Pakistan"s Shoaib Malik wants to play in World Cup

KARACHI, Pakistan (AFP) — Discarded former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik yesterday said he wanted to play in next year’s World Cup, but needed clarity on his role and must be told what is expected of him.

The 32-year-old played the last of his 216 One-Day Internationals in June 2013, but was included in Pakistan’s 30-man preliminary squad for the upcoming tournament.

Pakistan’s selection committee is likely to announce the final 15-man squad on January 7 after watching some of the probables in the Pentangular Cup competition, which started in Karachi yesterday.

Australia and New Zealand co-host the World Cup from February 14 to March 29.

Malik said he wanted to play for Pakistan.

“The World Cup is a big event and every cricketer wants to play in it,” he told the media. “It was portrayed that I don’t want to play, I was frustrated over being left out but I always wanted to play.”

Malik said he is not happy with the selection process.

“I have a problem with the system because we cricketers want clarity (on selection) and want to know what is expected of us and how many matches we are going to play because it increases confidence when a player knows how many matches he is going to play.”

He continued: “I am of the opinion that players who know the conditions of Australia and New Zealand can play well there.”

Malik is also due to play for Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s ongoing Big Bash Twenty20 league.

“I am waiting for my visa and if I get it I will leave for Australia, but if I get clarity on my selection I can leave any league for Pakistan.”

Malik termed Australia, South Africa and India favourites for the World Cup.

“I want to see Pakistan win, but lately Pakistan’s combination is disturbed because of Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez being suspended over illegal bowling action, so in my opinion Australia, South Africa and India are top teams for the mega event,” he predicted.

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Pakistan"s Shoaib Malik wants to play in World Cup

Mexico look to clinch World Cup ticket with win against El Salvador

BY PAUL A REID Observer writer

Monday, January 19, 2015    

CATHERINE HALL, St James — Two-time defending champions Mexico could book their place in the FIFA Men’s Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand later this year with a win over second-placed El Salvador in the CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship Group B game at the Montego Bay Sports Complex at 5:30 pm today.

Mexico have won their previous three games to lead Group B on nine points and another win today would give them an unassailable lead and an automatic spot in New Zealand reserved for the group winners.

Canada, who have lost their last two games, including a shocker against El Salvador on Thursday, will seek to revive their hopes when they take on Cuba in the first game set for 3:00 pm, while Honduras and Haiti face off in the 8:00 pm game.

Mexico will be without captain Victor Guzman, who picked up a second yellow card in their bruising 3-0 win over Honduras, and defender Oscar Bernal, who was sent off for lashing out at a Honduras forward.

Hirving Lozano, who has four goals, and Alejandro Diaz, who has three, will be available, however, and they could torment an El Salvador defence that has given up five goals.

El Salvador have improved with every game played, however, and their 3-2 win over Canada, their first ever at this level, would have lifted their confidence a few more notches.

Jose Villavicencio has been their most consistent scorer with three so far and, along Juan Barahona and Andres Flores, could give El Salvador some attacking options.

As proficient as they have been in attack, Mexico are equally good in defence and except for a third-minute goal against Cuba in their first game over a week ago, they have conceded since.

With Mexico running away with the lead, the battle for the two other spots in the play-offs is wide open with four teams all in with at least mathematical chances.

A loss for El Salvador would be good news for Honduras and Canada, who could pass them with wins.

Even with back-to-back losses Canada should be too strong for Cuba, especially if coach Rob Gale decides to start both Jordan Hamilton and Cyle Larin in attack.

Hamilton scored two goals in their opening 3-1 win over Haiti, was held scoreless by Mexico, then got less than 15 minutes off the bench against El Salvador.

Honduras will start favourites against an inconsistent Haiti, who were expected to beat Cuba but ended 2-2.

Honduras’s Albert Elis is due to get back on the scoresheet after being kept out by Mexico last time, while Haiti’s Jonel Desire has shown he has real quality but little support.

