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South Africa vs Pakistan – T20 series: When, where, teams, head-to-head

South Africa vs Pakistan – T20 series: When, where, teams, head-to-head

Who: South Africa vs PakistanWhat: T20 international cricket seriesWhen: December 10, 13, 14 at 16:00 GMTWhere: Durban, Centurion, Johannesburg South Africa and Pakistan will look to shake off a string of poor results in T20 internationals when the two sides meet in a three-match series starting Tuesday. The runners-up of the last two ICC Men’s T20 World Cups, South Africa in 2024 and Pakistan in 2022, have both seen their T20 fortunes drop in recent bilateral T20 series. South Africa were at the receiving end of a 3-1 thrashing against world champions India at home and while Pakistan managed to beat Zimbabwe 2-1, they were handed a 3-0 drubbing in Australia in November. The hosts will be led by stand-in skipper Heinrich Klaasen as Aiden Markram has been rested for the Test leg of Pakistan’s tour of South Africa. Meanwhile, Pakistan have taken the opposite route, choosing to rest leading pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi from the Tests as they look to manage his workload before the home ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Advertisement Pakistan’s new limited-overs captain Mohammed Rizwan returns to lead the side after sitting out the white-ball tour of Zimbabwe. What’s the full match schedule of the Australia vs Pakistan T20 series? First T20: Tuesday, December 10, 6pm (16:00 GMT) at Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead, Durban Second T20: Friday, December 13, 6pm (16:00 GMT) at SuperSport Park, Centurion Third T20: Saturday, December 14, 6pm (16:00 GMT) at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg How can I follow the South Africa vs Pakistan T20 series? Al Jazeera’s live text and photo coverage of each game will begin three hours before the match start time. South Africa vs Pakistan: T20 head-to-head record South Africa and Pakistan have been facing each other in T20Is from the earliest days of the format and their first game took place in February 2007, a few months before the African nation hosted the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. In total, the teams have played 22 T20 matches with nearly even results. Pakistan hold a slight edge with 12 wins, while the Proteas have won 10. Form guide: South Africa The World Cup runners-up have endured a forgettable run in T20Is format since the June 29 final in Barbados. In their three bilateral T20I series since the World Cup, the Proteas have lost 3-1 to India at home, drawn 1-1 with Ireland in the United Arab Emirates and lost 3-0 away to the West Indies. Last five results (latest first): L L W L L Form guide: Pakistan Similar to South Africa’s run in T20s since their appearance in the final, Pakistan, have been in a downward spiral since their runners-up finish at the T20 World Cup in 2022. Advertisement Since losing to England in the Melbourne final, Pakistan have lost three of their six bilateral series. Their only series victories have come against Zimbabwe (2-1) and Ireland (2-1). The 2009 champions have lost away to England (2-0), drawn at home against a depleted New Zealand side (2-2), lost away to New Zealand (4-1) and away to Afghanistan (2-1). Last five results (latest first): L W W L L South Africa team news The hosts will be led by the swashbuckling batter Klaasen in Markram’s absence with Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Tristan Stubbs also sitting out. Fast bowler Anrich Nortje and spinner Tabraiz Shamsi return to the T20 side for the first time since the T20 World Cup. Squad: Heinrich Klaasen (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Simelane, Rassie van der Dussen. Pakistan team news After resting a number of T20 regulars for the series against Zimbabwe, including captain Rizwan, Pakistan have brought back Rizwan and Babar for the South African tour. Shaheen Afridi will lead the pace attack along with Haris Rauf, but Naseem Shah will miss out. Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan. Adblock test (Why?)

Beirut under Israeli bombing

[unable to retrieve full-text content] As Israel continues to bomb Lebanon, as much as a quarter of the country’s residents are displaced.

