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Bollywood’s Munnabhai, <keyword id="7645" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Dutt">Sanjay Dutt</keyword>, has become an entrepreneur. The actor, who is in the jail for his alleged role in the 1993 Bombay blasts, has bought a franchise in the UAE-based Masters Champions League (MCL). 
	 According to a TNN report, the actor’s wife, <keyword id="80544" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maanyata-Dutt">Maanyata Dutt</keyword> was instrumental in sealing the deal in the new league for retired international cricketers. Maanyata has been looking after the actor’s business interests ever since he was jailed. 
	 As a family, we have always been passionate about sport. Sanjay, in particular, has been an avid sports enthusiast since childhood,” said Maanyata. The new league, which will be launched next year, will have biggies such as former India batsman Virender Sehwag, <keyword id="7128" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Brian-Lara">Brian Lara</keyword>, <keyword id="11666" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Graeme-Smith">Graeme Smith</keyword> among others. 
	 
	Talent management company, CA KWAN, along with Maanyata, will look after the new business venture until the actor is released from jail. Sanjay Dutt is expected to complete his sentence next year. 
	 
	Image Credit: Indiatimes.com

Smitten by cricket, actor Sanjay Dutt buys cricket team in
MCL

Cricketers can bat, bowl, field and run. But they can't hide from the emotional triggers that snag the attention of players and public alike. 
 
So, as much as the game's stars will roll their eyes and protest with a stifled yawn that they could not care less about statistics and milestones or where they are in the pecking orders that litter the media, all we need to do to know different is to ask ourselves whether we would care if those numbers were about us. We would. 
 
We want to know where we stand with our significant others, our bosses, our underlings, our elders and our juniors. Psychiatrists and psychologists would be out of business if we did not have a strange need to know what we think of ourselves. Moreover, we want to know these things truthfully, or as close to the truth as we can get. That is not often possible, as anyone who has been lied to by a lover will attest. 
 
But cricketers have it easy. In these days of instant everything, when they want to know how good they are they get their Google on. Or they consult the statswallahs, who are in almost every dressing room. Players do so discreetly because they would not be comfortable with the rest of us knowing how seriously they search for the answers to their questions. 
 But they tend to betray themselves. For instance, <keyword id="6355117" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="South-Africa">South Africa</keyword>'s players spent a good deal of their tour to England in 2012 explaining away the significance of the fact that, if they won the series, they would be the top ranked Test team. However, in the magic moments after they won the third match at Lord's to secure that status, a beaming <keyword id="11666" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Graeme-Smith">Graeme Smith</keyword> held the mace with one hand and stuck the index finger of the other in the air like he just didn't care - as plain a "We're No. 1!" as we could hope to see. 
 Then, last November, Faf du Plessis, South <keyword id="12925" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Africa">Africa</keyword>'s <keyword id="127916" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="T20-captain">T20 captain</keyword>, went boldly where lesser men would not: "We've set a goal for ourselves to try and get to No. 1 by the time the (World T20) starts. I don't expect us to compete in a tournament if we're ranked No. 5 or 6. That means you are inconsistent. If you get to No. 1 it means there's a lot of consistency in your side." Du Plessis was too right for his team's own good. South Africa went to the WT20 in fourth place, and left after losing to India in the semi-finals. 
 Now, <keyword id="77602" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="AB-de-Villiers">AB de Villiers</keyword> has also reached for the inspiration provided by cold, hard numbers. The third and last one-day international against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last Thursday held little relevance, what with South Africa having won the first two. 
 
After explaining why it would be important to give the bench-warmers a game - South Africa stuck by that and all three played - De Villiers said, "Other than that there are still rankings at stake so as a team I'd like to win even though we might make a few changes." 
 South Africa were fourth on the ODI ladder going into the series. They emerged in third place and thus just in time to challenge top dogs <keyword id="6355478" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Australia">Australia</keyword> in the triangular series that started on Monday. India were second by a fraction of a point, but the way they are playing they could find a way to lose to themselves. 
 <keyword id="12340" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Hashim-Amla">Hashim Amla</keyword>, meanwhile, regained the No. 1 batting spot from De Villiers by dint of the 122 not out he scored in the first match in Bulawayo. De Villiers was just a point behind and had a bulletproof opportunity to ravage one of the weakest attacks in cricket in that third match to help him get back on top. But he and Amla were both rested on Thursday, all the better to keep their rivalry going. 
 However, with <keyword id="6354486" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Virat-Kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword> marginally below De Villiers and George Bailey lurking with intent in fourth place, everything could change. Yes, the rankings are facile marketing and nothing more. Yes, they do not matter to those who prefer their cricket unsullied by such nonsense. No, that is not going to make them go away. 
 
Besides, when more cricket is being played than anyone could ever care about, what are we to do to add relevance and context to matches and series and tournaments that are frequently devoid of such old-fashioned virtues? It figures, really.

Players Taking To Cricket By The Numbers

<keyword id="6354312" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL" source="Orion">IPL</keyword> franchise owners of teams like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants, <keyword id="1494441" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sunrisers-hyderabad" source="Orion">Sunrisers Hyderabad</keyword>, Rajasthan Royals and co-owners of Delhi Capitals on Wednesday were announced as winners of purchasing all six teams in South Africa's upcoming new T20 <keyword id="1910" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="league" source="Orion">League</keyword>. Through an official statement, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said that the six franchise owners were confirmed following a rigorous process over the past few months. The open bid process, managed by Deloitte Corporate Finance, attracted over 29 entities who expressed interest in owning a franchise worldwide. Over 10 venues were made available for interested bidders to own a franchise and all 10 of them received expressions of interest. <keyword id="45442" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="reliance-industries-limited" source="Orion">Reliance Industries Limited</keyword>, owners of Mumbai Indians, will operate the Cape Town team based at Newlands while <keyword id="14506281" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rpsg-sports-private-limited" source="Orion">RPSG Sports Private Limited</keyword>, owners of Lucknow Super Giants, bought the Durban franchise based at Kingsmead. Sun TV Network Limited, owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad, picked Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) franchise with home venue at St George's Park while Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, owners of Chennai Super Kings, acquired the Johannesburg franchise with base at Wanderers. <keyword id="14506282" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="royals-sports-group" source="Orion">Royals Sports Group</keyword>, owners of Rajasthan Royals, bought the Paarl franchise based at Boland Park while JSW Sports, co-owners of Delhi Capitals, bought the Pretoria franchise based at SuperSport Park. Graeme Smith, the Commissioner of the new T20 League in South Africa, welcomed all the new franchise owners of the league. "We are thrilled to welcome our new franchise owners to the <keyword id="377670" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="south-african-league" source="Orion">South African League</keyword> taking place in January and February 2023. This is truly an exciting time for South African cricket; the overwhelming interest shows that the country remains valued in the global cricketing eco-system. "A robust bidding process was followed to select the final six owners, the decision was informed by a scorecard based on various criteria to ensure the utmost professionalism, independence, and objectivity to the process. I would like to thank Deloitte as our advisors for doing a thoroughly professional job in helping South African cricket find partners who add substantial value to our game. "The strong sports background of the respective owners and the global brands they manage ensures that South African cricket and the broader industry will benefit from their expertise and resources, as they bring stability and experience to the League." The move means that the global expansion of the IPL franchises is moving at a fast pace. Fans in South Africa will have the opportunity to watch word-class cricketers, catch a glimpse of the next generation and experience the action first-hand when the festival takes off early next year. Smith concluded by hinting at announcing the international players of the new T20 League in near future. "We have already contracted a number of leading international players who will be announced shortly. Combined with our strong South African player base, fans and stakeholders can be assured that the new League will showcase exciting talent and skill." The upcoming T20 League, which CSA will organise in association with broadcasters SuperSport in the form of a new company, will be the third time South Africa would be attempting to launch a franchise T20 league in the country. In its previous attempts, the attempt to start Global League T20 failed to happen in 2017, while its replacement, the Mzansi Super League was held in 2018 and 2019 but didn't get the big broadcast rights, with the free-to-air South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) getting broadcast rights for a much smaller sum, before being halted by Covid-19 pandemic. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/redmi-k50i-mobile-phone-review/articleshow/93001395.cms">Redmi K50i review</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/netflix-is-losing-subscribers-and-hotstars-hybrid-model-can-be-right-choice-for-ott-platform/articleshow/93000111.cms">OTT platforms can survive in the Indian market if they go the Hotstar-way</a>

