Strauss piles pressure on England flops September 23, 2009 ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss has warned his struggling one-day side they are playing for their international futures at the Champions Trophy. Selectors were expected to announce their party for the tour of South Africa yesterday but decided to delay the decision until the end of this tournament following England’s disastrous 6-1 one-day series defeat to [...]
JUST CHAMPION September 23, 2009 PAKISTAN batsman Umar Akmal struck a mature 41 to help beat the West Indies in their Champions Trophy opener in Johannesburg. The 19-year-old, brother of wicketkeeper Kamran, rescued his side from 61-4 with some tight defence and masterful strokeplay. Earlier the West Indies were skittled out for a paltry 133, Nikita Miller top scoring with [...]
Bopara has a point to prove September 23, 2009 AT THE CREASE WITHANDY LLOYD I’M NOT expecting much from England at the Champions Trophy, but the stage is set for Ravi Bopara to answer his critics and prove he can still be a top international batsman. Bopara has had his opportunities this year but has been a major disappointment, failing to pass 50 in [...]
SPORT IN BRIEF September 23, 2009 Cavendish forced to pull outCYCLING: Britain’s Mark Cavendish had to withdraw from this week’s Road Cycling World Championships road race with a respiratory infection. The 24-year-old, who won six stages in this summer’s Tour de France, pulled out of this month’s Tour of Missouri with breathing difficulties. England v Brazil – in QatarFOOTBALL: England will [...]
Symonds accepts blame for Crashgate September 23, 2009 SHAMED former Renault engineering chief Pat Symonds says he will always regret his role in the Crashgate scandal, insisting he was blinded by loyalty to the team he helped to establish. Symonds was banned from the sport for five years on Monday after Renault were found guilty of fixing last year’s Singapore Grand Prix by [...]
D-DAY FOR RATINGS AGENCIES September 23, 2009 RATING agency Moody’s will enter the firing line today, when one of its former executives tells a congressional hearing that the company was giving inflated ratings to securities as early as this year. Eric Kolchinsky will also tell the US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that Moody’s puts revenues from its clients before the [...]
Fed sounds upbeat on economy September 23, 2009 US CENTRAL bank the Federal Reserve yesterday left interest rates unchanged, as it issued a statement boosting hopes that the world’s biggest economy is emerging from recession. The Fed said it is to keep rates ultra-low for some time to support the post-slump recovery. Short-term interest rates were kept at an all-time low of 0 [...]
Ernst &Young in Akai payout September 23, 2009 ERNST & Young (E&Y) was forced to make a “substantial” payout to the liquidator of failed consumer electronics firm Akai Holdings yesterday, after being accused of falsifying documents in a long running court battle. The Big Four accountancy firm has made a settlement to Hong Kong liquidator Borrelli Walsh after it admitted documents it used [...]
There is more to risk than credit ratings September 23, 2009 SLOWLY but surely, regulators are turning their fire on the credit rating agencies. These hapless firms are rightly being accused of having failed to assess risk correctly during the bubble years. Ludicrously risky financial products were routinely awarded the safest ratings, with ultimately disastrous consequences. It is important to point out that the overwhelming majority [...]
Geithner backs watchdog September 23, 2009 US TREASURY secretary Timothy Geithner yesterday threw his weight behind a proposal to slim down plans for a financial consumer protection watchdog to ensure it passes into law. Geithner said a plan by House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank for paring back the scope of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) should be adopted. “The [...]