Germany captain Neuer running out of time for World Cup

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MUNICH: Germany captain Manuel Neuer will not play in Bayern Munich’s final Bundesliga game, putting his World Cup participation in doubt after the goalkeeper missed most of the season with a hairline fracture in his left foot.

Neuer, who hasn’t played since September after being injured in training, is running out of time to prove his fitness for this summer’s tournament in Russia.

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said Wednesday that Neuer will not be included in the squad for the final league game against Stuttgart.

Media reports suggested Heynckes said Neuer wouldn’t play at all for Bayern this season, but the club issued a statement which quoted the coach as saying, “I didn’t say that. The fact is Manuel is not yet in the squad for the last home game against Stuttgart on Saturday. For the cup final, however, the decision is still open.”

Bayern plays Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Cup final on May 19.

The 32-year-old Neuer was initially due to return in January but his rehabilitation is taking longer than expected due to the risk of a relapse. A repeat of the injury could threaten his career.

Germany coach Joachim Loew is due to name his World Cup squad on May 15 with the biggest question centering on Neuer’s likely inclusion.

Neuer has said, “I don’t think it’s imaginable without any match practice.”

Germany’s first game is against Mexico on June 17 in Moscow.

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Written by Siddhartha Pokharel This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/germany-captain-neuer-running-out-of-time-for-world-cup/ under the title “Germany captain Neuer running out of time for World Cup”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

Cardiff v Gloucester final throws up memories of mud and punches | The Breakdown

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Friday’s European Challenge Cup final in Bilbao is a revival of a fixture that changed the game in the 1880s and quickened fans’ pulses in the 1970s

Retro is in for football’s World Cup this summer. A number of kits pay homage to the past and, if rugby union is not getting nostalgic for a time when the game tended to be played on dilapidated mudflats, this Friday night will see the resumption of one of the game’s most historic fixtures.

Cardiff Blues play Gloucester in the final of the European Challenge Cup in Bilbao, 134 years after the teams (the Blues were Cardiff then) first met, at the Arms Park. In an era when there were no points and a goal beat any number of unconverted tries, the visitors romped home with a goal, seven tries and nine touches down while not conceding.

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Written by Paul Rees This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/10/cardiff-gloucester-european-challenge-cup-final under the title “Cardiff v Gloucester final throws up memories of mud and punches | The Breakdown”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

Diamondbacks free to leave Chase Field after 2022, board votes

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A new stadium built on Native American tribal land is an idea that has been rumored.

Written by This news first appeared on http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/diamondbacks-new-stadium-mlb-maricopa-county-vote-nl-west/1qnk48htruffj100592mvuau0i under the title “Diamondbacks free to leave Chase Field after 2022, board votes”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

NBA playoffs rookie breakdown: Evaluating performances of Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum

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Even the youngsters are judged separately on their postseason performances. Let’s take a closer look at how Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell have fared under the bright lights of the NBA playoffs.

Written by This news first appeared on http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/news/nba-playoffs-2018-celtics-vs-76ers-ben-simmons-jayson-tatum-jazz-donovan-mitchell-rookie-of-the-year/yjuz5lanr2j31n2yahx2axav3 under the title “NBA playoffs rookie breakdown: Evaluating performances of Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

Trump’s move likely to worsen Mideast proxy battles

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FILE PHOTO : Iranian demonstrators burn representations of the U.S. flag during a protest in front of the former US Embassy in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the nuclear deal and renew sanctions, in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday,May 9, 2018. Photo: Associated Press

BEIRUT: There may not be much Iran can do about President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, but across the Middle East, it has a variety of ways it can hit back at the United States and America’s regional allies.

Iran has expanded its influence far beyond its borders in recent years, sponsoring an army of tens of thousands of Shiite militiamen spread across Iraq and Syria, all the way to Lebanon. A rocket attack overnight on Israeli positions in the Golan Heights may have been a first salvo, underscoring Tehran’s reach. Israel responded with a blistering wave of missile strikes early Thursday.

