The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has issued flood warnings for the counties of Nord-Tr�ndelag and Nordland for this weekend, due to heavy rain and melting snow.
Source: http://www.norwaypost.no/news/flood-warnings-issued.html
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Statistics for December recorded a trade surplus of R10.3 billion, compared to R8.4bn in November, the SA Revenue Service said.
|||Trade statistics for December recorded a trade surplus of R10.3 billion, compared to a trade surplus of R8.4bn in November, the SA Revenue Service (Sars) said on Monday.
December's surplus was due to a decrease in exports of 10.4 percent and a decrease in imports of 15.9 percent.
Exports for December 2010 of R53.9bn and imports of R43.6bn resulted in a surplus of R10.3bn, Sars said in a statement.
In December 2009, there was a trade surplus of R3.6 billion.
“The trade surplus for December 2010 was buoyed by higher commodity exports, specifically in iron ore, precious metals and base metals,” Sars said.
The cumulative surplus for 2010 is R5bn compared to a deficit of R27.3bn in 2009.
This is an improvement of R32.3bn or 118.3 percent.
The last time a surplus was recorded for the year was in 2003 when it was R12bn. - Sapa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/r10-3bn-trade-surplus-in-december-1.1019336
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THE city's highest-performing school is to become an academy this week after parents backed the move.
St Joseph's College, in Trent Vale, will be the first in the Potteries to convert to academy status under fast-track rules for outstanding schools. It takes on the new status on tomorrow.
Head Roisin Maguire said the major draw was the school having more control of its funding, so money could be spent on meeting students' needs.
Stoke-on-Trent already has two academy schools created under the original academy rules, which involve formally closing schools and re-opening them with backing from sponsors. Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy, in Blurton, and Tunstall's The Cooperative Academy At Brownhills opened in September. St Joseph's doesn't need a sponsor to convert.
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A South African man has spoken of his horror as he watched protesters being killed outside his house in Cairo.
|||James Useni, who works at the South African embassy in Cairo, was trying to fall asleep after a busy day at work.
But just as he was dozing off he heard explosions, ran to a window and saw 12 army tanks parked near his home.
He then watched as protesters were beaten, shot and killed as they tried to set the vehicles alight. This happened on Saturday night.
“I just stayed quietly in my house last night and prayed. I said: ‘Oh God, just protect us from this situation.’ I am shivering as I tell you this. I watched people being killed when they tried to burn the tanks. I watched them die. At the time it was like watching a movie, but it was live and real. It is unpleasant and tense here … There are no planes, there is no internet and our cellphones don’t work,” Useni said on Sunday from the South African Embassy’s Cairo office.
According to the embassy’s database there were more than 100 South Africans, and scores of unregistered students, most from Cape Town, in and around Cairo where violent protests have continued for six days.
On Sunday, Malusi Mogale, international relations and co-operation ministry spokesman, said no official action had been taken to help South Africans in Egypt as this had not yet been deemed necessary.
Useni said he was waiting for orders as to whether South Africans would be evacuated.
Earlier on Sunday, he had heard gunshots which he believed came from a prison from which hundreds of convicts had fled.
“I’m just staying in my office. I don’t know what’s going to happen today or tomorrow. We’re not officially working. We’re advising South African citizens in Egypt to stay indoors. If there are any later developments, like evacuation orders, we’ll communicate this.”
Useni, originally from Zimbabwe and who has been working in Egypt for a decade, said: “Today I received a number of calls from South Africans wanting to know what to do. I gave them our emergency contact number. One person, his name’s Kevin, is very worried because he doesn’t have his passport. He sent it away to apply for a visa. Since Thursday I’ve been telling visiting South Africans, if you can, go home.
“But now there’s no transport into or out of Egypt. Two of our auditors tried to leave on Friday but slept at the airport for two nights before coming back here. There’s no transport running. I have to walk to work. With all the looting and killing, there’s clearly no one to protect us. When you walk in the streets now you have to carry a knife to protect yourself,” Useni said, his voice shaking.
Riad Fataar, a Mitchells Plain resident and Muslim Judicial Council executive member, said three of his children, a grandchild and son-in-law, were in Cairo.
“I’m in contact with them on the landline, all the time. Their cellphones are down and they have no internet, so thank goodness for the landline.”
His children, who had grown up in Cairo where he had lived for a decade, were students at Al-Azhar University there.
“Students living alone have been taken in where there’s a lot of people in a home ... We know this must be extremely worrying for parents whose children have gone there recently. We know how you feel, just be positive that God Almighty will protect them. The students are in good condition.” - Cape Times
caryn.dolley@inl.co.za
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/i-watched-them-die-1.1019041
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Small-boat fishermen from Bolungarv�k, a village in the Westfjords, have set records year after year for their hard work and big catches. Now they are also attracting attention abroad.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=373256
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Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov has expressed full confidence in their to complete an unbeaten Premier League season.
|||Sofia – Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov expressed full confidence on Sunday in his team's ability to complete an unbeaten Premier League season.
“I remember Arsenal winning the title without losing a game and it was a tremendous run,” Berbatov said in a television interview.
“But I'm confident we can do it too. We know we have some difficult away matches but I believe we're capable of finishing without a single defeat.”
Berbatov, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Sunday, is enjoying a successful year at United and tops the Premier League goal scoring table with 19. He is the all-time top scorer for the Bulgarian national team.
“Things are going very well for me but I don't think anything has changed in general,” he said. “Maybe I've scored more goals because I'm playing a little bit forward.”
The former Tottenham Hotspur striker, who recently said he would be happy to stay at United until the end of his career, acclaimed his partnership with England ace Wayne Rooney.
“I feel comfortable with every United forward but our understanding with him (Rooney) is excellent,” said Berbatov.
“When you speak the footballing language, you don't need to ask questions. You just need a quick glance at your partner to guess his plans.”
Berbatov's agent Emil Danchev is expected to meet United manager Alex Ferguson on February 12 to discuss the player's contract extension and the prolific marksman has already hinted he could move into the film industry after the end of his playing career.
“Not yet but I'm waiting,” Berbatov replied when asked if he received any offers to take part in a movie. “Why not? I'm a movie buff but let's first finish with football first.”
Berbatov also said he had stopped scoring goals against Blackburn Rovers earlier this season to avoid the possible wrath of his childhood hero Alan Shearer.
In November, Berbatov became only the fourth player after Shearer, Andy Cole and Jermain Defoe, to score five times in one Premier League match when he helped destroy Rovers in a 7-1 win.
“I could have scored six or seven against Blackburn but I stopped because I didn't want to make Alan Shearer and Andy Cole angry,” Berbatov said. – Reuters
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/berbatov-united-can-go-unbeaten-1.1018902
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Niger's voters turn a page on a year of military rule on Monday, as they choose a civilian president.
|||Niamey - Niger's voters turn a page on a year of military rule on Monday, as they choose a new, civilian president to head one of the world's poorest countries.
