India secure series win

A superb unbeaten 86 from Rohit Sharma led India to a three wicket victory over West Indies Saturday to secure the five-match one day series for the tourists who now have an unassailable 3-0 lead. Sharma led India's recovery from 92 for six as they chased down 226 at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium. An 88-run partnership with Harbhajan Singh (41) put India back in contention and then Praveen Kumar (25 not out) saw the tourists through to a comfortable victory with 22 balls to spare. It was a day for lower order contributions with West Indies only managing to set a decent target thanks to an outstanding 92 not out from 84 balls by Jamaican Andre Russell. Russell's score is the highest made by a number nine batsman in one-day internationals and included a 78-run partnership with wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh as the Caribbean side recovered from 85-6. The big hitting innings included eight fours and five sixes as the success-starved home crowd were finally treated to some entertainment. Once again West Indies struggled against spin with leg-spinner Amit Mishra taking 3-28 from his ten allotted overs. Opener Lendl Simmons again was the pick of the West Indies batsmen with 45 before Mishra had him caught by Virat Kohli at slip but the middle order again failed. India's innings had a similar structure with opener Parthiv Patel hitting 46 but no-one else making a major contribution until Sharma's big knock turned the game. "That was a game that got away from us," said West Indies captain Darren Sammy. "Russell and Baugh got us back into it and the guys were confident but we lacked the killer instinct after taking early wickets. "We have not been getting runs at the top and we lacked the finishing touch," he said. With the series in the bag, India skipper Suresh Raina said he would rotate the squad in the final two games before the test series begins.

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Fighting in Zawiyah shuts Libya road to Tunisia

Libyan troops loyal to Muammar Gaddafi fought gun battles with rebels in the town of Zawiyah Saturday, witnesses said, shutting the coastal highway that links the capital Tripoli with Tunisia.  the highway was deserted except for lots of soldiers, police and armed men in civilian clothes. One heard bursts of gunfire coming from the direction of the city. "The situation is very bad in Zawiyah. There's been fierce fighting since the morning," said the resident, who gave only his first name, Mohammed, fearing reprisals. Four months since Gaddafi's forces crushed a popular uprising against his four-decade rule that then morphed into an armed rebellion, Libya's civil war is in stalemate. Nearly three months of bombings by NATO war planes against Libyan military targets have failed to unseat Gaddafi or enable the rebels to launch an offensive on his territory in Tripoli. Several explosions were heard in Tripoli throughout the afternoon, as late as 8 p.m. (2 pm ET), suggesting NATO was ramping up attacks after a quiet morning. Rebel spokesman Ahmed Bani said a senior Gaddafi aide had been wounded in a NATO strike on a city close to Tripoli on Saturday evening and was in hospital. There was no independent confirmation and Libyan officials were not available to comment. ENCIRLE The rebels control the east of Libya, the western city of Misrata and the range of mountains near the border with Tunisia. They are seeking to encircle the capital and cut it off, an aim that would be advanced if they manage to capture Zawiyah. The highway has been used throughout the conflict by Gaddafi's officials -- including fleeing defectors -- to reach the outside world, and by trucks bringing in food and other supplies to territory under Gaddafi's control. After a lull in fighting in the western, rebel-held city of Misrata, pro-Gaddafi forces which have besieging it started shelling its port late Saturday, Al Jazeera TV reported. A doctor at the Hekma hospital said 31 people were killed and 110 wounded in shelling by Gaddafi forces Friday. Pro-Gaddafi troops encircled the city of Zlitan, 160 km east of Tripoli, Saturday, rebels said, after fighting broke out there that could also open up the coastal road to the capital. Some clashes between Gaddafi's forces and rebels continued in the city, rebel spokesman Bani said, after the rebels took some parts of it. The toll remained 22 rebels killed. Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim played down the clashes. "There is no serious fighting going on in Zawiya or Zlitan. What has happened is that we've had small groups of rebels who have made their way from Zintan and the Western Mountains to cause trouble in these areas," Zlitan is one of three towns that are largely government controlled between the rebel-held Misrata and the capital. Were it to fall, it could allow the anti-Gaddafi uprising to spread from Misrata, the biggest rebel outpost in western Libya, to Gaddafi's stronghold in Tripoli. DIPLOMACY FALTERS, FIGHTING INCREASES World powers have given mixed signals on how the war might play out, with Russia trying to mediate reconciliation. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Friday he had offered a "guarantee" to Gaddafi if he left Libya, but received no reply. Gaddafi has refused to step down, describing the rebels as al Qaeda terrorists and Western intervention as an oil grab. As diplomacy falters, several new battle fronts have opened. Gaddafi's forces also shelled for the first time the UNESCO world heritage-listed city of Ghadames, 600 km (370 miles) southwest of Tripoli, on the Tunisia and Algeria borders, overnight, opening a new front in the war, rebels said. Rebels said the oasis town, with a population of about 7,000 people, mainly Berber, was under attack after an anti-government protest in the old Roman city Wednesday. "This is a retaliation for anti-regime protests," spokesman Juma Ibrahim said from the rebel-held town of Zintan. The report could not be independently verified. The old town was de-populated by Gaddafi in the 1990s and its inhabitants moved into modern buildings. It was not clear if the attack hit the old town, a labyrinth of narrow, underground passages and houses known as the "Pearl of the Desert." US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday some NATO allies of failing to pull their weight:

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Premier League clubs get real with home shopping

English Premier League clubs are spending big on home-grown youngsters in what could be the first indication that they are finally coming to terms with reality.

