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Mexico look to clinch World Cup ticket with win against El Salvador

Uninspired U-20 Boyz bow out of World Cup chase

BY PAUL A REID Observer writer

Tuesday, January 20, 2015    

CATHERINE HALL, St James — Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore says he is “very disappointed” in Jamaica’s elimination from the CONCACAF Under-20 Championships before getting a shot at a World Cup berth after losing to the USA 2-0 in their Group A game at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Sunday.

In his post-game press conference, Whitmore said “injuries and the suspension of influential player Junior Flemmings” were contributing factors for their loss.

Jamaica lost three straight games where they failed to score a goal after coming from two goals down in their first game to draw 2-2 against Trinidad a week ago.

Romaine Gall’s two penalty conversions on Sunday — one in the 33rd minute and the other in the 70th — gave the USA a well-needed victory over the hosts, boosting their chances of a place in Saturday’s play-offs .

Jamaica, who finished with 10 players after substitute Daniel Roberts was sent off, are fifth in the group with one point, only better than first-time qualifiers Aruba, who lost all four games played so far.

In the second game on Sunday, Guatemala beat Aruba 2-0 with goals from Carlos Estrada, who scored from a ‘bicycle’ kick in the 43rd minute, and Kevin Bordon in the 60th.

Panama lead with 12 points after beating nine-man Trinidad and Tobago 1-0, followed by Guatemala on 10 points, USA on seven, and Trinidad and Tobago on four.

The two group winners will automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the next two teams in the groups will playoff for the other two places from CONCACAF.

Whitmore said, despite the odds facing a traditional CONCACAF powerhouse, “we could have gotten something out of the game”. “We knew the USA was always going to be tough, but we gave up two penalties that could have been avoided,” he lamented.

Injuries, he said, which limited top striker Michael Seaton to 45 minutes in the tournament and the suspension of Flemmings through yellow card accumulation, did not help the cause.

But when the Young Boys played, Whitmore thought a lack of creativity hampered any hopes of success.

“We did not create enough scoring opportunities,” he said, a fact supported by statistics showing Jamaica having just four shots at the USA goal, all off target in the 90 minutes played.

The USA in comparison had 11 shots at goal and forced errors by the defenders who were under pressure all night. But the outstanding central defender Rennico Clarke, who wore the captain’s arm band and goalkeeper Nicholas Nelson, saved the hosts further embarrassment.

The USA got off to a good start and pushed Jamaica back in their own defence for long periods in the first half, but Nelson had two good saves to keep them out.

They got their first breakthrough in the 33rd minute when defender Allando Brown fouled Tommy Thompson in the box and Gall, who had a hat-trick in their 8-0 drubbing of Aruba in the previous game, slotted home easily.

Jamaica managed to get into the USA’s 18-yard box in the 44th minute when overlapping defender Khalil Stewart dribbled around the defenders and into the area and crossed to the penalty spot where the ball was cut off by alert US defenders.

The US continued to dominate in the second half, and despite the coaching staff making changes to the Jamaican attacking options, they got little or no chances at their opponents’ goal.

Another mistake in the 70th minute that led to Nelson being forced to foul American striker Bradford Jamieson in the 70th minute, led to another penalty that Gall had no trouble in converting.

Roberts, who had replaced John Luca Levee in the 58th minute to add to the offensive thrust, was sent off in the 85th minute after a foul committed close to the centre circle.

–>

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Uninspired U-20 Boyz bow out of World Cup chase

Panama join Mexico for New Zealand World Cup

CATHERINE HALL, St James — Panama joined Mexico in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup after beating Guatemala 1-0 in their Group A decider at the Montego Bay Sports Complex yesterday to take the second automatic CONCACAF qualifying spot.

A well-placed header from Ismael Diaz in the 65th minute, his fifth of the competition, was enough for the ‘Canaleros’ to qualify for a fifth men’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

Panama won Group A with maximum 15 points and will meet Group B winners Mexico in Saturday’s final to decide the CONCACAF champions.