The Sahelian country's 6.7 million registered voters must choose between three former allies of deposed ex-president Mamadou Tandja and a longtime opponent of the former leader to head the country under the shadow of the growing threat of al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Voting booths for the elections - which include legislative as well as presidential ones - open at 8.00am local time (07.00GMT) and close at 7pm.
Following a likely second round scheduled for March 12, a civilian will be named head of the African state on April 6.
The wind-swept capital Niamey was calm on Sunday, just hours after the official end of the campaign at midnight. But posters dotting virtually deserted streets attested to the political battle ahead.
Several candidates have emerged from a scrum of 10 running for the presidency.
Chief among them is opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou, whose Social Democratic Party represents change. He faces a challenge, however, from three other candidates intent on blocking his way.
They include Seini Oumarou, the anointed follower of Tandja, who is still languishing in jail, and whose National Movement for the Development of Society he leads.
Former prime minister Hama Amadou is also close to the deposed leader while Niger's first democratically-elected president in 1993, Mahamane Ousmane, is trying for another term.
Oumarou, Amadou and Ousmane have created a stir in Niger by forging a pact meant to deny Issoufou victory should no candidate emerge with an overall majority and the presidential poll goes to a second round.
In the event one of them finds himself in a head-to-head against the social democrat the other two will give him their full backing.
True to its word, no member of the ruling junta, which agreed to preside over a transition to civilian rule, is standing for election in Monday's polls.
The junta took power in February last year to end a crisis triggered by then president Tandja's attempts to extend his rule beyond the constitutionally allowed limits.
Tanja will be following the vote from prison, where he was transferred in mid-January from house arrest on allegations of financial misappropriation.
The four leading candidates have organised a flurry of meetings in recent days after a slow start to their campaigns.
Most candidates had hoped for the election to be delayed, citing a number of lists for the legislative vote that had been rejected due to organisational problems.
“The parliament will not be representative,” a Western diplomat based here warned. “It risks not lasting.”
All main candidates in the former French colony have similar platforms, with fighting poverty which afflicts 60 percent of the population the main goal along with a more equitable distribution of income, notably from the mining of uranium of which Niger is a leading producer.
Niger's history of 50 years since independence from Paris has been a series of coups and military regimes. The past leaves many voters sceptical about prospects for democracy when most of the candidates have ties to previous regimes and Tandja is said to be closely watching developments from his prison cell. - Sapa-AFP
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/niger-contemplates-new-era-1.1019192
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THE family of a Nottingham musician who died of cancer are to set up a charity in his memory.
The Roy De Wired Scholarship Fund will aim to help young and talented musicians find their way into music and the industry.
It is in honour of city musician Roy De Wired, who died on January 21 aged 52.
Fellow musicians have described the artist – whose real name was Roy Stewart, of West Bridgford – as a legend of Nottingham's music scene.
His widow, Sarah Stewart, 42, said the family want to set up the charity to create a lasting legacy which reflected her husband's love of music.
Mrs Stewart said: "I feel that Roy was such a big name within Nottingham that it'd be a real shame not to keep his name going.
"There are a lot of children out there that want to learn music or go on to study it and take it up as a career. There may also be youngsters who desperately want to learn an instrument but their parents can't afford one. The scholarship fund could help.
"It's all about encouraging music. That's what I think Roy would have wanted."
Mr Stewart began learning music as a child and was bought his first guitar by his father at the age of 12.
The scholarship has the backing of Mr Stewart's son, Jordan, stepchildren Adam and Charlotte, his parents Louie and Amelia, who now live in America, and his brother and sister, Terry and Beverley Stewart, who both live in Notts.
Mr Stewart performed at venues across the city over the last 30 years.
He was a regular performer at a number of pubs and bars in Nottingham, including the Southbank and the Approach.
Musician Joe Strange, whose group the Joe Strange Band were resident artists at the Southbank with Mr Stewart, said the scholarship would be a fitting legacy to his friend.
Mr Strange, 33, of Mapperley, said: "It's a great idea as there aren't that many charities in Nottingham which help musicians out. I think it will be a great thing for young musicians to get involved in."
He added: "Roy pioneered something in Nottingham. At a time when people were just DJ-ing in bars, he came along with his guitar and vocals and made a micro music industry in Nottingham.
"I think it's unique to the city. When you go to other cities the quality of live music isn't a patch on that here in Nottingham, and that's thanks to Roy."
A funeral service for Mr Stewart will be held in the coming weeks, and is by invitation only.
A memorial concert will be held in the summer to celebrate his life and music. People can make a donation to the new charity by sending cheques payable to the Roy De Wired Scholarship Fund to Sarah Stewart, 8 Rosthwaite Close, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 6RA. For further details visit www.roydewired.com.
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Ajax striker Luis Suarez is on his way to Liverpool - but seemingly as a replacement for Fernando Torres and not as a strike partner.
|||Ajax striker Luis Suarez is on his way to Liverpool - but seemingly as a replacement for Fernando Torres and not as a strike partner.
Anfield fans’ joy at the club landing a big-name striker was short-lived after word filtered out that Torres’ advisors had asked Liverpool to “reconsider” the huge offer made by Chelsea for the player this week.
Torres is believed to have told the club that a departure from Merseyside is now the right move for his career.
The Anfield club have turned down Torres’ initial request and told the Spain striker they expect him to honour his long-term contract.
Chelsea, undeterred by their first bid of around £35m being unsuccessful, will come back before tomorrow night’s transfer deadline with an increased offer of £38m with striker Daniel Sturridge believed to be a potential £5 million makeweight.
Liverpool yesterday agreed to a £22.8m fee with Ajax Amsterdam for Uruguay international Suarez but just hours later Torres handed in his request.
“Fernando Torres submitted a written transfer request, which has been rejected by Liverpool,” said a club statement.
“Fernando is under long-term contract and the club expect him to honour the commitment he made to Liverpool FC and its supporters when he signed the agreement.”
It had been hoped the capture of Uruguayan Suarez would provide the necessary evidence that American owners Fenway Sports Group were serious about investing in the squad and convince star names like Torres and goalkeeper Jose Reina that they could have a successful future at Anfield.
However, it appears the 26-year-old’s mind had already been made up to ask to leave in the wake of Chelsea’s bid even though he has a contract until the end of 2013.
The Stamford Bridge side have tried to sign Torres before and last summer it seemed they were preparing to make another offer when the player returned from South Africa as a World Cup winner.
But Torres - an Anfield idol - put an end to the speculation when he spoke publicly of his feelings for the club in August, saying: “My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed.”
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, an Anfield legend, is a man Torres has great respect and feeling for, so if anyone can talk the Spaniard round it is the legendary Scot. - Belfast Telegraph
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/where-to-now-for-torres-1.1018736
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TWO Notts schools have been named in the top 100 most improved in the country.
This is an excellent achievement.
Bramcote Park Sport Business and Enterprise School saw its exam performance leap from 25 per cent of students achieving five A* to C at GCSE in 2007 to 38 per cent in 2010.
Kirkby College has seen a similar improvement, with 21 per cent of students achieving the standard in 2007, increasing to 44 per cent in 2010.
Both schools show what is possible if the leadership, teaching and environment is right.
Their example, alongside other success stories, like Nottingham Academy, give great encouragement.
The educational attainment of young people in the city and county is too low.
Where schools get it right and see sustained and dramatic improvement in results then it is reasonable to assume others can learn from them, and be inspired by them.
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Wits have been in terrible form and even the sand and surf on the tourist resort of Reunion couldn’t lift their spirits after another loss.
|||Wits University coach Roger de Sa hoped the sand and surf of Indian Ocean tourist resort Reunion would raise the spirits of the struggling South African football club.
But the poor form which has seen the Johannesburg 'students' go eight league matches without a win carried over to the African Confederation Cup as they slumped 1-0 against international debutants US Sainte-Marienne this weekend.
The first round, first leg encounter in the second-tier African competition on the French-governed island was settled by a Blanchard Dogba goal just before half-time.
Wits have not won in the South African Premiership since overcoming Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 last November and squandered a two-goal advantage when falling to Orlando Pirates ahead of the Reunion trip.
It was not the first time a South African club has come a cropper on the island with Sundowns making a shock exit from the African Champions League after crashing 4-2 against Stade Tamponnaise 14 years ago.
The return match will be staged in two weeks at BIDVest Stadium, a homely 5,000 seater close to central Johannesburg and overlooking the highway that links the South African financial hub with Pretoria.
Crisis-torn Young Africans of Tanzania twice had to come from two goals behind to force a 4-4 draw with Ethiopian visitors Dedebit in a Dar es Salaam thriller.
African rookies Dedebit responded to conceding an early goal by scoring thrice before Tanzania national team striker Nurdin Bakari reduced arrears on the stroke of half-time.
Tadele Zerihun made it 4-2 for the Ethiopians on the hour mark and Godfrey Bonny salvaged some pride for the home side by scoring on 78 minutes and equalising with time running out.
Serb coach Kostadin Papic has threatened to quit Young Africans because of salary arrears and bickering officials, and his place on the touchline was taken by Fred Felix.
Cameroon clubs will be reasonably satisfied as second division Fovu Baham built a 2-1 home lead over Burkina Faso military outfit USFA and Tiko United forced a 0-0 draw with DFC Arrondissement in the Central African Republic.
Africa Sports of Ivory Coast, once a continental power with two successes in the African Cup Winners Cup and one in the African Super Cup, saw off Guinean second division side Sequence FC 1-0 in Conakry via a Magloire Kouame goal. – Sapa-AFP
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/wits-lose-in-reunion-1.1018892
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Wits have been in terrible form and even the sand and surf on the tourist resort of Reunion couldn’t lift their spirits after another loss.
|||Wits University coach Roger de Sa hoped the sand and surf of Indian Ocean tourist resort Reunion would raise the spirits of the struggling South African football club.
But the poor form which has seen the Johannesburg 'students' go eight league matches without a win carried over to the African Confederation Cup as they slumped 1-0 against international debutants US Sainte-Marienne this weekend.
The first round, first leg encounter in the second-tier African competition on the French-governed island was settled by a Blanchard Dogba goal just before half-time.
Wits have not won in the South African Premiership since overcoming Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 last November and squandered a two-goal advantage when falling to Orlando Pirates ahead of the Reunion trip.
It was not the first time a South African club has come a cropper on the island with Sundowns making a shock exit from the African Champions League after crashing 4-2 against Stade Tamponnaise 14 years ago.
The return match will be staged in two weeks at BIDVest Stadium, a homely 5,000 seater close to central Johannesburg and overlooking the highway that links the South African financial hub with Pretoria.
Crisis-torn Young Africans of Tanzania twice had to come from two goals behind to force a 4-4 draw with Ethiopian visitors Dedebit in a Dar es Salaam thriller.
African rookies Dedebit responded to conceding an early goal by scoring thrice before Tanzania national team striker Nurdin Bakari reduced arrears on the stroke of half-time.
Tadele Zerihun made it 4-2 for the Ethiopians on the hour mark and Godfrey Bonny salvaged some pride for the home side by scoring on 78 minutes and equalising with time running out.
Serb coach Kostadin Papic has threatened to quit Young Africans because of salary arrears and bickering officials, and his place on the touchline was taken by Fred Felix.
Cameroon clubs will be reasonably satisfied as second division Fovu Baham built a 2-1 home lead over Burkina Faso military outfit USFA and Tiko United forced a 0-0 draw with DFC Arrondissement in the Central African Republic.
Africa Sports of Ivory Coast, once a continental power with two successes in the African Cup Winners Cup and one in the African Super Cup, saw off Guinean second division side Sequence FC 1-0 in Conakry via a Magloire Kouame goal. – Sapa-AFP
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/wits-lose-in-reunion-1.1018892
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Platinum Stars dented Mamelodi Sundowns' title hopes when they held the big spending Brazilians to a draw.
|||Platinum Stars dented Mamelodi Sundowns' title hopes when they held the big spending Brazilians to a 1-1 draw in their Absa Premiership clash at a sweltering Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Sunday.
Downs slipped to fourth place on 32 points – three behind leaders Orlando Pirates.
It was Stars' ninth draw in 17 matches and once again their lack of fire power was exposed, To their credit, however, the visitors defended as though their lives depended on it in the second half to snatch a valuable point.
The draw has done little to ease the pressure on Sundowns head coach Antonio Lopez Habas who came under fire this week from the fans who staged a revolt at the clubs Chloorkop headquarters and training base, complaining about Habas and his technical team.
Downs have won only one match in their last six league games and their title hopes look to be slipping away.
The hosts were without new midfield signing Teko Modise and without leading goal scorer Katlego Mphela who has gone missing because the club has refused to sell him to a European outfit.
Modise was signed for a reported fee of R6-million last week but is not guaranteed a place in Habas’ side.
“He will have to prove himself at training,” said the Downs coach.
Stars delivered a sucker punch to the Brazilians and led 1-0 at half-time against the run of play thanks to a well taken goal from Joseph Molangoane three minutes before the break.
The visiting side's Zimbabwean international goalkeeper, Tapuwa Kapini, had an outstanding first half and made a couple of superb saves that kept them in the game.
Sundowns started well and came close to scoring when Elias Pelembe fired fractionally wide of the post in the third minute.
Three minutes later Stars created a chance when Edward Williams' shot was deflected onto the Downs crossbar.
Kapini did well in the 17th minute when he stopped a powerfully struck free kick from Franklin Cale on the edge of the penalty area.
Stars' Namibian international striker, Henrico Botes, had a disappointing first half. He headed over the crossbar on 24 minutes and then wasted a chance to break the deadlock in the 33rd minute when he hit the side netting.
