Australia & New Zealand agree first day-night test match

JUN 30 - Australia and New Zealand will meet in cricket's first day-night Test match later this year.

Starting on November 27, the final Test of their three-match series will be under lights in Adelaide, with a pink ball and both teams wearing whites.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said he hoped the idea would increase interest in the game.

The New Zealand Cricket Players' Association said its members were "nervous" about the experiment.

NZCPA chief executive Heath Mills indicated concerns about the difficulties of playing Test cricket under varying light and of dealing with the pink ball.

He said: "It's uncharted territory and because of that there will be uncertainty and apprehension."

Mills added that, despite their reservations, the players could see the "greater good it brings to all levels of the game".

The pink ball is designed to be visible under floodlights, while still allowing players to wear traditional whites.

Cricket Australia has carried out tests during domestic competitions in an attempt to allay concerns that the ball behaves differently to its red equivalent.

New Zealand Cricket agreed to the day-night match as part of a lucrative financial package secured by arranging their first Test series against Australia since 2011.

Sutherland said: "One of the global challenges with Test cricket is that most of the matches outside holiday periods are played on weekdays, in the middle of the day when people are at work and kids are at school.

"By shifting the playing times, each day's play can go into the evening and allow people to come in after work or after school to attend the last few hours of play."

He added it would also allow people "in other parts of the world or other parts of the country" to watch more television coverage of the match.

As part of the break with tradition, the intervals between sessions - traditionally lunch and tea - will be renamed tea and dinner.

‘No dispute, I’m here to stay’

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - The controversy surrounding the appointment of National Sports Council’s (NSC) new Member Secretary Keshab Bista is seemingly heading towards an end after the CPN-UML leadership reportedly agreeing to stick with Sports 

Minister Purushottam Poudel’s decision.

On June 25, Poudel appointed Bista as chief of the country’s apex body of sports. The appointment of Bista, who is under a one-year suspension for allegedly helping Nepali athletes defect during Asian Games in South Korea last year, triggered dispute between the UML top brass. Following the controversial hiring, party Chairman KP Sharma Oli put pressure on Youth and Sports Minister Purushottam Poudel either to roll back the decision or face consequences.

But Poudel, backed by senior UML leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal, remained adamant over his decision.  Bista, on the other hand, claimed everything had been sorted out in the party and that he would lead the Nepali sports for the next four years.

“The news of my appointment was blown out of proportion,” Bista told a press conference on Tuesday. “It’s all standard practice in any political party where the leaders hold discussion over big decisions. There was no rift in UML,” Bista added, with council’s vice-president Lama Tendi Sherpa, close to UML chief Oli, on hand.

The NSC boss reiterated that his four-year tenure will be dispute-less and equally transparent. “We will be committed in solving all the issues that have been dogging Nepali sports. Under our leadership, Nepali sports will go through a golden period.

Bista added his first task would be to hold the seventh National Games this year. “We have not been able to host the Games although it was supposed to take place two years ago. We will definitely host the Games in the supposed venue this year,” informed Bista.

The Member Secretary, who later revealed that he had called on the press meet to clear out the confusion surrounding his appointment, said his team will work out to come up with further plans. “We have to leave these controversies behind now. Our team will soon work together in coming with a master plan in the development of sports.”

Argentina routs Paraguay 6-1, reaches Copa America final

CONCEPCION, JUL 01 - Lionel Messi helped set up five goals as Argentina trounced Paraguay 6-1 in the Copa America semifinals on Tuesday, setting up a final against host Chile .

Messi assisted in first-half goals by Marcos Rojo and Javier Pastore and one of Angel Di Maria's second-half goals. The Barcelona star also helped set up the final two goals by Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain.

Messi showed his brilliant play-making abilities when he beat three defenders — poking the ball through the legs of one of them — in a remarkable run from near midfield that culminated in Argentina's fourth goal by Di Maria.

