NMC vanquish Acme:

KATHMANDU: Subin Manandhar top-scored with 17 points as Nepal Medical College defeated Acme Engineering College 72-6 in the Inter-technical College Basketball Championship, which has been organised by Kathmandu Engineering College, today. In other matches, Bhaskar Ale netted 20 points in Institute of Engineering’s 48-18 win over Advanced College of Engineering and Management (ACEM); and Binesh Tuladhar’s 16 points helped KEC ‘A’ defeat National College of Engineering 48-27. The organisers informed that the match between KEC ‘A’ and Institute of Medicine was rescheduled for Thursday due to rain. — HNS

Gyan Niketan top league:

KATHMANDU: Hosts Gyan Niketan School thrashed Milan Vidya Mandir 31-5 and won the senior girls’ section title of the fourth Gyan Niketan Big Mimi Basketball Running Shield Tournament, here today. Geeta Bhandari scored 15 points for the winners. In earlier matches, Gyan Niketan beat Valley Public 20-9 and earned a walkover from Occidental Public School in the four-team tournament. In junior boys’ section, Lakpa Sherpa netted 12 points as Sambotta School beat Milan 29-13. Valley Public beat Guheshwori School 28-23 with Pushpa Panta scoring 15 points, and RIBS earned a walkover from OPS in senior boys’ section. — HNS

Damehood for MacArthur:

LONDON: Ellen MacArthur will be awarded a damehood, the female equivalent of a knighthood, for breaking the solo round-the-world sailing record, the government said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office said Queen Elizabeth II approved the honour for the 28-year-old MacArthur, who completed the 42,000-km circumnavigation on Monday night. MacArthur, sailing aboard the 23-metre trimaran B&Q, made the journey in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, 33 seconds. She beat the existing record of French Francis Joyon by one day, 8:35:49. — AP