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South Africa suffered another semi-final loss in an ICC event, going down fighting to Australia at the penultimate hurdle of the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Thursday. Despite posting a mediocre total of 212 runs on the board, the Proteas took the game to the end but it was the Australian side that prevailed. After the match, when South Africa coach Rob Walter was asked about the potential winner in the final, between India and Australia, he gave a rather cold response.

Understandably disappointed over his team's departure at the semi-final stage, Walter told the reporter that he doesn't even care who goes on to win the World Cup, knowing that his team is out. 

However, Walter did admit that India would have an advantage as it is a home event for them.

Reporter: If I could ask you - can I have a few words or would you like to answer the question on India vs Australia I mean, how are you I mean if you had to, once you are over the disappointment, who do you think would make it, get the trophy?

Rob Walter: To be honest, there's about a 1% chance I'll be watching. And to be even more brutally honest, I actually don't care. But obviously, because of the World Cup being in India, it's always great for the home nation to win the World Cup. I've got a lot of friends in the Australian change room, so I have probably a soft spot for a couple of them, especially the coach, for them to do well. But just seeing when we last played here against India and the support that's rallied around the team, and just the great hope and inspiration that winning a World Cup at home does actually bring. I think it would only be fitting for India to win. And in the same breath, they have been the best side in the competition and they've played the best cricket but that doesn't necessarily mean that's what will happen.

India will square off against Australia in the final on Sunday.
 

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White House Condemns Elon Musk's "Abhorrent Promotion" Of Anti-Semitism

The White House on Friday condemned the owner of social media platform X and the world's richest person, Elon Musk, for "abhorrent promotion" of anti-Semitism.

Referring to Elon Musk's post on X, formerly called Twitter, in which he endorsed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said it was "unacceptable" to repeat such a "hideous lie."

"We condemn this abhorrent promotion of anti-Semitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans," Bates said. "We all have a responsibility to bring people together against hate, and an obligation to speak out against anyone who attacks the dignity of their fellow Americans and compromises the safety of our communities."

The White House was reacting to a post by Elon Musk in which the controversial Tesla and SpaceX tycoon replied to an anti-Semitic post on X with the words: "You have said the actual truth."

The original post has been perceived by the White House and the US media as a reference to a longtime conspiracy theory among White supremacists that Jews have a secret plan to bring in illegal immigrants to weaken white majorities.

Most notoriously, the idea was promoted by the man who carried out a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, killing 11 people.

"It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of anti-Semitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," Bates said, referring to the October 7 assault by Palestinian group Hamas on Israel.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Travis Head starred with bat and ball as Australia set up a World Cup final clash with India after a tense three-wicket win over South Africa in Kolkata on Thursday. Chasing a tricky 213 for victory, Australia wobbled after Head hit 62 but Steve Smith (30) and Josh Inglis (28) helped the five-time champions reach their target with 16 balls to spare in the second semi-final in Kolkata.

"It's hard to unpack all of that. I didn't move for the past couple of hours. It was a tense finish and an amazing game," said Head.

As Australia reached an eighth World Cup final, South Africa were left to rue a fifth semi-final loss despite David Miller's 101.

Australia slipped to 137-5 and then 193-7 before Mitchell Starc (16) and skipper Pat Cummins (14) kept their nerve to steer the team home.

Left-hand batsman and part-time off-spinner Head stood out after taking two wickets and then with his 48-ball innings laced with nine fours and two sixes.

Australia were in trouble when they were five down as spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi struck in quick succession to rattle the middle-order.

Maharaj bowled Head, who was dropped on 40 and 57, and Shamsi, a left-arm wrist spinner, trapped Marnus Labuschagne lbw for 18 and bowled Glenn Maxwell for one in his next over.

Australia started the tournament with two losses but registered their eighth straight win.

"The way we started with the bat and ball was the turning point, we always had to play catch-up," said South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma.

'Ruthless Australia'

"The conditions combined with the quality of the Australia attack. They were ruthless and exploited every bit of advantage, and really put us under pressure."

Starc led the bowling charge with figures of 3-34 and Cummins also picked three wickets to bowl out South Africa for 212 in 49.4 overs.

Left-arm quick Starc struck in the first over to send back Bavuma, who had said he was not "100% fit" at the toss, for a fourth-ball duck.

Josh Hazlewood claimed the wicket of in-form Quinton de Kock for three as Cummins took a stunning catch.

De Kock, who will quit one-day international after the World Cup, ended with 594 runs including four centuries to sit behind the tournament's leading batsman Virat Kohli (711).

The new-ball bowlers kept up the attack with the wickets of Aiden Markram (10) and Rassie van der Dussen (six) as South Africa slumped to 24-4 and were 44-4 when rain interrupted play.

Klaasen and Miller hit back after the 45-minute rain break as the two put on 95 runs but Head broke through to bowl Klaasen for 47.

Head trapped Marco Jansen lbw on the next delivery to be on a hat-trick, which was saved by Gerald Coetzee, who put on a 53-run partnership with Miller.

The left-handed Miller smashed eight fours and five sixes in his 116-ball knock.

The final is on Sunday at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

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Amazon To Block Employee Promotions Who Don't Return To Office: Report

Amazon has announced that employees who do not show up for work three times a week will be blocked from promotions, as per a report in the Independent. The company told managers that a higher office-to-home ratio is a must for employees who wish to advance in their careers. If they do not adhere to the same, employees would need approval from the Vice President. 

"Managers own the promotion process, which means it is their responsibility to support your growth through regular conversations and stretch assignments, and to complete all required inputs for a promotion. If your role is expected to work from the office 3+ days a week and you are not in compliance, your manager will be made aware and VP approval will be required," the internal memo stated. 

