Sommaire pour 2023-10-11 de Mercury

TOM BORMAN will step down as a director of Orion Minerals. During the past few months, Orion Minerals had undertaken a review of the board’s increasing responsibilities as it transitioned to a development stage at its copper and copper zinc mines in the Northern Cape of South Africa, its chairperson Denis Waddell said yesterday. He said: “The time demands and requirements of the board and its committees is anticipated to intensify significantly in line with the company’s rapidly growing and transitioning business. The board composition review has also taken into consideration Tom Borman’s wish to free more time to focus on his other commitments and business interests. As Tom was due for re-election at the upcoming annual general meeting, Tom has decided not to stand for re-election and will step…

Some KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education staff members who have resigned, retired or been dismissed continue drawing salaries long after leaving the department without being detected by the system. The system failures have seen the staff-debt budget item rising to R400 million in the department's 2022/23 budget. Staff debt, along with irregular and wasteful expenditure, took centre stage when the department appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) in the KZN legislature yesterday. Yesterday’s appearance by the department for the 2022/23 financial year once again exposed the inefficiencies when it comes to financial management, with the Auditor-General’s (AG’s) office noting that the department’s audit outcomes remained stagnant due to a lack of adequate oversight over performance reporting and monitoring of compliance with key legislation. “The department faces financial sustainability…

The ANC is in a state of panic as the upcoming elections threaten their hold on power in South Africa. The ANC has resorted to tactics to consolidate their support, including a strategy to lure grant recipients into forming a critical voting bloc. Over 13 million South Africans depend on state grants to survive, with 7.5 million recipients of the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) social grant. However, the Treasury’s recent announcement that it is running out of funds has left the ANC with few options but to seek alternative methods to fund the grant. Unfortunately, the ANC has proposed a VAT increase that would further burden struggling South African citizens. I strongly disagree with an increase in VAT or any other taxes, as South Africans are already stretched…

The Palestinian-Israeli uprising can easily be dismissed as being “a storm in a tea-cup”, right? Wrong. Even the lowest grade of simple experiments performed by neuro- psychologists like Ivan Pavlov will prove that the most dangerous explosion will occur when too many organisms are forced to survive in a miniature enclosure, kept alive with carefully and callously controlled minimum life support services and made to share an extremely minimum volume of space with a very high number of other similar oppressed organisms. Gaza is a tiny strip of a kettle, a virtual island, a prison, a closed vessel with no exits except gates controlled by mainland masters. The water, fuel and electricity supply to this miniature boiler is totally under the charge of Israel. Food supply is in the…

Just under half of South African companies selling their business premises are doing so to move to areas with better municipal services and reliable utilities. This figure is even higher than the number of commercial property owners selling up due to financial pressure. Focusing on key drivers of movement and sales activity in owner-occupied properties, results of the Q3:2023 FNB Property Broker Survey show that, for the third consecutive quarter, selling to relocate in search of better utilities and municipal services – for instance electricity and water – is the key motive for selling at 44%. While electricity supply issues and heightened load shedding since late-2022 may play a key role here, FNB senior commercial property economist John Loos said South Africa’s mounting water issues and other services and infrastructure…

THE dismal audit performance of the South African Post Office (Sapo) has continued, with Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke unable to express an audit opinion on its financial statements for the 2022/23 financial year. Sapo received a disclaimer audit opinion for the fourth year in a row. “I was unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for an audit opinion on these consolidated and separate financial statements,” she said. Maluleke was commenting in her 10-page audit report tabled in Parliament in September, as part of Sapo’s annual report. In her report, Maluleke said the group and company incurred losses of R2.1 billion and R2.1bn, respectively, for the year ended March 2023. “Furthermore, at that date, total liabilities exceeded total assets by R7.4bn and R7.5bn, while current liabilities exceeded…

MILLIONS of rand have been set aside by the eThekwini Municipality to restore the functionality of the Buffels- draai landfill site in Verulam. The City said in a report to council yesterday that a budget should be allocated to cater for emergency work packages required to get the site back into operation. The landfill was in the news recently after violent clashes between security and waste pickers that left one person dead and several injured. The report on the matter required that approval be granted for the provision of all emergency work packages required to bring the Buffelsdraai landfill site back into operation, to provide for safety measures during the operations, coupled with the approval of the capital budget in the amount of R80.4 million and the operating budget in…

