Soccer-South African morale dented by loss ahead of Nations Cup

CAPE TOWN, Jan 8 (Reuters) - African Nations Cup hosts South Africa suffered a morale-deflating 1-0 defeat at home to a young Norway side on Tuesday in their penultimate warm-up international.
Norway, with a team of inexperienced home-based players, scored the only goal from captain Tarik Elyounoussi four minutes before half-time.
Elyounoussi took advantage of some slopping defending to net from close range in the only real attack of the first half for the visitors, who are using their off-season to expose younger players to international football.
The result will not help the crisis of confidence affecting Bafana Bafana, who were hoping for a change in fortunes but failed to deliver on pre-match promises of attacking play and flair from their coach Gordon Igesund.
Instead they were stymied by a well-organised Norway side and after a show of poor finishing they will have more to contemplate some 10 days before the Nations Cup kick off.
It will also leave the home public sceptical about the team's chances at the 16-team tournament, which South Africa kick off against Cape Verde Islands at Soccer City in Johannesburg on Jan. 19 (1600 GMT).
"I'm disappointed we lost the game, but we created a lot of good chances. We have to work now on using the possession better and not overelaborating so much on the ball," said Igesund.

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Fleetwood Mac Tickets Take Off Online at BuyAnySeat.com

Tickets to Fleetwood Mac’s upcoming 34-city North American Tour are creating traffic spikes in search traffic online for seats, said Felina Martinez at ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. The tour kicks off April 4, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio and is the band’s first trek since 2009.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) January 03, 2013
It’s hard to believe that it has been 45 years since Fleetwood Mac’s first album, and 35 years since they band released their best-selling Rumours album, which has sold over 20 million copies in the U.S. to date.
But like other iconic 60’s bands lately, Fleetwood Mac is heading back out on the road again. The group’s 34-city North American tour kicks off April 4, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio. The tour stops in numerous cities including New York, Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The trek’s final concert is slated for June 12, 2013 in Detroit.
“Traffic for Fleetwood Mac tickets has been spiking,” said Felina Martinez at online ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. “Part of this surge of new traffic may be related to the Holiday season and gift giving, but we believe it’s also due to the band’s legions of loyal followers of all ages around the globe.”
“Since Fleetwood Mac fans span all nationalities and age groups from pre-teens to those in their 70’s and 80’s, we’re proud to be able to offer buyers a complete selection of Fleetwood Mac tickets, with a worry-free guarantee to protect their purchase,” said Martinez.
“To access the continuously updated selection of tickets we have available, fans can go to BuyAnySeat.com and search for Fleetwood Mac – then select their tickets,” said Martinez.
Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band formed in London in 1967 by Peter Green, who had been playing in the blues band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. He named the band in an attempt to entice Mick Fleetwood and John McVie to join him. While Fleetwood joined right away, McVie did not join for several weeks.
After years of member additions and departures, and tumultuous times within the band, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the group – and the band finally found mainstream success with the 1975 release of a second self-titled album. The album became the band's first number one album in any country and their first multiplatinum album. This newfound success was repeated two years later with Rumours, which has become their best selling album thus far.
The next two albums, Tusk and Mirage, were not as successful as Rumours, despite an 18-month worldwide promotional tour. The albums still reached number four and number one respectively, and both reached double-platinum status.
The album Tango in the Night was released in 1987 and became the band’s best-selling album since Rumours, and ranked 3x platinum in the U.S. and 8x platinum in the U.K. The 90’s decade was one of limited success for the band, with the two albums released either failing to chart very high in the U.S. The band's fortunes improved again with the release of the 1997 live album The Dance, which reached number one in the U.S. and 5x platinum status. The band also saw a modest success with 2003's Say You Will. (Sources: Official Website, fleetwoodmac.com and Wikipedia.com)
Both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham released solo albums and toured last year. The band itself hasn’t released an album since 2003, but did tour together in 2009. Insiders say Christine McVie unfortunately will not be joining the tour this time. But for fans, there’s always hope.
To shop for Fleetwood Mac tickets, visit BuyAnySeat.com.
About BuyAnySeat.com: An online ticket marketplace, BuyAnySeat.com connects sports, theater and other live entertainment fans to an extensive worldwide network of ticket sellers. The site’s simplified listings and navigational tools enable fans to easily locate, compare and purchase inexpensive, discounted or lower-priced tickets to virtually all advertised sports and entertainment events around the globe. The site, which is PCI-compliant and Norton Secured, also provides customers with a complete Worry-Free Guarantee on all ticket purchases. Based in Denver, Colorado, BuyAnySeat.com is a subsidiary of Denver Media Holdings. For more information, please visit http://buyanyseat.com.

