Top Cricket Malawi official dies after 'heartless violence'
Malawian cricket is in mourning after the death of top official Arjun Menon on Saturday night.A statement from the Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) said that the 48-year-old had been "brutally murdered" at his residence in Blantyre.Local police in the Southern African nation are yet to issue a statement following Menon's death.Menon, a wicketkeeper who represented Singapore five times at senior level, was the operations manager of Cricket Malawi.MNCS chief executive Dr Henry Kamata said Menon's contributions to the sport were "immense and far-reaching" and that he had played a "pivotal role" in the growth and success of the national side."We strongly condemn this heartless act of violence and urge law enforcement authorities to pursue all leads to ensure that those responsible are swiftly brought to justice," Dr Kamata added in a statement posted on social media."We extend our heartfelt condolences to Arjun's family, friends, the cricket community, and all those affected by this tragic loss."Menon had previously coached Singapore and also had stints in Chile, Botswana and Indonesia."Arjun was more than a coach; he was a mentor, leader, and an embodiment of Singaporean values of excellence, humility, and service," a statement from the Singapore Cricket Association said."His legacy lives on in the players he shaped and the communities he uplifted across continents."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Personal chefs, anger and fantasy football – Mbeumo on his best season
Following his best ever season, Bryan Mbeumo's name was always going to be a fixture of the post-season gossip Premier League goals for Brentford, a player of the season nomination and a manager who says the club is "open to offers" means it is no surprise that Manchester United have already registered their the Cameroon forward is focused on his own ambition to "be the best player possible", revealing that he has driven his notable improvement by employing off-field helpers such as personal trainers, physios and a chef to cook his meals at home."Every little thing you can add to what we do in the training ground can help," Mbeumo, 25, told BBC Sport Africa ahead of the Bees' final game of the campaign."I tried to arrange everything around my life to be the best as possible on the pitch."Only Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland outscored Mbeumo in the league this season, while his seven assists were also key in helping Brentford to a top-half Nathan Collins was the only outfield player to spend more minutes on the pitch in the Premier League."Consistency is really important," Mbeumo explained."If you want to have big ambitions you need to perform the whole season."I think I am still improving every day I put a foot on the pitch. I never put limits on myself." 'I get angry really easy' Many people expected Brentford to struggle after seeing star striker Ivan Toney depart for Saudi Arabia on transfer deadline day in August - a problem compounded by a string of injuries to Toney's most likely replacement, club record signing Igor Mbeumo's hot streak has helped fill the void, aided and abetted by Yoane Wissa, who found the net 19 times in the league.A formidable strike partnership on the pitch, the connection between these good friends continues off it, with Wissa the more relaxed part of the duo."He helped me a lot with the mental part," revealed Mbeumo, who eventually describes himself as an "electrical player" after pausing to find the right word to relate his temperament."I get angry really easy," he continued. "He [Wissa] helped me to just stay cool."Mbeumo, a former France youth international, has now been in west London for six seasons, having joined from Troyes in August 28, who was also born and began his career in France, signed two years later, something that meant Mbeumo was initially happy to act as a mentor when his friend arrived from Lorient."I learned a lot from [former Brentford players] Julien Jeanvier and Said Benrahma who helped me before, so I wanted to do the same with him because I think it is hard when you leave your first place and go to another country."I used to live really close to him, just one minute away. Sometimes I was joining him at his, having dinners."While Mbeumo made his decision to play for Cameroon in August 2022, Wissa made his debut for DR Congo back in agrees their shared Franco-African heritage is part of what makes them so close."When I decided to play for Cameroon he was the happiest and he just sent me a message (saying) 'I'm so, so happy for you. You made a good choice'."Barring injury, both players will miss this year's festive Premier League fixtures to take part in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which begins on 21 the success of their partnership is not just down to their friendship. Mbeumo says they also put in extra work as a pairing after training to "create links"."Then, on the pitch, sometimes you don't even have to look," he added. Fantasy football In addition to catching the eye of Manchester United, Mbeumo's form has obviously kept Brentford fans it has also enamoured him to millions of other supporters around the world - those who play the Premier League's official fantasy football game (FPL).The forward finished the season as the game's second-highest points scorer, behind only Salah, with Wissa not far back in eighth."I'm happy to make these people happy," Mbeumo said, laughing at the "crazy" idea that nearly half of 11 million managers had him in their squad come the end of the campaign."We (Mbeumo and Wissa) always laugh about it because when we're not playing good, or when we don't assist or score, sometimes I go on social media and they (FPL managers) are just so, so angry."This is making me laugh a bit, because when you do well they're the first to say, 'Oh, (you're) the best player'."While Mbeumo has not yet been tempted to play the game himself, he admits he also finds it funny when people stop him in the street to chat all things he gets tapped up for inside information by non-playing staff at Brentford."Sometimes they ask me, 'should I put you in my team?' I say, 'yeah, I will score, don't worry'."Staff at another club may be the ones to benefit from Mbeumo's FPL tips next season, but it is the Cameroonian's outstanding performances for Brentford that have elevated him to a position as one of the Premier League's premium players.
