Pakistan snatched defeat at Manchester

                                     Test Cricket is an interesting game ! ~ a Team that dominated most of the Sessions and was all set to win – ends up losing !

I first thought 277 was gettable but when Ben Stokes got out to Yasir Shah (101/4) and Ollie Pope back making it 117/5, I thought all hopes had vanished. Ben Stokes, I thought was the man who could have changed the fortunes.  None would forget his heroics in the final of World Cup 2019 where he scored 84 runs, (and that included the ball hitting him for a 6) helping England win their maiden 50-over World Cup title.  Ben Stokes will miss the rest of England's Test series against Pakistan after withdrawing from the squad for family reasons. He is set to travel to New Zealand !

Britain could be heading into another full lockdown if Boris Johnson doesn't to sort out the "disastrous" test and trace programme, a former government adviser has said. Sir David King told the Sunday Mirror the the UK is "nowhere near" the safe reopening of schools, adding: “We need a proper test and trace system by September. Otherwise full school opening will put us right back.” Sir David, 80, the former chief scientific advisor to Tony Blair who now heads the Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies shadowing the PM's scientific team, called on Mr Johnson to "get it right".

There have been more than 300,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far in the UK and more than 46,000 people have died, government figures show. However, these numbers only include people tested, and the actual death toll is higher.  Boris Johnson would close pubs, restaurants and shops ahead of schools in the event of severe coronavirus outbreaks, according to a Number 10 source. It comes as the PM said getting all children back in school was a "moral duty". Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Johnson added: "Keeping our schools closed a moment longer than absolutely necessary is socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible." Meanwhile new figures suggest that nearly 1,800 UK companies told the Government of plans to cut 20 or more jobs in June as the coronavirus damaged the economy. Labour is calling on the Government to halt a “jobs bonfire” by helping out industries and businesses still shut down by the pandemic.

All that shows UK too is in turmoil affected by Covid 19 yet – they are hosting Cricket tests – first a 3 test series against West Indies and now Pakistan. In between they played ODI with Ireland.  The graphs show that covid has spiked over last week at  Greater Manchester.  The charts outline an increase in cases in Trafford, Manchester, Stockport, Oldham, Salford and Tameside since the middle of July. Statistics show many of the new cases are among young people. According to latest developments, with a spike in coronavirus cases, new restrictions have been imposed in the Greater Manchester area. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board  assured England’s first Test with Pakistan at Old Trafford will remain unaffected by extra coronavirus impositions. The government  banned separate households from meeting each other indoors or private gardens across the area.  

The mood in England camp in chasing 277 was perhaps not upbeat. After playing international cricket for ten years, I understand when I need to take certain decisions. When I bat, I'm not thinking about the captaincy, whether or not I'm out of form. And when I'm captain, I don't think about my batting at all, whether I scored a 100 or 0. That's the job of the captain. There's a lot of disappointment that we had this game in the palm of our hands, and we led at most points in the game, but that can happen sometimes, said Paki Capt Azhar Ali.

Chris Woakes hadn’t passed fifty since he scored his only Test hundred, against India at Lord’s in 2018. Buttler had done it only once in his last year of Test cricket.  They came together with scorecard reading 117/5.  Then things happened differently.  Jos Buttler played his part in England's thrilling victory against Pakistan believing that if he didn't make runs, he was probably playing his last Test. Buttler made the frank admission after scoring 75 and sharing a century stand with Chris Woakes, who finished not out on 84, to help England chase down an imposing fourth-innings target of 277 with three wickets in hand and a day to spare. It came as Buttler faced increasing criticism over his batting - his Test average had dropped to 31.63 going into this, his 45th Test - and he had a poor game behind the stumps, missing three chances during Pakistan's first innings.

