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Chinese Made Cricket Stadium to host a Test Match

Dominica to host its first Test during 2011 India series

ESPNcricinfo staff

November 26, 2010

	Windsor Park in Dominica hosted its first international match in 2009

The island of Dominica will host its first Test match during India's tour of the West Indies in 2011, as the West Indies Cricket Board have chosen Windsor Park as the venue for the third and final Test of the series, to be held between July 6 and July 11.

Windsor Park was built by the Chinese government as part of their memorandum of understanding with Dominica and Windsor Park has hosted four ODI matches - two against Bangladesh in 2009 and two against South Africa in 2010. India's tour of the West Indies in 2011 includes one Twenty20 international, two ODIs and three Tests.

The venues for the first two Tests will be Sabina Park in Jamaica and the Kensington Oval in Barbados, respectively. The Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds in Antigua and the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain are the two venues for the ODI series.

West Indies are scheduled to play back-to-back homes series against Pakistan and India between April and July 2011. Over the two series, eight different Caribbean cities will host games.

The 2 Boxing -Day Tests

·         Two boxing day tests won on the 4th day by two higher ranked visiting teams from the northern hemisphere who have traveled to the Southern Hemisphere after a crushing defeat in the previous test in the countries that has proved to be their long time nemesis.

·         Both India and Australia lose all their first innings wickets to catches… India lose 19 wickets to catches in the match

·         The Dec 16 tests were won by the home teams while the Dec 26 tests have been won by the visiting teams. Whats up for the New year tests ?" The last Test in Cape Town, what a game that one should be. No 1 and No 2, playing the decider.

MySnaps: India Trip (2) :: Dec 2010

Second of the series..... pl take a look

http://picasaweb.google.com/ravikhot/IndiaTrip2#

RSK

Which_countries_can_Indian_citizens_go_with_arrival_visa ?

