Japan launches affordable space rocket

New generation Epsilon rocket promises cheaper and efficient way of sending satellites into space. 

Japan has successfully launched a new rocket that it hopes will be a cheaper and more efficient way of sending satellites into space. The three-stage Epsilon lifted off from a space centre on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu on Saturday, following a two-week postponement. An earlier launch last month was aborted 19 seconds before a planned liftoff due to a computer glitch. About an hour after the liftoff, its payload, the SPRINT-A, the first space telescope designed to observe other planets was successfully put into orbit, said Mari Harada, a spokeswoman at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. The rocket blastoff was broadcast live on television networks, with footage showing a white, pencil shaped rocket shot into the sky from the launch pad after spurting gray smoke and orange flash. “It was so thrilled that I was almost speechless,” JAXA President Naoki Okumura told a televised news conference. The Epsilon is the first new rocket design for Japan since the H2A was introduced in 2001. The H2A remains Japan's primary rocket, but officials hope the Epsilon will lead to improvements in the more costly H2A programme. Japan hopes to be more competitive in the international rocket-launching business. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the success of a genuinely homemade rocket was a fruit of Japan's expertise and technology in space development. JAXA said the Epsilon costs about $40m, one-third the cost of the H2A. The rocket is about 24 meters tall, half the size of the H2A, and can be assembled and readied for launch in just one week, one-sixth of the time required for the H2A. The Epsilon rocket, which uses a solid-fuel propellant, is meant to expand the scope of space missions Japan hopes to perform. It also streamlines the launch process. JAXA says the rocket's extensive use of computer technology means monitoring work that once required a full-staff control room can be done essentially on a single laptop.

 

US and Russia enter third day of Syria talks

John Kerry and his Russian counterpart seek to hammer out a deal on eliminating Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons.

The United States and Russia are to hold a third day of complex talks on Saturday, seeking to hammer out a deal on eliminating Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons, amid persistent differences.
During their second day of talks in Geneva on Friday, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov shuttled with their delegations in and out of talks, breaking up after the midnight to allow the weary delegations to catch a few hours sleep.
The talks between the two sides are at a "pivotal point" and are continuing into Saturday, a US official told reporters.
"Both nations said they wanted to renew efforts to negotiate a peaceful end to the war in Syria", he said
Teams of experts have been poring over a last-minute Russian initiative which led US President Barack Obama to back away from planned military strikes in response to an August chemical attack near Damascus that killed 1,429 people.
Washington blames President Bashar al-Assad regime for the attack, a charge the Syrian government has denied.
The US has estimated that Syria possesses about 1,000 metric tonnes of various chemical agents, including mustard and sarin gas, sulfur and VX. The Russian estimates had been initially much lower, the official said, without giving a figure.
"It's the same questions of what is it, where is it, how do we track it down, can we account for it, those are all part of the discussions," said a senior State Department official.
Reviving talks
Washington and Moscow were also "working hard to find common ground" to get peace talks going in Geneva that would bring together Assad's regime and the opposition to end the war which erupted in March 2011, Kerry said on Friday.
In Washington, senior Obama administration officials said the United States did not expect a UN Security Council resolution formalising the deal to include potential use of military force. But officials said Obama retained that option.
At the United Nations, the Secreatry General, Ban Ki-moon, lashed out at Syrian President and said a UN inspectors' report into the incident would provide "overwhelming" confirmation that chemical weapons were used.
Assad had "carried out many crimes against humanity," Ban said, and insisted there had to be "accountability" once Syria's civil war was over.
The UN chief is expected to present a report on the use of chemical weapons in Syria to the Security Council on Monday morning, AP news agency reported.
Syria has filed documents at the United Nations seeking to join the international convention banning chemical weapons and said it now considers itself a full member.
But one of the issues still to be negotiated is the delay given to Syria to comply with the treaty's conventions and declare its full stockpile.
UN seeks more information
A UN spokesman said on Friday that the organisation has asked Syria for more information about its application, but he declined to say what was missing from the documents filed.
Washington has warned the regime that further steps will also be needed before military action would be off the table.
Fuelling concerns about Assad's sincerity, reports emerged on Friday that a secret Syrian military unit was scattering the chemical weapons stockpile around the country.
The unit was given responsibility to shift the arsenal of poison gases and munitions to different locations across Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and Middle Eastern officials.
Syria's opposition National Coalition also said it was "deeply sceptical" of the government's move and urged a tough UN resolution to enforce the measure.

aljazeera-CAR's new president dissolves rebel group

africa

Michel Djotodia disbands Seleka group blamed for wave of violence since March coup that toppled Francois Bozize.