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CTIA-The Wireless Association® Selects WMC Global to Provide Short Code Management in Latin America

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CTIA–The Wireless Association® announces the addition of WMC Global to provide key technology services for its Latin American short code registry. WMC Global, a trusted provider of innovative solutions that deliver digital confidence to the mobile marketplace, brings additional firepower to registry services with their unique ability to develop and manage the backend search and payment transaction functionalities.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100629/DC28223LOGO-a )
By facilitating centralized services for wireless operators, major brands and service providers, the adoption of mobile marketing in Latin America will accelerate since these mobile campaigns are available to nearly 100 percent of the population. In the United States this registry model has enabled the provisioning of nearly 5,000 short codes, running more than 25,000 campaigns and driving revenues estimated between $8-12 billion.
The Latin American short code registry offers five- and six-digit codes, and addresses a long-term need of brands and marketers to create a unified and centralized approach to systematically interact with over the more than 400 million wireless subscribers across 17 Latin American countries.
"By adding WMC Global to the team, the adoption of mobile short codes in Latin America will accelerate as we continue making the process to secure and provision codes for all participants more efficient. As marketers around the world can attest, short codes are an extremely effective and trusted solution to raise brand awareness through customer participation," said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA. "Exporting the tremendously successful model from the U.S. to Latin America will help support operators and brands eager to establish messaging campaigns in the country, especially for upcoming events such as the Confederations Cup, World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics."
"By partnering with CTIA, we will be able to address the needs of the growing Latin American short code market," stated Colin Matthews, CEO of WMC Global. "As the growth of mobile messaging in Latin America continues to outpace many other geographic regions, the short code registry for Latin America will serve the demands for short codes used in advertising, television voting, sweepstakes, mobile coupons or any service through which information needs to be transmitted to and from a large number of users."
For more information, visit www.latinshortcodes.com and www.codigoscortos.com.
About WMC Global
With headquarters in Washington, DC, operational centers in London and Sydney, and regional offices in major cities including Mexico and Brazil,  WMC Global is a trusted name in providing mobile data products that bring compliance, growth, and security to the mobile marketplace. Our competencies in the mobile ecosystem include analytics reporting and In-market monitoring for carriers, partner validation and billing inaccuracies reports for corporations, short code procurement in Latin America for CTIA-The Industry Association® and more.
About CTIA
CTIA-The Wireless Association® (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry's voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry's leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, D.C.

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Vt. health exchange gets conditional federal OK

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Vermont has won conditional federal approval for its plan to build a consumer-friendly health insurance marketplace, or exchange.
Vermont is now one of 17 states to have gotten word from a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that they are on track to have a health exchange ready for business by Oct. 1.
Robin Lunge, Gov. Peter Shumlin's director of health reform, says much work remains to get the exchange up and running.
Insurance companies are to submit bids shortly for what kinds of products they want to offer through the exchange and at what prices.
The state also will be requesting proposals for organizations that want to provide navigators — people who will guide consumers through the process of shopping for insurance in the exchange.

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Cricket-Clarke's Australia far from the finished article

