Latest news with #Benjamin
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Italy score, Australia assist: How expats from Down Under returned to their roots and fuelled cricket's revival in the football-obsessed nation
Harry Manenti in many ways defines what Italy's cricket is all about. Man of the Series in the tournament that sealed Azzurri's qualification to the T20 World Cup to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka next February-March, Manenti's family has Italian roots. His father played professional rugby for Benetton in Brescia at the foot of the Alps and, growing up in Sydney, cricket remained a part of their household. Apart from weekend games with the large Italian community in the bustling city, his elder brother Benjamin has been a regular in Australia's first-class system. Yet, playing in the World Cup still looked like a dream too far until a phone call arrived four years ago. It all started with Benjamin applying for a European passport and looking for avenues to play cricket in the UK. 'Our father had shown us the route, and when Ben was looking for opportunities, he had also enrolled for the Big Bash. With his name circling, the Italy federation saw the last name and reached out asking if he was available to play for them. Then he told them about me and all of a sudden, I was playing in Italy with Ben joining a year later,' Manenti tells The Indian Express. The Manentis, like over a million others in Australia with Italian roots, have long shared a common dream — to keep cricket around them at all times. Harry and Benjamin's parents, like many others, migrated to Australia at the end of World War II in search of better opportunities. Cricket, which had been a prominent sport back in Italy before the War, was too hard to let go of. Down Under with facilities that are second to none, they went about building a strong base, establishing clubs in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide which have players only of Italian origin. The Manentis are part of this sound eco-system where their weekends would be spent with the community and beyond. Italy captain Joe Burns, who once wore the famous Australian Baggy Green before becoming an Azzurri in 2024, posted an emotional message after qualification, that read: 'This triumph is more than cricket'. *** Most things about Italian cricket are fascinating. It's a sport that's completely banned in the northern town of Monfalcone because it caused significant disturbance to the locals. And that wasn't the first time the sport was banned in Italy. Cricket, which was first played in Italy in 1890, was once on an equal footing with football when the English moved to their shores. In fact, Genoa, the Serie A football club, started as a cricket club. So did the European powerhouse AC Milan, which has retained its English name as against the Italian Milano. Clubs would then spring up in Turin as well, with cricket being played in the summer before football became the sport for the winter months. 'When Italy was unified in 1870, the English had helped a lot,' Simone Gambino, the honorary president of the Italian Cricket Federation (ICF) says. 'In the three cities – Genoa, Milan and Turin, which we call the industrial triangle, there were a lot of English. They brought cricket here, similar to what they did in India. These cities still go by the English name because of their influence. For 20 years till World War II, cricket and football lived together in these English clubs. It just disappeared after fascism set in,' Gambino says. According to Gambino, in the World War era, cricket only continued in Rome's religious colleges run by the English and Scots. The scene would continue till the end of WW II, when the English started to arrive back in Italy. 'Post War, they re-sent a lot of people and particularly in Rome, there was a flood of cricketing activities through the religious institutes and priests. There is a team of the Vatican these days called St. Peter's Cricket Club. And it's the Pope's team, it's the team of the Vatican. It is nearly entirely composed of Indian and Sri Lankan priests,' Gambino says. Having learnt the sport from his American grandfather while growing up in London, Gambino says when he arrived in Italy in the late 1970s as a teenager, many Italian expats played cricket. With quality being poor, Gambino admits it never flourished and by the mid-90s, the arrival of the Asian population saw a complete takeover. But what Gambino and ICF didn't realise was that indigenous Italians who moved elsewhere after World War II didn't abandon cricket. Gambino, who doesn't forget to remind that Ted Dexter and Daniel Vettori were of Italian heritage, reveals that a majority of Italians who moved to England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand post World War II kept cricket within their grasp. 