IPL franchise owners purchase all six teams in South Africa's upcoming new T20 League

Chennai, <keyword id="1440669" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Joe-Root">Joe Root</keyword> became the first cricketer to score a <keyword id="117331" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="double-century">double century</keyword> in his 100th Test when the <keyword id="33007" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="England-captain">England captain</keyword> reached the milestone in the second session of the second day in the first Test against <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The previous best score in the 100th Test belonged to former Pakistan batsman Inzamam ul Haq who hit 184, also against India in Bengaluru in 2005. Root reached his double ton with a six over long-on off the bowling of R Ashwin. This was Root's fifth double century and he is joint second among <keyword id="6355981" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="england">England</keyword> players to have hit most double tons. Former teammate and England Test skipper Alastair Cook also has five double centuries. Wally Hammond has seven. Root is also only the ninth batsman to slam a century in his 100th Test. Colin Cowdrey (104 vs Australia in 1968), Javed Miandad (145 vs India in 1989), Gordon Greenidge (149 vs England in 1990), Alec Stewart (105 vs West Indies in 2000), Inzamam ul Haq (184 vs India in 2005), Ricky Ponting (120 and 143 not out vs South Africa in 2006), Graeme Smith (131 vs England in 2012) and Hashim Amla (134 vs Sri Lanka in 2017) have earlier scored centuries in their 100th Test. Root is also only the third cricketer to play both his first and 100th Test match in the same country he was touring. Root had made his debut in Nagpur in 2012 when England won the series 2-1. Kapil Dev of India and Carl Hooper of West Indies are the other two cricketers to have done so. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/heres-why-you-arent-being-able-to-apply-for-brookfield-reit-ipo-through-zerodha-groww-angel-broking-and-other-stockbroking-apps/articleshow/80686457.cms">Groww and other stockbroking apps</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/analysts-explain-why-indigo-paints-shares-fell-with-a-thud-just-like-burger-king-and-mrs-bectors-and-what-to-do-with-it-now/articleshow/80704864.cms">Indigo Paints joins the league of Burger King and Bector's — frenzied IPOs that fizzled out</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/the-india-stack-that-bill-gates-and-sundar-pichai-so-love-is-set-to-get-much-bigger-thanks-to-the-indian-governments-new-blockchain-strategy/articleshow/80718403.cms">The India stack that Bill Gates and Sundar Pichai so love is set to get much bigger – thanks to the Indian government’s new blockchain strategy</a>

India vs England: Joe Root first to hit double century in 100th Test

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul><li>The war in Afghanistan is nearing its 17th anniversary and a new graphic suggests the conflict has reached its deadliest point in years.&#xa0;</li><li>Data from the&#xa0;Uppsala Conflict Data Program suggests the total number of battle deaths in Afghanistan, including civilians and combatants on both sides, will surpass 20,000 in 2018.</li><li>The fact the war is becoming increasingly intense suggests the US military will not be pulling out of Afghanistan anytime soon.</li><li>The US currently has roughly 15,000 troops in Afghanistan and only five US soldiers have been killed there in 2018 so far, as the death toll on Afghan troops and civilians is rising.</li></ul>The war in Afghanistan is nearing its 17th anniversary and a new graphic suggests the conflict has reached its deadliest point in years.Data from the&#xa0;Uppsala Conflict Data Program suggests the total number of battle deaths in Afghanistan, including civilians and combatants on both sides, <a href="http://ucdp.uu.se/#country/700">will surpass 20,000 in 2018</a>.Graeme Smith, a political analyst and former political affairs officer for the United Nations Assistance Mission&#xa0;in Kabul, Afghanistan, <a href="https://twitter.com/smithkabul/status/1021332498427588608">said on Twitter</a> this means "the war may be growing more intense than anything since the 1980s."In total, <a href="http://icasualties.org/oef/">five US soldiers</a> have been killed in Afghanistan in 2018. This is a far-cry from America's deadliest year in the war, 2010, when 499 US soldiers were killed.&#xa0;Overall, roughly 2,414 US troops have been killed in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001 following the 9/11 terror attacks, according to the tracking site <a href="http://icasualties.org/oef/">iCasualties.org</a>.&#xa0;But the fact the war is becoming increasingly intense from a broader standpoint suggests the US military will not be pulling out of Afghanistan anytime soon, a move that would risk toppling the government. In short, there's no end in sight to this conflict or America's role in it.&#xa0;The US currently has 15,000 troops in Afghanistan after the Trump administration decided to increase America's footprint in the country by several thousand last year.Despite the increase in US troops in Afghanistan, the situation there has not improved.&#xa0;There continues to be fierce fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan and it currently&#xa0;controls or contests nearly half of the districts in the country as <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/08/afghanistan-taliban/567437/">tenuous efforts to establish peace talks</a> have done little to change things on the ground.&#xa0;ISIS has also emerged as a threat in the country and last week claimed responsibility for a brutal attack that left <a href="https://apnews.com/11431e698aa5451eb0b88ea41e4e8496/Afghan-IS-branch-claims-deadly-attack-on-Shiites-in-Kabul">34 students dead</a> at an educational facility in Kabul.Despite the present situation,&#xa0;Gen. John "Mick" Nicholson on Wednesday claimed there's <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2018/08/trumps-afghanistan-war-plan-working-despite-recent-attacks-outgoing-commander-says/150759/?oref=d-river">"an unprecedented opportunity for peace now"</a> with the Taliban. Nicholson, who will soon be replaced as the top US general in Afghanistan, also praised Trump's strategy in the region and argued the allied effort in the wartorn country is making progress.<div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/science-marry-your-cousin-safe-genetics-2018-7">Is marrying your cousin actually dangerous?</a></h3> <div> </div> </div></hr>