"We knew the goals would come eventually," Messi said through a translator. "We were playing well, creating chances, and today we finally got all the goals."

Argentina had scored only four times coming into Tuesday's match.

"We are committed to keep playing the same way," Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said. "The team showed precision and efficiency in front of the goal."

Striker Lucas Barrios scored the lone goal for Paraguay, which was trying to reach its second straight Copa America final after losing to Uruguay in the 2011 tournament.

In Saturday's final, Argentina will attempt to end a 22-year title drought to give Messi his first triumph with the national team, while Chile , boosted by the home crowd and its best generation of players in years, will be going for its first South American championship.

Argentina hasn't won a significant trophy since the 1993 Copa America , when Messi was 6 years old. The Argentines were eliminated by eventual champion Uruguay in the Copa America quarterfinals at home in 2011, and lost consecutive finals to rival Brazil in 2004 and 2007.

But Argentina has won the previous four Copa America s played in Chile — the last in 1991. It's also never lost to Chile in the tournament.

Argentina outplayed Paraguay during most of the match in Concepcion, controlling possession and creating scoring chances from the beginning. The team only struggled for a few minutes before halftime, but came back to crush its rivals in the second half.

"It was a sizable score, but Paraguayans have to be proud of this team, which is continuing to improve," said Paraguay's Argentine coach Ramon Diaz, who took over the squad in December after it finished last in World Cup qualifying. "I am very proud of them, they have been working hard to overcome many things and made it to the last four at this tournament."

Paraguay lost two key players because of injury in the first half — playmaker Derlis Gonzalez in the 26th minute and veteran striker Roque Santa Cruz in the 30th. Gonzalez was crucial in the quarterfinals against Brazil, scoring the equalizer and converting the decisive penalty in the shootout.

"We were playing against the best team in the world," Diaz said of Argentina. "They were better than us in all aspects."

Rojo opened the scoring in the 15th after Messi's free kick into the penalty area. Paraguayan defenders failed to clear the ball and Rojo easily found the net from the six-meter (yard) line.

Messi than set up Pastore's goal in the 27th by feeding him the ball in perfect position for a low shot from the top of the area.

Paraguay pulled one closer in the 43rd when Barrios fired a powerful shot from just outside the area after Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi erred by trying to move the ball forward with a long pass.

Di Maria added to Argentina's lead just two minutes into the second half after entering the area free of any defenders and scored again five minutes later after Messi's spectacular run past three Paraguayan defenders. Pastore received the pass from Messi, but his shot was saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar, and Di Maria found the open net off the rebound.

Messi also started the play that led to the fifth goal, an 80th-minute header by Aguero after a left-side cross by Di Maria. In the sixth, Messi poked the ball forward to set up Higuain's close-range shot in the 83rd.

Messi nearly scored himself with a curling free kick in the 39th that barely missed and also came close in the 68th with a close-range shot that was saved by Villar.

Paraguay has never beaten Argentine in 24 Copa America matches.

Schools reopen in districts amidst uncertainty, confusion

DHADING, JUN 01 - Despite the general chaos and uncertainty in the wake of the April 25 earthquake and endless series of aftershocks, students and teachers reached the schools on time on Sunday.

The students, who had reached their respective school in the district in their neat uniforms, were, however, not able to enter the severely cracked school buildings despite the scorching midday heat.

Therefore, instead of resuming classes, students and teachers at Sangkosh Higher Secondary School which was built with financial assistance from the Japanese government, engaged in extracurricular activities, including cleaning up the debris of the school in the premises.

The students and teachers also shared their individual earthquake experiences and observed a moment of silence to mourn the death of around 240 teachers and students of the school in the earthquake before ending school session for the day. However, a majority of schools in the district engaged their students in clean up sessions before ending the school day.