The score card would never reveal the thrills that occurred.  England 219 (Pope 62, Yasir 4-66) and 277 for 7 (Woakes 84*, Buttler 75, Yasir 4-99) beat Pakistan 326 (Masood 156, Azam 69, Broad 3-54) and 169 (Yasir 33, Broad 3-37) by three wickets

A fighting century stand between Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler carried England to a stunning three-wicket victory over Pakistan in a thrilling opening match of their three-Test series. Buttler's gutsy knock of 75 from 101 balls in the face of mounting criticism over his place in the side, combined with Woakes' new-found form with the bat, handed England an unlikely victory and broke their run of five consecutive series in which they had lost the first match.  Woakes had had a poorer performance, with a high score of 37 not out from his previous 17 innings.  They both  shared a partnership worth 139 for the sixth wicket and helped England pull off the second-highest fourth-innings run chase at Old Trafford. Fittingly, Woakes hit the winnings runs with a four through third man off Shaheen Shah Afridi to finish not out on 84 as England snatched victory by three wickets inside four days.

Joe Root began the day suggesting a target below 260 would be within reach. Pakistan pushed it just beyond after Yasir Shah came out, as expected, and threw the bat. Yasir resumed on 12 with Pakistan 137 for 8 and leading by 244. He clubbed 21 from nine balls, including 11 off Jofra Archer's first four deliveries of the day, followed by a defiant four past mid-on and a brutal six over midwicket off Stuart Broad's first three.  In all, Pakistan pilfered 32 runs within the first half hour, before Naseem Shah was the last man out, bowled by Archer for 4.

England wickets fell - Mohammad Abbas took the first with the first ball of the 12th, which nipped back and struck Rory Burns on the back leg as it curled in off the seam. Yasir Shah, who had claimed four England wickets in their first innings, broke a 64-run partnership when he had Sibley caught by Asad Shafiq for 36.  Pak wasted its reviews.  Ben Stokes got out and  Pope could do little about his dismissal when he copped an unplayable delivery from Afridi that reared off a length and hit his top hand, ballooning to Shadab Khan running in from gully. With England 117 for 5 and hope fading fast, still 160 runs from victory, most thought that the match was over.

Ben Stokes will miss the rest of England's Test series against Pakistan after withdrawing from the squad for family reasons. He is set to travel to New Zealand, where his parents live, next week and will not be available for the two behind-closed-doors Tests in Southampton. Stokes' father Ged was hospitalised ahead of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa during England's winter tour, and has since been recuperating back home in New Zealand. England's Test vice-captain, Stokes has played a central role in the summer so far. He led the team in Joe Root's absence for the opening Test against West Indies, scored a century and a fifty in the second, and has chipped in with 11 wickets despite more recently playing as a specialist batsmen.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

9.8.2020.

 

 

India was projected as a country of snake-charmers and Western World compassionate

When India gained independence from Britain on August 15 1947, the majority of Anglo-Indians had either left or would leave soon after.  By that time, much damage had been done.  Indian wealth had been looted and more importantly, India was presented in a very negative manner – it was projected to be a land of poor, illiterates, uncultured and snake-charmers. Yet some people would still hail the British rule and the colonial benefits !

Last year during an Election campaign, taking a swipe at Congress' general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi, Prime Minister  Mr Narendra Modi accused Congress of portraying India as a 'land of snake charmers' even after decades of independence. "There was a time when Congress used to please foreign guest throw snake charming. The whole world used to believe that India is only the land of snake charmers and magic. Our image is still being projected as such even after decades," Prime Minister said while addressing an election rally.  This came  a day after Priyanka Gandhi had an unusual encounter while on the campaign trail in the Rae Bareli constituency of Uttar Pradesh where she met snake charmers and even petted and held snakes in her hands.

Sometime back, BBC in a tweet asked : ‘Should India erase its snake charming culture to embrace modernity?’.  BBC Pop Up is a travelling bureau that films stories across India. One of its promotional videos some time ago contained footage of a snake charmer, prompting criticism from social media users who felt that the image of men hypnotising snakes no longer symbolised India. So the channel set about investigating whether snake charmers offend India's cultural identity and whether that branding holds the country back. It also visited a village of snake charmers in Delhi to find out how they were coping since the practice was banned on wildlife protection grounds a decade ago. The conversation that followed should have pertainted to the fate of India's snake charmers. But BBC Pop Up's promotional tweet led to talk about racist mindsets instead, eventually forcing an apology.