This graphic shows why the Afghanistan war is getting worse after 17 years

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan on Thursday <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-top-afghan-official-killed-in-shooting-us-general-unhurt-2018-10">narrowly escaped a bold, deadly insider attack</a> the Taliban claimed responsibility for.&#xa0;</li><li>The Taliban said Gen. Scott Miller was one of the targets of the attack in addition to the country's powerful police chief, but <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/10/19/mattis-deadly-attack-in-afghanistan-will-not-shake-us-commitment/">the Pentagon denies this</a>.</li><li>The Trump administration downplaying the significance of the attack, but it's another sign the US is losing the war.&#xa0;</li></ul>Gen. Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, on Thursday <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-top-afghan-official-killed-in-shooting-us-general-unhurt-2018-10">narrowly escaped a bold, deadly insider attack</a> the Taliban claimed responsibility for.&#xa0;The attack took place in Kandahar, and led to the death of&#xa0;Gen. Abdul Raziq, a powerful Afghan police chief. Several other Afghan police and officials were killed or wounded, and three Americans were wounded in the incident as well.&#xa0;The assailant was reportedly killed in the firefight.&#xa0;The attack highlights just how insecure Afghanistan is, and doesn't bode well for its upcoming national elections.&#xa0;It was an astonishing moment in a conflict that recently entered its 18th year, and perhaps the most embarrassing piece of evidence yet <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-is-losing-in-afghanistan-but-the-trump-admin-wont-admit-it-2018-9">the US is badly losing the war</a>.<h2>The Taliban hoped to kill a US general to get America to leave Afghanistan</h2>The Taliban said Miller was one of the targets of the attack in addition to Raziq, but <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/10/19/mattis-deadly-attack-in-afghanistan-will-not-shake-us-commitment/">the Pentagon denies this</a>.A Taliban commander <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gunfire-kills-afghanistan-police-chief-senior-u-s-general-scott-n921551">told NBC News</a> if it had been successful in killing Miller, who emerged from the attack unscathed, that President Donald Trump would've withdrawn the roughly 15,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan. The Taliban still feels the attack was a "major success" due to the death of Raziq.&#xa0;<keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">Defense</keyword> Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday described the loss of Raziq, whom the Taliban attempted to kill dozens of times, as the "tragic loss of a patriot." But Mattis also said the attack hasn't made him less confident in the ability of Afghan security forces to take on the Taliban.&#xa0;Despite the Pentagon's efforts to downplay the significant of this attack, it's a sign of how emboldened the Taliban has become via major gains over the past year or so.&#xa0;<h2>The war has reached its deadliest point in years as the Taliban gains ground</h2>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/pompeo-makes-unannounced-trip-to-kabul-says-trumps-afghan-strategy-is-working/2018/07/09/1b6d3412-837d-11e8-9e80-403a221946a7_story.html?utm_term=.568c5d669aef">claimed Trump's strategy in Afghanistan is working</a>, and he suggested pressure from the US military and its allies was pushing the Taliban toward a peace process. But the reality is much different.&#xa0;Thursday's attack came just one day after a Taliban suicide bomber targeted a NATO convoy close to Kabul, the Afghan capital, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-taliban-kandahar-attack-us-commander-gen-austin-miller-police-chief-abdul-raziq/">killing two civilians and injuring five Czech troops</a>.At the moment, the Taliban controls or contests roughly half of all the country's districts, according to the US military. But many military analysts claim approximately <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/08/world/asia/us-misleads-on-afghanistan.html">61% of Afghanistan's districts</a> are controlled or threatened by the Taliban.&#xa0;There have been <a href="http://icasualties.org/oef/">eight US military deaths</a> in Afghanistan in 2018. This is a far-cry from the deadliest year of the war for American in 2010, when&#xa0;499 US troops were killed.But civilian casualties are reaching unprecedented levels in Afghanistan, a sign of how unstable the country has become over the past year or so. The war is on track to kill over 20,000 civilians in Afghanistan this year alone, according to data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, meaning the conflict has&#xa0;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/this-graphic-shows-why-afghanistan-war-is-getting-worse-after-17-years-2018-8">reached its deadliest point in years.</a> <h2>America's 'forever war'</h2>There is still no end in sight to this war, which costs US taxpayers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-pentagon-afghan-war-costing-us-45-billion-per-year-2018-2">roughly $45 billion per year</a>, and the US government is running out of answers as to why American troops are still fighting and dying there.&#xa0;The conflict began as a reaction to the 9/11 terror attacks and the Taliban's close ties to Osama bin Laden, who has since been assassinated by the US.At this point, Americans born after 9/11 are old enough to enlist in the military with parental consent, and will have the opportunity to fight in a conflict sparked by an event they couldn't possibly remember.&#xa0;<div></div><div></div><div></div>

The Taliban just took a shot at America's top general in Afghanistan and barely missed, the latest sign the US is losing the war

