THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT !!!

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Carvalho: Time for a new era to begin

By Ash – November 28th, 2010

It is possibly the biggest club game in the world.

Real Madrid versus Barcelona. Two of the world’s biggest football dynasties, steeped in rich tradition and history.

And this Monday night (Tuesday morning, S’pore time), in a match that will be broadcast in five continents and watched by a global TV audience of hundreds of millions, both sides will wage war at Barcelona’s majestic Nou Camp stadium once again.

Not only will the league’s leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo come face-to-face with the irrepressible Lionel Messi but the season’s first ”Super Clasico” has been given added spice following manager Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Real Madrid.

After a slow start, Real have been firing in all cylinders in recent weeks. They currently lead La Liga by one point and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been bang in form.

Not to be outdone, reigning league champions Barcelona warmed up for Monday’s clash with their tenth win in 11 games, a 3-0 win over Panathinaikos in the Champions League. In the domestic league, Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in an 8-0 demolition of Almeria last weekend.

Indeed, coming into Monday’s game, it’s been hard to tell who’s been in better shape.

And although it’s his first Super Clásico as a Real Madrid player, Ricardo Carvalho is far from nervous.

After all, in his 13 years of professional football, the experienced Portuguese centre-back has already seen his fair share of big games.

And Monday’s sizzling encounter between two of Spain’s most celebrated sides will be no different.

“Sure, it will be an important game for the people living in Spain, our fans and football lovers all around the world,” Carvalho told Yahoo! Southeast Asia in an exclusive phone interview from Madrid.

“But for us, the team, it will be ‘um jogo comum’ (a normal game) because we are Real Madrid. Our intentions have always been the same each week, that is to win,” he said in Portuguese.

Carvalho is a key member of Mourinho's Real Madrid.

Real have struggled in the shadow of hated arch-rivals Barcelona, who marched to successive back-to-back league titles in recent years.

Guided by the steady, sure hand of former great ‘Pep’ Guardiola off the field and the irresistible play of Messi on it, the Catalans revelled in an era of unprecedented success, winning an incredible six trophies in 2009, including the domestic league title, Champions League and World Club Championship. They followed that up by romping home to La Liga title in 2010 in a new record haul of 99 points.

Guardiola may be 4 and 0 against Real Madrid since taking charge at Barcelona two seasons ago but all that may be about to change come Monday.

“Barcelona are a great side and I respect them for their achievements last season. But it’s time to talk about the present, and Real Madrid are ready to rewrite history.”

The 32-year-old, who joined Los Blancos from Chelsea this year, also repeated his desire to see his side put up a real “fight” against the Catalan giants when they take to the pitch.

“We know that Madrid have struggled in the past to win at the Nou Camp, but I believe it will be different this time,” said Carvalho.

“There is a great feeling within the team now. We’re playing well, and we’re able to understand one another better. I’m confident (of) all three points,” said the defender, who is good friends with fellow national and club team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe.

Carvalho – whose style of play has been compared to legendary Italian defender, Franco Baresi — is also known for his no-nonsense crunching tackles and pace.

After breaking into the youth team at Porto in 1996, Carvalho’s game and career has gone from strength to strength, his fortunes mirroring that of Mourinho’s closely.

The defender was a key part of Mourinho’s 2002 Champions League triumph with Porto in 2002. Following that, he followed Mourinho to England, where Carvalho enjoyed a successful six-year career at Chelsea, making 210 appearances in total for the Blues and scoring 11 goals.

Although he and Mourinho parted ways when the manager left to join Inter Milan, and Carvalho to Real Madrid, both are now reunited at the Bernabeu. And like many of his peers, Carvalho was full of praise and admiration for his coach and countryman.

Although the two were embroiled in a public feud in 2005, with Mourinho telling him to get an “IQ test” in response to his alleged unhappiness at being dropped for the season opener, Carvalho maintained there are ‘no problems’.

“We’ve put all that behind us. There’s no doubt that he’s a great coach and deserves all the compliments he can get,” said Carvalho.

“He has won at every club he has coached at and this is not something that anybody can do. He’s very passionate and knows exactly what he wants from each of us, so there are no excuses if we do badly on the pitch,” the defender added.

Carvalho has also leapt to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has come under fire this week for challenging Barcelona to repeat their 8-0 demolition of Almeria last weekend come this Monday.

“Cristiano is a perfectionist and I know this from my time spent with him in the Portugal squad. He gets easily affected when we do not win because he is a very hardworking player, ” said Carvalho.

He added that Ronaldo’s enthusiasm has often been mistaken for arrogance.

“He’s a really important part of Real Madrid’s project now, so he doesn’t like it when the critics doubt him,” said Carvalho.

ON ASIAN FOOTBALL

Carvalho also shared his thoughts on Asian fans and football.

“I’ve read and watched so much about the Asian passion for football,” he admitted. “It’s very touching to know that millions support Real Madrid and Portugal from far away, especially in countries like Indonesia.”

“We definitely hope to do a tour some time and meet our fans there,” he added.

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PEDRO: THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO FAIL

Pedro Rodriguez has enjoyed a stellar rise through the Barcelona youth system.

He may be surrounded by the crème de la crème of world football, but Barcelona’s Pedro Rodriguez is not feeling the heat.

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! SEA after Barcelona’s midweek Champions League victory over Panathinaikos – in which he netted two goals — Pedro admitted he ‘s excited at the prospect of facing the “new” Real Madrid squad.

“For sure, it was a great feeling to score two goals in the Champions League,” he said over the phone.

“But the El Clasico is different, because of the history. There’s a lot of passion and everybody knows that this is not a time to fail. The goal is for us to do well at Nou Camp in front of the culés (the Barca fans) on Monday,” the 23-year-old winger added.

When asked what he thought of Ronaldo’s open “challenge” for Barcelona to repeat their 8-0 mauling of Almeria against Real on Monday, Pedro laughed.

“Real Madrid have a good project this year with a talented group and they are league leaders. But with all due respect, we’re not intimidated by them, and we’re ready to take them on!” he said.

Today, Pedro is a living example of what can be achieved through hard work and sacrifice.

As a member of Barca’s youth teams and the renowned La Masia academy, he was handpicked by Pep Guardiola to join the Barcelona ‘B’ team in 2007.

From there, it was a short step up to the full squad and in 2009/2010, Pedro exploded on to the scene, scoring 12 goals in 34 league appearances in a breakthrough season. In July, Pedro also became a world champion, playing a part in Spain’s successful 2010 World Cup campaign.

Blessed with pace and the ability to play with both feet, Pedro’s greatest asset is his superb positioning.

And he credits manager Pep Guardiola for all of his success.

“Pep is still the same guy. He did the same things in the ‘B’ side as he is doing now. He motivates us to do well, and talks to us when we need someone. Some players need more motivation than others, and he knows that,” said Pedro, whose father works at a gas station south of Tenerife, near where the striker was brought up.

As for Monday’s Clasico, Pedro — who was nicknamed ‘Pedrito’ because of his short height — can’t wait to be part of club folklore.

“I grew up watching these games on TV, not just El Clasico, but other big derbies and now I’m playing in one of them. My reference when I was little was Rivaldo. Then, there was Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and the rest. It’s a luxury and a privilege to be playing with them today,” he said.

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Game Over so soonzzz ???

Premier League - Papers: Chelsea eye Guardiola

Sun, 28 Nov 08:37:00 2010

As the backroom shuffle continues at Stamford Bridge, the Sunday Telegraph reveals that Chelsea are lining up Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola to replace manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The past couple of weeks have seen assistant manager Ray Wilkins unceremoniously dismissed, Michael Emenalo curiously promoted, sporting director Frank Arnesen deciding to step down in the summer and Carlo Ancelotti forced into denying that he is considering his own future at the club.

The manager's protestations don't seem to have put the matter to rest, though, if the back page reports are anything to go by.

Barcelona's former director of football Txiki Begiristain has been lined up to replace Arnesen, and Roman Abramovich rather likes the idea of reuniting him with Guardiola, who has already won every trophy within in his grasp in just two seasons of management.

