Posted by admin on July 30, 2010
Long-time Real Madrid forward Raul completed his move to Bundesliga club Schalke on Wednesday. He signed a two-year contract.
Raul joined Schalke on a free transfer after 15 seasons with the Spanish club, ending lengthy speculation about the move. The club presented the 33-year-old striker at its stadium in Gelsenkirchen, giving him the number seven shirt.
Raul said, “For me it’s a special day because I am leaving behind the club I have been with for 16 years, Real Madrid. But I have the feeling that I am starting a new challenge. I am delighted by the faith that has been placed in me, especially by Schalke 04 coach Felix Magath, who from the start has shown that he wanted this moved to become reality.”
Raul made his Madrid debut as a 17-year-old in 1994 and had stayed with the club since then – a span that includes three Champions League triumphs, six Spanish league titles and two Intercontinental Cups.
He leaves with 228 league goals for Madrid, and a record 44 goals in 102 appearances for Spain, though he hasn’t played for the national team since 2006. Raul is also the leading scorer in UEFA competitions with 66 goals, including 64 in the Champions League.
Posted by admin on July 24, 2010
Fernand Duchaussoy stepped in as the new chief of the French Football Federation on Friday, replacing Jean-Pierre Escallettes, who resigned in the wake of the country’s miserable World Cup journey.
Duchaussoy, 67, stepped up to the job from his position as head of the amateur football league. He was elected president of the French Football Federation on a caretaker basis.
Duchaussoy’s appointment came after new coach Laurent Blanc announced that as punishment he was suspending all of France’s 23-player World Cup squad for a friendly against Norway next month.
Posted by admin on July 23, 2010
The United Nations’ hightest court said in a non-binding opinion Thursday that the 2008 Kosovo independence declaration does not violate general international law.
While delivering the non-binding advisory opinion, International Court of Justice (ICJ) President Hisashi Owada said: “The declaration of Feb. 17, 2008 did not violate general international law.”
Owada said that international law contains no prohibition on declarations of independence.
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who was present in the court, said Thursday that his country would “never, under any circumstances” recognize a self-proclaimed, independent Kosovo. [ He also said difficult days are ahead for his country, and it is crucially important to keep the entire territory of the province of Kosovo peaceful and stable.
Kosovo, an autonomous Serbian province, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia two years ago and remains under U.N. administration.
In October 2008, Serbia demanded that the U.N. General Assembly ask the ICJ to issue an opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s break from Serbia.
Ahead of the ruling, Jeremic warned that all of the world’s borders would be at risk if the ICJ supported Kosovo’s “secession”.
The United States swiftly expressed support to the U.N. court opinion that the Kosovo independence declaration does not violate the general international law.
Posted by admin on July 21, 2010
The Palestinian Fatah party opposes starting direct negotiations with Israel as long as it continues settlement activities, a member of the movement’s Central Committee said Tuesday.
“The general movement of Fatah is to reject moving from the proximity negotiations to the face-to-face talks as long as the Israeli settlement activities and its denial of the peace references continued,” Mahmoud al-Aloul told Xinhua following a meeting of the Central Committee here on Tuesday.
The meeting, chaired by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, evaluated the U.S.-mediated proximity talks that started in May and the pressure put on the Palestinian leadership to go to direct talks. However, a decision either to continue the proximity talks or to stop them has not yet been made, according to al-Aloul.
The Central Council of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is scheduled to meet next month to decide on the talks.
The proximity talks aim at defining the borders of the future Palestinian statehood and the related security issues, but the Palestinians say the negotiations, intended to last for four months, have not made any progress so far.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Dahlan, another member of the Central Committee, said the decision-making body of Fatah and the movement ‘s Revolutionary Council would continue their meetings in preparation for a July 29 convention of the Arab League (AL) committee that deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The AL follow-up committee would also evaluate the negotiations.
Dahlan reiterated that moving to direct talks requires achievements in the issues of border and security and freeze of Israeli settlement construction in occupied Palestinian territories.
Posted by admin on July 21, 2010
By reaffirming the “truly special relationship” between the two allies, U.S. President Barack Obama and visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday waged a public campaign to appease recent tensions over the BP company, which was blamed for the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster and its alleged role in the release of the Lockerbie bomber last August.