Kapini was on form again in the 26th minute when he was well positioned to save a powerfully struck header from his countryman Nyasha Mushekwi who connected a pinpoint Innocent Mdledle cross.
Two minutes later Kapini put his body on the line to deny Mushekwi a shot on goal as the Brazilians threatened to swamp Stars.
But with the home side piling on the pressure, they were caught napping at the back when Williams threaded through a brilliant ball for Molangoane who drew keeper Wayne Sandilands. Williams made no mistake with a clinical finish to put Stars 1-0 ahead in the 42nd minute.
Downs, as expected, had Stars under more pressure at the start of the second half. Pelembe, who had a storming game, shot wide with a wicked left footed volley in the 57th minute.
Pelembe’s hard work and perseverance paid off two minutes later when the wide awake Mushekwi levelled the match with a stunning flying header after connecting with Pelembe’s accurate right wing cross.
Mozambican international Pelembe was firing on all cylinders and delivered another stunning cross in the 62nd minute, which Mabhuti Khenyeza headed wide.
Khenyeza wasted another chance three minutes later when he fired the ball straight at Kapini from close range.
The miss of the half, however, came 10 minutes later when Khenyeza floated over a cross, which pulled Kapini out of position, but the cross was missed by substitute Richard Henyekane.
Stars almost caught Downs on the counter attack in the 77th minute when Solomon Mathe's shot was deflected for a corner.
The hosts threw everything expect the kitchen sink at Stars but failed to get the winner and had to settle for a single point. – Sapa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/sundowns-held-at-stars-1.1018916
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A rift developed in Kenya's coalition government as Prime Minister Raila Odinga declared “null and void” key judiciary appointments made by the president.
|||Nairobi - A rift developed in Kenya's coalition government on Saturday as Prime Minister Raila Odinga declared “null and void” key judiciary appointments made by the president.
President Mwai Kibaki on Friday announced a new chief justice, attorney general and director of public prosecutions in a move aimed at revamping Kenya's weak judiciary and adding credibility to attempts to have high-profile Kenyans facing International Criminal Court prosecutions tried locally.
Odinga, who came to power in 2008 in a power-sharing deal that ended months of bloody post-election violence, was in Ethiopia for an African Union meeting on Ivory Coast at the time. He rejected the appointments, saying he had not been consulted contrary to a statement issued by the president's office.
“Without a doubt this decision has thrown the country into a major Constitutional Crisis and may be the beginning of the end in respect of the implementation of the reform agenda if not corrected and reversed,” Odinga said in a statement.
Kenya is reforming its justice system as it aims to head off a repeat of violence that claimed over 1,300 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands in the wake of December 2007's disputed presidential elections.
Kibaki appointed lawyers Alnashir Visram as chief justice, Githu Muigai as attorney general and Kioko Kilukumi as director of public prosecutions.
The premier said he believed the appointments would do nothing to end decades of impunity that have seen successive governments steeped in graft escape punishment.
“The appointments have been made to serve the interests of a few people, including elements within upper echelons of government who have serious credibility and integrity issues and constitute the networks of impunity,” he said.
The two men and their backers have been at loggerheads on more than one occasion since the coalition government was formed, most recently when Odinga opposed moves to scupper the ICC probe.
The ICC chief prosecutor in December named six people as being those considered most responsible for the post-elections violence.
Uhuru Kenyatta, finance minister and son of the nation's first president, and former Odinga ally William Ruto, currently suspended from his ministerial position to face corruption charges, are the most high-profile suspects.
Kenya is expected to secure the backing of the African Union at this weekend's summit in Ethiopia for its attempt to have the United Nations Security Council defer the ICC investigations for one year.
ICC judges are expected in March to rule on whether the six suspects should face trial. - Sapa-dpa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/kenya-s-justice-system-causes-rift-1.1018716
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Serbia’s Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray of Britain in three sets to win his second Australian Open title.
|||Melbourne – Third seed Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 6-3 to win his second Australian Open on Sunday, prolonging Britain's 75-year wait for a male grand slam singles champion.
Eye-balling Murray with intent across the net, Serbia's Davis Cup hero completely dominated the Scot who has now lost all three of his grand slam finals without winning a set.
Djokovic, who lifted his only previous major title in Melbourne three years ago, got off to a scorching start in energy-sapping heat supposed to favour fifth seed Murray.
Relentless pressure forced a forehand error from Murray, giving Djokovic the first set against last year's Australian Open runner-up who played with a tired, hang-dog look throughout a surprisingly one-sided match.
Murray, rattled by noise and berating himself angrily, began to unravel in the second set, screaming at his own coaching team to "be quiet".
A fired-up Djokovic took a strangehold on the final by ripping another big forehand down the line, a dejected Murray slumping in his chair muttering to himself in despair.
Djokovic went for the jugular, breaking for 3-1 in the third set with a breath-taking backhand down the line, the Serbian pumping his fists and roaring with delight.
Murray immediately broke back but Djokovic, ice in his veins, blasted a forehand cross court to go 5-3 up and finished the job with another forehand the Scot could only dump into the net after two hours 39 minutes.
Djokovic celebrated by throwing his racket, shirt and shoes into the crowd as a packed Rod Laver Arena went wild.
Murray was bidding to become Britain's first male grand slam winner since Fred Perry in 1936.
He lost the 2008 U.S. Open final and last year's Melbourne final in straight sets, both times to Roger Federer. – Reuters
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/djokovic-bags-second-oz-open-title-1.1018807
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If it wasn’t the horses that got everyone talking, it was the fashion.
|||Four-year-old gelding Past Master surprised punters by stealing the show at the J&B Met at Kenilworth Racecourse yesterday.
He clinched victory ahead of big favourites Mother Russia and Run For It, which placed second and third respectively.
But if it wasn’t the horses that got everyone talking, it was the fashion. This year’s theme was “Larger than Life” and some celebrities scored a fashion win - such as actress Natalie Becker in a purple number by Richard Huisamen from Hip Hop and a matching hairpiece, TV personality Jo-Ann Strauss in a long, stunning red dress, and comedian Marc Lottering, defining casual in a candy-striped blazer and jeans.
However, others trailed in the sartorial stakes, including Chester Williams, who was dressed in a silky lime-green and sky-blue suit coupled with white shoes. Then there were those who donned kilts, a man in an animal print suit, another in baggy sequinned pants with a feathered blazer, and a few women who went small rather than large in barely-there outfits.
In the lavish J&B tent, the who’s who camped out, indulging in fine food and champagne and rubbing shoulders with local celebrities.
Across the race track, other punters lounged on the grass in their finery, eating burgers and boerewors rolls.
“I feel like I’m in the French revolution,” joked comedian Joey Rasdien, who attended for the first time. “We’re eating cake and langoustines and on the other side they’re having braai.”
Idols winner Elvis Blue also enjoyed his first time at the event.
Most of the finalists in the most elegant couple competition sported specially designed ensembles. Brazillian couple Landerson Braga and Marianne Fonseca walked away with the crown.
