from the City of Darebin Tim Singh, who was present at the medal presentations ceremony for Kabaddi tournament, was quoted as saying by the media.

Mr. Singh said that the guy also made some racial comments following which the clash broke out between the two groups.

Meanwhile, an another report quoted police officer Mark Doney as saying that the incident occurred when contestants of the team began to leave the venue.

“One of the youths there tried to get in the way of the cars and yelled out a bit of abuse at people. I think he got his just dessert by the occupants of the vehicle after he smashed the window of their car. Obviously, push has come to shove and he smashed the panel of the side window of the car with the skateboard. It has escalated from there as some of his mates have come down the skatepark. A couple more were assaulted,” he said.

Inspector Doney said the injured men hadn’t pressed charges. “We don’t have a complaint of assault from them,” he said.

Last week, a 28-year-old Indian student was attacked with a “plank of wood or a baseball bat” by two men at Keilor Plains train station which left him with 20 stitches on his head.

.Australia tops list of countries with high carbon emissions; India figures in list

Ricky ponting Retires From T20

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting wants to focus more on Test matches and One Day Internationals, in a effort to extend his career the 34-year-old batsman has quit T20 cricket.

Ponting opted out of the two T20 matches against England post the Ashes series in August. He will, however, play in the remaining 5 ODI matchesin the ongoing 7-maych series which Australia leads 2-0. “The last 10 or 12 days for me have been a lot about reflection, looking back to the Ashes and looking forward to my playing future. As of today I’ve decided to retire from international Twenty20 cricket. The decision I’ve made is all to do with my longevity in the game.” said Ponting.

Although, Ponting will continue to play for Shahrukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the future installments of the Indian Premier League. Michael Clarke is expected to lead the Australian team in future T20 matches. Clarke led the team in Ponting’s absence recently in England. “This decision provides me the opportunity to prolong my Australian Test and One-day career, an opportunity I am extremely determined about,” Ponting said. “I am hoping to continue playing Test cricket for as long as possible and retiring from the Twenty20 format gives me the best chance of doing this.”

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland supported Ponting’s decision and stated that his exit will give youngsters a chance to play in the international team. “Needless to say he will be a huge loss to the Twenty20 side, but it does present opportunities for the other players and leaders within Australian cricket to gain further experience,” Sutherland said.

Ricky Ponting has faced a lot of flak lately, his team lost the Ashes series 2-1 last month. Ponting acquired the ignominious distinction of being only the second Australian captain to lose two Test series in England. Although he recieved a critical drubbing after the Ashes series, Ponting stated that he will definitely return for the 2013 Ashes either as a batsman or a captain. Ponting has scored the second most number of centuries in Test matches, just four behind Sachin Tendulkar’s 42. He made his Test debut in 1996 and has played for 136 matches, scored 11,345 Test runs at an average of 55.88. He has also played 315 ODIs, scoring 11,523 runs at an average of 42.52. Ponting is also the third leading century maker in ODIs, behind Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya.