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Rugby Championship: Frustrated Ian Foster 'bitterly disappointed' over All Blacks schedule

All Blacks coach Ian Foster is "bitterly disappointed" with the proposed Rugby Championship schedule that may force his team to quarantine through Christmas but remains hopeful a resolution can be reached with New Zealand's Sanzaar partners in the coming days. Foster fronted on Tuesday, as the All Blacks gathered in Hamilton for a three-day camp, for the first time since Sanzaar released the Rugby Championship draw without New Zealand Rugby's agreement. Wallabies coach Dave Rennie gives an insight into how the team is managing in quarantine. Video / Australian Rugby On Monday night Foster addressed his team to talk through the various options on the table and when he spoke publicly one day later, his frustrations with the process were clear. "There's still a lot happening in that space. There was a deal based on [December] 5th we feel Sanzaar has reneged on that so we've put some solutions forward and we're waiting on that. We have to fix it," Foster said. Advertisement "There's been set expectations and they haven't been delivered on so that's up to the game and Sanzaar to sort out in the next few days. "We've got to sort out this little hiccup and get on with it. Today would be great, but we'll accept tomorrow." All Blacks coach Ian Foster during a training session. Photo / Photosport Asked if the All Blacks were prepared to boycott the final Rugby Championship test against the Wallabies on December 12 to avoid having to quarantine through Christmas, Foster said: "I don't want to talk about that now. That's a headline I don't want to put out there but we're bitterly disappointed that what was proposed got changed. "We're not basing on any schedule now because the schedule that's been proposed is not one we agreed or accepted. "This is not about a Christmas issue. It's about players that have been playing and preparing to play through Covid and a whole lot of situations for a long, long time. At some point we've got to draw a line in the sand and say 'that's enough'." Foster would not go into specifics on alternative solutions but it essentially involves the prospect of moving the final All Blacks and Wallabies test forward, while allowing the Springboks and Pumas to play on December 12. "I don't think that's going to be helpful. At the end of the day there was a good solution at the start – six tests in five weeks was achievable. South Africa and Argentina could play six in six weeks; it fitted a time zone. We've come up with a couple of ideas around that." The issue of quarantining through Christmas may affect the decisions of some players, particularly those with families, about whether they commit to the full nine-to-10 week Australian tour or not. Advertisement "There's a whole lot of things that could happen but let's not dwell on that. We think there's a good attitude to fix this up and it needs fixing." The Rugby Championship schedule continues an ever-evolving, uncertain rugby year but All Blacks hooker Dane Coles is attempting to set aside the latest issue to concentrate on the dual Bledisloe Cup tests, which start in Wellington on October 11. "There's so many scenarios going around," Coles said. "We've talked about plan A, B, C through to F. There's a process between New Zealand Rugby and Sanzaar to sort out and we've got no control over that so we'll let the top dogs have a few meetings and get it under control. "Hopefully things work out. It's not ideal, we don't want to spend Christmas in quarantine. "I'm not going to talk to my wife until I know what the plan is. Everyone will be in their different situations. There's no point going to all the new dads and partners and saying 'there's six situations' I can just imagine what would happen. "Once we get a solid plan then we can have those tough conversations with our loved ones. I've spent a huge amount of time away from my family with rugby. My wife knows that, and we've got great support, so when it happens we'll have a yarn and see what the best thing is for us and the All Blacks." Advertisement As Bledisloe preparations ramp up, Hurricanes midfielder Ngani Laumape, Crusaders captain Scott Barrett and Otago hooker Liam Coltman have joined the All Blacks camp in Hamilton. Laumape (broken forearm) and Barrett (toe) will have their respective injuries assessed but both are expected to be among the 11 players added to the original 35-man squad, along with Wellington midfielder Peter Umaga-Jensen who is in line to replace the injured Braydon Ennor, for the Rugby Championship. Coltman has been called in to cover Asafo Aumua who is recovering from a head knock sustained while playing for Wellington. Beauden Barrett is also back the squad following the birth of his first daughter, Billie Rose. "It's been an exciting time for Beauden and Hannah and we congratulate them and little Billie Rose but he's back into work today and excited about that too," Foster said. "Ngani is still a way off. His is an easier assessment because it's a bone whereas Scott is progressing well but we need to factor in what is his timeline to get into full contact."
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US election: Judge rejects Republican challenge to mail-in voting

A Delaware judge has rejected a challenge by the state Republican Party to the constitutionality of a new law allowing universal voting by mail in this year's elections. The judge on Monday denied the GOP's request for an injunction to prevent vote-by-mail ballots from being counted in the November election. The judge said the General Assembly's decision to use its emergency powers to declare that voting by mail was necessary to protect public health and ensure the continuity of governmental operations during the coronavirus epidemic was not "clearly erroneous." US Capitol Building in Washington DC. Photo / Brandon Bourdages "Legislation enjoys a presumption of constitutionality," wrote Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III, noting that he was not a legislator, "let alone a super-legislator charged with perfecting the laws of the state." The GOP filed a lawsuit last month arguing that lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled legislature exceeded their constitutional authority in invoking emergency powers to pass the measure. In passing the bill, Democrats asserted that voting by mail is "necessary and proper for insuring the continuity of governmental operations" amid the coronavirus epidemic. They also declared that conforming to the requirements of Delaware's constitution, including its explicit limitations on absentee voting, "would be impracticable." Advertisement At the time lawmakers passed the bill, Delaware was in "phase 2" of its coronavirus economic reopening, with indoor gatherings of up to 250 people allowed, businesses authorised to double occupancy limits, and convention centres and meeting facilities allowed to open. Julia Klein, an attorney representing the GOP, said the law impermissibly expanded the constitutional allowances for casting absentee ballots. She cited a 1972 opinion in which the Delaware Supreme Court said that it was "beyond the power of the legislature, in our opinion, to either limit or enlarge upon the... absentee voter classifications specified in the constitution for general elections." State attorneys, meanwhile, argued that courts are required to give deference to decisions of the General Assembly. They also said that, even though all polling places will be open and there is no prohibition against in-person voting, not allowing universal voting by mail could interfere with the "free and equal" elections guaranteed by the constitution. Glasscock said that the constitutional provision authorising the General Assembly to exercise emergency powers acted as a "safe harbour" allowing it to authorise "general absentee voting," that otherwise would be prohibited under the state constitution. "Amending the Delaware constitution to provide for remote voting in response to an epidemic, before Election Day 2020, would be not only impractical, I note, but impossible," he wrote. The judge noted that the plaintiffs' challenge to the law could not stand unless they were able to demonstrate clearly and convincingly that the legislature's finding that the law is necessary was either false or unwarranted. "On the facts of record, the plaintiffs do not come close to meeting that standard," he wrote. Advertisement The legislature, in the face of an epidemic of airborne disease and in light of the health emergency declared by the Governor, has made a determination that vote-by-mail is necessary for the continued operation of governmental functions, and that it would be impracticable to address this problem other than by otherwise-extraconstitutional means," the judge concluded. "These finding are not clearly erroneous. " - AP
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Cyberattack hobbles major US/UK hospital chain

Computer systems across a major hospital chain operating in the US and Britain were down on Monday (US time) due to what the company termed an unspecified technology "security issue". Universal Health Services Inc (UHS), which operates more than 400 hospitals and other clinical care facilities, said in a short statement posted to its website that its network was offline and doctors and nurses were resorting to "back-up processes" including paper records. The Fortune 500 company, with 90,000 employees said "patient care continues to be delivered safely and effectively" and no patient or employee data appeared to have been "accessed, copied or misused". UHS provided no details, but people posting to an online Reddit forum who identified themselves as employees said the chain's network was hit by ransomware overnight on Sunday. The posts echoed the alarm of a clinician at a UHS facility in Washington, DC, who described to The Associated Press a mad scramble, including anxiety over determining which patients might be infected with the virus that causes Covid-19. Advertisement John Riggi, senior cybersecurity adviser to the American Hospital Association, called it a "suspected ransomware attack", adding that criminals have been increasingly targeting the networks