Skid rows

SINGAPORE: The Court of Appeal on Friday (Oct 16) dismissed an application by a drug trafficker on death row for a review of his case, reminding defence counsels not to invoke the review process lightly and without reasonable basis or they will face sanctions for abusing court processes. Syed Suhail Syed Zin, 44, was convicted in 2015 of a capital charge of possessing heroin for trafficking and was set to hang on Sep 18 this year. His execution was stayed at the last minute after defence lawyer M Ravi stepped in. He sought a review of the court's 2018 decision to uphold Syed's conviction and sentence on two grounds, but the Court of Appeal on Friday dismissed this application for a review. Delivering the decision, Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang Boon Leong said Syed, through his lawyer, had failed to provide sufficient material and the judges were not persuaded that there had been any miscarriage of justice in the criminal proceedings. Justice Phang also stressed that the review … [Read more...] about Court of Appeal dismisses application by drug trafficker on death row, reminds counsels not to invoke review process lightly

LONDON: England coach Eddie Jones has reverted to his World Cup back row of Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Billy Vunipola to face Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday, a side he described as the best poaching team in Europe. The powerful trio are reunited for the second time since the World Cup final for the toughest game England have faced since the restart after easy wins over Italy and Georgia. Maro Itoje moves from number six to join Joe Launchbury in the second row.  Jonathan Joseph has recovered from a back problem to start on the wing, while flyhalf George Ford is on the bench after overcoming a foot injury. Ollie Lawrence, who barely got a touch last week, will hope for more involvement on his second start at outside centre, with Henry Slade inside him as part of the same backline that faced Georgia. The front row is also back to what would generally be considered Jones's first choice of Jamie George, Mako Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler. "Ireland are the number one poaching … [Read more...] about England’s Jones reunites World Cup back row to face Ireland

HANOI: United States President Donald Trump skipped a virtual summit with his Southeast Asian counterparts on Saturday (Nov 14), the third year in a row that the US is being represented at a lower level. National security adviser Robert O'Brien said Trump regretted he was unable to attend the online summit with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but stressed the importance of ties with the region. "At this time of global crisis, the US-ASEAN strategic partnership has become even more important as we work together to combat the coronavirus," O'Brien said in remarks at the opening ceremony, which was livestreamed to ASEAN members watching from their respective countries. Trump attended the ASEAN summit in 2017, but sent only representatives during the last two meetings. A special summit with ASEAN that he was supposed to host in Las Vegas in March was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump is busy with challenging the results of … [Read more...] about Trump skips ASEAN summit for third year in a row

RECENTLY axed WWE star Zelina Vega will soon have a potential offer to join rival promotion All Elite Wrestling. The beautiful 30-year-old, real name Thea Megan Budgen, was one of the best performers on Raw throughout the fan-less pandemic. But after finally enjoying a push as a singles star, the WWE Universe was stunned when it was announced she had been let go by Vince McMahon’s company in November. Vega’s departure came over a huge row regarding WWE’s new third-party edict on banning their talent from using streaming sites such as Twitch and Cameo. she ‘challenged’ WWE by opening an OnlyFans account, which featured exclusive videos of snaps of ‘cosplays, lingerie, swimsuits and more’ and having a subscription fee of £22.60. The star is also an active Twitch streamer and was allegedly not willing to comply with WWE's new policy. Performers may remain on Twitch, but they have to do so under the WWE banner, which limits their potential income. Moments before … [Read more...] about Ex-WWE star targeted by ambitious AEW boss Tony Khan as billionaire plans talks with Zelina Vega after Vince McMahon row

BARCELONA: Lionel Messi scored a penalty for the third Champions League game in a row as Barcelona earned a far from convincing 2-1 win at home to a depleted Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday (Nov 4) to record three consecutive victories in Europe's top competition. The Argentine, who had also scored spot-kicks in wins over Group G opponents Ferencvaros and Juventus, tucked away a penalty in the fifth minute while Gerard Pique netted in the second half, glancing in a fine cross from Ansu Fati. Dynamo, who were missing six players due to COVID-19 positives, which also afflicted five members of staff, gave a decent account of themselves and spurned a couple of chances to equalise as well as having a goal from a corner ruled out due to the ball going out of play. They deservedly pulled a late goal back in the 75th minute when Viktor Tsygankov slid the ball into the net, pouncing on a rebound after Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could only parry a shot from Benjamin Verbic. The … [Read more...] about Football: Barca get third win in a row but fail to convince against Dynamo