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Friday, May 31, 2019

In Kolkata, a College Admission Form Allows You to Choose 'Humanity' as Religion

If you live in India, you will often have to fill out forms: Government application forms, bank forms, college application forms, forms to get a permit for anything, and many others. Most of these forms come with a pre-requisite mandatory series of questions.

"Enter your full name."
"Enter your date of birth."
"Enter your nationality."


So far so good, right?

"Enter your religion."

Well, in this country, you don't get to choose your own religion, the same way you can't choose your nationality or family. But what if you don't follow any religion? What if you don't believe in God?

In most of the forms that we are needed to fill, the options are restricted to major religions like 'Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity,' or clubbed under the collective term - 'Others.'

A Calcutta University college, however, has decided to do away with this heterogeneous clubbing of different religions together and introduced 'Humanity' as an option for all people who feel restricted by the limited options.



Bethune College in Kolkata has taken the first and noticeable step in its undergraduate admission process that has kicked off from May 27 for the year 2019. In the form for admission, the option to enter your religion now includes an option called 'Humanity.'

IAF's Flight Lt. Mohana Singh Becomes First Woman to Fly Hawk Advanced Fighter Jet


Flight Lt. Mohana Singh has become the first woman fighter pilot to fly by day on a Hawk advanced jet aircraft, an official statement said on Friday May31,2019

The statement said the woman officer landed after a gruelling 4-aircraft combat sortie at Kalaikunda Air Force station in West Bengal, which was the last syllabus sortie of being fully operational on the Hawk jets.



She and two other women officers - Bhawana Kanth and Avani Chaturvedi - joined the fighter stream in June 2016. Last week, Flight Lt. Bhawana Kanth became the first daytime woman fighter pilot to fly a MiG-21 Bison. Singh's training involved flying both air-to-air combat and air-to-ground missions. She has undertaken many practice missions which involved firing of rockets, guns and dropping high calibre bombs and has also participated in various Air Force level flying exercises. She has a total of over 500 hours of incident-free flying of which 380 hours are on the Hawk Mk 132 jet.

2019 ICC World Cup in England & Wales May 30 to July 14,2019 - Match 03 New Zealand Vs Sri Lanka @ Cardiff Saturday June 01,2019

New Zealand's ODI team has remained quite same in the core as it was in 2015. Kane Williamson has replaced Brendon McCullum as captain from the team that finished as runners-up in the last edition of the World Cup.

Since the last World Cup, New Zealand have risen as high as second in the world rankings but have also been beaten at home by South Africa, England and India.

Four years later, New Zealand, ranked fourth in the ICC ODI rankings,start their World Cup 2019 campaign against a struggling Sri Lanka @ Sophia Gardens,Cardiff on Saturday June 01,2019


The Kiwis start clear favourites in their opener against 1996 winners Sri Lanka, a side that has slumped to ninth in the ODI rankings.




Squads

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (vice-capt), Ross Taylor.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis (wk), Isuru Udana, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal.

Head to Head in CWC

Matches: 98
New Zealand won: 48
Sri Lanka won: 41
Tied: 1
No result: 8

New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 10 Wickets
Scorecard

Sri Lanka       136/10 in 29.2 Overs
New Zealand 137/0 in16.1 Overs

Martin Guptill  73(51 Balls 4x8 and 6x2)
Colin Munro     58(47 Balls 4x6 and 6x1)

Match Result NZ won by 10 wickets
MOM - Matt Henry(New Zealand)for his 3/29(7 Overs)
New Zealand got their ICC World Cup 2019 campaign to the perfect start by registering a clinical 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Saturday (June 1).
Set a meagre 137 to win, New Zealand hardly broke a sweat in pursuit of the target, losing no wickets and finishing off the game in 16.1 overs as both Colin Munro (58*) and Martin Guptill (73*) made half-centuries.
Sri Lanka needed early wickets to stand any chance of making the game competitive, yet it was New Zealand who set the tone in the second innings with Guptill slamming Lasith Malinga for two boundaries in the first over.
Munro took a little longer to get going but found his rhythm in the sixth over, hitting Suranga Lakmal for a boundary and a six to get his innings underway in earnest.
The two brought up their 50-run stand in the 7th over and crossed the 100-run mark in the 13th over before finishing the match 3.1 overs later, finishing a forgettable day for Sri Lanka.
Earlier after being put in to bat by New Zealand, they could only score 136 before being bundled out in 29.2 overs as New Zealand’s pace unit ran through their batting line-up.
Matt Henry (3-29) and Lockie Ferguson (3-22) were the pick of the bowlers for the Kiwis, with the remaining four bowlers chipping in with a wicket each.
The game started well enough for Sri Lanka as Lahiru Thirimanne hit Henry for a boundary on the first ball of the innings. Henry had the last laugh though, as he trapped Thirimanne plumb on the very next delivery.
Kusal Perera put together a 42-run stand with Dimuth Karunaratne but once the former departed, the floodgates opened and Sri Lanka never recovered.
Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis all departed in quick succession, leaving them in a spot of bother at 60-6.
Thisara Perera scored a valuable 23 lower down the order and strung together a 50-run stand with Karunaratne to take Sri Lanka past the 100-run mark.
Once Perera departed it was only a matter of time before the innings came to a close. Karunaratne posted a valiant half-century but the tailenders all departed without much fuss

