Top 10 Most Powerful Countries

1. The United States of America
This country is the largest economy today and has the strongest army as well as a very powerful democracy. It is also said to be a superpower and its media is very influential as well. It has built itself and its power ever since it gained independence and is only getting more powerful. The country controls international relations and is a part of a number of influential bodies.

2. Russian Federation
The Russian Federation has the second most powerful army and controls a number of states in the Central Asian area. It has a very large population and immense world area. These factors allow it to stay independent and prevent external forces from meddling in the political, economic and financial issues of the country. Because of its size, Russia has the resources to become a superpower.

3. Peoples Republic of China
Peoples Republic of China is said to have the 4^th largest GNP in the world. It has gained supremacy only recently over Britain and France. It has a large army and immense potential to become the most powerful country in the world.

4. France
France is a part of the UN Security Council and is said to be the fifth most powerful country in the world. It is a great nuclear power and influences many African nations. The French have a large army which helps in maintaining law and order. It is a G7 economy and part of the European Union.

5. Britain
Britain is part of the UN Security Council as well. It has powerful nuclear weapons and the democracy is considered to be the most stable as well. As a G7 economy and as a leading country in areas like music, films and media, the country has immense influence when it comes to world politics. It is a part of the European Union as well.

6. Japan
Japan has an extremely large economy and is a leading democratic power. The population of the country is large but since the competition is intense, it features below USA, China, France and Britain.

7. Republic of India
India is very populous and has a well-known democracy which gains its power from the detailed Constitution of India. The economy is growing at a staggering rate and the nuclear weapons are becoming more and more powerful.

8. Federal Republic of Germany
Germany has the third largest economy in the world and features in the list of the most powerful European Union members. However, it was greatly affected during the two World Wars which hampered its influence over the world.

9.Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Pakistan has a very large Muslim population and powerful nuclear weapons. It is a united country but since it spends a hefty sum on military dictatorship, it has not become truly powerful. In addition to that, even though it has good resources, the battles with India have made the country very weak in these terms as well. Therefore, if it can replenish these resources and find a way to balance its political standing, it will be able to become more powerful.

10. Republic of Brazil
The Republic of Brazil is very large and is part of Latin America. It is said to hold the largest Portuguese speaking population in the world. In addition to that, the media of the country is quite stable and its relations with the rest of the world are quite secure.

Top Ten Armies of the World

According to the CIA and other Intelligence Services (European, Asian, African) this is the tally - based on a Combination of Manpower, Technology, Firepower, Training, Resources, Available Reserves, and Nuclear Potential (Current or Likely):
1. USA
2. China
3. Germany
4. Pakistan
5. France
6. Russia
7. UK
8. Italy
9. Israel
10.India

Pakistan Military Strength

PERSONNEL
Total Population: 172,800,048 [2008]
Population Available: 82,747,782 [2008]
Fit for Military Service: 63,822,970 [2008]
Reaching Military Age Annually: 3,998,981 [2008]
Active Military Personnel: 650,000 [2008]
Active Military Reserve: 528,000 [2008]
Active Paramilitary Units: 302,000 [2008]

ARMY Total Land-Based Weapons: 3,919 Tanks: 2,461 [2004] Armored Personnel Carriers: 1,146 [2004] Towed Artillery: 3,952 [2001] Self-Propelled Guns: 260 [2004] Multiple Rocket Launch Systems: 52 [2004] Mortars: 2,350 [2004] Anti-Tank Guided Weapons: 12,329 [2004] Anti-Aircraft Weapons: 1,900 [2004]

AIR FORCE Total Aircraft: 710 [2004] Helicopters: 198 [2003] Serviceable Airports: 146 [2007]

NAVY Total Navy Ships: 33 Merchant Marine Strength: 14 [2008] Major Ports and Harbors: 2 Aircraft Carriers: 0 [2008] Destroyers: 0 [2008] Submarines: 11 [2004] Frigates: 9 [2008] Patrol & Coastal Craft: 8 [2008] Mine Warfare Craft: 3 [2008] Amphibious Craft: 0 [2008]

LOGISTICAL Labor Force: 48,230,000 [2007] Roadways: 259,758 km Railways: 8,163 km

FINANCES (USD) Defense Budget: $4,260,000,000 [2006] Foreign Exch. & Gold: $15,690,000,000 [2007] Purchasing Power: $411,900,000,000 [2007]

OIL Oil Production: 62,000 bbl/day [2007] Oil Consumption: 345,000 bbl/day [2005] Proven Oil Reserves: 376,800,000 bbl [2007]

GEOGRAPHIC
Waterways: 25,220 km
Coastline: 1,046 km
Square Land Area: 803,940 km

ICC Awards 2010

We were at the 2010 ICC Awards at the Grand Castle in Bangalore.

Cricketer of the Year: Sachin Tendulkar Here’s what the master blaster said about his first ICC Cricketer of the Year award: Better late than never. He was happy that the team achieved the number one Test team ranking in Decemeber and have maintained it since then. He gave credit to all his fans for the support he has which continues to egg him on.
Test Cricketer of the Year: Virender Sehwag- Sehwag who has had a spectacular past 12 months in the longer format of the game rated Tuesday’s win against Australia as the best win of his career. He said it was privelege to part of the team and that the Indian team has set their sights on winning the ODI World Cup in the coming year.
ODI Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers – We asked AB if he thought the ODI format was still relevant. He said he loved playing all three formats of the game, and that it was up to the ICC to make changes in the format to keep interest alive.
World Test Team of the Year: Lead by MS Dhoni
The team: Virender Sehwag, Simon Katich, Sachin Tendulkar, Hashim Amla, Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Dale Steyn, Doug Bollinger.
India’s skipper took the opportunity to speak about his team and said he was proud of his team’s exploits. When quizzed about what India could improve on Dhoni said ground fielding was one area they weren’t brilliant at and could do with some improvement.
World ODI Team of the Year:  Lead by Ricky Ponting –
The team: Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, AB de Villiers, Paul Collingwood, Ricky Ponting, MS Dhoni, Daniel Vettori, Stuart Broad, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris
Ponting was quite surprised to get this one. He said he came to the awards not expecting to win anything.
LG People’s Choice Award: Sachin Tendulkar
Spirit of Cricket Award: New Zealand
Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Shelley Nitschke
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Brendon McCullum for his unbeaten 116 against Australia.
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate from the Netherlands
Emerging player of the year: Steven Finn from England- Steven spoke of how England were confident of winning the upcoming Ashes even though they would be underdogs in Australia.
ICC Umpire of the Year: Aleem Dar – The Pakistani umpire won the award for the second year in a row. He said that the UDRS system for reviews should be implemented
West Indies fast bowlers Courtney Walsh and Joel Garner, along with Bishan Singh Bedi and the late Ken Barrington of England joined the 60 male members of the Hall of Fame, while England’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint becomes the first woman to be inducted.