SYDNEY, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Australia wrapped up a home series sweep over supine sub-continental opposition for the second season in a row on Sunday but captain Michael Clarke admits they are a work in progress as they embark on their toughest ever year of test cricket.
Fragility in the top order, the retirement of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey from the middle order and injuries to the pace bowling unit mean there is plenty to ponder ahead of a tour to India and back-to-back Ashes series.
Clarke, ever the realist, was more than aware that any joy at the 3-0 triumph over Sri Lanka, which Australia secured at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, had to be tempered by memory of the 1-0 defeat to South Africa that preceded it.
"It probably sums up where we are as a team," he told reporters after the five-wicket victory at the SCG.
"On our good days, we're very good and we can cut it with the best, the number one team in the world, South Africa.
"But on our poor days there's a lot of areas we need to improve, both individually and as a team, so I think what you've seen of the Australian cricket team this summer probably sums up where we're at.
"We're fighting to get better every day, that's the positive. I think we are improving slowly as a group but we know the next 12 months is huge for us.
"We've got a lot of tough cricket in conditions that are generally tough to play in, so we need to keep trying to get better."
The loss of Hussey, who retired after Sunday's victory, will probably be more keenly felt than that of Ponting, who had not been at the peak of his powers for a couple of years.
"I don't think someone will be able to come in and replace him," Clarke said of Hussey.
"He hasn't played as many tests as Ricky Ponting but for the time he's been here he's been unbelievable like Punter was his whole career.
"He's won a lot of games for Australia ... we'll never be able to replace him but what it does do is present an opportunity to somebody else."
Australia could conceivably start the first Ashes test at Trent Bridge in July with a top and middle order in which only Clarke and Phil Hughes have any experience of Ashes cricket.
Shane Watson is the other more experienced batsman likely to play a part but his test season was wrecked by injury and his status further clouded by the continuing debate over whether he is an all-rounder or just a top order batsman.
Before the double-header against England, Australia will first embark on the always tricky trip to India to face a team desperate to show that last year's humiliating 4-0 defeat Down Under was an aberration.
Although Australia's batsmen saw off Sri Lanka's pop-gun pace attack easily enough, the way they struggled sometimes against spinner Rangana Herath did not augur well for the four-test series in February and March.
"It will be really tough, especially in the second innings in the subcontinent, where it is generally very tough to play spin bowling," said Clarke.
"I think we're improving. There are areas we need to continually get better at.
"Spin bowling is probably one of those areas. In a couple of months time we're going to be faced with conditions that do spin a lot so there's no better place to get better than in the subcontinent."
MCGRATH COMPARISONS
The pace bowling department is in ruder health after test returns for 2009 ICC Cricketer of the Year Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc as well as the emergence of another new talent in Jackson Bird.
Bird was named Man of the Match for the Sydney test and has earned comparisons with Glenn McGrath after taking 11 wickets at an average of 16.18 in his first two tests.
Those comparisons may be premature but the 26-year-old did not look out of place on the test stage and joins young guns Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, who both missed the Sri Lanka series through injury, as a genuine contenders for a test place.
Clarke backed his pace bowlers by naming four against Sri Lanka in the final test and they vindicated his decision by bowling out the tourists twice.
"I'm really happy with the way we finished this summer in regard to the test format and I was really proud of the boys the way we fought it out against the number one test side in the world," said Clarke.

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Officials search for casualties in Australia fires

HOBART, Australia (AP) — Officials are searching for bodies among the charred ruins of more than 100 homes and other buildings destroyed by wildfires in the island state of Tasmania.
Acting Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard said Monday no casualties had yet been reported. But it would take time before officials were certain that no one had died in the blazes that have razed 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania since Friday.
Police have concerns for about 100 people reported missing. Tilyard said 11 teams were searching ruins in places including the small town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, where around 70 homes were destroyed.
"Until we've had the opportunity to do all the screening that we need to do at each of those premises, we can't say for certain that there hasn't been a human life or more than one human life lost as a result of these fires," Tilyard told reporters.
Three fires continued to burn out of control in southern Tasmania and in the northwest Monday.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who flew to Tasmania on Monday, warned that New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, was about to move into a period of extreme heat Tuesday when the wildfire risk would be high.
"We live in a country that is hot and dry and where we sustain very destructive fire periodically," Gillard told reporters. "Whilst you would not put any one event down to climate change ... we do know over time that as a result of climate change we are going to see more extreme weather events and conditions."
New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said more than 90 wildfires were blazing across the state Monday and warned that conditions would worsen on Tuesday. No homes were currently under threat.
"It is going to be very hot and very dry. Couple that with the dryness of the vegetation, the grassland fuels, the forest fuels and those strong winds that are expected tomorrow," he said.
The temperate across much the state was expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) while winds were expected as high as 80 kilometers an hour ( 50 miles an hour).
Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. In February 2009, hundreds of fires across Victoria state killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

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Officials can't rule out casualties after Australian wildfires destroy 100 homes and buildings