of health care institutions during the coronavirus pandemic. Ransomware is a growing scourge in which hackers infect networks with malicious code that scrambles data and then demand payment to restore services. Increasingly, ransomware purveyors are downloading data from networks they infiltrate before encrypting targeted servers, using it for extortion. Earlier this month, the first known fatality related to ransomware occurred in Duesseldorf, Germany, after an attack caused IT systems to fail and a critically ill patient needing urgent admission died after she had to be taken to another city for treatment. UHS itself may not be a household name, but its hospitals are part of communities from Washington, DC, to Fremont, California, and Orlando, Florida, to Anchorage, Alaska. Some of its facilities provide care for people coping with psychiatric conditions and substance abuse problems. The company based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, did not immediately respond to emails seeking more information, such as whether patients had to be diverted to other hospitals. The Washington clinician described a high-anxiety scramble to handle the loss of computers and some phones starting Sunday. The person, involved in direct patient care, was not authorised to speak publicly and described the chaotic situation on condition of anonymity. The loss of computer access meant that medical staff could not easily see lab results, imaging scans, medication lists, and other critical pieces of information doctors rely on to make decisions. Phone problems complicated the situation, making it harder to communicate with nurses. "These things could be life or death," the clinician said. Advertisement The facility has a "downtime protocol" in which everything is supposed to be done with paper and pencil, the staffer added, "but no one was expecting to have to use it". Lab orders had to be hand-delivered. There was a lot of concern about how to determine whether or not patients had been exposed to the coronavirus. The clinician said no harm came to any of the 20 or so patients they attended to. However, anxiety reigned during the entire shift. Handing off a patient to another department, always a delicate task because of the potential for miscommunication, became especially nerve-wracking. "We are most concerned with ransomware attacks which have the potential to disrupt patient care operations and risk patient safety," said Riggi, the cybersecurity adviser to hospitals. "We believe any cyberattack against any hospital or health system is a threat-to-life crime and should be responded to and pursued as such by the government." Ransomware attacks have crippled everything from major cities to school districts, and federal officials are concerned they could be used to disrupt the current presidential election. Last week, a major supplier of software services to state, county and local governments, Tyler Technologies, was hit. In the US alone, 764 healthcare providers were victimised last year by ransomware, according to data compiled by the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. It estimates the overall cost of ransomware attacks in the US to $9 billion a year in terms of recovery and lost productivity. The only way to effectively recover, for those unwilling to pay ransoms, is through diligent daily system data backups. Advertisement In an apparently unrelated cyberattack affecting a US medical facility, Nebraska Medicine hospital in Omaha suffered an outage last week that led to the postponement of appointments for patients with elective procedures or other non-critical health concerns, The Omaha World-Herald reported. The hospital said emergency rooms remained open, and no patients were diverted to other hospitals. It said no records were deleted or destroyed thanks to the system's back-up and recovery processes. The statement did not include any further information about the attack. - AP
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New Zealand Cricket reveal schedule for Black Caps and White Ferns

The Black Caps have two more months to wait before the return of international cricket with their summer schedule revealed today. Kane Williamson's side haven't played in any format since their ODI series in Australia was cancelled in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. New Zealand Cricket today revealed the Black Caps and White Ferns summer schedule which begins with a Twenty20 series between the Black Caps and the West Indies, starting on November 27. Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh will also face the Black Caps while the White Ferns can also look forward to a busy summer of international cricket, with the England women's side confirmed to visit in February and March, and discussions ongoing regarding a visit from the Australia women. Advertisement The West Indies open the summer schedule when they play three Twenty20s and two tests. The opening test will be at Seddon Park starting December 3, followed by the second test at the Basin Reserve eight days later. Black Caps paceman Neil Wagner celebrates a wicket. Photosport Pakistan will also play two tests and two ODIs including a Boxing Day test at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval. Christchurch's Hagley Oval will hold the second test starting January 3. Last summer the Black Caps played in Australia's traditional Boxing Day test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the previous year New Zealand hosted one for the first time since 2014 against Sri Lanka. The Black Caps will host Australia in a five-match Twenty20 series. Their first ODI of the summer won't be until March 21 when Bangladesh visit for three ODIs and three Twenty20s. That means it will be more than a year between ODI internationals for the World Cup finalists. With back-to-back Twenty20 World Cups played in 2021 and 2022 the shorter format has taken precedent. The Black Caps' last test match was on March 2 when they wrapped up a series win over India. A gap in the international schedule between January 7 and February 22 will see international players available for the Super Smash competitions. While the Government has so far granted approval for the first two incoming teams (West Indies and Pakistan), New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White was confident the other inbound tours would receive the green light. Advertisement "I'm thrilled to be making this announcement today, given the uncertainty and difficulties over the past six or seven months," he said. "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the New Zealand government for helping us navigate this complex process."Hosting these tours is incredibly important to us for two reasons: international cricket brings in revenue that funds the entire game of cricket in New Zealand and, also, it's crucial that we look after the fans of the game and sport in general, especially during these difficult times." White said NZC was aware of the challenging circumstances in which many New Zealanders had found themselves in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and would be cutting the price of a GA adult ticket by almost half, to acknowledge this. "It might sound counter-intuitive to be lowering ticket prices at a time of great additional cost and expense to the game, but we think it's the right thing to do". White said he was extremely grateful to Cricket Australia for seeing fit to send its men's T20 side to New Zealand at a time when its international calendar was so congested. "We've worked very closely with Cricket Australia in what is, really, a unique set of circumstances – and we can't speak highly enough of their commitment to the global game. Advertisement "The same goes for the West Indies, Pakistan, Bangladesh and England - right across the board in cricket there's been a real spirit of cooperation."
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UFC 253: Kiwi middleweight champion Israel Adesanya labelled 'human trash' by Paulo Costa after X-rated move

Kiwi middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has been labelled 'human trash' by his opponent Paulo Costa following an obscene gesture in his UFC 253 TKO victory on Sunday. Adesanya completely dominated his previously unbeaten opponent before catching him with a left hook to the side of the head to begin the end of proceedings. He mounted a man he'd described as "one of those dogs that barks behind the fence" in the lead-up to their fight and began raining down heavy shots. After referee Jason Herzog intervened to wave off the fight, Adesanya appeared to grab Costa by the back and thrusted his hips forward aggressively. Advertisement Costa reacted to Adesanya's actions in a social media post. "I come here to talk about the actions that the human trash did after our fight," Costa said during a video posted to his Instagram. "I didn't see when I was there [in] the cage but I saw now. I disapprove 100 percent. To me, this is [personal] now. Nobody will stop me. Nobody can stop me." Costa requested a rematch, even suggesting that he was injured prior to the fight. "I want my rematch. You know I am waiting for you. Something happened before the fight, I'm not [making] excuses here to my people, to my fans but I will be 100 percent to fight him and to make him pay. That's my word. Save my words." Adesanya was quick to respond on social media, saying: "I can stop you...again :) Dislike." However, Costa is unlikely to get a rematch because of how one-sided the fight was and the long list of fighters keen to take Adesanya's belt off him. It was a masterclass from the 20-0 Adesanya against a hulk who was supposed to be his biggest challenge in the division. From the outset Adesanya kept the challenger at a distance and picked him apart with constant kicks landing clean on Costa's lead leg. At the end of the opening round the outside of Costa's left leg was bright red. Advertisement As the second round got underway, Adesanya went straight back to work on the leg with Costa simply unable to close the gap and get at the champ. A high left kick landed on the temple of Costa and cut him open before an Adesanya left hook grazed