The pair wore matching outfits in the J&B colours of red and yellow. She wore a printed maxi dress, he a dapper, Victorian-inspired ensemble complete with top hat.
Enthusiasts also wished a fond final farewell to champion Pocket Power, who didn’t place in the race.
The Met was the eight-year-old gelding’s last run before retiring. He was honoured with a farewell parade around the track just before the last race. - Sunday Argus
leila samodien@inl.co.za
bianca capazorio@inl.co.za
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/glamour-glitz-at-the-met-1.1018773
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ART HISTORY: A tile frieze in the shape of a dove has been installed at a school.
Pupils at Oakhill Primary School, in Trent Vale, created the piece, which celebrates history, with arts group Hullabaloo as part of 'Sharing Stories'.
The Holly Class came up with the design after working on a project with pensioners who go to Blythe Bridge and Tean OAP lunch clubs.
The children took part in story-telling, puppetry, animation and clay modelling before producing the final tile frieze, which took pride of place at the school yesterday.
Before that it was on display as part of an exhibition showcasing the pupils' work at a number of venues across Staffordshire.
The project was funded by an Awards For All grant secured by Hullabaloo and Oakhill Primary. Seven-year old Jessica Houghton is seen with the tile frieze.
Picture: Steve Bould
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Ajax Cape Town had a scintillating second half against Moroka Swallows at the Cape Town Stadium.
|||Ajax Cape Town secured top position in the Absa Premiership, thanks to a scintillating second half showing against Moroka Swallows at the Cape Town Stadium on Friday night, the game ending 2-0 to the home side.
The first half saw the Urban Warriors doing the bulk of the attacking, with Thulani Serero, Sameehg Doutie and Khama Billiat showing amazing pace and skill in attack.
The Cape side also earned a string of corners throughout the opening 45 minutes, both at set-pieces and in open play, but the Swallows defence showed itself to be in determined mood as they repelled wave after wave of Ajax's forays.
And for all their endeavours, Ajax never really threatened the Swallows goal; the only time Greg Etafia had to make a fully-fledged save was after 14 minutes when he got behind Serero's stinging shot from just outside the box.
Etafia did however have to make several interventions to keep out Doutie's crosses, which came one after another after he replaced the injured Terror Fanteni after 28 minutes.
There was a chance after 32 minutes when Granwald Scott showed nimble feet to skip through the Swallows defence, but the angle of the shot was always against him.
And despite ending the opening half with a succession of corners, Ajax just could not make inroads into the Swallows defence.
The Urban Warriors started the second half with the same attacking intent, and it nearly paid dividends.
In fact, the hosts should have taken a 50th minute lead, but Doutie somehow shot wide of goal from only six-yards out with an open net at his mercy.
The Ajax right winger then missed another chance in the 52nd minute, getting his shot from 12-yards all wrong after some unbelievable dribbling from Serero.
And then on several occasions, the likes of Brent Carelse and Serero showed some delightful touches, but they were guilty of over-elaborating and no real chances on goal arose.
Serero though showed glimpses of world-class talent and it was through one such moment that the deadlock was broken in the 67th minute when he improvised to pull the ball back for Carelse, through his own legs, for the senior player to sweep home from 10-yards.
Ajax created a string of further half chances before Doutie wrapped the game up in the 88th minute, applying the finishing touch after some excellent work by Billiat down the left.
It was certainly not a bad performance by Swallows, but the Birds simply had no answer to Ajax's incredible mobility, pace and skill. - Sapa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/ajax-take-top-spot-1.1018534
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A rift developed in Kenya's coalition government as Prime Minister Raila Odinga declared “null and void” key judiciary appointments made by the president.
|||Nairobi - A rift developed in Kenya's coalition government on Saturday as Prime Minister Raila Odinga declared “null and void” key judiciary appointments made by the president.
President Mwai Kibaki on Friday announced a new chief justice, attorney general and director of public prosecutions in a move aimed at revamping Kenya's weak judiciary and adding credibility to attempts to have high-profile Kenyans facing International Criminal Court prosecutions tried locally.
Odinga, who came to power in 2008 in a power-sharing deal that ended months of bloody post-election violence, was in Ethiopia for an African Union meeting on Ivory Coast at the time. He rejected the appointments, saying he had not been consulted contrary to a statement issued by the president's office.
“Without a doubt this decision has thrown the country into a major Constitutional Crisis and may be the beginning of the end in respect of the implementation of the reform agenda if not corrected and reversed,” Odinga said in a statement.
Kenya is reforming its justice system as it aims to head off a repeat of violence that claimed over 1,300 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands in the wake of December 2007's disputed presidential elections.
Kibaki appointed lawyers Alnashir Visram as chief justice, Githu Muigai as attorney general and Kioko Kilukumi as director of public prosecutions.
The premier said he believed the appointments would do nothing to end decades of impunity that have seen successive governments steeped in graft escape punishment.
“The appointments have been made to serve the interests of a few people, including elements within upper echelons of government who have serious credibility and integrity issues and constitute the networks of impunity,” he said.
The two men and their backers have been at loggerheads on more than one occasion since the coalition government was formed, most recently when Odinga opposed moves to scupper the ICC probe.
The ICC chief prosecutor in December named six people as being those considered most responsible for the post-elections violence.
Uhuru Kenyatta, finance minister and son of the nation's first president, and former Odinga ally William Ruto, currently suspended from his ministerial position to face corruption charges, are the most high-profile suspects.
Kenya is expected to secure the backing of the African Union at this weekend's summit in Ethiopia for its attempt to have the United Nations Security Council defer the ICC investigations for one year.
ICC judges are expected in March to rule on whether the six suspects should face trial. - Sapa-dpa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/kenya-s-justice-system-causes-rift-1.1018716
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Vasco da Gama secured a not entirely convincing, but much needed win against Golden Arrows.
|||Vasco da Gama secured a not entirely convincing, but much needed win as they beat Golden Arrows 1-0 on Friday night.
With people still slowly drifting into the Cape Town Stadium, the first half failed to dish up much excitement, with neither side able to find much fluency or rhythm in attack.
After seven minutes the first real chance materialised when Nhlanhla Sithole waltzed through the Vasco midfield before going for goal from 25-yards out, but his effort was well wide, not troubling keeper Posnett Omony.
Sithole also had Arrows' other best chance of the half, just before the break when he cleverly fashioned space for himself in the box and then got his shot away, only to see the ball come back off the upright.
In between, the Cape side, playing without the injured Sibusiso Zuma in attack, had their fair share of ball possession and territory, but the final delivery into the box for the most part did not result in clear-cut chances.
Vasco signalled their intentions 10 minutes into the second stanza when Francois Adams was just wide with a header after a cleverly worked short corner was swung in by Cole Alexander.
But in the 57th minute there was no denying Carlos das Neves' side the opening goal as Mokete Tsotetsi powered a header into the back of the net, following some indecisive goal keeping by Thulasizwe Khuzwayo, who was unable to deal with Josephy Kamwendo's free kick from near the right hand corner flag.