If Abramovich is hoping for more exciting football than Ancelotti's team produces (103 goals in a double-winning campaign last season doesn't seem so bad, mind you), then there will be worse options than young Spanish coach Guardiola.

It's not the only staffing shake-up reported in the press today - the News of the World suggest that Arsene Wenger's number two Pat Rice is set to retire at the end of the season.

Arsenal legend Steve Bould, currently in charge of the club's U18 side, could fill the job when it becomes available - but whether he will be able to convince Wenger to sign another goalkeeper and an imposing midfielder is another matter entirely.

The News of the World also reports that Everton manager David Moyes is on a shortlist of three for the Tottenham job - along with Roy Hodgson and Guus Hiddink - should England come calling for Harry Redknapp.

Perish the thought that anyone has got ahead of themselves on this story.

"Ta-ra Der Sar" rhyme the Daily Star Sunday, which exclusively reports that Manchester United's goalkeeper will be retiring at the end of the season.

Dane Anders Lindegaard was recruited yesterday for £3.5m to boost United's goalkeeping ranks, but Alex Ferguson may not be finished there, according to the paper.

United's 'keeper hunt is set to lead them into a bid for Atletico Madrid's rising star David De Gea, while Germany star Manuel Neuer and Holland 'keeper Maarten Stekelenburg are also in the frame.

That is, of course, if Fergie has any money left after signing Bastian Scheweinsteiger for £25m to bolster his midfield options (News of the World). Maybe he'll be able to make the figures work if he buys Schweinsteiger at the price quoted in the Sunday Mirror - just £12m!

Elsewhere, Arsenal are said to be ready to splash out £10m on Bolton centre-half Gary Cahill (Mail on Sunday) and West Ham may have to sell Carlton Cole in January, so that they have the financial clout to hang on to midfielder Scott Parker (The People).

Eurosport

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World Football - Butt signs for Hong Kong side

Mon, 29 Nov 19:59:00 2010

Manchester United legend Nicky Butt has stunned the world of football by coming out of retirement to play for a side in the Hong Kong league.

Butt hung up his boots at the end of last season after a career that included 12 years at Manchester United and six years with Newcastle.

Yet the 35-year-old has backtracked on that decision and signed for South China FC, admitting that he was won over by the passion of the fans and the enthusiasm of club chairman Steven Lo during a fact finding trip to Hong Kong.

"I am not going to lie," he said. "I have not been studying the Chinese League or Hong Kong for many years. It is all new to me.

"But I have been there two or three times and it is unbelievable how passionate the fans in Asia are.

"The football is not at the level of the Premier League but their fans still take it very seriously."

Butt had originally been expected to join up with his new team-mates in February, but will now make his debut for his new Hong Kong first division side on Tuesday.

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La Liga - Barcelona thrash Real Madrid in El Clasico

Mon, 29 Nov 21:56:00 2010

Barcelona showed their class with a resounding 5-0 win over Real Madrid at the Nou Camp in a memorable El Clasico to usurp their rivals in style at the top of the La Liga table.

Xavi gave the hosts a 10th-minute lead as Pep Guardiola's side seized the initiative from the off, before Pedro doubled their lead eight minutes later as the visitors were made to look sluggish in the face of Barcelona's scintillating attacking play.

The second half followed a similar pattern of dominance from the hosts with Real humbled into submission as David Villa unleashed a clinical three-minute brace before substitute Jeffren Suarez added a fifth in stoppage time to crown an imperious display from Guardiola's side.

There was a surprise inclusion for Karim Benzema in place of the injured Gonzalo Higuain, while Jose Mourinho resisted the temptation to effectively asphyxiate Barca - as he did last season in charge of Inter - with an additional holding midfielder, sticking with Mesut Ozil in his usual creative berth.

A vociferous atmosphere was created at the Nou Camp as the 98,000 Barca fans were handed placards to form a mural in the Catalunya colours, the hype giving way to a frenetic opening as Barcelona stamped their authority on the clash from the outset.

The hosts dominated the early possession, and almost found a sublime seventh-minute opener through a predictably inspired source as Lionel Messi unfurled an audacious chip from out on the right which beat Iker Casillas, but not the far post.

Guardiola's side were in front three minutes later, however, albeit in slightly fortuitous fashion as Messi combined with Andres Iniesta out wide, before the latter's through ball deflected off Marcelo into the path of Xavi, who kept his composure to poke the loose ball beyond Casillas.

Barcelona continued to stroke the ball around with consummate ease as they held their opponents firmly under the cosh, and the hosts doubled their lead in the 18th minute. A mesmerising 25-pass move culminated in David Villa hurtling to the left byline before cutting a precise delivery back into the path of the onrushing Pedro, who was able to simply tap home from just a yard out.

Amid all the exhilarating exchanges, the first half was littered with petulance from both sides. First, an exasperated Cristiano Ronaldo pushed Guardiola on the touchline to spark off an absurd melee, then a flailing arm from Ricardo Carvalho saw Lionel Messi mysteriously booked for diving.

Real were desperate to muster any kind of a resurgence, and Ronaldo took a tumble under a challenge from Victor Valdes just before half-time which provoked merely a withering look from the referee, but represented a source of grievance in the eyes of a few visiting players.

Mourinho acted swiftly at the break as he introduced Lassana Diarra at the expense of Ozil, but it was Barcelona who almost made an immediate impact after the restart as Carvalho was forced to make a sliding block to deny Villa from close range.

Barcelona were three up in the 55th minute as Messi slid an incisive through ball beyond Pepe, and Villa beat the offside trap with a perfectly timed run before planting an emphatic finish beyond the helpless Casillas.

It was quickly turning into a rout, and the same combination made a mockery of the visitors' static and beleaguered defence once more as Messi picked out Villa, who thundered in another clinical strike just before the hour mark.

Just when it seemed as though Real's humiliation could get no worse, substitute Jeffren popped up to make it five, bundling the ball home from Bojan's cross out on the right. Mourinho's first taste of an El Clasico could barely have been more inauspcious.

Carvalho could quite easily have been dismissed for a deliberate handball to deny Villa a goalscoring opportunity late on, but in an extreme case of leniency, the referee appeared to take pity on the defender and brandished the yellow card.

Madrid's misery was compounded on the stroke of the final whistle as a mass brawl ensued as tempers flared with Sergio Ramos dismissed amid all the furore for a push in the face of Carles Puyol.

The comprehensive victory not only sees Barcelona leapfrog their rivals to the top spot in the La Liga table, but the Catalan club build significantly on their superior goal difference to Mourinho's side, who have now been put firmly in their place.

Dan Quarrell / Eurosport

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RELAX lah !!!

Geldof admits responsibility for worst songs ever

Posted Mon 29 Nov 2010 13:17 GMT

by Paul Johnston in Behind The Music

Bob Geldof has admitted he feels responsible for two of the worst songs of all time.

The singer told Australias Daily Telegraph: I am responsible for two of the worst songs in history. One is Do They Know Its Christmas? and the other one is We are the World.

Do They Know Its Christmas? was released 26 years ago today to raise money for famine-hit Ethiopia. The song, which featured the likes of Sting, Bono, George Michael and Phil Collins, became the biggest-selling single ever at that time and its success led to the release of We Are the World, which featured Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross.

Speaking about the Band Aid song, he added: Any day soon, I will go to the supermarket, head to the meat counter and it [Do They Know Its Christmas?] will be playing. Every ****ing Christmas.

He also claimed it irritates him when carol singers perform the song:

"They think 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' is as old as 'Silent Night'. Sometimes I think that's wild because I wrote it. Or else I am thinking how much I want them to stop because they are doing it really badly."

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'Empire Strikes Back' director dies

Mon 29 Nov 3:34 PM

Irvin Kershner, best known for directing classic 'Star Wars' movie 'The Empire Strikes Back’, has died. He was 87.

Kershner died at his LA home after a long illness, his goddaughter said.

A veteran filmmaker, Kershner's screen credits include 'The Return of a Man Called Horse' and 'The Eyes of Laura Mars’.