Syrians who fled home rejoice at Assad’s ouster, although some are cautious

Syrians who fled home rejoice at Assad’s ouster, although some are cautious

Beirut, Lebanon – Youssef Salah and Mohammad Mahmoud exchanged joyful cheek kisses from their motorbikes in Cola Roundabout, a busy transport hub in Beirut. “Today is the best morning,” the smiling Mahmoud, 20, said. “We feel the biggest joy,” he gestured at Ali al-Abed, 20, who was seated behind him. “We’re from Deir Az Zor,” al-Abed said, adding: “Free Deir Az Zor, write it down like that!” A man from south Lebanon buying breakfast from a kaak (a type of Arabic bread) vendor shouted over: “Who will rule you now? The Americans, the Israelis?” “I don’t know, but it’s been 13 years,” Mahmoud shouted back. “Khalas [enough]!” The three young men were beaming the morning after the end of the al-Assad dynasty’s rule in Syria after 53 years. A lightning offensive by Syrian opposition groups that freed people in regime prisons and took big cities – Aleppo, Hama, Homs and finally Damascus – took just more than a week. Hafez al-Assad came to power in 1971, and his son Bashar succeeded him in 2000, after Hafez’s death. Advertisement Syrians rose against the regime in 2011 but faced a brutal crackdown that devolved into a war involving regional and international actors. As of the end of November, more than five million Syrians were refugees around the region and millions more were internally displaced. Syrians who had to flee their homeland to escape the violence spoke to Al Jazeera about the tumultuous feelings they woke up to on Sunday. Echoes of cruelty Most around the region welcomed the end of the al-Assad dynasty. “One heart isn’t enough to hold this great joy,” Yehya Jumaa, a Homsi in Jordan, told Al Jazeera. “We need 10 hearts to bear this joy.” Yet, the regime has fallen, but the echoes of its brutality live on through the damage it has done to many of its people. Mohammad, 33, a Homsi in Chtoura, Lebanon, said three of his relatives were released from prison on Sunday, but others were still missing. However, Mohammad said, the veil of fear of speaking the truth had lifted. Abdelmonieim Shamieh in Amman, Jordan [Habib Abu Mahfoudh/Al Jazeera] “In the past, if you approached me, I wouldn’t have talked. But now we aren’t scared,” he said, standing outside a shopping centre in Chtoura, about half an hour’s drive from Beirut. “All the fear is gone.” Behind him, Syrians rejoiced and chanted loudly: “God, Syria, freedom and that’s all!” Jumaa was also saddened, he said, by the state of the prisoners who were released from regime prisons. “So many had no idea what had been going on for years. Some thought it was [late Iraq strongman ] Saddam Hussein who had liberated them.” Advertisement Aleppan Abdelmonieim Shamieh, who is also in Jordan, said he, too, had experienced al-Assad’s prisons when he was taken as a high school student in 1982. “I was overcome with joy, with tears at the sight of the detainees … when I was in the prison cells, I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears the torture prisoners suffer, something no human can bear.” “Many of my friends [who were arrested with him] died under torture,” Shamieh said. Going home? In Cairo, Egypt, two young Syrians spoke of returning to their homeland, even though only one of them is old enough to remember the land he left. Amjad, 22, is a happy man as he went through his shift. Amjad is full of hope that he will be able to go home [Al Jazeera] His Egyptian co-workers had rejoiced with him, hugging and congratulating him for what happened in Syria. “Now I can go back and live in my country,” he said with tears in his eyes. He had fled Syria two years ago, to get away from a brutal conscription service that could last up to eight years as al-Assad tried to shore up his forces. Now, he does not have to stay away. “As soon as my UN card expires, in two months, I will travel.” A few blocks over, 16-year-old Suleyman Sukar is minding the shop at the small roastery his family co-owns. The teen got no sleep on Saturday night as the family waited for developments in the approach to Damascus, yet seemed alert enough on Sunday, teeming with thoughts. He was only four years old when his family had to flee Ghouta in 2012 as regime attacks intensified, he said. So he remembers very little of his beloved Syria. Advertisement Instead, his attachment to “home” came through the memories of his parents and brothers, and through talking to his extended family back home. Settling in Egypt was not easy for the Sukars as his parents had to work odd jobs for seven years before they saved enough to open the roastery. Suleyman got no sleep on Saturday night as his family waited for news of the fall of Damascus [Al Jazeera] But it does not matter, Suleyman said. As soon as things were stable in Syria, they would go home. Suhaib al-Ahmad, a 58-year-old grocer in the Turkish capital, Ankara, agrees and believes Syrians abroad should contribute to the reconstruction of their homeland. “We must return with hearts full of hope and work to restore Syria as it was and even better,” he said “I hope this joy is a good omen for Syria and its people … I also hope Syria’s future will be bright, just as we always dreamed.” Back at Tariq el-Jdideh, Beirut, Bishar Ahmad Nijris stood, jubilant, chatting at his fruit stand. “It’s a victory for the whole world,” Nijris, 41, said. “There’s no more oppression and we can all live as one people, without sectarianism … That’s what we want.” Suhaib al-Ahmad set up a grocer’s in Ankara when he fled the fighting in Syria [Zaid Isleem/Al Jazeera] Nijris is also a veteran of al-Assad’s prisons after being arrested and held without charges for two months in Mezzeh prison in 2013. He hails from