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- The Guardian
Dehorning rhinos reduces poaching by 80%, study finds
Cutting the horns off rhinos causes a large reduction in poaching, according to a new study, which raises questions about the effectiveness of expensive anti-poaching techniques used to protect the African mammals. Poaching for horn is a significant threat to the world's five rhino species. The substance, which is similar to human fingernails, is commonly used for traditional medicine in China, Vietnam and other Asian countries. Dealers in the hidden market will pay tens of thousands of dollars for the horns, which are falsely believed to be effective at treating fevers, pain and a low sex drive in traditional medicine. But new research in the journal Science has highlighted ways to better protect the animals from illegal hunters. An assessment of rhino protection methods in the Greater Kruger region of South Africa – home to a quarter of the continent's rhinos – found that removing horns reduced poaching by nearly 80% between 2017 and 2023. In a collaboration between scientists, conservationists and government officials, the research found no statistical evidence that traditional anti-poaching interventions – such as rangers, detection cameras, dog tracking and helicopters – caused significant reductions in rhino poaching, despite their multimillion-dollar cost, even though they were successful at detecting hundreds of poachers. 'Dehorning rhinos to reduce incentives for poaching was found to achieve a 78% reduction in poaching using just 1.2% of the overall rhino protection budget,' said Dr Tim Kuiper of Nelson Mandela University, a lead author of the study. 'We might need to rethink our goals. Do we just want to arrest poachers? It doesn't appear to be making a massive difference to reducing rhino poaching.' To dehorn a rhino, workers sedate the animal, apply a blindfold and earplugs, and cut off the horn with a power saw. The horn will gradually regrow – an average rhino needs to be dehorned every 1.5 to two years. The process poses a very low risk to the animal and does not hurt it. 'The headline result is that dehorning stood out for its effectiveness. We are cautious to say that the other interventions are not working. They worked when measured by whether they were detecting poachers. But detecting and arresting a load of poachers doesn't necessarily bend the curve on rhino poaching,' Kuiper said. In South Africa, rhino poaching remains high, with 103 killed in the first three months of 2025. Last year, 420 were lost. In recent decades, rhino populations have collapsed in Asia and Africa due to poaching and habitat loss, continuing falls driven by European colonial hunters. But the researchers behind the project, representing the University of Cape Town, Nelson Mandela University, University of Stellenbosch and the University of Oxford and other conservation institutions, cautioned that dehorning rhinos was not a magic bullet. A significant stump of horn mass remains on the rhino after dehorning, and some poachers were still prepared to kill rhinos for this section. Sharon Haussmann, a pioneer in rhino conservation in South Africa and co-author on the paper, played a leading role in coordinating conservation efforts in the study area. She died unexpectedly at the weekend and Kuiper wanted to highlight the collaboration between different sectors that are often mistrustful of each other in her memory. 'Is a rhino still a rhino without its horn? That's a bigger question,' said Kuiper. One study of black rhinos indicated that while poaching rates decreased, dehorned animals became more timid and covered much smaller ranges. Researchers believe that horn is used to establish territories and dehorned rhinos were unable to do this after the procedure. 'We wouldn't like to keep dehorning them for the next 100 years,' Kuiper said. 'Ideally we would like to address the drivers of poaching. But it is better than the impacts of poaching' Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian app for more nature coverage
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Former Zambia president Edgar Lungu dies aged 68
Former Zambia president Edgar Lungu, who served as the leader of the southern African nation from 2015 until 2021, has died at the age of 68. Mr Lungu's daughter, Tasila Lungu-Mwansa, announced his death in a video posted on the official Facebook page of his political party, the Patriotic Front. Advertisement She said he died in a hospital in South Africa after having been under 'medical supervision' in recent weeks. Ms Lungu-Mwansa did not give a cause of death. Mr Lungu became president in 2015 to complete the term of Michael Sata after he died in office. Mr Lungu was elected to a full presidential term in 2016, beating current president Hakainde Hichilema. Mr Lungu later lost to Mr Hichilema in the 2021 election. Mr Lungu had sought to challenge Mr Hichilema in next year's presidential election, but a court last year barred him from standing. The court ruled his time as president from 2015 to 2016 counted as a full term and said he had, therefore, served the maximum length of two terms. Mr Lungu alleged there was political interference in the court ruling. His wife and other family members have faced corruption allegations. Advertisement Mr Lungu claimed last year that his movements were being monitored by police and he had effectively been placed under house arrest to restrict his return to politics. Police said it was standard to monitor former presidents for their safety.