It was the latter film that convinced George Lucas that his former film teacher was the right man to helm the sequel to the hugely successful 'Star Wars'. (Kershner is seen in the pic left, alongside Lucas and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan.

'The Empire Strikes Back' is seen by many as the series' high point, with the film featuring classic scenes like Darth Vader telling Luke he is his father and Han Solo being frozen in carbonite. The film also introduced iconic characters like Yoda and Boba Fett.

The film was also praised for its visual style.

Lucas once said that Kershner "knew everything a Hollywood director is supposed to know... but was not Hollywood".

He would only go on to direct two more films after 'Empire Strikes Back' - Sir Sean Connery's unofficial return to the James Bond character in 'Never Say Never Again' and sci-fi action sequel 'Robocop 2'.

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La Liga - Mourinho defiant after thumping

Tue, 30 Nov 00:30:00 2010

A defiant Jose Mourinho brushed off Real Madrid's crushing 5-0 defeat at arch rivals Barcelona, saying there were plenty of matches left in the season and the championship would still go down to the wire.

The flamboyant Portuguese, a former assistant coach at Barca who later managed Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan before being poached by Real, suffered his worst defeat in a league match at the hands of the La Liga champions but said it was "by no means a humiliation".

"It's easy to digest because it's a defeat in which there was no chance of winning," he told a news conference at Barca's Nou Camp stadium.

"One team played to their potential tonight and the other played very badly," he added. "The championship will be very close to the end."

Mourinho had got off to a flying start in the Spanish capital in his bid to end Barca's two-year reign as domestic champions and restore Real's fortunes in the Champions League.

His expensively-assembled side were undefeated in all competitions before Monday but have now slipped two points behind leaders Barca with 13 of 38 matches played.

Mourinho, who has failed to win at the Nou Camp in six attempts, said the Barca team was "the finished article" and "the result of many years of work" and reiterated that it will take time to mould the Real squad into an effective unit.

"The result today does not reflect the difference between the two teams," he said.

"Obviously I am sad because nobody likes losing and least of all by that score.

"I hope it doesn't affect the players psychologically and I told them exactly that, that the championship does not end today and who knows we might be back at this stadium again this season (in the Champions League)."

He urged his players to "show character" and pick themselves up for Saturday's La Liga match at home to Valencia.

"When you lose by four or five goals you don't need to go out and cry but go out with a desire to train, to work and to win the next match.

"I have no need to be concerned about my team, who have played fantastically up to now.

"Today they did a very bad job and on Saturday they have to return to winning ways.

"There is nothing more to be done today but from tomorrow a great deal."

Reuters

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The best performance ever

Tue Nov 30 02:23PM

By Alex Chick

After Barcelona destroyed Real Madrid last night, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho agreed that they are not really five goals better than their great rivals.

Mourinho said: "The result today does not reflect the difference between the two teams," while Guardiola parroted: "This match isn't representative of the difference between the two teams."

True, if the game were replayed on Saturday it would probably not finish 5-0 again, but the result perfectly reflected the gaping chasm between the teams on the night.

This was not one of those drubbings that flatters the winners (England's 5-1 win in Munich springs to mind). Barcelona were completely dominant from start to finish, and by an absurd degree.

I remember watching Barcelona beat Panathinaikos 5-0 in 2005, and thinking it was just about the most perfect exhibition of football I had ever seen.

It was a remarkable performance, summed up by an extravagant final goal scored by Samuel Eto'o and made by Lionel Messi. But then I reminded myself it was only Panathinaikos.

Last night was better than that, and against vastly superior opposition. Messi's pass to David Villa for the fourth echoed the one for Eto'o five years earlier, only with a much greater degree of difficulty.

What stood out last night was not the flair, the precision or the technique, although all were exceptional. It was the vision.

Barcelona's players saw everything, all the time. As they played their tight triangles, the ball would come to them as white shirts surrounded leaving them, leaving only one available pass - yet invariably they would spot the gap and find a team-mate with ridiculous ease.

It is not easy to know what is going on around you when you play football. As a jobbing full-back, I was afflicted by tunnel vision preventing me from seeing anything other than that which was directly in front of me. It hardly needs saying I wouldn't have been a good Barcelona player.

But even the top players get it wrong sometimes. Watching on the TV or high up in the stands, you have the benefit of seeing all the action, and you know a good player when he is able to spot the same passes you can see from your elevated vantage point.

Barcelona were not just picking the passes you could see on the telly. They were playing outrageous, impossible balls we mere mortals could not anticipate, and which left you confused for a second, trying to work out how they pulled it off.

Even more impressively, they were all on the same page. Xavi would play a ridiculous reverse pass it seemed nobody in the stadium could see coming, only Iniesta would anticipate it and make the right run.

So consistently beaten to the punch were Real, they must have felt like they were playing a team from five seconds in the future.

Trying to decide the best team performance ever is obviously personal and subjective, but I have never seen one better.

This was the same style that Spain used to win the World Cup, only turbocharged by Messi to make it much more incisive and completely devastating.

Not only did Real not have an answer to it, they barely seemed to understand the question, and even the tactically astute Mourinho was reduced to throwing defensive players on in a futile bid to curtail Barca's mind-bending 'tiki-taka'.

As an Englishman, it was hard not to be reminded that my country's footballers are so far behind the world's best, the idea of winning a major tournament in my lifetime seems about as plausible as Ann Widdecombe opening a dance school.

I recently wrote a column saying the Premier League is better than La Liga, and I still think, by and large, it is - in terms of entertainment and competitive balance. Where it simply cannot compete is in the sheer quality of its leading lights.

Of course, the Spanish title race is not over, and one slip from Barca could see Real go top again.

But in a sense it doesn't really matter. Last night's result was so powerful, so overwhelming, that it arguably carries as much clout as the other 37 games combined (especially given La Liga's lack of depth).

Unless Real turn the tables completely in the season's second Clasico - and they won't - the memory of that game in the Camp Nou will be at least as significant as the final table.

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Champions League - Mourinho fined and banned over reds

Tue, 30 Nov 18:06:00 2010

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has been given a two-match ban following allegations that two of his players deliberately got sent off in a Champions League match against Ajax.

UEFA also handed out several fines related to events late in the November 23 Group G game in Amsterdam including 120,000 euros (£100,305) for Real, 40,000 for Mourinho (£33,434) and lower amounts for players Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas and Jerzy Dudek.

The second match of Mourinho's European ban has been deferred for a probationary period of three years.

The latest setback for Real and Mourinho followed the Madrid side's embarrassing 5-0 defeat by their arch-rivals Barcelona in El Clasico at the Nou Camp on Monday.

Real have three days to appeal against UEFA's punishment.

Spain internationals Ramos and Alonso were dismissed late in Real's 4-0 win in the Dutch capital after picking up second yellow cards for time-wasting.

The sendings-off meant they would serve automatic one-match suspensions in the final group game against Auxerre, which is a dead match for Real as they are assured of first place in Group G and qualification for the last 16.

Both players had accumulated two yellow cards in the group stage before they were sent off and a further yellow card in a subsequent game would have meant a one-match suspension during the knockout rounds.

UEFA said the red cards given to Alonso and Ramos would stand and they have been suspended for one match.

The pair will start the knockout stage with one yellow card each against their names as the cards picked up before the Ajax game still stood.

Spanish media reports said the players were acting on instructions from Mourinho. They said the message was passed by reserve goalkeeper Dudek during a conversation with first-choice keeper Casillas.

Spanish television repeatedly replayed a moment during the match when the pair were seen talking with their hands over the mouths. Mourinho was also filmed with his hand over his mouth.

Two years ago, UEFA fined Lyon players Cris and Juninho 15,000 and 10,000 euros respectively for getting deliberately booked in a Champions League match against Fiorentina.

UEFA's disciplinary panel decided the pair had committed fouls in order to serve a one-match ban during their team's meaningless final group stage match against Bayern Munich.

Reuters

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WAH !...sooo lucky ah.

