Australia

Giordano, Bennett lead Flames to 6-1 win over Canucks

By Associated Press

Published: 23:42 EST, 17 December 2017 | Updated: 01:27 EST, 18 December 2017
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Published: 23:42 EST, 17 December 2017 | Updated: 01:27 EST, 18 December 2017

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – The Calgary Flames were happy with their overall game despite winning just twice in their last seven games. That faith in the system paid off with a big victory over a depleted opponent on Sunday.

Mark Giordano scored twice, Sam Bennett had a goal and three assists, and the Flames snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over the injury-riddled Vancouver Canucks.

"We've been playing well lately," Giordano said. "Tonight we got the breaks."

Calgary Flames defenceman Mark Giordano (5) celebrates his goal with teammates Johnny Gaudreau (13) and Dougie Hamilton (27) during second period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mark Jankowski had a goal and two assists, and Matthew Tkachuk and Micheal Ferland also scored for Calgary.

You like to see that, when lots of guys are getting on the board," Bennett said. "It's good for everyone's confidence."

Dougie Hamilton had two assists and backup goalie David Rittich made 16 saves to pick up his third win in four appearances as Calgary improved to 3-4-1 since a 7-5 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 2.

"I give these guys credit," Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said after his team bounced back from a 2-0 loss at home to Nashville the previous day. "They've stuck with it."

Markus Granlund scored for Vancouver, which lost rookie star Brock Boeser to a foot injury early in the second period.

Jacob Markstrom allowed five goals on 19 shots in a forgettable outing before getting replaced by Anders Nilsson to start the third period. Nilsson made 18 saves in relief as the Canucks lost in regulation for the fifth time in six games while getting outscored 29-9.

"There were probably a couple tonight Marky would like to have back," Vancouver coach Travis Green said. "We also gave up some chances we shouldn't have."

The Flames opened the scoring at 5:45 of the first period when Bennett shook Jake Virtanen's check in the corner before feeding a pass in front to Jankowski, who beat Markstrom low to the far post for his sixth of the season.

Thomas Vanek had an opportunity with seven minutes left in the opening period for Vancouver, but he couldn't control a bouncing puck at the side of the net on a play that resulted in Rittich – making just his fifth NHL appearance – getting penalized for throwing his stick.

It was one of the few sequences where Rittich had to sweat in what was a relatively easy night for Czech goalie.

"Like skating practice for me, not a lot of shots because guys played really well and blocked a lot of shots," he said. "They played like they don't need a goalie so I just say, 'Thanks guys.'"

Coming off a spirited 4-3 overtime victory over San Jose on Friday night, the injury-riddle Canucks were never in this one.

Things went from bad to worse early in the second when Boeser, who leads the Canucks in both goals (17) and points (30), took a shot by Giordano off his skate and did not return. The NHL's rookie scoring leader crawled in agony to the bench, and didn't put any weight on his left leg as he exited to the locker-room at a hushed Rogers Arena.

Boeser was seen on crutches after the game, but the team didn't provide an update.

Vancouver is already without two of its top forwards in Bo Horvat (fractured foot) and Sven Baertschi (broken jaw), defensemen Christopher Tanev (groin strain) and Erik Gudbranson (upper body), and center Brandon Sutter (upper body).

"It's not a lot of fun right now," Canucks forward Daniel Sedin said. "We have a lot of young guys that are going to get more ice time."

Giordano scored his first of the night, and fifth of the year, at 3:56 of the second with the teams playing 4-on-4 when he skated around Ben Hutton and beat Markstrom.

The Flames, who improved to 9-4-3 on the road, then put the game out of reach during a four-minute span.

Tkachuk made it 3-0 with his seventh with 4:13 remaining in the second, Giordano got his second of the night exactly three minutes later, and Bennett got his fifth another minute later to make it 5-0.

Granlund broke Rittich's bid for his first career shutout at 6:48 of the third when he got his own rebound off the crossbar and scored his seventh, and third in two games, on a power play.

Ferland made it 6-1 on a Flames power play at 11:09 to snap an 0-for-23 drought.

"This is a stick-with-it league," said Gulutzan. "We had some guys step up. … We had lots of guys going, and we need to continue with that."

