Basketball Forum

 Former defender Juvenal Amarijo, the sole holder of the Brazilian team in the 1950 World Cup that was alive, died on Friday at age of 86 in the northern city of Salvador, local television reported on Saturday.

Amarijo had been hospitalized for fifteen days in a hospital at the capital of the northeastern state of Bahia and died of physiological complications, reported on Saturday the local channel Bandnews.

The former defender was the only survivor of Brazil’s starting eleven at the historic 1950 “Maracanazo”, when the host team lost the World Cup final 2-1 to Uruguay.

According to local television, Amarijo lived in precarious conditions in Jaua, municipality of Bahia.

As a player, Amarijo defended Flamengo, Palmeiras, Bahia, and the modest Ypiranga and Brazil Pelotas.

In the Brazil team that contested the 1950 World Cup final are still alive Nilton Santos and Nena, who composed the reserve team.

 Pakistani security forces killed 11 more militants during the last 24 hours, bringing the total fatality to over 280, as the operation in the country’s tribal area steadily progressed towards the Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan, the amy said Thursday in a daily press release.

The army said one soldier was killed and another two security forces personnel were injured in clashes in the last 24 hours during the ground assault in various areas in the tribal agency near the border with Afghanistan.

In the operation coded as Rah-e-Nijat, or path of salvation, the security forces continued shelling on extremists hideouts on main Jandola-Sararogha axis, Shakai-Kaniguram axis and Razmak-Makeen axis, the army said.

On Jandola-Sararogha axis, the security forces are consolidating their positions along the main axis Kotkai-Sararogha and the important town of Inzar Kalay has been fully sanitized and cleared of mines, improvised explosive devices and bobby traps, according to the press release.

On Shakai-Kaniguram axis, the security forces are expanding their perimeter of security and closing in towards Kaniguram from east and west.

On Razmak-Makeen axis, the security forces successfully moved forward after fully securing Sharakai Sar and secured Pakalita and Manza Sar feature North East of village China.

In the ending operation in Swat and Malakand, the army said, the security arrested four suspects and recovered vehicle of terrorist commander Hussain with driver from Ballogram near Mingora.

So far, 7,099 cash cards have been distributed amongst the displaced families of Waziristan, the army said.

Pakistani security forces launched the ground assault on Oct. 17 in the South Waziristan, advancing towards the main base of Taliban militants in Pakistan. The army said that about 30,000 soldiers are in place to take on an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban militants in the lawless area.

The military said that the operation was launched in six towns of the area in three directions and is likely to continue for six to eight weeks, but no final deadline can be given.

However, the report noted that total loan applications increased 5.7 percent since May 2009 supported by the rebound in business.

The Malaysian government expected the private sector financing through the banking system and capital market to grow as economic recovery gathered momentum, said the report.

Under BNM’s promotion, micro financing provided by six commercial banks and three development financial institutions grew substantially.

The report said total loans outstanding increased 44.8 percent to 587.5 million ringgit (167.86 U.S. dollars) by end of August 2009, benefiting some 54,900 clients.

While inflation showed negative growth in the last few months, it was anticipated to rise moderately in line with the increase in global commodity prices.

The country’s OPR was lowered by 150 basis points since November 2008, hitting a historical low of two percent.

Earlier, the Statutory Reserve Requirement was also cut 300 basic points to reduce the cost of intermediation for banking institutions.

The report said loan performance of the banking system moderated during the period of January to July 2009, demonstrating a decline of 8.4 percent and 2.4 percent in total loan approvals and disbursements for the said period.

However, the report noted that total loan applications increased 5.7 percent since May 2009 supported by the rebound in business.

The Malaysian government’s monetary policy has focused on spurring economic growth given the receding pressures in the country’s inflation.

The Economic Report 2009/ 2010 released by the Malaysian Finance Ministry on Friday said that the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the country’s central bank, lowered the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) twice in January and February 2009.

The bank’s move led to a lower average base lending rate of commercial banks of 5.89 percent in February 2009 and 5.53 percent in March this year, said the report.

While the Malaysian government has been stressing the importance of ensuring credit accessibility, the bank’s move further eased the burden of borrowers by reducing borrowing costs.

Also among the crowd were a couple of noteworthy activists: Cynthia Nixon, a cast member from HBO’s “Sex and the City” who hopes to marry partner Christine Marinoni next year; and Judy Shepard, who became an advocate for gay rights after her son Matthew was killed because he was gay.

Many marchers were outraged after the passage of California’s Proposition 8, which canceled the right of gays to get married in the state.

Kipp Williams, a 27-year-old San Francisco resident, said he moved to California from the South seeking equality but realized after Proposition 8 that gay people are second-class citizens everywhere.

Contrary to the California Supreme Court’s decision on the legality of the referendum, he said “there is no exception to the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.”

“Since we’ve seen that so many times before, I didn’t want it to happen again,” he said. “We’re not settling. There’s no such thing as a fraction of equality.”

Pop singer Lady Gaga got the biggest cheers on stage. She didn’t perform but pledged to reject homophobia in the music industry for her “most beautiful gay fans in the world.”

Unlike the first march in 1979 and others in 1987, 1993 and 2000 that included celebrity performances and drew as many as 500,000 people, Sunday’s event was driven by grassroots efforts and was expected to be more low-key. Washington authorities don’t disclose crowd estimates at rallies, though at least several thousand appeared to be in attendance.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Sunday that Congress will need to muster the resolve to change the “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” — a change that the military may be ready for.

“I think it has to be done in the right way, which is to get a buy-in from the military, which I think is now possible,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

Obama’s political energies have been focused on two wars, the economic crisis and health care reform, though he pledged “unwavering” commitment even as he wrestled with those problems.

March organizer Cleve Jones, creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and a protege of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk, said he had initially discouraged a rally earlier in the year. But he and others began to worry Obama was backing away from his campaign promises.

“If somebody doesn’t have equal rights, then none of us are free,” he said.

“For all I know, she’s gay or he’s gay,” he added, pointing to his children.

Keynote speaker Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, firmly linked the gay rights struggle to the Civil Rights movement, saying gays and lesbians should be free from discrimination.

“Black people of all people should not oppose equality, and that is what marriage is all about,” he said. “We have a lot of real and serious problems in this country, and same-sex marriage is not one of them. Good things don’t come to those who wait, but they come to those who agitate.”

Some participants in the National Equality March woke up energized by Obama’s blunt pledge to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military during a speech to the nation’s largest gay rights group Saturday night.

Tens of thousands of gay rights supporters marched Sunday from the White House to the Capitol, demanding that US President Barack Obama keep his promises to allow gays to serve openly in the military and work to end discrimination against gays.

Rainbow flags and homemade signs dotted the crowds filling Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House as people chanted “Hey, Obama, let mama marry mama” and “We’re out, we’re proud, we won’t back down.” Many children were also among the protesters. A few counter-protesters had also joined the crowd, which stretched several blocks by the afternoon.

Jason Yanowitz, a 37-year-old computer programmer from Chicago, held his daughter, 5-year-old Amira, on his shoulders. His partner, Annie, had their 2-year-old son, Isiah, in a stroller. Yanowitz said more straight people were turning out to show their support for gay rights.