world news

NEW DELHI: Storm clouds were gathering Thursday over cricket's World T20, with organisers still to release tickets or confirm the venues, less than a month before the tournament begins in India. Hundreds of thousands of supporters are expected to attend the 16-team contest which begins on March 8, the first time India has hosted the world cup for the game's newest and most popular format. But with question marks over the presence of the West Indies and New Delhi yet to receive clearance to host matches, fans who need to secure flights, hotels and even visas are still unable to firm up travel plans. The official line from the Indian board is that any glitches will be ironed out and there is no cause for alarm. “Everything will be sorted out very soon,” Anurag Thakur, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said. But Paul Ford, co-founder of New Zealand's Beige Brigade fan club, said it was now simply too late for some fans. “We would ...

SHARJAH: West Indies international Darren Sammy delivered a calculated final over as Peshawar Zalmi survived a whirlwind Ravi Bopara knock to beat Karachi Kings by three runs in a tense finish in Sharjah on Thursday. Bopara smashed 67 of 32 balls in an innings that included five fours and four sixes to help revive his team after they slumped to 48-5 in 8.5 overs. Bopara was accompanied by Sohail Tanvir (23) to establish a crucial 61-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Earlier, James Vince (44) had laid the foundation for Kings to chase the 183 set by Zalmi. None of the other Kings batsmen succeeded in putting up an impressive show. Zalmi players kept it tight on the field and grabbed three sharp opportunities to run out Nauman Anwar, Imad Wasim and Usama Mir. Zalmi’s pace spearhead Wahab Riaz took two wickets, whereas Shaun Tait, skipper Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Asghar and Darren Sammy claimed one wicket each. For more detail    Peshawar hold ne...

HUNDREDS of thousands of students are signing up to a dating site to become ‘sugar babies’ and live a glamorous lifestyle paid for by wealthy businessmen.   Seeking Arrangement says 225,000 UK students have signed up for its services to find wealthy men as they struggle to pay their tuition fees. With university fees costing up to £9,000 per year the website which hooks up young men and women with older, wealthier partners, says it has seen an increase of 40 per cent of young men and women joining this year. Most new sign-ups have come from the University of Portsmouth and the University of Kent, but a top 20 of new sign ups show sugar babies logging in up and down the country. New sign-ups receive an average of £2,000 in monthly allowances from their rich partners. The young men and women agree to be wined and dined, and occasionally seduced by sugar daddies and sugar mommas in return for cash and gifts. Founder and CEO, Brandon Wade of Seeking Arrangement, sai...

SHARJAH: England skipper Alastair Cook on Saturday said his spat with famous rival Shane Warne had been blown out of context as he insisted he now has a better relationship with the Aussie great. Warne irked Cook with critical comments about his captaincy last year in a newspaper column when he suggested the Englishman should step down from his role. Visibly upset at the comments, Cook hit back, saying: “Well something needs to be done because for the three years I've been England captain I have in my eyes been criticised for a hell of a lot of that.” But a courtesy visit by Warne to help England spinner Adil Rashid in the nets in Sharjah on Friday ahead of the decisive third Test against Pakistan seemed to have eased out the tension. “He was still fairly critical in the summer as well, as [former Australian captain] Michael Clarke's best mate he was always going to do that,” said Cook of Warne's comments during England's 3-2 Ashes win this year. ...