Guatemala, on 10 points, will get another bite at the cherry when they play a team from Group B in Saturday’s play-offs that will decide the other two CONCACAF places in the World Cup that will be held in New Zealand May-June this year.

It was another workman-like performance by Panama, who had looked sluggish in their 1-0 win over nine-man Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday at the same venue.

Needing to win, Guatemala came out hard but the steely Panama defence, that is yet to give up a goal, held them at bay.

Panama came close to scoring in the first half when Carlos Small’s rocket of a shot flew past the post by less than six inches in the 35th minute.

After several promising build-ups, Panama finally got the breakthrough when Diaz headed home a corner from a right-side cross that beat goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen and flew into the top of the net.

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Panama join Mexico for New Zealand World Cup

Panama on brink of Under-20 World Cup qualification

CATHERINE HALL, St James — Group A leaders Panama made it four wins in a row yesterday when they scratched out a 1-0 victory over nine-man Trinidad and Tobago in their penultimate first-round game at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Panama were handed the winning goal in the 70th minute when goalkeeper Jason Welsh pushed a cross from Michael Murillo back into his own goal, even as his team battled hard to hang on.

Welsh had made several good saves earlier to keep Trinidad in the game after they went down to 10 men in the 23rd minute after Kadeem Corbin was sent off after picking up a second yellow card in eight minutes.

Akeem Humphrey was shown a straight red card in the 70th minute after he fouled Panama’s Edson Samms just outside the box to further reduce his team’s chances of even earning a point from the encounter.

The win saw Panama move to 12 points and ensured at least a place in the play-offs, should they inexplicably fail to win the group and earn the automatic place for the World Cup in New Zealand.

The game was a timid affair with little or no flair as Trinidad were content to sit behind the ball for long periods, allowing Panama to slowly build up play.

Panama outshot the Caribbean champions 14 to three and restricted the twin-island republic to one shot for the entire 90 minutes.

At half-time in the evening’s second game, Guatemala led the pointless Aruba 1-0, while Jamaica were down to face the USA in the last game of the triple header.

– Paul Reid

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Panama on brink
of Under-20 World Cup qualification

San Lorenzo give Pope something to cheer at Club World Cup

Libertadores Cup winners San Lorenzo gave their number one fan Pope Francis something to celebrate on his 78th birthday by booking their place in the final of the World Club Cup on Wednesday.

The Argentine side needed extra time to see off the hearty challenge of the competition’s surprise package Auckland City of New Zealand 2-1 in Marrakech, and now face star-studded European champions Real Madrid in Saturday’s final.

Auckland, the Oceania club champions, had already overcome local heroes Moghreb Tetouan and ES Setif of Algeria, but now have to content themselves with a play-off for third place against the other beaten semi-finalists, Cruz Azul of Mexico.

San Lorenzo took the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half through Pablo Barrientos only for Angel Berlanga to level for Auckland in the 67th minute.

But three minutes into the extra period Mauro Matos popped up to book the Argentines’ place in the final.

Real had already made sure of their place in the final, cruising to a 4-0 win over Cruz Azul on Tuesday with goals from Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Isco.

Earlier, Asian champions Western Sydney Wanderers bowed out with a defeat on penalties to ES Setif in a play-off for fifth place.

The match ended 2-2 after 90 minutes before the Algerians, champions of Africa, triumphed 5-4 in the shoot-out.

Dutch midfielder Romeo Castelen gave the Australians an early lead and a Daniel Mullen own-goal levelled the scores early in the second half.

Setif looked on course to win it when Abdelmalik Ziaya made it 2-1, but a Vitor Saba free-kick a minute from the end brought Wanderers level again and took the match to penalties, in which Toufik Zerara scored the winning kick in sudden death after the Nigerian Seyi Adeleke had skied his effort.

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San Lorenzo give Pope something to cheer at Club World Cup

Proteas name World Cup squad on heels of Test win over Windies

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AFP) — Injured wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock was yesterday named in South Africa’s squad for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next month.

