United past and future see off Hull |
- United past and future see off Hull
- No saints in Selangor water crisis, DAP MP tells Khairy
- Jessica Alba: I won’t get naked
- Microsoft’s mini tablet looks set for May 20 reveal
- We are no Afghanistan or Iraq, says Brazil sports minister
| United past and future see off Hull Posted: 06 May 2014 06:03 PM PDT
While the 18-year-old Wilson introduced himself to Old Trafford, captain Nemanja Vidic made his last home appearance, and there was also a late cameo from United great Ryan Giggs that may have been a farewell. Vidic will join Inter Milan on a free transfer after United's last game at Southampton on Sunday, while 40-year-old Giggs, currently the interim manager, will shortly be out of contract. In an on-pitch address after the final whistle, Giggs told the crowd: "We know it's been tough this season and over the years we've been spoilt with the success we've had, but you've always supported the team and the staff and I'm sure in the coming years we'll bring you more success. "You've seen a little glimpse of the future. We always play attractive football. Keep supporting us, and the good times will come back soon." For the last home game of his interim role, ahead of the anticipated appointment of Louis van Gaal, Giggs gave a nod to the club's traditions by picking both Wilson and 20-year-old Tom Lawrence. Wilson scored once in each half, with substitute Robin van Persie adding a late third after Matty Fryatt had replied for FA Cup finalists Hull. A Europa League place remains an unlikely target for United, who need to beat Southampton and hope Tottenham Hotspur lose to Aston Villa, but they at least signed off with a positive home result after a wretched campaign. In his own post-game speech, Vidic said: "I had so many great times here. It is hard to speak because of the emotions. "Most importantly, I would like to thank the players, the manager and all the coaches. Thank you for everything and especially to the fans. You have been fantastic to me all these years." Giggs chose to name himself and Vidic among the United substitutes, and yet the biggest surprise on the team-sheet was the presence of debutants Wilson and Lawrence in the hosts' starting XI. Wilson lifts the mood Vidic made his entrance earlier than anticipated in the 22nd minute, but it came after Phil Jones was forced off with a shoulder injury that will be of concern to England coach Roy Hodgson. The versatile defender was taken to hospital after leaving the field following an aerial collision with Maynor Figueroa, but Wilson's 31st-minute opener helped to lift the mood. Adnan Januzaj's right-wing free-kick was headed down at the back post by Marouane Fellaini and the teenager displayed the instincts of a striker several years his senior to score with a crisp left-foot half-volley. Hull failed to muster a single shot in the first half and manager Steve Bruce, the former United captain, reacted by introducing Fryatt and Yannick Sagbo at the interval, but the hosts remained on top. Wilson claimed his second goal in the 61st minute and Januzaj, United's one consistent source of invention, was the architect, streaking down the right flank and teeing up Fellaini. The Belgian's poked shot was blocked by Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic, but Wilson was on hand to tuck the rebound away. There was to be no hat-trick for the man of the hour, however, as Giggs elected to introduce Van Persie in his place shortly after Fryatt had reduced the arrears with a dipping shot from 25 yards. Giggs was the next man to enter the fray, earning a standing ovation as he came on in place of Lawrence to make his 963rd appearance for the club. There were cries from the crowd of "Shoot!" whenever he touched the ball, but although he could not crown the occasion with a goal, he did contribute an assist of sorts. A typically incisive pass in the 86th minute found Van Persie, who lashed home at the second attempt after his first effort came back off a defender. An injury-time free-kick presented an opportunity for a perfect ending, but although Giggs got the ball up and over the wall, Jakupovic foiled him with a flying save — AFP  |
| No saints in Selangor water crisis, DAP MP tells Khairy Posted: 06 May 2014 05:59 PM PDT
KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — The Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government is partly to blame for Klang Valley's protracted water woes, DAP's Tony Pua conceded today. But not for the reasons outlined yesterday by Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the Petaling Jaya Utara MP added, joining the fray budding between Selangor state and Putrajaya. "What Khairy is telling us is that the Selangor Government was irresponsible for not agreeing to the BN-sponsored privatisation agreement to enrich the shareholders of these water concessionaires," Pua said in a statement. He lashed out at the youth and sports minister, calling Khairy "mischievous" for trying to whitewash the Barisan Nasional federal government's role in deepening the water crisis by bailing out the debt-ridden private companies that had failed to maintain and repair their distribution system, leading to leakages of the precious liquid that has sharply affected consumers statewide amid a prolonged dry spell. Pua reminded Khairy that the crisis started in 2011, with Putrajaya moving in to pay off the RM6.5 billion debt incurred by the water companies instead of letting the Selangor government take them over, leading to an impasse between the two. "With the concessionaire relieved of their immediate debt obligations, these water concessionaires did the only logical thing to maximise profits – that is to stall on the takeover exercise and demand a king's ransom," Pua said. He added that though the standoff finally broke two months ago when both governments reached a compromise, Putrajaya has yet to make good its part of the bargain, which was to get the water companies to sell their assets, failing which it was to enforce the takeover by invoking its powers under the Water Services Industry Act (WSIA). The DAP federal lawmaker did not spare the Selangor government from his tirade, criticising it for being overconfident that it could complete the takeover within the last five years and failing to come up with a backup plan to deal with protracted negotiations. "The rakyat who placed their trust in the state government had expected better from us," Pua said. He urged the Selangor government to now focus on ramping up the state's raw water supply and reserves to withstand future shortages, regardless of whether they were man-made or caused by nature. |