Central African Republic's new president has dissolved the rebel alliance that swept him to power, a group that has since been blamed for a wave of violence.
State radio on Friday broadcast a decree by President Michel Djotodia, declaring the Seleka rebel group dissolved "throughout the national territory".
Seleka rebels seized the capital, Bangui, and overthrew leader Francois Bozize on March 23, the latest in a series of coups in the country that remains one of the world's poorest despite its mineral resources.
The rebels have carried on looting and killing indiscriminately, witnesses have said.
French President Francois Hollande last month called for urgent UN action to stop the country slipping further into chaos.
Djotodia, sworn in as the country's new president last month, was a former Seleka leader.
It was unclear what impact the order would have on Seleka, a loose alliance made up of five organisations. His order came the same week he dismissed the head of the armed forces after days of clashes with other fighters still loyal to Bozize that left 100 people dead.
"The measure taken by President Michel Djotodia will change nothing in terms of the behavior of the militia known as Seleka.
Human rights violations
President Djotodia is trying to create distance and confusion over the acts of abuse committed by their fighters," said the chief of a Bangui neighbourhood.
Both the rebels and Bozize's troops carried out summary executions, torture and other human rights violations during the fighting up to the March coup, the United Nations said in a report on Thursday.
"Seleka also engaged in sexual violence and grave violations against children," the UN mission to the country, said in the report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The report recommended that the new transitional government take urgent measures to restore security and screen both rebel fighters and soldiers of the national army.
International charities say they have been forced to put Seleka rebels on their payroll as guards as insurance against having their premises robbed.
The report also asked the UN rights council to look into a the human rights situation and, if possible, refer possible war crimes to the International Criminal Court.
A mix of local rebellions, banditry, ethnic tensions and spillover of conflicts from neighbouring countries have long undermined efforts to stabilise the landlocked former French colony.

 

Strauss-Kahn to advise Serbian government

europe

Former IMF chief, who faces aggravated pimping charges in France, will serve as economic adviser to top officials.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, will serve as an economic adviser to the Serbian government's top officials, according to Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. Vucic said on state television late on Thursday that Strauss-Kahn will advise him, and Serbia's prime minister and finance minister on restructuring the country's large foreign debt. Vucic asserted that the charges of aggravated pimping levied against Strauss-Kahn in France did not tarnish his reputation as a financial expert. "Big [painter] Picasso treated women and children very badly, while some other people, like Hilter, loved women," he said. The French case revolves around an alleged hotel prostitution ring and hinges on whether Strauss-Kahn knew he was partying with prostitutes and whose money was used to pay them. His lawyers have said Strauss-Kahn had attended "libertine" gatherings but did not know that some women there were paid. No trial date has been set for Strauss-Khan and 13 other people in France, a country where it is not illegal to pay for sex, but it is against the law to solicit or to run a prostitution business. The case is only the latest raised against Strauss-Kahn, who resigned from the IMF before charges of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New York in May 2011 were dropped.

US and Russia enter third day of Syria talks

John Kerry and his Russian counterpart seek to hammer out a deal on eliminating Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons.

The United States and Russia are to hold a third day of complex talks on Saturday, seeking to hammer out a deal on eliminating Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons, amid persistent differences.
During their second day of talks in Geneva on Friday, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov shuttled with their delegations in and out of talks, breaking up after the midnight to allow the weary delegations to catch a few hours sleep.
The talks between the two sides are at a "pivotal point" and are continuing into Saturday, a US official told reporters.
"Both nations said they wanted to renew efforts to negotiate a peaceful end to the war in Syria", he said
Teams of experts have been poring over a last-minute Russian initiative which led US President Barack Obama to back away from planned military strikes in response to an August chemical attack near Damascus that killed 1,429 people.
Washington blames President Bashar al-Assad regime for the attack, a charge the Syrian government has denied.
The US has estimated that Syria possesses about 1,000 metric tonnes of various chemical agents, including mustard and sarin gas, sulfur and VX. The Russian estimates had been initially much lower, the official said, without giving a figure.
"It's the same questions of what is it, where is it, how do we track it down, can we account for it, those are all part of the discussions," said a senior State Department official.
Reviving talks
Washington and Moscow were also "working hard to find common ground" to get peace talks going in Geneva that would bring together Assad's regime and the opposition to end the war which erupted in March 2011, Kerry said on Friday.
In Washington, senior Obama administration officials said the United States did not expect a UN Security Council resolution formalising the deal to include potential use of military force. But officials said Obama retained that option.
At the United Nations, the Secreatry General, Ban Ki-moon, lashed out at Syrian President and said a UN inspectors' report into the incident would provide "overwhelming" confirmation that chemical weapons were used.
Assad had "carried out many crimes against humanity," Ban said, and insisted there had to be "accountability" once Syria's civil war was over.
The UN chief is expected to present a report on the use of chemical weapons in Syria to the Security Council on Monday morning, AP news agency reported.
Syria has filed documents at the United Nations seeking to join the international convention banning chemical weapons and said it now considers itself a full member.
But one of the issues still to be negotiated is the delay given to Syria to comply with the treaty's conventions and declare its full stockpile.
UN seeks more information
A UN spokesman said on Friday that the organisation has asked Syria for more information about its application, but he declined to say what was missing from the documents filed.
Washington has warned the regime that further steps will also be needed before military action would be off the table.
Fuelling concerns about Assad's sincerity, reports emerged on Friday that a secret Syrian military unit was scattering the chemical weapons stockpile around the country.
The unit was given responsibility to shift the arsenal of poison gases and munitions to different locations across Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and Middle Eastern officials.
Syria's opposition National Coalition also said it was "deeply sceptical" of the government's move and urged a tough UN resolution to enforce the measure.