Costa's head and dropped him to the canvas before ground and pound brought the bout to an end. "I still have to watch it again, little bit sloppy, but I'm a dog and I do what I do," Adesanya said. "I still don't like him. I don't know him personally, I don't wish he dies or anything, he's alive, I let him be alive. "This is the game we play, this is violence and I told you guys that it was going to be violent and I said it, it's going to be violent and it's going to end fast and that's what I did." It makes it four UFC title wins for Adesanya, moving him into second all-time, and also second all-time on the longest UFC win streaks with nine. Advertisement "The best, and most sophisticated striker in the sport!! Holy f*** that was amazing!! Congrats to the champ!!" UFC commentator Joe Rogan wrote. Israel Adesanya punches Paulo Costa in their middleweight championship bout during UFC 253. Photo / Getty Adesanya will now await the winner of an October 24 showdown between Aussie Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier. The champ revealed after the fight he had messaged Cannonier telling him to take care of business against the former champ because he wanted to fight him next, not Whittaker. "I already DM'd Jared Cannonier. He's a hell of a dude. I love his energy. He's a beautiful man," Adesanya said. "I said you destroy Robert Whittaker and you're next. "He's the one I want to fight next. He deserves it. If he beats Robert Whittaker handily and dominates him, he's next." - with news.com.a Advertisement Israel Adesanya retains his UFC middleweight belt, wiping the floor with Brazilian Paulo Costa. Video / UFC
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Cricket: Bay Oval gets Boxing Day test

Bay Oval in Tauranga will host a Boxing Day cricket test for the first time this summer, when the Black Caps play Pakistan. Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui. Photo: PHOTOSPORT The summer schedule for the Black Caps has 21 games all up, including four tests two against Pakistan and two against the West Indies. The Bay Oval test will be the eighth Boxing Day Test in New Zealand and the first since 2018. Last summer the Black Caps played Australia in a Boxing Day test in Melbourne - the first time that had happened in over 30 years. The Black Caps begin their home season with a three match T20 series against the West Indies - the first game is in Auckland on November 20th. They then play two tests against the Windies in Hamilton and Wellington. There are also three T20's against Pakistan before two more tests - the Boxing Day one at Mt Maunganui and Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The Black Caps will also play five T20 games against Australia in February and March and then three one dayers and three T20's against Bangladesh subject to getting government approval for the teams to come which New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White is confident will be forthcoming. "I'm thrilled to be making this announcement today, given the uncertainty and difficulties over the past six or seven months....we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the New Zealand government for helping us navigate this complex process," he said. "Hosting these tours is incredibly important to us for two reasons: international cricket brings in revenue that funds the entire game of cricket in New Zealand and, also, it's crucial that we look after the fans of the game and sport in general, especially during these difficult times." White also said ticket prices would be almost halved. "It might sound counter-intuitive to be lowering ticket prices at a time of great additional cost and expense to the game, but we think it's the right thing to do". The White Ferns will host England in February and March and New Zealand Cricket is also negotiating for the Australian women's side to tour here. v West Indies Nov 27th - Eden Park - Black Caps v West Indies T20. Nov 29th - Bay Oval - Black Caps v West Indies T20 Nov 30th - Bay Oval - Black Caps v West Indies T20 Dec 3rd-7th - Seddon Park - Black Caps v West Indies - First Test Dec 11th-15th - Basin Reserve - Black Caps v West Indies - Second Test v Pakistan Dec 18th - Eden Park - Black Caps v Pakistan - T20 Dec 20th - Seddon Park - Black Caps v Pakistan - T20 Dec 22nd - McLean Park - Black Caps v Pakistan - T20 Dec 26th -30th - Bay Oval - Black Caps v Pakistan - First Test Jan 3rd-7th - Hagley Oval - Black Caps v Pakistan - Second Test. v Australia Feb 22nd - Hagley Oval - Black Caps v Australia - T20 Feb 25th - University of Otago Oval - Black Caps v Australia - T20 March 3rd - Sky Stadium, Wellington - Black Caps v Australia - T20 March 7th - Bay Oval - Black Caps v Australia - T20 v Bangladesh March 13th - University of Otago Oval - Black Caps v Bangladesh - One Dayer March 17th - Hagley Oval - Black Caps v Bangladesh - One Dayer March 20th - Basin Reserve - Black Caps v Bangladesh - One Dayer March 23rd - McLean Park - Black Caps v Bangladesh - T20 March 26th - Eden Park - Black Caps v Bangladesh - T20 March 28th - Sedden Park - Black Caps v Bangladesh - T20.