Police are appealing for anyone who may have information after a 25-year-old man was found dead in the back seat of a BMW in Buffelsdraai, Verulam, yesterday morning. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Verulam police were investigating a case of murder. “The victim was clad in blue denim jeans and grey hoodie. Police are appealing to anyone with knowledge about the possible suspects to contact Crime Stop on 086 001 0111.” According to Prem Balram from security company Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), a member of the public contacted their control room just after 8.30am. “Rusa paramedics examined the body of a male that was lying across the back seat. He was found to have sustained two gunshot wounds to his head and one to his back and…

South Africa is known for its amazing tourism offerings that beguile many visitors to our shores, and leave them wanting more. Our country is regarded as one of the most diverse and enchanting places in the world. Visitors can go almost anywhere in the country and experience the ultimate combination of nature, wildlife, culture, adventure and heritage. While the Covid-19 pandemic had dampened the number of international tourist arrivals, the reawakening of global travel has seen a strong increase of tourists to our country. Our arrival numbers for the year are on an upward trend, with more than four million tourists visiting the country in the first half of 2023. This is a significant increase from the 2.3 million tourist arrivals between January and June 2022. There has also been…

Israel said it had recaptured Gaza border areas from Hamas militants as the death toll from the violent conflict passed 3 000 yesterday, the fourth day of fierce fighting since the Islamists launched a surprise attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel’s military campaign following Saturday’s attack by Palestinian militants was only the start of a sustained “war” to destroy Hamas and “change the Middle East”. Fears of a regional conflagration have surged amid expectations of a looming Israeli ground incursion into Gaza, the crowded enclave from where Hamas launched its land, air and sea attack – the worst attack in the country’s 75-year history – on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. The death toll in Israel has surged above 900 while Gaza officials have reported 765 people killed…

Republicans who control the US House of Representatives tried to move closer to picking a successor to former speaker Kevin McCarthy yesterday, under mounting pressure from a war in the Middle East and another looming government shutdown. The House Republican majority was due to hear from at least two candidates for the top congressional post – Majority leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee chairperson Jim Jordan – at a closed-door forum, a day before party members were expected to vote on a nominee by secret ballot. Republicans hold a narrow 221-212 majority, which made it possible for just a handful of their members to oust McCarthy last week, and could make leading the caucus challenging for any new speaker. Ahead of voting on a speaker, Republicans may first have to…

DUBLIN: U2 changed the lyrics to their song Pride (In the Name of Love) to honour the victims of the Israel music festival massacre. Hamas militants killed more than 260 people at the Supernova Festival that was held in the desert near the Gaza-Israel border, to coincide with the recent Jewish holiday of Sukkot on Saturday. During U2’s show at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Sunday, frontman Bono, 62, dedicated the 2003 hit to “our brothers and sisters, who they themselves were singing at the Supernova Sukott festival in Israel”. He added: “We sing for those… our kind of people, music people.” For the rendition of the 1984 track, the Irish rock band revised the original lyrics that refer to the death of US civil rights leader Martin Luther…

LONDON: Security guards at Britain’s House of Commons who work across the Palace of Westminster have voted for strike action, their union said yesterday. “For our members on shift work, their rosters are just as important as pay,” Public and Commercial Services (PCS) general secretary Mark Serwotka said. “They are angry their department is permanently understaffed, the rosters were imposed, and that their work/life balance appears to be of little or no consequence to their managers.” The union said more than 250 of its members voted for strike action, marking 94.63% on a 79.23% turnout. It said strike dates would be announced later this month. | Reuters…

There remains a slight possibility that the Springboks might not be able to play Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against France under the national flag of South Africa but the great news is that the team will wear their traditional green strip. This was confirmed last night in Paris by director of rugby Rassie Erasmus. “Obviously, the ideal for us is to continue as normal,” he said of the threat to ban the national anthem and the flying of the SA flag. “We want to concentrate on playing for South Africa and we are pleased to confirm we will be wearing our usual green and gold jersey. But even if the decision went the other way, the boys are totally focused on the match. “Whatever happens, we know we were going…