HOBART, Australia - Officials are searching for bodies among the charred ruins of more than 100 homes and other buildings destroyed by wildfires in the island state of Tasmania.
Acting Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard said Monday no casualties had yet been reported. But it would take time before officials were certain that no one had died in the blazes that have razed 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania since Friday.
Police have concerns for about 100 people reported missing. Tilyard said 11 teams were searching ruins in places including the small town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, where around 70 homes were destroyed.
"Until we've had the opportunity to do all the screening that we need to do at each of those premises, we can't say for certain that there hasn't been a human life or more than one human life lost as a result of these fires," Tilyard told reporters.
Three fires continued to burn out of control in southern Tasmania and in the northwest Monday.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who flew to Tasmania on Monday, warned that New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, was about to move into a period of extreme heat Tuesday when the wildfire risk would be high.
"We live in a country that is hot and dry and where we sustain very destructive fire periodically," Gillard told reporters. "Whilst you would not put any one event down to climate change ... we do know over time that as a result of climate change we are going to see more extreme weather events and conditions."
New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said more than 90 wildfires were blazing across the state Monday and warned that conditions would worsen on Tuesday. No homes were currently under threat.
"It is going to be very hot and very dry. Couple that with the dryness of the vegetation, the grassland fuels, the forest fuels and those strong winds that are expected tomorrow," he said.
The temperate across much the state was expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) while winds were expected as high as 80 kilometres an hour ( 50 miles an hour).
Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. In February 2009, hundreds of fires across Victoria state killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

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NHL-Vanderbeek gains sole ownership of Devils after refinancing

 New Jersey Devils majority owner Jeff Vanderbeek completed a refinancing of the team's debt on Thursday, assuming full control of the National Hockey League club.
Vanderbeek, a former Lehman Brothers executive who purchased the team in 2004, made the announcement as NHL officials and locked out players were meeting in New York trying to thrash out a new collective bargaining agreement in an effort to keep the entire 2012-2013 season from being cancelled.
Players have been locked out since mid-September and the league has cancelled games through Jan. 14, more than 50 percent of the regular season which was scheduled to start in October.
"Today's announcement is good news for Devils fans though I fully recognize fans' frustration with the work stoppage," Vanderbeek said in a statement. "Our future is now secure and we can be confident of continued on-ice success.
"Our team has gone to the Stanley Cup final five times in the last 17 years and following the most recent run to the Stanley Cup final last year, we are excited about our future."
The Devils said that the CIT Group acted as lead arranger of the refinancing with Vanderbeek also acquiring the stakes of his co-owners, Brick City Hockey and its related entities.

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Vanderbeek gains sole ownership of Devils after refinancing

 New Jersey Devils majority owner Jeff Vanderbeek completed a refinancing of the team's debt on Thursday, assuming full control of the National Hockey League club.
Vanderbeek, a former Lehman Brothers executive who purchased the team in 2004, made the announcement as NHL officials and locked out players were meeting in New York trying to thrash out a new collective bargaining agreement in an effort to keep the entire 2012-2013 season from being cancelled.
Players have been locked out since mid-September and the league has cancelled games through January 14, more than 50 percent of the regular season which was scheduled to start in October.
"Today's announcement is good news for Devils fans though I fully recognize fans' frustration with the work stoppage," Vanderbeek said in a statement. "Our future is now secure and we can be confident of continued on-ice success.
"Our team has gone to the Stanley Cup final five times in the last 17 years and following the most recent run to the Stanley Cup final last year, we are excited about our future."
The Devils said that the CIT Group acted as lead arranger of the refinancing with Vanderbeek also acquiring the stakes of his co-owners, Brick City Hockey and its related entities.

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NHL, union stay apart much of Thursday