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/David GrayA banner of Chinese President Xi Jinping with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill over a main road in central Port Moresby, the capital city of the poorest nation in the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group, in Papua New Guinea, November 15, 2018.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>A mini Pacific Game of Thrones will be going down this weekend as Papua New Guinea plays host to 21 nations at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Port Moresby.</li><li>Australia and China in particular will be vying for influence and they already have the checkbooks out.</li><li>China's President Xi Jinping is already on the ground in Papua New Guinea for a state visit.</li><li>But Bridi Rice, the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Australian Council of International Development and a former Australian government anti-money-laundering adviser to Papua New Guinea says the country needs genuine partners, not handouts.</li></ul>On Friday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/shinzo-abe-first-japanese-pm-to-visit-darwin-since-world-war-ii-2018-11">an historic visit </a>to the northern Australian city of Darwin that Japanese forces attacked more than 75 years agoJust a few hours earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping touched down for a state visit with the Pacific neighbor where Japan and Australia met in a bloody struggle across the highlands that became known as the New Guinea campaign.Xi stepped onto a red carpet at Port Moresby's Jackson International Airport on Friday as Chinese flags flew across the Papua New Guinean capital to welcome him and China's commitment to this resource rich, but socially impoverished Pacific nation.While Jackson Airport is surrounded by billboards for Chinese banks, the airport is named for John F. Jackson, a pilot and squadron leader who died in combat 75 years ago. He was one of approximately 7,000 Australians who died in the New Guinea campaign during World War II.This history is part of the complex backdrop to the APEC summit and it's the history that Australia's new Prime Minister Scott Morrison was happy to lean on when he called the Pacific Australia's "backyard."Morrison said in his first landmark Pacific policy address, that Australia will commit anew to the Pacific, setting up a multibillion-dollar infrastructure bank to fund projects in the region and appointing a series of new diplomatic posts."Australia will step up in the Pacific and take our engagement with the region to a new level," the prime minister said last week.Now, a new contest is opening up across the Pacific from Port Moresby to Tahiti. The weapon of choice: money and the major players from the US to China, Japan, and Australia will face off this weekend.The Pacific's annual regional economic summit takes place in the heart of APEC's poorest member country, Papua New Guinea, which has itself become the keystone in an accelerating struggle for influence.Xi will tour some of China's headline gifts and investments - including the multimillion dollar APEC house - ahead of the weekend's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, with PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill hoping for further commitments from China and its former colonial power and closest neighbor, Australia.As Xi Jinping makes his maiden state visit as Chinese president Canberra will be watching closely.The state of regional competition on Papua New Guinea at the time of APEC is best characterized by an anecdote retold by Dr. Graeme Smith, a research fellow at the Australian National University's Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs.Meeting a military official on Manus Island, a former US staging base and, more recently, the site of an Australian immigration detention center, Smith says the official pointed out the impressive runways now overgrown by vegetation.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apec-summit-2018-papua-new-guinea-what-to-expect-2018-11">The poorest nation in the Pacific will host its richest economic get-together, and it could descend into a dash for cash</a>If Australia is unwilling to invest, then we can always turn to our new friends, the official suggested.Australia has it seems, awoken to the idea of the challenges presented by a Chinese base operating 60 minutes flight time to its major northern cities.Consequently, Canberra this month put its hand up to back the Manus project, part of what analysts see as a push to re-assert its dominance in the South Pacific as Beijing seeks a more prominent role."The Manus Island port was a big concern for us," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-in-apec-host-papua-new-guinea-china-and-the-west-grapple-over-strategic-port-2018-11">a senior US diplomatic source told Reuters</a>, on condition of anonymity."It was feasible Chinese military vessels could have used the port so we are very happy that Australia will fund the re-development."Australia is reportedly ready to make the verbal agreement formal sometime over the weekend.After five years of relentless cuts to Australia's aid program, regional aid experts have cautiously welcomed the turnaround.Bridi Rice, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Australian Council of International Development said that the admission by the Prime Minister that "too often" we have taken our Pacific neighbours for granted is right on the money."The announcement of plans to deepen Australia's ties is welcome," Rice said."But for Australia to continue to build influence as a trusted development partner and foster confidence, stability, and sustainability in the Asia-Pacific, the Australian development cooperation program must have the development interests of our partners at its heart."Rice, the Australian Government's former senior anti-money laundering adviser to the Papua New Guinea government said however, that the development challenges of the region cannot be solved by money alone."A quick fix expenditure and political point scoring at the cost of long term development initiatives won't generate development outcomes or foreign policy wins for Australia," Rice told Business Insider.This year's APEC was supposed to showcase Papua New Guinea's ascension onto the world stage.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/south-china-sea-energy-reserves-china-wants-to-block-outsiders-2018-11">The South China Sea is fabled for its hidden energy reserves and China wants to block outsiders like the US from finding them</a>Prime minister O'Neill said it would put New Guinea "on the map."What it has highlighted so far is less about infrastructural achievement and more about what can slip through the cracks when the focus shifts from hard assistance to soft power.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Thomson ReutersPapua New Guinea police prevent students from marching from University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby</div></div></div>"For Australia's development cooperation program to be a critical soft power tool requires more than just infrastructure allocations, it also requires tough discussions to be had around issues of corruption, governance, natural resource protection, civil society, human-rights and associated expenditure on the soft infrastructure that enables development."New Guinea is one of only five countries experiencing the return of polio. It faces endemic problems including corruption, tribal and urban violence, preventable disease outbreaks, a flawed currency and an ailing economy.According to Rice, also a current La Trobe University research candidate on Australia's aid program in Papua New Guinea, told Business Insider that inclusive infrastructure investment may be welcome, but other reactive expenditure on short-term public diplomacy is simply ineffective.Such efforts in an attempt to increase Australia's profile and influence in the region come to nothing, when the have no long-term benefits.""(New infrastructure investment) should not come at the cost of what we know works - that is - long-term relationships, deep cultural understanding, and development cooperation which works primarily in the interests of the countries where Australia works," Rice told Business Insider.Speaking to an Australian parliamentary inquiry into the strategic effectiveness of Australia's aid program on Thursday, Rice proposed that Australia can "walk and chew gum at the same time" when it comes to establishing a development cooperation program driven by values, and given the same level of strategic priority as <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> within Australia's foreign policy architecture."My friends and colleagues from Papua New Guinea are fighting for the future of their country," Rice said. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-shouldnt-be-afraid-to-fly-2016-10">Why you shouldn't be afraid to fly, according to a pilot with over 20 years of experience </a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

APEC host Papua New Guinea doesn't need cheap cash and hollow promises, it needs a genuine solution

