CLIMATE CHANGE: Islands Could Fall Off the Map
- BERLIN, Feb 17 (Tierramérica) - Sylt, the largest of Germany's Frisian islands, in the North Sea, lost at least 800,000 cubic metres of sand from its beaches in the last two months, because of heavy storms and flooding that have marked the northern hemisphere autumn and winter seasons.

Nine days before the nosharama at Luna Park Sydney celebrating Australia's ODI legacy, the team suffered its first ten-wicket loss ever in Wellington. Ever. That's 36 years of ever since the Dawn of Ever.

The awards started earlier than I expected today, but it's good to see in the early results that the academy is recognising up and oming youngsters like Peter Frampton (best pop instrumental album) and George Benson (best pop instrumental performance). Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder (nomination for best pop collaboration with vocals) will surely be a shoe-in.

More comments through the afternoon

Ooh ahh Glenn McGrath!
Clarke and hussey fail to score.
Poms sing in the rain.

KEVIN RUDD: Does the Prime Minister recall his industry minister saying just six months ago: "I am a sceptic of the connection between emissions and climate change"? Does the Prime Minister support this statement?

Mr HOWARD: It is not only remarks made by people in this parliament. There is a farmer I know who is sceptical about that connection as well! But we can debate. Let me say to the Leader of the Opposition that the jury is still out on the degree of connection.

Wow. England take their winning streak to three and lead the Commonwealth Bank Finals Series 1-0. Can they make it four on Sunday?

The Guardian's OBO of the first final:
Australian innings;
England innings.

Man of the match: Ian Healy.

So who's a pretty bully boy then?

While Cricket Australia was crying foul over the world cup organisers' objection to their choice of sponsor, they had the boot on the other foot getting stuck into Queensland Cricket over a very similar issue.

Cricket Australia has responded within hours after losing their appeal to the ICC disputes committee (see my earlier posting today).

Emirates, the UAE-based airline best known in Australia for sponsoring Collingwood Football Club, will be the official team sponsor for the Australian team for the world cup in the Caribbean in March and April. Emirates, of course, is also the naming rights sponsor of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel and is the "official airline" of the Dubai-based ICC.

Travelex (Thomas Cook in a past life) has been the naming rights sponsor for Australian touring teams overseas since 2001, even to the point of the "Ashes Tour" officially becoming the "Travelex Tour of the UK and Ireland".

But with less than five weeks till the start of the one-day world championships in the Caribbean, Cricket Australia's arrangements with Travelex have been blocked under ICC ambush marketing rules, and confirmed yesterday by its Disputes Resolution Committee.

NASA astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak is being held without bail after police say she attacked her rival for another astronaut's attention at Orlando International Airport Monday.

Nowak, who did a mission on the Space Shuttle last year, drove more than 12 hours from Texas to meet the 1 a.m. flight of a younger woman who had also been seeing the astronaut she was pining for, according to Orlando police.