Iran also holds enormous political sway in neighboring Iraq and in Lebanon, where its main Shiite ally, the militant Hezbollah group, scored significant gains in weekend elections. In Iraq, two powerful political alliances expected to win seats in parliamentary elections on Sunday also maintain strong ties to Iran.

In his speech announcing the US  withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, Trump called Iran the “world’s leading state sponsor of terror,” citing its support for “terrorist” proxies and militias such as Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as its activities in Yemen.

The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has torn the region apart, playing out on regional battlefields and fanning sectarian flames in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen. Trump’s decision will likely intensify those confrontations, and could also embolden Israel to step up its own proxy battles against Tehran.

Here is a look at proxy battlefields in Iran’s looming confrontation with the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel

SYRIA AND THE GOLAN HEIGHTS

Any confrontation between Iran and Israel is likely to play out first and foremost on the battlefields of Syria, where Iran has built an extensive network of militias during Syria’s civil war. Advisers from Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, as well as trainers, commanders and experts, are stationed in military bases across the country.

It also has spy drones that it can use to attack from the sky. In February, Israel shot down what it said was a drone that contained explosives sent by Iran from an air base in Syria, prompting Israeli airstrikes that killed at least seven Iranians. An Israeli warplane was shot down during the battle.

Israel’s main concern is southern Syria, near the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, where Tehran has been boosting its presence for years and where it could launch rocket attacks into Israeli territory.

Israel has said it will do what it takes to fend off Iran’s military entrenchment. A series of strikes over the last few months — all blamed on Israel — have struck Iranian assets in Syria and killed Iranian forces there.

The strikes have prompted threats of retaliation from Tehran, and Israel has girded for a response, ordering bomb shelters open in the Golan.

Israel will no doubt strike back following any attack on its territory, a scenario that could spiral into a wider conflict that experts say no side is currently interested in.

With Trump’s backing, Israel may even feel emboldened to take further pre-emptive action against Iranian targets in Syria. Iran’s presence in Syria is no match for Israel’s powerful military, and Iran’s hopes of salvaging the deal and appearing moderate on the world stage may further hinder its ability to strike back.

LEBANON AND ISRAEL

Southern Lebanon’s rolling hills bordering Israel are another arena of influence for Tehran through its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah.

The frontier has been largely quiet since the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, and Hezbollah is averse to starting a new confrontation in light of its costly intervention in Syria, where it has lost hundreds of fighters.

Launching a new war could endanger Hezbollah’s political support base, including its Shiite constituency, which is wary of another ruinous war with Israel.

Hezbollah has said, however, that it stands ready to defend Lebanon in case of any Israeli attack, and its leader has hinted it may retaliate for repeated Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

Israel has repeatedly targeted weapons shipments destined for Hezbollah, taking advantage of the group’s thinly-spread fighters preoccupied by the war in Syria.

With the war winding down and the group able to refocus on its longtime foe, Israel, the border between the two countries may again heat up. Embroiled in scandals at home, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may also seek a provocation to divert attention from his domestic crises.

YEMEN AND SAUDI ARABIA

The war in Yemen, widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, is another theater Tehran could exploit to inflict pain on its enemies.

Yemen’s Shiite rebels, the Houthis, have fired a series of missiles into neighboring Saudi Arabia during the three-year-old conflict, most recently on Wednesday, a day after Trump’s announcement.

The United Nations, Western nations and Saudi Arabia say Iran supplies the Houthis with long-range missiles capable of reaching Riyadh. Iran denies arming them.

GAZA AND JERUSALEM

Confronted by Iranian-allied Hezbollah on its northern border, Israel also faces another enemy to the south with Hamas in Gaza.

Tehran’s relationship with the Islamic militant group has known highs and lows. Hamas developed close ties with Iran after the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, with support — both military and financial — peaking following Hamas’ victory in the 2006 parliamentary elections.