While teachers have been focusing on facilitating a child-friendly environment for students after taking stock of the pitiable condition of the school building and its infrastructures, a number of schools are having trouble clearing the debris piled high in its premises after not being able to find workers to remove them. When asked whether the school management will appeal for help to clear the debris of the school building, Baburam Shrestha, a local teachers, said that they feel awkward to float the idea among parents as their own situation was no better.

“We went to the school, played around the grounds while gazing at the cracked school building and structures and recalled fond memories before returning home,” said Subarna Tamang, a ninth grader at Tamangkharka Secondary School at Gumdi.

26 schools out of contact    

In Gorkha, 26 schools from seven VDCs are yet to come in contact with the District Education Office with the report of their present situation including damages they have suffered in the earthquake. While there is a dilemma over operating classes in villages above Sirdibas, the DEO stated that they had not received any word on the situation of the schools there. Likewise, as the staffs from DEO or teachers from the area have not been able to come into contact, they were yet to assess the damage to the schools in the worst quake-hit areas of the district.

As per the DEO, apart from the 26 schools in northern area of the district, 17 schools resumed classes from Sunday onwards. School supervisor Rajendra Dhakal said that they had not been able to contact teachers or parents from Chekampar, Chumchet, Sirdibas, Bihi, Prok, Lho and Samagaun VDCs. The obstruction caused by landslide along the Aarughat-Sirdibas section of Manaslu foot trail had fractured the ability of these VDCs to come into contact.

Pvt schools deemed safe, community schools unsafe

In Kavre, discrepancies have been found in damage assessment of the schools. It has been found that most of the community schools have been given red (high-risk) stickers while private schools have been granted green (safe) stickers. Indicating the level of discrepancies, schools with similar damages have been found granted different stickers.

The DEO has deployed a team of 20 technicians from a private organisation with assistance from Unicef at the coordination of Department of Education. When asked about the discrepancies, District Education Officer Dipendra Gurung expressed ignorance over the matter. “We are sure that the team is fulfilling its duty without anykind of bias and it would not be appropriate for us to comment on the matter as the team has been assessing the damage taking into account a number of variables,” Gurung claimed.  

Monsoon raises fear of landslides, floods

KATHMANDU, JUN 26 - The Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD) issued a special weather advisory on Thursday, warning about heavy downpours and thundershowers in central and western Nepal as mosoon gathers momentum, bringing rains throughout the country.

The Far Western Region witnessed heavy rainfall from early Thursday morning, and the MFD has said that there is a risk of floods and landslides in some places. Mahakali River in Darchula district has swollen, raising flood concern among the riverside settlers. Two years ago, the Mahakali flood had killed nearly one dozen people and left hundreds of others displaced in the district.

"Rain has affected the ongoing embankment construction, and the locals are fearful that there could be another flood," said Madhav Raj Bhatta, a resident of Khalanga Bazaar.

In Kailali district, too, monsoon rains have increased the risk of flood, particularly in Mohana and Karnali rivers.  

The MFD has advised the people in the Mid-Western and Far-Western regions to remain cautious as the monsoon is likely to intensify in the coming days.

Meanwhile, continuous rainfall since Thursday morning triggered a landslide at Bagjhora section of Tribhuvan Highway in Makwanpur, a district in Central Region. Dozens of vehicles were stranded after the landslide rendered the road impassable.

Many hill districts in the Central Region are at high risk of landslides as the 7.9 magnitude earthquake of April 25 and its aftershocks have destabalised the slopes.

Hollywood star Jackie Chan in Kathmandu (in pictures)

KATHMANDU, JUN 09 - Hollywood actor and martial art expert Jackie Chan distributed relief items to the differently-abled people sheltered at a camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on Tuesday. He arrived here in Nepal to attend the relief distribution programme for the victims of recent earthquakes.

He arrived on a China Air flight that landed at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu , at 11:27 this morning.

The distribution programme was organised by International Red Cross Society. A Chinese Red Cross team also landed with the actor.

He also distributed relief at Chyasal and Sanagaun in Lalitpur.