Carling Cup - Arsenal stroll into semi-finals

Tue, 30 Nov 22:03:00 2010

Arsenal moved into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup with a 2-0 victory over Wigan at a freezing Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners missed several good chances before they took the lead on the stroke of half-time through an own goal from Latics skipper Antolin Alcaraz.

Wigan lost Victor Moses to a suspected broken wrist and Nicklas Bendtner's close-range effort on 67 minutes kept Arsene Wenger's men on the road to Wembley.

Earlier, Bendtner - recalled to the starting XI alongside Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott - missed a great chance to take an early lead when Bendtner failed to connect with his free header at the far post from Van Persie's deep free-kick.

Wigan tried to knock the ball around crispy as Moses darted down the left and cut back inside to the Arsenal penalty area before drilling a low shot into the side netting.

Emmanuel Eboue's careless backpass from the halfway line allowed Mauro Boselli to scamper clear, but fortunately for the Arsenal defender the Argentina forward was pushed wide and eventually the attack broke down.

Carlo Vela's angled drive was deflected out for a corner which Laurent Koscielny flicked over as Arsenal upped the tempo.

The Mexican was put through again on 26 minutes, this time by Van Persie's clever backheel, but as the keeper committed himself, Vela's chip curled just wide of the empty net.

Wigan defender Steve Gohouri showed great composure to chest the ball back to his keeper after it was lofted through the six-yard box.

However, when Maynor Figueroa bodychecked Walcott, referee Martin Atkinson immediately reach for his back pocket.

There was then a brief stoppage as Moses received treatment from an awkward fall in the build-up to Arsenal's counter-attack, landing on his wrist.

The England youth international was carried off on a stretcher, replaced by Charles N'Zogbia.

Arsenal appealed for handball against Figueroa as Van Persie looked to collect a chip into the Wigan box, but neither the referee nor his assistant were interested, which replays suggested they should have been.

Arsenal went ahead on 42 minutes through an own goal.

Walcott's corner caused all sorts of problems in the Wigan six-yard box, with Alcaraz - just back from suspension - flicking the ball into the net under pressure from Bendtner.

There were some anxious moments for Arsenal at the start of the second half when Van Persie needed treatment after being sandwiched between two Wigan defenders as he tried to connect with Vela's cross into the six-yard box.

Walcott weaved down the right and chipped the ball back for Bendtner, but the Denmark striker headed wide.

Wigan continued to come forward and caused some concern around the Arsenal penalty box.

As the hour mark passed, the temperature continued to plummet with snow swirling around inside the Emirates Stadium basin.

Arsenal looked to have secured safe passage to the semi-finals when Vela was put clear down the left, and his low centre was bundled in by Bendtner from two yards after 67 minutes.

Walcott got away again down the right, beating the advancing keeper and pushing the ball out to Vela, but the angle was too tight as Ali Al Habsi recovered to save on the line.

With the tie now safe, Arsenal took off Van Persie and Jack Wilshere, replaced by Craig Eastmond and Samir Nasri.

Walcott almost made it three when he cut in from the left and curled a low effort just wide of the far post.

It was all too much excitement for one young fan, who sprinted down the touchline to shake hands with Wenger before being escorted away by stewards.

In stoppage time, Nasri broke into the box and rounded the keeper, but his shot was cleared off the line by James McArthur.

PA Sport

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Complacency fuels new AIDS surge in West: UN

AFP - 1 hour 40 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - – Complacency among young people is causing a new surge of the AIDS epidemic in the United States and European nations like Britain and Germany, a top UN expert said ahead of World AIDS Day on Wednesday.

The worrying sexual behavior of young adults, particularly men, in rich nations and a surge of the spread of AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia linked to drug use, officials said, has tainted positive signs such as dramatic cut in the number of infections passed from mothers to their newborn babies.

Agencies including the UN's HIV/AIDS program UNAIDS have cautiously highlighted a fall in the number of global infections in figures released ahead of World AIDS Day on Wednesday.

But Paul De Lay, deputy executive director of UNAIDS, said: "There seem to be secondary and tertiary waves of the epidemic, particularly the sexually transmitted side.

"You have a young people who don't know enough about AIDS, there is less of a fear factor about it."

He said it was a particular problem in Britain, Germany and the United States. Without giving specific figures, he said infection rates among young people are three times what they were in the early 2000s.

"We find that every five to seven years we need to go through a new re-energized education campaign. We are doing that in the UK and Germany. Here in the US we have had a huge resurgence of sexually transmitted AIDS."

According to the UNAIDS annual report released last week there were an estimated 54,000 new infections in the United States last year and 3,900 in Germany. There are an estimated 1.2 million AIDS sufferers in the United States, 85,000 in Britain and 67,000 in Germany.

In Eastern Europe and Central Asia "there has been been an explosion of young people who are experimenting with injected drugs," according to the UN expert.

This is "ripe" for spreading HIV/AIDS and pregnant addicts pass on the infection to their children extending "an ongoing transmission cycle," said De Lay.

Russia and Ukraine together account for almost 90 percent of new HIV/AIDS infections in recent years, said the UNAIDS report. Ukraine now has the highest adult AIDS rate in Europe and Central Asia.

UNAIDS said "there is strong evidence of resurgent HIV epidemics among men who have sex with men" in North America and Western Europe, where there are now an estimated total of 2.7 million sufferers, up 30 percent since 2001.

The 3,160 new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men in Britain in 2007 were the most ever reported. In the United States, new HIV infections attributed to unprotected sex between men increased by more than 50 percent from 1991-1993 to 2003-2006.

Around the world there were an estimated 2.6 million new infections last year, down from about 3.3 million at the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 1999, according to De Lay. Related article: China AIDS death toll up nearly 20,000 in a year

"It is a slow, steady decrease," said De Lay, who predicted that at the current rate it would take about 50 years to conquer Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

The 370,00 babies a year born with AIDS is down from 500,000 a year at the start of the decade and a new UN report said it would be possible to eradicate mother-to-baby transmission of AIDS by 2015.

Virtually no babies are born with AIDS in Europe and North America now as wealthier countries launched aggressive screening and prevention programs in the the 1990s.

But in Africa, 1,000 babies a day are still infected with HIV/AIDS through mother-to-child transmission.

Anthony Lake, executive director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) called the figure "outrageous" and demanded greater efforts for "the hardest hit communities."

But, highlighting the greater use of anti-viral drugs and other treatments, World Health Organisation director general Margaret Chan said "we have strong evidence that elimination of mother-to-child transmission is achievable."

[kueytoc]

Wikileaks fallout: MM Lee called N. Koreans ‘psychopathic’

By yahoosingapore – December 1st, 2010

Agence France-Presse

SINGAPORE - Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew called North Koreans “psychopathic” and leader Kim Jong-Il a “flabby old chap” who craved public worship, a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks said.

In the document detailing a conversation between Lee and US deputy secretary of state James B. Steinberg in May last year, Singapore’s elder statesman said he would be surprised if the North Koreans agreed to give up their nuclear weapons.

“They are psychopathic types, with a ‘flabby old chap’ for a leader who prances around stadiums seeking adulation,” said the document, classified as secret.

Singapore’s first Prime Minister who now holds the title of Minister Mentor in the cabinet compared the plight of North Koreans to his experiences living through the Japanese occupation of his country during World War II.

“MM Lee noted that he had learned from living through three and a half years of Japanese occupation in Singapore that people will obey authorities who can deny them food, clothing and medicine,” the leaked document read.

Nuclear-armed North Korea might also give up its “first-strike capacity” but would keep its atomic weapons “in case the USG (US government) decides to seek a regime change,” the cable read.

Lee also said he believed that Japan may “go nuclear” in response to North Korea’s actions.

Lee told Steinberg that China would prefer a nuclear-armed North Korea than a North Korea that has collapsed because it sees the country as a buffer state.

“If China has to choose, Beijing sees a North Korea with nuclear weapons as less bad for China than a North Korea that has collapsed,” Lee said, according to the account.

If North Korea failed, South Korea ”would take over in the North and China would face a US presence at its border,” the cable said of Lee’s views.

