As I write this, Bangladesh are four wickets away from their first-ever Test win. It might be tempting to think that a win over a youthful Zimbabwean eleven cheapens the honour a bit, but I for one am not going to scoff at that. Cricket should be expanding its constituency, not clinging on to an exclusive post-imperial elite club. As with the inauguration of the ICC Intercontinental Cup last year, a Bangladesh Test win can only be a positive in expanding the game's horizons.
The Sudanese Government and the SPLA have signed the peace deal in Nairobi bringing their long civil war to an end.
This does not, however, affect the separate, and very tragic, conflict in Darfur.
Read the report from the BBC.
Everyone's favourite genetic plant modifier, Monsanto (NYSE:MON), is paying $US 1.5 million in fines after being caught offering bribes to the Indonesian Government.
I think we have our first nomination for Dickhead of the Year. This report from the ABC:
The Australian Shareholders Association (ASA) has moved to clarify comments that it does not approve of companies pledging money to the tsunami relief effort in Asia.
This morning on ABC Radio, association spokesman Stephen Matthews said firms should not generally give without expecting something in return.
John Howard is to be commended for the billion-dollar aid package that he announced in Jakarta last night (media release | press conference) . I'm a bit guarded about some of his attitudes following the disaster, but on the whole I think he has handled things well to date. The initial offer of $10 million in aid was small, but the government has been adding substantially to that as the scope of the disaster became known.
It's a hot one at the SCG today! Pak 2-116 needing 148 to avoid innings def=
eat. More later. Rick
I had to smile when I saw this:
New Delhi, Jan. 4. (PTI): In the first contact between the administration and the endangered Sentelese aborigines in Sentenel Island in Anndaman and Nicobar, the tribals greeted the Coastguard helicopters by firing arrows at them.
(source: The Hindu)
For giving Pratten Park Golden Boy Michael J Clarke a "far cough" after having him stumped at the SCG yesterday, Danish Kaneria is coughing up.
After umpires Shep and Billy reported Danish's far coughing to the referee, Madugalle imposed a fine of 100% of Kaneria's match fee. And this after Danish had already committed, like his team-mates, 25% of his match fee to tsunami relief.
January 2, 1967: Project Nassau (AKA Operation Istanbul) was aborted. This was a failed attempt by a band of mercenaries to invade Haiti. US customs officers arrested about 80 people in a beach house at Florida Keys which contained a cache of arms.
Among the people arrested were three cameramen from CBS. It was later revealed that CBS had paid the mercenaries for exclusive rights to film the invasion.
It seems, also, that Haiti was to be used as a springboard for recapturing Cuba. What might have been: "Bay of Pigs 2, Sunday at 9 on CBS..."