With UEFA's financial fair play rules looming and a new quota system in place, Jordan Henderson and Phil Jones are poised to join Liverpool and Manchester United respectively for nearly 40 million pounds.
Although more big-name foreign players are likely to be recruited before next season, early activity in the transfer market indicates a possible change of approach as part of a long-term strategy.
Encouraged by Chris Smalling's assured first-team displays after signing him from Fulham last year at 20, United have targeted 19-year-old Jones, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea, 20, and perhaps Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell.
These players do not come cheaply as Liverpool found out when when they had to pay 35 million pounds for 22-year-old striker Andy Carroll in January but once wages are included in the equation, such deals are better value than signing established players who command much higher salaries.
There is also a sensible business reason because a 20-year-old is likely to retain or increase his transfer value five years on, whereas a player bought at his peak at 28 or 29 becomes a less of an asset once into his 30s.
Clubs are also now operating in the shadow of UEFA's financial fair play rules which will only allow them to take part in European competition if their expenditure is covered by generated revenue.
This has increased the pressure to feed players from their own academies into their first team, something that happens all too rarely with the leading teams at the moment.

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Web giants promote new IP system

The biggest ever test of the internet's new address system is taking place. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Bing and Facebook are among the companies switching-on IPv6 versions of their websites for the one day trial.  the technology is gradually being introduced because the world is running out of older IPv4 addresses as more devices come online. Companies and home users may need new networking equipment, however the transition is likely to take years. World IPv6 day is partly a technical exercise by internet companies to see how the technology works, and partly an awareness-raising initiative. For the small percentage of users already set up to access IPv6, they will be able to connect through the usual URLs - such as Google.com or Yahoo.com. Behind the scenes, their browsers will be pointed to the new, much longer IP address. New equipment Groups involved in IPv6 day say that everyone will have to make the change eventually, but users should not worry at this stage if they are not switched over. "This is not a year 2000 thing. Planes are not going to start falling out of the sky," said Philip Sheldrake, a board member at non-profit group 6UK, which is helping to promote the system. "The web will continue to work, but future growth would be stymied. It is just like when we used up the phone numbers in London." For users with an ordinary domestic internet connection, the changeover may involve upgrading their hardware. "A lot of routers at the moment are already capable of supporting IPv6. What they need is a firmware update," "ISPs should ship new routers or offer those updates. We are making sure all our fibre routers are ready for IPv6." Mr Fletcher said that the long term nature of the changeover meant that customers of most ISPs would receive compatible equipment through the natural cycle of upgrades. The business end Becoming IPv6 compatible is a slightly more complicated task for corporate internet users. Bringing their systems up to standard will typically involve investing in and installing new networking systems. As with home users, for many this will form part of the normal cycle of upgrading and replacing. However, the lack of any firm deadline, combined with the hefty price tag, means that some are dragging their heels. "Corporates are probably quite far behind," said Sebastien Lahtinen from Thinkbroadband.com. "They are trying to put off the expense and there are a lot of technologies that they can use to do that." However, Mr Lahtinen said that the leaders of those businesses should realise that this change was going to happen and that they needed to make the investment. Even though IPv4 will continue working for at least the next decade, there is value in changing early according to Philip Sheldrake. "You have to make the transition. It is better to do that sooner than later because it demonstrates that you are a modern, well organised company that is visible on the modern infrastructure of the internet." REALLY BIG NUMBERS IPv4 was conceived in the early 1980s as a way of identifying individual connections to a computer network. It is typically made up of 32 bits, written as 12 digits, e.g. 112.233.189.123. That gives a maximum of around 4.3bn addresses. However, the rapid growth in PCs, smartphones and other internet connected devices means those addresses are close to being used up, with an estimated 80 million still to be allocated. IPv6 is a 128bit system, written in hexadecimal (base 16 counting using numbers and letters), e.g. 21DA:00D3:0000:2F3B:02AA:00FF:FE28:9C5A. The system gives a maximum of 340 undecillion possible addresses (1 undecillion = 10 followed by 35 zeros in the British numbering system). The additional capacity, argue proponents of IPv6, will be needed to cater to the so-called "internet of things" where devices such as TVs, fridges and home heating systems are connected to the net. \

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Obama holds big 2012 lead over Republicans

President Obama greets a student during a visit to Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Virginia, June 8, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