NOTES: Calgary won the season series 3-1-0. … Tkachuk had three goals and two assists in the Flames' four games against Vancouver in 2017-18, and nine points (three goals, six assists) in an eight-game point streak against the Canucks.

UP NEXT

Flames: Host St. Louis on Wednesday night.

Canucks: Host Montreal on Tuesday night to close a four-game homestand.

Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) skates past as Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano (5) celebrates his goal with his teammates during second period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Calgary Flames defenceman Mark Giordano (5) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Canucks during second period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks center Nic Dowd (17) pushes Calgary Flames defenseman Michael Stone (26) during second period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano (5) celebrates his goal past Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) during second period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher (51) skates past as Calgary Flames centre Mark Jankowski (77) celebrates his goal with his teammates during first period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks right wing Jake Virtanen (18) crashes on top of Calgary Flames goalie David Rittich (33) during second period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Derrick Pouliot (5), defenseman Alex Biega (55) and defenseman Troy Stecher (51) help right wing Brock Boeser (6) off the ice after taking a hit during second period NHL hockey action against the Calgary Flames in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher (51) looks on as Calgary Flames right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) tries to get a shot past Vancouver Canucks goalie Anders Nilsson (31) during third period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Ben Hutton (27) defenseman Alexander Edler (23) centre Brendan Gaunce (50) and centre Markus Granlund (60) fight to keep a shot from Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan (23) from going into the net as Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom covers the puck during third period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher (51) puts Calgary Flames centre Sam Bennett (93) into the boards during third period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) looks on as Calgary Flames defenseman Dougie Hamilton (27) pushes Canucks defenseman Alex Biega (55) during first period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alex Biega (55) looks on as Calgary Flames left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) tries to get a shop past Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) during first period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Australia

New Species Discovered Online By Botanists

In Australia, researchers discover several unknown carnivorous plants – not in the open air, but on the Internet. Research in front of the screen is now part of everyday life for botanists. Many creatures would otherwise remain undiscovered before they became extinct, they explain.

Social media has become a treasure trove for species researchers: a German-Australian team of scientists did not discover four out of six new carnivorous plants during field research in Western Australia, but identified them on Facebook, Instagram & Co. They were posted there by nature photographers, according to a statement on the study.

Such data, often published accidentally, sometimes intentionally, by hobby photographers and citizen scientists have become a valuable source for biodiversity researchers. And thus of great importance for the protection of many animal and plant species, emphasized Andreas Fleischmann from the Munich State Botanical Collection and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. “In particular, it would not have been possible for us to determine the distribution areas of very rare species without this additional wealth of data.”

“Race Against Time”

He and his team had described six previously unknown carnivorous sundew species found in Western Australia and published the results of the investigations in the journal Biology. So far, only three species from the so-called Drosera microphylla species complex were known. Although many species are becoming extinct worldwide in the 21st century, new animal and plant species are still being discovered. “A race against time,” emphasized the scientists. Without the intensive work of species researchers, “many creatures would become extinct without ever having been known before”.

In the meantime, there is far more observation data from lay scientists in social media and even in scientific biodiversity databases than data from research collections, especially for the visually conspicuous carnivorous plants, according to a statement from the state collection on the study. For example, a sundew species from South Africa was known from three historical herbarium specimens and seven photos on a Citizen Science website in 2018.

Today there are already 307 observations from 131 amateur researchers interested in nature on the internet platform. “Meanwhile, the number of known herbarium specimens of sundew from South Africa in the scientific collections has remained the same.”

This article is originally published on n-tv.de/wissen

Australia

Australian Open Ban On Russian, Belarusian Flags Sparks Debate

The Australian Open tennis organization today banned the display of Russian and Belarusian flags at the tournament venue, after a man hung the Russian flag in the stands during Sunday’s opening match between Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia and Ukraine. Kateryna Kozlova.

“The flags of Russia and Belarus are prohibited within the Australian Open,” the Australian Tennis Federation said in a statement.

“Our initial policy was that fans could bring them, but they couldn’t use them to disturb. Yesterday we had an incident where a Russian flag was placed next to the track,” the entity said.

“The ban is effective immediately. We will continue to work with the players and fans to ensure the best possible environment to enjoy tennis,” the text added, quoted by the AFP news agency.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, dozens of Russian athletes, teams and federations have been removed from major competitions or forced to participate without a flag.