Following the goal, it was the Cape side who had to endure increasingly frequent raids into their box from the Abafana
Bes'thende attackers.
Collins Mbesuma forced Omony to palm away a 74th minute shot and the goal keeper was at it again soon after as he pulled off a superb save to deny Sithole, who was unlucky not to get a goal on the night from his industry out on the left.
More chances followed as Arrows piled on the pressure, Omony again doing superbly to save a close range shot from Njabulo Manqana with 87 minutes on the clock.
Memories of late goals recently conceded would have been plaguing Vasco as the game went into injury time, but they held firm to record a much-needed win. -
Sapa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/vasco-bounce-back-1.1018526
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CAMPAIGNERS have issued a rallying call to residents to join the fight against controversial Government proposals to reform the NHS.
Protesters fighting the plans, which would see primary care trusts abolished by 2013, have launched a petition in Congleton in a bid to help save the current health service structure.
And last night members of the public were able to put questions to a panel of officials made up of representatives from Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT along with members of pressure group Keep Our NHS Public.
Now campaigners have vowed to lobby for more question-and-answer sessions after it was revealed 22 practices in the PCT's Cheshire East region, which overseas Congleton, will form a consortium after the area was put forward as a 'pathfinder' for the controversial project.
Under Government plans, all 151 of England's PCTs will be abolished, along with 10 strategic health authorities (SHAs).
GPs will be given around 80 per cent of the NHS budget, currently topping �100 billion a year nationally, to commission services for patients.
The meeting at Congleton Library was called by a group of five campaigners who hope to raise awareness of the reforms.
Member Jane Knowles, aged 67, from Congleton, said: "We want to get more information on this, as we don't feel it's been made widely available.
"We have been given no warning about this whatsoever."
Rae Greenwood, aged 67, also from Congleton, added: "GPs will be commissioning services and that will surely mean contracts with some private companies.
"I think this will ruin the relationship between GPs and patients as we will come to think of them as running a business."
Protesters say the plans, which have been dubbed the most radical overhaul of the NHS, will result in thousands of jobs being lost across the country.
It is estimated the redundancy process will cost the NHS around �1 billion.
Hugh Caffrery, a national co-ordinator for Keep Our NHS Public, urged last night's audience of about 30 residents to keep fighting the plans.
Hugh, from Manchester, said: "This is not a done deal despite what the Government would like people to think.
"If this legislation is approved it will be a disaster for patients, health workers, and future generations.
"What the government wants to do to the NHS is ludicrous and meetings like this are vital to highlight what they are doing and keeping people informed."
Hilda Yarker, from the Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT said the body would be happy to hold further discussions with patients.
She added: "I know GPs are very keen to start engaging with the public over the changes."
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The three individuals, two voters and one candidate, who filed a lawsuit over the Constitutional Assembly election on November 27, 2010, on the basis of some aspects of its execution being in violation of the law, said they are satisfied with yesterday?s ruling.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=373081
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The prestigious 2011 Louis-Jeantet Prize for medicine has been awarded to the Norwegian neurobiologists Edvard and May-Britt Moser at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Source: http://www.norwaypost.no/news/prestigious-award-to-norwegian-researchers.html
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Newark and Sherwood
Ollerton: No entry onto Newark Road from the Ollerton roundabout until October 4.
Fiskerton: Station Road closed between the Occupation Lane and Wilson's Lane junctions until 4.30pm on Tuesday.
Newark: Dunholme Avenue closed between the Harewood Avenue and Boundary Road junctions, until 5pm on Friday, February 18.
East Stoke: Part of Moor Lane closed east of the A46(T) Fosse Road until March 31.
Skegby: Buttery Lane closed north of Manor Road for bridge demolition and replacement from 9.30am on Monday, February 7, until 3.30pm on Friday, February 11.
Lowdham: Main Street closed between A612 Nottingham Road and Ton Lane from 7.30am on Monday, to noon on Saturday, February 12.
Collingham: Station Road level crossing closed for rail track work from 10pm on Saturday, February 5, to 8am on Sunday, February 6.
Mansfield
Mansfield: Lichfield Lane closed between Berry Hill Lane and The Avenue junctions from 7.30am on Monday to 6pm on Friday, February 11.
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has refused to bow to demands that he resign.
|||Cairo - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused on Saturday to bow to demands that he resign after ordering troops and tanks into cities in an attempt to quell an explosion of street protests against his 30-year rule.
Demonstrators were still out in the streets in the early hours of Saturday morning, as were looters. Parts of Cairo looked like a war zone, filled with smoke, rubble and the choking smell of tear gas.
Mubarak dismissed his government and called for national dialogue to avert chaos after a day of battles between police and protesters angry over poverty and autocratic rule. Medical sources said at least 24 people had been killed and over a thousand injured in clashes in Cairo, Suez and Alexandria.
“It is not by setting fire and by attacking private and public property that we achieve the aspirations of Egypt and its sons, but they will be achieved through dialogue, awareness and effort,” he said in a televised address, his first public appearance since the protests began four days ago.
The unprecedented unrest has sent shock waves through the Middle East, where other autocratic rulers may face challenges, and unsettled global financial markets on Friday. United States President Barack Obama said he had spoken with Mubarak and urged “concrete steps that advance the rights of the Egyptian people”.
The army, deployed for the first time in the crisis, cleared Cairo's Tahrir square towards midnight. Shortly after Mubarak's speech, protesters returned in their hundreds, defying a curfew. They said sacking the cabinet was far from enough.
“It was never about the government, by God. It is you (Mubarak) who has to go! What you have done to the people is enough!” said one protester.
Shots were heard in the evening near parliament and the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party was in flames, the blaze lighting up the night sky. Cars were set alight and police posts torched.
A Reuters team saw a gang of looters storm into a bank and carry out the safe.
More than half of the dead in Friday's clashes were reported in Suez, the eastern city which has been ground zero for the most violent protests over the past four days.
Mubarak, 82, has been a close ally of Washington and beneficiary of US aid for decades, justifying his autocratic rule in part by citing a danger of Islamist militancy. The Muslim Brotherhood opposition, however, appears to have played little role in the unrest.
The protests were triggered by the overthrow two weeks ago of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Al Ben Ali. Street protests in Tunis focused on similar issues of poverty and political repression. Demonstrations have also flared in Yemen, Algeria, Sudan and Jordan in recent weeks.
“There will be new steps towards democracy and freedoms and new steps to face unemployment and increase the standard of living and services, and there will be new steps to help the poor and those with limited income,” Mubarak said.
“There is a fine line between freedom and chaos and I lean towards freedom for the people in expressing their opinions as much as I hold on to the need to maintain Egypt's safety and stability,” he added.
Obama also called on the Egyptian government to halt interference in access to the Internet, mobile phone service and Internet social networks that have been used by protesters.
“I want to be very clear in calling upon the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protesters,” he said.