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America's Cup challenger INEOS Team UK offers first glimpse of new boat

The second race boat built by America's Cup challenger INEOS Team UK is bound for New Zealand. The 75-foot race boat (code named RB2) will take four days, with two stopovers, onboard a 1987 Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane to get to Auckland. Once the race boat arrives at the newly constructed INEOS Team UK base in the Viaduct the final fit out will be completed ready for her launch and maiden sail next month. Holders Team New Zealand and challenger American Magic are already testing in Waitemata Harbour but the Italian Luna Rossa Challenger of Record is likely to face two months with no sailing, having wound up its European summer sailing campaign in Sardinia on August 28. Advertisement Four times Olympic Gold medallist, America's Cup winner, INEOS Team UK Team Principal and skipper Sir Ben Ainslie is currently in two-week mandatory quarantine and counting down the days until sailing operations begin. "As a challenger you're always playing catch up on the race boat design from the Defender who gets to define the rules," he said. "That's the game we chose to compete in, so we had to give ourselves maximum design and build time in the UK, which meant the Antonov was the only transport option. It's testament to the huge effort by the whole team to get RB2 built and delivered to New Zealand on schedule. We can't wait to get her out sailing." RB2 leaving the INEOS Team UK base in Portsmouth. Photo / Harry KH INEOS Team UK Project Director Dave Endean has overseen the build and safe transportation of RB2 to New Zealand. "It's been a huge operation to get to this point and a real team effort.", said Dave Endean. "The logistics of moving an entire America's Cup team, including two AC75 boats, to New Zealand are not insignificant and it has taken a lot of time and hard work from the entire team to make it happen. It was an important milestone to get our race boat on the Antonov cargo plane today and I, and the rest of our team left in the UK, can't wait to join the team in New Zealand now and get sailing in the Auckland Harbour." Ainslie is promising a vastly different second generation AC75 to their first boat 'Britannia.' Earlier this month, Ainslie told NZME from his base in Portsmouth that all the team's boats will be significantly different. Advertisement "I was talking to Grant Dalton (Team NZ CEO) the other day and he was saying even with the New Zealand boat and Italian boats, which are similar, they are making some big changes and you would expect that in a new class and development class like this, there will be some really big differences," he said. "There will be some big differences in performance for sure when we first line up against each other and the key will be how quickly the teams develop and keep developing through the competition." Ainslie believes the two months leading up to the Christmas Cup regatta featuring all four teams will be more intense than usual in the America's Cup cycle due to the uncertainty and unknown created by the Covid-19 pandemic. The cancellation of the Cagliari and Portsmouth regattas has added another level of intrigue and Ainslie's excited. "There's so much more intrigue because no one's lined up in a brand new class of boat. It's going to be a really intense period for all the teams and really exciting to see how people line up and how they develop and which teams develop through the competition, so it's going to be a lot to take in in the next six months in the America's Cup world," he said.
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Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - English Premier League champions Liverpool maintained their 100% start to the season with a 3-1 win against Arsenal at Anfield on Monday leaving them level on nine points with pacesetters Everton and Leicester City. Sadio Mane Photo: PHOTOSPORT Arsenal took the lead, totally against the run of play, in the 25th minute with Alexandre Lacazette scoring. However Liverpool responded three minutes later through Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson just before the break. New Liverpool signing Diogo Jota, the Portuguese forward signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers, marked his debut from the bench with the goal in the 88th minute that made sure of the win. The Gunners, who won their first two games, have now gone 28 games without a win away from home against 'Big Six' opposition. Aston Villa moved into the top four after they strolled to a 3-0 win at Fulham thanks to goals from Jack Grealish, Conor Hourihane and Tyrone Mings in a lopsided contest. The result left Villa, who narrowly avoided relegation from the top flight last season, fourth on a maximum six points from two games while promoted Fulham are bottom with no points after a third successive defeat. -Reuters Boks remain in doubt for Rugby Championship The Springboks are "desperate" to play in the Rugby Championship this year, but there remain a number of hurdles before they will commit to the competition, according to director of rugby Rassie Erasmus. Rassie Erasmus Photo: Photosport The Southern Hemisphere competition will be staged in Australia from Nov. 7 to Dec. 12, but the defending champion Springboks face being