Ties ebbed with the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, when the Hamas leadership-in-exile left Syria amid President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on Sunni Muslim rebels, many with ideologies similar to those of the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent movement of Hamas. Ties with Iran have since somewhat recovered, and Hamas is believed to again get funding from Iran.

Since late March, Hamas has been staging weekly mass protests meant to break a stifling, decade-long Israeli-Egyptian blockade on the impoverished territory. Thousands of Palestinians have demonstrated along Israel’s border fence with Gaza, with some briefly crossing into Israeli territory, hurling burning tires and damaging the fence. Dozens have been killed by Israeli fire and hundreds have been wounded.

The protests are set to intensify Monday when the US Embassy opens in Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of Palestinians are set to descend on the border area and mass breaches of the border fence may be inevitable.

IRAQ

Iran sponsors a range of Shiite militias in Iraq and has deep ties to the country’s economy and political system. Many Iraqis fear escalating tensions between the US and Iran will destabilize Iraq just as the country is starting to recover.

Riad Hadi, an Iraqi army veteran, said Iraq will end up paying the price for Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

“If they blockade Iran, the pressure release will be Iraq,” said the 48-year-old, who was wounded in both legs in a bomb blast in his Baghdad neighborhood.

On Wednesday, a powerful Iraqi paramilitary group with links to Iran said Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal would “ignite the region.”

“We are resistance factions and we are ready to target Americans in the region in case America hits Iran. It will be a violent response,” said Jafar Husseini of Iraq’s Hezbollah brigades.

There are some 5,000 US troops in Iraq training Iraq’s military after the country declared victory over the Islamic State group last year.

ASSASSINATIONS AND ATTACKS

Amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, a return to assassinations and overseas attacks cannot be ruled out.

Iran blamed Israel for the assassination of at least four Iranian nuclear scientists between 2010 and 2012 and arrested a number of Iranians alleged to have carried out the killings on behalf of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.

In 2011, US officials said they foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, the current Saudi foreign minister

The post Trump’s move likely to worsen Mideast proxy battles appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

Written by Siddhartha Pokharel This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/trumps-move-likely-to-worsen-mideast-proxy-battles/ under the title “Trump’s move likely to worsen Mideast proxy battles”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

Nepal win silver in Dhaka

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Nepal archery team members pose for a group photo after the second ISSF International Solidarity Archery Championship in Dhaka on Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Photo: THT

Kathmandu, May 9

Nepal won a silver and three bronze medals in the second ISSF International Solidarity Archery Championship in Dhaka today.

The Nepali team of Roshan Nagarkoti, Tilak Pun Magar and Asim Sherchan finished second behind hosts Bangladesh in the men’s Team Recurve final. Nepal had entered the final defeating Saudi Arabia in shootout on Tuesday.

Nepal bagged bronze medals in men’s Team Compound, mixed Team Compound and women’s Team Compound.

Ramesh Bhattachan, Khum Bahadur Kumal and Hom Bahadur Thapa finished third in men’s Team Compound, while Bhattachan and Prasada Acharya bagged bronze in mixed Team Compound.

Likewise, Acharya, Rashmi Darlami and Monica Rana Nagar won bronze in women’s Team Compound. Players from 20 countries of four continents, including nine Nepali archers, took part in the tournament organised by Islamic Solidarity and Sports Federation.

 

The post Nepal win silver in Dhaka appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

Written by Sureis This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/nepal-win-silver-in-dhaka/ under the title “Nepal win silver in Dhaka”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

Top woman golfer Sherpa flies high

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Nepal’s No 1 women golfer Pratima Sherpa

Kathmandu, May 9

Nepal’s No 1 women golfer Pratima Sherpa, who rose from hut to putt, caught international attention after ESPN prepared a film ‘A Mountain to Climb’ about her and Nepal Golf Cup.

