India have no fond memories of Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne. Both their victories in the city came before the match became a fixture in the calendar. Since then, they have lost four of five, each of them comprehensively.
Those results can be attributed to a combination of misfortune and their own frailties. They should certainly have won in 1985/86, when they allowed Allan Border to add 77 for the final wicket with Dave Gilbert. Needing 126 for victory, they then dawdled to 59 for 2 before tea, only to see rain wash away their best chance of series success in Australia.
Eight years ago, they had no one to blame but themselves. Having won after conceding 556 in Adelaide, India were poised to run away with the series an hour after tea in front of a boisterous crowd of 62,000.
Brett Lee had been menacingly quick early on, but Virender Sehwag and the more sedate Aakash Chopra added 141 regardless. At 278 for 1, with visions of a triumphant farewell series fast receding, Steve Waugh was reduced to trusting his own creaky bowling.
With Sehwag in irrepressible touch, Rahul Dravid was on the verge of another accomplished half-century when he flicked Waugh straight to the man at square leg.
By stumps, they had subsided to 329 for 4, and the following morning, they lost their last six wickets for 16.
People think of the final Test in Sydney as the one that got away, but the players will tell you how the mess they made of the final hour on Boxing Day changed everything.
Four of those batsmen - Sehwag, Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman - will be back in the fray tomorrow, knowing that their last chance to win in Australia is also their best chance.
The squad may lack an Anil Kumble or a Sourav Ganguly, but they're up against an opponent nowhere near the quality of the sides that Waugh and Ricky Ponting led.
Australian players, past and present, have offered their views on how the conditions won't suit the Indian batsmen. But when you're not Muhammad Ali, loose talk is usually a screen for fear, and MS Dhoni certainly won't be paying any heed to that.
The tour of England earlier in the year may have been a miserable one, with a poorly prepared side no match for a team at the top of their game. But conditions in Australia are a world apart from those found in the English summer, and much more to the liking of Indian batsmen.
Each of India's big four has tasted much success under the Southern Cross.
Sehwag and Tendulkar average nearly 60 there, while Laxman's figure is 54. Dravid's average dropped to 48.60 after a relatively poor series last time - he still made a pivotal 93 in Perth, India's only win of the tour - but between them, they have made 13 hundreds.
Ishant Sharma's fitness - he has delayed surgery on an ankle problem - is a big concern ahead of this series, especially with Zaheer Khan yet to play an international after the injury woes that restricted his English tour to 13 overs.
If both are ready, then the exciting and pacy Umesh Yadav could be used in short and sharp spells. If either drops out, then his effectiveness may well be compromised.
For a generation of cricketers that have craved and been denied success in Australia and South Africa, this is one last opportunity to set the record straight. Much of the pre-series brouhaha surrounds Tendulkar's possible 100th hundred, but there are weightier matters at stake.
Australia's young and promising pace attack will look to hit India hard, and early. But if the experienced batting core can absorb that early impact and strike back, it could be a long hard summer for Michael Clarke and his team.
sports@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Indika
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
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Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