Statistics South Africa has unveiled the Census 2022 data, indicating that the country’s population surpassed 62 million, inclusive of about 2.6 million foreigners. This is a significant rise of nearly 10.4 million since the 2011 Census. Stats South Africa’s 2022 Census results shows there are at least 62 027 503 people in South Africa. Among them there were 31.9 million women and 30 million men. The population has seen a steady increase from 40.5 million in 1996, 44.8 million in 2001, and 51.7 million in 2011. The data further revealed that women constitute 51.5% of the population. Every province, except for Gauteng, had more women than men. Gauteng, with a population of 15 million, remains the most populous province. Here, 7.6 million men slightly outnumber the 7.4 million…

The DA notes that the KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Education intends piloting the inclusion of chicken livers – as a protein-rich source – into the National Schools Nutrition Programme (NSNP). The department’s delay in doing so is allegedly a result of its recovery from the NSNP mess earlier this year. This after poor planning, blurring of tender processes and supply chain bungling saw the collapse of the programme, leaving 2.7 million children in the province hungry. To date there has been no accountability from this ANC-run government – apart from a “sorry” from Education MEC Mbali Frazer. While other provinces are already ahead in ensuring the NSNP has been fortified – much to the delight of the children – KZN is lagging behind. While it is not ill-advised to pilot the…

Gwede Mantashe has put his foot in his mouth again. To scapegoat the people and blame them for their appalling economic situation is an admission of failure by the ANC government to improve the conditions of life of the majority. It is the ANC’s failure that 48% of the population is considered poor in a middle-income country. Since 2009, the ANC has for 15 years been creating conditions for dependency syndrome. They bragged about 18.6 million people on the social security system. Today, they turn around to blame the people for their lot. It is a shameful act of betrayal. The ANC has reached a policy cul-de-sac and has reached its sell-by date. The economy is stagnant, with no immediate inclusive growth prospects under this regime. No amount of lies,…

Since beginning operations last year, the James Webb Space Telescope has provided an astonishing glimpse of the early history of our universe, spotting a collection of galaxies dating to the enigmatic epoch called cosmic dawn. But the existence of what appear to be massive and mature galaxies during the universe’s infancy defied expectations – too big and too soon. That left scientists scrambling for an explanation while questioning the basic tenets of cosmology. A new study may resolve the mystery. The researchers used sophisticated computer simulations to model how the earliest galaxies evolved. These indicated that star formation unfolded differently in these galaxies in the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang event 13.8 billion years ago that initiated the universe than it does in large galaxies like…

A mother and her son have briefly appeared before the Springs Magistrate’s Court, in Gauteng, facing charges including human trafficking, assisting illegal immigrants to evade the law, as well as illegal possession of ammunition. The mother, Dumazile Nkosi, 51, and her son Thandoluhle Nkosi, 35, were summoned to appear in court as additional suspects in an ongoing trafficking in persons case being investigated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) based in Vaal Rand. “The pair were added in the ongoing investigation as they were allegedly keeping and leasing premises where in February 2022, 47 foreign nationals were kept, as well as for their failure to report activities related to trafficking in persons,” Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said. Another accused in the case, 31-year-old…

OPPOSITION party councillors are demanding that eThekwini Municipality conduct an investigation into the viability of the uShaka Marine Theme Park amid growing concerns about the entity’s financial affairs. This after a report was tabled before the council yesterday revealing that it intends to write off more than R15 million of irrecoverable expenditure. The entity’s board took the decision. UShaka has battled to stay afloat and has received many bailouts from the municipality. A few months ago, a study was presented by experts on the steps the municipality could take to revitalise the entity and make it profitable. During a full council meeting yesterday, a report was tabled detailing the decision by the board to write off R15m. The announcement was not well received by councillors in the opposition benches who…