De Kock, 22, a free-scoring left-handed opening batsman and capable wicketkeeper, tore ligaments in his right ankle while warming up during the first Test against the West Indies on December 19.

It was estimated that he could be out of action for between 10 and 12 weeks, which would probably mean his missing at least South Africa’s first two World Cup matches, against Zimbabwe on February 15 and India on February 22.

De Kock has become such a valuable member of the one-day side, with six centuries in his first 35 one-day internationals, that the selectors are willing to gamble on him recovering in time to play the team’s later pool games and in the knockout stages, with AB de Villiers taking the gloves in the interim.

World Cup regulations make provision for teams to name injured players and replace them before the tournament, or if they aggravate the injury at the tournament, provided a medical certificate is produced.

There are no major surprises in the squad, although there are two changes from the 15 that were beaten 4-1 in a series in Australia in November.

Left-handed batsman and off-spin bowler JP Duminy and left-arm spin bowler Aaron Phangiso return after missing the November tour because of injury.

All-rounder Ryan McLaren, the side’s leading wicket-taker in both 2013 and 2014, was dropped after a dramatic fall-off in form since suffering a broken arm against Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson in a Test match last season.

Robin Peterson, a veteran of three World Cups who replaced Phangiso in Australia, was also omitted.

South Africa’s challenge will be spearheaded by a strong batting line-up, in which De Villiers and Hashim Amla have outstanding records, while the powerful fast- bowling trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander will be complemented by leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who has taken 47 wickets in 27 one-day internationals.

De Villiers said he was confident the right squad had been chosen.

“It’s a huge honour. I’m very confident. We know we have to keep our feet on the ground and work hard. It’s a huge tournament which we have never won before and we want to bring it home.”

In contrast to previous South African teams, there is a shortage of top-quality all-rounders.

Duminy is likely to be a key player, but batting all-rounder Farhaan Behardien and bowling all-rounder Wayne Parnell are not guaranteed places in the starting line-up.

The South Africa squad will play in a five-match one-day series against the West Indies, starting on January 16, with Morne van Wyk standing in as wicketkeeper in place of De Kock.

Squad — AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla (vice-captain), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn.

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Proteas name World Cup squad on heels of Test win over Windies

Cricket: Cook set to be axed as England"s World Cup captain

Friday, December 19, 2014 | 6:36 PM    

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Alastair Cook is set to be dismissed as captain of England’s one-day team ahead of the World Cup after the opener’s miserable run of form, according to reports on Friday.

Cook has scored just one fifty in his last 22 one-day innings for England and he has paid the price for failing to stop the rot during his country’s recent 5-2 series defeat in Sri Lanka.

England’s selectors are reported to have decided to axe Cook as skipper at a meeting on Friday, with the Daily Telegraph saying Eoin Morgan is now set to lead the side for the tri-series in Australia after Christmas and then the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.

After England’s series-ending defeat in Colombo on Tuesday, Cook, who hasn’t scored a one-day century since June 2012, conceded he could have no complaints if he lost the one-day captaincy.

But the decision to remove him from the role with the World Cup looming is still a major reversal by Paul Downton, the managing director of England cricket, and head coach Peter Moores, who have given Cook absolute backing this year.

Cook is expected to be able to continue captaining the Test side and will focus on England’s bid to regain the Ashes against Australia next year.

Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance is believed to be the leading contender to replace Cook in England’s 15-man World Cup squad, which will be announced on Saturday, with Moeen Ali and Alex Hales a potential new opening partnership.

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Cricket: Cook set to be axed as England"s World Cup captain

Ronaldo leads star-studded Real Madrid in Club World Cup semi-final

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo enters the Club World Cup stage today as he heads the all-star cast from Real Madrid in their semi-final against Mexican side Cruz Azul in Marrakesh.

The 10-time European Champions go into the game in superb form on a run of 20 consecutive victories and with their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo having scored 25 goals in 15 league games this season.

