Oscar Pistorius granted parole 10 years after killing his girlfriend
Pretoria (South Africa), Nov 24: Double-amputee Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was granted parole Friday, 10 years after shooting his girlfriend through a toilet door at his home in South Africa in a killing that jolted the world. Department of Corrections spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Pistorius would be released from prison on January 5. His parole will come with conditions, including that he not leave the area of Pretoria where he is set to live without permission from authorities. Pistorius will also attend a program to deal with his anger issues, Nxumalo said, and will have to perform community service. Pistorius’ parole conditions will be in place for five years, the Department of Corrections said. “Parole does not mean the end of the sentence. It is still part of the sentence. It only means the inmate will complete the sentence outside a correctional facility,” Nxumalo said. (AP)
English FA member resigns after inappropriate post on war in Gaza
London, Nov 24: A council member at the English Football Association who made an inappropriate post regarding the war in Gaza resigned from his position on Thursday. Wasim Haq had been suspended for the comments he made this month on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, which reportedly referred to Adolf Hitler and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The post was deleted and Haq apologized. The FA, the governing body of football in England, was conducting an investigation. “This morning I have resigned from The FA. I have also reiterated my apology to the Jewish community,” Haq posted on X. “This war has left thousands dead, many of us are in despair and deeply troubled. I hope football can play a future role in easing tensions between communities.” (AP)
Pep faces fresh questions about Man City’s ‘financial wrongdoings’
Manchester, Nov 24: With Manchester City facing accusations it committed more than 100 breaches of Premier League rules, Pep Guardiola remains steadfast in his belief that the team is not guilty of financial wrongdoing. The City manager was asked more questions about the allegations on Friday after Everton was deducted a league-record 10 points last week for financial breaches. “I didn’t change for one second my opinion about it,” Guardiola said at a news conference ahead of Saturday’s game against Liverpool. “Take time, wait and see what they decide and after we accept the resolution.” The league has accused City of dozens of breaches, including providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18. Potential punishments could include a point deduction or even expulsion from English football’s top division. The severity of Everton’s unprecedented punishment has raised questions about the sanctions that could be imposed on City. (AP)
Indian hammer thrower
Rachna Kumari fails dope test
New Delhi, Nov 24: India’s Hangzhou Asian Games participant hammer thrower Rachna Kumari has returned positive in a dope test conducted by international federation’s Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) just before the continental showpiece and has been handed provisional suspension. The 30-year-old Kumari’s dope sample, taken out-of-competition, was found to contain steroids Stanozolol, Metandienone and Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT). A notice of allegation has been issued to her, the AIU said on its website, without giving further details. When contacted, Kumari said she had given urine samples to officials working for a foreign dope testing agency in Patiala on September 24. “I have not got any information that I have failed dope test, though I had given my urine sample on September 24 in Patiala,” she said. An official of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) also confirmed that Kumari has failed a dope test but refused to give details as it relates to the AIU. (PTI)
Giant-killer Zeel Desai among three Indians in ITF Women’s semifinals
Bengaluru, Nov 24: Unseeded Indian Zeel Desai continued her fine run in the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour, reaching the semifinals with a hard-fought win over Germany’s Antonia Schmidt here on Friday. Desai, who had accounted for top-seed Uzbek Nigina Abduraimova in the pre-quarterfinals on Thursday, battled past Schmidt 3-6, 6-7 (2), 6-4 in the round of eight. Desai, however, will have a tough opponent in the last four stage, third seeded compatriot Rutuja Bhosale. Bhosale, who was battling a fever, was stretched to three sets before she hurdled over Kazakhstan’s fifth seeded Zhibek Kulambayeva 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. The third Indian to reach the semifinals was Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty, who breezed past compatriot Vaishnavi Adkar 6-1, 6-4. Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand, seeded second here, secured her spot in the last four with a clinical 6-1, 6-2 win over seventh seed Diletta Cherubini of Italy. She will face Rashmikaa in the semis. (PTI)
German football limits Facebook comments following racist abuse
Berlin, Nov 24: The German football federation has had to limit comments on the Facebook page of its junior teams following a slew of racist and discriminatory comments against its Under-17 players. The federation posted a picture of four players from the Germany U17 team, all Black, celebrating Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the United States in the round of 16 at the U17 World Cup in Indonesia. But the post was met by a torrent of racist comments from a host of Facebook users about the players – Charles Herrmann, Almugera Kabar, Paris Brunner (all from Borussia Dortmund) and Fayssal Harchaoui (Cologne). The federation responded by switching off comments and posting a statement of its own. “We’re proud of the diversity in our Under-17s, who are currently playing their hearts out in Indonesia,” the federation said. “The commitment to diversity is firmly anchored in the federation’s statutes – as are the values of tolerance and respect. If you don’t share these values, please unfollow us. Discriminatory and racist comments have no place here and will be deleted accordingly. We will take legal action against offensive content.” The Germany Under-17 team has won all its games at the World Cup so far and next faces Spain in the quarterfinals on Friday. Herrmann, who was player of the match against the US, told the federation’s website Thursday that the team’s unity was a major factor in its success so far. (AP)