The 61-year-old actor has also personally donated to the cause. He will return to Hong Kong today itself after completing the programme.

Hollywood star Jackie Chan in Kathmandu (in pictures)

KATHMANDU, JUN 09 - Hollywood actor and martial art expert Jackie Chan distributed relief items to the differently-abled people sheltered at a camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on Tuesday. He arrived here in Nepal to attend the relief distribution programme for the victims of recent earthquakes.

He arrived on a China Air flight that landed at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu , at 11:27 this morning.

The distribution programme was organised by International Red Cross Society. A Chinese Red Cross team also landed with the actor.

He also distributed relief at Chyasal and Sanagaun in Lalitpur.

The 61-year-old actor has also personally donated to the cause. He will return to Hong Kong today itself after completing the programme.

Hollywood star Jackie Chan in Kathmandu (in pictures)

KATHMANDU, JUN 09 - Hollywood actor and martial art expert Jackie Chan distributed relief items to the differently-abled people sheltered at a camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on Tuesday. He arrived here in Nepal to attend the relief distribution programme for the victims of recent earthquakes.

He arrived on a China Air flight that landed at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu , at 11:27 this morning.

The distribution programme was organised by International Red Cross Society. A Chinese Red Cross team also landed with the actor.

He also distributed relief at Chyasal and Sanagaun in Lalitpur.

The 61-year-old actor has also personally donated to the cause. He will return to Hong Kong today itself after completing the programme.

Hospital serves patients under tents

GORKHA, JUN 08 - The Gorkha Hospital has been struggling to provide services to people as its buildings were destroyed by the April 25 earthquake.

Doctors and other health professionals are providing services from tents whereas patients are compelled to stay in the makeshift structures on the hospital premises.

A patient from Choprak said they find it uncomfortable to live under the tents. However, patients still undergo surgeries inside cracked building and are immediately rushed to tents after completion.  

Hospital chief Dr Sudha Devkota said almost all buildings have been damaged by the quake and that all services, except surgeries, are provided from the tents.

 “We are struggling to provide services to patients instead of referring them to other hospitals,” Dr Devkota said, informing that they have also been providing special care to pregnant and post-natal women, children and the disabled.

Even the hospital staffers are staying in the rents as their residential building has also been destroyed by the quake.

Information Officer Sahayab Prasad said many patients, including their helpers, are finding it difficult to live under tents due to the lack of adequate infrastructure. He said the hospital is also facing a shortage of medicine after the earthquake. “We have demanded medicine worth Rs 650, 000 from the ministry,” Prasad said.

Doctors at the hospital, meanwhile, said it will too difficult to treat patients under the tents during the monsoon.

Lack of human resources is another major problem the hospital is facing these days. Dr Devkota also informed that they cannot perform all surgeries as they do not have specialists. “The Health Ministry has sent some specialist doctors but they have not arrived yet,” she said, adding that they have already informed the concerned minister about the problem.

5 dead, 30 fall sick after consuming poisonous liquor

BIRATNAGAR, JUN 22 - Five persons died after drinking a toxic batch of hooch at a Musahar Tole at Chandra Ayodhyapur VDC-6 in the district. Another 30 were sickened and admitted to hospital after consuming the illicit moonshine. 

Accordin

g to chief of District Health Office, Dr Dayashankar Karna, the victims suffered from the common symptoms of headache, dizziness, vomiting, high blood pressure, loss of sight and unconsciousness.

Eight persons had died after consuming toxic hooch produced locally in the village three years ago. Last month, six people had lost their lives in another village in Siraha district after consuming toxic moonshine.

Dr Karna attributed the deaths to consumption of locally made liquor with high methanol content. Consuming 10 ml of methanol-laced alcohol can result in blindness and consuming 30 ml could result in death, Dr Karna said. Normally brewed alcohol consists of ethanol. However, methanol is formed when there is any kind of contamination during brewing, he added.

