India rape protest policeman dies

25 December 2012 Last updated at 08:07 GMT Demonstrators defied a ban to protest against the gang rape A policeman who was injured during violent protests over the gang rape of a woman in the Indian capital Delhi has died in hospital.

Subhash Tomar, 47, was injured in clashes at the weekend in which more than 100 people, including at least 60 officers, were injured.

The rape, which happened on a bus, has left the woman in a critical condition and caused outrage in India.

Indian PM Manmohan Singh has appealed for calm in the city.

Mr Singh said his government would "make all possible efforts to ensure security and safety to all women".

The victim continues to be on life support and in a critical condition in a city hospital, doctors say.

Six people, including the bus driver, have already been arrested in connection with the incident.

Mr Tomar, a constable with the city police, was injured during the protests at India Gate in the heart of the capital on Sunday.

Violence erupted as demonstrators tried to break through police barricades to march on President Pranab Mukherjee's palace.

Mr Tomar suffered a heart attack and had been on life support in hospital early on Tuesday.

"The protesters pelted stones at Mr Tomar, he was unconscious for two days and today he died," police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP news agency.

Police had arrested eight people, including an activist of a newly formed anti-corruption political party, in connection with "the injuries caused to Mr Tomar".

A relative of Mr Tomar said he was attacked by a mob.

"My cousin was always out on streets maintaining law and order. The mob attacked him for no reason. They just killed him," said Ajay Tomar.

The authorities have kept roads and metro stations shut since Monday to stop protesters, leading to massive traffic jams.

The government has tried to halt the rising anger by announcing a series of measures intended to make Delhi safer for women.

These include more police night patrols, checks on bus drivers and their assistants, and the banning of buses with tinted windows or curtains.

Two policemen have also been suspended in connection with the incident, which happened on 16 December.

But the protesters say the government's pledge to seek life sentences for the attackers is not enough - many are calling for the death penalty.

The 23-year-old victim and her friend had been to watch a film when they boarded the bus in the Munirka area intending to travel to Dwarka in south-west Delhi.

Police said she was raped for nearly an hour, both she and her companion were beaten with iron bars and thrown out of the moving bus into a Delhi street.

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Pakistan to resume India cricket

25 December 2012 Last updated at 05:27 GMT The two teams played each other in September in the the ICC World Twenty20 Pakistan is set to to play its first cricket series in India for five years amid tight security.

The first bilateral series between the two countries since 2007, comprising two T20 matches and three one-day internationals, begins with a T20 game in the southern city of Bangalore.

Ties between the two countries' cricket authorities were hit by the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 175 people died.

The attack was blamed on a Pakistan-based militant group.

India have left veteran left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan out of the series against Pakistan.

Sachin Tendulkar has retired from the 50-over format, but fellow batsman Virender Sehwag retains his ODI place.

Reports say a massive security ring has been thrown up outside a stadium in Bangalore, where the match begins on Tuesday evening.

Bomb squad officers, sniffer dogs and as many as 5,000 policemen have been deployed to maintain security, reports said.

Hardline Hindu organisations, including the Shiv Sena, have said they will hold protests outside all the match venues during the series.

"As the governments of both the countries have agreed to hold the bilateral series, no organisation will be allowed to disrupt the match," Bangalore police chief Jyotiprakash Mirji told reporters ahead of the match.

The last series between India and Pakistan in either country was in 2007-2008 when Pakistan visited India.

The South Asian rivals continued to play each other on overseas grounds, with their last match taking place in the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.

Correspondents say the move to resume cricketing ties is a sign of improving relations between the two countries.

In July, the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan met in Delhi and the two sides discussed their willingness to have more sporting contact.

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India win equal to Ashes - Cook

England captain Alastair Cook says he thinks the first series win in India in 27 years is "on a par with the Ashes".

Centuries from Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell secured a draw in the fourth Test in Nagpur and a 2-1 win in the series.

Cook said the 2010-11 Ashes victory, England's first down under in 24 years, "meant a huge amount", but he added: "I think this is on a par with it.

Cook delights in 'special' victory

"In that dressing room, knowing what we had achieved, it was a special place and will live long in my memory."

England's success was all the more impressive given their terrible start to the series. A nine-wicket thrashing in the opening Test led to gloomy forecasts of a 4-0 series whitewash.

"Of course there was doubt," said Cook, 27, who was named man of the series after scoring three hundreds and 562 runs in the four-match series. "There is always doubt, especially halfway through day two [of the first Test] when we were getting rolled.

"I was surprised at the level we managed to achieve so soon after Ahmedabad. I was talking [there] about playing to our potential, but I was surprised we managed to do it straight away and put all those doubts to bed and prove it to ourselves."

He added: "We didn't handle the Ahmedabad wicket well but the others were all very different and we adapted well. The bowlers have been brilliant and our batters have contributed big runs.

"There were handshakes, hugs, embraces and slaps on the back all around in the England dressing room. They have worked so hard in this series. What odds were there on us witnessing that? It's quite remarkable. They have done it the hard way, through outstanding leadership on and off the pitch."

"Everyone in the squad can be very proud, especially after Ahmedabad and that heavy defeat. The guys who played a couple of games all made a difference and the amount of effort the guys have put in for me, I can't ask any more.