There are many International Agencies who often rake up non-issues in trying to project India as barbaric.  Once in a while, a famous foreigner would tweet and start a campaign in saving an elephant or some other animal – and funds would flow – more importantly the adverse image of the Nation.  PETA, though instituted for a good cause, often courts controversy – mainly because it targets only Hindu beliefs and also in voicing concern only here – but soft-pedalling grave issues in Western Countries.

          The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, an animal rights organisation, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking directions to impose an immediate ban on the use of animals in circuses across the country. PETA, in its petition, said that the use of weapons and other abuse of animals is inherent, rampant, and widespread in circuses.  Highlighting the risk that circuses pose in spreading zoonotic diseases, which can spread from animals to humans, PETA sought directions to the Central government to ban the use of animals in circuses by notifying the Performing Animals (Registration) (Amendment) Rules, 2018. Opposing speciesism, the plea said that the animals are not ours to use for entertainment  "The world is already battling a deadly animal-borne disease - it's high time to stop circuses from dragging stressed and potentially sick animals from town to town," PETA India senior legal counsel said but one wonders, whether PETA knows that there exists Zoos in foreign countries as well and do read the newsitem of their treatment of animals.

 

The Indian chapter of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an animal rights group, is known for its extravagant and outspoken campaigns which have often left people scratching their heads.  Recently,  PETA struck the wrong note by linking the festival of Raksha Bandha with cow protection. In its campaign "This Raksha Bandhan, protect cows too", the animal rights organisation urged people to “go leather-free” this Raksha Bandhan.  Ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival, PETA India erected billboards in six cities namely Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kanpur, Patna, and Pune, featuring a cow proclaiming, “Protect Me- Go Leather-Free”.  Netizens questioned the rationale behind hinging cow protection with Raksha Bandhan when rakhis are seldom made using leather. A user wrote, “Why pick a festival which has nothing to do with killing of any animal.”  …. But go silent when lambs, cattle, camels are butchered !

This news is for the eyes and ears of PETA ~  a  pair of 'inseperable' African lions were put down together at their home in the Los Angeles Zoo so neither would have to live alone, officials said. Hubert and Kalisa were both 21 years old and had far outlived their normal lifespan of 14 to 17 years. But were in 'declining health', the zoo said, and age-related illnesses had 'diminished their quality of life'.

'The Los Angeles Zoo is sad to announce the death of our African lion pair, Hubert and Kalisa,' zoo officials said in a statement Thursday.  'Animal care and health staff made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the 21-year-old companions.'  As they had remained a pair and inseparable, they were put down together !!!  The couple were in 'declining health', the zoo said, and age-related illnesses had 'diminished their quality of life' - what is the determinant of ‘quality’ and who decides that ?  

Hubert and Kalisa's pairing started at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, where the lions met before being moved to LA in 2014. While Hubert fathered 10 cubs, he never had any with Kalisa. Hubert was born Feb. 7, 1999 at the Lincoln Park Zoo, while Kalisa was born Dec. 26, 1998 at Woodland Park.   Animal programs director Beth Schaefer told the LA Times that the lions were 'charismatic both together as partners and separately.' 'Their undivided attention was always on the other as they rested together, cuddled and nuzzled often.'

African lions can sleep as many as 20 hours per day to conserve their energy, according to the zoo's website. But this permanent sleep is not what they ever would have wished for.  Imagine the hue and cry, PETA, animal activists, Sickularists and twitteratis would have made, if the same had happened in India – more so, in a South Indian town, having some allegiance to a Mutt. Then animal lives would have been precious ~ now the Zoo is right in determining that they lost their quality and have no place to live any longer.