Democrat Ritchie Torres’ torrent of attacks against own party fuels primary showdown buzz in New York

Democrat Ritchie Torres’ torrent of attacks against own party fuels primary showdown buzz in New York

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., is considering a run for New York governor – and he’s raising his national profile with a tidal wave of criticism against leaders in his own party. Torres has been vocally opposed to the blue stronghold’s progressive criminal justice policies and has criticized how Gov. Kathy Hochul has managed the Empire State, raising eyebrows about a potentially bruising primary in 2026. “Hochul has a history of coded stereotyping, falsely claiming that young black Bronxites have never heard of the word ‘computer.’ She knows as much about me and communities of color as she knows about governing effectively. Absolutely nothing,” he wrote on X last week. He was also one of the first Democrats to come out and blame the progressive left for Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Trump, saying at the time, “Donald Trump has no greater friend than the far left, which has managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews from the Democratic Party.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT When reached for comment, Torres’ spokesperson told Fox News Digital that he is weighing a gubernatorial bid “and plans to make a final decision by mid-2025.” The congressman himself gave insight into his thinking when he recently went after New York City Mayor Eric Adams for employing a staffer who had been accused of ripping down posters of Israelis held hostage by Hamas. “If I were at the helm of NYS or NYC government, antisemites need not apply. Tearing down posters of the hostages is completely unacceptable and would not be tolerated,” Torres wrote on social media. In late November, he accused both Adams and Hochul of being “complicit” in a stabbing spree that left three New Yorkers dead.  That same month, he lambasted New York’s policies as bad for business. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER “There are regulations in place that make it impossible to do business… and have made it impossible to build,” Torres said during a Citizens Budget Commission meeting, according to the New York Post. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., who chaired the New York State Republican Party for over a decade, said it was not shocking to see Torres attacking Hochul while mulling his own gubernatorial bid. “Richie Torres is vocalizing many of the same criticisms Republicans have raised about the dysfunction in Albany. So it’s not surprising that she’s facing a challenge from her own party,” Langworthy said. However, he dismissed Torres’ critiques of progressivism as “posturing in the face of Hochul’s failures and the undeniable success” of Trump’s platform. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY Torres had been a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) until earlier this year, when he left over disagreements about Israel.  When asked about Torres’ criticism, Hochul said at a recent press conference that she was “a little busy” doing her job. “Those who have government jobs who aren’t focused on their jobs, and are focused on an election almost two years off, I would think their constituents would have a problem with that,” she said.