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul><li>Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, the Trump administration continues to reject the idea Afghanistan is America's "forever war" as the conflict nears its 17th anniversary.</li><li>Experts say America is losing the war even as the Pentagon contends increased military pressure will help spark peace talks.</li><li>Research shows the war has reached its deadliest point in years.&#xa0;&#xa0;</li><li>A US soldier on his 13th deployment overseas was killed in an insider attack in Afghanistan on Monday.&#xa0;</li></ul>Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Bolyard was on his <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/afghanistan-soldier-killed-attack-us-1104697">13th deployment overseas</a>&#xa0;when he was killed in an insider attack in Afghanistan on Monday. Bolyard, who was 42, had served in the US Army for 24 years and was less than two months away from coming home and retiring, <a href="http://www.wdtv.com/content/news/US-soldier-killed-in-Afghanistan-identified-as-man-from-West-Virginia-492455661.html">according to his son</a>. The following day, Army&#xa0;Staff Sgt. Diobanjo Sanagustin died in a non-combat incident at Bagram Airfield, becoming the&#xa0;seventh US service member killed there so far in 2018, fighting in a war that has largely been forgotten by the US public and that experts say America is losing.&#xa0;These deaths are another sign the war is not going well for the US as the Trump administration continues to avoid the subject or downplay the situation on the ground by pointing to signs of progress even as the death toll spikes higher. President Donald Trump is reportedly so eager to find a way out that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fear-trump-asked-27-year-old-body-man-what-to-do-in-afghanistan-2018-9">he's asking anyone around</a>, including his 27-year-old personal assistant, for military advice."Nobody really wants to come to grips with this war - particularly within the Pentagon or this administration," said Anthony Cordesman, one of three influential <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> experts who view the war as all but lost. "They're letting it slide out of visibility."<h2>The war is as deadly as ever</h2>Last year, Trump announced a new strategy in Afghanistan, which involved increasing US troop presence by several thousand, ramping up the US bombing campaign against the Taliban, and increased focus on training and assisting local forces.&#xa0;During a surprise visit to Kabul in July, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/video/pompeo-at-surprise-afghanistan-visit-the-president-s-strategy-is-indeed-working-1273175619507?v=raila&amp;">claimed the strategy was working</a> and suggested it was pushing the Taliban toward embracing a peace process. But the numbers surrounding the conflict paint a different picture.&#xa0;The Taliban <a href="https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2018-04-30qr.pdf">controls or contests</a> nearly half of all the country's districts and the Islamic State also has a foothold in the country.&#xa0;There are currently around 15,000 US troops stationed in Afghanistan. Their presence serves as a tenuous support system for a weak, corrupt Afghan government, which would undoubtedly fall if the US military suddenly pulled out. Safety can't even be guaranteed in the capital, which is frequently <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kabul-afghanistan-suicide-attack-sports-hall-shiite-dasht-e-barchi-area-isis/">the site of bombings</a> and other deadly violence.&#xa0;&#xa0;Meanwhile, recent research&#xa0;suggests the total number of battle deaths in Afghanistan, including civilians and combatants on both sides, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/this-graphic-shows-why-afghanistan-war-is-getting-worse-after-17-years-2018-8">will soon surpass 20,000 in 2018</a>. Based on this data, the war is at its deadliest point in years.&#xa0;<h2>'I can't guarantee you any timeline or an end date'</h2>Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, the Pentagon and Trump administration continue to reject the idea Afghanistan is America's "forever war" as the conflict nears its 17th anniversary.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff&#xa0;Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. in late August claimed he didn't believe the US would have an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-rules-out-an-enduring-large-military-footprint-in-afghanistan/2018/08/28/f56d306a-e045-4f7f-9242-b534cc0569c2_story.html">"enduring large military commitment."</a>&#xa0;Simultaneously, Defense Secretary James Mattis conceded the Afghanistan conflict is "not an easy fight," but pushed back against the notion the Taliban is routinely overpowering local forces trained by the US.&#xa0;"If you look at where the Taliban were and what they were claiming they were going to do two years ago, one year ago, they have not succeeded in taking down these towns and holding these towns," Mattis said at the time.&#xa0;But despite such assurances the US military and Trump administration still struggle to offer specifics on how long the US might remain in Afghanistan.&#xa0;Army Gen. Austin Scott Miller, the new commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, in June said he could not&#xa0;guarantee <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/new-general-takes-over-in-afghanistan-amid-questions-about-the-us-militarys-future-there/2018/08/31/c1383080-ac64-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?utm_term=.85b170fa945d">"any timeline or an end date"</a> regarding America's role in the conflict.&#xa0;<h2 data-elm-loc="8">'We are losing, if we have not already lost'</h2>As the war in Afghanistan has dragged on, historians and foreign policy analysts have often compared it to the Vietnam war.Benjamin Hopkins, a professor in international affairs and history at George Washington University who specializes in Afghanistan, says policy-makers continue to look back to the devastating, humiliating conclusion to America's war in Vietnam as they seek to wrap up the conflict in Afghanistan."I always tell my students that I think the iconic image of the chopper taking off from the US embassy in Saigon in 1975 is emblazoned in policy-makers' collective consciousness, and they are bound and determined not to have such a image - even if the outcome is the same," Hopkins told Business Insider.&#xa0;<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>In this context, it's not surprising to Hopkins the government isn't being particularly forthcoming about the state of the war.&#xa0;"Since early into the Obama administration, there has been a consensus amongst the US government and more broadly the American political establishment to play down this war," Hopkins said. "When, after all, was the last time Afghanistan made front page news? Yet it is the longest and, inflation adjusted, one of the most expensive wars in American history. And one we are losing, if we have not already lost," Hopkins added.&#xa0;<h2 data-elm-loc="8">'Nobody wants to admit this is a war of attrition'</h2>Cordesman,&#xa0;the Arleigh A. Burke chair in strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says there isn't as much "folly" surrounding Afghanistan as there was with Vietnam when it comes to the government's approach. But he added there's a general reluctance to acknowledge what the conflict really is: a war of attrition.&#xa0;"Nobody wants to admit this is a war of attrition," said Cordesman, an expert on the Middle East who has advised the Defense and State departments on Afghanistan.Wars of attrition generally end when both sides get exhausted and one side "unexpectedly breaks," he said, adding there's no way of knowing when that might occur.&#xa0;"None of this has a clear or predictable outcome and then the question comes to be, 'Is this war of attrition really worth the cost?' And that's a basic question you have to keep asking," Cordesman said.&#xa0;But Trump administration is seemingly determined to avoid this question.&#xa0;"This isn't so much the forgotten war but the unreported war, not necessarily in the press, but nobody really wants to come to grips with this war - particularly within the Pentagon or this administration. They're letting it slide out of visibility," Cordesman said.&#xa0;<h2 data-elm-loc="8">'It isn't so much that people don't care, it's they don't have to care'</h2>Cordesman pointed to the growing disconnect between the public and military as a large part of the problem.&#xa0;"You have such a tiny fraction of Americans who now assume the risk for everyone. It isn't so much that people don't care, it's they don't have to care," Cordesman said. "People are taking those who are off on their second or third tours for granted," Cordesman added. "You're asking a hell of a lot of a very few people.&#xa0;Being thanked for your service is a kind of cold thanks when you're coming home from the fights against extremism."<h2 data-elm-loc="8">'The US is largely irrelevant to the issue at this point'</h2>Andrew Bacevich,&#xa0;a professor of history and international relations at&#xa0;Boston University and retired Army colonel who fought in Vietnam, somewhat echoed these sentiments.&#xa0;"The difference between Vietnam and Afghanistan is that the American people cared about the Vietnam War," Bacevich said. "They don't care about the war in Afghanistan."At the end of the day, Bacevich says it's up to the Afghan government and Taliban to bring peace to the country.&#xa0;"I expect that the war there will end when the Taliban and the Afghan government decide to negotiate a peace," Bacevich said. "The US is largely irrelevant to the issue at this point."The US, Russian, and Afghan governments have all made efforts in recent months to spark peace talks with the Taliban, which has at times seemed open to such outreach. At the same time, history offers many reasons to be skeptical of these developments, particularly as the Taliban has made major gains over the past year and staged <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/world/asia/afghanistan-war-reflections.html#click=https://t.co/LH4TXHprYd">devastating attacks in multiple provinces</a> even within the past few weeks.&#xa0;<div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-british-airways-13-million-flight-simulator-2018-8">British Airways has a $13 million flight simulator that taught us how to take off, fly, and land an airplane</a></h3> <div> </div> </div></hr>

'We are losing': Trump and his top advisors aren't publicly admitting how bad things are in Afghanistan

