QUIZ: The Women’s game

BY MANAN LUTHRA

1. When was the first Women’s Cricket World Cup held?

a. 2009 b. 1999 c. 1989 d. 1979 a. New Zealand b. Australia c. England d. India a. Once b. None c. Twice d. Three times a. Semi-finalists b. First Round knockout c. Grand finalists d. Winners a. India and England b. England and New Zealand c. West Indies and India d. England and West Indies a. Eden Gardens, Kolkata b. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru c. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai d. Rajiv Ghandi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun a. WACA, Perth b. SCG, Sydney c. MCG, Melbourne d. Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

2. Who won the first edition of the tournament?

3. Australia is hosting the 2020 edition of the tournament. How many times has it hosted before?

4. What is India’s best result in the Women’s World Cup?

5. Australia has won a record 4 World Cups. Which other two countries have won the tournament in other years?

6. India hosted the 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup. Which cricket ground hosted the final?

7. Conversely, where is the final being held this year?

8. Which Indian bowler has taken the most wickets for a. Diana David b. Rumeli Dhar c. Ekta Bisht d. Anuja Patil a. Ireland b. Nepal c. Thailand d. Sri Lanka a. 13 b. 26 c. 30 d. 20 a. Shafali Verma b. Radha Yadhav c. Jemima Rodrigues d. Pooja Vastrakar a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 a. Anuja Patil b. Poonam Yadav c. Deepti Sharma d. Jhulan Goswami a. England b. New Zealand c. India d. West Indies a. India b. England c. West Indies d. South Africa a. 21 February b. 22 February c. 28 February d. 29 February a. Mithali Raj b. Ellyse Perry c. Suzie Bates d. Tammy Beaumont a. West Indies b. Australia c. England d. India a. Bangladesh b. Thailand c. Ireland d. South Africa a. There will be another Bushfire Bash b. It is same day as the opening match of the Indian Premier League c. It is on the same day the first World Cup final was held d. It is International Women’s Day

India in a single edition of the tournament?

9. Which country is making their debut in the Women’s T20 World Cup this year?

10. Of the total games played over each edition of the World Cup, India has won how many?

11.Who is the youngest member of the Indian Women’s cricket team squad?

12. Harmanpreet Kaur is how many centuries away (rounded up) from eclipsing Mithali Raj as India’s leading T20 run-scorer?

13. Who is the leading wicket-taker for the Indian Women’s Cricket team?

14. Which team have twice been runners-up in the Women’s T20 World Cup?

15. Where is the 2022 Women’s T20 World Cup being held?

16. What is the date of the first match of the 2020 T20 World Cup?

17. Who is the tournament’s all-time leading run-scorer?

18. Which nation recorded the highest score in a Women’s World Cup final?

19. Which country has the lowest win percentage of any in the World Cup?

20. The final of the 2020 T20 Women’s World Cup coincides with a special day. What is special about this day?

Viewfinder

BY RAVINDER SINGH

The energy and passion that the Indian fans bring to the grounds are an essential element in the cricket experience glass snakes and the beach balls. I took this pic at the G in 2018: loving the crowd participation, I used a Canon 6D with a Canon 24-70mm f2.8 lens and an ISO

Viewfinder

SINGH JABBAL experience in Australia when India is playing. The dhol is now as much a part of it all as the placards and the beerparticipation, I got close to this animated group and they put on a ne show for my camera, thanks guys! of 1600, with an aperture of f4.0 and shutter speed of 1/80 sec.

Coronavirus: All 406 inmates at Delhi camp test negative

All 406 people housed at the quarantine facility at Chahwla Camp near Delhi, a quarantine facility run by Indian Tibetan Border Police are set to be discharged in a phased manner as of 18 Feb.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research - submitted a report to the ITBP, mentioning negative coronavirus findings.

The Camp hosted 192 female and 204 male evacuees from Wuhan, including seven from the Maldives, seven children and one infant.

They were brought back from Wuhan -- the epicentre of the deadly infection -- on 1 and 2 February and kept under observation of an expert team of doctors and medical professionals.

India to send medical supplies to China

In the wake of outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in China, India will send a consignment of medical supplies there, Vikram Misri, Ambassador of India to China, announced on Twitter.

The Ambassador, in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of the Indian embassy in China, expressed his solidarity with Chinese people and the government in the fight against the epidemic.

"As a concrete step to tackle the outbreak, India will soon send a consignment of medical supplies to aid and assist China in tackling this outbreak," he said in the video, adding, "This is a concrete measure which will fully demonstrate the goodwill, solidarity and friendship of the people and government of India with the Chinese people."