Prime Minister Narendra Modi allocates portfolios Friday May 31,2019


Here’s the full list of the portfolios allocated on Friday May 31,2019 





Narendra Modi
Prime Minister and also in-charge of:
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions;
Department of Atomic Energy;
Department of Space; and
All important policy issues; and
All other portfolios not allocated to any Minister.

Cabinet Ministers 

1. Narendra Modi - Prime Minister, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space
2. Rajnath Singh - Minister of Defence

3. Amit Shah - Minister of Home Affairs

4. Nitin Gadkari - Minister of Road Transport and Highways; and Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
5. DV Sadananda Gowda - Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
6. Nirmala Sitharaman - Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs.
7. Ramvilas Paswan - Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
8. Narendra Singh Tomar - Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Minister of Rural Development; and Minister of Panchayati Raj.
9. Ravi Shankar Prasad Minister of Law and Justice; Minister of Communications; and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.

10. Harsimrat Kaur Badal - Minister of Food Processing Industries.
11. Thaawar Chand Gehlot - Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
12. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar - Minister of External Affairs.

13. Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' - Minister of Human Resource Development.
14. Arjun Munda - Minister of Tribal Affairs.
15. Smriti Irani - Minister of Women and Child Development; and Minister of Textiles.

16. Dr. Harsh Vardhan - Minister of Health and Family Welfare;Minister of Science and Technology; and Minister of Earth Sciences

17. Prakash Javadekar - Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
18. Piyush Goyal - Minister of Railways; and Minister of Commerce and Industry

19. Dharmendra Pradhan - Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Steel.
20. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - Minister of Minority Affairs.
21. Pralhad Joshi - Minister of  Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Coal; and Minister of Mines.
22. Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey - Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
23. Arvind Ganpat Sawant - Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise
24. Giriraj Singh - Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries
25. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat - Minister of Jal Shakti

Ministers of State (Independent Charge)

1. Santosh Kumar Gangwar - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment
2. Rao Inderjit Singh -  Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning.
3. Shripad Naik - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH); and Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence.
4. Dr. Jitendra Singh - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions;  Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and  Minister of State in the Department of Space.
5. Kiren Rijiju - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs
6. Prahalad Singh Patel - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Culture; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism.
7. Raj Kumar Singh - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
8. Hardeep Singh Puri - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs;  Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
9. Mansukh L. Mandaviya - Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Shipping; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

Ministers of State 

1. Faggansingh Kulaste - Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel
2. Ashwini Kumar Choubey - Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
3. Arjun Ram Meghwal - Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
4. General (Retd.) V. K. Singh - Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
5. Krishan Pal - Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
6. Danve Raosaheb Dadarao -  Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
7. G Kishan Reddy  - Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs
8. Parshottam Rupala - Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
9. Ramdas Athawale -  Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowermen
10. Niranjan Jyoti - Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development
11. Babul Supriyo - Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
12. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan - Minister of State in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries
13. Dhotre Sanjay Shamrao -  Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development; Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
14. Anurag Singh Thakur - Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance; and  Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
15. Angadi Suresh Channabasappa - Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways
16. Nityanand Rai - Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs
17. Rattan Lal Kataria - Minister of State in the Ministry of Jal Shakti; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
18. V Muraleedharan - Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
19. Renuka Singh Saruta - Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affair
20. Som Parkash - Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
21. Rameswar Teli - Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries
22. Pratap Chandra Sarangi - Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.
23. Kailash Choudhary  -Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
24. Debasree Chaudhuri - Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

