Tag Archives: weather
Cricket: UAE grabs 2015 World Cup berth
Cricket: UAE grabs 2015 World Cup berth (Reuters) / 30 January 2014 UAE beat Namibia by 36 runs to secure their second World Cup appearance. It will be their first since 1996. The United Arab Emirates booked their ticket for next year’s marquee 50-over tournament in Australia and New Zealand. On the final day of the Super Sixes in Rangiora, UAE beat Namibia by 36 runs to secure their second World Cup appearance. It will be their first since 1996. Having decided to bat first, none of the UAE batsmen could reach fifty but they still put up 263 before folding in the final over. Amjad Javed (3-35) was the pick of the UAE bowlers who first denied Namibia a flying start and claimed wickets at crucial times to restrict their opponents to 227 for nine. Scotland and UAE will now play the tournament final at Bert Sutcliffe Oval on Saturday. The winner of the contest will join England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Afghanistan in Group A while the loser will be clubbed in Group B alongwith South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Syria peace talks take tentative step forward
Syria peace talks take tentative step forward (Reuters) / 29 January 2014 Both sides agree to use the Geneva communique as the basis of discussions, though they disagree about how the negotiations should proceed. Talks aimed at ending the war in Syria took a first tentative step forward on Wednesday as both sides agreed to use the same document as the basis of discussions, although they disagreed about how the negotiations should proceed. Louay Safi, spokesperson for the Syrian National Coalition, answers journalists’ questions at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. -AP Both sides said they agreed to use the “Geneva communique”, a document agreed at a previous international conference in Geneva in June 2012, and which sets out the stages needed for an end to the fighting and a political transition. “We have agreed that Geneva 1 is the basis of the talks,” opposition spokesman Louay Al Safi told reporters, referring to the 2012 communique. Bouthaina Shaaban, a Syrian presidential adviser, said there was agreement on using the text, but with some reservations. While the opposition wants to start by addressing the question of the transitional governing body that the talks aim to create, the government insists that the first step is to discuss “terrorism”, and not jump into the middle of the text. The government describes those fighting to overthrow President Bashar Al Assad as terrorists. The opposition says transitional arrangements must include the removal of Assad, which the government rejects. Despite the differing interpretations of Geneva 1, organisers of the talks at United Nations headquarters in Geneva have been at pains to keep the process going and dissuade either of the sides from walking out. Syrian state television said the government wanted to discuss the text of Geneva 1 “paragraph by paragraph”. “Mr Brahimi said tomorrow they are going to discuss terrorism because stopping terrorism is the first issue that should be handled,” Shaaban said. “Even in Geneva 1 the first item is to stop violence which has turned to terrorism.” There was no immediate confirmation from international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, who is chairing the talks. On Tuesday he said both sides were talking to the media too much and should respect the confidentiality of the talks and not overstate their case. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Delhi is world’s most polluted city, shows Yale study
Delhi is world’s most polluted city, shows Yale study (Staff Report) / 29 January 2014 Delhi’s air pollution is twice that of Beijing, and the city’s air pollution levels have risen 44 per cent since last year. India is among the world’s most polluted countries, while Delhi, its capital, is the world’s most polluted city, according to the Environment Performance Index released by Yale University. India sits at the 155th spot among the 178 countries included in the study, dropping 32 places from last year’s rankings. The country is also worse than all other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa) nations. China ranks at 118, while South Africa is at 72. Switzerland is right at the bottom of the list at 178, indicating that it’s the least polluted country. In terms of cities, Delhi tops the list, and is followed by Beijing, Cairo, Santiago and Mexico City. Delhi’s air pollution is twice that of Beijing, and the city’s air pollution levels have risen 44 per cent since last year. Delhi, with 810 million registered vehicles, also has the highest particulate matter pollution of 2.5 levels in the world. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
