Root & Morgan lead record run chase for England
England smashed the record for their highest ever one-day run chase to beat New Zealand by seven wickets at Trent Bridge and level the series at 2-2.
By reaching their target of 350 in only 44 overs, England beat their previous best of 306-5 against Pakistan in 2000.
Eoin Morgan and Joe Root both made centuries and shared a stand of 198, while Alex Hales crashed a 37-ball 68.
New Zealand posted 349-7 thanks to Kane Williamson's 90 and Mitchell Santner taking 28 from an Adil Rashid over.
In conceding four sixes and a four, Rashid sent down the second most expensive over ever by an England bowler in ODI cricket, behind Steven Finn's 29 against the same opponents at the World Cup earlier this year.
That, another high-class Williamson knock and yet more dropped catches, had the potential to send Morgan's men to the defeat that would have sealed a New Zealand victory in a thrilling five-match series.
But a further show of batting positivity in front of a raucous Trent Bridge crowd led England to the joint fourth highest chase of all time and a decider at Chester-le-Street on Saturday.
Although Morgan (113) and Root (106 not out) did the bulk of the work, their task was made easier by Hales' explosive start.
As New Zealand bowled too short on a flat pitch, Hales, on his home ground, repeatedly blazed through the leg side, clearing the boundary on four occasions.
He was supported by Jason Roy, who made 38 in an opening stand of 100 that was ended when Hales was bowled heaving at Matt Henry.
The same bowler had a blistering Roy drive held by Williamson at short cover 11 runs later, but England had no thoughts of consolidation, with Root and Morgan continuing a free-scoring charge with remarkable control.
Captain Morgan played the aggressor, dancing to play a glittering array of straight drives and huge lofts down the ground.
Striking the ball cleanly, the left-hander hit five sixes in the arc between long-off and deep mid-wicket, the last of which brought up his eighth ODI hundred from 73 balls.
Root, dropped at slip by Ross Taylor off Mitchell McClenaghan on nine, was busy in support, also driving straight and nudging on the leg side.
Their partnership, England's highest in an ODI against New Zealand, ended when Morgan hooked Tim Southee to long leg.
Root remained, went to a 94-ball hundred when a diving Santner failed to hold a top edge and, in the next over, pulled the boundary that completed victory.
That seemed unlikely when Santner launched his assault on Rashid, undoing England's good work in halting New Zealand's progress.
As England bowled too full early on the visitors' openers, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill, shared 88, with Williamson and Ross Taylor then adding 101 for the third wicket.
But when Taylor was pinned lbw by Finn at the start of the batting powerplay, England began to fight back.
The impressive pair of Finn and Mark Wood registered 1-51 and 1-49 respectively but had bowled all their allocation well before the end of the New Zealand innings, leaving Rashid exposed.
In a show of character, he recovered to go for only four runs and a leg bye in the 50th over and, from then on, it was all England.
Source-BBC
Stronger Iraq Critical to IS Fight
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter told a House panel Wednesday that the most critical line of defense against Islamic State militants is in building a stronger, more inclusive Iraqi government.
Carter said the U.S. is seeking a “greater commitment” from Iraq, especially in recruiting enough soldiers for training to assist in the fight against the Islamic State group.
He told the House Armed Services Committee the U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State positions in Iraq requires "capable, motivated, legitimate local ground troops to seize, clear and hold" land.
Carter called last month's fall of Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital, to Islamic State fighters "deeply disappointing."
"As I've told Iraqi leaders, while the United States is open to supporting Iraq more than we already are, we must see a greater commitment from all parts of the Iraqi government," he said Wednesday.
He said a lasting defeat for the Islamic State group will require local forces to fight and prevail on the ground.
The U.S. role "is to be an enabler or motivator – not a substitute for a capable ground force," Carter said. "That's where we'd like to get to."
Carter also told lawmakers the U.S. would not meet its goal to train 24,000 Iraqi troops by this fall. "We simply haven't received enough recruits," he said.
The U.S. has only enough recruits to train about 7,000 – in addition to about 2,000 counterterrorism service personnel, he said.
The Defense Secretary said U.S.-led coalition airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria have produced some clear results in limiting the militants’ freedom of movement and impeding its efforts to reinforce fighters.
However, the ground campaign “is a work in progress, Carter said. The Iraq Security Forces' performance has been mixed, he added, with some units fighting "admirably and relentlessly" and others dissolving, such as in Mosul last year.
Carter said other U.S. efforts to fight the Islamic State group include denying Islamist militants safe haven in the Middle East region, enhancing intelligence collection on the terrorist group, and to counter the militants’ message and flow of foreign fighters into the region.
