Irvine plays down Lions link

Andy Irvine (left) and Gerald Davies (right) with last summer's Lions boss Ian McGeechan (centre) © Getty Images

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Players/Officials Andy Irvine

Teams Australia | British and Irish Lions

Andy Irvine is remaining coy on speculation linking with the role of British & Irish Lions team manager for the 2013 tour of Australia.

It has been widely rumoured that Irivine, who is currently the chairman of the Lions committee, will imminently be confirmed as Gerald Davies' successor in the position. However, the former tourist insists that nothing has been decided as of yet.

"It is a possibility but early days yet," he is quoted as saying by The Scotsman. When pressed on the reports that the job is there for him if he wants it, he replied: "It is just somebody putting two and two together and they might get four or they might get seven. We've (the Lions committee) not even had our first meeting of the season yet."

A pacy goal-kicking fullback, Andy Irvine earned 51 caps for Scotland during a stellar international career in which he toured three times with the Lions, to South Africa in 1974 and 1980, and New Zealand in 1977. 

ESPN

Colombia, Venezuela re-establish ties

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announce renewed ties at a joint press conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, Tuesday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Juan Manuel Santos and Hugo Chavez met in Santa Marta, Colombia
• Colombia has accused Venezuela of protecting rebels in its territory
• Venezuela denies the allegations
• Venezuela cut off diplomatic relations with Colombia last month

RELATED TOPICS

• Hugo Chavez
• Juan Manuel Santos
• Colombia
• Venezuela

Santa Marta, Colombia (CNN) -- Venezuela and Colombia renewed diplomatic relations after a meeting between their heads of state in Santa Marta, Colombia.
Newly elected Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also agreed on Tuesday to form five bi-national commissions to address issues such as commerce and security.
"I think we've taken a step forward in re-establishing confidence, which is one of the basic tenets of any relationship," Santos said. He described the meeting at Santa Marta, Colombia, as frank, direct and sincere.
The two countries were in a dispute over accusations that Venezuela is harboring Marxist guerrillas who want to overthrow the Colombian government.
Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said his country had evidence that there were rebel camps in Venezuela. Venezuela has denied the allegations.
Any accusations made in the past will not affect Venezuela's relationship going forward with the new Colombian president, Santos said, adding that relations between the two nations was "starting at zero."
"I came here to turn the page," Chavez said.
The two nations will open lines of communication to diffuse rumors or intelligence reports before they create tensions, Chavez said.
"Let's not allow that tomorrow rumors, reports, coordinates and I don't know what else make us fight again, because everything would fall down," Chavez said.
Chavez emphatically stated that he would not allow illegal groups, whether they be guerrillas or narcotraffickers, to operate in Venezuela.
The Colombian delegation arrived wearing white, including Santos, who wore a white shirt with khaki pants. When the Colombian presidential plane landed, a Colombian flag and a Venezuelan flag were waved from the cockpit.
For his part, Chavez arrived with red flowers to hand to the Colombians.
It was at least the third time in three years that relations between Venezuela and Colombia have been strained.
Chavez froze relations last year when Colombia signed a military agreement with the United States and in 2008 when Colombia conducted a raid against leftist guerrillas into Ecuadorian territory.
Santos was sworn in Saturday, vowing to unify his country around the goals of prosperity for all and of thwarting the nation's leftist rebels.
In an early test of Santos' diplomatic skills, his inauguration was attended by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro held talks with his Colombian counterpart, Maria Angela Holguin, on Sunday and said he wanted to deliver a positive message from Chavez.
"We would like to deliver -- that's what President Hugo Chavez specifically indicated -- a message of love and solidarity to all of the people of Colombia; a message for the future and for hope," Maduro said.
"We would like to reach out with our loving hand of friendship and of fraternity to all of the people of Colombia."
Chavez also said on Saturday that he wanted to meet with Santos.
"I invited Santos to go to Caracas," Chavez said. "If he can't come, I'll go to Bogota."
"But I am telling you," Chavez said at another point in the speech, "the first disrespect to Venezuela, the first false accusation, and everything will be over."
Santos was elected president of Colombia in June with the highest vote total in his country's history, garnering more than 9 million ballots -- roughly 70 percent of the electorate. He ran as a conservative promising to improve Colombia's security.
During Santos' tenure as defense minister under former President Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian army scored important victories against Colombian guerrillas, including the liberation of a former presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt.
Chavez has said that under Uribe's eight-year presidency, Colombia had isolated itself and become "aggressive and violent."