“We’ve had an unforgettable year, winning a lot of titles, especially La Decima (10th Champions League title), and are in a good position in the league. We now go to the Club World Cup with the intentions of winning it,” said their coach Carlo Ancelotti after the 4-1 win at Almeria at the weekend.

Ronaldo though won’t be just a one man team.

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas looks to have returned to form after a worrying slump, French international Karim Benzema is in devastating form up front and Welshman Gareth Bale is also flourishing.

However, Colombian star James Rodriguez and German World Cup winning midfielder Sami Khedira will miss the semi-finals, but Ancelotti says both should be back for the final if Real qualify.

Cruz Azul will want to make the most of their good fortune in the quarter-final against Australia’s Asian champions Western Sydney Wanderers.

They trailed until the last minute of regular time against 10-man Wanderers before levelling and then went on to win 3-1, which also saw their opponents have another player sent-off, in extra-time.

“It’s a huge match for us and they (Madrid) go out favourites,” said Cruz coach Luis Fernando Tena.

“But football is a funny game and anything can happen,” added the coach, who guided Mexico to Olympic gold in 2012.

Real Madrid, though, can count on Mexican striker Javier Hernandez for some inside knowledge on Real’s rivals.

“He’ll (Hernandez) get a game and we are lucky to have him here, he’s performing really well in training every day,” said Ancelotti.

Real Madrid have a massive fan base in the country, which lies just across the Mediterranean but the torrential rain that ruined the quarter-finals in Rabat has seen the semi-finals switched to Marrakesh, 350km to the south, despite the 45,000 fans who had bought tickets.

Ancelotti is seeking his second World Club Cup as a coach having won it with AC Milan in 2007 after winning the Champions League.

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Ronaldo leads star-studded Real Madrid in Club World Cup semi-final

Narine, Bravo, Roach in World Cup quad

ST JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda (AFP) — Highlyrated off spinner Sunil Narine, top-order batsman Darren Bravo and fast bowler Kemar Roach were all named in the West Indies World Cup squad yesterday despite missing out on the current South Africa tour.

Narine was summoned to share spin-bowling duties with Sulieman Benn, Bravo was recalled after choosing to sit out the current series for “personal reasons”, while Roach has recovered from an injury suffered in the team’s 220-run defeat against South Africa in the first Test last month.

Barbados all-rounder Jason Holder was confirmed as captain with experienced batsman Marlon Samuels appointed vice-captain.

The most experienced ODI player in the squad is opener Chris Gayle with 258 appearances. Samuels (162), Denesh Ramdin (115) and Darren Sammy (115) all have over a hundred ODI games under their belts, while Dwayne Smith (94) could achieve his 100th appearance during the World Cup which starts on February 14.

The squad has a total of 1,156 ODI appearances with only Sheldon Cottrell and Jonathan Carter yet to debut internationally. Carter and Cottrell are both in the ODI squad to face South Africa in a five-match series to commence shortly.

“I believe we have selected a very good team which will do West Indies proud at the World Cup,” said Clive Lloyd, the West Indies chairman of selectors. “We have a good mixture of some good seasoned players and some good youngsters who will fly the West Indies flag in Australia and New Zealand.

“If they play to their potential I am quite sure we will do very well. I have really high hopes in this team.

I believe they can do something special.” As expected, there was no World Cup reprieve for former captain Dwayne Bravo, who was axed after the team’s controversial decision to quit October’s tour of India four matches into a five-game One- Day Series over a pay dispute.

West Indies play their opening World Cup match on February 16 against Ireland before going on to face Pool B rivals, defending champions India, South Africa, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates.

West Indies squad: Jason Holder (captain), Marlon Samuels, Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.

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Narine, Bravo, Roach in World Cup quad

Bahamas wins bid to host 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

MIAMI, USA — The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) was selected by the FIFA Executive Committee at its meeting yesterday in Marrakech, Morocco, as host of the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

This marks an important landmark in the history of the Caribbean as The Bahamas will become the first country in the region to host a senior FIFA tournament.