an international organisation of 7 nations of South Asia  and South East Asia, housing 1.5 billion people and having a combined gross domestic product of $3.5 trillion (2018)

the member states are —Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand , Nepal and Bhutan

the permanent secretariat is in Dhaka,Bangladesh

leadership is rotated in alphabetical order of country names

14 priority sectors of cooperation have been identified and several BIMSTEC centres have been established to focus on those sector
  1. Trade & Investment
  2. Transport & Communication
  3. Energy
  4. Tourism
  5. Technology
  6. Fisheries
  7. Agriculture
  8. Public Health
  9. Poverty Alleviation
  10. Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime
  11. Environment & Disaster Management
  12. People-to-People Contact
  13. Cultural Cooperation
  14. Climate Change

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sworn In For The Second Consecutive Term Thursday May 30,2019




There are 24 cabinet ministers and a total of 33 MoS out of which 9 have been given independent charge.

2 ministers cycle to Rashtrapati Bhavan for oath-taking ceremony

Amid the sight of thousands of dignitaries and Council of Ministers arriving in cars for the oath-taking ceremony of Modi government 2.0, two ministers stood out.
















BJP's Mansukh Lal Mandaviya and Arjun Ram Meghwal rode their respective bicycles from their homes for the swearing-in ceremony.

Forty-six-year-old Mandaviya riding his cycle to Parliament had been a familiar sight over the past five years. When asked about it, he says, “It's not a fashion to ride a cycle. It is my passion.”

Born to a farmer in a small village Hanol in the Palitana taluka (tehsil) of Saurashtra`s region Bhavnagar district, Mandaviya became the youngest MLA in Gujarat at the age of 28 years in 2002.

On Thursday evening, the BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, become a Union minister for a second time. Mandaviya was the Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways, Chemical and Fertilisers and Shipping in previous NDA government.

For IAS officer-turned-politician Arjun Ram Meghwal, cycling to work is a passion – something he had to give up in 2016 after becoming a minister.

Meghwal, who defeated his cousin and Congress candidate Madangopal Meghwal from Bikaner, was retained as a minister in the second Modi government. Born in a family of weavers at Kishmidesar village in Bikaner, Meghwal was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009. He became the Minister of State for finance and cooperative affairs in July 2017 during a cabinet reshuffle.

 

From 2 to 303 seats: How BJP has grown over the years







Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy takes oath as Andhra Pradesh CM before huge crowd at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada; KCR, MK Stalin attend ceremony Thursday May30.2019

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took oath as the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

The 46-year-old YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor ESL Narasimhan at Vijayawada's Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium on Thursday May 30,2019 as he took over as the second chief minister of Andhra Pradesh since its bifurcation.
Jagan, who has taken over his father's — YS Rajasekhara Reddy— seat after a decade, entered the stadium in an open jeep with folded hands amidst a cheering crowd
The YSRCP stormed to power in the state on Thursday  23 May, bagging 151 seats in 175-member Assembly.  The YSR Congress also won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, the results of which were also announced last Thursday

2019 ICC World Cup in England & Wales May 30 to July 14,2019 - Match 02 West Indies Vs Pakistan@ Trent Bridge,Nottingham Friday May 31,2019

The West Indies won the first two editions of World Cup in 1975 and 1979 while Pakistan became the World champions in 1992 under Imran Khan's leadership.

While the Windies and Pakistan both are not as strong as they once were, they are still forces to reckon with.

 Pakistan won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy playing in England and that shall be huge a confidence-booster for them

The Windies also announced their arrival by smashing 421 runs in one of their warm-up matches against New Zealand right before the World Cup

Windies and Pakistan have played 10 World Cup matches and the Windies are way ahead in the running with 7 wins while Pakistan have just won only 3


Cricket World Cup(CWC) Head to Head:
Matches: 10
West Indies won: 7
Pakistan won: 3
Ties: 0
No result: 0

Pakistan led by Sarfraz Ahmed will look to draw inspiration from their Champions Trophy 2017 triumph and begin their World Cup 2019 on a positive note against a power-hitting West Indies side at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Friday May 31,2019

Squads

Pakistan: Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt/wk), Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Haris Sohail, Babar Azam, Imam-ul Haq, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain


Windies: Chris Gayle, Kemar Roach, Darren Bravo, Andre Russell, Ashley Nurse, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder (c), Evin Lewis, Sheldon Cottrell, Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Oshane Thomas, Shannon Gabriel sub