 

aljazeeranews-Taliban attack US consulate in Afghanistan

Two police and four attackers reported killed after car bomb and gun attack near US compound in city of Herat.

At least three people and have been killed and 17 others injured in an apparent Taliban attack on the United States consulate in Herat, Afghanistan.
The attack began at about 6am local time (2am GMT) on Friday with a powerful car bomb explosion about 60m from the consulate compound, said Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi, the governor of Herat province.
Loud explosions followed by gunfire were heard and a plume of thick smoke was seen rising over the city, in the west of Afghanistan.
Other fighters then began firing on security forces in the area. Two policemen and a consulate security guard were reported killed and 17 others - including four women and two other police - were injured.
The AP news agency said the Taliban claimed it had carried out the assault. Local reports said there were five attackers, four of whom were killed or detonated suicide bombs.
NATO's ISAF force later said on Twitter that it had secured the consulate and security forces had defeated the attackers.
Herat, on the border with Iran, has been relatively peaceful since the removal of the Taliban by US-led forces in 2001.
Italian soldiers took charge of the regional command of ISAF on September 10.

Egypt extends state of emergency (aljazeera)

Two-month extension was widely expected, but government to decide separately whether to continue night-time curfew.

Egypt's interim president has extended a nationwide state of emergency by two months, citing security conditions.
The nearly month-old state of emergency, which gives security forces greater powers of arrest, had been due to expire within days of the announcement made on Thursday.
It was first declared in mid-August after authorities cleared two protest encampments held by supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, prompting violence that claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 in subsequent days.
Ever since, a night-time curfew has also been in effect in much of the country.
The government will decide separately on whether to continue the curfew.
The extension had been widely expected, and the decree cited continued security concerns.
Scattered protests by Morsi supporters continue nearly daily, and the government says it faces an organised violent campaign to destabilise the country.
Ongoing crackdown
Authorities have been carrying out a crackdown on supporters of Morsi, including leading members of his Muslim Brotherhood, accusing them of inciting violence.
Security officials say at least 2,000 Muslim Brotherhood members and other Islamists have been arrested in the past month, all of them facing prosecution.

Spotlight Follow our ongoing coverage of the political crisis in Egypt

At the same time, violent attacks on police stations, government offices and churches have grown more brazen in south Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula and closer to the capital, Cairo.
A day earlier, a pair of suicide bombers drove their explosives-laden cars into military targets in Sinai, killing nine soldiers.
Last week, a suicide car bombing in Cairo targeted the convoy of Mohammed Ibrahim, the interior minister who is in charge of the police.
Ibrahim escaped unharmed but a civilian was killed, in the first such political assassination attempt since Morsi's July 3 overthrow.
'Exceptional' measure
In an interview with the daily Al-Masry Al-Youm on Wednesday, Hazem el-Beblawi, interim prime minister, said the government was recommending the state of emergency be extended for a month or two because of "an increasingly tense situation".
He called it an "exceptional" measure that should be used minimally.

According to the interim constitution, the state of emergency can only be imposed for three months, then it must be put to a public referendum.
For most of the 30-year rule of Morsi's predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, the state of emergency was imposed as the government said it was battling terrorism.
Shortly after Mubarak's removal it was lifted.
El-Beblawi said the curfew would likely be eased, particularly before schools returning, in the third week of September.
The curfew has already been eased before, reducing it from a 11 hours down to seven hours, in 11 governorates.
On Fridays, a day when protests usually draw larger numbers, the curfew continues to be for 11 hours.
Government officials and the media have expressed concern that the return of schools and universities, where the Muslim Brotherhood traditionally has a strong base, may be an occasion for protests and unrest to spread.

 

Obama postpones vote on Syria military strike

President to pursue diplomatic option to secure Assad regime's chemical weapons - but warns US will respond if it fails.