woefully under-prepared, which Erasmus believes could make participation dangerous for the players. "We desperately want to play, it will be terrible to go a year without the Springboks playing," Erasmus said. "But we have had one of the toughest lockdowns in the world and our players were indoors for months. In other countries players could train or at least go to the park to exercise, we did not have that. "So if you look at the science, we have to get five or six matches into the players for their own welfare and to make it safe for them, and we are working out how to do that. Players probably need 500 minutes (of game-time) to be safe." South Africa's domestic competition will only start on Oct. 10 with players having been largely inactive since March. Erasmus reveals the Boks are also facing resistance from English clubs over the release of players in time for the start of the Rugby Championship. -Reuters Serie A continues to lose money Italy's top flight football league has lost almost $900 million in revenues due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the head of Italy's Serie A said, warning the industry was in dire straits. To contain COVID-19 contagion, Italy's government has rejected a proposal to allow more spectators at sporting events, including lifting the current limit of 1,000 spectators at Serie A football matches to fill a quarter of stadium capacity. Matchday revenues account for around 11% of Serie A clubs' $4.5 billion aggregated yearly revenues, whose bulk is made up by broadcasting right sales. But this source of income is also shrinking because broadcasters around the world respond to lower advertising revenues by cutting spending on media right deals. In an effort to cushion the impact of the pandemic on debt-laden clubs, Serie A is considering selling a minority stake in a newly created company handling the League's broadcasting rights for 10 seasons. -Reuters Montana overcomes potential kidnapping Four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana and his wife thwarted a kidnapping attempt over the weekend when a woman entered their house in Malibu, California and grabbed their grandchild. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Montana flagged down a patrol to report that the stranger fled the house without his grandchild when she was confronted. The police said that the 64-year-old and his wife, Jennifer, 62, confronted the woman and pried their grandchild from the woman's arms, at which point she fled, adding that the woman was in custody. No one was injured in the incident. "Thank you to everyone who has reached out," Montana, an NFL Hall of Fame inductee, posted on Twitter. "Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well. We appreciate respect for our privacy at this time." -Reuters Kyrgios takes a crack at Wilander Seven-time grand slam champion Mats Wilander has come under fire from Nick Kyrgios after the Swede suggested Andy Murray should consider whether he has the right to accept wild cards into majors at the expense of emerging young players. Wilander's comments came after three-time grand slam champion Murray's first- round defeat by Stan Wawrinka at the French Open in which he won only six games. It was former world No.1 Murray's joint-worst loss at a grand slam and came on his return to the French Open after a three-year absence, during which he has had two hip surgeries. "I think Murray needs to stop thinking of himself and start thinking about who he was. Does he have a right to be out there taking wild cards from the young players?" Wilander said. Australian Kyrgios, who has skipped the French Open because of the coronavirus pandemic, quickly jumped to the defence of the 33-year-old British player on Twitter. "Just read what Wilander said about andy--murray... shut up Mats, no one cares. Muzz, just know that however long you stay, we all appreciate and enjoy your tennis and banter. -Reuters Saudi Arabia to host womens golf for the first time. Saudi Arabia will host professional golf tournaments for women for the first time ever in November at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah. The Saudi Ladies International will be the first Ladies European Tour event to take place in the country, with a purse of $1.5. It will be followed by the Saudi Ladies Team International, in which professionals will team up with amateurs and compete for a purse of $750,000. The events will be Saudi Arabia's third and fourth professional tournaments in the past two years, having staged the Saudi International men's event in 2019 and 2020. -Reuters
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UFC 253: Kiwi middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's big payout after beating Paulo Costa

