At Mirpur, it would otherwise been an inconsequential match – the teams have played each other on 29 occasions
in ODIs, Bangladesh winning twice. Their first win came in February 2006 and
the latest in January 2009. For Sri
Lanka which is already out of the 4 Nation tournament before this final match,
there is little other than salvaging respect in this match – but their performance
can spoil India’s chances of qualifying for the final and that way the match
assumes significance. A Lankan
win will end Bangladesh's Asia Cup, one
the hosts spiced up through their thrilling chase against India that kept their
qualification hopes alive and prevented Sunday's India-Pakistan encounter from
becoming a mere dress rehearsal for the final.
Even for an ardent fan like me, the Parliament yesterday hailing Sachin Tendulkar’s feat of completing a
century of centuries seemed unnecessary.
The members in both Houses lauding the cricketer and terming the
achievement as a matter of “national pride”. In the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira
Kumar made a reference congratulating Sachin for becoming the first cricketer
to score a hundred centuries in international cricket. In the Rajya Sabha also, members complimented
Sachin for completing 100 centuries in international cricket, with opposition
using the opportunity to take a dig at the government saying it has come at a
time when things were not going right in the country. Don’t we expect more important business of National
interests and discussions affecting the lives of Indian citizens be taken up in both the houses of parliament.
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Back home, there is some good news - the Tamil Nadu
government announced that it has decided
to make the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) operational at the earliest. There was speculation as to the decision of
the State Cabinet and after the meeting, Chief minister J Jayalalithaa said in
a five-page statement that her government had studied the expert panel reports
appointed by the Centre as well as by the state and the memorandum submitted by
PMANE. The report stated that a careful
examination of the details showed that the plant is safe and poses no threat to
the local population or the fisherfolk. She appealed to people in the state to
support the commissioning of the plant.
There are reports that following the decision, hundreds of protestors
from nearby villagers have poured to the plant site where the People’s Movement
Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) has been holding a sit-in protest for the last
217 days. CM Jayalalithaa also announced
a 500-crore development package for the local villagers that include social and
public health infrastructure, and livelihoods development.
Caught between the air and the tarmac, the ground is being prepared for the suspension,
or even cancellation, of Kingfisher Airlines‘ scheduled operator permit
licence. Firstpost reports that the
airline was issued a show-cause notice towards end-February asking it why its
licence should not be suspended for flouting several conditions. It was given a
15-day time limit for a satisfactory reply. Kingfisher’s reply has been
received but sources said the airline had not been able to satisfactorily
explain why its licence should not be cancelled. “Their (Kingfisher’s) only
response has been that their accounts have been frozen by the tax department
and they are helpless in this situation.”
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
Nice blog.
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