*The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has since expressed “deep concerns” about the leaked cable.

[kueytoc]

Singapore: Why owning property is such a big deal

By yahoosingapore November 29th, 2010

By Seah Chiang Nee

SINGAPOREANS were once exhorted to regard the current 30 years as a second marathon of life, in which everyone who completed could win a prize.

No need to be first, just finish the race and you get a prize, said the then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew after he had stepped down as Prime Minister in 1990.

It was his way of rallying the population behind his successor for a new nation-building battle. And what was the reward? A second property.

His rationale was simple. After the first 30-year marathon well run, he was offering to help give what Singaporeans were hankering for most a second property if they gave a repeat performance.

It came from a master politician in his heydays who understood what his people wanted. At the outset of history, the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP) had made subsidised home ownership a top strategy.

A generation later, Lee had noticed that although 87% of Singaporeans already owned public flats, many were still striving to buy a second property, if not here then overseas.

This property craze is not easily understood by people living in countries where land is plentiful and cheap.

His intention was to help citizens achieve their dream of living in one and renting out another.

Today nearly 20 years later the circumstances are very different. Some of the national goals have changed. The main problem: too many people, not enough affordable land.

Lees concept of a two-property society is fast fading the victim of a population expansion programme. Since early the 1990s, more than two million foreigners have flocked here.

The post-Lee government has not only stopped talking about a second property for Singaporeans, but has, in fact, made it much harder to achieve.

In August, it announced restrictions on people buying second homes as part of new measures to cool the residential property market.

In a move to help first-time buyers, who often had to wait for years, it moved against the use of HDB public housing for profit.

It was meant for working Singa­poreans to live in, not to speculate with, the authorities said.

Owners are not allowed to live in one while owning a second private residence for rentals, without residing there for five years.

Meanwhile, another housing trend is worrying Lee: More owners selling their HDB flats for quick profit and becoming tenants.

It is a blow to his 100% home-ownership goal.

On Nov 13, Lee advised HDB flat-owners not to sell them because these were assets that would appreciate in value year after year.

I urge you not to listen to the estate agents to sell it and go and rent a flat because thats a stupid thing to do, he said in a constituency function.

You sell it, you may not get a rental flat for a long time. And you cannot gain from a rental flat. Please remember that.

Many youths found the advice baffling, especially those who were not convinced that property represented the best long-term investment on this tiny island.

But for Minister Mentor Lee, the issue is a political and security issue.

Singapore is defended by a peoples army of national service reservists, civilians who serve as front-line troops in case of war.

And to first generation leaders like Lee and the late Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee, home-ownership had always been a cornerstone of defence.

For people to stay and defend this place, they must have a stake here, Lee rationalised.

National servicemen might not fight as hard if told they were merely defending other peoples wealth or Orchard Road or Shenton Way, but they would defend their own HDB homes with gusto, Lee believed.

My foreign friends sometimes find this preoccupation with properties hard to understand.

An American once told me he was surprised to discover the intensity. When one of us buys a house, its usually for years until he is relocated to another city. Singaporeans seem to be doing it all the time.

He wasnt too far off. In recent months whenever a group of people gathered, chances were the subject was real estate.

And many from housewives to young professionals consider themselves a bit of an expert.

The danger comes when people risk their life savings front up, said a housing agent. That was what MM Lee meant when he said Dont sell your HDB flat.

Industry sources said while some owners were forced to sell because of financial hardship, others were actually treating their public flats as an investment tool.

Convinced that properties in Singapore are over-priced, they cash out to live in rented flats, putting some stress to Lees home-ownership society.

They think they can buy it back a lot cheaper, and are flirting with trouble, one developer said.

With wages of the average working Singaporean struggling to keep up with living costs over the last decade, one out of every 12 owners are in arrears with his HDB payments.

The government which wants to accept more immigrants to achieve a 6.5-million population is playing down the negative impact the open door policy is having on Lees dream of 100% home ownership

One report said that 60% of grassroots leaders of the ruling PAP recently disagreed with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongs foreigner intake explanation.

With spiralling prices, more young people are complaining their marriage plans are affected.

While MM Lee is advising us not to sell, I still cannot afford to buy one, said Willie.

(This was first published in The Star, Malaysia).

A former Reuters correspondent and newpaper editor, Seah is now a free-lance columnist writing on general trends in Singapore. This post first appeared on his blog, www.littlespeck.com on October 23, 2010

[kueytoc]

Aiyoh...GAME OVER !

‘Sleeping girls’ molester in school nabbed

By Kai Fong – December 3rd, 2010

Police have arrested a 23-year-old student believed to be linked to a series of molest cases at a tertiary institution in Ang Mo Kio.

Dubbed the “sleeping girls” molester, the Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) student allegedly prowled the campus library, preying only on unsuspecting students who had fallen asleep at their study desks or corners, reported The Straits Times (ST).

He would allegedly approach them from the back and stroke their thighs, legs or backs, fleeing when the victims woke up.

Preliminary investigations revealed that he is believed to have molested at least four NYP students, with two incidents taking place last month.

Police arrested the suspect at his residence in Bukit Batok Street 31 on Wednesday.

Among the items seized from his home was stolen lingerie, which did not appear to belong to any of the women he is believed to have molested.

While it is not known whether the suspect is still attending classes, the school has arranged for the affected students to receive counselling.

“We are also in touch with them and their families to provide any further support and assistance,” said a spokesman from NYP, adding that it would be “inappropriate” to comment further as the case was still under investigation.

All 30 students that ST spoke to did not know about the arrest. Many were shocked to know that the molest incidents happened in public view in the school library, which they say is almost always full until it closes each weeknight at 9pm.

The library has two closed circuit television screens at the librarian’s lobby that broadcast footage of certain areas in both the lower and upper floors of the library.

But some say that they are not surprised.

“The resting corners and the café on the lower floor are safe because the concept is very open, but I can’t say the same for the upper floor.”

“It is so crowded, he could easily have committed the act and disappeared,” said first-year manufacturing engineering student Muhammad Shakil, 17.

Several parents of NYP students have also expressed worry over the incidents.

“The school needs to step up their security. As parents, we trust them to be responsible for the students when they are in school,” said Madam Cindy Teo, 47, whose daughter is a student in NYP.

If found guilty of outrage of modesty, the suspect could be jailed up to two years, fined and caned.

[kueytoc]

WAH !...lemme check.

Finger length predicts prostate cancer risk: study

AFP - Wednesday, December 1

PARIS (AFP) – Men whose index fingers are longer than their ring, or fourth, fingers run a significantly lower risk of prostate cancer, according to a study published Wednesday in the British Journal of Cancer.

The chances of developing the disease drop by a third, and even more in younger men, the study found.

"Our results show that relative finger length could be used as a simple test for prostate cancer risk, particularly in men aged under 60," said Ros Eeles, a professor at the Institute of Cancer Research in Britain and co-author of the study.

Finger pattern could help identify which men should undergo regular screening, especially in combination with genetic testing or other risk factors such as a family history of the disease, she said.

From 1994 to 2009, Eeles and colleagues questioned more than 1,500 prostate cancer patients in Britain, along with 3,000 healthy control cases.

For more than half the men, the index was shorter than the ring finger. Compared to this group, men whose index and ring fingers were the same length -- 19 percent of the cohort -- had a similar prostate cancer risk.

But when the index finger was longer, the risk of developing the disease dropped by 33 percent.

Men under 60 were 87 percent less likely to be in the cancer group.

The relative length of the two fingers in question -- set before birth -- appears to be a marker of different levels of sex hormones to which a baby is exposed in the womb, with less testosterone correlating with a longer index finger.

Earlier research has shown that testosterone promotes the growth of prostate cancer.

Underlying the unexpected connection between digits and cancer are two genes, HOXA and HOXD, that control both finger length and the development of sex organs.

Other studies have found a link between exposure to hormones before birth and the development of other diseases, including breast cancer and osteoarthritis.

