Residents have been bracing for rough weather. Kathryn
Spoor, who lives in Okinawa, told the BBC that most of the people who
needed to evacuate had done so already.
"Right now we do have a lot of wind and rain," she said. "We
have showers coming in and gusts in my area are at about 143 kilometres
per hour right now so it is definitely a dangerous situation."
Okinawa, Japan's southern-most prefecture that comprises
several islands, is home to major US bases. Around 26,000 US troops are
stationed there under a long-standing security alliance.
Officers have evacuated some aircraft from Kadena Air Base in preparation for Typhoon Neoguri's arrival.
Lieutenant Erik Anthony, near Kadena Air Base, said winds were starting to pick up.
"Trees are bending and you can see branches flying across the
street, garbage and trash rolling down the road," he told the BBC.
"But I haven't seen any major damage as of yet and the communication is still up, which is a huge priority here on Okinawa.
Urging residents to remain on maximum alert, JMA warned of
the possibility that Typhoon Neoguri could move north to Japan's main
island of Honshu.
In the last few hours, the storm has been downgraded from
"super-typhoon" status, reports the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in
Tokyo, and as it crosses in to the East China Sea it is expected to
weaken further.
But Typhoon Neoguri is still carrying a huge amount of
moisture. When it hits the mainland much of that will be released as
rain, which could unleash flash floods and trigger landslides, our
correspondent adds.
Shakib ul Hasan was punished for "serious misbehaviour" towards new coarch Chandika Hathurisingha.
"The will be no compromise when it comes to discipline"
Said by the Bangladesh cricket chief Nazmul Hassan.
BCB president Nazmul Hassan said Shakib's attitude problem is "unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh cricket".
The suspension applies to international and domestic cricket.
Hassan added: "His behaviour is such that it's directly impacting the team.
"We want to give a clear message - if it is repeated, he might be banned for life.
"There will be no compromise when it comes to discipline."
The BCB board voted unanimously to ban Shakib, who has not been granted the No Objection Certificate which would allow him to compete in domestic competitions outside Bangladesh.
He will miss Bangladesh's tour of the West Indies starting next month, and will complete his ban shortly before the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which gets under way in February.
For the first time in FIFA World Cup™ history, both semi-finals at
Brazil 2014 will conjure memories of showpiece games from years gone by.
Brazil now stand on the verge of another decider courtesy of a 2-1
success against Colombia. It was their most probing display of the
competition so far, yet the hosts have been gripped by doubt ever since.
The sight of Neymar leaving the pitch on a stretcher had Seleção fans
biting their nails, and their worst fears were promptly confirmed when
the gifted talisman was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a
fractured vertebra.
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari must now choose between a like-for-like
replacement and a tactical rethink, and his problems do not end there
either. The suspension of captain Thiago Silva ought to mean Dante
filling in at the back, and though the Bayern Munich stopper will know
the opposition well, the hosts are hardly in prime shape as they vie to
clinch a spot in the Maracana Final.
As for Germany, they have been building confidence with every passing
victory, even if they lack their trademark air of invincibility. Joachim
Low's side have been drawing strength from an ironclad defence, and
they have looked even sturdier in that department since Philipp Lahm's
return to right-back from midfield.
It is telling, too, that a
quartet of Germany players feature in a list of the tournament's ten
most prolific passers, with Lahm leading the way on 471 ahead of Toni
Kroos (450), Per Mertesacker (324) and Jerome Boateng (315). With belief
coursing back through their veins, Die Nationalmannschaft are now focused on going all the way.
The match
Brazil-Germany, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17.00 (local time)
With a population of 1.3 billion, you'd think that there would be 11 people in China who are good enough to put up a fight on the football pitch.
But apparently not. Since 2002, the last -- and only -- time it made it to the World Cup finals, Team China has struggled internationally. A nadir came in June last year, when the side lost a home game 5-1 against a Thai side made up largely of youth team players.
Their sorry showing on the football pitch is cause for despair, ridicule and frustration.
It's not for lack of trying, however.
Imported pedigree
It's often considered an issue of leadership, with flashy, expensive foreign hires typically made to steer the national team. In 2011, amid towering expectations, ex-Real Madrid legend Jose Antonio Camacho was appointed. He was tasked leading China to the 2014 World Cup, but was instead sacked two years later, following that humiliation at the hands of the Thais. With that result, it was considered that he'd left the team worse off than when he started.
To make matters worse, the Spaniard was then handed a $4 million severance package.
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Others say it's the national league that is to blame. Trailing far behind Europe's top leagues in the popularity stakes, the Chinese Super League has again looked outside for help.
In order to boost the profile -- and credibility, following a string of attendance-sapping scandals -- of the country's national league, David Beckham, was recruited to boost China's footballing spirit. The former Manchester United and England star is the closest thing the sport has to royalty, and enjoys a fanatic following in the mainland; it was hoped that some of his stardust would rub off on the Super League.
Cash injections
Another recent push came in the form of the creation of the Evergrande International Football School, which claims to be the world's largest sporting academy.
Property tycoon Xu Jiayin, who owns China's most successful club, Guangzhou Evergrande F.C., opened the school in late 2012 to incubate young football talent on a 167-acre campus.
Despite these moves, industry insiders say China is a long way from making it back to the World Cup.
An Israeli security operation against the militant group Hamas "will probably not end within several days," Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Tuesday.
The development appeared to confirm fears that the conflict would continue to escalate.
"We will not tolerate rocket fire and we are prepared to expand the operation and to exact a heavy toll on Hamas," he said.
Overnight, Israel ramped up its airstrikes on Hamas in Gaza.
"We are determined to restore a state of security," he said.
Hamas security sources reported at least 60 Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, including from F-16s, Apache helicopters and drones. At least 24 people were wounded, Palestinian medical sources in Gaza said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on Israel to immediately stop its strikes, warning the operation would drag the region into instability.
Abbas said a truce was needed to "spare the innocent from mass destruction."