The Ambassador also added that "India will do everything within its means to support the people of China in this hour of crisis."

"The people of city of Wuhan and the province of Hubei are the worst affected by the epidemic. They have a very special place in the hearts of the Indian people. With courage, persistence and effective measures we will be able to overcome the crisis," the ambassador tweeted.

Misri expressed hope that the epidemic will be effectively controlled in the very near future, praising the "determination of the Chinese people and government in dealing with this epidemic" being "evident" to the world.

With bigger role for women officers, Army set for new chapter

After the Supreme Court ordered the Indian Army to grant permanent commission to women officers within three months, a new chapter in the Indian Army will start with the women officers looking for a bigger role to play.

All women officers serving in the force from now on would be considered for permanent commission.

A communication dated 25 February, 2019, for the grant of permanent commission to SSC women officers in eight arms or services of the Army, in addition to the Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps (AEC), which had been opened up earlier for permanent commission, will be fully applicable, sources in the Indian Army stated.

All women officers with over 14 years of service will be given options for permanent commission and pension at 20 years of service. All women officers with over 20 years of service and not qualifying for permanent commission will retire with pension.

"The command appointment will be open to women officers subject to meeting the suitability criteria as decided by the organisation," sources said.

The court insisted that typical arguments founded on the physical strengths and weaknesses of men and women and on assumptions about women in the social context of marriage and family do not constitute a constitutionally valid basis for denying equal opportunity to women officers.

"To cast aspersion on their abilities on the ground of gender is an affront not only to their dignity as women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army - men and women - who serve as equal citizens in a common mission," noted the top court.

Arvind Kejriwal: From activist to astute leader

Even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) basked in the glory of its consecutive thumping victory this month, the spotlight shifts on its supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Over the past decade, the former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer has crafted himself into a political brand that has virtually demolished the Congress, and is giving sleepless nights to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The AAP came into existence following the hugely successful ‘India Against Corruption’ campaign, launched by Anna Hazare. Kejriwal broke away from his mentor Hazare to set up the AAP with other anti-corruption crusaders, like Prashant Bhushan, Baba Ramdev, Yogendra Yadav and Kumar Vishwas.

Braving derision from the likes of Robert Vadra, who termed it ‘mango man’ party, Kejriwal went ahead to make the AAP into a viable political option for Delhiites, who until then had to choose between the Congress and the BJP.

The AAP made tentative forays into Delhi’s political landscape, winning 28 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly in 2013. On outside support from the Congress, Kejriwal formed the government. But it survived only 49 days.

At that point, the odds seemed stacked against the AAP and it looked as if the party was on the verge of extinction. But Kejriwal was made of tougher stuff. He galvanised his cadre and targeted the core Delhi voters through ‘nukkad’ (street corner) meetings. A slew of freebies and public service benefits propelled the party to a formidable victory with 67 seats, leaving just 3 seats for the BJP and none for the Congress.

The simple, unassuming person wearing trademark half-sleeve shirt, trousers and sandals and moving around in a hatchback captured the imagination of Delhi’s denizens. His winter avatar, in a monkey cap, is an enduring image of Kejriwal.

At a time when Delhi was a battlefield for the Congress and the BJP, Kejriwal deftly appealed to the middle-class aspirations and needs of the average Delhiite. He has had to counter the national narrative of the BJP, which rules at the Centre out of Delhi, and also controls the local bodies.

Kejriwal and his motley crowd of MLAs went about their task of endearing themselves to voters across Delhi. The promise of free power was a game-changer. The AAP also brought in changes in the primary education and the health delivery systems. Free bus rides for women and free Wi-Fi were among the many sops that the party showered upon residents.

A rose for good health: Quarantine camp inmates evacuated from Wuhan China are sent home after being cleared of the coronavirus infection.

In between, Kejriwal also set his sights beyond Delhi and ventured into Assembly elections in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana. But it proved a mixed bag and Kejriwal made a tactical retreat to the safer political climes of Delhi. He focused his energy on strengthening the AAP in Delhi with an eye on the 2020 Assembly polls.

The new citizenship law (CAA) raised the political temperatures across the country. The heat was most felt in Delhi, with Shaheen Bagh, JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia emerging as anti-CAA agitation hotspots. While the BJP campaigned on the nationalism plank with a pro-CAA strategy at its centre, Kejriwal with advice from master political strategist Prashant Kishor, maintained strategic silence on the CAA and the Shaheehn Bagh protests.