“The United States and the United Kingdom enjoy a truly special relationship, … the United States has no closer ally and no stronger partner than Great Britain,” said Obama at a joint news conference with Cameron in the White House, adding that the two allies have been addressing common challenges ranging from terrorism to economic recovery, from non-proliferation to climate change.
Obama said that he and Cameron discussed the bilateral relations and common concerns, including sanctions on Iran, peace in the Middle East, and war in Afghanistan. Politely, Obama offered the prime minister an opportunity to comment on BP, at which Americans have poured massive anger over the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster and the alleged role in the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
Cameron, who is here not only for his first official visit as British prime minister, but for extinguishing the fierce fire against BP, said that he “absolutely” understood Americans’ anger at BP following the oil disaster, which is believed to be the largest offshore spill in U.S. history resulting in a catastrophe for the environment, and for the fishing and tourism industry.
“We are clear here that BP should be blamed for what has happened in the Gulf, and have real responsibilities to cap the well, to clean up the spill, to pay compensation,” said Cameron.
Posted by admin on July 17, 2010
Adriano
Spanish champions Barcelona agreed a 9.5 million-euro deal with Sevilla to sign Brazilian player Adriano, the club said on Friday.
The 25-year-old, who can play at full-back or as a wide midfielder, will cost an initial fee of 9.5 million euros and a conditional four million extra depending on his performances.
Adriano has been at Sevilla since 2004, twice tasting success in both the King’s Cup (2007, 2010) and the UEFA Cup (2006, 2007).
He would become the first player to move to Barcelona since the arrival of new club president Sandro Rosell at the beginning of July.
Barca have already completed the signing of Spanish international striker David Villa, who arrived from Valencia for a fee close to 40 million euros.
Posted by admin on July 16, 2010
By a vote of 60 to 39, the U.S. Senate approved on Thursday the landmark financial overhaul, setting a new milestone in the U.S. financial regulatory legislation history since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law next week.
The 2,300-page legislation, the most ambitious rewrite of financial regulations in decades, aims to curb Wall Street’s high- risk practices blamed for the global economic meltdown of 2008, solve the systemic risk of the “too big to fail” problem among financial firms, and create a consumer protection agency to better protect Americans.
The Obama administration proposed the legislation in June 2009 in an effort to avoid the repeat of the financial crisis in the past two years.
Named after Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, the bill is expected to be described as another political victory by the Obama administration after the health care bill which was signed into law by the president earlier this year.
The House of Representatives approved it on June 30.
Posted by admin on July 16, 2010
Caster Semenya
South Africa’s athlete Caster Semenya , left, in the 800 metres in Lappeenranta, eastern Finland on Thursday, July 15, 2010. Caster Semenya has won her first race since being cleared to return to competition after underdoing gender tests. The 19-year-old South African won the 800 meters in a modest time of 2 minutes, 4.22 seconds on Thursday at the low-key Lappeenranta Games.
Posted by admin on July 15, 2010
Triple Olympic gold medallist Leisel Jones has been disqualified from the women’s 50m breaststroke at the Australian short course swimming championships in Brisbane.
Jones was rubbed out in the semi-finals on Wednesday after she toppled off the starting blocks, and will now turn her attention to the 100 and 200 meter events.
Her coach Rohan Taylor said Jones was philosophical about the incident.
“I spoke to Leisel and she just lost balance on the blocks and couldn’t stop herself and fell in. These things happen,” Taylor said.
“Coming into the meet she was more focused on the 100m and 200m events and will look to concentrate on them later in the week,” Taylor added.
Leiston Pickett set the fastest heat time in the absence of Jones, clocking 30.69 seconds, in front of Emily Seebohm (31.13) and world championships bronze medallist Sarah Katsoulis (31.16).
Posted by admin on July 15, 2010
captain Philipp Lahm and his new wife Claudia
Germany’s national soccer captain Philipp Lahm and his new wife Claudia leave the church of Kleinhelfendorf near Munich in a carriage after their marriage ceremony July 14, 2010.