West Indies beat Pakistan by 7 Wickets

Scorecard
Pakistan 105/10 in 21.4 Overs
West Indies 108/3 in 13.4 Overs
Chris Gayle 50(34 Balls 4x6 and 6x3)
Nicholas Pooran 34*(19 Balls 4x4 and 6x2)
Match Result - West Indies won by 7 wickets
MOM - Oshane Thomas(West Indies)for his 4/27(5.4 Overs)

There's a simple reason why this game was so short: because the West Indies bowlers were, too. In a spell of fast bowling more suited to Test cricket of the 1980s than limited-overs in this more cautious age, West Indies stuck to a length that kept pushing Pakistan further and further back. It wasn't far back enough, and, led by the youngest member of their squad, Oshane Thomas, they shot Pakistan out for their second lowest total ever in World Cup history; it would have been double figures but for a 22-run tenth-wicket partnership, the highest of the innings.
West Indies' chase wasn't quite as convincing as one might have expected: just a couple of months ago, a similar chase against England was achieved with contemptuous ease. But there was never any doubt about the outcome of the game whatsoever, even if Mohammad Amir put up the best bowling performance he has managed since the Champions Trophy in 2017, picking up all three of West Indies wickets in a valiant effort to make the game competitive.
They were streaky at times, fortunate others, but the bottom line was that, having dismissed Pakistan so cheaply, West Indies could afford to be as cavalier as they wished and still picked up a thumping win, one they achieved with a whopping 36.2 overs to spare, the highest number of balls remaining in a World Cup match.

Israel to hold fresh election as Netanyahu fails to form coalition before deadline

Israeli lawmakers have voted to dissolve parliament after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government



Parliament voted 74-45 in favour of dissolving itself after Netanyahu missed a midnight local time (21:00 GMT) deadline on Wednesday May 29,2019



The vote triggered a fresh election, which will be held on Sep 17,2019

Netanyahu was unable to reach a deal for a fresh right-wing coalition following last month's election

At the heart of the impasse was a military conscription bill governing exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students.

It is the first time in Israel's history that a prime minister-designate has failed to form a coalition

Why did coalition talks fail?

Netanyahu entered negotiations to form a coalition government after his Likud Party won 35 of the Knesset's 120 seats in April 2019's election, setting him up for a fifth term in office.

But he clashed with former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose support in the talks became vital.

Lieberman, from the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, had made it a condition of allying with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties that they change their military draft exemptions.

Netanyahu pushed for new elections to prevent Israeli President Reuven Rivlin selecting another member of parliament to try to form a government.

Netanyahu said: "We'll run a sharp, clear election campaign which will bring us victory. We'll win, we'll win and the public will win."

What happens next?

Netanyahu - who is on course to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister in July 2019 - will now remain in power until Sep 2019's vote.

The election is likely to be fought on similar campaign lines to April's closely-fought vote, when Mr

Netanyahu faced his toughest competitor in years - former military chief of staff Benny Gantz.
No party has ever won a majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, and the country has always had coalition governments.

That means the prime minister is not always the person whose party wins the most votes, but the person who manages to bring together enough parties to control at least 61 of the 120 seats in the Knesset

Netanyahu faces another challenge in the coming months in the form of possible fraud and bribery charges, and has been accused of attempting to secure for himself immunity from prosecution

He is alleged to have accepted gifts from wealthy businessmen and dispensed favours to try to get more positive press coverage. Netanyahu denies all wrongdoing

If he is indicted, the Supreme Court will determine whether he must resign


Wednesday, May 29, 2019

2018-19 UEFA Europa League Final Chelsea Vs Arsenal @ Olympic Stadium,Baku,Azerbaijan - Eden Hazard scores twice as Chelsea thrash Arsenal to win lift trophy Wednesday May 29,2019

Chelsea hammered their London rivals Arsenal 4-1 to win the Europa League thanks to two goals from Eden Hazard, probably making his last appearance for the Blues, and one apiece for Olivier Giroud and Pedro.


Chelsea destroyed Arsenal with four second-half goals that handed coach Maurizio Sarri his first major trophy although even that might not be enough to silence the speculation that he could also be leaving Stamford Bridge imminently.