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">AP Photo/Mark SchiefelbeinSecurity officials stand outside a perimeter fence for a secured area ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders' Week Summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>This weekend, 21 world leaders will make their way to Papua New Guinea for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, an event marked by controversy and questionable fashion photo ops.</li><li>The Pacific region is quickly turning into a contest for influence aligning China against everyone else.</li><li>China is winning for now, but impoverished nation's like Papua New Guinea often come out the loser.</li></ul>The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Summit or APEC, if you're feeling a little lost amid the proliferation of global get-togethers is the one where all the leaders line up afterward in colorful shirts, looking - as some commentators have quipped - out of place.Usually that's APEC's key takeaway - how out of place everyone is in the Pacific.This weekend, 21 world leaders will make their way to the faraway host of the annual APEC summit, an event often mired in controversy.This year, that diplomatic jostle will take place in Port Moresby, the dilapidated capital of perhaps the regions most resource-rich, yet poverty stricken state, Papua New Guinea (PNG).PNG is the poorest nation of the entire 21-country APEC bloc and its crime-riddled capital, beset by health challenges and institutional corruption, is the fifth least-livable city in the entire world.The summit's timing could certainly not be more interesting for struggling APEC nations keen to make the most out of the emergence of a sudden race for influence.In just the last week, the Pacific's simmering struggle for aid, loans and what is being termed "debt diplomacy" has suddenly gone on the boil.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Carl Court/Getty ImagesJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) and US Vice President Mike Pence (right).</div></div></div><h2>Superpowers jostling for position</h2>China, Australia, Japan and the US have all thrown down the gauntlet in the stampede to embed themselves in regional infrastructure projects and aid funding.On Thursday, Australia pledged $3 billion in what has been called Prime Minister Scott Morrison's "Pacific Pivot."On Friday, that pivot segued into a trilateral project as China pushed for cooperation and not competition in the Pacific.Over the weekend, as Vice President Mike Pence makes his circuitous way to Moresby (via Cairns) he is reported to be carrying the prototype of America's Indo-Pacific strategy, rumored to be based on $60 billion in regional assistance.<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/">Kyodo News of Japan</a> reports the $60 billion announcement is a bid to diminish China's rising influence through the extension of its One Belt One Road development strategy.The final piece of the Pacific puzzle, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will this Saturday, fly into Port Moresby's Chinese-built Jackson airport to share his two yen at the APEC summit.Likewise, Abe will be visiting friends and striving to bind new allegiances to counter China's successes in the Pacific, from the South China Seas to Fiji.So, with new acquaintances to make and money for sale, Port Moresby's flourishing corruption and eye level impoverishment will be the more than appropriate backdrop for the 21 world leaders' awkwardly iconic fashion shoots that traditionally close out the summit.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/south-china-sea-energy-reserves-china-wants-to-block-outsiders-2018-11">The South China Sea is fabled for its hidden energy reserves and China wants to block outsiders like the US from finding them</a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2018%3Anewsml_RC1D979ABC60%3A172824989&amp;search=all%3Axi%20jinping">Damir Sagolj/Reuters</a>Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects troops at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison in one of events marking the 20th anniversary of the city's handover from British to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong</div></div></div><h2>Chinese President Xi Jinping has a head start</h2>In fairly contrasting optics, Xi will arrive and stay in Moresby for a full state visit, the first by any Chinese president.The US President Donald Trump isn't attending at all.But Pence has decided that rather than stay in Port Moresby at all, he will fly in and out of Cairns in Northern Australia, a 180-minute commute.During his historic stay, Xi will attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting from November 17 to 18 and he will also meet the eight leaders of the Pacific Island countries that have diplomatic ties with China.Xi will then continue on to Brunei and the Philippines shoring up relations there, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang.China has also responded to concerns of its growing debt diplomacy in the region."China has no intention to touch the cheese of any country, instead China is committed to make the pie of cooperation larger," Chinese vice minister of foreign affairs Zheng Zeguang said on Tuesday."No country should try to obstruct the friendship and cooperation," Zheng said when asked about the expansion of Australian aid in the Pacific.Then in a fairly extraordinary opinion piece published on Wednesday in the <a href="https://postcourier.com.pg/set-sail-new-voyage-relations-china-pacific-island-countries/">Papua New Guinea Post-Courier</a>, and addressed to the people of PNG, Xi Jinping spoke of the "rapid growth of China-Papua New Guinea relations is an epitome of China's overall relations with Pacific island countries."The president said that first off China and the islands "need to bring our strategic trust to a higher level." "China will stand firm with Pacific island countries and all other developing countries. Following a policy of pursuing the greater good and shared interests under the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, China will enhance solidarity and cooperation with Pacific island countries, support their development, and help narrow down the development gap between the North and the South.""China will work with Pacific island countries to build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind."Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/australia-wants-to-challenge-chinese-influence-in-south-pacific-2018-11">Australia's new prime minister sounds like he wants to take on China's growing influence in the South Pacific</a>However welcome the intent, the goals are not so easy to kick in a region beset by inequality, poverty and corruption.To the chagrin of most observers and a small contingent of striking workers, PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has gone on a bit of a wild spending spree ahead of the summit.With a tight budget, some workers downed tools when Maseratis began arriving in numbers at Jackson International airport, brought in for the leaders.Despite more than one-third (37%) of his country according to the UN Development Program living way down below the poverty line, O'Neill decided to welcome leaders with several Bentleys and the extra 40 luxury Maseratis specifically flown in for the meetings.PNG, which is the one nation (aside from the wayward Australian state of Victoria) signed up to China's One Belt One Road initiative, has been a key beneficiary of Chinese investment and many of it's infrastructure projects will be in display in Port Moresby.Beijing has fixed bits of the airport, had a crack at some transport infrastructure without enormous progress, donated a squad of fire trucks, somewhere near 50 coaches and 35 mini-buses to shuttle officials to and from the a $35 million convention center built with Chinese money by Chinese companies and workers.Dr. Graeme Smith, a research fellow at the Australian National University's Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs told Business Insider that it is likely China has invested somewhere around double the $3 billion it is rumored to have staked in PNG.To keep its hands clean in a time of added scrutiny, neighboring Australia, PNG's biggest aid-donor and former colonial power broker, is not providing any direct financial assistance for the APEC summit, but is flexing its security muscle and military ties, providing assistance to the tune of $130 million of APEC's total costs.Some 4,000 members of the PNG disciplinary forces and their international counterparts will be patrolling the city for the summit, including 1,500 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel supporting PNG's Joint Security Task Force, with just under 500 of those on the ground in Port Moresby.For back up, Australia has mobilized up to 16 Super Hornet aircraft to be based near Cairns and three Royal Navy ships are stationed off Port Moresby, accompanied by one helicopter landing dock and several patrol boats.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">AP Photo/Mark SchiefelbeinA worker adjusts a rope line outside of APEC Haus, the main venue of the APEC Economic Leaders' Week Summit as a military ship is anchored just offshore in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.</div></div></div><h2>So who is coming this year?</h2>Almost 30 years old, APEC began in 1989, to encourage tighter regional economic integration for the Pacific Rim.Most of the 21 APEC members are from this pacific region with the addition of Russia, United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru, together accounting for 2.7 billion people - more than a third of the world's population.Headlining in 2018 is undoubtedly China's Xi Jinping.Japan's Abe, Canada's Justin Trudeau, South Korea's Moon Jae-in and New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern will also be there alongside the new Australian leader Scott Morrison.While Pence is standing-in for Trump, so too will Vladimir Putin's proxy, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, fly the Russian flag.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">AP Photo/Mark SchiefelbeinWorkers put up a billboard reading "The world is watching, keep our city clean an safe" on a wall along a street ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders' Week Summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.</div></div></div><h2>Putting Papua New Guinea on the map</h2>PNG's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says he expects $85 million will be spent by leaders during the time of APEC alone and that playing host will put PNG on the map.O'Neill, whose first move as prime minister was to scrap the anti-corruption body <a href="http://www.devpolicy.org/drowning-not-waving-an-update-from-pngs-taskforce-sweep-20151113/">Taskforce Sweep</a> that ushered him into power and then began looking into his own affairs, has allocated around $350 million for the event.Responding to some of the considerable flak that has come his way, O'Neill says PNG is in fact hosting the cheapest APEC meeting compared to other countries. O'Neill said PNG is on the cusp of hosting one of the cheapest APEC Leaders meetings in history."We were given the green light to host APEC in October 2016 and in the same year, we budgeted ($US7.5 million) K25 million towards APEC."That seems unlikely considering the summit's APEC house centerpiece is thought to have cost $75 million alone.Stephen Howes, the Director of the Development Policy Centre and Professor of Economics in the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU says the timing is not so great for a PNG facing mounting debts and rising corruption. "Excessive borrowing in the boom years has now come back to haunt the government following a collapse in revenue," wrote in the ANU's <a href="http://www.eastasiaforum.org/">East Asia Forum</a>. But in the second most rural country worldwide, Howes added that there is a stronger, more damning indicator for how things are faring in PNG.What has really caught the public's attention is the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-27/polio-outbreak-declared-in-png-18-years-after-polio-free-status/9913684">return of polio</a>, previously eliminated from PNG about 20 years ago."PNG is one of only <a href="http://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-now/">five countries in the world</a> experiencing a polio comeback.""That the other members of this club are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Nigeria and Somalia - all four wrought by violence - shows the extent of the health crisis that PNG is facing," Howes said."The most recent symptoms of this crisis include the resurgence of malaria and leprosy, and reports of <a href="http://www.devpolicy.org/severe-drug-and-equipment-shortages-port-moresby-general-hospital-20180523">worsening drug shortages</a>."Australian freelance journalist Jo Chandler herself contracted drug-resistant tuberculosis while investigating the growing crisis.So what does Howes expect will come of PNG's APEC?APEC he says will deliver a mild economic stimulus, and is expected to be accompanied by a round of "announceables."This is perhaps more likely than ever as the four regional pacific powers make their various bids for lasting influence."These may come from China or resource projects. Perhaps PNG will get more aid, but any <a href="https://www.businessadvantagepng.com/oneill-to-announce-preliminary-agreements-for-papua-lng-and-wafi-golpu-to-coincide-with-apec-leaders-meeting/?utm_source=Business+Advantage+PNG+weekly+update&amp;utm_campaign=0341d77c97-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_23_02_52&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_02084d248f-0341d77c97-412884301">resource project agreements</a> will be ones that were already in the pipeline.Howes says that it is widely accepted (including by the government) that PNG needs to get a better deal from its resource projects. Rushing agreements so that they can be announced at APEC only weakens PNG's negotiating hand."By the same token though, APEC is meant to be about reform and development. PNG could have used its hosting of APEC to push through important change in a range of critical policy areas. It hasn't.""Whatever happens at the leaders' meeting this year, in this fundamental sense APEC 2018 is a lost opportunity for its host." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deadly-life-boston-gangster-whitey-bulger-2015-9">The true story behind Boston gangster Whitey Bulger</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