Tensions between the South American neighbors have affected cross-border trade, which was worth a record $7.3 billion in 2008 but has fallen since then, according to the Venezuela-Colombia Integration Chamber.

CNN

Sri Lankan war inquiry commission opens

By Charles Haviland BBC News, Sri Lanka

The Tamil Tigers were surrounded and eventually defeated by government forces

An eight-member commission set up to look into the last years of the civil war in Sri Lanka is holding its first public sitting.

Human rights groups say government forces as well as the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels may have committed war crimes before the war ended last year.
The Sri Lankan government, dominated by the island's Sinhalese majority, denies its forces committed war crimes.
It says this commission will bear witness to the facts.

Continue reading the main story

Sri Lanka After War

• After the Tigers
• Election a family affair
• Leaderless opposition
• Q&A: Post-war Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has traditionally been a friend of Western countries, but its conduct in the final months of the war created considerable unease in Washington, London and elsewhere.

The International Crisis Group - a think-tank - alleges that the military may have killed tens of thousands of Tamil civilians during the final onslaught against the Tamil Tigers.
Colombo rubbishes such claims.
It has hit out against foreign suggestions that an international inquiry on the war is needed.
Instead it has set up this internal panel - the Commission on Lessons Learned and Reconciliation - which started public hearings on Wednesday.
It has called for submissions from ordinary people, although reports say it is to start with hearings from Sri Lankan officials, diplomats and intellectuals.
The government says it is partly inspired by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
However, its remit does not mention a search for truth and also appears to be centred around one main event, the breakdown of a 2002 ceasefire which led to a resumption of all-out war.


BBCBBC

Daren Brown wins 1st game as M's manager

 Last-place Seattle welcomed new interim manager Daren Brown by getting its first triple play in 15 years in a 3-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night.
Brown moved up from Triple-A Tacoma earlier Monday when Seattle fired first-time manager Don Wakamatsu after 1 1/2 seasons.
Brown became the 10th of Seattle's 17 managers to win their first game.
Only one of the other 16 finished their Mariners tenure with a winning record: Lou Piniella. The only manager to take Seattle to the postseason left after the 2002 season with a year left on his contract.
Brown, a 10-year veteran of Seattle's system, is the team's sixth manager in the eight seasons since. He said he got word the Mariners were promoting him at 11:30 Central time Sunday night, following Tacoma's 12-inning win at Omaha. He boarded a plane there at 6:30 Monday morning and arrived in Seattle hours before the Mariners' game.
He looked tired while hanging on the padded dugout railing early in the game. But he and the rest of the 19,943 attended were awakened in the top of the fourth by Seattle's first triple play since July 13, 1995, against Toronto.
Jose Lopez took a chopper by Oakland's Mark Ellis and immediately stepped on third base for a forceout. Lopez then threw to second base for a forceout there and Chone Figgins' throw to first baseman Casey Kotchman appeared to arrive at the same time as Ellis' foot hit the bag, but first base umpire Cory Blaser called Ellis out.
Ellis argued the call to no avail. Seattle's lead remained 2-0.
The 5-4-3 play was the 10th triple putout for the Mariners, who began play in 1977.
RBI singles by Lopez and Franklin Gutierrez with two out in the first off Vin Mazzaro gave Doug Fister (4-8) and relievers Sean White, Brandon League and David Aardsma all the runs they needed.
Aardsma was perfect in the ninth for his 21st save in 25 chances — and sent Oakland back to eight games behind idle and first-place Texas in the AL West.
Seattle's insurance run came after Mazzaro walked Gutierrez leading off the fourth. Gutierrez came around and scored on Josh Wilson's sacrifice fly.
Fister won for the first time in eight decisions and 12 starts, since May 14. He allowed seven hits and one run in six innings. He walked one and struck out five. Oakland's only damage off him was a single by Coco Crisp and a double by Rajai Davis to begin the sixth.
Seattle pitchers retired the final 12 A's batters to end it.
Mazzaro (6-4) allowed only three other hits and two early runs in his seven innings.
Touted outfielder Chris Carter became the last of Oakland's haul of six prospects received in the Dan Haren trade a couple of years ago to reach the major leagues. Carter went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in his debut.
NOTES: Aardsma has allowed just one run over his last 10 games and is 5-for-5 in saves since July 11. ... The A's placed OF Matt Watson on the 15-day disabled list and optioned OF Matt Carson to Triple-A Sacramento. Besides Carter, Oakland also recalled 1B Jeff Larish from Sacramento in time to start the game. Manager Bob Geren said Watson had a procedure Monday morning to remove a kidney stone.