Barack Obama has postponed his request for congressional authorisation for military action in Syria to pursue a diplomatic drive to disarm Syrian president Bashar al-Assad of his chemical weapons.
In a speech to the American people on Wednesday, the US president said that a Russian offer to persuade Assad to give up his stockpile offered the possibility of heading off the need to take military action.

But he said he was sceptical of the success of the plan, adding that he had kept US forces on high readiness as he urged Americans to support his threat to use force as a necessary alternative.
The speech came after hours of diplomatic wrangling in Moscow, Damascus and Washington DC, as Syria acknowledged it had chemical weapons and was willing to give them up, and Russia pushed for the US to drop its threat of military action.
Obama said: "It's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed. And any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments. But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force.
"I have therefore asked the leaders of Congress to postpone a vote to authorise the use of force while we pursue this diplomatic path. I’m sending Secretary of State John Kerry to meet his Russian counterpart on Thursday, and I will continue my own discussions with President Putin.
"I’ve spoken to the leaders of two of our closest allies - France and the United Kingdom - and we will work together in consultation with Russia and China to put forward a resolution at the UN Security Council requiring Assad to give up his chemical weapons and to ultimately destroy them under international control."
A UN Security Council meeting on the subject was, however, postponed hours before Obama's speech - suggesting disagreements among members about how the body should proceed.
In his speech, Obama stated that he still retained to right to order military strikes, adding: "I’ve ordered our military to maintain their current posture to keep the pressure on Assad and to be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails.
"Let me make something clear: The United States military doesn’t do pinpricks. Even a limited strike will send a message to Assad that no other nation can deliver."
But he acknowledged the limitations of military action.
"I don’t think we should remove another dictator with force. We learned from Iraq that doing so makes us responsible for all that comes next. But a targeted strike can makes Assad - or any other dictator - think twice before using chemical weapons."
 "America is not the world’s policeman. Terrible things happen across the globe, and it is beyond our means to right every wrong, but when with modest effort and risk we can stop children from being gassed to
death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run, I believe we should act."

 

Lampard set to mark England milestone :-(aljazeera)

Veteran England midfielder set to notch up 100 appearances admitting ultimate aim is to bow out at the World Cup.

 

Frank Lampard admits he will feel a sense of vindication if he wins his 100th cap in England's crucial World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday.

Despite being one of the most successful goalscoring midfielders English football has ever produced, Lampard, a member of a generation of players regarded as underachievers at international level, has not received universal acclaim.

Off the pitch he is intelligent, eloquent and diplomatic; and on it he has scored a record 204 goals for Chelsea and 29 goals in 99 appearances for England. But all the same, there has been plenty of criticism to deal with throughout his career.

Questions

As recently as last year there were suggestions he was past his best as Chelsea stalled on offering the 35-year-old a new contract.

But Lampard responded in style, just as he had done earlier in his England career when fans at Wembley booed him during a particularly difficult time in 2007 - a time when the midfielder admits he briefly considered retiring from international football.

Earlier in his career it was even tougher, coming through the ranks at West Ham where his father Frank Lampard Senior was assistant manager and uncle Harry Redknapp the manager, and where he suffered some terrible abuse from his own supporters at Upton Park.

A YouTube video clip of a 1990s West Ham Fans Forum that has recently found its way onto the internet underlines the difficulties Lampard faced as he tried to make his way in the game.

The clip shows a young Lampard being angrily harangued by one irate supporter, leading Redknapp to produce an impassioned defence of his player, claiming he would one day become a major star for England.

Redknapp has been proved right, but the experience still left a scar.

Perhaps those memories will come flooding back when Lampard, currently on 99 caps for his country, steps onto the field to complete his century in Kiev.

"It was difficult," said Lampard. "I'll never forget it actually, but I was surprised it popped up when it did recently.

"It was a tough time for me. Some people forget that it was tough or they try to change history and say it wasn't like that. But it was.

"I had the nepotism one thrown at me regularly there and as a kid I found it quite hard to deal with.

"Certainly that day I did. I watched it back and not only my embarrassing haircut and my chubby face, but the whole moment was brought back.

"I think Harry went out on a bit of a limb at the time. Looking back, he made some big judgements there and was very supportive of me.

"It's nice when people say things like that. When you get a bit of stick and someone sticks up for you like that, I suppose it makes you want to make them right and I'm pleased I did because it looks great now when you look back, doesn't it?"

Work ethic

That steely determination, together with a work ethic inherited from his father, has helped Lampard achieve more than other arguably more naturally talented players of his generation.

"I am very thankful for my dad. He put that work ethic in me," Lampard said.

"That became ingrained in me. He probably bullied me into it a bit in younger years.

"I didn't always like it at the time. But I can't thank him enough for it now."

Lampard also admits if England, currently top of Group H as they prepare to face third-placed Ukraine, reach the World Cup in Brazil it is likely to be his farewell tournament.