AN INVESTIGATION is under way to determine why dozens of fish were found dead in the Mzingazi Canal in Richards Bay, 10 days after a fire broke out at the NCT Woodchip Mill. While a massive effort is still ongoing to extinguish the fire that started on September 30, City of uMhlathuze spokesperson Bongani Gina said that the city had been made aware of the dead fish at the canal, and that they possibly died as a result of fire-fighting operations. Gina described this fire as unprecedented, and said it may have negative environmental effects. “Subsequently, we have taken water samples in this area, which confirmed that the pH level was affected, as well as low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water. Currently, these fish are being sampled for…

By refusing to take independence for KwaZulu, he derailed the grand scheme of apartheid TWO years ago, UCT student Yonela Mlambo penned a ridiculously ill-informed opinion piece about Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. One wondered whether it was born of ignorance, gross stupidity or an appallingly poor attempt at propaganda. Apparently it was the latter. In his latest piece titled “Mangosuthu Buthelezi was far from being a hero” (The Mercury, October 6, 2023) Mlambo let the insults fly. Zulus, he wrote, are ignorant. Their traditional institutions are “insignificant and irrelevant”. Their kings have lacked backbone. Even the land on which their ancestors were born is not theirs: it was a gift from the colonial government. How does one even respond to such bile? Initially I thought this was Mlambo’s revenge for my…

At least 29 people, including women and children, were killed in Myanmar in an artillery strike on a refugee camp near the border with China which sources said was carried out by the ruling military. The attack was one of the deadliest on civilians since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, which triggered conflict with a resistance movement and armed ethnic groups across the country. The shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and the British Embassy in Yangon blamed the military for the shelling, which took place close to midnight on Monday in Kachin State. A spokesperson for the junta said the military was not responsible. “We are investigating. We always take care of border peace situation,” Zaw Min Tun said, adding that the explosion may have involved an…

Tunisia expelled more than 100 African migrants to its border with Algeria last month, in a move that may signal a “dangerous shift” in policy, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said yesterday. Those expelled, who included children and possibly asylum-seekers, had been intercepted at sea, HRW said. Previously they would have been released inside Tunisia but instead they were taken to the Algerian border, with some migrants complaining that National Guard agents had beaten them and stolen their belongings. “Tunisian security forces have again exposed people to danger by abandoning them in remote border areas, without food or water,” said HRW’s Tunisia director, Salsabil Chellali. The latest expulsions come after a July 16 agreement by the EU to help finance Tunisia’s operations against irregular migration puts its policies in the spotlight.…

BEIJING: A second woman hoping to be the first American female climber to scale all of the world’s 8 000m mountains has been declared dead on a remote peak in Tibet, according to her family. China has suspended all activities on Shishapangma since avalanches struck the mountain at the weekend killing American climber Anna Gutu and her Nepalese guide Mingmar Sherpa. Fellow American climber Gina Marie Rzucidlo and her Nepalese guide, Tenjen Sherpa Lam, went missing on the same day when avalanches hit at elevations of 7 600 to 8 000m. Chinese authorities have declared them dead. More than 50 mountaineers and their guides were making their way up the peak at the time. | Reuters…

BERLIN: German police conducted raids and arrested members of a far-right group that had sought to violently overthrow Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government and kidnap the health minister, prosecutors said yesterday. Searches took place in six states as part of measures against the Reichsbuerger group, they said. Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) adherents do not recognise modern-day Germany as a legitimate state. The group, Vereinte Patrioten, had planned to install a government modelled on the constitution of the German Reich of 1871 and kidnap German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. | Reuters…

Dawid Malan says he is driven by a "hunger" for runs after notching his sixth One-Day International hundred in just 23 innings in England's convincing World Cup win against Bangladesh yesterday. The opening batsman smashed 140 runs off 107 balls as the defending champions racked up 364/9 in their 50 overs in Dharamsala. Paceman Reece Topley did the bulk of the damage in the Bangladesh innings, taking 4/43 as England coasted to a 137-run win. It was a welcome return to form for the defending champions, who were hammered by nine wickets by New Zealand in their opening game of the tournament. Malan's place in the final World Cup squad was thought to be uncertain in the weeks leading up to the event, even though he was named in the…

