Month: March 2017

Sport24.co.za | Guptill heroics won’t earn Test recall: NZ coach

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill’s record-breaking performance in a one-day international against South Africa is not enough to secure him a Test recall, Black Caps coach Mike Hesson said on Thursday. Guptill smashed an unbeaten 180 off 138 balls as the Black Caps beat South Africa by seven wickets in Hamilton on Wednesday, the highest-ever score by a New Zealander against the Proteas.

Sport24.co.za | Tendulkar backs India to rebound in Bangalore

Sachin Tendulkar expects India to hit back hard in the second Test against Australia beginning Saturday in Bangalore after their shock defeat in the opening encounter. Australia’s crushing 333-run win in the first Test in Pune last weekend was the tourists’ first victory in India since 2004 and ended a 19-match unbeaten run for Virat Kohli’s world number one team.

.com | Land reform favours businesses, not the poor – study

The land reform system in South Africa favours agricultural businesses and sidelines the intended beneficiaries, research in the Eastern Cape suggests. In a recent study of land reform in the Sarah Baartman district in the Eastern Cape, researchers Ruth Hall and Thembela Kepe found that none of the 11 beneficiaries investigated had any documented rights to their land, GroundUp reported.

Demolition in Jerusalem leaves 30 Palestinians homeless

Last month, Israeli authorities demolished at least three homes in Issawiya in a singe day, and in January, a man in the neighborhood was forced to demolish his own home in compliance with an order from the municipality. I sraeli forces demolished a building in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya on Wednesday morning without giving prior warning, leaving 30 Palestinians homeless, under the pretext that the building lacked the nearly impossible to obtain construction permits required by Israeli authorities.

Saudi Arabia to grant Indonesia $1B for economic development

Jakarta and Riyadh also inked an agreement that builds on an existing $6 billion deal between state-owned energy firms Aramco and Pertamina to expand an Indonesian oil refinery. Saudi Arabia and Indonesia Wednesday signed agreements in areas ranging from trade to aviation as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman visited the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

Sport24.co.za | Blitzboks at full strength for Vegas 7s

World Rugby Sevens Series leaders South Africa and two-time defending series champion Fiji welcome back top players for the USA Sevens tournament that begins on Friday at Las Vegas. The Blitzboks top the table with 85 points after wins in Wellington and Sydney plus the season-opener at Dubai but lost the Cape Town final to England, who are second on 68, four points ahead of Fiji in third.

SWIMMING: Jazz helps to bring on the next generation

DOUBLE Olympic silver medallist Jazz Carlin is taking on a mentoring role as she heads out to the United States this week for training and competition. Swindon’s Carlin, who lives in Bradford on Avon and is coached by Dave McNulty at the British Swimming National Centre Bath, is working with a group of 17 promising female swimmers – all aged between 16 and 18 – as part of the new Performance Foundations Pilot Programme.

The White House is considering direct military action to…

In a dramatic shift from traditional policy, an internal White House review on North Korean strategy revealed that the option to use military force, or a regime change to curb the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons was on the table, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. This review comes at the heels of a report claiming President Donald Trump believed the ” greatest immediate threat ” to the US was North Korea’s nuclear program.

Amateur Boxing: Ciren claim double win

CIRENCESTER ABC’s Ethan Frayling travelled to Banbury with coach Tom Varey where he was in action against Elliot Durbin, from Banbury ABC, the 16-year-old Frayling winning a split decision. On the same day, Cirencester travelled to Bristol where Johnny Varey was in action in the Junior and Cadets championships.

NETBALL: Lawn victorious in their Burmah battle

BOTTOM Lawn A came out on top in their Swindon & District Division One battle with Burmah A on Saturday, defensive player Ehlana Tiley receiving their player of the match award in a 36-34 victory. In Division Two, the B teams of Lawn and Burmah also played out a close battle, Lawn emerging triumphant 34-30, with goalkeeper Charlotte Clinton being Lawn’s player of the match Lawn C were dominant over Pinehurst C with a 40-27, goal attack Maya Dennison putting in another outstanding performance to earn player of the match honours.

HOCKEY: Tom tees up home success in derby

SWINDON are still holding faint promotion hopes from the GoCrea8 League Conference North after putting county rivals Devizes to the sword 4-0 on Saturday. With four games to go, Swindon are six points behind second-placed side Robinsons A, with all four of those games against teams below them in the table.

Islamophobia Gradually Becoming Institutionalised – OIC Sec-gen

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Secretary-General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen expressed serious concern that Islamophobia, an affront to human rights and dignity of Muslims, is gradually becoming institutionalised or the norm. The rise in religious hatred and resultant religious extremism particularly Muslim discrimination has reached alarming levels, he said in an OIC statement.

