Sunrisers Hyderabad begins with a bang

Sunrisers Hyderabad begins with a bang
Tamil News

The near-empty stands at the PCA Stadium, even for a match involving Indian outfit, Sunrisers Hyderabad, was not the best advertisement for the Champions League T20 qualifiers on Tuesday. It did not, however, dampen the spirit on the ground.
Kandurata Maroons, asked to bat first, rode on fine half-centuries from Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne to reach 168 for three.

But, Sunrisers displayed its batting firepower to cruise home by eight wickets with nine balls to spare.

The experienced opening duo of Shikhar Dhawan (71, 53b, 4x11) and Parthiv Patel (52, 42b, 7x4) played some exquisite strokes while adding 121 in quick time before Thisara Perera's unbeaten 11-ball 32 (4x4, 2x6) helped his team sprint home.

Earlier, Upul Tharanga gave Maroons a breezy start, punishing the off-colour Dale Steyn, who gave away 20 runs in his first two overs. Maroons should thank the Sri Lankan cricket authorities for forcing Sangakkara to play for their team as he smashed a 46-ball 61.

He and Thirimanne put on 89 for the third wicket.

Both played some delightful shots and it was heartening to see Thirimanne match Sangakkara shot for shot.

In the final four overs, Sangakkara and Dilhara Lokuhettige added 46 runs.

Ishant Sharma was the pick of the Sunrisers bowlers, claiming two for 20.

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Road safety on the slow path

Road safety on the slow path
Tamil NewsYesterday,

The frequent shifting of Road Safety Commissioner, delay in posting permanent staff to the Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA), and giving more powers to the District Road Safety Councils and officials of the Motor Vehicles Department, Public Works Department, and police as Road Safety Officers is hampering road safety activities.
The proposal to give more teeth to the councils and designating the sub inspector, motor vehicle inspector, and assistant engineer of the PWD as Road Safety Officers was pending for over a year now, a top official of the authority said.

The move is aimed at effective intervention by the officers to ensure road discipline and curb accidents and to overcome the handicap that officers do not have any powers to act against erring motorists.

The KRSA, constituted in January 2008 to advise the government on road safety policies, enforce road safety standards and procedures, formulate schemes, projects and programmes relating to road safety, and coordinate with agencies and departments, has not been able to function on a full scale.

The only solace for the KRSA is that it has been given an accounts officer, a junior superintendent, and two clerks. Official sources said nod had been received for hiring three technical members on contract basis for formulation and scrutiny of projects and monitoring their implementation.

The Minister for Transport is the KRSA chairman, Minister for Public Works is the vice-chairman, and Transport Commissioner is ex-officio Road Safety Commissioner as per KRSA Act 2007.

Since 2008, the KRSA has got seven IPS officers and one IAS officer as Commissioners. During the last five years, only T.P. Senkumar occupied the post for 16 months. Since January 2012, Rishi Raj Singh is the fifth Road Safety Commissioner.

"The frequent shifting of Commissioners is not good. The Act is an excellent legislation for enhancing road safety and ensuring discipline in the roads,'' State Planning Board member E. Sreedharan told The Hindu. 

"A fixed term should be given to the Commissioners to enforce the rules and chalk out road safety programmes. He should be effective and should have the will to act courageously as he is vested with powers even to arrest wrongdoers,'' he added.  

The KRSA functions from one of the floors at Trans Towers, headquarters of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD), at Vazhuthacaud in the capital. Road safety experts have been voicing for regulatory, advisory, capacity-building, and research role for KRSA and to provide an institutional framework for a coordinated approach to check mounting accidents.

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The first prosecution witness, identified

The first prosecution witness, identified by the number 536, began her testimony on Tuesday at the trial of Kenyan Vice President William Ruto at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
Mr. Ruto, the first serving official to appear at the ICC, has been charged with planning and providing logistical support for violent attacks on ethnic communities perceived to be loyal to his political opponents in Kenya's 2007 general election. Radio journalist Joshua Sang stands accused of fanning the violence by falsely reporting news of attacks on Kalenjin people to incite reprisals against the Kikuyu community.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta is also accused of playing a critical role in the post-election violence in which about 1200 people were killed and 600,000 were displaced. President Kenyatta shall stand trial in November; all three men have denied the charges.

In her testimony, witness 536 described an attack in which a Kalenjin mob allegedly set fire to the Kiambaa Church in the rift valley, killing 36 people. "It was difficult to get out of the church… When someone tried to leave the church, they would grab the person and push them back in," she said describing how an allegedly Kalenjin mob blocked both church exits before setting it alight.

The court proceedings were occasionally conducted in private sessions to protect the identity of the witness. Several witnesses have withdrawn from the case thus far.

For many Kenyans and others across Africa, the ICC is as much on trial as the two leaders. The court has convicted only Africans thus far, and while 34 African nations are signatories to the founding Rome Statute, the USA, China, Israel and India have not signed on. Russia is a signatory but is yet to ratify the accord.

In January next year, the African Union shall consider a proposal for all African signatories to withdraw from the ICC on the grounds that the court is targeting Africans.

It is clear the ICC needs to explore ways and means to fix its relationship with Africa, its biggest block of membership, otherwise many African states may follow the Kenyan move, AU Political Commissioner Aisha Abdullahi told Reuters.

Earlier this month, the Kenyan Parliament voted to withdraw from the ICC, but the final decision shall rest with President Kenyatta and his deputy.

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