This new sanction comes in response to a complaint from the Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasil Miroshnichenko, who last night called on Tennis Australia to take action against the display of these flags.

“We strongly condemn the public display of the Russian flag during Ukrainian tennis player Kateryna Kozlova’s match at the Australian Open,” he tweeted.

“I call on Tennis Australia to immediately implement its ‘neutral flag’ policy,” he added.

Ukrainian Won The Match

The Ukrainian won the match 7-5, 6-7 (8/10), 6-1 and will face American Caty McNally in the second round.

Ambassador Miroshnichenko had requested last week that the tournament completely ban players from Russia and Belarus from participating.

Wimbledon opted for this measure last year and banned players from these two countries in the tournament, which as a result did not count for the rankings by decision of the ATP and WTA.

The Russian embassy in Australia criticized “another example of the unacceptable politicization of the sport” and regretted that, in addition to carrying a neutral flag, its players “cannot be visibly supported by the fans.”

For her part, the Belarusian and world number five Aryna Sabalenka said that she was not opposed to the ban on flags “if everyone felt better like this”, but pointed out that sport “has nothing to do with politics”. .

“It’s not fair. People are dying there,” said Ukrainian tennis player Oleksii Krutykh, who assured that his country’s players were “shocked” by the appearance of Russian flags in the stands.

A Russian banner also appeared on Melbourne’s center court, Rod Laver Arena, during Russian Daniil Medvedev’s match against American Marcos Giron.

“It’s not fair what they’re doing,” said the 22-year-old Krutykh after his first-round loss to Argentine Diego Schwartzman.

“I think the guys who did it (display flags during the Koslova match) were Russians who live here, so they don’t care about what happens in my country,” said the young man, who was out of town when the war broke out. country and settled in Berlin.

“It may be ugly to say it, but if I want to go back to Ukraine, I can go back, but then I can’t leave because I’m 22 years old,” Krutykh explained, referring to the fact that he is of fighting age.

On the other hand, yesterday it became known that Russia and Belarus are off the list of countries that will broadcast the Olympic Games during the period between 2026 and 2032.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it awarded all audiovisual rights in Europe until 2032 to the European Broadcasting Union and Warner Bros Discovery, which will broadcast in 49 countries and exclude Russia and Belarus, the Sputnik news agency reported.

This article is originally published on ambito.com

Australia

Saudi women in Sydney: Sisters’ bodies lay undiscovered for a month

Australian police are baffled after the bodies of two Saudi women, believed to have lain undiscovered for a month, were found in a Sydney apartment.

Sisters Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead on 7 June in separate beds at home in the suburb of Canterbury.

Police, who were called to the property for a welfare check, said the women are believed to have died in early May.

But despite “extensive inquiries”, they still do not know how or why.

The sisters moved to Australia from Saudi Arabia in 2017 and may have sought asylum, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Police refused to confirm this, saying they do not comment on residential status.

A human rights organisation said it should be established whether the women fled Saudi Arabia because of domestic violence or harsh laws governing women. However, there is no evidence this is the case.

Police said they had been in contact with the women’s family, which is assisting them with inquiries.

Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and communications at Saudi human rights organisation ALQST, said it “would not be the first case” of Saudi women who were killed abroad after fleeing domestic violence.

“There are no protections for women who are victims of domestic violence in Saudi Arabia, so they flee abroad,” she told the BBC.

She added: “I’m not saying that is the case here, just that we need a thorough investigation. It is frustrating not to have any information.”

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, there had been signs that something was wrong.

Last year, the women told their building manager they thought someone was tampering with their food deliveries, the paper reported.

A plumber who visited the apartment also said he believed there was “something mysterious” going on, and that police had been called in the past over concerns for the women.

New South Wales Police issued a renewed plea to the public on Wednesday, saying “any piece of information” could be the key to solving this case.

The local community is close-knit, police said in a statement, asking anyone who may have known or seen the women to come forward.

A report from Australian current affairs programme Four Corners in 2019 found 80 Saudi women had tried to seek asylum in Australia in recent years. Many of them were fleeing male guardianship laws.

Read from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-62331116