"Realistically I think so," he said. "I don't want to say I will retire after that because then it is there waiting to happen.

"But young players are coming through and at 36 not too many players play on after that age."

Blatter defends Qatar rethink -( aljazeera )

Head of world football says FIFA members should not be surprised by 2022 World Cup rescheduling discussions.

 

FIFA president Sepp Blatter defended his support of switching the 2022 World Cup to winter in Qatar, saying in an interview published on Monday that rescheduling reflected the sport's worldwide appeal.

Blatter told Inside World Football that members of the federation who have complained about the proposed change in dates should have been well aware of the possibility, as it was contained in the bidding process documents.

"The loudest critics, the ones who should know better because they signed the exact same bidding documents as Qatar did... must know that point 1.2.1 stipulates that the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup is 'scheduled to take place' in June and/or July 'in principle'," he was quoted as saying on insideworldfootball.com.

"It does not say that it 'must' take place in these months, nor is it a 'condition sine qua non' to host the World Cup in June and July. What the document does is express FIFA's wish to host the World Cup in June or July."

Concerns

European countries, in particular England, have cried foul at the possibility of holding the world's most-watched sporting event in January and February because Qatar initially bid to host the tournament in the June-July close season in Europe and changing the dates would disrupt their domestic leagues.

Temperatures in Qatar can reach a blistering 50 degrees Celsius but cool to the mid-20s in December.

Blatter accepted that, despite knowing that technology was available to cool venues, playing in Qatar's summer was "simply not a responsible thing to do".

But he said there needed to be flexibility to ensure that as many countries as possible have the chance to host the tournament, rather than it being organised to suit European nations.

"If we maintain, rigidly, the status quo, then a FIFA World Cup can never be played in countries that are south of the equator or indeed near the equator," he added.

"We automatically discriminate against countries that have different seasons than we do in Europe and we make it impossible for all those who would love to host the world's biggest game in a global tournament to ever get the chance to do so."

He went on: "I think it is high time that Europe starts to understand that we do not rule the world anymore and that some former European imperial powers can no longer impress their will on to others in faraway places and we must accept that football has moved away from being a European and South American sport.

"It has become the world sport that billions of fans are excitedly following every week, everywhere in the world."

Blatter said he would raise the issue at FIFA's next executive committee meeting on October 3-4 before consulting more widely on the impact of rescheduling on the international calendar.

Right-wing parties win Norway election

Current Labour Prime Minister concedes defeat to Conservative rivals in general election.

Norway's Labour Party has conceded defeat in the nation's general election, as the Conservative Party and its right-wing allies swept to power after an eight-year hiatus. Jens Stoltenberg, the incumbent Labour Party prime minister, conceded defeat late on Monday, while his challenger, Conservative leader Erna Solberg, hailed "a historic election win". With three quarters of the votes counted, a bloc of four centre-right parties had won 96 of 169 seats in parliament. Stoltenberg's three-party coalition controlled 72, with one seat going to an independent environmental party. "In accordance with Norwegian parliamentary tradition, I will seek the  resignation of my government after the presentation of the national budget on October 14, when it's clear that there is a parliamentary basis for a new government," said Stoltenberg. Just minutes afterwards, the nation's likely next prime minister, 52-year-old Solberg, appeared in a triumphant mood in front of supporters in the Norwegian capital. "Today the voters have produced a historic election victory for the right-wing parties," she said. The most often-cited scenario prior to the election has been for a minority government made up of the Conservatives and the Progress Party. As of late Monday it was unclear if the smaller Christian Democrats and the Liberals would seek to join the government or act as legislative support. The Progress Party looked set to lose 12 seats in parliament, which would leave it with 29. But it still treated the result as victory, as it now faced the first chance in its 40-year history of being part of a government. "We are going to negotiate a platform for the government, and we have said throughout the campaign that we wanted to leave a serious footprint on the platform," said Progress Party leader Siv Jensen. Oil wealth key issue Significantly, one of the top election issues was the proper use of Norway's oil fund, which at $750 billion is the world's largest sovereign wealth fund. Given the general material wealth, and the lack of any serious discontent in society, the weak showing of 54-year-old Stoltenberg's coalition is mostly put down to power fatigue. "Norway is one of the richest countries in the world, if not the richest, but the generation who made the nation what it is today is not getting to harvest the fruits," said Oslo retiree Espen Ek, who added he had voted "for change". Stoltenberg's coalition was also criticised for the authorities' failure to prevent right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik killing 77 people in bomb and gun attacks in July 2011.

Clarke ton steers Australian victory

Skipper leads the charge as tourists outplay England to win second ODI at Old Trafford by 88 runs to take series lead.