Any momentum gained from a long night of negotiations between the NHL and the players' association seemed to have been lost Thursday when the sides remained mostly apart.
A meeting that Commissioner Gary Bettman said would begin at 10 a.m. EST didn't start until several hours later, and then ended quickly.
That one hour of talks centered on the reporting of hockey-related revenues by teams, and both sides signing off on the figures at the end of the fiscal year. The problem was resolved.
The key issues that are still threatening the hockey season weren't addressed then, but a small group of players and other union staff returned to the NHL office shortly before 6 p.m., to hold another meeting regarding the contentious pension plan.
Union head Donald Fehr didn't take part in either of the two sessions Thursday and it wasn't known if a full bargaining meeting would take place Thursday night.
The players' association held a conference call at 5 p.m. to discuss starting another vote among union membership that would give the executive board the power to invoke a disclaimer of interest and dissolve the union.
Members gave overwhelmingly approval last month, but the union declined to disclaim before a self-imposed deadline Wednesday night. It wasn't immediately known when a new authorization would expire. Players are expected to have 48 hours to vote, as opposed to the five days they were given the first time.
With the lockout in its 110th day, both sides understand the urgency to save a shortened season. They have several key issues to work out — pensions and salary cap limits, among them.
Bettman has said a deal needs to be in place by next week so a 48-game season can begin Jan. 19. All games through Jan. 14 along with the All-Star game have been canceled, claiming more than 50 percent of the original schedule.
The sides met in small groups throughout the day Wednesday. They held a full bargaining session with a federal mediator at night that lasted nearly five hours and ended about 1 a.m. Thursday.
The biggest detail to emerge was that Fehr remained as union executive director after players passed on their first chance to declare a disclaimer that would turn the union into a trade association. The disclaimer would allow individual players to file antitrust lawsuits against the NHL.
Fehr wouldn't address the issue Wednesday, calling it an "internal matter," but added that the players were keeping all options open.
"The word disclaimer has yet to be uttered to us by the players' association," Bettman said Wednesday. "It's not that it gets filed anywhere with a court or the NLRB. When you disclaim interest as a union, you notify the other side. We have not been notified and it's never been discussed, so there has been no disclaimer."
It was believed the union wouldn't take action Wednesday if it saw progress being made. Neither side would characterize the talks or say if there was any movement toward common ground.
"There's been some progress but we're still apart on a number of issues," Bettman said. "As long as the process continues I am hopeful."
In a related move, the NHLPA filed a motion in federal court in New York on Thursday seeking to dismiss the league's suit to have the lockout declared legal. The NHL sued the union in mid-December, figuring the players were about to submit their own complaint against the league and possibly break up their union to gain an upper hand.
But the union argued that the NHL is using this suit "to force the players to remain in a union. Not only is it virtually unheard of for an employer to insist on the unionization of its employees, it is also directly contradicted by the rights guaranteed to employees under ... the National Labor Relations Act."
The court scheduled a status conference for the sides on Monday morning.
That still gives them time to get back to the table to try to reach a deal. There won't be one, however, if they don't resolve the differences regarding the players' pension.
Bettman called the pension plan a "very complicated issue."
"The number of variables and the number of issues that have to be addressed by people who carry the title actuary or pension lawyer are pretty numerous and it's pretty easy to get off track," Bettman said. "That is something we understand is important to the players."
The union's proposal Wednesday makes four offers between the sides since the NHL restarted negotiations Thursday with a proposal. The league presented the players with a counteroffer Tuesday night in response to one the union made Monday.
Fehr believed an agreement on a players-funded pension had been reached before talks blew up in early December. That apparently wasn't the case, or the NHL has changed its offer regarding the pension in exchange for agreeing to other things the union wanted.
The salary-cap number for the second year of the deal — the 2013-14 season — hasn't been established, and it is another point of contention. The league is pushing for a $60 million cap, while the union wants it to be $65 million.
In return for the higher cap number players would be willing to forgo a cap on escrow.
"We talk about lots of things and we even had some philosophical discussions about why particular issues were important to each of us," Bettman said. "That is part of the process."
The NHL proposed in its first offer Thursday that pension contributions come out of the players' share of revenues, and $50 million of the league's make-whole payment of $300 million will be allocated and set aside to fund potential underfunding liabilities of the plan at the end of the collective bargaining agreement.
Last month, the NHL agreed to raise its make-whole offer of deferred payments from $211 million to $300 million as part of a proposed package that required the union to agree on three nonnegotiable points. Instead, the union accepted the raise in funds, but then made counterproposals on the issues the league stated had no wiggle room.
"As you might expect, the differences between us relate to the core economic issues which don't involve the share," Fehr said of hockey-related revenue, which likely will be split 50-50.
The NHL is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of a labor dispute, losing the 2004-05 campaign to a lockout. A 48-game season was played in 1995 after a lockout stretched into January.

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