The poorest nation in the Pacific will host its richest economic get-together, and it could descend into a dash for cash

The Oval is the venue where the final Test of the English summer is played. In the current series between <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/teams/england/3001/home">England</a> and India, England hold the upper hand, having won convincingly in Southampton and Old Trafford. India, on the other hand, have lost all momentum after their victory at Lord's. If they have to salvage something in this series, then they need to win at The Oval to turn the corner in performances outside of the subcontinent. 
 
Traditionally, The Oval is considered a flat deck even though it gives ample assistance to spinners. India's record at this venue is a bit of a mixed game. This was here that they won their first Test in England in 1971, a victory that sealed their first series win in the country. But victory has eluded them since. At the start of the 21st century, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/teams/india/4001/home">India</a> have played three Tests and drawn two. This table gives the W/L ratio of the teams at The Oval. 
 
<table class="tableizer-table">
	<tbody>
		<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
			<th>
				TEAM</th>
			<th>
				SPAN</th>
			<th>
				MATCHES</th>
			<th>
				WON</th>
			<th>
				LOST</th>
			<th>
				DRAWN</th>
			<th>
				W/L RATIO</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				PAKISTAN</td>
			<td>
				1954-2010</td>
			<td>
				9</td>
			<td>
				4</td>
			<td>
				3</td>
			<td>
				2</td>
			<td>
				1.33</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				WEST INDIES</td>
			<td>
				1928-2004</td>
			<td>
				16</td>
			<td>
				6</td>
			<td>
				7</td>
			<td>
				3</td>
			<td>
				0.85</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				AUSTRALIA</td>
			<td>
				1880-2013</td>
			<td>
				36</td>
			<td>
				6</td>
			<td>
				16</td>
			<td>
				14</td>
			<td>
				0.37</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				INDIA</td>
			<td>
				1936-2011</td>
			<td>
				11</td>
			<td>
				1</td>
			<td>
				3</td>
			<td>
				7</td>
			<td>
				0.33</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				NEW ZEALAND</td>
			<td>
				1931-1999</td>
			<td>
				9</td>
			<td>
				1</td>
			<td>
				4</td>
			<td>
				4</td>
			<td>
				0.25</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				SOUTH AFRICA</td>
			<td>
				1907-2012</td>
			<td>
				14</td>
			<td>
				1</td>
			<td>
				6</td>
			<td>
				7</td>
			<td>
				0.16</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				SRI LANKA</td>
			<td>
				1998-1998</td>
			<td>
				1</td>
			<td>
				1</td>
			<td>
				0</td>
			<td>
				0</td>
			<td>
				0</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
 
India have a better W/L ratio here than the current No.1 ranked team in Tests. South Africa, who have won only one Test in 14 attempts, achieved victory only in 2012, their first at this venue since they started playing at The Oval 105 years ago. Among all visiting teams, Pakistan have the best W/L ratio, having not lost at this venue since 1967*. 
 
