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03 November 2011

Pakistan cricketers,asif butt amir jailed over fixing scam

Jail for Asif, Butt and Amir

London, November 3, 2011 (AFP) - A British decide jailed disgraced former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt, 2 of his bowlers and their agent Thursday for his or her half in an exceedingly take a look at match-fixing scandal that rocked the international game.
Butt, 27, looked aghast as he was sentenced to thirty months in jail at London's Southwark Crown Court, where he and quick bowler Mohammad Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of fixing components of a take a look at match against England in August 2010.
Asif, 28, was jailed for a year, whereas 19-year-old bowler Mohammad Aamer, who had pleaded guilty to involvement within the scam to pre-arrange no-balls for shadowy South Asian betting rings, was sentenced to 6 months.
Corrupt British agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, who had additionally pleaded guilty however had denied he had initiated the scam, was given 2 years and eight months. "These offences, notwithstanding pleas, are thus serious that solely a sentence of imprisonment can suffice," decide Jeremy Cooke told the four men, adding that they'd every serve 0.5 their sentences and then be released on licence.
He said the 3 players were motivated by greed despite the massive amounts of cash they may earn legitimately, and said he hoped the robust sentences would deter future cricketers from following their example.
They decide additionally condemned the impact their actions had on the sport of cricket "the terribly name of that used to be related to honest dealing". "It's the insidious impact of your actions on skilled cricket... that create the offences thus serious," he told the court.
Cooke said folks had regarded the 3 players as "heroes", however they "procured the bowling of 3 no-balls for cash to the detriment of your national cricket team". "Now, whenever folks reminisce on a shocking event in an exceedingly game or a shocking result or whenever, within the future, there are shocking events or results, followers of the sport who paid smart cash... are led to ponder whether there has been a fix," he said.
"What was to be honest, sporting competition might not be such in the least. In Pakistan, where cricket is that the national sport, the standard follower of the national team feels betrayed by your activities. You, Butt, Asif and Aamer have upset all of your supporters and followers of the sport."
The world of cricket has reacted with dismay to the worst fixing scandal since South Africa captain Hanse Cronje in 2000, however welcomed the convictions as the simplest way of sending a very important message that cheats wouldn't be tolerated.
The ICC has already banned Butt for ten years with 5 suspended, Asif for seven years with 2 suspended, and Aamer for 5 years straight once finding them guilty of corruption in February. They’re all appealing the bans.
The scam was uncovered by the now-defunct News of the globe, the tabloid owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and pack up in July over a scandal involving its journalists' role within the illegal hacking of voicemails.
At a hearing on Wednesday, lawyers for all the defendants had exchanged claims and counter-allegations in an exceedingly bid to scale back their clients' sentences, that might have seen them jailed for a most of seven years.
Majeed claimed that the extent of the corruption within the Pakistan team went beyond this case.
The agent's lawyer said he had paid out sixty five, 000 pounds to Asif, 10,000 pounds to Butt and a pair of, 500 pounds to Aamer, explaining that the larger quantity was paid to Asif to make sure he failed to switch to a different fixing racket.
Lawyers for Butt and Asif had dismissed the claims regarding the money.
In a statement scan to the court, Aamer claimed he had feared for his future within the national facet if he failed to get entangled, however said: "I wish to apologise to Pakistan and to everybody that cricket is very important to. I do savvy abundant harm this has done to the sport, the sport that I really like furthermore, quite anything within the world."

World’s biggest virus discovered in ocean depths near Chile


Billionaire adventurer Richard Branson might have large-scale plans for deep ocean exploration; however a brand new ocean discovery makes massive waves on a microscopic level. A team of researchers trawling the ocean floor have simply revealed their findings of the world's new largest virus, found lurking off the coast of Las Cruces, Chile. it is so massive, it's actual scientific name is Mega virus chillness — and you'll be able to even read it with a basic light-weight microscope. The previous virus record holder was Mimivirus that boasted the biggest diameter of any virus so far till Mega virus came along.
The virus' DNA options one, 259,197 base pairs, that encode some parasitic bacteria-like options. not like an epidemic, bacteria may be a cellular organism — an epidemic will solely infect and replicate itself among the cells of alternative organisms. It even has some built-in DNA repairing enzymes which permit the virus to repair injury from ultraviolet light-weight, chemicals, and radiation.
Mimivirus was found in 1992, lurking in an amoeba in Bradford, England. Its capsid, the protein shell housing the virus' genetic material, was four hundred nanometres wide. If that also sounds pretty little, most viruses fall within the vary between twenty and three hundred nanometres, creating each Mimivirus and also the new Megavirus titans of the microscopic world. Mimivirus and Megavirus are believed to own diverged from a shared viral ancestor somewhere along the evolutionary road, each developing into big viruses in their own right.
PNAS via PopSci, BBC
This article originally appeared on Tecca

01 November 2011

Anna Hazare Warns Prime Minister to Another Lokpal agitation


New Delhi, Nov one (IANS) Anna Hazare has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying he can continue another hunger strike if a robust Lokpal bill wasn't passed within the winter session of parliament from Nov twenty two.
 'I had adjourned my quick and agitation because of your assurance,' Hazare said in his letter to the prime minister.
 'If a robust Lokpal bill isn't passed within the winter session, i will be able to begin that agitation from the last day of (the) winter session,' Hazare wrote in his letter.
 The winter session of parliament can begin Nov twenty two and conclude Dec twenty one.
 The social activist said he had ended his August quick on the prime minister's promise that a robust Lokpal bill would be legislated.
 He added that he adjourned his agitation on a written assurance by the govt, due to that he conjointly cancelled his tour to the 5 states which can see elections next year.
 Stating that members of the govt were talking against the promise and making confusion, Hazare warned that his team would visit states getting to polls and 'without taking names of any party' and raise folks to vote for clean candidates.
 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Punjab, Goa and Manipur are due in 2012.