Darrell Hair reinstated as test match umpire by ICC after completing rehabilitation program

Darrell Hair has been reinstated as a test match umpire by the International Cricket Council.

Hair had been banned since November 2006 because of his conduct during a test between Pakistan and England that led to the first forfeit in test cricket's 129-year history.

His return comes after he completed a so-called "rehabilitation program" him handed him in September when he agreed to drop a claim of racial discrimination by the ICC.

"(The ICC) believes Darrell Hair is a very good and competent umpire," ICC president-elect David Morgan said of the unanimous decision.

"He will be allocated test matches and one day …

Hope for workers at factory

Employees at the Remploy factory in Aberdeen have been offeredhope from the Scottish Government.

Employment Minister Jim Mather has said he is in favour of findingbusiness for the under-threat factory which employs disabledworkers.

He made his comments at a …

Black Belt

STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM

It's 1974. "Kung Fu Fighting" is number one on the charts, the TV show Kung Fu airs every Thursday on ABC, and Bruce Lee (who died the previous year) is a box-office draw. As a non-white hero battling The Man, Lee's popularity extended to African Americans as well as Asian audiences. For a generation of artists, the kung fu phenomenon of the '70s left an indelible impression: "I was struck by …

Computer is last clue in Ark. Democrat's slaying

A computer used by the gunman who killed a state Democratic Party chairman is the last clue to be investigated in the search for his motive, authorities said Monday.

Timothy Dale Johnson, 50, burst into the Arkansas party headquarters and killed Bill Gwatney on Aug. 13, then was shot and killed by police after a long chase later that day.

Little Rock Police spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings said car keys and a phone number listed on a note found at Johnson's home in Searcy did not turn up any connection between the two men.

"We have everything pretty well figured out except for the computer. ... We've found nothing so far to indicate any motive …

Berghaus, Ruth

Berghaus, Ruth, German opera director; b. Dresden, July 2, 1927; d. Zeuthen, Jan. 25, 1996. She received training in dance at the Palucca School in Dresden (1947–50). In 1964 she became a choreographer with the Berliner Ensemble, serving as its Intendant (1971–77). She garnered notoriety as an opera director at the Berlin State Opera with her staging of II barbiere di Siviglia. From 1980 to 1987 she was an opera director at the Frankfurt am Main Opera, where she oversaw …

Ebert's Little Movie Glossary

Snicker-Snack Effect In horror movies, whenever we see a knife with a big shiny …

Paris readies electric car sharing program

VAUCRESSON, France (AP) — The City of Light is preparing to go live with what aims to be one of the world's largest electric car-sharing schemes.

Organizers say Autolib' — named after Paris' four-year-old Velib' bike-sharing system — will begin a two-month testing phase Sunday, before full-scale operations begin Dec. 5.

At first, only 250 of the four-seat "Bluecars" developed by the French Groupe Bollore and the …