'In Melbourne's JICA league, there is a team called Rosebank made up of only Italians which has been winning the title for the last 10 years. The whole focus of the last 20 years of ICC policy has been on development and spreading the game. And a lot of money has been spent on this. But unfortunately, you cannot spread the culture quickly. Culture needs time. Football is popular all over the world. A lot of money was spent about 10 years ago to get football going in India, but it doesn't work. A lot of Italians kept the cricket culture going wherever they settled,' says Gambino was ICF chair from 1986 to 2016 before taking up the honorary role. While the arrival of thousands of expats from the Indian sub-continent has kept club-level cricket flourishing in Italy, what is also undeniable is that the local population hasn't taken up the game as much as those of the previous generations. Gambino, while mentioning the reason for Monfalcone banning cricket, explains the game in Italy in a nutshell. 'In Monfalcone, obviously there is some racism by the Italians against the Bengalis. But it also must be said that the Bengalis are using cricket as a device to do their own thing. When I was the chairman, we offered the Bengali community to play on a beautiful grass baseball ground, but they weren't interested. The people who have been forbidden from playing cricket in Monfalcone are not clubs or teams, but a bunch of people who just want to go out and bat and bowl at random places in the streets. We want to introduce the sport in schools. It shouldn't be seen as a sub-continent sport played by expats. It is a sport for everyone, including the Italians,' Gambino says. A post shared by ICC (@icc) *** Peter Di Venuto can well be called as Italy cricket's flagbearer in Australia. While his brother, Michael, played nine ODIs for Australia before switching to Italy in 2012, Peter turned out for Italy apart from playing club-level cricket in Tasmania, where he now resides. After gaining T20I status in 2019, Peter has played a big role in uniting the Italian community in Australia in terms of exploring the option of turning out for Azzurri. It was Peter who had reached out to the Manentis with the idea of playing for Italy. 'There are a lot of them who are interested. We could have had Spencer Johnson playing for us, but he got picked in franchise cricket and he turned out for Australia soon after. Now, we're establishing academies in Australia for Italian citizens, dual citizens for boys and girls to be able to support the national team in Italy as we progress towards the Olympics,' he says. Di Venuto adds: 'So in terms of a strategy, it's very much part of our strategy to engage with Italians all over the world. It doesn't just exist in Italy. You have got a huge settlement here and players who have access to the best facilities and some even feature in domestic tournaments. If they believe it is not logical to get into the Australian team, they have Italy as an option. There are many in South Africa as well, who are showing interest. The qualification has improved the profile of the team and a lot of them want to get involved already.' Cricket finding its way into the Olympics has already given a much-needed boost to the sport in Italy. According to Di Venuto, players are now tested every 12 months by the Italian National Olympic Committee and a database has already been put in place. Like Gambino, Di Venuto admits the interest among the locals has dwindled. 'The school programme started two years back, so we have to see how it goes. In the meantime, we thought about how we keep improving and in Australia, we had a good system in place already,' he says. 'A lot of us have grown up playing the game here and have a skill set that we all feel should be empowered to do something back to honour our heritage and roots back in Italy. And that part has been the motivation of this team. People moving out of India and Pakistan take cricket with them. We are no different. We took cricket with us from Italy and continued it here,' De Veuto adds. Manenti, meanwhile, is already dreaming about the T20 World Cup. The tournament might still be six months away, but the all-rounder is already manifesting the idea of playing in front of packed crowds. 'I want India or Australia in our pool. Growing up in Australia, supporting the Australian cricket team is something that I've always dreamt of. But to then play them in a World Cup would be amazing,' he says. 'Also playing India in a World Cup in India would probably just about be the most incredible thing that you can do in any sport in the world, I would think. So I don't mind where we play, when India is playing at home, irrespective of the venue, it will be packed.'
