Apollon aiming for winning start in Europa League
By Andreas VouApollon will be looking to start their Europa League campaign with three points when they host FC Zurich at the GSP Stadium on Thursday night.The Limassol side are no strangers to the competition having qualified for the group stages last year where they finished third in their group, and will be hoping to use that experience in their favour when they take on Zurich.The 2013/14 campaign saw them amass four points, including a win away to Legia Warsaw, but Christakis Christoforou’s men did not manage a victory at home, something which they aim to put right this time around.While it is by no means an easy game, it is the one which is most winnable for the Limassol side, in front of their own fans, with Borussia Monchengladbach and Villarreal being the two fancied teams to qualify for the next round.Apollon pulled off one of the biggest results of the play-off round to reach the groups when they defeated Lokomotiv Moscow 1-4 in the Russian capital to add to their 1-1 draw in Cyprus.And despite their disappointing start to the Cypriot league season where they lost 2-5 at home to AEK Larnaca on the opening day, they go into Thursday’s match in good spirits following their 1-0 win over Ayia Napa, their second league win in succession.The scorer of that solitary goal was talisman Gaston Sangoy who Apollon are delighted to have back in the team for a crucial home European match. The Argentine missed the first leg against Lokomotiv, which finished 1-1 in Nicosia, through suspension and the difference with him in the side in the second leg was evident.The Swiss club, on their part, have enjoyed an excellent start to the domestic season as they sit top of the league after eight games, one point ahead of Champions League participants FC Basel.Much of their success is down to Davide Chiumento and Amine Chermiti who have scored five and four times respectively in the league while Chermiti netted a hat-trick in the first leg of their play-off encounter against Spartak Trnava – Apollon’s biggest task will be to keep their deadly duo as quiet as possible.Zurich have also had their fair share of European adventures in recent years having reached the group stages of either the Europa League or Champions League in four of the last six campaigns.Though their opponents cannot be underestimated, Apollon will see this as their best opportunity to earn their first home win at home in the group stages and put down a solid marker for the more difficult challenges which lie ahead.APOLLON
By Martyn HermanArsenal struck twice in the last two minutes for a smash and grab 2-1 away victory at Anderlecht in Champions League Group D on Wednesday to earn three vital points.The Londoners produced a lethargic display and were trailing to Andy Najar’s 71st-minute header before Kieran Gibbs equalised after 89 minutes and then Lukas Podolski smashed in a close-range winner.It was tough luck on Anderlecht who had seemed on course for a first victory in the competition in 11 attempts.Arsenal remain in second place with six points, three behind Borussia Dortmund who have won all of their games.Neither side managed a shot on target in a forgettable first half in the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.Arsenal offered precious little going forward with Alexis Sanchez the only player showing any real desire.After the tepid first half the second began in more lively fashion with Ibrahima Conte raising the noise levels with a shot deflected wide.Arsenal responded minutes later when Sanchez found himself unmarked with his back to goal in the six-yard box but he failed to angle his header away from grateful keeper Silvio Proto.It was the hosts who made the breakthrough though with 19 minutes remaining and it was goal of real quality.Najar played the ball to Dennis Praet who twisted and turned Arsenal’s languid defence before clipping the perfect cross to the far post where Najar dispatched a firm header past Emiliano Martinez, Arsenal’s third-choice keeper who was making his Champions League debut.It almost got better for Anderlecht when Anthony Vanden Borre’s mis-hit shot looped against the post with Arsenal’s defence in disarray.Sanchez rustled the side-netting with a free kick but Anderlecht looked the more likely to score as the crowd began chanting ‘ole’s’ with every home pass.It all went sour for Anderlecht though as first left-back Gibbs produced a superb volley from a Calum Chambers cross.Suddenly revived, Arsenal went for the unlikeliest of victories and with the clock at 90 minutes, Sanchez caused havoc in the area and his low cross fell to Podolski who thrashed the ball high into the net.
INTER Milan coach Roberto Mancini says a major reshuffle of his squad is not needed in the January transfer window as they firmly sit on top of the Serie A table.Last season Inter had to alter their tactics after the club signed wingers Xherdan Shaqiri and Lukas Podolski in the January transfer window.“I don’t think we need to do anything but we do need to consider if there are players who want to move on so they can play more,” the former Manchester City manager said in an interview with the Italian television channel RAI.There are some players in the Inter squad who play less, including Spanish defender Martin Montoya who is on loan from Champions League winners Barcelona.“I don’t know if Montoya will leave in January. He’s played and shown he’s up to the task… It’s up to him if he wants to accept this situation or look somewhere else where he might play more regularly,” Mancini added.Mancini played down Italian media rumours on the possible signing of Argentinian Boca Juniors striker Jonathan Calleri.Inter, four points ahead of second-placed Fiorentina, play Lazio on Sunday in their last match before the transfer window opens.