YAHOO NEWS

Death rate doubles in Moscow as heatwave continues

The full health impact of the heatwave nationwide has not been reported

Moscow's health chief has confirmed the mortality rate has doubled as a heatwave and wildfire smog continue to grip the Russian capital.

There were twice the usual number of bodies in the city's morgues, Andrei Seltsovsky told reporters.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared around a nuclear reprocessing plant in the southern Urals because of nearby wildfires.

And there was a new warning over shortfalls in Russia's grain harvest.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said this year's harvest, hit by fire and drought, would be worse than previously forecast.
Currently expected to be 65m tonnes, it could be as low as 60 million tonnes, Mr Putin said.
Mr Putin also said that a ban on grain exports could be extended beyond the end of 2010 because of shortages for domestic markets.
Russia is the world's third largest wheat exporter. Its biggest customers include Egypt, Turkey and Syria.
As of Monday morning, 557 wildfires continued to burn in Russia, 25 of them peat fires, the emergencies ministry said.
While 239 fires were extinguished on Sunday, 247 new ones were discovered.
The head of the state weather service, Alexander Frolov, said on Monday that the heatwave of 2010 was the worst in 1,000 years of recorded Russian history.
"It's an absolutely unique phenomenon - nothing like it can be seen in the archives," he was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
How peat bog fires spread

1. Peat is formed from decayed vegetation in bogs, moors or swamps.
2. Deliberate drainage or drought can expose peat to air.
3. Peat can then be ignited by wildfires or spontaneously combust. The air flow allows the peat to continue burning.
4. Once alight, the smouldering fire spreads slowly through the peat and can cause the ground above to collapse.

'Puzzling' death data Recent death rates for parts of central Russia other than Moscow, which are seeing similar droughts and wildfires for more than a month, have not been released.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

On normal days, between 360 and 380 die - now it's around 700”

End Quote Andrei Seltsovsky Head of Moscow city health department

Soon after Mr Seltsovsky gave his information, Russia's Health Minister, Tatyana Golikova, demanded a formal clarification of his data.

Her ministry said it was "puzzled by the unofficial figures quoted at the briefing".
Mr Seltsovsky did not give a time frame but earlier reports had spoken of the death rate in Moscow for July rising by up to 50% compared with the same period last year.
"On normal days, between 360 and 380 die - now it's around 700," Mr Seltsovsky told reporters.
Moscow, he said, had 1,500 places in its morgues and 1,300 of these were currently occupied.
While stressing there was still capacity, he added that about 30% of bereaved people were asking to have the body kept in a morgue for more than three days, "which slightly complicates the situation".
The concentration of carbon monoxide in Moscow was still more than double acceptable safety norms on Monday as smog from peat and forest wildfires continued to blanket the city.
Temperatures of more than 35C (95F) are forecast for the city until Thursday.
Since the second half of July, at least 52 deaths in Russia as a whole have been attributed directly to fires, which have destroyed hundreds of rural homes.
Mr Seltsovsky did not attribute the rise in the mortality rate to the heatwave or smog but doctors, speaking off the record, have talked of morgues filling with victims of heat stroke and smoke ailments.
Nuclear plant alert A nuclear plant in the Urals being threatened by the wildfires was the site of Russia's worst nuclear disaster in 1957.