Strange are the ways of people !  ~ it is the image that matters most. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

6^th Aug 2020.

ship carrying ammonium nitrate detained .. .. storage in port !!

Marine Cargo insurance protects cargo in movement from one place to another – for many centuries, goods have been transported across countries; Ports and harbours flourished.  MV Rhosus was one of the thousands of ships, was carrying load, was  detained en route from Batumi, in the ex-Soviet republic Georgia, to Mozambique, and never recovered.  It reportedly was owned by  Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin and was  abandoned in Beirut, Lebanon, after the ship was declared unseaworthy and the charterers lost interest in the cargo.  The cargo it was carrying was later confiscated and brought to shore ! ~ normal it sounds !  The ship was built by Tokuoka Zosen K.K. in Naruto, Japan, as Daifuku Maru No. 8   and delivered in  1986. Subsequently it changed many hands had name changes once as New Legend Glory; then in 2008,   Panamanian-registered Briarwood Corp, acquired the vessel and  renamed it Rhosus.  

On 23 Sept 2013, Rhosus set sail from Batumi, Georgia, to Beira, Mozambique, carrying 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.  In October, it was forced to port in Beirut with engine problems. After inspection by port state control, Rhosus was found unseaworthy, and it was forbidden to set sail. The owner of Rhosus went bankrupt and  after the charterers lost interest in the cargo, the owner abandoned the ship. Rhosus then quickly ran out of provisions, while the crew were unable to disembark due to immigration restrictions.  Creditors also obtained three arrest warrants against the ship.  Court  in Beirut allowed the crew on board  to return home after having been stuck aboard the ship for about a year.  The  cargo was then brought ashore in 2014 and placed in a building, Hangar 12, at the port, pursuant to a court order, until it exploded !  with catastrophic consequences, in August 2020.  Since  Dec  2017, the whereabouts of Rhosus have been unknown and the ship is reported as "unknown" in official databases.

M/S.Sri Amman Chemicals vs The Additional Secretary was an interesting case decided in the High Court of Judicature at Madras on 12 November, 2019

The Lebanese capital Beirut was rocked on 4.8.2020 evening local time by an explosion that has killed at least 78 people and injured thousands more. The country’s prime minister Hassan Diab said the blast was caused by around 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored near the city’s cargo port. Video footage appears to show a fire burning nearby before the blast.  The catastrophic explosion at Beirut port on Tuesday evening that has so far killed at least 100 people and injured around 4,000, with an unknown number feared trapped under rubble was, according to the government of Lebanon, caused by over 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate kept in storage for over six years.

A common chemical ingredient of agricultural fertilisers, the nitrogen rich compound is also the main component of the explosive composition known as ANFO — ammonium nitrate fuel oil.  In its pure form, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is a white, crystalline chemical which is soluble in water. It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer.  Its other major use is as a component of explosive mixtures used in mining, quarrying, and civil construction.   

In India, The Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012, under The Explosives Act, 1884, define ammonium nitrate as the “compound with formula NH4NO3 including any mixture or compound having more than 45 per cent ammonium nitrate by weight including emulsions, suspensions, melts or gels but excluding emulsion or slurry explosives and non explosives emulsion matrix and fertilizers from which the ammonium nitrate cannot be separated”.  Pure ammonium nitrate is not an explosive on its own. It is classified as an oxidiser (Grade 5.1) under the United Nations classification of dangerous goods. If mixed with ingredients like fuel or some other contaminants, or because of some other external factors, it can be very explosive. However, for combinations to explode, triggers like detonators are required.  Large quantities of stored ammonium nitrate are regarded as a major fire hazard, with multiple reported cases across the world.

The explosion of large storage can happen primarily in two ways. One is by some type detonation or initiation because the storage comes in contact with explosive mixture. Second, the blast can result due to a fire which starts in the ammonium nitrate store because of the heat generated due to the oxidation process at large scale. The second one seems to be the primary likely cause of the incident at Beirut port. There are several documented examples of deadly ammonium nitrate fire and explosion incidents in the past, some with large numbers of fatalities like in China in 2015 and in Texas in 1947.