After a tepid first half, former Arsenal hero Giroud put Chelsea ahead in the 49th minute with an angled header and the Blues doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Pedro diverted a cross from Hazard beyond Petr Cech.

With Arsenal on the ropes, defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles collided with Giroud to concede a penalty that Hazard stroked home after 65 minutes.

Eden Hazard's first goal came from the penalty spot, where he sent Petr Cech the wrong way



Alex Iwobi clawed a goal back for Arsenal but Chelsea restored their three-goal cushion in the 72nd minute when Hazard swapped passes with Giroud to score his second.

The win means Chelsea have won three European titles in seven years, with the Champions League triumph in 2012 followed by their first Europa League victory in 2013.

By contrast, Arsenal have lost five of their six major European finals, with their only victory coming in the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup against Parma.



Eden Hazard was given an ovation by Chelsea fans when he was substituted in the closing minutes and he looked emotional as he held his hands over his eyes. The Belgium winger has signalled he wants to move to Real Madrid in the close season.



“My dream was to play in the Premier League and I did it for seven years,” Hazard, who joined Chelsea in 2012, told a television reporter shortly after the final whistle. “Maybe I think it is time to say goodbye





“We will decide in a few days and the only target in my mind was to win this final. I have made my decision already and now I’m waiting on both clubs. I think it is a goodbye, but in football you never know.”





HAZARD AT CHELSEA 

Appearances: 352
Goals: 110
Assists: 92
Trophies:  Premier League (2014-15, 2016-17), FA Cup (2017-18), League Cup (2014-15), Europa League (2012-13, 2018-19)

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was one of the spectators in the crowd to see his side in action for the final 
 

South African Opener Hashim Amla on verge of breaking Virat Kohli’s long-standing ODI record Thursday May 30,2019

Opener Hashim Amla will look to break Virat Kohli’s long-standing record when South Africa lock horns against hosts England in a blockbuster ICC World Cup 2019 opener at the Oval in London on Thursday May30,2019

Hasim Amla is just 90 runs away from becoming the fourth South African to score 8000 ODI runs after Jacques Kallis (11550), AB de Villiers (9427) and Herschelle Gibbs (8094)

If Amla manages to achieve this feat against England, he will go past India skipper Virat Kohli and take the top spot in the list of fastest to 8000 ODI runs.




Virat Kohli managed this feat in 175 innings, while Amla has played 171 innings thus far. So, if he goes past this mark on Thursday, Amla will better Kohli’s record by three innings.

Hasim Amla also holds the record for being the fastest ever to 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 ODI runs

There is another milestone in offering for the right-hander as Amla needs just 37 runs to become the second South Africa after Jacques Kallis (1054 runs) and 22nd batsman overall to reach 1000 ODI runs against England




It’s easier said than done for Amla as his recent stat suggests the right-hander is going through a bad patch. Amla has crossed the 50-run mark in just 25% of his ODI innings since 2018 and that doesn’t bode well for a team which likes to rely heavily on their top-order for runs.

Google celebrates ICC tournament with animated doodle Thursday May 30,2019



Google celebrated the beginning of International Cricket Council’s World Cup 2019, which opens at the Oval in London today, with an animated doodle.

The World Cup, which takes place every four years, is one of the world’s leading, most viewed and most popular one-day cricket match.

In the World Cup, ten teams compete for the coveted cup through a qualifying process that takes five to six years. This year it will be hosted in England and Wales.

The animated doodle, which you can see on the Google Home Page, shows an animation of a bowler throwing the ball at a batsman, who hits the ball, which is then caught by a fielder.




If you click on the doodle, you can also get the details of the matches, news related to it and a table maintaining the score of each team throughout the tournament.

Cricket World Cup Captains Attend Queen Elizabeth's Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace


Virat Kohli's Wax Statue Unveiled at Lord's to Mark 2019 CWC Launch Wednesday May 29,2019

Madame Tussauds on Wednesday May 29,2019  unveiled India captain Virat Kohli's statue at Lord's Cricket Ground here to mark the launch of the ICC World Cup 2019



The wax statue of one of the world's leading batsmen will be on display at Madame Tussauds from Thursday May30,2019 until July 15,2019  remaining at the museum for the duration of the tournament



Steve Davies, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London, said: "Cricket fever is set to sweep the nation in the coming weeks so what better way to unveil our new figure of Virat Kohli than with the help of our neighbours at Lord's

"We hope that cricket fans will enjoy not only watching their hero on the pitch but taking to the crease with him here at Madame Tussauds London."