Trump’s tariff threats go beyond ‘trade agreement’ to advance American interests: expert

Trump’s tariff threats go beyond ‘trade agreement’ to advance American interests: expert

President-elect Trump announced plans to impose a 25% across-the-board tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, effective his first day in office. But the move is largely “a diplomatic” one that draws on Trump’s “war chest” to leverage U.S. interests, according to one expert. Tariffs are taxes that governments place on goods being imported or exported. They can raise the cost of imported products, making local products more attractive to buy. “President Trump has used tariffs effectively before, and I think we can expect him to continue using them in a targeted manner, even in areas that are not directly related to trade,” Andrew Hale, Heritage Foundation’s senior policy analyst, told Fox News Digital.  TRUMP’S PROPOSED TARIFFS ON MEXICO, CANADA, CHINA WILL INCREASE INFLATION, GOLDMAN SACHS WARNS Hale noted that Trump’s previous use of tariffs was aimed not just at trade imbalances but also at issues like border security and drug trafficking. According to Hale, Trump has consistently applied these tariffs in areas that extend beyond trade imbalances, using them as tools of diplomacy to further “America First” policies. “Trump continues to assert American strength on the world stage, something the Biden administration has been reluctant to do, and both allies and adversaries have taken notice of this, what I would call a resurgence of U.S. leadership with Trump’s return,” he said. Hale suggested that if Trump’s tariff proposals were implemented, Mexico and Canada might challenge them under the USMCA, but he doubts it would reach that stage, as such measures have previously proven effective in achieving U.S. goals. Hale also speculates that Trump could use tariffs as leverage in other contexts, such as targeting countries that act against U.S. allies like Israel. “I don’t see it going that far, because it’s effectively worked,” he said. TRUMP SUGGESTS CANADA BECOME 51ST STATE AFTER TRUDEAU SAID TARIFF WOULD KILL ECONOMY: SOURCES  During his first term, Trump renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), replacing it with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which went into effect July 2020. The USMCA aimed to modernize and address issues in the original NAFTA, particularly concerning labor rights, environmental standards and digital trade. “I’m going to inform her [Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum] on day one, or sooner, that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send in to the United States of America,” Trump said during his last North Carolina campaign stop before the election. Hale added that Trump’s success in using tariffs during the USMCA renegotiation with Canada and Mexico demonstrates their power as a diplomatic tool, as Trump has criticized the nations over trade imbalances and issues like drug trafficking as justifications for the tariffs. TRUMP TARIFFS WILL BRING MEXICO TO THE TABLE, TEXAS DEMOCRAT SAYS “The Biden administration has not been implementing USMCA as they should, as Mexico has been violating it,” Hale said. While the tariffs aim to boost U.S. manufacturing, experts and some politicians warn they could disrupt supply chains, increase costs for businesses reliant on foreign goods, and potentially lead to retaliatory tariffs from trading partners, impacting American exporters.  On Thursday, liberal Gov. Gavin Newsom of California took aim at Trump’s proposal, calling it “one of the biggest tax increases in U.S. history.” “You are being betrayed by these policies,” Newsom said. According to the Tax Foundation, the Trump administration imposed some “$80 billion worth of new taxes on Americans” in 2018 and 2019 when he slapped tariffs on $380 billion worth of products. The Biden administration largely kept these tariffs in place and then enforced additional tax increases on $18 billion worth of Chinese goods. Former Vice President Mike Pence came out in support of Trump’s tariffs, but urged a delicate approach to balance the country’s relationship with Beijing. “I fervently hope his proposed tariffs will bring China back to the negotiating table as it did during our administration. I know this will be difficult and create challenges in the short-term, but it will be well worth it in the long-term,” Pence said this week. “We want better for America and China – and I believe a firm, but fair approach is the best way to get there.”  Trump also recently suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that if a tariff for failing to address trade and immigration issues would kill the neighbor to the north’s economy, maybe it should become the 51st state, sources told Fox News. Sources say Trump became more animated when it came to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which he estimated to be more than $100 billion. Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall, Greg Wehner and Bret Baier contributed to this report.