Kiwi UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya walked away with a reported $1.05m after his title defence against Brazilian Paulo Costa. Adesanya made easy work of Costa with a second round TKO victory at UFC 253 at Fight Island in Abu Dabhi on Sunday. Just for showing up, the 31-year-old earned a guaranteed $915,000, which was reportedly a 10 per cent increase from his previous title defence againt Yoel Romero – and it will likely increase as his stocks continue to rise in the UFC. Aside from the base salary, Adesanya also earned $61,000 for promotional work in the lead up to the fight and claimed a 'Fight of the Night' bonus to the tune of another $76,200. Advertisement Adesanya dominated the fight, handing Costa his first loss of his professional career. And it took him just under nine minutes to do so. After the fight, he alluded to his financial windfall on Twitter, joking about buying a new Rolls Royce. *me gets a new Rolls Royce drop top coupe*Police: How much did that set ya back kid?Me: Oh this...it COSTA lot.? — Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) September 28, 2020 According to UFC president Dana White, Adesanya's bout broke several records, with the pre-fight stare-down becoming the most-watched in the organisation's history. The pay-per-view buys for the event, which hasn't been revealed, are also expected to be substantial. Despite the relatively straightforward victory, the latest win will likely be Adesanya's biggest of his career when it comes to earning him more global name-recognition and commercial opportunities. Aside from the UFC payouts, Adesanya also has several sponsorships on the go. He recently signed a deal with Puma and was on the cover of the UFC's latest video game. Adesanya has also been outspoken about the UFC's pay structure when it comes to fighters who don't make weight and called for a harsher penalty to be imposed on those fighters, who he labeled "cheats". Adesanya's City Kickboxing teammate Shane Young was knocked out on the same card over the weekend by Ludovit Klein, who was four pounds (1.81kg) over the 146-pound (66.2kg) featherweight limit. Israel Adesanya celebrates after defeating Paulo Costa. Photo / Getty Young earned 30 per cent of Klein's purse but Adesanya believes it wasn't enough and wants fighters who miss weight to receive a bigger penalty. Advertisement "It's just cheating," Adesanya said after defeating Costa. "I'm telling you, if you fine someone 90 per cent of your purse if you miss weight, I guarantee you no matter how much money you're making, no one is going to go through this whole camp, through this whole s***, and be willing to give 90 per cent of their pay to the other guy. "They will take every second to make the weight. "Even if you're making $5 million, if 90 per cent of that goes to your opponent I guarantee you people will make weight." Adesanya said Klein and Zubaira Tukhugov – who also missed weight by four pounds for his lightweight loss to Hakeem Dawodu – were unprofessional. "We [City Kickboxing] have guys like Carlos Ulberg and Blood Diamond who aren't even in the UFC yet and they were ready, they were already close to their weight, they're professionals," Adesanya said. Advertisement "So if you can't hack it, go home because we have killers who are ready to go." UFC president Dana White said Adesanya was "not wrong" but explained that any rule changes will have to come from the relevant commissions. "That's not our place, that's the commission that handles that," White said. "But he's not wrong, take 80 or 90 per cent of any body's money they're going to show up the right way."
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Covid-19: Poorer countries to get 120 million $5 coronavirus tests, WHO says

Some 120 million rapid diagnostic tests for coronavirus will be made available to low- and middle-income countries at a maximum of $5 per unit, the World Health Organisation says. Photo: 123RF WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the manufacturers Abbott and SD Biosensor had agreed with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to "make 120 million of these new, highly portable and easy-to-use rapid Covid-19 diagnostic tests available over a period of six months". He told a news conference in Geneva the tests were currently priced at a maximum of $5 each but were expected to become cheaper. "This will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have laboratory facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out tests," Tedros said. "This is a vital addition to the testing capacity and especially important in areas of high transmission." In other international Covid-19 developments: According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, there have been almost one million confirmed deaths from Covid-19 in the world. But the number is likely to be an underestimate as testing rates in many countries remain low, with virus-related deaths not being recorded. The number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States has risen for two weeks in a row in 27 out of 50 states, with North Carolina and New Mexico both reporting increases above 50 percent last week, according to a Reuters analysis. Quebec, the Canadian province hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, reported another sharp increase in daily infections on Monday, amid media reports that Premier Francois Legault would announce new restrictions for Montreal and capital Quebec City The British government tightened restrictions on socialising in parts of northeast England in response to high and increasing Covid-19 infection rates in the region. From Wednesday, residents in seven areas including urban centres such as Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and Durham will be barred from socialising indoors with people from outside their household or strictly defined social bubble. - Reuters, BBC
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