Pictured for the first time at the iconic Lord's, the statue is dressed in the official Indian kit as well as shoes and gloves donated by the sportsman himself.
From Thursday May 30 ,2019 onwards, Virat Kohli will sit alongside legends such as Usain Bolt, Sir Mo Farah and fellow Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar.

Narendra Modi Swearing-in Ceremony: How is Oath of Office Different from Oath of Secrecy?

Narendra Modi and his new Council of Ministers on Thursday May 30,2019 will be sworn-in with President Ram Nath Kovind administering the oaths of Office and Secrecy in a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Ministers in India including the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers as well as state and union ministers are mandated by the Constitution to take the oath of secrecy in addition to the oath of office.


The Third Schedule of the Indian Constitution provides for administering the oaths of Office for all constitutional posts in the country. Article 75(4) of the Constitution in the Third Schedule provides that before a Minister enters upon his office, the President shall administer to him the oaths of office and of secrecy.


While the oath of office binds a minister to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India and discharge the duties to the best of his or her honesty and integrity for the welfare of the nation, the oath of secrecy mandates the candidate’s commitment to safeguard the official information and secrets under their office.


The Oath of office reads as follows
Form of oath of office for a Minister for the Union:-


"I, (name), do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as a Minister for the Union and that I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will."

The oath of secrecy reads as follows

"I, (name) do swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as a Minister for the Union except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as such Minister."



2020 Asia Cup Cricket - Pakistan given the Hosting Rights Tuesday May 28,2019

The next edition of the Asia Cup could also be UAE-bound with Pakistan given the hosting rights of the tournament in 2020, as organising it in its own country will cast serious doubts on India’s participation owing to diplomatic tensions.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in its meeting in Singapore on Tuesday May 28,2019 awarded the continental meet, to be held in T20 format, to Pakistan, which will most likely organise it in the neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates, its cricket team’s ‘home’ since the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus.

The tournament will be held in September 2020 ahead of the World T20 in Australia.

2019 French Open Men's Singles - Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic becomes oldest man to win match at French Open for 45 years

Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic became the oldest man to win a match at the French Open for 45 years on Tuesday as he beat Spain’s fellow veteran Feliciano Lopez in a first-round duel.

Karlovic, who turned 40 in February 2019, won 7-6(4) 7-5 6-7(7) 7-5 in a match featuring players with a combined age of 77 -- the oldest in a Grand Slam in the professional era.

He became the oldest male player to win a Grand Slam match since Ken Rosewall, aged 44, did so at the 1978 Australian Open.

The last player to contest a Grand Slam singles match having turned 40 was American Jimmy Connors at the U.S. Open in 1992.

Croatian giant Karlovic fired down 35 aces on his way to a second-round clash against Australian youngster Jordan Thompson.

He was the first man in his 40s to compete in a Grand Slam singles match for 27 years, but the evergreen Karlovic made light of his age to outlast left-hander Lopez.

2019 ICC World Cup in England & Wales May 30 to July 14,2019 - Match 01 England Vs South Africa @ The Oval Thursday May 30,2019



England have hosted the World Cup more than any other team, 4 times in total, including the first 3 World Cups in 1975;1979 and 1983 and now the 2019 CWC

England have appeared in every edition of the CWC to date. 

England  have never won the competition, but their best performances were losing finalists in 1979;1987 and 1992

England have also been eliminated in the Group stage of the competitions on 3 occasions:1999;2003 and 2015 

South Africa missed the opening 4 CWC's  - 1975;1979;1983 and 19877 due to their apartheid ban from international cricket and made their first appearance at the 1992


1992 World Cup, Australia & New Zealand

This was the first time South Africa featured in a World Cup, after being reinstated as a Test playing nation in 1991 (South Africa were banned from international cricket, 1970 onwards due to apartheid). Having started playing One Day Cricket in 1991, no one expected much from the South African team. But they surprised everyone by qualifying for the Semi-Finals, by winning 5 of their 8 matches in the Round Robin stage.
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In the Semi-Final against England, with 22 runs needed from 13 balls, they looked on course for a victory. But a 10-minute delay due to the rain saw the target controversially revised to 21 runs of 1 ball. England went on to win the match. They lost to the eventual winners Pakistan in the finals.