Illegal distilleries rampant in villages

Bootleg liquor produced in several villages of Siraha district is found to be sold openly in cheap bars and restaurants in Gol Bazar, Mirchaiya, Bandipur, Lahan, Sukhipur and district headquarters Siraha.

Although there is no data on the number of illicit distilleries operating in the district, locals estimate at least four to five such establishments to be operational in many villages in Siraha district. Rampuridevi Sah of Sukhipur, who runs one such illegal distillery that produces hooch, said she uses a big tandoor, wood, utensils, molasses, yeast, urea, baking soda and drugs to produce the bootleg liquor. Although using yeast to ferment molasses is the appropriate technique to produce alcohol, she said she uses urea, baking soda and drugs in the absence of yeast.

According to District Police Office, Siraha, police units have been deployed 41 times in the villages found to be illegally producing hooch during the current fiscal year to control the illegal production and sale of hooch, and prevent the death of people through consumption of toxic batch of the substance. But DSP Madhav Budhathoki admitted that the police force have utterly failed in its effort to control the menace of illegal liquor.

Production goes unchecked

Production and sale of spurious alcohol have gone unchecked for some time in eastern and southern villages in Dhanusha district. Hooch produced in the district is even exported to Janakpur and bordering Indian towns and markets.

A decade ago, more than 18 people were killed after consuming illicit moonshine in the district. A case was filed against some people suspected to be engaged in producing the toxic batch of hooch that was responsible for the deaths, but effective punishment was not meted out.

Brewing hooch is a traditional occupation of some of the communities in the district. They use a mixture of mahua (madhuca longifolia), millet and molasses to produce hooch. “The liquor we produced were consumed during festivals and even by pregnant women,” Lattu Kapar of Baghchauda said. “But people who produce it commercially these days use fertilizers like urea to increase production and profit.”

DSP Krishna Prasain said that a campaign has been launched in the district to control the production and sale of illicit alcohol following the incident. According to police, they have destroyed 4,285 litres of such alcohol in the district in the current fiscal year.

Illicit production with government sticker

Illegal trade of alcohol to avoid excise duty is on the rise in Jhapa district lately. Liquor bottles with fake excise duty stickers can easily be found in the market. It has been learnt that traders import fake stickers and bottle caps from India in order to make the bootleg liquor appear genuine.

According to police, bootleg liquor is being sold in the markets of Kakadvitta, Dhulabari, Charali, Sanischare, Surunga and Damak. People involved in such illicit activities have been found using bottles of branded alcohols like Royal Stag, Blue Riband, White Mischief and Ruslan Vodka for the purpose.

“These people use a chemical called spirit that is imported from India to make alcohol,” according to police informants. Chief of Jhapa Police SP Rabindranath Regmi said that the police force is currently in the process of identifying illegal breweries and a campaign to book such joints will soon be launched.

Inspection ineffective

Police have confiscated and destroyed more than 33,000 litres of illicit alcohol in the eastern region in the past 11 months. According to DSP Kedar Khanal of Eastern Regional Police Office, around 15,000 litres of hooch has been destroyed in Morang district alone.

However, sporadic police raid and inspection have proved to be ineffective in controlling the production and sale of illicit moonshine. Police say that perpetrators get away most of the times as illicit alcohol is transported in public vehicles. As most of the alcohol confiscated by police had been found abandoned with no one coming to claim them, it is hard to book the producers and the traders, police say.

Most of the production takes place in Nimuwa and Belbari of Morang. According to the Inland Revenue Office, seven people arrested from Nimuwa along with illicit alcohol last April were released after posting a bail amount of Rs 61,000. Seven other people arrested with 115 litres of alcohol are currently undergoing trial.

(With inputs from Dev Narayan Shah in Siraha, Shyam Sundar Shashi in Janakpur, Parbat Portel in Jhapa and Awadhesh Kumar Jha in Morang)