The 2020 Assembly poll became an electoral battle between development and nationalism. The Congress had stridently opposed the CAA in the hope of attracting Muslim voters. But sensing the seriousness of situation, the minority community went for the AAP.

Kejriwal’s smart manoeuvring paid rich dividends, much better than the wildest expectations of the AAP and political pundits. The AAP won 63 seats, 4 seats short of 2015 tally. The BJP ended up with 7 seats, 3 seats more. The Congress was again decimated and failed to open its account like last polls.

It’s an exemplary story of a former IRS officer graduating to an anti-corruption crusader, appearing as a novice politician and finally turning out to be a seasoned politician in 2020.

India saw record $45bn VC investment in 2019

India saw a record $45 billion investment from venture capitalists (VCs) in 2019 and the growth sentiment was more towards fintech and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies, experts said in New Delhi recently.

Amid the growing confidence in the Indian market, consumer tech and the BFSI sectors continued to dominate annual investment by value, said Prabhav Kashyap, Manager, Bain & Company, during the Indian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association's (IVCA) ninth annual conclave here.

IVCA Chairman Padmanabh Sinha spoke about the growth of PE and VC industry and its contribution to the Indian economy.

"PE & VC clearly have become anchors of the economy and playing a structural role in economy... it provides the right momentum to the Indian economy as investee companies create new jobs as well as give through increased tax revenues," Sinha said in a statement.

However, he added that for the industry to grow, the country needs more capital as well as a talent pool.

The two-day conclave is being attended by nearly 80 private equity, 65 venture capital funds, 50 Limited Partners and Family Offices, 20 start-ups and 15 government representatives.

The Museum of Indian Paper Money in Bengaluru is currently hosting an exhibition of banknotes and coins used in the Indian Subcontinent over the centuries. The museum is owned by Rezwan Razack, antique banknote collector and property magnate.

Sanjay Nayar, CEO, KKR India, said that corporate governance is vital for the industry.

"Some of the government's reforms may seem painful in the short-term but provide a gain in the long term," he added.

According to Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Advisor to the Centre, free markets should be allowed to function in an appropriate way in the country.

While discussing where we are lagging behind, he said: "The bureaucracy, judiciary, and the private sector... all lack correct lenses."

Rishi Sunak UK's new Chancellor of Exchequer, Priti Patel stays Home Secy

Indian-origin Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak was appointed UK's new Chancellor of the Exchequer as incumbent Sajid Javid quit over differences with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a cabinet reshuffle following Brexit.

Sunak, 39, who is married to Akshata, the daughter of Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, was Chief Secretary to the Treasury since July 2019. His appointment comes merely four weeks before the Budget is due to be presented, the BBC reported.

However, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab retained their posts, while International Development Secretary Alok Sharma was appointed Business Secretary and Minister for the upcoming climate conference COP26, in Glasgow.

An analyst with Goldman Sachs before joining politics in 2014, Sunak, whose grandparents were from Punjab and emigrated to the UK from east Africa, is MP from Richmond (Yorkshire). He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government in the Theresa May government.

Pakistani-descent Javid, who became the first Asian to become a Cabinet Minister when he was made Secretary of State of culture, Media and Sports in the David Cameron government in 2014 after stints as Economic Secretary to the Treasury (2012-13) and Financial Secretary (2013-14), was earlier the Home Secretary in the Theresa May government.

He had then cleared absconding businessman Vijay Mallya's extradition to India in February last year following the decision by the Westminister Magistrates Court in December 2018.

Javid, who ran for Conservative Party leadership after May quit but lost to Boris Johnson, was made Chancellor by the latter. In the reshuffle, he was offered to retain the post if he fired all his advisors but declined, the BBC reported.

NRI deposits in Kerala banks grew more than domestic ones

Non Resident India (NRI) deposits in Kerala's banks grew at a higher rate than their growth in domestic banks, state Finance

Minister Thomas Issac revealed this month.

Tabling the government's Economic Review in the Kerala Assembly, Issac said the total NRI deposits as on March 2019 grew by 11.83 per cent from Rs 1,69,944 crore in March 2018, to Rs 1,90,055.

"This growth is more than the growth of the domestic deposits which grew by 9.45 per cent to reach Rs 3,03,507 crore, up from Rs 2,77,291 crore during the same period. This has happened even when we see that there is reverse migration and at this moment, we do not know what will happen in the years to come," said Issac.

The Economic Review revealed that the NRI deposits in public sector banks were one per cent (49 per cent) below the share of the NRI deposits in the private sector.