 

Michael Clarke led from the front with a century as Australia overwhelmed England by 88 runs in the second one-day international at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Victory saw Australia take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series following Friday's washout in Leeds.

Australia captain Clarke's 105, only his eighth hundred in 229 matches at this level, was the cornerstone of a total of 315 for seven and came on the same ground where he made 187 in the drawn third Test against England last month.

Man-of-the-match Clarke received good support from vice-captain George Bailey (82) in a fifth-wicket stand of 155 as Australia made their highest one-day international score against England in England, surpassing their 302 for six at Nottingham's Trent Bridge in 2009.

England, having only twice before made more than 300 to win an ODI, slumped to nine for two as Mitchell Johnson took two wickets in three deliveries and were dismissed for 227 with 34 balls to spare.

Early wickets

Scorecard

Australia S Marsh c Buttler b Finn 0 A Finch c Root b Tredwell 45 S Watson c Buttler b Bopara 38 M Clarke c Buttler b Rankin 105 G Bailey c Tredwell b Bopara 82 A Voges not out 16 M Wade b Rankin 0 J Faulkner c Morgan b Finn 18 M Johnson not out 6 Extras 5 Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 315 Fall of wickets: 0-1 (Marsh), 2-60 (Watson), 3-116 (Finch), 4-271 (Bailey), 5-283 (Clarke), 6-283 (Wade), 7-308 (Faulkner) England K Pietersen c Faukner b Watson 60 M Carberry c Clarke b Johnson 4 J Trott c Wade b Johnson 0 J Root b Faulkner 3 E Morgan c Clarke b McKay 54 R. Bopara c and b Voges 1 J. Buttler c Johnson b Ahmed 75 B. Stokes c Bailey b McKay 5 J. Tredwell run out (Clarke/Faulkner) 1 S. Finn c Voges b McKay 16 B. Rankin not out 1 Extras (lb1, w6) 7 Total (all out, 44.2 overs) 227 Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Carberry), 2-9 (Trott), 3-38 (Root), 4-97 (Pietersen), 5-103 (Bopara), 6-154 (Morgan), 7-167 (Stokes), 8-169 (Tredwell), 9-216 (Buttler), 10-227 (Finn)

Earlier, Ashes-winners England - resting James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann ahead of the return series 'Down Under' starting in November - appeared to be at least one bowler 'light'.

But former Ireland paceman Boyd Rankin checked Australia's progress with two wickets in two balls including that of Clarke in an innings where off-spinner James Tredwell's eight overs cost an expensive 60 runs.

England, after winning the toss, needed just four balls to reduce Australia to nought for one when fast bowler Steven Finn had Shaun Marsh edging to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

Bailey lofted Tredwell straight for six before completing a 47-ball fifty - and raising a century partnership too - with his third six, off seam-bowling all-rounder Ben Stokes (none for 66).

But Bailey fell when he pulled medium-pacer Ravi Bopara to Tredwell at short fine leg.

Clarke's 14 fours included several well-struck drives, cuts and pulls.

Yet his 102-ball innings ended in ugly fashion, when he edged a swipe off Rankin to Buttler.

England, in the absence of rested opening duo Alastair Cook, their regular captain, and Ian Bell, entrusted first-wicket duties to Kevin Pietersen and Michael Carberry.

But Carberry had made just four when he cut left-arm fast bowler Johnson straight to Clarke at backward point.

Johnson then produced a brute of a rising delivery that Jonathan Trott could only nick to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade as he went for nought.

And when Joe Root was clean bowled by James Faulkner, Johnson's fellow left-arm paceman, England were 38 for three.

Stand-in captain Eoin Morgan walked out, having rescued England from an even worse position of 25 for three with an unbeaten century in a six-wicket win against his native Ireland in Malahide on Tuesday.

Pietersen, one of three changes to the team that played Ireland, swept leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed for six.

But he exited for a 66-ball 60 after driving medium-pacer Watson to Faulkner at short extra-cover.

And 97 for four became 103 for five when Bopara, who like Morgan also scored an unbeaten hundred against Ireland, was caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Adam Voges.

When left-hander Morgan holed out for 54 off Clint McKay (three for 47), England's already fading hopes of victory went with him at 154 for six.

Buttler made 75 off 65 balls, his maiden fifty in 16 ODIs, but he never threatened to alter the result, merely Australia's winning margin.

The series continues at Birmingham's Edgbaston ground on Wednesday.

What the world overlooked in Syria

Major events taking place across Syria have been overshadowed by the chemical attack saga.