Source-VOA
EDUCATION MINISTRY REVEALS GSAT TOP PERFORMERS
- Vincent Zamora, Precious Treasures Primary - 1st Place
- Shawn Gardiner, Precious Treasures Primary - 1st Place
- Alex Swaby, Oseta Jolly Primary - 3rd Place
- Oksana Daley, Richmond Hill Prep - 4th Place
- Ovancia Gardiner, Shining Stars Primary - 5th Place
- Amanda Ingham, Eliza Simons Primary - 6th Place
- Jason Bennett, Wesley Methodist Primary - 7th Place
- Xaria Johnson, CH James Primary - 8th Place
- D'Anne Tennant, Precious Treasures Primary - 9th Place
- Alexis Anara, Precious Treasures Primary - 9th Place
Swiss banks 'reported possible money laundering'
Swiss prosecutors are investigating 53 cases of possible money laundering in their inquiry into bidding for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups.
Attorney General Michael Lauber said the incidents had been reported by Swiss banks.
He said his office was analysing a "huge amount" of seized Fifa data in its inquiry.
The Swiss investigation is running in parallel to one being carried out by the US.
Separately, Fifa's chief ethics investigator said on Wednesday that the organisation was also looking into alleged breaches by officials relating to bidding for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
"Should new evidence come to light, the investigatory chamber will widen the group of suspects," Carl Borbely said in a statement, adding that Fifa investigators were prepared to increase staff numbers "at any time if needed".
The 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively. But senior Fifa official Domenico Scala has said the awards could be cancelled if evidence emerges of bribery.
Both countries deny any wrongdoing.
Source-BBC
Nato condemns Putin's nuclear 'sabre-rattling'
US Secretary of State John Kerry also expressed concern over President Putin's announcement, saying the decision was in contravention of the Start agreement designed to destroy nuclear weapons in the former territories of the Soviet Union.
"It could well be posturing with respect to negotiations because of their concerns about military moves being made by Nato itself," he said.
But "nobody should hear that kind of announcement from the leader of a powerful country and not be concerned about what the implications are," he added.
Following Mr Stoltenberg's comments, Mr Putin said that Russia would be forced to aim its armed forces at any countries that might threaten it.
Earlier, Mr Putin said the weapons would be able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defence systems.
Nato and Western leaders accuse Russia of sending soldiers and heavy weapons, including tanks and missiles, to the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly denied this, insisting that any Russians fighting there are "volunteers".
Russia has increased its defence spending substantially under Vladimir Putin, and is in the midst of a massive modernisation programme, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow.
The missiles are hi-tech replacements, not additions to Russia's nuclear arsenal, but the nod to the US is clear, our correspondent says.
-Military stockpile of approximately 4,500 nuclear warheads
-These include nearly 1,800 strategic warheads deployed on missiles and at bomber bases
-Another 700 strategic warheads are in storage along with roughly 2,700 non-strategic warheads
- A large number - perhaps 3,500 - of retired, but still largely intact warheads await dismantlement
All numbers are approximate estimates
Source: Federation of American Scientists
Donald Trump to run for president in 2016
Property billionaire Donald Trump has announced he will run for the White House in the 2016 election.
Mr Trump, a Republican, has never run for the party's nomination before, but has often talked about it.
"I am officially running for president of the United States and we are going to make our country great again," he told supporters at New York's Trump Towers on Fifth Avenue.
He said his fortune would allow him to be an effective president.
"Our country is in serious trouble. We don't have victories anymore," he said.
"When was the last time anyone saw us beating, let's say, China in a trade deal?
"They kill us. I beat China all the time."
Donald Trump is actually running for president. Few people expected it to happen - he's gone through the motions many times before - and his political rants up until now have been roundly derided as a joke. But this time he actually said the words, and he seems like he means it.
With campaign staff in key early voting states and a net worth he puts at more than $8.5bn, he has the resources to roil the Republican presidential field.
Mr Trump is polling high enough to get a spot on the stage in the forthcoming Republican debates, and he's already proven a willingness to take swings at his opponents. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio "don't have a clue", he said in his announcement speech. "How are these people going to lead us?" he asked.
If he says that enough times during a debate - or in a multi-million dollar television advertising spree - a lot of people are going to stop laughing and take notice. And that's probably just what Mr Trump wants.
Mr Trump expressed support for gun rights and said he would protect US government programmes like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
And he said he would "immediately terminate" President Barack Obama's executive order on immigration, which would save undocumented migrants from deportation.
"Sadly, the American Dream is dead", Mr Trump said.
"If I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and strong than ever before. We will make America great again."
He becomes the 12th Republican to declare, with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Florida's former governor Jeb Bush among the early frontrunners.
Pakistan Troops Cross Border to Rescue Wounded Afghan Soldier
In a demonstration of increased security cooperation, Pakistan's military says its troops crossed the border Tuesday and went 600 meters inside Afghanistan to rescue an Afghan soldier who was critically wounded in a firefight with “terrorists”.
The Pakistan military’s media wing says “Afghan authorities requested for evacuation and treatment of [a] soldier, Pakistani troops quickly responding to [the] Afghan request evacuated injured soldier to a hospital” on the Pakistani side of the border. "
The cross-border action took place in eastern Afghanistan opposite to the Pakistan tribal territory of Bajur and the Afghan solider is under treatment in hospital in Khar, the region’s administrative center, the statement reads.
