Rudolph ready for England battle - ESPN.co.uk
South Africa left Canterbury on Sunday at the end of the second warm-up match of their England tour eager for the real thing which will start on Thursday at The Oval. Much has been made of a brief lead-in for the visitors before the battle for No. 1 begins, but by their standards this has been more than they often have on overseas tours.
It has been a vital time for the team with some players coming back from a lengthy off-season. Two eventful days in Taunton, which included Mark Boucher's enforced retirement, overshadowed any cricket that was played and gave the three-day match against Kent the feeling of a fresh start.
They enjoyed a much quieter time and were able to focus more on their game. This time the disruptions came from an area they have no control over with the second day shortened by rain, but two full days allowed their likely first-choice team to find their feet. All the frontline batsmen spent time at the crease, some more than others, and their probable Test attack bowled at least three spells each although not all of them convincingly.
"I can promise you that all the boys just want that first Test to start now," Jacques Rudolph, who scored a half-century in the South African innings, said. "We're well aware we haven't played a lot of cricket before this series and we've accepted that. England have played a lot of cricket, we haven't but we're not going to be worried about how much cricket we've played."
Instead, members of the squad have said they have prepared in other ways. They have referred to the three-day training camp in Switzerland with regularity and Rudolph was the latest to join in. "We spent some valuable time with Mike Horn, which really unified us," he said. "They were the three toughest days of my life, mentally and physically, and it was nice to do it with your team-mates because it gives you a bit of a stronger bond."
The team spirit was tested in Taunton after they lost their lynchpin. Rudolph described Boucher's injury as "traumatic," but said they "decided we had to move on quite quickly from that." Now, what is on their minds is making sure they are as ready as possible for the first ball on Thursday morning.
Three batsmen - Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and Rudolph - scored half-centuries while JP Duminy made 53 against Somerset. "From a batting point of view, everybody got starts and got in," Rudolph said.
Rudolph batted at No. 6 in the Kent match having opened in Taunton because Alviro Petersen was injured. He said that while he did not have to make major adjustments, he used the time to tweak small things that are important when batting in England.
"You've got to have a really good game plan and know the way you want to construct an innings here," he said. "You've got to play the ball really late because the bowlers are looking to go fuller so driving becomes a little bit more difficult."
By contrast, the South African bowlers had to adjust their lengths to avoid bowling too short, something Morne Morkel struggled with on arrival. Although they battled to take wickets on a slow surface in Canterbury, Rudolph said the focus was on finding the right rhythms rather than making big breakthroughs.
"It has been a little bit disappointing for the bowlers because the wicket didn't really give them a lot of assistance, but I know specifically in the first innings they were just trying to bowl into their areas," he said. "It was pleasing to see Imran Tahir get four wickets in the first innings because he has been working really hard on his game."
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
Symantec: More than one-third of cyber-attacks aimed at SMEs - computing.co.uk
More than one-third of global targeted cyber-attacks are aimed at small and medium enterprises (SMEs), according to a report by security firm Symantec.
The June 2012 Symantec Intelligence Report found that 36 per cent of all targeted attacks during the last six months were directed at businesses with 250 or fewer employees, amounting to an average of 58 attacks per day.
Further reading
The level of targeted attacks is two times the amount (18 per cent) found in Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report last December.
Although larger enterprises of 2,500 employees or more are receiving the greatest number of attacks with an average of 69 being blocked each day, there has been a drop in the number of attacks to larger enterprises in total.
Symantec's cyber security intelligence manager Paul Wood said that it could be because attackers are diverting their resources to attack smaller organisations, perhaps as a gateway to a larger business' data – or just because they represent easier targets.
"There appears to be a direct correlation between the rise in attacks against smaller businesses and a drop in attacks against larger ones. It almost seems attackers are diverting their resources directly from one group to the other," he suggested.
"It may be that your company is not the primary target, but an attacker may use your organisation as a stepping-stone to attack another company. You do not want your business to be the weakest link in the supply chain. Information is power, and the attackers know this, and successful attacks can result in significant financial advantage for the cyber criminals behind them."
He added: "Access to intellectual property and strategic intelligence can give them huge advantages in a competitive market."
The most targeted industry has been the defence sector – part of the public sector which has incurred an average of 7.3 attacks per day. With 20 per cent of all attacks, the chemical/pharmaceutical sector is second, while the manufacturing sector takes third, taking 10 per cent of all recorded attacks.
Wood said that although targeted attacks were increasing, they were still very rare, but warned that they are integral to a new phase of social engineering.
"Targeted attacks use customised malware and refined targeted social engineering to gain unauthorised access to sensitive information. We regard this as the next evolution of social engineering, where victims are researched in advance and specifically targeted," he added.
In the report's other findings, the global spam rate had decreased overall with the UK's rate of 67.2 per cent behind Hungary (74.3 per cent), Germany (66 per cent), the US (66.4 per cent) and Canada (66.5 per cent).
In the UK, one in 209.9 emails was identified as malicious, compared with South Africa where one in 414.1 emails was found as malicious.