 

Ever since the US announced it would act against Syria in response to a chemical weapon attack more than three weeks ago, the world has been fixated on when and how Washington and its allies will act.
The debate on whether the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against the opposition in the suburbs of Damascus is ongoing. Statements by top Western leaders on Syria come out almost daily. US politicians continue to wrangle over whether Washington should strike President Bashar al-Assad’s military installations. And pro-intervention Syrian activists have stepped up their campaign to convince congressmen to vote "yes” for military strikes in their country.

Townsfolk accuse Assad's forces of killing residents and throwing their bodies into wells [Al Jazeera]

But since the August 21 attack - which is reported to have killed between 240 and 1,400 people - the country has witnessed a steady flow of bloodletting. Between August 22 and September 9, At least 1,529 people were killed, according to the Local Coordination Committees activist network. New "massacres" have been reported, new advances by Assad’s troops have been recorded and takeovers of villages by rebel forces have been claimed.
Here are some of the major stories that took place across Syria in the past three weeks but were overshadowed by the chemical attack saga:
AUGUST 24 - Bodies discovered in Aleppo's wells
Seven bodies were discovered rotting in a well located in the town of Junaid in the suburbs of Aleppo.
The corpses were found a few weeks after residents in the the nearby village of Om Amoud recovered tens of bodies from six wells there.
Residents accused forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of killing both townsfolk and passers-by and throwing their bodies into wells, during ten days of intense battles with rebel forces.
Al Jazeera's Naser Shadid, who was in Om Amoud as volunteers recovered the bodies, said the process was very difficult due to the strong smell and the lack of proper equipment.

Civilian residents have mostly fled Ariha in the past weeks, due to the heavy air and artillery strikes [Al Jazeera]

SEPTEMBER 3 - Syrian army take over strategic town
Syrian forces seized the strategic northern town of Ariha, a move that opened supply lines between the coastal stronghold of Latakia and pockets of army control in Idlib province, which is largely rebel controlled.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported the Assad military gain, said regime forces stormed and captured Ariha while a fierce artillery assault raged.
Tens of people were reported killed in clashes ahead of the military takeover.
Activists say civilian residents have mostly fled Ariha in recent weeks, after heavy air and artillery strikes. According to the Observatory, Assad forces began raiding and looting the town after storming it.
Ariha has been in and out of rebel control. It was taken by rebel brigades, including the Ahrar al-Sham group and other units linked to al-Qaeda, on August 24.
SEPTEMBER 4 - New report reveals 'extensive' use of cluster bombs

At least 165 people in Syria were killed or wounded by cluster munitions last year [Reuters]

Troops allied to the Syrian regime used cluster munitions "extensively" in the second half of 2012 and first half of 2013, causing many civilian casualties, according to Human Rights Watch.
The Cluster Munitions Monitoring Report said at least 165 people were killed or wounded by cluster munitions in Syria last year alone, representing a clear majority of the 190 casualties known to have been caused globally by the weapons in 2012.
The annual report provides an overview of how countries are implementing the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans all use, production, transfer and stockpiling of the weapons.
"Syria's extensive use of cluster munitions has caused needless civilian casualties," lamented report editor Mary Warenham, of Human Rights Watch.
SEPTEMBER 4 - Rebels capture strategic army base

The ancient village of Maaloula was a tourist attraction [AP]

Rebels captured a large part of the Brigade 81 armoured base, one of the lagest in Syria.
They seized two compounds in the mountainous area of Qalamoun in Damascus' northeast, near the Lebanon border, in addition to armoured viheciles, according to rebel fighters
The takeover was considered a major victory for the opposition. The base is strategically located on the main Damascus-Aleppo road and on the westward route to Lebanon.
SEPTEMBER 7 - Rebels capture ancient Christian village

A Syrian rebel group led by al-Qaeda-linked fighters have said they seized control of Maaloula, a predominantly Christian village northeast of Damascus.

The fighters swept into the mountainside sanctuary in heavy fighting which forced hundreds of residents to flee.

State media, meanwhile, provided a dramatically different account of the battle - suggesting regime forces were winning.

Maaloula, an ancient village that is home to two of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria, was a major tourist attraction before the civil war.

Some of its residents still speak a version of Aramaic, the language of biblical times believed to have been used by Jesus.

The Tabqa Dam was captured by rebels last February [Tabqa activists]

SEPTEMBER 8 - Regime troops shell near Syria's largest dam

Syrian fighter jets struck near the Tabqa Dam in the rebel-controlled north-eastern Raqqa province. The dam, on the Euphrates River, is the largest in the country and one of the most important sources of electricity.

"One of the shells hit the fence of the dam, only 15 metres away from the floodgates,” an activist in Raqqa said in a video while touring the area. “Had the gates been hit, all of the surrounding villages would have been flooded."

The opposition Syrian National Coalition says the attack on the dam was “a dangerous precedent” that “poses a significant threat to millions of Syrians across the country, and in particular those residing in the eastern provinces”.