Prosecutors have tabled fresh allegations of bribes being paid to FIFA executive committee members to vote for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup.An indictment unsealed on Monday in a US District Court in Brooklyn alleges Nicolas Leoz, the then president of South American football’s governing body CONMEBOL, and former Brazil federation president Ricardo Teixeira accepted bribes to vote for the Gulf state at FIFA’s executive committee meeting in 2010.The indictment also alleges Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, who was president of the North and Central American and Caribbean governing body CONCACAF, received 5 million US dollars in bribes to vote for Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup.Guatemala federation president Rafael Salguero was also promised a 1 million dollar bribe to vote for Russia, according to the indictment, an updated third draft of charges in the matter, which alleges 53 counts of illegal behaviour in total.The document also alleges a range of bribery and corruption offences in connection to broadcasting rights in North and South America for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, including events that led to the Fox network gaining the rights to show those competitions in the US.The case has been brought in the US after law enforcement bodies there, headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), undertook to look into allegations of bribery in world football, particularly relating to the 2018 and 2022 world cups.Leoz died last August, having avoided extradition to the US. Warner and Teixeira have also avoided extradition.Salguero pleaded guilty in 2018 to two counts of wire fraud conspiracy and to single counts of racketeering conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.Warner is alleged to have received bribe money for his Russia vote from 10 separate shell companies spread across countries including Anguilla, Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands.“The profiteering and bribery in international soccer have been deep-seated and commonly known practices for decades,” William F Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said in a statement issued by the office of the US Attorney in the Eastern District of New York.“Over a period of many years, the defendants and their co-conspirators corrupted the governance and business of international soccer with bribes and kickbacks, and engaged in criminal fraudulent schemes that caused significant harm to the sport of soccer.“Their schemes included the use of shell companies, sham consulting contracts and other concealment methods to disguise the bribes and kickback payments and make them appear legitimate.”Qatar won the right to host the 2022 tournament over the US by a vote of 14-8.The indictment includes charges that former 21st Century Fox executives Hernan Lopez and Carlos Martinez made payments to CONMEBOL officials to obtain US broadcast rights bidding information from a co-conspirator who was not identified in the indictment.ESPN had US television rights to the World Cup from 1994-2014, but in 2011 Fox gained the rights for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.After the 2022 tournament in Qatar was rescheduled from summer to late autumn, a time when it is likely to receive less attention than normal in the US due to clashing with the NFL, FIFA awarded Fox the rights for the 2026 World Cup without competitive bidding.Also charged in the indictment are former Imagina Media Audiovisual CEO Gerard Romy and the Uruguayan sports marketing company Full Play Group SA.The indictment includes charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The charges against Romy and Full Play also allege racketeering conspiracy.The indictment, detailed in the statement from the US Attorney’s office, says Lopez and Martinez joined Full Play and other co-conspirators in a scheme involving the annual payment of millions of dollars in bribes to officials of CONMEBOL in exchange for broadcasting rights to South America’s major club tournament, the Copa Libertadores.“Lopez and Martinez also relied on loyalty secured through the payment of bribes to certain CONMEBOL officials to advance the business interests of Fox, including to obtain confidential bidding information for the rights to broadcast the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments in the United States, rights that Fox successfully obtained,” the statement said.