One of the "guys" who was drafted into the side was Monty Panesar, and the Sussex-man took 17 wickets in the final three Tests  as he dovetailed to devastating effect with fellow spinner Graeme Swann.

"Clearly we got it wrong in Ahmedabad in not playing Monty, but when we put it right he has been outstanding," Cook admitted.

"What was it, 50 overs for 80 yesterday? He's a captain's dream. You just throw him the ball and you know he's going to be there or thereabouts."

James Anderson, who was awarded the man of the match award after taking 4-81 in India's first innings, was described as the difference between the two sides by India captain Mahendra Dhoni.

The 30-year-old fast bowler took 12 wickets in the series and played a key part in England's success, alongside the spinners who normally prosper on the sub-continent.

1984-85: India 1-2 England (5 Tests)

1992-93: India 3-0 England (3 Tests)

2001-02: India 1-0 England (3 Tests)

2005-06: India 1-1 England (3 Tests)

2008-09: India 1-0 England (2 Tests)

2012: India 1-2 England (4 Tests)

"When we come over here, people think that spinners are going to get all the wickets but we knew that the seamers had a job to do," Anderson said.

"I've bowled better than I have before. Reverse-swing has been a key part of us doing well.

"We've really practised it in the nets and in the games leading up to the series. I think we executed our plans really well."

Listen to match highlights and Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott's analysis of the day's play on the Test Match Special podcast.

We are using archive pictures for this Test because several photo agencies, including Getty Images, have been barred from the ground following a dispute with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, while other agencies have withdrawn their photographers in protest.

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Nurse in UK royals prank buried in India

(File photo) Jacintha Saldanha, the Indian-origin nurse who died after being hoaxed by an Australian radio show.About 3,000 people attend the Mass and burial, priest saysJacintha Saldanha took the prank call from DJs seeking info on the Duchess of CambridgeShe was found hanged on December 7, an apparent suicide

(CNN) -- Hundreds of mourners packed a church in southwest India on Monday to honor the Indian-born nurse believed to have killed herself after taking a prank call at the hospital treating Prince William's pregnant wife.

Jacintha Saldanha was buried Monday after a Mass at Our Lady of Health, Shirva, according to the Rev. Stany Tauro.

Tauro said about 3,000 people attended the service.

The funeral came two days after a Westminster Cathedral memorial service for Saldanha, who in early December took what turned out to be a prank call from two Australian radio show hosts pretending to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

Read more: Who was nurse Jacintha Saldanha?

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The hosts were able to get some information about Catherine's condition before the nurse who took the call grew suspicious and ended the call.

Saldanha was found hanging from a wardrobe door at her hospital living quarters on December 7, a coroner's court heard Thursday. She left three notes, according to the court. The content was not disclosed.

At Saturday's memorial in London, Saldanha's family spoke of the pain of losing her.

Read more: Nurse's family: 'We love you and will miss you forever'

"I feel a part of me has been ripped out," her husband, Benedict Barboza, said after the service. "Without your beautiful smile and sparkling personality, the house is an empty place to live."

"We are shattered and there's an unfillable void in our lives," her daughter, Lisha, said. "We love you, Mum. Sleep in peace and please watch over us until we meet again in Heaven. We will always love you and keep you close to our hearts."

Although the hosts have apologized, the show has been taken off the air indefinitely.

The hospital, which has said Saldanha was not subject to any disciplinary actions because of the prank, set up a memorial fund to benefit her family.

CNN's Harmeet Sigh, Laura Smith-Spark, Susanna Palk and Jack Maddox contributed to this report.

December 12, 2012 -- Updated 1619 GMT (0019 HKT) As the family and media search for answers, a picture emerges of a generous, caring woman who was caught up in a media maelstrom.December 11, 2012 -- Updated 1043 GMT (1843 HKT) Two DJs responsible for the prank call speak of their sorrow that a nurse caught up in the call apparently killed herself.December 8, 2012 -- Updated 2156 GMT (0556 HKT) Two DJs are under fire after the death of a nurse who received a hoax phone call. CNN's Matthew Chance reports.December 11, 2012 -- Updated 1043 GMT (1843 HKT) In this whole tragic affair Jacintha Saldanha was truly powerless, Ross Stevenson writes, explaining why airing the call was wrong.December 11, 2012 -- Updated 1042 GMT (1842 HKT) The apparent suicide of Jacintha Saldanha has provoked outrage, sadness and demands for retribution in all corners of the media.December 10, 2012 -- Updated 1535 GMT (2335 HKT) An Australian radio network defends its prank DJs, saying the media around the world has carried out a "witch hunt" against them.December 11, 2012 -- Updated 1044 GMT (1844 HKT) The hospital where a nurse committed suicide after being duped by a hoax condemned the station responsible in a strongly worded letter.December 11, 2012 -- Updated 1044 GMT (1844 HKT) The chairman of the Australian radio network has called the apparent suicide of one of the nurses duped by the prank "truly tragic."December 11, 2012 -- Updated 1043 GMT (1843 HKT) Many social media users were quick to point fingers at the two radio hosts who made the call and then promoted it on Facebook.December 7, 2012 -- Updated 1753 GMT (0153 HKT) Two Australian radio DJs made a prank call to the hospital where the duchess is staying, claiming to be Queen Elizabeth II and her son, Prince Charles.Today's five most popular stories

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