 

Because it is used as an ingredient for the production of industrial explosives, anaesthetic gases, fertilisers, cold packs and has a strong possibility of misuse, ammonium nitrate is highly regulated in India, at least in letter. The manufacture, conversion, bagging, import, export, transport, possession for sale or use of ammonium nitrate is covered under The Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012. The rules also make storage of ammonium nitrate in large quantities in populated areas illegal in India. For the manufacture of ammonium nitrate, an Industrial licence is required under the Industrial Development and Regulation Act, 1951. A license under the Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012 is also required for any activity related to ammonium nitrate.

Ammonium nitrate does not burn on its own. Instead, it acts as a source of oxygen that can accelerate the combustion (burning) of other materials. For combustion to occur, oxygen must be present. Ammonium nitrate prills provide a much more concentrated supply of oxygen than the air around us. This is why it is effective in mining explosives, where it’s mixed with oil and other fuels.  

In the case referred in the earlier part, holding that national security is of paramount importance and an individual interest shall be subservient to the interest of the nation, the Madras high court upheld the orders of the Central government, suspending the license of a dealer in ammonium nitrate in Karur, who allegedly indulged in illegal activities in the sale and supply of the chemical and rejecting his plea to grant license for importing the material. Justice T.S. Sivagnanam dismissed petitions filed by Sri Amman Chemicals represented by its partner P. Kumaresan, challenging the orders of the chief controller and joint controller of Explosives, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation.

Amman Chemicals was granted a license to store and trade in the chemical. The company, whose buyers were engaged in agricultural activities, also applied for grant of license to import the chemical. On Aug, 2015, its application for import license was rejected on the ground that the issue of import license was considered only in favour of ammonium nitrate users, in the interest of national security.  The Judge said from a perusal of the impugned order, it was seen that a letter was received by the authorities from Customs stating that the petitioner has received 696 MT of ammonium nitrate at Chennai port and 500MT at Visakhapatnam port without a valid license and further imported 740MT from Korea at Chennai port. It was alleged that the petitioner had supplied the material to an unlicensed firm in Bengaluru. The petitioner had supplied 75kg to 2,92,000kg to several quarries, which did not possess license and thus the authorities stated that In view of these illegal activities, the license granted to the petitioner was suspended.

In a tweet today, PMK founder S. Ramadoss expressed shocked over reports that 740 tons of ammonium nitrate has been stored in a warehouse near Chennai port for the past five years, and called for its safe disposal. In a tweet, he cited Tuesday’s explosion in Beirut caused by large quantities of ammonium nitrate stored in the port and warned that Chennai could face a similar danger. Mr. Ramadoss said the ammonium nitrate from the warehouse should be safely disposed of and used for making urea and for other needs.

The news is indeed a cause of concern !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

6.8.2020

 

Federer flies in private jet to play roof-top Tennis

Unimaginable things do happen in life to fortunate some !!  How are you spending your lockdown days !

The Ligurian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is theorized to be named after the ancient Ligures people.  Finale Ligure   is a comune on the Gulf of Genoa in the Province of Savona in Liguria, Italy. It is considered part of the Italian Riviera.  Known for its white sand beaches and its views, Finale Ligure is located directly adjacent to the Rock of Caprazoppa, a steep limestone mountain on the southwest, and much of the town extends up hill slopes. The town has a lively commercial district. The post is about Roger Federer’s trip down there ! ~ why ?

Hotel-Tower Burj Al-Arab looks like an enormous sail, which raises 321 meters above sea level.  Residents of the city are experts in a genuinely oriental luxury: room price in Burj Al-Arab starts from 1000 USD and reach 28000 USD per night - full comfort: the hotel calls itself the "seven-star."   It  is the third tallest hotel in the world; however, 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space.   It stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge.   It has a helipad near the roof at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground.