South Africa at the CWC

1996 World Cup, India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka

The 1996 World Cup saw a strong start from the South Africans, winning all 5 matches and topping the group comprising of South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, UAE & Netherlands. Their dominant performance led many to believe that this was South Africa’s year. But that was not to be as they were eliminated in the Quarter Finals by West Indies.

1999 World Cup, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales & Netherlands

The South Africans again had a strong start and again topped the Group (comprising of South Africa, India, Zimbabwe, England, Sri Lanka & Kenya), winning 4 of their 5 matches. They qualified for the Semi-Finals, by coming third in the Super Six Stage, winning 3 of their 5 matches. The Semi-Final against Australia was a tie with both teams scoring 213. But Australia since they had defeated South Africa in the Super Six Stage, qualified for the Finals. The match is also well remembered for the last over miscommunication between Lance Klusener & Allan Donald, which saw Donald staying at his crease while Klusener attempted a run. If that run was taken South Africa would have reached the finals.

2003 World Cup, South Africa, Zimbabwe & Kenya

This was the worst performance by a South African team, where they were eliminated in the Group Stages after winning 3 out their 6 matches.

2007 World Cup, West Indies

South Africa qualified for the Super Eight Stage by winning 2 of its 3 matches and coming second in the Group Stage. They narrowly made it to the Semi-Finals by coming fourth in the Super Eight Stage. The Semi-Final saw them again lose to Australia. Batting first South Africa were all out for 149 runs, with Australia reaching the target in 31.3 overs.

2011 World Cup, India, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh

2011 again saw the South Africans topping the Group Stage, winning 5 of their 6 matches. South Africa was the only team to beat the eventual winners India in the tournament. In the Quarter-Finals, they restricted New Zealand to 221 runs from 50 Overs. This time it looked like that South Africa was going through to the next round. But again the Curse of Big Matches struck as they were bundled off for 172 runs.

2015 World Cup, Australia & New Zealand

The Proteas again had a good start, coming second in the Group stage by winning 4 of their 6 matches. They defeated Sri Lanka in the Quarter Finals, chasing down their total of 133 in 18 overs. As had happened in the past, South Africa failed to clear the Semi-Final hurdle for the fourth time when they lost to New Zealand.


Hosts England enter the 2019 ICC World Cup as favourites and No 1 Ranked ODI Team




Since they last reached the final in 1992, England have lost exactly half of their 38 World Cup matches and only 7 of their 18 victories have come against Test-playing teams. Not one of those has been in a knockout match

South Africa, on the other hand, are not in the favourites list this year, which is rare. They do have a solid team though, and their strength lies in the bowling - with the likes of Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi all being capable of destroying any lineup.

Squads

England: Eoin Morgan (C), Jason Roy, Johny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Dawson, James Vince, Tom Curran, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.



South Africa: Faf du Plessis (C), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, JP Duminy, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dwaine Pretorius, Chris Morris, Imran Tahir.

England Team News

Captain Eoin Morgan, who had suffered a finger fracture ahead of the first warm-up game against Australia, has been declared fit for this tournament opener against South Africa

Adil Rashid and Mark Wood have also recovered from their respective shoulder and leg injuries.

Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are likely to open the England innings

Joe Root and Eoin Morgan to bat at numbers three and four respectively

Jofra Archer and either Liam Plunkett or Mark Wood will probably join Chris Woakes in the pace bowling department. However, it remains to be seen whether the hosts decide to play two spinners in Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid or bring in an extra seamer.

England Recent Form

England have been in impressive ODI form, winning seven out of the nine completed matches this year and their last four in a row. They demolished Pakistan 4-0 in a five-match series before going into the pre-World Cup

SA Team News

Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, who collectively bowled 13 overs in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka, seem to have regained complete fitness from their respective injuries.

Dale Steyn, however, has failed to fully recover from his shoulder injury and has therefore been ruled out of the tournament opener against England.

The fast bowler is also unlikely to feature in South Africa’s next match against Bangladesh which will be played at the same venue

Dale Steyn is likely to be replaced by either Dwaine Pretorius or Chris Morris

Andile Phehlukwayo has also strengthened his case for a place in the playing eleven after his four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, but the all-rounder may not get his opportunity just yet.