ALBANIA Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival if holding confirmation from Albanian Ministry of Interior stating that visa will be available on arrival. Confirmation must be obtained before departure to Albania. AZERBAIJAN Visa required, which can be issued on arrival for a max. stay of 30 days. An invitation is not necessary but it is recommended to hold a document that shows the purpose of the visit. Visa is only valid for the cities listed in the visa. BAHRAIN If travelling for business purposes visa can be obtained on arrival, but this is subject to Immigration evaluation. BERMUDA Visa not required. Bermuda Immigration officers will decide on max. period of stay (up to 6 months) depending on reason for travel. Stays exceeding 6 months require application for residency in person. BHUTAN Visa not required for a max. stay of 2 weeks, provided permit is issued upon arrival by Immigration Department. BURUNDI Visa required. However, visa can be obtained on arrival, if no diplomatic representation of Burundi is located in country of origin. CAMBODIA Visa required. However, visa can be obtained on arrival, if coming for: - touristic purposes for a stay of max. 1 month. - business purposes for a stay of max. 1 month. CAMEROON Visa required. Visa on arrival can only be issued to those holding a prior approval from Le Diligue General de L'Immigration. CANADA Visa required. If entering from the U.S.A. with a used single entry visa, the visitor may re-enter without obtaining a new Canadian visa, provided the I-94 from the U.S.A. and the Canadian port stamps are still valid. CAPE VERDE ISLANDS Visa not required if: - Passenger was a former national of Cape Verde Isl., incl. wife, husband or children provided holding proof thereof; - travelling as tourist in organized group and holding Certificado Colectivo de Identidade et Viagem (no limit for number of tourists). Individual passengers coming from countries where no diplomatic representation of Cape Verde is established may obtain visa on arrival. COOK ISLANDS If visit is solely for touristic purposes visa not required for a stay of max. 31 days. If visit is for business purposes (which may include acting for or on behalf of a person/firm established outside Cook Islands) visa required (which can be issued on arrival), for a stay of max. 21 days. COSTA RICA Visa not required for a stay of 30 days. CUBA Visa required. If coming for touristic purposes and holding Tourist Card ("Tarjeta del Turista"): visa not required. DJIBOUTI Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival provided holding return ticket, for a max. stay of 1 month. DOMINICA Visa not required for stay of max. 21 days. EGYPT Visa required. However, a 14 days visa -free of charge- can be obtained on arrival, if entering Egypt via South Sinai (through Sant Katherine, Sharm El Sheik or Taba airports), provided: - remaining in South Sinai resorts; and - not continuing to any other city in Egypt. ERITREA Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for a stay of max. 1 month (renewable for another 2 months), provided request has been made by sponsor to Eritrea Immigration at least 48 hours before arrival. ETHIOPIA Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for a max. stay of 3 months if attending African Union meetings and holding official letters pertaining to the travel. In some other cases visa can also be obtained if coming for business purposes. FIJI Visa not required. On arrival a visitor's permit can be obtained for a stay of max. 4 months. GEORGIA Visa required. Visa (of various types and length of stays) can be obtained on arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Visa Dept. at the airport. However, one months notice of arrival is required. GIBRALTAR Visa required. However, if holding: - a multiple entry visa (valid for at least 1 year) to the United Kingdom; OR - a passport endorsed "Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the United Kingdom" visa not required. GRENADA Visa not required for a stay of max. 3 months. GUAM If arriving directly from U.S. Mainland, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands, no entry documents required due to no immigration control. GUINEA-BISSAU Visa required. If arriving from a country without representation of Guinea-Bissau, visa applications by letter to be made 14 days prior to arrival to: Comissariado de Estado da Seguranca Nacional e Ordem Publica da Republica da Guinea-Bissau (State Directorate of National Security and Public order of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau). The visa will then be available at the airport of Guinea-Bissau. HAITI Visa not required for a stay of max. 3 months. HONG KONG Visa not required for stay of max. 14 days. INDONESIA Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for a max. stay of 30 days provided: - passport contains at least one unused visa page for the visa-on-arrival sticker, which covers entire passport page; AND - holding ticket and other documents for return/onward journey. IRAN Visa required. However, it can be issued on arrival provided: - coming for tourist purposes only for a max. stay of 7 days; OR - passenger has been introduced by means of a letter from valid organization or government at least two days prior to arrival, for a max. stay of 72 hours. ISRAEL Visa required. However, if travelling in a group of 10 or more passengers and holding prior approval from Ministry of Interior visa can be obtained on arrival. JAMAICA Visa not required, for a max. stay of 14 days. KAZAKHSTAN Visa required. A visa can be issued on arrival at Almaty/Astana airports (provided pre-arranged and approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan) for both private and business purposes, for a stay of max. one month. KENYA Visa required. It is possible for a visa for a max. stay of 3 months to be issued on arrival. However, this will cause considerable delay. KOREA (REPUBLIC) Visa required. However, visa not required for a stay of max. 30 days provided: A. holding visa for Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand or U.S.A. and travelling to or from these countries; OR B. having visited Korea (Rep.) 4 times within the last 2 years or 10 times or more in total. KUWAIT Visa required. However, visa can be obtained on arrival if coming for vacation or leisure for a stay of max. 1 month, provided: - having sponsor in Kuwait holding the original visa; and - holding confirmation from transporting airline that visa is available on arrival. KYRGYZSTAN Visa required. Visa can be issued on arrival for a stay of max. one month when coming from: - countries with Kyrgyzstan representation, provided holding confirmation from Kyrgyzstan authorities; - countries without Kyrgyzstan representation, provided a sponsor can announce the passenger(s) to the authorities. LEBANON Visa can be obtained on arrival under certain conditions to: - businessmen and other top professionals residing in a GCC member country (see TIRGL/GCC ); OR - businessmen with prior approval from Lebanese Immigration; OR - tourist groups. LIBERIA Visa required. If arriving from a country without diplomatic representation of Liberia: visa issue on arrival possible if holding telex confirmation from the station manager of delivering airline. MACAO Visa not required for a stay of max. 30 days. MADAGASCAR Visa required. A 90 days visa can be obtained on arrival. MALAYSIA Visa required. However, if coming for touristic purposes, visa can be obtained on arrival, for a max. stay of 30 days. MALDIVES Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for: 1. a max. stay of 30 days, provided holding: - hotel confirmation; and - sufficient funds to cover stay; and - onward/return ticket for next destination.; OR 2. a stay of more than 30 days, to a max. stay of 90 days, provided passenger has: - a local sponsor, who must inform Immigration at Male at least 1 day prior to passengers arrival; and - onward/return ticket for next destination. MAURITIUS Visa not required for a max. stay of 15 days for touristic purposes only. MICRONESIA Visa not required for a stay of max. 30 days, provided coming for touristic or visitor purposes. MOLDOVA Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival at Chisinau Airport provided: - arriving from a country without diplomatic representation of Moldova. MONTSERRAT Visa not required for a max. stay of: - 3 months, provided travelling with passport; - 14 days when travelling with other documents. MOZAMBIQUE Visa required. However, if coming for touristic or business purposes, visa can be obtained on arrival (at airport only). NEPAL Visa not required. NIUE Visa not required for a stay up to 30 days provided holding: - confirmed return/onward ticket; AND - documents required for return/onward journey; AND - sufficient funds. NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS Visa required. However, if holding U.S. entry visa, visa not required for a max. stay of 30 days, provided U.S. visa: - is valid for 60 days from entry date into CNMI; AND - allows re-entry back into the U.S.A. on departure. PALAU ISLANDS Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for a stay of max. 30 days. PUERTO RICO If arriving directly from Mainland U.S.A., Alaska, Guam, Hawaii or U.S. Virgin Islands no entry documents required due to no immigration control. QATAR Visa required. The following visas can be obtained on arrival: - 14 day tourist visa, provided application submitted to airport immigration at least 24 hours before arrival by any of the registered hotels in Doha. Passenger must also hold proof of confirmed hotel reservation and at least USD 1,400.- or any major credit card; OR - 7 day business visa can be issued at Doha airport provided notification received at least 48 hours prior to arrival. SAMOA Visa not required if holding a visitor's permit, which can be obtained on arrival for a stay of max. 60 days. SAO TOME & PRINCIPE Visa required. Visa may only be granted on arrival provided prior arrangements have been made by transporting carrier up to 24 hours prior to flight departure. Max. stay of one month allowed. SEYCHELLES Visa not required as Visitor's Permit for 1 month (depends on validity of ticket) will be issued on arrival provided holding: - onward/return ticket or otherwise ticket must be purchased on arrival; AND - sufficient funds (USD 150.- per day) and proof of accommodation during stay. SIERRA LEONE Visa required. However, visa on arrival is also possible under following conditions: - no diplomatic representation of Sierra Leone at point of origin; AND - sponsor or contact person in Sierra Leone should arrange Landing Permit with the Principal Immigration Officer. Details of such Landing Permit should be given to the Station Manager of transporting airline at least 48 hours prior to arrival. SRI LANKA Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for a touristic stay of max. 30 days. ST. KITTS-NEVIS Visa not required for a stay of max. 3 months. ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES Visa not required for a max. stay of 1 month. TANZANIA Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival. THAILAND Visa required. Visa can be obtained on arrival (ONLY at Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Phuket, Samui Int'l, Sukhothai, Surat Thani, Utapao airports) for a stay of max. 15 days, provided: - coming for touristic purposes; AND - passport is valid at least 6 months; AND - holding onward/return ticket; AND - holding USD 250.- per person or USD 500.- per family. TIMOR LESTE Entry Permit can be obtained on arrival for a max. stay of 30 days. TOGO Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for max. 7 days. TURKS & CAICOS ISL. Visa not required for a stay of max. 30 days. TUVALU Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival for a stay of max. one month. UGANDA Visa required, which can be obtained on arrival. VANUATU Visa not required for a max. stay of 30 days. VIRGIN ISLANDS (BRITISH) Visa not required for a stay of max. 30 days.