Lawyers representing Lebanese businessman, George E. Haddad, seeking US$10.7M debt lawsuit against the Liberian Government, yesterday left the Commercial Court disappointed, after state lawyers argued that the court lacks jurisdiction to handle the matter.The Sherman & Sherman law firm representing the legal interest of Haddad, in 2012 filed a lawsuit against the Liberian Government. The lawsuit contends that from the year 2000 to 2008, Mr. Haddad sold and repaired vehicles and also supplied spare parts amounting to U$10.7M to several government institutions. Unfortunately, government is yet to pay the debt, despite Mr. Haddad’s persistent negotiation.They named some of the vehicles for which GOL owes Haddad as Cherokee, Land Rover Leon, among others.Haddad is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Prestige Motor Corporation and Alliance Motor Corporation.During yesterday’s hearing, government lawyer Cllr. Augustine Fayia asked the plaintiff to drop the case, claiming lack of jurisdiction. He did not deny that government owes Haddad.Before Cllr. Fayia’s contention, the parties presented all their legal documentations and the court’s scheduled appointment of Monday, February 16, as the date to start the case.Interestingly, while the court was in session, Cllr. Fayia asked for the dismissal of the entire matter on grounds of jurisdiction.Justifying their argument, Cllr. Fayia said, “The Commercial Court was established in 2010, which means the law that created it prevents the court from hearing cases prior to its establishment.”He further argued that, if the court continues with the matter, it would be a complete violation of the Constitution and the Act that created it.He pleaded that the court should advise Haddad’s lawyers to file their complaint to the appropriate court, but he did not mention the name of the court. In a counter argument, the Sherman and Sherman law firm maintained that the court has jurisdiction over the matter.They argued that the Act that created the court gives it progressive authority, meaning it can hear cases that even existed before its establishment.Haddad’s lawyers further argued that the government’s request was “unreasonable” because the court is a specialized court established with the intent to fast track matters relating to commercial transactions.They also contended that the government lawyer’s argument was contrary to the Act that established the Commercial Court.Immediately after the argument, the Resident Chief Judge, Eva Mappy Morgan declared that “Matter is suspended and it will resume following an issuance of a notice of assignment to the lawyers.”Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
With underground tunneling toward the missing men halted, officials had hoped a fourth hole drilled into the collapsed mine would finally offer clues to whether the men were alive, 1,500 feet below ground. Stickler said a fifth hole was in the works. He said crews spent at least four hours beating on the drill steel and setting off explosives to try to get the miners’ attention. Both were fruitless. “Make no mistake about it: This continues to be a rescue effort,” said Rob Moore, vice president of Murray Energy Corp., co-owner of the Crandall Canyon mine. “We have encountered setbacks. We’ve incurred losses, but we have not and will not give up hope.” HUNTINGTON, Utah – Rescue officials said Saturday they have found no signs of life after drilling a fourth hole into a collapsed mine where six workers are trapped. A microphone lowered into the latest hole revealed nothing to indicate anyone was in the cavern, and efforts to communicate with the miners’ by tapping on a drill bit yielded no response, a federal official said. A videocamera was being lowered into the hole overnight. The lack of any sign of the six men, who have been trapped for nearly two weeks, was a another disheartening blow in a rescue effort that has killed three other people. “We did not detect any signals from miners underground,” said Richard Stickler, head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
WASHINGTON – Some sport utility vehicles don’t provide the protection in a side crash that one might expect from such large vehicles, according to tests released this week by the insurance industry. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave marginal scores in side-impact tests of 2008 versions of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Jeep Grand Cherokee and two SUVs built by Nissan Motor Co. – the Pathfinder and Xterra without optional side air bags. In similar side testing, the Toyota 4Runner and Pathfinder and Xterra models equipped with side air bags received top marks of good in the side testing. The Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer received the second-highest rating of acceptable. “The performance of some of these models in the side test was surprising,” said David Zuby, the institute’s senior vice president. “SUVS should have an advantage in side crashes because the driver and passengers ride higher up than in cars.” 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREGame Center: Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 10 a.m.“People often think they’re safer in one of these vehicles, but many cars hold up better than some of these midsize SUVs in this test,” he said. In the institute’s side test, vehicles are struck with a barrier moving at 31 mph to reflect the force of a pickup or sport utility vehicle hitting the vehicle. The TrailBlazer and Grand Cherokee, built by General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, respectively, lack air bags that protect the chests and abdomens of front-seat occupants. The combination of weak side structures and the lack of chest protection led to high forces on the driver dummies’ chests and abdomens, Zuby said. 