*There is a dispute regarding the result of the 2006 match. <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/teams/pakistan/7001/home">Pakistan</a> have called for the match to be drawn while the match has been awarded to England due to Pakistan's refusal to play. 
 
Spin vs pace at The Oval 
 
This table showcases the amount of wickets taken by spin and pace. The first table is from the 2000-2007 period while the second is between 2008 until August 2014. 
 
<table class="tableizer-table">
	<tbody>
		<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
			<th>
				BOWLING TYPE</th>
			<th>
				WICKETS TAKEN</th>
			<th>
				AVERAGE</th>
			<th>
				FIVE WKT HAUL</th>
			<th>
				10 WKT HAUL</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				PACE</td>
			<td>
				62</td>
			<td>
				32.07</td>
			<td>
				2</td>
			<td>
				0</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				SPIN</td>
			<td>
				42</td>
			<td>
				42.53</td>
			<td>
				3</td>
			<td>
				2</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
 
<table class="tableizer-table">
	<tbody>
		<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
			<th>
				BOWLING TYPE</th>
			<th>
				WICKETS TAKEN</th>
			<th>
				AVERAGE</th>
			<th>
				FIVE WKT HAUL</th>
			<th>
				10 WKT HAUL</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				PACE</td>
			<td>
				61</td>
			<td>
				28.19</td>
			<td>
				3</td>
			<td>
				0</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				SPIN</td>
			<td>
				44</td>
			<td>
				24.06</td>
			<td>
				1</td>
			<td>
				0</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
 If you compare the performance in both periods, then the first period is dominated by pace in all aspects. In the second period, although pace has taken more wickets, the spinners have chipped regularly thus giving them a better average. <keyword id="17439" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shane-Warne">Shane Warne</keyword> and <keyword id="62118" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Graeme-Swann">Graeme Swann</keyword> topped the bowling charts in the first and second time periods respectively. However, the pacers have held their own at this venue, suggesting that the wicket is a bit of a mixed bag. There will be assistance for both spinners and pacers and team composition will play a huge role for both teams. 
 
Batters paradise 
 
<table class="tableizer-table">
	<tbody>
		<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
			<th>
				AVERAGE OF BATSMEN AT THE OVAL 2008-2014</th>
			<th>
				81.41</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				AVERAGE OF BATSMEN AT THE OVAL 2000-2007</td>
			<td>
				62.36</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
 
<table class="tableizer-table">
	<tbody>
		<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
			<th>
				NUMBER OF FIFTIES/HUNDREDS AT THE OVAL IN 2008-2014</th>
			<th>
				8/7</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				NUMBER OF FIFTIES/HUNDREDS AT THE OVAL IN 2000-2007</td>
			<td>
				9/6</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
 
If one has to compare the batting average of The Oval with its northern neighbour, Lord's, it is significantly higher. From 2008 to 2014, the average of batsmen is over 80, the most for an England venue. Batsmen have always feasted at this venue. <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/kevin-pietersen/3001/3050">Kevin Pietersen</a> and <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/alastair-cook/3001/3056">Alastair Cook</a> have two hundreds at this venue, <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/ian-bell/3001/3048">Ian Bell</a> has a highest score of 235 while <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/hashim-amla/8001/8034">Hashim Amla</a> scored South Africa's first individual triple-hundred at this venue. <keyword id="2727" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rahul-Dravid">Rahul Dravid</keyword> has an average of 110.75 in four Tests at this venue. The batting average and the number of fifties/centuries scored at this venue has been fairly consistent across both time periods. 
 
Average innings score at The Oval 
 
<table class="tableizer-table">
	<tbody>
		<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
			<th>
				TEAM INNINGS</th>
			<th>
				AVERAGE</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				1ST INNINGS</td>
			<td>
				406</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				2ND INNINGS</td>
			<td>
				356</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				3RD INNINGS</td>
			<td>
				245</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				4TH INNINGS</td>
			<td>
				234</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
 
Looking at the statistics, the team that bats first and puts up a big total on the board has the advantage at this venue. The pitch is excellent for batting on the first two days and then it starts to crumble. Batting has traditionally not been easy in the third or fourth innings at this venue and both teams will be vary of this fact. 
 
County trends at The Oval 
 Surrey are the county side that play their home first-class games at The Oval in Division 2. At the start of the summer in April, the UK was under the midst of a wet spell and that had spiced up the pitches that were used in the venue. In Surrey's first game against Glamorgan, no side managed to go past 300, with Surrey getting blown away for 81 in the second innings thanks to a haul of 6/29 from <keyword id="2472321" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Graham-Wagg">Graham Wagg</keyword>. Surrey went on to lose the match by 10 wickets. 
 
In the next match against Essex, rain played spoilsport but both teams managed to score in excess of 250 as the match was drawn. Their next encounter against Gloucestershire was a low-scoring thriller with both teams getting bowled out for under 200. Set 267 for victory on a difficult wicket, Surrey chased it down thanks to Graeme Smith's 103 as they won the match by four wickets. In that match, Chris Tremlett picked up 6/59. 
 
In the game against Worcestershire, Surrey were blown away by <a href="http://www.gocricket.com/player/moeen-ali/3001/3153">Moeen Ali</a>'s 162 but the home team held on for a draw despite following on. Surrey achieved their first 500-plus score for the first time at home this season against Leicestershire as they won the match by 10 wickets. Another high-scoring draw ensued against Hampshire after Surrey racked up 474. 
 In the game against Kent, they were outplayed by a haul of 9/178 from <keyword id="159148" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Darren-Stevens">Darren Stevens</keyword> as they lost the match. Kent had notched up 408 and Surrey responded with 398. In the second innings, Kent managed 292 and Surrey folded up for 213. 
 
The trend that can be established from this is that the pitches employed at The Oval this season have gotten better. Teams are managing to score over 400 on a regular basis. The last match against Kent fits the normal Test wicket that The Oval normally produces. It is good for batting and crumbles away as the game wears on. 
 
Conclusion 
 
The situation confronting India is pretty similar to the one they faced against Australia in 1981. After losing the first Test, they drew the second and won the third to level the series. In England 2014, India are currently trailing 1-2 and a win will go a long way in salvaging some pride for them. With their overseas record deteriorating and with all top players under immense pressure, India can take a leaf out of their opponents book by performing like they did in 2003. Against South Africa at The Oval in 2003, a double-ton from Marcus Trescothick and a fine bowling display helped England finish the summer on a high by drawing the series 2-2. That win was the revival of their cricketing fortunes. India will be hoping that a win in 2014 at this venue sparks off a similar trend.

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