Fires are still burning across central Russia

Some of the land around the Mayak plant in the town of Ozersk (known in Soviet times as Chelyabinsk-40) is believed to be still contaminated from the disaster, in which a tank of radioactive waste exploded.
Several leaks of radioactive waste have been reported from the plant in recent years.
Ozersk's administration announced on the town's website that residents were forbidden from entering the region's abundant, picturesque woodlands until further notice, and ordered urgent, unspecified fire safety measures.
According to Russia's Itar-Tass news agency, Moscow airports were working normally on Monday after last week's disruptions due to smog.
Sunday saw more than 104,000 air travellers leaving the capital - a record number, according to Russian news agencies.
Those who remain in the city of 10.5m people were being urged to wear face masks if they ventured outdoors, and to hang wet towels indoors to attract dust and cool the airflow.
Most apartments in the city lack air conditioning and there are media reports of wealthier citizens moving out of their homes into hotels, shopping malls, offices and private cars.

BBC

U.N. to open inquiry into Israeli flotilla raid

Tuesday into Israel's interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla, in which nine people were killed. The investigation begins a day after Israel opened its commission to investigate the incident that left one Turkish-American and eight Turkish activists dead in the altercation.
Israeli commandos intercepted the flotilla at sea and stormed the largest vessel, the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara.
Israel has maintained its troops used force on the activists after they were attacked by those on board. Soldiers were attacked with knives, metal poles and other objects, Israeli officials have said. But passengers on board the boat insist they were fired upon without provocation.
The incident left a wide-ranging military and diplomatic alliance between the Jewish state and Turkey, its powerful regional ally, badly shaken and drew international outrage.
The ships were carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, organizers said. The Palestinian territory has been blockaded by Israel since its takeover by the Islamic movement Hamas in 2007.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the inquiry last week.

"For the past two months, I have engaged in intensive consultation with the leaders of Israel and Turkey on the setting-up of a panel of inquiry on the flotilla incident," Ban said in a statement. "This is an unprecedented development. I thank the leaders of the two countries with whom I have engaged in last-minute consultations over the weekend, for their spirit of compromise and forward-looking cooperation."

The panel will be led by Geoffrey Palmer, former prime minister of New Zealand, as chairman and Alvaro Uribe, former Colombian president, as vice-chair, Ban said. Representatives from Israel and Turkey will be the panel's other two members.
The panel will begin its work Tuesday and submit its first progress report by mid-September, the statement said. Ban said he hopes the panel's work will "give me recommendations for the prevention of similar incidents in the future."
He said he also hopes the agreement will "impact positively on the relationship between Turkey and Israel as well as the overall situation in the Middle East."
On the opening day of Israel's inquiry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel operated within international law when it stopped the flotilla and raided the Mavi Marmara on May 31.
"I'm convinced that at the end of your investigation, it will be clear that the state of Israel ... operated in accordance with international law and that ... soldiers on the Marmara showed great courage in fulfilling their mission and acting in self-defense against real-life dangers," Netanyahu said Monday.

On Tuesday, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak is expected to testify in the Israeli investigation.

CNN

Warrington 54-12 Catalans Dragons

CHALLENGE CUP SEMI-FINAL
Warrington (24) 54
Tries: Harrison, L Anderson 3, King, Riley, Briers, Myler, Clarke Goals: Westwood 7, Briers, Myler

Catalans Dragons (6) 12
Tries: Greenshields 2 Goals: Bosc 2

Louis Anderson dives over to complete his hat-trick in Warrington's 54-12 Challenge Cup semi-final demolition of Catalans Dragons

By Ged Scott

Holders Warrington booked a return to Wembley on 28 August after storming to a dazzling nine-try Challenge Cup semi-final win over Catalans Dragons.