The global spam rate and targeted phishing attacks were similar for both SMEs and larger enterprises, but malicious email-borne attacks destined for SMEs accounted for one in 360.8 emails, compared with one in 269.0 for large enterprises.
Wiggins: Froome would be a rival - ESPN.co.uk
Bradley Wiggins admits Chris Froome would be his biggest threat at the Tour de France if his Team Sky colleague rode for a different team.
Wiggins remains in pole position after Stage 15 as he bids to become the first British winner of the prestigious race. He leads team-mate Froome by two minutes and five seconds in the general classification, but Froome has shown he is a better climber.
But when asked about the challenge of Froome, Wiggins replied: "We're first and second on GC. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work that out," he said. "He's my team-mate. We'll keep it like that."
Froome was quoted on Sunday as saying he was frustrated at having to play second fiddle to Wiggins and hopes his loyalty will be repaid during next year's Tour, which is expected to be more mountainous.
Froome has since reiterated his commitment to the team and insists the team remain united. "There were a lot of things taken out of context there," Froome said. "There's no bad blood in the team. We're still here with the same goal."
Wiggins leads third-placed Vincenzo Nibali by two minutes and 23 seconds with defending champion Cadel Evans nearly a minute further back. But with two tough days in the Pyrenees and a time-trial on Saturday to come, Wiggins knows there is plenty of hard work ahead.
"There are gaps in the GC of course and yes we are in a great position but even the time-trial on Saturday could see gaps," he said. "The last time-trial of the Tour is not the same as the one in the first week. You're tired and it's not easy to put in the same amount of effort as in the first week."
© ESPN EMEA Ltd
BSkyB's Now TV to launch tomorrow - Media Week Online
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People who want to pay for films as they watch them will be able to browse Sky's catalogue of more than 1,000 films. Classic titles will cost as little as 99p, while recent blockbusters will cost £3.49. Film fans that choose the £15 Sky Movies Pass will ...Giggs wants Team GB after Olympics - Football
Published: 16 Jul 2012 - 19:47:06
Ryan Giggs hopes London 2012 will not signal the end for Team GB's football team.
Stuart Pearce's squad has entered the Athletes Village at the Olympic Park for the first time following a warm-weather training camp in Spain.
"I hope it is not a one off, based on what I have experienced and how much I have enjoyed it this week," said Giggs. "I hope in future Olympics there will be more Great Britain teams. Both Craig (Bellamy) and I are Welsh and proud of it, but for me it was a chance I could not turn down, of playing in the biggest sporting event in the world."
Five Welshmen have been included in Pearce's final 18-man squad, as Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, Liverpool winger Bellamy, Swansea duo Neil Taylor and Joe Allen joined Giggs, who captains the side.
The London Olympics will be the first time that Team GB have competed in the men's football competition since 1960.
The 38-year-old Manchester United midfielder Giggs sees no reason why 2012 should be on the last Games at which Team GB goes for football glory.
Giggs added: "I have had nothing but positive feedback from the people I know, wanting me to do well... people who I have met face-to-face have been nothing but positive. I am not a politician, but from what I have experienced, I just hope fellow British footballers can experience what I have."
Bellamy, 33 - one of Pearce's three over-age picks - said: "It has been immense. The week away could not have gone any better, all the boys have really got on. I never thought this was going to happen, for me to be involved in anything like this. I am just want to embrace this and enjoy every moment."
The former Manchester City boss believes everything is coming together ahead of next week's friendly with gold medal favourites Brazil in Middlesbrough, with the tournament kicking off against Senegal at Old Trafford, Manchester on July 26.
"As a group we have gelled fantastically well, I am really pleased with the way they have come together, which has been quicker than I thought," said Pearce. "The venue in Spain was ideal and we are delighted with the week we had. I set teams up to try to win the tournament with the best players I have available."
Related Wales News
U.S. report says HSBC handled Iran, drug money - Reuters
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A "pervasively polluted" culture at HSBC Holdings Plc allowed the bank to act as financier to clients seeking to route shadowy funds from the world's most dangerous and secretive corners, including Mexico, Iran, the Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia and Syria, according to a scathing U.S. Senate report issued on Monday.
While the big British bank's problems have been known for nearly a decade, the Senate probe detailed just how sweeping the problems have been, both at the bank and at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a top U.S. bank regulator which the report said failed to properly monitor HSBC.
"The culture at HSBC was pervasively polluted for a long time," said Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, a Congressional watchdog panel.
The report comes at a troubling time for a banking industry reeling from a multi-country probe into the manipulation of global benchmark rates. Last month, rival British bank Barclays Plc agreed to pay a $453 million fine to settle a U.S.-U.K. probe into the rigging of the benchmark interest rate known as the London interbank offered rate, or Libor.
The Senate probe provides a rare look at how HSBC responded when confronted with numerous cases of suspect money flows.
The report caps a year-long inquiry that included a review of 1.4 million documents and interviews with 75 HSBC officials and bank regulators. It will be the focus of a hearing on Tuesday at which HSBC and OCC officials are scheduled to testify.