At the same time, encouragement letter from former World No 1 pro Tiger Woods was one of the inspiring things that happened to Nepal’s young golfer Sherpa.

Now, she has been nominated for the People’s Choice category for the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award slated for May 17.

Other nominees are footballer Kiran Chemjong, cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane, volleyball player Man Bahadur Shrestha and table tennis player Santoo Shrestha. The winner will be decided through SMS voting, Facebook likes, votes from the NSJF members and coaches of 35 sports.

Although, Sherpa will have to wait till May 17 for the announcement of the award, but she has already earned immense popularity and one of the biggest cause would be to get lesson from her idol Woods as she got the chance to meet the American golfer in Florida. She spent 30 minutes with Woods at the Woods Medalist Golf Club in Jupiter.

Sherpa got the opportunity when she went to USA to attend the premier of the film – ‘A Mountain to Climb.’

Sherpa, the first Nepali woman golfer to participate in the Surya Nepal Golf Tour Qualifying School, won around 30 trophies last year apart from defending the title of the Faldo Series Nepal Championship that helped her to travel Vietnam for the grand finals.

 

The post Top woman golfer Sherpa flies high appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

Written by Sureis This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/golf/top-woman-golfer-pratima-sherpa-flies-high/ under the title “Top woman golfer Sherpa flies high”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

Half marathon set for May 19

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Kathmandu, May 9

Kantipur Media Group is organising the eighth Kantipur-Runner Half Marathon here on May 19.

The event will feature men’s and women’s half marathon, wheelchair race and 5km corporate-media run, informed the organisers at a press meet today. Raman Motors is the main sponsor of the event.

The 21.1km half marathon will start from Thapathali and go through Maitighar, Babarmahal, Bijulibazar, New Baneshwor, Tinkune, Koteshwor, Jadibuti, Gattaghar, Sano Thimi, Sallaghari before returning back.

 

The post Half marathon set for May 19 appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

Written by Sureis This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/kantipur-runner-half-marathon-set-for-may-19/ under the title “Half marathon set for May 19”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

Danny Cipriani back in for England amid Brad Shields call-up controversy

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  • Cameron Redpath among Eddie Jones’s new call-ups
  • New Zealand Rugby hit out at RFU over Shields

Eddie Jones has selected the uncapped flanker Brad Shields for the summer tour of South Africa after New Zealand granted “special exception” before hitting out at the Rugby Football Union, insisting it was “extremely disappointed” with England for pursuing the Hurricanes captain.

Jones has also handed a recall to Danny Cipriani as well as call-ups for Cameron Redpath, the 18-year-old son of the former Scotland international Bryan, Dan Robson, Jack Willis, Ben Spencer, Ben Earl and Jonny Hill to his 34-man squad.

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Written by Gerard Meagher This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/10/danny-cipriani-back-in-for-england-amid-brad-shields-call-up-controversy under the title “Danny Cipriani back in for England amid Brad Shields call-up controversy”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.

‘We did it on our own’: Wagner hails Huddersfield heroes after Chelsea draw

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• Laurent Depoitre’s goal ensures Premier League status next season
• ‘This is an absolute over-achievement, bigger than promotion’

David Wagner claimed Huddersfield’s retention of Premier League status was a more remarkable achievement than last year’s promotion after his players secured the point they needed at Chelsea to extend their stay into a second season.

The draw, secured courtesy of Laurent Depoitre’s opening goal and some staggering defending throughout a one-sided contest, effectively condemned Swansea City to the Championship while leaving Chelsea’s own hopes of securing Champions League qualification hanging by a thread. Wagner almost lost his tracksuit trousers as his players gave him the bumps in front of the delighted away fans, and then gave his squad 48 hours to celebrate their eye-catching success.

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Written by Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/may/09/huddersfield-wagner-we-did-it-on-our-own-chelsea-draw under the title “‘We did it on our own’: Wagner hails Huddersfield heroes after Chelsea draw”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.