The Dolphins will be hoping to put away their flippers and finally get to take out their cricket boots when they host the Titans in a Cricket SA 1-Day Cup clash at Kingsmead today. The Dolphins have managed to complete just one match from four attempts this season due to complete washouts. They managed a three-wicket victory over North West back on September 22 but have since been kicking their heels on the sidelines. Strangely enough, it has not entirely scuppered their chances of qualifying for the play-offs, as they remain in third place with 10 points behind Western Province (16) and Warriors (13) after picking up two points for each of the three abandoned games. With the Durban forecast set for a pleasant 27°C today, the Dolphins will be…

SAPPI’S share price rose 4.1% to close at R45.17 on the JSE yesterday after it said that it had concluded the consultation process to close its Stockstadt Mill, Germany, and had started the consultation process on the potential closure of the Lanaken Mill in Belgium. The persistent global economic downturn was proving to be much tougher than anticipated, with depressed markets, geopolitical instability and weak economic growth combining to put significant pressure on Sappi, particularly in Europe, the firm said. In July it had announced the start of a consultation process on the possible closure of Stockstadt Mill, had agreed on the social plan for the employees and had now completed this process. An agreement had now been signed for the sale of the site, while its closure of…

The EFF says it is eyeing the wins it achieved during Student Representative Council (SRC) elections this year across tertiary institutions as it seeks to expand its reach beyond campuses ahead of next year’s polls. Following victories in the SRC elections at Durban University of Technology, uMfolozi TVET College and Unisa, and most recently at the Mangosuthu University of Technology, EFF spokesperson Mazwi Blose said they would embark on an aggressive voter registration drive. The victories at campuses have caught the attention of the KwaZulu-Natal secretary for the South African National Civics Congress, Sizwe Cele. Speaking at the ANC’s Manifesto Review rally in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday, Cele voiced concern at what he labelled the “miseducation” at campuses where students were voting against the governing…

Recent events and accusations from both sides have caused me to consider what might have happened if the Arabs had defeated the Israelis in 1948. This area fell under British control after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire following WWI, and the Arab nations fought alongside the British and seemed delighted with their newfound freedom at the time. However, the situation became unstable as Jewish immigrants, escaping anti-semitism in Europe, began to arrive and settle in what they considered their homeland. A generation later, as the British were trying to leave, the Jewish people decided to declare the state of Israel. Fighting broke out and several Arab states decided this state must not exist and their armies moved in. It is my contention that had Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi…

I AM thoroughly convinced that there are always reasons to hope. No matter how dire or conflicted the circumstance, no matter how bleak the prognosis, while there is life, and even beyond it, there remains reasons to be hopeful. Like you, I’ve seen hope in action. I’ve seen painful family scenarios, the most estranged of siblings, the most obstinate of personalities, turn, and find previously unimagined degrees of humility, and move in healthier directions. But of course evil abounds, and it tries to rob us of hope. Of course men and women are capable of inflicting much hurt and destruction. But I believe that the good in this world by far outweighs the evil. There is goodness and kindness and benevolence latent in every man, woman and child, and I…

It’s been a week since Charlene Hansraj received the news that her husband Stanley, who worked for Fidelity Security, had been killed on duty. Still grieving and in shock, the Chatsworth widow recounted the moments leading up to the tragedy. Her husband, 39, was killed during a cash-in-transit heist on the M35 near Folweni outside Durban. There were three cash-in-transit heists in Durban last week. This incident took place on the morning of October 3, and left two others injured. One guard had to be airlifted to hospital. “That morning began like most days,” Hansraj said. “Stanley had been up at around 3am getting an early start because it was (South African Social Security Agency) Sassa payout (day).” She said she usually woke up to inspirational messages from her husband…

The DA has gone to court to challenge the decision by Msunduzi Municipality to conclude a sponsorship deal with Premier Soccer League club Royal AM. In its papers filed in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, the party wants the decisions taken by the municipality in July this year in connection with the deal to be declared unlawful, reviewed and set aside. It includes the approval of the three-year sponsorship deal, which comes with a R9 million payment per annum to the club, and that the municipality will be held liable for the maintenance of the Harry Gwala stadium and the decision taken by the municipal manager to enter into the contract. It also wants any payments already made to the club to be repaid to the municipality. Royal AM is…