The bank and the regulator are expected to face tough questions at the hearing about how the abuses were allowed to continue, even after the OCC took regulatory action against HSBC in 2010. A Reuters investigation found persistent and troubling lapses in the bank's anti-money laundering compliance since 2010.
In an emailed statement, HSBC said the Senate report had provided "important lessons for the whole industry in seeking to prevent illicit actors entering the global financial system."
The bank said it is spending more money on compliance and has become more coordinated in policing high-risk transactions.
The report also contained strong criticism of the OCC, saying the regulator failed to crack down on the bank despite multiple red flags, allowing money laundering issues "to accumulate into a massive problem.
Thomas Curry, who took over as comptroller less than four months ago, said in a statement on Monday that anti-money laundering compliance "is crucial to our nation's efforts to combat criminal activity and terrorism, and the OCC expects national banks and federal thrifts to have programs in place to effectively comply with these laws."
Curry said the Senate report had made a number of "thoughtful" recommendations, "which we fully embrace."
LAX CONTROLS
The failings and lax controls inside HSBC included an inability to properly monitor $15 billion in bulk cash transactions between mid-2006 and mid-2009, inadequate staffing and high turnover in the bank's compliance units, the report said.
HSBC ignored risks in doing business in countries such as Mexico, a country rife with drug trafficking, it said.
Between 2007 and 2008, HSBC's Mexican operations moved $7 billion into the bank's U.S. operations. According to the report, both Mexican and U.S. authorities warned HSBC that the amount of money only could have reached such a level if it was tied to illegal narcotics proceeds.
The focus of the Senate probe was HSBC's U.S. operations, which has its main office in New York. HSBC used the U.S. unit as a selling point to clients outside the United States, touting its ability to handle U.S. dollar transactions.
Among HSBC's problems, the report described the bank's compliance division as unable to battle the suspect money. High turnover of top compliance officials made it difficult for reform to take hold, the report said. Employees were "overwhelmed," by a mounting number of suspect transactions that needed review.
"We're strapped and getting behind in investigations," one bank official wrote in June 2008. By that time, HSBC was cutting costs to offset losses tied to subprime home loans and the brewing financial crisis. In 2010, one disgusted top compliance official threw up his hands and quit after less than a year on the job, according to the report.
Typical of the problems inside the bank were transactions tied to Mexico, a country the report said is "under siege from drug crime, violence and money laundering."
HSBC, according to the report, helped move money for a Mexican foreign-exchange dealer called Casa de Cambio Puebla that served as a hub for laundered proceeds, according to the report.
Between 2005 and 2007, there was a "growing flood" of U.S. dollars moving between the exchange house and HSBC, setting off red flags inside HSBC. Some bankers claimed the transfers were legal. One said the money came from Mexican landscapers working in the United States and routing money back home to their families.
HSBC ultimately closed the account in November 2007 after it received a seizure warrant from the Mexican attorney general seeking money tied to the exchange dealer, the Senate report said.
DEALINGS WITH IRAN
Some of the money that moved through HSBC was tied to Iran, the report said, which would violate U.S. prohibitions on transactions tied to it and other sanctioned countries.
To conceal the transactions, HSBC affiliates used a method called "stripping," where references to Iran are deleted from records. HSBC affiliates also characterized the transactions as transfers between banks without disclosing the tie to Iran in what the Senate report called a "cover payment."
HSBC "failed to take decisive action to confront these affiliates and put an end to the conduct," the report said.
Between 2001 and 2007, more than 28,000 transactions were identified by an outside auditor for HSBC that potentially could have run afoul of laws that prohibit transactions with sanctioned countries. Of those, 25,000 involved Iran. A smaller number required additional analysis to determine if violations of U.S. regulations had occurred, the report said.
At the heart of HSBC's failings was the fact that it served as a hub for smaller financial firms needing access to the global banking system, the report said.
In one example detailed in the Senate investigation, HSBC continued to do business with one client that admitted to U.S. law enforcement that it had failed to maintain an effective anti-money laundering system.
The client, Sigue Corp, was a money processor in California, the report said. In 2008, the company agreed to a so-called deferred prosecution with the U.S. Justice Department and other U.S. agencies where it admitted to allowing millions of dollars of suspect transactions between 2003 and 2005. Undercover U.S. officers, in a sting, even moved money through the company, explicitly telling Sigue agents they were moving illegal drug proceeds, the report said.
A day after the agreement was announced, David Bagley, the head of HSBC compliance, sent a handwritten note to another bank official, asking, "Obvious question--I assume they are not our customer." Bagley is scheduled to testify on Tuesday at the Senate hearing.
In fact, Sigue was an HSBC customer, and bank officials internally discussed whether to close the account. One compliance official recommended it should be shut down. In the end, the bank kept doing business with Sigue.
In 2009, the Justice Department said Sigue had satisfied the requirements of the agreement and a criminal case was dismissed.
(Reporting by Carrick Mollenkamp; Editing by Alwyn Scott and Tim Dobbyn)
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