“It is an honour and privilege for CONCACAF to welcome such an appropriate tournament to the Caribbean region,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “Congratulations to the Bahamas Football Association for their timely efforts in securing the bid to host the next FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. We wish them all the best in the ongoing preparations for this historic event and look forward to extending the Caribbean’s warmth and hospitality to all qualified teams in 2017.”

Led by a strong vision of development, CONCACAF has been steadily gaining presence in the international football arena by promoting the progress of its Member Associations and committing to the full range of opportunities for growth. Beach Soccer has gained increasing momentum and popularity since the first World Cup in 2005.

“This is fantastic and welcome news, not only for the football family of the BFA, but the Bahamas in general,” said Anton Sealey, President of The Bahamas Football Association. “It is unquestionably a tremendous honour and privilege to be chosen to host a FIFA competition and the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in particular. On behalf of a grateful government and people of The Bahamas, I wish to thank CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb and the FIFA Executive Committee for the confidence reposed in The Bahamas to host this prestigious event, which undoubtedly will accrue tremendous economic benefit to the country.”

The Bahamas has hosted several recent sporting events, such as the 2013 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, the 2014 International Association of Athletics Federation’s World Relays, as well as the 59th FIFA Congress in 2009.

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Bahamas wins bid to host 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

World food prices continue to decline

World food prices fell for a sixth month in September, the longest slide since 2009, as the cost of  dairy, grains, cooking oils and sugar declined amid prospects for rising production.  
The United Nation’s Rome-based Food & Agriculture Organization said its index used to measure movements in the price of  55 food items dipped 2.6% last month.  
Soybeans and corn are trading near the lowest in four years in Chicago amid an outlook for record U.S. harvests. The food-price index declined 6 percent year on year.

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World food prices continue to decline

Kwiatkowski wins road race world title

PONFERRADA, Spain (AP) — Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland pulled away from a star-studded field to win a gruelling road race at the cycling world championships yesterday.

Catching the race favourites eying one another, Kwiatkowski slipped away from the peloton near the end to join a breakaway group of four riders and didn’t stop, staying ahead of the chasers on the final descent.

The 24-year-old Kwiatkowski had time to stop pedalling and lift his arms in celebration as he won the rainy 254.8-kilometre (158.3-mile) ride that started in the midst of heavy fog in six and a half hours.

“I was feeling right on the last lap,” Kwiatkowski said. “I was just going for the win and I tried to risk it because I saw that some of the riders were still calculating. I didn’t and I won. This is incredible.”

Simon Gerrans of Australia was second in a photo finish, one second behind Kwiatkowski. Spaniard Alejandro Valverde was third for the third straight year.

The 14 laps of the 18.2-kilometre route on well-paved roads took riders by a Templar castle in the city of Ponferrada and through its hilly surroundings in northern Spain. The course featured two short climbs, but the trickiest part was its long descent back into the city because of the wet surface.

The course was long but not very demanding, meaning that most of the strongest riders arrived in position to challenge for the title.

Even so, former Tour de France winner Chris Froome withdrew with less than three laps to go after falling behind the peloton. The British rider also failed to finish last year’s race in Florence, Italy.

Just when the sun had started to shine after a rainy morning, Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali fell in a low-speed crash involving a handful of riders. The Italian appeared unhurt and was able to join the peloton, but he wasn’t able to battle for the win.

An early group of four escapees opened up an advantage of almost 15 minutes, but it was slowly reeled in by a peloton led for a long stretch by the Polish team.

“I am really thankful for my mates for what they did at the beginning,” Kwiatkowski said. “We decided to continue riding and stay at the front. I said right from the start that there is no time to wait, we have to lead the peloton because that was our best chance.”

Germany’s Tony Martin, dethroned as time trial champion by Bradley Wiggins this week, tried a solo effort with three laps to go. He too was caught by a small group that then relented and let the rest catch up.

Seeing Kwiatkowski speed away, Joaquim Rodriguez attacked on the last climb to try and catch him. Nibali couldn’t keep up, but Valverde, Gerrans and Philippe Gilbert quickly joined in, forming a formidable pack of pursuers.