MURDER accused Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi was not on duty at his job in Rustenburg on the day that Orlando Pirates goalie Senzo Meyiwa was murdered at the Vosloorus home of Kelly Khumalo. This was revealed by Hendrik Louis Mulder, a human resources manager at Sibanye Gold where Ntanzi was employed at the Driefontein mine. Ntanzi is the second accused in the Meyiwa murder trial. Mulder explained that on October 25, 2014, Ntanzi had reported for work but only worked for two hours before he clocked out. Ntanzi did not, according to their records show up for work on October 26, 2014, however, Mulder explained they worked with a system that resulted in workers being in one week and off on the following weekend. The trial continues. | Mercury…

To Eskom’s credit, load shedding has been bearable for the past few days. However, any institution will battle to convince the public of its capability to turn things around if it continues to lose more senior leaders in mysterious circumstances. On Monday, Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan told the nation that Eskom board chairperson Mpho Makwana had resigned from the position, just a year after he was appointed. Gordhan wasted no time in naming Mteto Nyati as his successor. Makwana had been appointed in September last year to help the power utility get out of trouble, particularly load shedding, which had started to reach unprecedented levels at the time. Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has said Eskom will need more than R250 billion to expand the grid, and that it…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) kept its 2023 global growth forecast unchanged yesterday but warned that the economy was “limping along” as inflation remains high and the outlooks for China and Germany were downgraded. The IMF’s updated World Economic Outlook still sees growth of 3.0% for this year but it cut its forecast for 2024 to 2.9%, down 0.1 percentage points from its July report. “The economy continues to recover from the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, showing remarkable resilience,” said the IMF’s chief economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas. “Yet growth remains slow and uneven,” he said at a news conference during the institution’s annual meetings in Marrakesh, Morocco. Inflation, which has fallen sharply since last year, is predicted to remain elevated at 6.9% this year, up slightly from July,…

NEW YORK: Taking a jibe at former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s “finish them” remarks on the Hamas militant group, fellow Indian-American Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy has said that this is “not a video game”. Haley had called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “finish them” (Hamas)” after the Palestinian militant group launched the surprise attack from the Gaza Strip on southern Israel. Ramaswamy said that the US should use the attacks in Israel as a wake-up call and beef up its borders. | IANS…

Helsinki: Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said yesterday that a leak leading to the shutdown of a natural gas pipeline from Estonia to Finland this weekend was probably caused by an “external” element. Last year there were a series of underwater blasts that ruptured three pipelines that carried natural gas from Russia to Western Europe, at a time of high geopolitical tensions as Moscow cut gas supplies to Europe. But the government cautioned against leaping to any conclusions about the latest leak, as authorities said it seemed unlikely that explosives were the cause. Russia stopped supplying gas to Finland after it refused to pay in rubles. | AFP…

MAPUTO: Seven survivors and relatives of victims of a bloody 2021 jihadist attack in northern Mozambique have launched legal action against France’s TotalEnergies, accusing it of failing to protect contractors at a multibillion-dollar gas field, their lawyers said yesterday. Islamic State-linked militants killed dozens of people when they attacked the Mozambican port town of Palma in March 2021. The plaintiffs accuse TotalEnergies of failing to ensure the safety of its local suppliers. Mozambique’s government said about 30 people were killed in the attack but Alex Perry, an independent journalist, counted 1 402 people dead or missing. | AFP…

The Proteas find themselves in unfamiliar territory. The World Cup may still be in its infancy stages but it’s Australia and not Rob Walter’s team that have all the pressure on their shoulders ahead of the crucial clash in Lucknow tomorrow. The Proteas are fresh off a commanding 102-run victory over Sri Lanka, while the Aussies suffered a six-wicket opening loss to hosts India. Although an Aussie defeat to their great World Cup rivals will not immediately condemn them to the rank and file, the heat within the pressure valve to qualify for the play-offs will significantly increase. The Aussies were found wanting on a Chennai surface that offered the Indian spinners significant turn with left-armer Ravindra Jadeja delivering a delightful spell of 3/28. Lucknow's Ekana Stadium is expected to…