The army bomb disposal team arrive to examine the scene of yesterday’s explosion.Gardai have identified a chief suspect after a booby-trap bomb exploded under a jeep in Letterkenny yesterday.Extensive damage was caused to a Mitsubishi Pajero jeep which was parked outside a house on the Manor View Park housing estate off Long Lane.Residents inside the houses close to the scene were not hurt but were left terrified by the attack. No arrests have yet been made in the investigation.Gardai rushed to the scene and a number of homes were immediately evacuated after the loud blast just before 4am.Gardai cordoned off the area for fear that there may be other undetonated devices nearby.The Army Technical Bomb Unit was summoned from Finner Camp army base in Ballyshannon to carry out a full investigation of the scene. The unit spent two hours at the scene but later left after removing a number of objects from the scene.No arrests have yet been made but Garda are working on a theory that the man whose car was attacked may know his attacker.The victim is a married man in his 60s with three grown-up children.Speaking at the scene, Inspector Pat O’Donnell said “I can confirm there has been an explosion under a vehicle in this area.“We have sealed off the scene and we have asked for the assistance of the army technical officers in case there are secondary devices in the area. “I would ask anyone who may have info on what happened here this morning to contact Gardai at Letterkenny.“We are currently carrying out house to house enquiries and I can tell you that there is some CCTV footage in the area which we are also studying,” he said.Gardai also said they would like to speak to the driver of a silver car seen in the area just before the blast.Local Town councillor Cllr McMonagle, who lives locally, says he does not understand why the device was planted. “The reality is that this is a housing estate and totally innocent people including schoolchildren could have been killed.“I am not sure for the reasons behind it but such actions cannot be justified.“We hear of these things happening in the north but not in Co Donegal and not on a busy housing estate in Letterkenny.“I would appeal to anyone who knows anything about this incident to contact the Gardai,” he said.GARDAI IDENTIFY CHIEF SUSPECT IN CAR-BOMB ATTACK was last modified: November 23rd, 2013 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Tags:car bombdonegalGardailetterkennyManor View Park
11 11 30. David Luiz (centre back) 3. Marcos Alonso (left wing-back) – check out the full line-up, in squad number order, by clicking the arrow above, right 11. Pedro (right attack) With the international break over, Chelsea can get back to strengthening their position at the top of the Premier League table.The Blues host Crystal Palace, in a 3pm kick off on Saturday 1 April, and should be looking to seal a straightforward victory.Palace, though, have at last hit a patch of good form, coming to Stamford Bridge off the back of three consecutive league wins.So will Antonio Conte remain loyal to the starting XI we have become so familiar with this season?Scroll through the gallery above to check out a possible Chelsea line-up to play Palace. 28. Cesar Azpilicueta (centre back) 11 11 11 13. Thibaut Courtois (goalkeeper) 7. N’Golo Kante (centre midfield) 11 11 10. Eden Hazard (left attack) 11 19. Diego Costa (striker) 11 24. Gary Cahill (centre back) 15. Victor Moses (right wing-back) 11 4. Cesc Fabregas (centre midfield) 11
UNION, Mo. – A newborn abducted after her mother was slashed was found alive Tuesday in excellent condition, and a woman who had recently miscarried was arrested, officials said. Dr. Peter McCarthy, an emergency-room physician at St. John’s Hospital in Washington, Mo., said 11-day-old Abigale Lynn Woods has been reunited with her mother, father and other relatives. She was expected to be released from the hospital later Tuesday. “The family is elated and thankful to everyone in the community who prayed for them,” McCarthy said. “The baby was hydrated, nourished and in good condition when she arrived at the hospital.” FBI agent Roland Corvington identified the suspect as Shannon Beck, who lives a few miles from the home of the mother and baby. AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREThe joys and headaches of holiday travel: John PhillipsThe case broke when Beck’s sister-in-law, Dorothy Torrez, contacted authorities. “She’s the hero,” Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke said. On Sunday, Beck contacted Torrez to say she had given birth, Corvington said. Beck had been pregnant but apparently miscarried shortly before her own child was to be born. Torrez visited Beck on Monday and urged her to take the child to a doctor, the FBI agent said. Beck agreed, and Torrez accompanied her to St. Louis on Tuesday, about 45 miles away. Torrez noticed what appeared to be makeup on the baby’s forehead, Corvington said. When she rubbed the forehead, makeup came off what was covering a small birthmark. In publicizing the abduction, police had described Abby’s strawberry-red birthmark. Her suspicions aroused, Torrez confronted Beck, who gave her the baby, Corvington said. Torrez contacted police, and the baby was handed over to authorities around 5 p.m. Tuesday. “An outstanding ending, obviously,” Toelke said. Toelke said the county prosecutor would address criminal charges today. It wasn’t immediately clear where Shannon Beck was or whether she had a lawyer. The child’s mother, 21-year-old Stephenie Ochsenbine, told police Friday a woman entered her rural home, attacked her with a knife and stole the baby, who was a week old at the time.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!