But even though Kwiatkowski never opened up a gap of more than nine seconds, it was enough time for him to pull off the surprise.

“I knew that it was possible to arrive in a smaller group, especially in the rain, because it was really risky,” Kwiatkowski said.

It was Valverde’s sixth medal in the event. The Spaniard now has two silver medals and four bronze medals, but he again came up short of winning an elusive gold.

“(The course) wasn’t hard enough for me to be able to fight for the win,” said Valverde. “It was very difficult to get a medal and although I would have liked the gold, I had a mission and I accomplished.”

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Kwiatkowski wins road race world title

World War III may have already begun says Pope Francis

Pope Francis (Credit: Caribbean360 / Bigstock)

REDIPUGLIA, Italy, Tuesday September 16, 2014 – Pope Francis has warned that World War III may have already begun

Speaking on Saturday during a visit to Redipuglia military cemetery, where he was commemorating the centenary of World War I, the pontiff alluded to a more insidious global conflict.

“Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction,” he said.

“War is madness,” he declared at the memorial to 100,000 Italian soldiers who gave their lives in World War I and are interred at the country’s largest military cemetery.

The Pope has repeatedly condemned the idea of war in God’s name, and has called for an end to conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Ukraine, and parts of Africa.

Last month, the outspoken pontiff said the international community would be justified in using force to halt “unjust aggression” by Islamic State militants, who have killed or displaced thousands of people in Iraq and Syria, including many Christians, and outraged millions worldwide with the much-publicised beheadings of American and British hostages.

On Saturday, the Pope paid tribute to victims of all wars.

“Humanity needs to weep, and this is the time to weep,” he said.

The pontiff’s visit was also infused with personal meaning, according to a BBC report.

His grandfather fought in Italy’s offensive against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in north-east Italy in 1917 and 1918.

During his visit to Redipuglia, the Pope was presented with the document with which his grandfather enlisted to fight for Italy before emigrating to Argentina, Francis’ birthplace.

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World War III may have already begun says Pope Francis

Jamaica to benefit from US$105 million World Bank loans

WASHINGTON D.C., United States, Friday September 5, 2014, CMC – Jamaica has signed three loans totalling US$105 million with the World Bank to support a number of government projects.

Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Peter Phillips, who is leading a four-member delegation to the United States, Wednesday signed the accord, while World Bank Country Director for the country, Sophia Sirtaine, signed for the bank.

The loans are in support of three government projects – the Foundation for Competitiveness and Growth, which will receive US$50 million; the Youth Employment in Digital Animation Industry, US$20 million, and the Strategic Public Sector Transformation Project, US$35 million.

“The projects are intended to further the overarching goals of the government of Jamaica-World Bank Country Strategy for the period 2014 – 2017; to support the government’s investments in key strategic areas, including physical sustainability in youth employment; public sector modernization and to facilitate a more enabling environment for private sector growth,” Phillips said.

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He said the loans represent an important cooperation between the Government of Jamaica and the World Bank, and is aimed at advancing the prospects for growth as the country goes through a strenuous economic reform programme that forms part of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Phillips said the Portia Simpson-Miller administration will do its utmost best to ensure a smooth implementation of the three projects, noting that the funds for the Foundation for Competitiveness and Growth project will enhance competition in the business environment, facilitate strategic private investments and support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Funds for the Youth Employment in Digital Animation Industry will provide training and coaching for over 200 young Jamaicans, enhance entrepreneurial skills and create 150 start-up companies.

Under the Strategic Public Sector Transformation Project, the funds will be used to strengthen public investment management systems, budget preparation process and property tax compliance administration.

In her remarks, the World Bank official praised Jamaica for implementing programmes aimed at spurring economic growth.

She said the bank is committed to working with Jamaica in ensuring the success of its various economic programmes.