[kueytoc]

Microsoft scrambling to keep up with Kinect demand

AFP - Wednesday, December 1

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - – Microsoft said Tuesday that it sold more than 2.5 million Kinect for Xbox 360 devices worldwide in the 25 days after that the gesture-sensing videogame controllers hit the market.

Microsoft is on track to meet its forecast of selling five million Kinect gadgets by the end of the year, according to Don Mattrick, president of Interactive Entertainment Business at the US-based technology giant.

"We are thrilled about the consumer response to Kinect, and are working hard with our retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments of Kinect to restock shelves as fast as possible to keep up with demand," Mattrick said.

Kinect is available at more than 60,000 retailers in 38 countries, according to Microsoft.

Kinect uses a 3D camera and motion recognition software to let people play videogames on Xbox 360 consoles using natural body movements and voice commands instead of hand-held controllers.

The standalone Kinect, which works with the 45 million Xbox 360s already sold worldwide, costs 150 dollars. A four-gigabyte Xbox 360 console that includes the Kinect and the "Kinect Adventures" game sells for 299 dollars.

[kueytoc]

Sayonara for no reason !

Premier League - Newcastle fire Hughton

Mon, 06 Dec 13:45:00 2010

Newcastle United have sacked manager Chris Hughton after 18 months in charge at St James' Park.

The 51-year-old coach has parted company with the club, along with goalkeeping coach Paul Barron, following the 3-1 defeat at fellow promoted club West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

Hughton leaves the club with an overall record of 39 wins, 14 defeats and 17 draws in all competitions.

The club said in a statement on their website: "The board would like to place on record their thanks to Chris for his considerable efforts during the club's transition from Championship to Premier League football. Chris has shown exceptional character and commitment since being appointed manager in October 2009. The club wishes him well for the future.

"Regrettably the board now feels that an individual with more managerial experience is needed to take the club forward.

"The task of appointing a new manager now begins. An announcement will be made shortly regarding transitional arrangements pending the appointment of a successor."

Hughton said in a statement via the League Managers' Association: "We have built on last season’s momentum following promotion back up to the Barclays Premier League and have produced some excellent results to see us sitting midway in the table at this stage of the season.

I am immensely proud of my achievements with Newcastle and I enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the players, my staff and the supporters during my time as manager. I now wish them and the club all the very best for the future.

"The termination of my contract is now in the hands of the LMA and I will therefore be making no further comment at this stage."

Hughton leaves the club just seven months after guiding them back into the top flight and with them sitting 11th in the table.

The sacking comes just over a month after they beat bitter local rivals Sunderland 5-1 and won 1-0 at Arsenal.

That win at the Emirates Stadium in early November was their last in the Premier League, although they also secured a 1-1 draw with champions Chelsea in their last home game.

Hughton, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season, had already been the subject of intense speculation over his job earlier in the campaign.

The club were forced to address the situation publicly after bookmakers had suspended betting on Hughton leaving the club, and said in a statement following the 4-0 Carling Cup defeat at home to Arsenal in October: "Chris is our manager and will remain our manager, and it is our intention to re-negotiate his contract at the end of the year."

Hughton arrived at Newcastle in February 2008 following a 20-year association with Tottenham.

He was appointed as coach to Kevin Keegan by director of football Dennis Wise, and then served as caretaker manager when Keegan left and was replaced by Joe Kinnear.

When Kinnear fell ill the following February, Hughton again stepped in, before assisting Alan Shearer and Iain Dowie as Newcastle were relegated.

He was placed in caretaker charge in the summer of 2009, with owner Mike Ashley not willing to appoint a permanent boss while he looked to sell the club.

Hughton started so well, though, that the club offered him a permanent deal in October.

He then guided United to the Championship title, with the prize wrapped up with two games to spare.

On their return to the top flight, Newcastle have won five of their 16 games so far, including victories over Sunderland and Arsenal and a 6-0 triumph over Aston Villa.

Recent away results have been disappointing, though, with a 5-1 defeat at Bolton followed by yesterday's loss to Albion.

Hughton kept his players locked in the dressing room for more than an hour following the defeat, but when he eventually emerged to face the media, he gave no indications of what was to come today.

He said at the time: "After most games, there tends to be an inquest into the game and today (Sunday) we didn't do well enough to win a football match.

"Some of it is about getting answers, some of it is about venting your anger.

"But these are the normal things that will go on after a game, particularly when the result has been as disappointing as today.

"Our season has very much been highs and lows. We've picked up some disappointing results and we've had some tremendous results."

Former Spurs manager Martin Jol has been installed as the bookies' favourite for the Newcastle vacancy, after quitting his job as Ajax boss on Monday evening.

Eurosport / PA Sport

[kueytoc]

Nolan stunned by Hughton departure

Tue, 07 Dec 10:18:06 2010

Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan admits the club's players are in shock following the sacking of manager Chris Hughton - but says the squad must stick together under his successor.

Magpies owner Mike Ashley made the decision to dismiss Hughton on Monday, despite the club lying a solid 11th in the Premier League table in their first season back in the top flight.

Martin Jol and Alan Pardew are among the frontrunners to take over at St James' Park, and Nolan admits the move has come as a major surprise to him and his team-mates.

He told The Sun: "We are all upset that Chris is going. He helped a lot of the lads here with their careers when he was a coach and then as manager. We will never forget our promotion from the Championship last season and we have to do what he told us. Stick together, make sure we keep the unity Chris has built up and get through this difficult period. It goes without saying we were shocked by the announcement."

Former Bolton midfielder Nolan also paid tribute to how Hughton conducted himself after being informed of his fate, revealing that he had wished the players well for the remainder of the campaign.

"Chris was gutted about what had happened. You could see that," Nolan continued. "But it said so much about him that, even though he was obviously disappointed to be going, he was still telling me and Joey (Barton) that we had to make sure we had a good season. There was such dignity about the way he left, which is how he conducted himself while he was the manager."

[kueytoc]

Premier League - Paper Round: Hughton's crazy life at Newcastle

Tue, 07 Dec 08:53:00 2010

The papers are full of Chris Hughton stories after his sacking on Monday but it is the Daily Mirror that really comes up with the juice about the behind-the-scenes goings-on at St James' Park.

An exclusive piece from Simon Bird lists a string of revelations as to just what Hughton had to put up with at the club.

According to Bird, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias sacked Hughton because he was not "showbusiness" enough for them and they wanted a manager who would attract the Sky cameras to St James' Park more often - as each visit from the television station pockets the club £500,000.

Among the other nonsense that Hughton had to put up with was a duty to submit predictions for future games which he then had to discuss and compare with the Newcastle chiefs' own set of tips.

According to the paper, he also had to hold meetings with Ashley and Llambias before matches in order to listen to their football input as the pair considered themselves experts.

He was also accused of 'milking the crowd' after Newcastle beat Sunderland 5-1 in the Tyne-Wear derby when the fans chanted his name.

And finally, the paper claims that Hughton was furious that his policy of treating the players like adults was perceived as 'weakness' by the men in charge.

The Mirror, along with a number of other papers, speculate that Martin Jol, who left Ajax on Monday night, will be the next manager with Alan Pardew also linked in numerous papers.

The Independent meanwhile claims that Andy Carroll could now leave Newcastle in a £15 million deal as he was so close to his now former boss.

Some transfer rumours away from the Toon Army: Tottenham are edging closer to concluding a deal for Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar according to both The Sun and the Daily Mail. The South African is out of contract at the end of the season.

Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak is also linked with a move to White Hart Lane after falling out with Stuttgart manager Jens Keller. (Daily Mail)

Both Liverpool and Celtic are interested in Wigan's Charles N'Zogbia but the Latics insist they don't need to sell. (Sun)

Arsenal have been linked with both Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks and West Brom's Borja Valero, who is currently on loan at Villarreal. (Sun)

West Ham are lining up a bid for Aston Villa's John Carew in January as they prepare to listen to offers for Carlton Cole. (Mirror)

Birmingham are interested in Fiorentina striker/winger Papa Waigo N'Diaye. The Senegalese spent last season on loan at Southampton. (Various).

And finally Milan Jovanovic has been offered the chance to end his Liverpool nightmare by Turkish side Trabzonspor.

