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Friday, March 27, 2009
(ZaViews Editorial *****every friday*****) Sarkozy or Putin? By Ayesha Siddiqa
Beckham will play minder for fiery Rooney
David Beckham is ready to act as Wayne Rooney's minder to keep the fiery England forward out of trouble.England coach Fabio Capello called Rooney a "crazy man" following the Manchester United star's petulant red card for throwing the ball at the referee against Fulham last weekend.Capello's joke hid concern that a lack of individual discipline could damage England's hopes of a successful World Cup campaign in South Africa next year.Rooney has often struggled to control his temper with England and was sent off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho in the 2006 quarter-final defeat against Portugal. He was also substituted by Sven Goran Eriksson after losing his rag in a friendly against Spain in 2004.Beckham knows from personal experience how the red mist can descend quickly on the pitch following his costly red card for kicking Diego Simeone in the 2002 World Cup defeat to Argentina.The on-loan AC Milan midfielder is a more mature figure now but he knows it is essential that Rooney retains his fire or he will become a less dynamic player.Beckham believes it is impossible to completely tame Rooney but he is keen to keep an eye on Rooney so he can avoid the kind of explosions that could lead to more disciplinary problems."If you take that side of him out of his game he becomes a different player and a different animal," Beckham said.
Google triumvirate take only $1 each in pay for 2008
WB OKs $500 mln interest-free loan to Pakistan
Google to trim jobs in marketing and sales
Allied Irish Banks hit by $81M loans scam
Japan Issues Order to 'Destroy' N. Korea Rocket
U.S. destroyers on move as N. Korea prepares rocket launch
Blast injures Somali minister
Guantanamo inmates may be released on US soil
Iran, India may join US war in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON A key US senator said on Thursday that the United States and Iran might begin their cooperation for stabilising Afghanistan after a meeting between officials of the two countries in The Hague next week.‘We also need to reach out to Afghanistan’s other neighbours, including India, China, and Iran,’ Senator John Kerry told the confirmation hearing for the new US ambassador to Afghanistan.The former Democratic presidential candidate, who now heads the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted that in 2001 and 2002, Iran helped to stabilise Afghanistan. ‘And the Obama administration is right to explore how our interests might coincide again on this issue, beginning at the Hague Conference next week,’ he added.Earlier on Thursday, Hasan Qashqavi, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Tehran that Iran would join the United States at two international conferences on Afghanistan, including the one at The Hague which begins on March 31.‘The level of participation is yet to be determined,’ he added. Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially invited Iran to the Hague conference.The US move is seen in Tehran as a moral victory for the Iranian government, which was castigated by the Bush administration as part of an ‘Axis of Evil’.Although the US still plays a leading role in the campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme, the US decision to involve it in its efforts to stabilise Afghanistan enhances the stature of the Iranian government.Both the Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are expected to attend. Other attendees will include foreign ministers from countries in the region, countries that are part of the International Security Assistance Force and other countries and organisations that are contributing to reconstruction in Afghanistan.
Obama Seeks 'Strategy' Not 'Straightjacket' in Afghanistan
32 dead after Indonesia dam bursts: official
UK Scientists Grow A Living Human 'Brain'
Scientists in Birmingham have grown a living human 'brain' The team at Aston University created tiny bundles of cells which act like a mini nervous system.They believe it could help find a cure for degenerative conditions like Alzheimer's, motor neurone or Parkinson's disease.Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research.He explained: "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cellular system. "Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works."The experiment involves altering cells from a cancer tumour and making them behave like brain cells.Although far from finished, scientists hope the fake brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work.This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain.Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "It is still very early days, but in the future this interesting research could lead to a useful tool for investigating dementia."The technique could also provide an alternative to animal testing and is being supported and funded by the Humane Research Trust.Over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia, but campaigners say research into the disease is hugely under-funded.Current treatments cause unpleasant side-effects and do not halt the progression of conditions.Professor Coleman believes his findings could change this. He said: "We hope our technique will provide scientists with a new and highly relevant human experimental model to help us understand the brain better and develop new drugs and treatments to tackle neurodegenerative disease."
Former top seed Kim Clijsters announces comeback
Taylor, Ryder keep NZ in contention
New Zealand first innings |
T McIntosh c Karthik b Sharma 12 M Guptill c Sehwag b Khan 8 J How b Khan 1 R Taylor c Y Singh b H Singh 151 J Ryder not out 137 J Franklin not out 26 Extras 16 Total (for four wickets, 90 overs) 351 Fall of wickets 1-21 2-22 3-23 4-294 To bat: Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Iain O'Brien, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin. |
IBM to shift roughly 5,000 US jobs to India
Report: Pakistan Aiding Taliban Attacks in Afghanistan
Obama phones Zardari to discuss key issues
ISLAMABAD US President Barack Obama on Thursday called President Asif Ali Zardari and discussed bilateral relations, situation in the region as well as other matters of mutual interest.During the telephone conversation, President Obama and President Zardari discussed the 'Friends of Democratic Pakistan' (FODP) forum initiative, aimed at promoting and strengthening democracy in Pakistan.President Asif Ali Zardari, who launched the initiative of the FODP in New York in September 2008, will chair the Friends' Ministerial meeting being held in Tokyo on April 17.The two leaders also discussed matters relating to the fight against militancy, with particular reference to peace in the region.The new US Administration under President Obama is working on a new strategy to deal with terrorism and extremism, with focus on a stable, economically strong and democratic Pakistan.
US report on Chinese military a 'gross distortion'
Poverty 'worsening' in Asia-Pacific
Obama answers seven of 104,000 Web questions
Iran, NATO hold first talks in 30 years: official
North Korea Threatens to Restart Nuke Program Over Rocket Launch Sanctions
Jets 'bombed convoy in Sudan'
Pakistan, US coordinating drone attacks: WSJ
NEW YORK US and Pakistani intelligence officials are drawing up a fresh list of terrorist targets for Predator drone strikes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, part of a US review of the drone program, the Wall Street Journal said Thursday.Citing official sources the newspaper said Pakistani officials are seeking to broaden the scope of the program to target extremists who have carried out attacks against Pakistanis, a move they say could win domestic support.The Obama administration is weighing the effectiveness of the program against the risk that its unpopularity weakens an important ally.Underlining the fragility of the situation, the US believes Pakistan's top intelligence agency is directly supporting the Taliban and other militants in Afghanistan, even as the US targets those groups, says a person close to the deliberations.In a separate but similar report the New York Times quoting US government officials said 'the Taliban's widening campaign in southern Afghanistan is made possible in part by direct support from operatives in Pakistan s military intelligence agency, despite Pakistani government promises to sever ties to militant groups fighting in Afghanistan'.The support consists of money, military supplies and strategic planning guidance to Taliban commanders who are gearing up to confront the international force in Afghanistan that will soon include some 17,000 American reinforcements.The Times said 'support for the Taliban, as well as other militant groups, is coordinated by operatives inside the shadowy S Wing of Pakistan’s spy service, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence the officials said. There is even evidence that ISI operatives meet regularly with Taliban commanders to discuss whether to intensify or scale back violence before the Afghan elections.'The Wall Street Journal in its report pointed out the Central Intelligence Agency's drone program is important to Washington because areas of Pakistan remain a haven for Taliban and al Qaeda militants operating in Afghanistan.