Anthony Skinner, Associate Director of political risk consultancy Maplecroft, said Mubarak's conduct was reminiscent of that of Ben Ali in his final days in power.
“Mubarak is showing he is still there for now and he is trying to deflect some of the force of the process away from himself by sacking the Cabinet.
“We will have to see how people react but I don't think it will be enough at all. I wouldn't want to put a number on his chances of survival - we really are in uncharted territory.”
Markets were hit by the uncertainty. US stocks suffered their biggest one-day loss in nearly six months, crude oil prices surged and the dollar and US Treasury debt gained as investors looked to safe havens.
“I think the next two to three weeks, the crisis in Egypt and potentially across the Middle East, might be an excuse for a big selloff of 5 to 10 percent,” said Keith Wirtz, president and chief investment officer at Fifth Third Asset Management in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Many protesters are young men and women. Two thirds of Egypt's 80 million people are below 30 and many have no jobs. About 40 percent of Egyptians live on less than $2 a day.
Elections were due to be held in September and until now few had doubted that Mubarak would remain in control or bring in a successor in the shape of his 47-year-old son Gamal.
Father and son deny that Gamal is being groomed for the job. - Reuters
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/mubarak-fires-his-cabinet-1.1018539
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Yesterday Statistics Iceland announced that 12-month inflation in Iceland had fallen below 2% for the first time since March 2004. Prices actually fell 0.9% in January as compared to December. The fall was higher than anticipated by banks which had forecast a price decrease of 0.5 to 0.8%.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=373184
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UP to 100 Notts police staff jobs could go as part of a force restructure and cost cutting programme.
The redundancies, which include some posts already vacated, are set to begin in the spring after formal consultations with Unison and the individual staff concerned.
The force says the changes are in response to reductions in Government funding and to improve its efficiency and effectiveness.
Notts Police Authority approved the use of Regulation A19 in December to force the retirement of police officers with 30 years' pensionable service. Up to 132 officers will be eligible by March 31 2012, although some have indicated they will retire.
The move has been criticised by Notts Police Federation who fear the loss of so many good and experienced officers will have an impact on the force's ability to fight crime.
The Police Authority has also backed the force's plans to introduce voluntary and compulsory redundancy schemes for police staff.
More than 200 members of staff expressed an interest to take voluntary redundancy during the first three weeks of the scheme.
Of these, a total of 100 have followed up with formal applications to leave. Those staff will be notified of a decision in February.
More than 330 police staff from seven departments were being briefed yesterday, on the restructure plans and changes being proposed to current roles and job descriptions.
Chief Constable Julia Hodson said: "We are committed to transforming our organisation to make us the best force in the country by 2015. Our priority remains protecting front line services with the emphasis very much on local policing.
"The force has to respond to the reductions in funding over the next four years but we also believe we can enhance the service we provide by becoming more efficient and effective.
"To do that we are proposing some wide ranging changes to the way in which services are organised and delivered. This will include some restructuring and changes to current jobs and job descriptions.
"Inevitably, that will mean some people will leave the organisation but we are committed to keeping them fully informed of the process now under way and offering them as much support as possible."
Ms Hodson said the force also intended to reopen the voluntary scheme again in the near future.
"We have consistently said that during these very challenging times for the organisation, we would prefer people to leave voluntarily."
Notts police has a workforce of approximately 4,150, including around 1,500 staff, 2,350 officers
and 279 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).
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TV camera lights were switched on as evening approached, outside former president Nelson Mandela's Houghton home.
|||TV camera lights were switched on as Friday evening approached on the streets outside former president Nelson Mandela's house in Houghton.
A few journalists were still actively keeping a close watch on the entrance to his home, which had earlier been abuzz with activity when he returned from Milpark hospital after a two-and-a-half day stay.
Activity had normalised in Twelth Avenue, north of Johannesburg, with residents jogging and walking about after the street was reopened to the public. It had earlier been barricaded on both sides by police and monitored throughout the day.
Police presence had also somewhat abated.
Earlier in the day, two children were seen walking into former statemen Nelson Mandela's house, with a painting of what looked like the SA national flag.
The two were accompanied by Graca Michel's daughter.
A truck was also seen delivering catering utensils including dishes and urns.
It was announced on Friday that Mandela would receive home-based care for an acute respiratory infection. -
Sapa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/press-lingers-outside-mandela-home-1.1018497
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TV camera lights were switched on as evening approached, outside former president Nelson Mandela's Houghton home.
|||TV camera lights were switched on as Friday evening approached on the streets outside former president Nelson Mandela's house in Houghton.
A few journalists were still actively keeping a close watch on the entrance to his home, which had earlier been abuzz with activity when he returned from Milpark hospital after a two-and-a-half day stay.
Activity had normalised in Twelth Avenue, north of Johannesburg, with residents jogging and walking about after the street was reopened to the public. It had earlier been barricaded on both sides by police and monitored throughout the day.
Police presence had also somewhat abated.
Earlier in the day, two children were seen walking into former statemen Nelson Mandela's house, with a painting of what looked like the SA national flag.
The two were accompanied by Graca Michel's daughter.
A truck was also seen delivering catering utensils including dishes and urns.
It was announced on Friday that Mandela would receive home-based care for an acute respiratory infection. -
Sapa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/press-lingers-outside-mandela-home-1.1018497
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Craig Gardner fulfilled a boyhood dream when he struck the winner to send Birmingham City into the League Cup final against Arsenal.
|||London - Craig Gardner fulfilled a boyhood dream when he struck the winner to send Birmingham City into the League Cup final against Arsenal after coming from behind to beat West Ham United 4-3 on aggregate on Wednesday.
With West Ham leading 2-1 after the first leg, the Londoners went further ahead thanks to a curling long-range strike from Carlton Cole in the first half before Birmingham turned things on their head after the break.
Midfielder Lee Bowyer struck against his former club and Roger Johnson levelled the tie on aggregate to send it into extra time as Birmingham woke up from their lethargy following the introduction of lively Serbia striker Nikola Zigic.
Gardner, who hit the post twice in normal time, finally found the net with a right-footed shot low into the left corner in the 94th minute to give Birmingham the lead for the first time in the tie and they held on to win 3-1 on the night.
“It's unbelievable... You only dream of these things,” Gardner, a boyhood Birmingham fan, told Sky Sports. “I was saying to my mates before the game I'm going to get the winner and take us to the final. To actually do it is unbelievable.”
What had started as a poor first half erupted into a thrilling match after Birmingham manager Alex McLeish sent on Zigic, whose huge physical presence proved the undoing of West Ham.
“It was his most effective game for us, when he plays like that he can be very very difficult to handle,” McLeish said of the Serb. “We huffed and puffed a wee bit without troubling them (in the first half) ... Zigic made the difference.”
With both sides stuck in a Premier League relegation battle, the cup run has provided light relief from their day to day misery but for West Ham boss Avram Grant the spotlight will once again focus on his future at the league's basement club.