A good  match can bring the viewers to the tip of their seats –  tense someone could bite-off their nails –  there can also be matches with none watching – for this one was at a dizzying height – a green roof, infact  the helipad of the luxury hotel – the competitors were World famous – Andre Agassi and Roger Federer, but the result was no important.    On February 22, 2005, the Burj al Arab hosted Andre Agassi and Roger Federer to play a match on their helipad tennis court before heading to the US$1 million Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open, which was the first round of the two-week Dubai Tennis Championships.

The 2019 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom, beginning on 1st July and finishing on 14th July 2019.  The defending Gentlemen's singles champion Novak Djokovic retained his title, while the defending Ladies' singles champion Angelique Kerber lost in the second round to Lauren Davis.  This was the first edition of the tournament to feature a standard tie break in the final set when the score in the set was 12 games all.   In men's singles, the only such match was the final in which Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer, in what was also the longest final in tournament history lasting for 4 hours and 58 minutes. Djokovic became the first man since Bob Falkenburg at the 1948 Wimbledon Championships to win the title after being championship points down, having saved two when down 7–8 in the fifth set.

 

After months of speculation, it was confirmed that the 2020 US Open would be taking place. This was great news for tennis fans as the 2020 Wimbledon had already been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, this came along with some bad news – Roger Federer won’t be playing the event!

Roger Federer   is a Swiss professional tennis player who is now  ranked world No. 4 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).  He has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles—the most in history for a male player—and has held the world No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for a record total of 310 weeks (including a record 237 consecutive weeks) and was the year-end No. 1 five times, including four consecutive. Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon men's singles titles, six Australian Open titles, five US Open titles (all consecutive, a record), and one French Open title. He is one of eight men to have achieved a Career Grand Slam. Federer has reached a record 31 men's singles Grand Slam finals, including 10 consecutively from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships to the 2007 US Open.  Federer's all-court game and versatile style of play involve exceptional footwork and shot-making.

Federer made news as amidst Covid lockdowns, he took a private jet headed to Finale Ligure, Italy, not to any hotel but to exchange a few volleys roof-top.  He surprised young girls -  Vittoria Oliveri, 13, and Carola Pessina, 11,  and played with them.   

Roger Federer joined two Italian schoolgirls for a game of tennis on the rooftop of an apartment building after they earned international fame with 12 million Twitter views with their lockdown match video. The tennis champion, 38, took a private jet to surprise friends Vittoria Oliveri, 13, and Carola Pessina, 11, at their homes in Finale Ligure, Italy.  The girls, both avid tennis players, had been unable to visit the courts during Italy's tough lockdown in April. But they had been instructed by their coach to keep practising so came up with the rooftop alternative, which soon went viral. The buildings, which are three stories up, are around 8.5 metres apart and with the girls standing four to five metres away from the edges, the improvised space proved to be a similar size to that of a true tennis court.

Federer, winner of 20 Grand Slam competitions, praised it as a 'wonderful idea' and wanted to get in on the action. He added: 'The passion does not go away just because of a lockdown. I think that their video really resonated with a lot of people and with me too.'   In the clip, after meeting Federer for the first time, Vittoria said: 'I nearly fainted. I didn't think he was real, I thought it was a mannequin.'  

After the hour-long session, and having sent a few balls flying on to the cars parked down on the street, Federer said: 'This was the first time I played tennis in a long, long time. The buildings, which are three stories up, are around 8.5 metres apart and with the girls standing four to five metres away from the edges, the improvised space proved to be a similar size to that of a true tennis court. 'They couldn't believe I was making a lot of mistakes — they were better than me sometimes. They had home court advantage.'  In February, the tennis pro had surgery on his right knee, followed by a further procedure, before declaring that he would not play for the rest of the year. At the end of the heart-warming clip Federer invited the girls to join the tennis school run by rival Rafael Nadal in Mallorca.

Amazing and too good to be true !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

4.8.2020