President Barack Obama retains a big lead over possible Republican rivals in the 2012 election despite anxiety about the economy and the country's future, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Wednesday.
Obama's approval rating inched up 1 percentage point from May to 50 percent but the number of Americans who believe the country is on the wrong track also rose as pricier gasoline, persistently high unemployment and a weak housing market chipped away at public confidence.
Obama leads all potential Republican challengers by double-digit margins, the poll showed. He is ahead of his closest Republican rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, by 13 percentage points -- 51 percent to 38 percent.
"Obama's position has gotten a little stronger over the last couple of months as the public mood has evened out, and as an incumbent he has some big advantages over his rivals," Ipsos pollster Cliff Young said.
"Until Republicans go through a primary season and select a nominee, they are going to be at a disadvantage in the head-to-head matchups in name recognition."
Obama, who got a boost in the polls last month with the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is amassing an election campaign warchest likely to be larger than the record $750 million he raised in 2008.
Sarah Palin and Romney lead the Republicans battling for the right to challenge Obama in the November 2012 election.
Palin, the party's vice presidential nominee in 2008, had the support of 22 percent of the Republicans surveyed. The former governor of Alaska has not said whether she will run for president next year.
Romney, who failed in a 2008 presidential bid, had 20 percent support.
Representative Ron Paul, a libertarian Republican from Texas, and former pizza executive Herman Cain were tied for third with 7 percent each.
REPUBLICAN RACE STILL FORMING
The Republican candidates are just starting to engage in their slow-starting nomination race. Young said Palin and Romney had a clear advantage at this stage over other challengers in name recognition among voters.
Other surveys have shown Romney in a stronger position. A Washington Post-ABC News poll earlier this week gave Romney a slight lead over Obama among registered voters.
In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, the other Republican contenders fared even worse than Romney's 13-point gap in a match-up with Obama. Palin trailed Obama by 23 points and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was behind by 19 points.
The survey was taken after weak jobs and housing figures released last week showed the U.S. economy is recovering slower than expected. Unemployment rose slightly to 9.1 percent for the month.
The poll found 60 percent of respondents said the country is on the wrong track, up from 56 percent in May but still below April's high of 69 percent. In the latest survey, 35 percent said the country is going in the right direction.
Obama's approval rating has drifted in a narrow range between 49 percent and 51 percent since January, with the exception of April when the first spike in gasoline prices drove his rating lower.
With Congress battling over a Republican budget plan that includes scaling back the federal Medicare health program for the elderly, the poll found a plurality of Americans, 43 percent, oppose the Medicare cuts and 37 percent support them.
The poll, conducted Friday through Monday, surveyed 1,132 adults nationwide by telephone, including 948 registered voters. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.

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Maradona Attacks 'Corrupt' FIFA Chiefs

                                                                                                  

- Football legend Diego Maradona has accused world governing body FIFA of being corrupt and run by greedy officials who have made millions from the sport.The 1986 World Cup winner delivered the broadside at his first press conference as coach of Dubai-based club Al Wasl on Saturday, as he reflected on the recent FIFA presidential elections in which incumbent Sepp Blatter ran unopposed.Blatter's main opponent, Mohamed Bin Hammam of Qatar, was suspended ahead of the vote along with fellow FIFA executive Jack Warner following accusations of bribery."There is a lot of corruption involving FIFA officials and they are all millionaires because of football," the former Argentina player and coach said."I wonder if Blatter has ever kicked a football in his life, and yet we have been under the control of such people who have refused to give up power in FIFA."Why don't they all just relinquish their positions, take the money they have made and leave the running of the sport in the more capable hands of former football players?"Maradona, a controversial figure who was sent home from the 1994 World Cup for using drugs, said he had never liked the FIFA establishment."I don't support corrupt people and I will never be on their side. I have always been asked by them to support the FIFA family. But what family are they talking about? This sport belongs to us and they have never ever asked us to be part of the development process," the 50-year-old said."They have too much power and this has made them so arrogant and proud. This is not what a genuine football lover needs from such officials. After all football, is the biggest sport in the world."We will continue doing what we are doing so that these corrupt people go away. They are too old and since they have made so much money at the cost of football, they should simply take it all and go away. Please leave football alone."Maradona, who turned up more than an hour late for the media briefing, added that FIFA had stifled his attempts to form a players' union."What did FIFA do? They worked against us to ensure the union never saw the light of day," he said.Meanwhile, FIFA is investigating Argentina's 4-1 defeat by Nigeria on Wednesday as part of a wider investigation into match-fixing, according to a report in Britain's Daily Telegraph on Saturday.The paper said there was evidence of irregular patterns as referee Ibrahim Chaibou of Niger allowed three extra minutes of injury-time in addition to the five already awarded before Argentina scored from a penalty."FIFA can confirm that this match between Nigeria and Argentina was one that we had an active interest in, and forms part of a wider ongoing investigation," it said in a statement to the Telegraph.The Nigerian Football Federation released a statement denying the accusation on Saturday."We are concerned at attempts by unscrupulous elements to play down the feat that our national team performed by beating Argentina," general secretary Musa Amadu said."This match was shown on many television stations, including ESPN, and in front of a crowd of 50,000, and we are certain that Nigeria's Super Eagles deservedly won that match, playing to the rules, and clearly outplaying our opponents."

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