He had been on the verge of taking a relegation-threatened club to a cup final for the second successive year after beating the odds with Portsmouth in leading them to last year's FA Cup final where they lost to Chelsea. But he let it slip away.
Cole's opener followed a mix-up between Birmingham midfielders Barry Ferguson and Gardner and he unleashed a right-footed shot from 25 yards that curved in beautifully at the far post to put West Ham 3-1 up on aggregate.
What the visitors had not banked on was a totally different Birmingham emerging after the break and Zigic made an immediate impact by heading down a ball that Gardner struck into the inside of the post before it whizzed across goal.
Birmingham kept up the pressure and when West Ham failed to clear a corner Bowyer was lurking unmarked to send a left-footed volley into the top left corner in the 59th minute.
Twenty minutes later Johnson headed in and Gardner thought he had won it just before the end of normal time when his shot was turned on to the post by keeper Robert Green.
Instead the match went into extra time and Gardner found it was third time lucky when his low drive finally found the net.
Scott Parker went just wide, Kieron Dyer volleyed just over and Cole shot straight at Ben Foster as West Ham pressed for an equaliser in a gripping finale but Birmingham hung on. - Reuters
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/gardner-fires-birmingham-into-final-1.1017546
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Thousands of demonstrators have taken part in major rallies across several Egyptian cities, including Cairo, the capital. Observers have called the protests the largest in years, possibly since the infamous bread riots of the 1970s.
|||Thousands of demonstrators have taken part in major rallies across several Egyptian cities, including Cairo, the capital. Observers have called the protests the largest in years, possibly since the infamous bread riots of the 1970s.
Four people were killed on Tuesday, including a police officer, as sporadic clashes with security officers lasted into early Wednesday morning. By the pre-dawn hours, Cairo's central Tahrir Square had been turned into a "battlefield."
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/egypt-s-unprecedented-protests-1.1018300
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The Norwegian chef Gunnar Hvarnes has won the bronze medal in�the gourmet contest Bocuse d'Or in Lyon, France. The gold medal went to Denmark, and Sweden won silver.
Source: http://www.norwaypost.no/food/food-bocus-dor-bronze-for-norway.html
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Tonight, a television documentary will honour a remarkable man who saved more than 660 Jewish children from the Nazi death camps. Andy Smart met one of the survivors...
THE letter was waiting for Eve Prager when she came home from school one day in 1946.
It confirmed her worst fears. Her parents Karel and Ida, and 11-year-old Tomy, the brother she left behind in Nazi-ruled Czechoslovakia, were dead – exterminated in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.
"It was dreadful," recalled the 79-year-old retired teacher. "It is the most terrible thing you can imagine."
Little Eve was saved from the same tragic fate by the bravery and determination of a young Englishman named Nicholas Winton who, having witnessed the plight of Jews in Prague, organised a series of trains to bring children to England and safety.
And tonight, in a special Channel 5 documentary, Eve and others like her will pay tribute to the man who saved her life.
Sitting in the comfort of her neat Gedling bungalow, surrounded by books that include many about her homeland, 79-year-old Eve Leadbeater, as she is today, takes me back to Prague in the dark days of 1939 and the beginning of Hitler's final solution for the Jews of Europe.
She was just eight and has only vague memories of the rampant anti-semitism which came with German occupation.
"I know there were lots of Jewish people who lost their jobs; my father was a lawyer, but I can't remember if he had lost his job at that time.
"Lots of Jewish children were being sent abroad, my turn came in July 1939, but I was not aware of the reality. I think my parents must have done a good job of hiding it.
"I can remember being aware that I was going to go to England. I had a few lessons in basic English.
"Everybody thought it wouldn't be for long, it was rather exciting and like a holiday."
But in the months just before war was declared, Jews were already being shipped off to refugee camps and, to visiting London stockbroker Nicholas Winton, the danger was all too clear.
"Even though the true horror hadn't yet emerged ... I became convinced of the dire necessity to do something," he recalls.
He formed an organisation to rescue as many children as he could by train, returning to London where he spent every spare minute fighting bureaucracy to persuade the government to allow Jewish children in.
"The Home Office said I had to find a family for each child and have �50 for each return ticket, so I spent my evenings raising money," recalls Winton, now a remarkable 101.
"But the greatest breakthrough was when I advertised for guardians to choose the child they wanted to look after. If someone said, 'We'll take an eight-year-old girl,' I would send a card with ten girls aged eight and say, 'Here, take your pick'.
"It was a dreadful way of doing things, but we were under huge pressure to act urgently."
Eveline Prager was chosen by Miss Minnie Simmonds, a primary school teacher from Netherfield, and in her new home she waited for her brother Tomy to follow.
He never made it. As he waited for his turn to escape from Prague, war was declared. His train was cancelled and Tomy would die with his parents in Auschwitz.
"I was so excited when I heard he was coming," she said. "When I found out a few weeks afterwards that he was not, I was inconsolable."
For a while, letters from home kept her spirits up. "Then, certainly by 1940, they were just messages through the Red Cross.
"I wasn't quite sure what was happening but I suppose, gradually as I grew older, there was a suspicion they had been moved away from Prague.
"By the end of the war I was 14. I saw news film of the liberation of the concentration camps and then I knew." The letter, from an aunt who had survived the Holocaust, was merely the proof.
Eve had to get on with her new life. Raised by Miss Simmonds, a career in teaching was an obvious path to follow. She studied at Hull University and eventually returned to Nottingham to work at Clifton Hall, Brunts in Mansfield, and finally Carlton-le-Willows where she met her teacher husband Allan Leadbeater.
But she says: "I have had a busy life, a job I liked, but I never forgot them. I think there has not been a day since when I have not thought about my parents and my brother."
In the 1960s, Eve returned to Prague to be reunited with an aunt and uncle and several cousins who survived.
I wondered if she had been drawn to visit Auschwitz.
Eve, a thoughtful woman who chooses her words with care, replied: "I could not go.
"I think you will find very few of my peers who have taken that step."
Eve, with her husband, is a supporter of the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre at Laxton where she has planted a rose in memory of her family.
She says it took her many years to understand how the genocide of the Jews could have happened but, with despairing resignation, she adds: "When you look at the world now, and subsequent genocide, you realise that we have not learned from history."
Nicholas Winton's rescue operation has been compared with the exploits of Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist credited with saving more than 1,200 Jews from the gas chambers by employing them in his factories, under the noses of the Gestapo.
He was later immortalised in Stephen Spielberg's movie Schindler's List. But Eve Leadbeater's husband Allan dismisses the link. "Winton was totally different to the Schindler story – the children ... they get quite upset by the comparison."
Between April and August 1939, Nicholas Winton organised seven 'kinder trains' from Prague. The first six brought out 669 children, the seventh carrying a further 250 including Eve's brother Tomy, was cancelled, its passengers condemned to their dreadful fate.
Britain's Secret Schindler, Channel 5 tonight, 8pm.
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