SA Recent Form

South Africa have 8 wins from the 10 ODI's they have played since the start of this year which shows how tough they have been to beat lately in this format of the game. After beating Pakistan 3-2 at home in January, the Proteas dominated Sri Lanka 5-0 in another home series

England Vs South Africa Head to Head in ODI's

England and South Africa have played 56 completed ODI's against each other. The former have won 26 of those and the latter 29 while one of those encounters had resulted in a tie.

The two countries have faced each other six times at the Kennington Oval in the game's 50-over format with the scoreline 4-2 in favor of the hosts. England registered a comfortable seven-wicket win in their most recent clash against the Proteas at this venue - in the semi-final of the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

England won 2-1 in their previous ODI series against South Africa at home in May 2017. The hosts clinched the three-match series by winning the first two games before the visitors won the final game and prevented a clean sweep.
Matches Played ENG Won SA Won Tie No Result
59 26 29 1 3



England beat South Africa by 104 Runs

Scorecard
England 311 / 8 in 50 Overs
Jason Roy 54(53 Balls 4x8)
Joe Root 51(59 Balls 4x5)
Eoin Morgan 57(60 Balls 4x4 and 6x3)
Ben Stokes 89(79 Balls 4x9)

South Africa207/10 in 39.5 Overs
Quinton de Kock 68(74 Balls 4x6 and 6x2)
Rassie van der Dussen 50(64 Balls 4x4 and 6x1)
Match Result - England won by 104 Runs
MOM - Ben Stokes(England )for his 89(79 Balls 4x9)

Match Highlights

# South Africa's Imran Tahir became the first-ever spinner to bowl the first over during an opening match of the ICC World Cup. Faf Du Plessis' decision to send Tahir to bowl first after winning the toss proved to be fruitful as the spinner gave the breakthrough to his side as early as in the very second delivery of the match by removing England opener Jonny Bairstow for a golden duck.

# England opener Jason Roy became the first batsman to score a half-century in the 2019 edition of the mega event. He achieved the mark off just 51 balls and notched eight boundaries in his 54-run knock.

#Jason Roy and Joe Root became the first pair to notch up the fifties in the 2019 ICC World Cup. Root reached the half-century mark off just 56 balls besides also sharing a huge 106-run knock with Roy for the second wicket.

# England skipper Eoin Morgan became the 17th fastest cricketer to reach 7,000-run mark in one-day internationals. He reached the milestone in his 208th innings and finished with 60-ball 57 runs, laced with four boundaries and three sixes.

# England all-rounder Ben Stokes bagged one of the greatest catches of all time during South Africa's chase of 312 runs. Andile Phehlukwayo was batting at 24 when he slapped the first delivery of the 35th over from Adil Rashid towards the boundary, only to see Stokes ran back before jumping into the air to pull off an incredible one-handed catch.




# Paceman Jofra Archer took England's first wicket at the ongoing cricket's showpiece event after Aiden Markram (11) was caught by Joe Root off the former's fourth delivery in the eighth over


# Roy and Joe Root became the first pair to notch up the fifties in the 2019 ICC World Cup. Root reached the half-century mark off just 56 balls besides also sharing a huge 106-run knock with Roy for the second wicket.

# England skipper Eoin Morgan became the 17th fastest cricketer to reach 7,000-run mark in one-day internationals. He reached the milestone in his 208th innings and finished with 60-ball 57 runs, laced with four boundaries and three sixes.

# Paceman Jofra Archer took England's first wicket at the ongoing cricket's showpiece event after Aiden Markram (11) was caught by Joe Root off the former's fourth delivery in the eighth over

Ben Stokes insists that the catch doesn't rank as the best of his career

Ben Stokes insists his astonishing catch in England's World Cup rout of South Africa on Thursday doesn't rank as the best of his career.

Stokes capped a man-of-the-match display in England's 104-run victory at the Oval with one of the greatest catches in World Cup history.

Diving backwards to dismiss Andile Phehlukwayo with a one-handed take on the boundary off Adil Rashid, Stokes' sensational effort was immediately labelled "the catch of the century" by former England spinner Phil Tufnell on the BBC.

It was the culmination of a remarkable day for Stokes, who also top-scored for England with 89 in 79 balls and took the last two wickets in successive balls to finish off the South Africans

But Stokes claimed he preferred his stunning one-handed grab of an Adam Voges edge in the gully during a 2015 Ashes Test against Australia at Trent Bridge.

Asked if it was the greatest catch of his life, Stokes told reporters: "Nah, that one was against the Aussies, so that one ranks higher!"