The French side, beaten finalists in 2007, had beaten Warrington 29-28 in Perpignan just a fortnight ago.
But there was no chance of another upset, forward Louis Anderson leading the way with three of his side's tries.
Ben Harrison, Matt King, Chris Riley, Lee Briers, Richie Myler and Jon Clarke also got in on the try-scoring act.
Warrington had been given a real scare in the quarter-finals at Odsal more than two months ago when they squeezed past Bradford 26-22.
But, after earning the advantage of having to travel a mere eight miles to Widnes for this semi-final, it rapidly became clear that the Wolves would find things a bit easier almost on their own doorstep.
Tony Smith's men struck twice inside the first 12 minutes and, from then on, there was no looking back as they booked a return to Wembley - to face last year's Super League champions Leeds.
They added two more tries before the break, Catalans' only response being a solo effort by Clint Greenshields two minutes from half-time.
But the Wolves added five more after the interval, Catalans' only consolation coming in the dying seconds when Greenshields sneaked over for his second.
Warrington had already suffered one near miss when loose forward Ben Harrison overpowered the efforts of four Dragons tacklers to crash over for the opening score on six minutes.
And, inside five minutes, Smith's men added a second when, from stand-off Briers' high kick, centre Ryan Atkins was allowed to make a catch which he transferred back for second row Louis Anderson to cross.
It was an Atkins break that led to Warrington's third try on 28 minutes when King finished off a sweeping move down the line with a lovely dummy.
And they had just three minutes to wait for another one, the try of the match involving both wingers.
From Briers' kick, Chris Hicks broke inside, released to Michael Monaghan and the scrum-half kicked for the left corner, Riley timing his run just right.
Having opened up a 24-0 lead, thanks to Ben Westwood converting all his kicks, Catalans briefly stemmed the blue and yellow tide when, after Briers was penalised for pushing, Dragons top try scorer Greenshields sneaked over.
But Briers took just five second-half minutes to make amends when he too got in on the scoring act, snaking out an arm to score just to the right of the posts.
And the introduction of Myler just before the hour mark immediately brought two more tries.
It was Myler's blindside run which took the Dragons defence away, allowing Anderson to cruise through the gap and latch onto Monaghan's kick from dummy-half.
Briers' break then opened the door for Myler to score himself.
And rampant Warrington then made it three tries in four minutes when Anderson - who had scored just twice in 25 previous appearances - latched onto a superb offload from David Solomona before racing 70 yards to complete his hat-trick.
But possibly the most popular scorer of the afternoon was hooker Clarke, who marked his first start after a 12-month injury nightmare with try number nine 11 minutes from time.
Catalans at least showed character by ending the second half just as they had closed the first, by scoring the final try. But that was far too little to prevent Warrington booking a repeat of their first Challenge Cup final meeting at Wembley against Leeds since 1936.
Warrington lost that game 74 years ago, 18-2, in front of 51,350. But, in front of a crowd not far short of double that in three weeks' time, of more relevance to former Leeds coach Smith when his team do battle with his old side will be this season's Super League results.
And, in that department, despite trailing second-placed Warrington by five points in the table, fifth-placed Leeds hold the upper hand, having twice beaten Smith's men.
A 26-16 defeat at Headingley in mid-May was followed by a 37-30 win at the Halliwell Jones in late June when Kevin Sinfield's kicking proved the difference between the two sides.
The authorities were forced to make a late switch after video referee Steve Ganson was forced to miss the game.
Ganson had to be replaced by Oldham's Ian Smith, after being arrested on suspicion of assault.
The 40-year-old from St Helens was held by police in the early hours following an altercation outside the Holiday Inn hotel in Haydock which left an 87-year-old woman seriously injured in hospital.
Rugby Football League media manager John Ledger confirmed that Ganson was being held in police custody.
"We're aware of the incident and are monitoring the situation," he said.

BBC