Eurosport

[kueytoc]

Premier League - Newcastle: Runners and riders

Mon, 06 Dec 20:17:00 2010

Following the sacking of Chris Hughton as manager of Newcastle United, who will the next man to take the St James' Park hot seat?

Despite Hughton leading the Magpies back into the top flight at the first time of asking with virtually the same squad that had suffered relegation in 2009, the club said in a statement: "An individual with more managerial experience is needed to take the club forward."

None of the six men to have held the position full-time since Bobby Robson left in 2004 has lasted longer than 18 months, so the club must think carefully about their next appointment if they are to get the stability that would best enable it to challenge for major honours again.

But who will that man be? Below is a list of the bookies' favourites to take the job:

Martin Jol (1/2)

Hughton's former boss at Tottenham Hotspur, Martin Jol - rather interestingly - left his position as Ajax manager on the same day as the Newcastle hotseat became available. The 54-year-old Dutchman would bring bags of experience to St. James Park, having previously coached Spurs and Hamburg to fifth-placed finishes in the Premier League and Bundesliga respectively, and Ajax to within a point of the Eredivisie title last season.

Martin O'Neill (2/1)

The avuncular Ulsterman was linked with every job going during his time at Aston Villa, so, after leaving them on the eve of the season's start, he will always be the instant favourite whenever a vacancy comes up. Would be able to foster a good rapport with fans and players, a vital part of management on Tyneside, and has bags of the experience required by the Newcastle board at all levels. His record of paying high fees for mediocre players he barely used during his spell at Villa, however, may count against him.

Alan Pardew (2/1)

An unlikely name to emerge for a Premier League job, considering he has not managed in the top flight since taking Charlton down in 2007. Unlike Hughton, he was unable to bring the Addicks back up again the following season. Since leaving League One side Southampton in the summer, Pardew has kept his profile up with a series of media appearances. His wage demands would presumably not be as high as many of the other candidates, and reports of boardroom rows and dressing room unrest leading to his sacking on the South Coast mean he would fit right in at St James' Park.

Alan Curbishley (7/1)

Another name to crop up on every shortlist for a vacant Premier League job, Curbishley has been out of employment since leaving West Ham in September 2008. Just as Kevin Keegan's second spell at Newcastle ended after Dennis Wise signed players without his approval, Curbishley left the Hammers after players were sold behind his back, so he and owner Mike Ashley may not exactly be a match made in heaven. Still, he has 10 years' worth of top flight managerial experience, and would be seen as a safe pair of hands, though not exactly the man to lead them up the table.

Paul Lambert (10/1)

The Scotsman is seen as one of the brightest managerial prospects outside the Premier League, following steady jobs at Wycombe, Colchester and current club Norwich. The 41-year-old led the Canaries into the Championship last season, his first at Carrow Road, and they currently reside fourth in the Championship table. A no-nonsense straight-talker, Lambert could make the move up a division seamlessly, but would need the security of a board that would back him to the hilt, something Newcastle have shown they cannot provide.

Peter Beardsley (14/1)

Undeniably a legend as a player on Tyneside, Beardsley was one of the star men during Newcastle's thrilling spell under Keegan in the mid-1990s that so nearly brought the title back to the city for the first time in 70 years. Unlike so many other great players, Beardsley has not sullied his reputation by moving into full management, although the Magpies reserve team boss has been put in charge on an interim basis. His appointment would surely be seen as looking to the past rather than being the man needed to "take the club forward".

Alan Shearer (16/1)

Newcastle's former star striker, record signing and hometown boy could not save the club from relegation last season when he won just one of his eight matches in charge. The former Magpies and England captain certainly seems to be appreciating his return to the safety of the pundits' sofa after his brief spell in the hot seat. Those eight matches represent the entirety of his managerial career and, while a directorial or ambassadorial role is surely his whenever he wants it, Shearer is not a credible choice. But then, Hughton's sacking is barely credible.

Slaven Bilic (16/1)

After masterminding home and away wins over Steve McClaren's England for Croatia, Bilic was tipped for big things. But, with his reputation bolstered, he decided not to put himself in the running for the vacancy at former club West Ham, which went to Gianfranco Zola. Despite not qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, Bilic announced he intended to complete at least one more qualification campaign with Croatia, who are currently top of their Euro 2012 group and unbeaten after four games. A short stint as player-manager of Hajduk Split, almost a decade ago, makes him a virtual club novice, though.

Joe Kinnear (16/1)

Kinnear's spell at Newcastle in their relegation campaign of 2008-09 can certainly be described as 'ill-fated'. In a little over six months in charge he won just five of his 26 games, stunned fans with his four-letter tirade at journalists during a press conference then had to take a break from the game after suffering a heart complaint that required triple bypass surgery. Despite that, he claimed in the summer that Newcastle had offered him a two-year contract, which he was unable to accept because of his ongoing recovery, something the Toon strenuously denied.

Other candidates

Frank Rijkaard (16/1), Lee Clark (16/1), Roberto di Matteo (18/1), Gus Poyet (20/1), Walter Smith (20/1), Steve Bruce (40/1), Paul Gascoigne (250/1)

Tony Mabert / Eurosport

[kueytoc]

Roy Hodgson not the man for Liverpool: Jason McAteer

By Ewen Boey – December 7th, 2010

Retired Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer does not believe that Roy Hodgson is the right man to lead Liverpool, but he insists the Reds manager be given full support.

“I think he possibly wasn’t the right choice. I would have loved to see Rafa Benitez stay, but it’s happened and you’ve got to believe in the manager and give him support. To be fair, if anyone’s had a tough job this year, it’s Roy Hodgson,” said the 39-year-old Irishman.

The Reds endured a nightmare start to the season under Hodgson, who replaced the outgoing Rafa Benitez. They quickly dropped into the relegation zone and struggled to put together a run of convincing displays. Critics were quick to blast the former Fulham and Inter Milan boss, saying he was out of his depth.

However, in recent weeks, the ship seems to have been steadied somewhat with a 3-0 victory early Tuesday morning against Aston Villa moving the Reds up to eighth place.

McAteer, who’s in town for a soccer clinic organised by IAHGames, in collaboration with football scouting web portal, ScoutForAll, told Yahoo! Singapore, “Now there’s a bit more confidence installed. The win against Chelsea was good and there’s a bit more belief in what they’re doing. Comolli’s come in now, so there’ll obviously be some interesting players in January”.

Despite their stop-start performances, McAteer also believes Liverpool can qualify for the Champions League.

“We can definitely finish in fourth. Who would have thought we’d only be seven points off Manchester City in fourth position now?” he said.

“The club’s now probably moving in the right direction for the first time in eight to nine months. A club with that much transition on and off the pitch is always going to find it difficult to perform.”

McAteer was quick to add that Liverpool are not the type of club to sack managers on a whim, unlike other clubs like Newcastle United, who fired manager Chris Hughton on Monday.

“It’s not in the Liverpool tradition, like other football clubs, Newcastle to name one, to go about sacking managers at the first opportunity they can.

“There’s every chance (of an implosion). It’s a disgraceful situation. I think the man (Chris Hughton) has done a fantastic job there. People forget how good a job he’s done, and that just 18 months ago, nobody wanted that job. The club was in big decline and he managed to steady the ship,” he added.

The woes of being in charge of a team is no stranger to McAteer as he also had a short stint as assistant manager to former Liverpool team mate John Barnes at Tranmere Rovers last year, which ended prematurely.

After only two league wins from 11 matches, the duo were sacked.

However, the retired midfielder, who also formerly plied his trade at Bolton, Blackburn, Sunderland and Tranmere, is determined to continue coaching players once the right opportunity presents itself again.

“I would definitely want to continue coaching back in England. I enjoy coaching kids and reserves. It’s a different mentality from coaching first-team players. You get the feeling that first-team players can let you down more than reserve team players for some reason,” he said.

McAteer also believes that the development of football in Asia is getting better, with more money is being pumped into grassroots football.