Afghan authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
Taliban insurgents have recently increased attacks on Afghan security forces.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have increased border security cooperation in recent months while political relations have expanded. The two countries share 2400-kilometer mostly porous border.
Fake goods worth US$60m seized operations across C’bean
The international police organisation (INTERPOL) says car parts, fuel, food, detergent, cigars, shampoo, and steel were among fake goods worth nearly US$60 million seized in a two-week operation across the Americas and the Caribbean.
Code-named Maya II, INTERPOL said more than 2,000 interventions by police, customs, investigators and Intellectual Property (IP) units were carried out at key locations including markets, border control points and shops across 19 countries and territories.
INTERPOL said the operation was coordinated by its Trafficking in Illicit Goods and Counterfeiting unit.
Investigations carried out by national authorities led to the identification and dismantling of several organised crime networks, as well as entire businesses selling counterfeit goods, INTERPOL said.
In the Dominican Republic, where deforestation is an increasing problem, INTERPOL said authorities seized more than 100 bags of charcoal at the Haitian border, in addition to identifying and closing down two illegal factories manufacturing laundry detergent.
A shopping centre in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic capital, was also found selling fake goods along with genuine brands after their supply chain had been infiltrated by organised crime networks.
A bootleg distillery was also shut down, and tests on the illegal alcohol seized during the raids showed it to contain potentially lethal additives.
“The Dominican Republic’s involvement in Operation Maya II through NCB Santo Domingo underlines our commitment to combat all forms of transnational crime, to protect citizens and society for a safer world,” said Major General Manuel Elpidio Castro Castillo, head of the Dominican Republic National Police.
In Cuba, the police, in their first operation targeting counterfeit goods, seized hundreds of fake boxes ready to be filled with fake brand-name cigars.
It said other examples of seizures include counterfeit rifle scopes in Canada; fake electrical goods in Trinidad and Tobago; video game controllers in Mexico; and jeans and T-shirts in Curaçao.
“The success of this operation is a result of the dedication and commitment of the involved countries, particularly those who took part in these specifically targeted actions for the first time,” said Michael Ellis, head of INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods and Counterfeiting unit.
“The results show the extent of the challenge faced by every country in combating the spread of fake and illicit goods, and INTERPOL will continue to support their efforts in dismantling these networks and bringing those involved to justice,” Ellis added.
INTERPOL said the operation was supported by the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC).
It said countries and territories which took part in Operation Maya II included Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Canada; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cuba; Curaçao; Dominican Republic; El Salvador; Honduras; Jamaica; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Puerto Rico; St. Lucia; Trinidad and Tobago; United States and Venezuela.
Cuba and Trinidad sign bilateral investment agreement
A bilateral cooperation accord has been signed between the chambers of commerce of Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago to exchange information on investment opportunities.
President the Cuban Chamber of Commerce Celia Labora and her Trinidadian counterpart Catherine Kumar signed the documents on Thursday.
The accord will allow Trinidadian business people to access all the information related to the Cuban market and its new prospects for foreign investment.
The agreement will also give access to details about the Special Development Zone in the Cuban western Mariel Harbor and the portfolio that contains over 200 investment projects valued at over US$8-billion.
Source -CMC
Selena Gomez Gets $3 Million From Pantene Endorsement Deal
Selena Gomez is more than happy to be the new face of Pantene hair care. Not only is the "Hotel Transylvania 2" voice actress stoked because she is a fan of the brand, but also due to the amount of money she gets for her endorsement. An industry source told E! News that Selena got paid around $3 million a year for being the new face of Pantene.
The brand of hair care products took to Instagram on Monday, June 15 to announce that the 22-year-old actress became its new spokesmodel. Pantene posted a picture of Selena smiling ear to ear while flaunting her flawless brunette hair. A caption for the picture read, "Proud to work with this strong, beautiful woman. We'll do gorgeous things together. #SelenaXPantene #StrongIsBeautiful @selenagomez."
Selena also posted a picture of her flaunting her flawless tresses on Instagram. Sitting on a big block of T letter, the "Behaving Badly" actress looked gorgeous in a white tube dress while making over-the-shoulder gaze. She captioned it, "I am so happy to announce my new partnership with Pantene! #SelenaxPantene #strongisbeautiful @pantenehair.
Selena admitted that she had been a fan of Pantene. "I've always loved using Pantene, so it's a dream come true to be the brand's newest ambassador. Not only because Pantene stands for strong, healthy hair but also because it encourages women to be their best selves," the "Love You Like a Love Song" songtress said in a press release. "My style is constantly evolving and I love to take risks, so I'm always changing my hair style. I rely on Pantene to keep my hair strong and healthy so I can take on each day with confidence."
On the previous day, Selena shared a sneak-peek video of her photo shoot on Instagram. She didn't give much information about the photo shoot but wrote, "Another BIG announcement tomorrow..... stay tuned!" in a caption for the video. It came to be known that her photo shoot was for Pantene.
Source-AceShowbiz