Reuters
4 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Bank of England will aim for 'ample' reserves in UK financial system, official says
LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - The Bank of England is aiming for Britain's financial system to have an "ample" level of reserves rather than a scarcity or the current surplus as it unwinds its past asset purchases, senior official Nathanael Benjamin said on Wednesday. Benjamin, the BoE's executive director for financial stability strategy and risk, said that banks with access to BoE liquidity facilities would have incentives not to hoard reserves and to ensure that they spread through the financial system. "If we get the calibration of incentives right across our monetary operating framework and regulatory frameworks, reserves should be neither scarce nor abundant - just ample," he said at an event hosted by the OMFIF central banking think tank. The BoE is currently unwinding its past quantitative easing asset prices at a pace of 100 billion pounds ($134 billion) a year - although some investors think this will slow over the next 12 months - and COVID-era liquidity provided to banks is expiring. As a result, banks will need to make increasing use of the BoE's weekly auctions of 7-day and 6-month funds, which they can access in exchange for high-quality collateral such as British government bonds and certain loans. Benjamin said banks needed to ensure they had sufficient suitable assets to use as collateral both in good times and bad. "It is important that they ... maintain enough 'dry powder' to source additional reserves from us in stress and also consider what collateral they have available to source liquidity from private-sector funding markets," he said. The growing role of financial firms other than banks in British lending markets also made it important to create incentives so that banks with direct access to BoE liquidity facilities lent funds to other firms, Benjamin added. To achieve this, the BoE wanted to ensure that banks "would also have incentives not to hoard excess and unneeded liquidity, and would instead redistribute it to the rest of the system where it might be more needed." ($1 = 0.7472 pounds)
GMA Network
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Benjamin Alves kay Chelsea Robato: 'She's your reason to wake up, she's your reason to come home also'
Inihayag ni Benjamin Alves ang magandang katangian na nagustuhan niya sa asawang si Chelsea Robato. Ang aktor, may madamdaming mensahe rin sa kanilang future baby. Sa "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda" nitong Martes, inilahad ni Benjamin ang best quality ni Chelsea. "May certain lightness siya, Tito Boy, na hindi nawawala. Despite sa kung ano man ang pinagdadaanan, or sa amin, or even with her life, may lightness na hindi nawawala," sabi ni Benjamin. Ayon kay Benjamin, may mga pagkakataong nasasabik na siyang umuwi mula sa trabaho para makasama ang asawa. "Naririnig nila sa akin 'yan, 'pag nasa taping na kami late at night na, 'Gusto ko nang umuwi sa asawa ko.' She's your reason to wake up, and then she's your reason to come home also." Dagdag pa ni Benjamin, hindi selosa si Chelsea at secured ito sa kaniya. Biro niya, ang mga aso lamang nila ang tanging pinagseselosan ni Chelsea. Para kay Benjamin, ang pagbuo na ng pamilya ang prayoridad niya ngayon, at susunod na lamang ang mga plano niya pagdating sa career. "We both have our dreams but it's not a dream kung hindi naka-align sa buhay niya eh. Like, let's say my dream would be to go into Hollywood but if we have a kid, easy choice. It would be, my priority is my wife and my family," anang Sparkle actor. "That is the dream. That is just whatever I'm having now as far as career, is a product of being happy at home," dagdag pa niya. May madamdaming mensahe si Benjamin sa future baby nila ni Chelsea. "Enjoy your life. If only you knew what your mom is going through and has to go through to bring you into this world, you don't know how strong your mom is," ayon sa actor. Ikinasal sina Benjamin at Chelsea sa Santuario de San Antonio Parish sa Makati City noong Enero 2024. Samantala, napanonood si Benjamin sa drama crime mystery series na "Akusada," na pinagbibidahan din nina Andrea Torres at Lianne Valentin, ng 4:05 p.m. sa GMA Afternoon Prime.—FRJ, GMA Integrated News
Middle East Eye
5 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Exclusive: Families of Israeli captives reach out to Hamas over fate of ceasefire talks
The families of Israeli captives held in Gaza reached out to Hamas through a representative to ask about the fate of stalled ceasefire talks, Middle East Eye can reveal. Sources told MEE that the third party reached out to Hamas after the captives' families feared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin was trying to torpedo a possible deal. A senior figure within Hamas told the representative to relay to the families that it was "serious" about reaching an agreement to end the war and release the captives, but that it was facing "intransigent Israeli positions", sources told MEE. "Hamas is serious about reaching an agreement to end the war and establish arrangements that ensure calm and stability. It has demonstrated significant flexibility and positive responsibility during the negotiation rounds," the sources quoted Hamas as saying. "Israel has insisted on continuing the war, destroying the Gaza Strip, displacing its population, and imposing a state of hunger, suffering, and ongoing massacres that have not ceased for a single day."