Explanation of Derivative Markets....

Explanation of Derivative Markets

 

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in  Detroit . She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.

 

Heidi keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers' loans). Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in  Detroit .

 

By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.

 

A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.

 

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders figure a way to make huge commissions, and transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets.

 

Unsuspecting investors don't really know that the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics. Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.

 

One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. He so informs Heidi.

 

Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Since Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations, she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs.

 

Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the bank's liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community. The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds.

 

Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers.

 

Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion-dollar no-strings-attached cash infusion from the Previous Administration. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers who have never been in Heidi's bar.

 

Cheers!

'Three numbers will define us: UID, mobile and bank account'

Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), has been named as one of Foreign Policy magazine's 'Top 100 Global Thinkers' . In other words, people who had "the big ideas that shaped our world in 2010." Nilekani's big idea is to give every Indian an identity number, which will address issues of inclusion and mobility. The billionaire co-founder of Infosys Technologies is today a self-confessed "plumber of the government" . He tells Asha Rai about the ideas and issues that will define the next decade. Excerpts: 

How changed would India be by 2020? 

Let's look at the big changes that are happening. Demography's the biggest. India's experiencing the demographic dividend. If we look at the next 10 years from a demographic lens, what do you see? You will see this huge population of young people who are very aspirational . Aspirations are being unleashed at every level: the chauffeur wants college education for his child; the maid is saving for her daughter's English education. The important thing is that this population is future-looking than past-looking . They are looking at how to make their life better and not worrying about something in the past. That's a huge shift. We need to satisfy the aspirations of these people. If we are not able to do that it will have its own consequences. I believe that's going to be the biggest thing of the next decade . Meeting the aspirations of the Indian young will also have its own strategic implications: you will need to invest in education, health, and infrastructure. You need to urbanize faster. Plus, now it's in our interest to be globalized. If we are going to be largest pool of young people in the world, then you must keep trade and borders open so that our young can serve the world, either by working from here (outsourcing) or by going there (migration). That's the big thing. 

What other trends do you foresee? 

Mobility, internal and external. Within India , you will see a large number of people moving from rural to urban, from north to south, from middle India to coastal India. Already, we have some 100-120 million migrants. In the next 10 years it will become only more enhanced. And remember, when a migrant moves and leaves his family behind, it means that people impacted by migration will be four times the number that migrates . This has huge socio-economic consequences . It builds a remittance economy; the guy sends the money back, the family is no longer poor. It up-ends traditional equations. It's exacerbated by a few things; one is the demographic difference. Central India has higher population growth rates than south and west. The fertility rate of UP is three times that of Kerala. It's staggering that in the same country you have such huge differences. So when the south and the west start ageing, it will have fewer workers, central India will have more and internal migration will be further accentuated by it. 

Finally, technology adoption, which in India is very, very high. Indians have found technology as something that helps them in their aspirations. The mobile phone is a classic example. Technology, aspirations , mobility and demographic dividend. For me, those are the defining themes of the next decade. 

What's the role of UID in this? 

I think 'Aadhaar' (the brand name of UID) is at the centre of this whole thing. You cannot meet your aspirations without having your identity acknowledged . The fact of the matter is, a large number of Indians don't have that acknowledged existence. There are just 50 million Indians who have a passport —5 % of the population. People who participate in the stock markets must be 2% of the population, bank account holders must be 20% of the population (220 million). If you want to meet all the people's aspirations , you have to include them in the society. To do that, the basic foundation block is identity. So, we call it 'Aadhaar' or foundation. Aadhaar addresses the mobility issue too. If you are going to be mobile, you need an identity that travels with you. The ability to create a national identity infrastructure is very important in a very mobile society. 

What kind of Aadhaar numbers are you looking at? 

600 million in the next four years. 

By that logic, by 2020 every Indian should have a number. 

Yes. In our view, there are three basic numbers everybody should have. The Aadhaar number to identify themselves. A mobile number to communicate and a bank account number. In the world of 2020, everybody will have these three numbers and use them as levers for their aspirations. 

You don't take a salary. Why? 

My salary gets automatically routed to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund . That's a better way to do it than the Re 1 salary model, I figured. I am doing this as part of giving back to society. When I come home to Bangalore on weekends, I pay my own way. But I do have a government house and car in Delhi. 

Many people in the corporate sector would like to follow in your footsteps? 

For my project itself, I have got lots of people as volunteers, on sabbatical from outside. I meet a lot of people who have reached a point in their lives when they would like to contribute to public service if they get the right kind of role. People who have been very successful in business, in corporate and other fields. There's definitely an interest but everybody wants to be in the right role. 

What kind of innovations can emerge from India ? 

One of our objectives is to create an innovation ecosystem. On the Aadhaar infrastructure, you can build applications. Some young kid will come out with a nifty application using Aadhaar on the mobile phone where a group of people will suddenly be able to do something they couldn't do earlier. You build these platforms where you take care of what's in the public good. But we should not be writing the innovations . Innovations should be done by innovators. 

What do you see as the one overarching idea of the next decade? 

The defining meta idea is that Indians in the next 10 years will think more of their future than of the past and believe me that's important. It sounds simple but it changes everything. 

Will politics change too? 

Obviously. If people are going to be talking of their future—of how it will be better than in the past —politics has to respond to that.