Incredibly, he even went as far to say that an Asian nation could go on to win the next World Cup, due to be held in Brazil in 2014.

“You hear about Pele and Platini saying the next team to win the World Cup is going to be an African country, but I think it’s going to be an Asian country. Japan in the Asian Games were fantastic, though it was only an under-20 team, but their football was great and they won it quite easily,” he said.

“Players in Asia are not only getting better technically, but also physically. Traditionally, Asian players were much weaker and smaller than European players but now they’re working on their diet and coaching and physical aspects of the game,” he added.

Phil Brown, the former manager of Hull City, who is also in town for the same event, added, “The technique and skill is there for the Singapore kids who were at the clinic yesterday.”

However, he observed that he did not see much hunger and passion by the local players.

“I think that’s what’s lacking in the players here. They don’t treat the game with enough importance and seriousness, whereas the youngsters in England will really play with all their passion when on the pitch,” said Brown.

[kueytoc]

Senile Syndrome !

Islamic banking superior to Western kind: Mahathir

AFP - Wednesday, December 8

SINGAPORE, Dec 7, 2010 (AFP) Malaysia's outspoken ex-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday blamed Western lending practices for the world's financial problems and hailed Islamic banking as a "superior" model.

Mahathir told a conference on Islamic finance in Singapore that the 2008 global financial crisis was sparked by excessive lending by Western banks.

Islamic banks, in contrast, are constrained because every deal needs to be backed by a real asset under the principles of Sharia law, he said.

"So if you make a comparison, the Islamic system is in many ways superior to the conventional banking system," said Mahathir, one of the best-known political figures in the Muslim world.

"The conventional banking system is much more open to abuse than the Islamic banking system," added the former leader, who steered Malaysia through the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and stepped down as prime minister in 2003.

"So far, the Islamic banks have not been involved in the present crisis except those perhaps who dabble in the money markets in the West," he said.

"Islamic banking is almost immune to these kinds of crook deals."

Islamic banking fuses principles of Islamic law, known as Sharia, and modern banking methods. Islamic funds are banned from investing in companies associated with tobacco, alcohol or gambling.

Sharia-based finance also bans interest, which is seen as usury, and risks are shared between the creditor and borrower.

"The conventional bank lends 30 times the amount of money that they have but the Islamic bank, because they have to participate in taking the risk, they will have to be much more careful," Mahathir said.

Mahathir, 85, attacked the Federal Reserve's controversial decision to pump an extra 600 billion dollars into the US economy.

"Do you think that they have this money with them that they have it in their vault kept there, 600 billion dollars to be issued whenever someone needs money?" said Mahathir.

"No, they don't have but they can give the money, 600 billion dollars, simply because they can create money."

On the prospects of Islamic finance, Mahathir said the industry can grow further especially in Southeast Asia which includes Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country with almost 240 million people.

He urged Muslims in Southeast Asia to tap business opportunities offered by Islamic finance.

"With Islamic banks being available, there is capital which is now accessible to conscientious Muslims who do not want to be involved with interest," said Mahathir.

"Whether Islamic banking prospers or not depends very much on the ability of the Muslims firstly to do business, to understand business."

Assets of Islamic financial institutions increased five-fold to around one trillion US dollars between 2003 and 2009, according to credit watchdog Moody's Investors Service.

It has estimated the full potential of the industry at five trillion dollars or more.

[kueytoc]

WAH !...'DNA' spread all over the globe.

Football superstar Ronaldo: That’s my son in Singapore

By Ewen Boey – December 9th, 2010

It’s official: Brazilian superstar footballer Ronaldo has a son living in Singapore.

The ex-Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid star confirmed via his Twitter account on Wednesday night that he is indeed the biological father of 5-year-old Alexander, who lives with his mother Ms Michele Umezu, 28, in the city-state.

Ms Umezu, who works as a freelance model, had a brief fling with the three-time Fifa World Player of the Year when they met back in Tokyo in 2004. Alexander is believed to be a product of that union.

Ronaldo, who now plays for Brazilian club Corinthians, had said on Monday on his Twitter feed that he had a DNA test to determine whether he was really the father of a five-year-old boy in Singapore.

The 34-year-old striker took the test because Ms Umezu has been trying since 2009 to have him recognised as the father and is demanding child support.

“The test results proved what I showed my feelings when I saw Alex,” Ronaldo tweeted on Wednesday night.

The man once dubbed “The Phenomenon” added, “Alex is my son, the brother of three more beautiful children like him. And I will always be a father to all the pleasures and duties. Welcome.”

The hype began in the middle of this year, when those present at a reception hosted by the Brazilian embassy in Singapore noticed little Alexander, as he bore an uncanny resemblance to the famous football star.

“He’s a carbon copy of Ronaldo,” a guest present that night told The Straits Time on Tuesday.

The child has since been the talk of the 1,300-strong Brazilian community, with Brazilian media and websites running pictures of Ms Umezu, Ronaldo and Alexander.

“We’re all very curious about her, me and my friends. We haven’t seen her but we hope to meet her,” said former sports journalist Flavia du Chenoy Bucey, 24, who moved to Singapore last year and had interviewed Ronaldo’s first wife, Milene Domingues.

It is reported that Ms Umezu first met Ronaldo in Tokyo in 2002 at a party celebrating Brazil’s World Cup triumph. She was then working at a nightclub.

When speaking to the Brazilian media in April, Ms Umezu remained tight-lipped, but said that her son knew who his real father was.

“Sometimes, he wants to see pictures of him. he looks like his father,” she said, referring to Ronaldo, who currently plies his trade with Brazilian club Corinthians.

“When he grows up, he would like to be like his dad,” she added.

This is not the first time Ronaldo has faced trouble in his personal life.

In 2008, the three-time married footballer was involved in a scandal with three transvestite prostitutes whom he met in a nightclub in his home town of Rio de Janeiro.

[kueytoc]

Dun PLAY-PLAY ah...! Be mindful of ya gifts this Christmas...

FBI warns Barbie doll could be used for Child P.O.R.N.

Reuters - Wednesday, December 8

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES - The FBI has issued a "cyber crime alert" for a new Barbie doll that comes equipped with a tiny hidden video camera in her chest, saying the toy could be misused to make child p.o.r.n.

The report, issued by the FBI's Sacramento field office November 30 and titled "Barbie 'Video Girl' a Possible Child Pornography Production Method," warns that the doll's camera captures up to 30 minutes of footage that can be downloaded to a computer.

But an FBI spokeswoman downplayed the document, saying it was intended for internal use by law enforcement, not the media, and such warnings are not unusual. It was apparently sent to some news organizations by mistake.

"There have been no reported incidents of this doll being used as anything other than as intended," Washington-based FBI spokeswoman Jenny Shearer said, reading from a prepared statement.

"For clarification purposes, the alert's intent was to insure that law enforcement agencies were aware that the doll, like any other video-capable equipment, could contain evidence and to not disregard such an item during a search," she said.

Shearer added that the Situational Information Report had been "taken out of context" in the media and "our intent was to aid law enforcement in evidence gathering."

The Barbie Video Girl Doll, which is manufactured by Mattel and first went on sale in July, contains a small video camera in its chest, concealed inside a locket.

Footage from the camera can be viewed on an LCD screen in the doll's back or downloaded to a computer. The FBI alert said there was no indication it could be streamed directly to the Internet.

"The FBI is not reporting that anything has happened. Steve Dupre from the FBI Sacramento field office has confirmed there have been no incidents of this doll being used as anything other than its intent," Mattel said in a written statement provided to Reuters.

"Mattel products are designed with children and their best interests in mind. Many of Mattel's employees are parents themselves and we understand the importance of child safety -- it is our number one priority," Mattel said.

According to the Mattel website, the doll, which sells for $49.99, has been nominated for 2011 Toy of the Year.

"Girls can record and play back clips with this multi-tasking doll, which has a video camera built right in," the website says in part.

"Capture everything from a dolls-eye view and then watch it instantly or upload to your computer. There's an LCD screen on Barbie doll's back, and a camera lens hidden discreetly in her necklace. Talk about making movies in style!"