Middle East Eye
6 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Gaza: Families of Israeli captives contact Hamas over fate of ceasefire talks
The families of Israeli captives being held in Gaza reached out to Hamas through a representative to ask about the fate of stalled ceasefire talks, Middle East Eye can reveal. Sources told MEE that the third party reached out to Hamas after the captives' families feared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin was trying to torpedo a possible deal. A senior figure within Hamas told the representative it was "serious" about reaching an agreement to end the war and release the captives, but that it was facing "intransigent Israeli positions", sources told MEE. "Hamas is serious about reaching an agreement to end the war and establish arrangements that ensure calm and stability. It has demonstrated significant flexibility and positive responsibility during the negotiation rounds," the sources quoted Hamas as saying. "Israel has insisted on continuing the war, destroying the Gaza Strip, displacing its population, and imposing a state of hunger, suffering, and ongoing massacres that have not ceased for a single day." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Hamas and Israel reached a brief three-stage ceasefire in January, but the deal collapsed in March after Israel took back several of its captives and resumed bombing Gaza, walking away from the deal before talks with Hamas on a permanent end to the war could start. Since then, the Trump administration has given Israel full backing to wage war on Gaza. According to sources, the Hamas official told the representative that the Palestinian movement had complied with "everything stipulated" in the first phase of the previous ceasefire, which was supposed to transition to phase two talks on ending the war. Before withdrawing from the ceasefire, Hamas said that Israel committed "hundreds of violations", including deploying troops beyond 'buffer zones", killing 132 civilians, preventing the inflow of reconstruction material, and remaining in the Philadelphia Corridor that separates Gaza from Egypt. Hamas reportedly told the representative that despite Israel unilaterally resuming the war, it responded to proposals by mediators to revive the ceasefire, 'but Israel rejected them and insisted on releasing half of the Israeli prisoners without offering any guarantees that the war would cease. In fact, it openly insisted on its continuation'. As it stands, there are believed to be around 20 living captives in Gaza and just over 30 dead Israelis. Since the 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel, the country's military has only rescued eight captives in raids that have seen hundreds of Palestinians killed. Talks remain deadlocked On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said talks on a Gaza ceasefire were going along well, repeating remarks he made last week during a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In contrast, MEE reported on Saturday that Hamas negotiators were sceptical that a ceasefire agreement could be reached in the current round of talks in Doha, Qatar. Sources close to Palestinian negotiators said talks have remained deadlocked over at least two of four key issues. Exclusive: Gaza talks at risk after Israel refuses to withdraw from Rafah Read More » The first is the extent of the proposed Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip during a 60-day truce. The second is the method of aid distribution. The US has reportedly proposed postponing discussions on these two points, instead focusing on the names of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in exchange for the remaining Israeli captives. According to the sources, Hamas told the representative for the captives' families that it asked to amend three points related to the distribution of aid, the deployment of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and guarantees on ending the war after an initial 60-day truce is over. 'However, Israel has taken a hardline stance, particularly in its redeployment maps, where it seeks to control approximately 36 percent of the Gaza Strip's area and keep approximately 600,000 residents displaced and unable to return to their homes," Hamas is reported to have said. "Israel has repeatedly rejected our offer to return all Israeli prisoners at once in exchange for ending the war. "They rejected it and preferred a partial solution. This is a clear indication of their intention to continue the war and their disregard for prisoners as a central issue for Israeli society," it added. For more than 21 months, Israel has relentlessly bombed the besieged Gaza Strip, displacing the entire 2.3 million population multiple times, and has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. The figure also includes at least 1,400 health sector professionals, 280 United Nations aid workers - the highest staff death toll in UN history - and at least 228 journalists, with the highest number of media workers killed in conflict since the Committee to Protect Journalists began recording data in 1992.