This comes after the e-commerce company implemented a policy in February this year requiring workers to report to work three days a week starting in May. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the workplace, with companies sending employees home to work remotely. Even as lockdowns eased around the world, a large population of employees remained remote or in a hybrid environment. In a message that was posted on Amazon's blog, CEO Andy Jassy wrote the decision was taken at a meeting and that the move would make it easier to learn and collaborate. The company added there would be some exceptions to the rule - customer support roles and salespeople would have the option of working remotely.

Many staff members resisted the policy and around 30,000 employees petitioned Amazon to do away with its office rules in March 2023. At a protest at the company's Seattle headquarters in May, hundreds of Amazon employees voiced their opposition to the new policy. 

Later in August, the CEO told staff, "It's past the time to disagree and commit. If you can't disagree and commit, it's probably not going to work out for you at Amazon because we are going back to the office at least three days a week."

Meanwhile, Amazon.com cut around 180 jobs in its games division, at least the second round of layoffs in under a week by the online retailer and digital streaming provider in a broader restructuring, an email viewed on Monday by Reuters showed. "After our initial restructuring in April, it became clear that we needed to focus our resources even more on the areas that are growing with the highest potential to drive our business forward," said Christoph Hartmann, Vice President of Amazon Games.
 

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Virat Kohli created history by slamming his 50th ODI century during the Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinal match between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. Kohli surpassed legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar to claim the world record of scoring the highest number of centuries in ODI cricket. Celebrations erupted all around the ground as Kohli reached the milestone and wife Anushka Sharma's reaction has gone viral. Anushka could not control her excitement and was seen blowing flying kisses towards Kohli. Sachin was also in attendance and he, along with legendary footballer David Beckham, was seen applauding the huge feat.

Kohli, 35, reached his century -- his third of the tournament -- with a two off fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, having faced 106 balls, hitting eight fours and a six, to break the record of 49 ODI hundreds he had shared with Sachin Tendulkar.

He did so on his former India team-mate's home ground, with Tendulkar among those applauding at the Wankhede Stadium as Kohli bowed towards his childhood hero and fellow 2011 World Cup-winner.

"It feels like a dream. Too good to be true," said Kohli at the innings break after India piled up 397-4.

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This was Kohli's 279th ODI innings, with the former India captain having also scored a further 71 fifties in addition to his 50 hundreds.

Dropped on 107, Kohli was eventually out for 117 when he pulled Tim Southee low to Devon Conway at deep square leg.

"For me the most important thing is to make my team win. I've been given a role this tournament and I'm trying to dig deep," added Kohli.

"That's the key to consistency - play according to the situation and play for the team."

Tendulkar, whose previous record of 49 had been equalled by Kohli 10 days ago in the group stage win over South Africa, hailed his compatriot's "passion and skill".

"The first time I met you in the Indian dressing room, you were pranked by other teammates into touching my feet. I couldn't stop laughing that day," Tendulkar wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"But soon, you touched my heart with your passion and skill. I couldn't be happier that an Indian broke my record. 

"And to do it on the biggest stage - in the World Cup semi-final - and at my home ground is the icing on the cake."

Kohli said he was over-joyed to achieve the record in front of his wife, Anushka Sharma, and Tendulkar 

"Sachin was there in the stands, my hero. My life partner and all these fans at the Wankhede," said Kohli.

India, bidding to win a third World Cup title and second on home soil, were also boosted by Shreyas Iyer's 105 and 80 from Shubman Gill.

(With AFP inputs)

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Elon Musk Denies Report Of Potential Starlink IPO Next Year

Elon Musk on Wednesday denied a report that his rocket company SpaceX was discussing an initial public offering (IPO) for its satellite internet business, Starlink, as soon as 2024.

He called it "false" in a reply to a post on social media platform X that shared a Bloomberg News report saying SpaceX had been moving the unit's assets to a wholly owned unit that would ultimately be spun off.

The billionaire entrepreneur has previously said he intended to list Starlink when revenue growth and cash flow became smooth and predictable. Earlier this month, he said Starlink had achieved cash-flow breakeven.

SpaceX has an estimated value of $150 billion and was the first private company to send humans into orbit. Its breakthroughs have left rivals, including Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin scrambling to keep pace as reusable rockets significantly reduce launch costs.

The Starlink unit is the world's largest satellite operator. On Wednesday, it obtained a contract to offer free internet in Mexico until the end of 2026.

"I believe he (Musk) will take Starlink out, not next year, but maybe 2025, 2026. He's waiting for a level of stability or predictability in revenue," said Justus Parmar, founder and CEO of venture capital firm Fortuna Investments.

When the IPO happens, it will "be an extremely strong catalyst for everything space related", Parmar said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Mexico's First Non-Binary Magistrate Found Dead

A prominent Mexican magistrate who was the country's first citizen to be granted a non-binary passport was found dead on Monday, authorities said.

The body of Jesus Ociel Baena, an "activist of the LGBTIQ+ community and that of another person were found in a house in Aguascalientes", the state prosecutor's office said.

The death could be related to a "personal matter", prosecutors said, ruling out the possibility of a third person at the scene.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of both deaths, officials said.

Baena, 38, became Mexico's first non-binary magistrate to serve on an electoral tribunal in October 2022.

Baena received the country's first passport that did not mention the holder's gender on May 17, with Mexico's former foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard hailing it a "historic day".

At the end of July, authorities granted Baena protection following "multiple attacks" and social media "death threats", Baena said.

The death sparked protests by the LGBTQ community in the Latin American country.

In Mexico City, dozens of people carrying candles and multi-coloured flags gathered to call for justice following Baena's death.

Rights advocacy group Letra S took to X, formerly Twitter, to urge Mexican authorities to investigate "thoroughly and without prejudice what happened".

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