The Tabqa Dam, which was captured by rebels last February, provides electricity both to areas in rebel and loyalist hands.

It was built more than 40 years ago with Russian help.

“Ironically, Russian-made shells hit the Russian-made dam,” the Raqqa activist said

 

Barguil snatches second stage win

Frenchman duels Rigoberto Uran to seal stage 16 of the Vuelta a Espana as Nibali battles to retain overall lead.

Frenchman Warren Barguil clinched his second stage win in four days as race leader Vincenzo Nibali's advantage was substantially reduced in the Tour of Spain on Monday.

Barguil somehow held on to win a photo finish with Colombian Rigoberto Uran as Poland's Bartosz Huzarski took third on the 146.8km 16th stage from Graus to Sallent de Gallego.

Italian Nibali, meanwhile, struggled mightily on the climb to the finish as he was dropped by American Chris Horner with around 3km to go, losing 22 seconds on the RadioShack rider and seeing his overall lead trimmed to just 28 seconds with five stages remaining.

Movistar's Alejandro Valverde remains in third place overall but he also gained time on Nibali and is now just 1min 14secs behind the Giro d'Italia winner.

Split pack

After two brutal stages through the Pyrenees over the weekend, the pack was split for the majority of the day with a large leading group of over 20 riders being held in check by the chasing peloton.

The excitement didn't truly start therefore until around 10km to go when, after a series of failed attempts, Barguil eventually pulled clear at the front and quickly opened up a 30-second gap.

However, unlike his break to victory on Friday, the 21-year-old didn't have enough in the tank to maintain his lead all the way to the finish and was caught by Uran about a kilometre from home.

The Sky rider then seemed certain for a first stage victory in the Tour of Spain but Barguil somehow surged past him in the final sprint to the line to take the win.

"It has been a great tour for me. When I attacked I had very good legs but I saw Uran was coming and I thought it best to wait a little and go for the sprint," Barguil said afterwards.

"To beat such a great rider and win gives me great confidence."

Further back Valverde, the 2009 winner, and Joaquim Rodriguez, who in July finished third on the Tour de France, were attempting to break away from Nibali on the final climb, but unlike in the previous two days the 2010 champion wasn't able to stay with them as the Spanish duo both gained 28 seconds on the leader.

And Horner was also able to escape the clutches of Nibali in the final stages to put himself very much in contention to win his first Tour of Spain come Madrid on Sunday.

Nibali will at least have a day to recover, though, with Tuesday being a rest day before the 189km ride from Calahorra to Burgos on Wednesday.

aljazeera---Obama to consider Syria disarmament plan

US president says Russian offer for Syria to give up chemical weapons 'positive', as Senate delays vote on use of force.

US President Barack Obama has said he will consider a "potentially positive" Russian offer for Syria to give up its chemical weapons, as plans for military action began to lose momentum among US politicians.
Obama's comments came in interviews late on Monday as the US Senate decided to delay its vote on military action - capping a day of shifting positions from within the adminsitration and on Capitol Hill.

It began with Secretery of State John Kerry saying, in response to a reporter's question, that there would be no need for military action if President Bashar al-Assad handed over his chemical weapons - an answer that was then presented by Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, as a workable plan.
The US adminsitration at first stated that Kerry's response was only rhetorical, but within hours the president was using interviews with six US networks to say that a diplomatic solution should be sought.
Obama told CNN that the Russian plan was "a potentially positive development", and NBC that it could be a "significant breakthrough", while on Fox News he said: "If we can exhaust these diplomatic efforts and come up with an ... enforceable mechanism to deal with these chemical weapons in Syria, then I'm all for it."
However, he was adamant that the offer would not have surfaced if, he told NBC, "a credible threat of a military strike from the United States" had not been made.

The president said he had asked Kerry to work with Russia to see if Moscow's offer for Syria to hand over its stockpiles to international observers was workable.
Obama's comments were broadcast as the Senate majority leader Harry Reid delayed a vote scheduled for Wednesday on military action, and Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Carl Levin released statements calling for the Russian solution to be considered. The House of Representatives has yet to schedule its vote.
Obama meets senators on Tuesday, after which he is due to address the nation.

Lavrov said Syria, as well as handing over the weapons and having them destroyed, should also become   full member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said he too welcomed Russia's proposals and called for the creation of UN-supervised zones in Syria where chemical weapons could be destroyed.
"I am considering urging the Security Council to demand the immediate transfer of Syria's chemical weapons and chemical precursor stocks to places inside Syria where they can be safely stored and destroyed," Ban said, adding that the step would overcome the Security Council's "embarrassing paralysis".
Kerry's original comments were earlier weclomed by Walid al-Muallem, the Syrian foreign minister. Muallem's response, however, has not been confirmed by the Syrian government.