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Jamaica to benefit from US$105 million World Bank loans

Caribean beaches disappearing due to rising sea levels, storms – World Bank

Rising sea levels (Credit: Caribbean360 / Bigstock)

WASHINGTON D.C., United States, Monday September 8, 2014, CMC – The World Bank says due to rising sea levels and recurring storms, the beaches in most Caribbean nations have started to disappear.

In a new report, the Washington-based financial institution said, in some areas of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for instance, an estimated 18-30 meters of beach have been lost over the last nine years.

“The highly vulnerable coastal strand and adjacent towns are fighting against increased flood risk from rainfall and storm surge,” said the bank, noting that the issue of challenges faced by small islands around the world was at the center of the just-concluded Third Small Island Developing States (SIDS) conference in Samoa.

The bank said the theme of the conference was sustainable development in view of these states’ unique and particular vulnerabilities.

The World Bank said beaches are not the only concern, stating that Caribbean ports are also at risk from rising sea levels.

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“In island states, ports are the economic heart of the country, typically the capital and the island center of commerce,” said the bank, adding that airports are also affected.

To improve the Caribbean’s ability to resist and adapt to the effects of climate change, the World Bank has made some recommendations.

With the poor and vulnerable being most affected by a global sea level rise, the bank urged that land planning be incorporated more into social programs to tackle how exposed people are to risk.

It also recommended the implementation of a preventive system needs to establish an economic recovery and diversification plan following a disaster, as well as increased investment in scientific data collection and flood controls.

The other recommendations include land planning and watershed management.

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Caribean beaches disappearing due to rising sea levels, storms – World Bank

World Bank approves US450M "Competitiiveness" loan for Jamaica

The World Bank has approved a loan of US$50 million for Jamaica’s Foundations for Competitiveness and Growth Project.
This will assist existing and new businesses to benefit from streamlined regulations and processes, public-private partnerships, as well as training and access to financing.     
Finance Minister Dr. Peter Phillips says the project complements Jamaica’s fiscal and monetary measures by supporting efforts within the public sector to enhance competitiveness among Jamaican enterprises.

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World Bank approves US450M "Competitiiveness" loan for Jamaica

Silver, bronze for Jamaiac in sprint relays at World Junior Championships

Jamaica gained a silver and a bronze medal on the penultimate day of the IAAF World Junior Championships in Oregon on Saturday, with both sprint relay teams achieving a measure of success.

First, the female team of Sashalee Forbes, Kedisha Dallas, Saqukine Cameron and Natalliah Whyte grabbed silver in their 4x100m relay in a time of 43.97 seconds. This was the first medal for the females at the Championships.

USA, the host nation, has been enjoying a great deal of success in these Championships, and this continued with the gold medal in this race, in a time of 43.46. Germany placed third.

In the men’s 4×100, Jamaica placed third (39.12) with the USA again taking the gold in a time of 38.70 seconds.

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Silver, bronze for Jamaiac in sprint relays at World Junior Championships

World Bank approves US450M "Competitiiveness" loan for Jamaica

The World Bank has approved a loan of US$50 million for Jamaica’s Foundations for Competitiveness and Growth Project.
This will assist existing and new businesses to benefit from streamlined regulations and processes, public-private partnerships, as well as training and access to financing.     
Finance Minister Dr. Peter Phillips says the project complements Jamaica’s fiscal and monetary measures by supporting efforts within the public sector to enhance competitiveness among Jamaican enterprises.

View the original article here

World Bank approves US450M "Competitiiveness" loan for Jamaica

Silver medal to Tyler Mason in 110m hurdles at World Junior Championships

Tyler Mason ran an area record 13.05 in the men’s 110 meter hurdles but had to settle for silver, Jamaica’s first medal at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene Oregon.

Mason, the Jamaica College athlete was beaten by France’s Wilheim Belocian who became the first junior to break the 13 second barrier, with 12.99 seconds.

Mason also eclipsed the Jamaican national junior record of 13.24, set by Omar McLeod last year.

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Silver medal to Tyler Mason in 110m hurdles at World Junior Championships