Lawyers sue Chinese authorities for not getting rid of smog

Lawyer Cheng Hai has an itemized list of compensation demands from Beijing authorities over the city’s smog: 65 yuan for having to buy face masks, 100 yuan for seeing a doctor for a sore throat and 9,999 yuan for emotional distress. Fed up with what they consider halfhearted efforts to fight air pollution, Cheng and like-minded lawyers are putting China’s legal system to the test by suing the governments of the capital and its surrounding regions.

RPT-Freight and fridge sales: Indian economists seek GDP clues amid data doubts

NEW DELHI, March 1 Surprised again by India’s strong official growth statistics, economists are relying increasingly on high-frequency indicators like bank credit and rail freight to gauge the real health of Asia’s third-largest economy. For India’s cash-reliant economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision in November to outlaw old 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes came as a big shock.

Monaco down Marseille in French Cup thriller, PSG through

Thomas Lemar’s extra-time winner sent Monaco into the quarter-finals of the French Cup after a thrilling 4-3 victory over Olympique de Marseille on Wednesday as holders Paris St Germain left it late to down Ligue 2 side Niort. Lemar scored with a powerful shot from inside the box in the 113th minute after Marseille had come from behind three times.

Agriculture seen as No 2 environmental problem

Results of the 2016 Public Perceptions of New Zealand’s Environment survey were revealed on February 17 in an 82-page report by Profs Ken Hughey, Geoff Kerr, and Ross Cullen. Asked to identify the most important environmental issues facing New Zealand today, 31.1% of survey respondents said ”water related”, 9.9% said ”agriculture related”, 8.8% said ”greenhouse gases, climate change and ozone”, and 8.4% said ”waste”.

Team Wellington one point away from OFC Champions League semifinals

The New Zealand champions left it late to see off a spirited challenge from the hosts of Group B, Hienghene Sport, on Wednesday night at Stade Yoshida in Kone, New Caledonia, scoring two goals in the final six minutes to win 3-1. Tom Jackson had got them off to the perfect start with a his goal in the 12th minute, but Hienghene fought back through a wonder goal from New Caledonia international Bertrand Kai in the 33rd minute.

Rising inflation to stir ECB stimulus grumbling

Frankfurt, Germany a Official figures are expected to show inflation in the 19-country eurozone rose again in February – a development that would further galvanize critics of the European Central Bank’s stimulus efforts. The inflation number to be announced Thursday could reach 1.9 percent thanks to rising oil prices, according to a survey of analyst estimates compiled by financial data provider FactSet.

Man put on probation for trying to export rifles to Belarus

A United Arab Emirates man who admitted he conspired to export sniper rifles from the United States to Belarus has been sentenced by a federal judge in Utah to five years of probation. U.S. District Judge Dee Benson also ordered Kolar Rahman Anees Ur Rahman to forfeit more than $13,000 he sent to an undercover Department of Homeland Security agent as payment for the unlawful shipment of the weapons to the eastern European country.

UN panel alleges Aleppo war crimes; Syria talks inch forward

Paulo Pinheiro, Chairperson of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, speaks to the media during a press conference, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, March 1, 2017. GENEVA – A U.N. panel said Wednesday the evacuation of eastern Aleppo, after months of siege and aerial bombing by Russian and Syrian forces, was one of many war crimes committed by those fighting for control of the city.

‘I’ll fight to the end’: Fillon vows to stay in French race

Conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon, centre left, makes his way while visiting the Agriculture Fair in Paris, France. Photo / AP Conservative candidate Francois Fillon has vowed to pursue his campaign for the French presidency despite receiving a summons from magistrates investigating allegations he paid his British wife more than 900,000 for a fictitious job.

Russia-backed rebels take over factories, mines in Ukraine

Russian-backed rebels are taking over scores of factories and mines in eastern Ukraine, many of them belonging to a tycoon whose foundation has been the largest provider of humanitarian aid to a war-battered population. The moves announced Wednesday by the rebels came after a weekslong blockade of the east by Ukrainian nationalists and right-wingers.

Aerosmitha s Buck Johnson to perform at Sweetwater

Buck Johnson has shared the stage with the likes of Aerosmith and written for artists like Carlos Santana, but for the keyboardist, there’s nothing like performing his own music. “To play for a handful of people or thousands of people, makes no difference,” says Johnson on the phone from Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives.

Recticel improves annual sales, relaunches Czech plant

Brussels-based Recitcel declared force majeure and halted production at its plant in Most, Czech Republic, after a fire there. Recticel Group has reported higher sales for 2016, and remains optimistic for this year despite the fire that broke out at its Most, Czech Republic plant in January The fire forced Brussels-based Recticel to halt the production of components for car makers, such as PSA Group, Volkswagen, Daimler and Renault.