According to the latest Kerala Migration Survey conducted by the Centre for Development Studies, there are 2.1 million migrants from Kerala across the world.

12-year-old Mumbai girl youngest to scale Mt. Aconcagua

A 12-year-old Mumbai student, Kaamya Karthikeyan has set a record of becoming the youngest in the world to summit Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak of the Andes Mountains in Argentina, South America.

Kaamya, a Year 7 student of Navy Children School, achieved the feat atop the 6962-metre tall mountain on 1 February where she unfurled the Indian Tricolour.

No stranger to tall mountains, Kaamya had summited Ladakh’s 6,260 metres Mt. Mentok Kangri II, under extreme cold weather conditions on August 24, 2019.

“Years of physical, mental preparations, regular participation in adventure sports combined with a strong character helped Kaamya in overcoming many hurdles and extreme climbing conditions to achieve this rare feat,” an official told IANS.

While her father is an Indian Navy Commander S. Karthikeyan, her mother Lavanya is an early childhood teacher.

As a child, Kaamya had developed a deep passion for mountaineering as she listened to her father’s stories of Himalayan-scaling expeditions.

Initially, she started with basic treks in Lonavala (Pune) at the age of three, and by nine, she had completed several highaltitude Himalayan treks with her parents including Roopkund (5,020 metres) in Uttarakhand.

A year later, she reached the Everest Base Camp in Nepal (5,346 metres) and then became the youngest mountaineer to conquer Mt. Stok Kangri (6,153 metres) in Ladakh.

Not looking down, Kaamya continued on the upswing by scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres) the highest peak in Africa, Mt; Elbrus (5,642 metres), the highest mountain in Europe and then Australia’s tallest mountain Mt. Kosciuszko (2,228 metres).

She learnt the basic skills under her father’s tutelage with a stringent regimen including daily distance cycling, running, half-day treks on weekends to improve stamina and endurance power.

By next year (2021), she aims to complete the exclusive ‘Explorers Grand Slam’ –which involves the competitors to climb the tallest mountains in all continents besides skiing on the North Pole and South Pole –that has been achieved by just a handful of dare-devil adventurers on Earth.

California gurdwara pays unique tribute to Kobe Bryant

Hundreds of Sikh worshippers turned up wearing the Lakers colours - purple and yellow - at the Gurdwara Nanaksar in Fresno, California, in a special prayer meet for the late basketball great Kobe Bryant who was killed in a helicopter crash last month.

While men and children wore Lakers jerseys, many women showed up in the traditional salwar kameez in purple and yellow.

The organisers at the Gurdwara held the prayer meet after it witnessed that many Sikh men and children were affected by the untimely death of the NBA icon, who was a reason they began playing basketball.

Amitoj Singh, a student at Terronez Middle School in Fresno, who attended the prayer meeting said, "While Kobe was hugely popular across the globe, the Sikh Americans keenly followed him."

Angad Sandhu, Lakers fan said, "I started playing basketball because of Kobe and his game and conduct really inspired me."

On why Kobe remained such a popular figure particularly among the Sikh American community, Amandeep Singh, an actor and model says, "Kobe was a brave leader. He led without fear, he conquered his missions with unbelievable determination, passion and commitment. He was a role model to many in the Sikh community, especially to children."

Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among the nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on January 26.

SBI creates unique artworks from e-waste

Some 400 computers, 2000 microchips, 400 keyboards and 200 discarded credit cards were used to create two large artworks unveiled in New Delhi recently.

Manasvi (meaning ‘the intelligent one with pure thought’, and Tapasvi (meaning ‘a saint in a state of meditation’) were commissioned by India's largest lender, State Bank of India. Intended to reflect the bank’s continued commitment towards environmental sustainability, the two sculptures now sit at the bank’s Head Office in New Delhi. They showcase the bank’s trademark logo on their faces.

They were designed and built by Jaipurbased artist Mukesh Kumar Jwala in 3 months under a series called 'Mother SBI'.

And now, a Khadi Titan watch

Leading Indian consumer goods company Titan this month announced the launch of a limited edition wrist watch in collaboration with Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

The collection named "Khadi Collection", is a set of two watches crafted in authentic Khadi, a hand spun, handwoven and sustainable fabric.

This is the first time Titan has used a nonhorological material like Khadi on the dial and strap of the watches.

Available in two variants for men and women, the watches are priced at Rs 4,995. The straps of the watches are treated with a special coating to make them more durable without compromising on the authentic texture. They feature a distinctive weave and texture, and present a unique blend of simplicity and modernity.

Titan launched in the early 1980s with watches exclusively.

IANS