The first World Cup quarter-final Pakistan bulldoze West Indies

Pakistani openers and spinners bulldozed West Indies in first quarter final of ICC World Cup 2011. Pakistan, with top-class bowling and batting performances, cruised into the semifinals of the mega event, first time after 1999 World Cup, beating West Indies by 10 wickets. Openers Hafeez and Kamran, breaking the shackles of early collapses, chased the lowest total of 112 runs in just 20.5 overs. Both the batsmen remained unbeaten, scoring 61 and 47 runs respectively. Pakistan will play India or Australia in the semifinals. Earlier, West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first in Dhaka stadium but Pakistani bowlers, like the last match against Aussies, managed to strike early and bowled out West Indian at 112. Opening bowlers Umar Gul (1-11) and Mohammad Hafeez (2-12) left West Indies reeling at 16-3 before Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul cautiously guided their team past the 50 mark in the first of the quarterfinals. The charismatic captain took 4-30 as West Indies crumbled to an embarrassing 112 all out in the 44th over of their quarterfinal in Dhaka. Leg-spinner Afridi took his tournament tally to 21 while off-spinners Muhammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal chipped in with two wickets each as the West Indies collapsed after electing to bat at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. Veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul was the only batsman to defy the spinners with a grim 44 not out off 106 balls. The West Indies were reduced to 71-8 before a 40-run stand between Kemar Roach and Chanderpaul helped the former champions surpass their lowest World Cup total of 93 against Kenya in Pune in 1996. The West Indies never recovered from a disastrous start when they lost three top batsmen, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith and Darren Bravo, by the sixth over.

Japan radioactive substances in seawater

Japan on Tuesday reported an above-normal presence of radioactive substances in seawater in the vicinity of the quake-and-tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi civil nuclear plant. The detection of seawater contamination added a new dimension to the continuing crisis over the general safety of the stricken nuclear reactors. And, the latest scare punctuated the unabated concerns over above-normal traces of radiation in the surrounding environment and in some local food products However, the Japanese authorities said the crisis should be viewed in the overall context of remedial and precautionary measures that were being adopted. In a message on the Facebook page of the Japanese Prime Minister's Office, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said: “There have been harmful rumours about Japanese foodstuffs. However, the shipment restrictions in question [on some food products of the Fukushima area] have been taken as a precautionary measure based on the government's conservative-standard values.” Noting that “higher-than-normal levels of radioactive caesium in fallout were detected on Monday night in respect of these food products, Mr. Edano said: “Even if a person is exposed to the levels in question for one month, it would be as much as about only 60 per cent of radiation in a round-trip [by aeroplane] between Tokyo and New York. It would be as much as about one-fifth of one-time CT scan.” The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), responsible for crisis management at the multi-reactor atomic energy plant, had earlier said “radioactive materials were detected [in] the seawater around the discharge canal (south) of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.” At the nuclear complex itself, TEPCO continued its efforts to supply to the reactor sites electricity from outside the plant. The operation was designed to reactivate the cooling systems so that the radioactive discharges from the overheated spent nuclear fuel could be reduced.

Coalition forces pound Libyan military targets, US jet crashed

Coalition forces pounded Libyan military targets with 24 more Tomahawk missiles Coalition forces pounded Libyan military targets with 24 more Tomahawk missiles, expanding the no-fly zone over the North African nation but suffering the loss of a US fighter jet, US officials said on Tuesday. And the on-scene commander, Adm. Samuel J. Locklear, confirmed that troops of leader Moammar Gadhafi were attacking civilians in the city of Misrata. He said that as the international mission continues, coalition forces will be able to target those government troops better. The two-man crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle ejected after the craft suffered mechanical problems during a strike mission against a Libyan missile site, Locklear said. He spoke to Pentagon reporters via phone from the command ship USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean Sea. The crew was recovered and suffered only minor injuries, US Africa Command said. One crew member was recovered by rebels and the other was picked up by a Marine Corps search and rescue plane, the command said, adding both were in US hands on Tuesday and off Libyan soil. Two dozen more Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from US and British submarines, a defense official said earlier in the day. Locklear gave no details but confirmed that brought to 161 the number of Tomahawk strikes aimed at disabling Libyan command and control facilities, air defenses and other targets since the operation started Saturday. Locklear said the additional strikes had expanded the area covered by the no-fly zone. He said intelligence showed that Gadhafi forces were attacking civilians in Libya s third-largest city, Misrata. In a joint statement to Gadhafi late Friday, the United States, Britain and France called on Gadhafi to end his troops  advance toward Benghazi and pull them out of the cities of Misrata, Ajdabiya and Zawiya. Locklear said the coalition is "considering all options" but did not elaborate. Asked if international forces were stepping up strikes on Gadhafi s ground troops, Locklear said that as the "capability of the coalition" grows, it will be able to do more missions aimed at ground troops who are not complying with the UN resolution to protect those seeking Gadhafi s removal.