| Jessica Alba: I won’t get naked Posted: 06 May 2014 05:53 PM PDT
The 33-year-old actress famously refuses to strip off in her films, something she has no intention of changing as she gets older. She can't imagine ever facing members of her family again had she flashed her flesh on the big screen. "I don't want my grandparents to see my boobs. That's it. It would be weird at Christmas," she told Glamour magazine. "And, I mean, really, if you look at the movies I have done, getting naked would never 'elevate' the picture." Jessica and her husband Cash Warren met while they were shooting 2004 movie Fantastic Four and married in 2008. They now have two daughters and although the actress is settled in her family life, she can vividly remember what it felt like when she wasn't so happy. "Relationships can be tough, and I was engaged before. I've only had two boyfriends. In the first one, with Michael [Weatherly, star of NCIS], I didn't have a voice yet, and he was so much older," she explained. "But now [with Cash] there are no more surprises. At around two-and-a-half years, you're kind of like, 'Are we in it? Are we doing this?' And the easiest part? That would be snuggling every night." Jessica has been open about her religious childhood and realising she didn't feel the same way about faith as those around her when she was 15. She was raised Catholic, but left when she began to feel judged for how she looked. The star also wanted more strong women to look up to; something she learnt was important thanks to her mother. "Where I was from, you had to answer to a man if he was the breadwinner. My mom told me that didn't need to be the case for me ― I didn't need to rely on a man," she said. "She taught me how to hustle. I was determined to be financially independent. So I started making my own money when I was 12 [with acting]. That was freedom." ― Cover Media |
| Microsoft’s mini tablet looks set for May 20 reveal Posted: 06 May 2014 05:52 PM PDT
Expected to boast a screen size of seven to eight inches and offer proper, digitising pen stylus support, the Surface Mini looks set to be Microsoft's latest attempt to grow its share of the tablet market and to snag consumers who would otherwise plump for an iPad Mini or Nexus 7. The Surface range of tablets is growing in popularity, but not fast enough. The latest estimates put shipments for the first quarter of 2014 at just 750,000 units and sales to date at 3 million. The Surface Pro, which is essentially a Windows 8 convertible notebook with a touch screen and which comes with a premium price tag, does indeed offer people used to Microsoft-powered PCs a new way of working, resting and playing, but its low-powered stablemate, the Surface 2 (formerly known as the Surface RT), has proven a tougher sell. Running on a low-powered ARM processor, it is unable to run legacy Windows desktop apps and is more like other tablets, even if it does have a rather smart detachable keyboard. And that's where it falls down, because unlike Android and Apple slates, the number of apps available for the Surface 2 is not exactly comprehensive. Meaning that it is a tough sell to anyone other than enterprise customers who might want something that's extremely portable and that offers access to Microsoft's Office suite of productivity applications. Therefore it will be interesting to see if the new, smaller tablet is a mini version of the Surface Pro or a mini version of the Surface 2. And we won't have long to wait to find out. The event kicks off in New York on May 20. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| We are no Afghanistan or Iraq, says Brazil sports minister Posted: 06 May 2014 05:52 PM PDT
Riots rocked Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana Beach district last month and fears about safety for thousands of football fans visiting Brazil were heightened last week by the fatal shooting of man during a clash with police close to the England team hotel in the city. "We all have our tragedies and challenges, serious problems relating to security," said Rebelo as he embarked on a spirited defense of Brazil, which is racing to be ready to host the World Cup from June 12 and has had to deal with years of negative press headlines. But calling for perspective, he said: "I don't think the English will confront greater threats in Manaus than in the Iraqi provinces or Afghanistan, where they recently lost hundreds of young soldiers." He did though concede that in Rio in particular, which hosts seven games including the final on July 13, there is "day-to-day civil violence... but we are taking precautions." That includes drafting a huge security force of 150,000 police and 20,000 private security agents for a tournament expected to attract some three million Brazilians and 600,000 foreign tourists. Rio authorities deployed 2,000 more police this week — earlier than scheduled — after the clashes between military police and residents of a slum just a short walk from the Copacabana Beach tourist drag. Copacabana will host Rio's "fan fest" parties during the World Cup for ticketless supporters staying in a city whose huge slums are havens of gang violence and drug trafficking which police are struggling to contain. 'Overcome them' Rebelo also took aim at the British tabloid media for stories about crime in Manaus — where England open their tournament campaign against Italy on June 14. One report last year headlined "Murderous Manaus" described the city as "one of the deadliest places on earth" with a homicide rate of three murders per day — triple that of Rio. England coach Roy Hodgson admitted his team had wanted to avoid the venue, not least for its energy-sapping Amazon heat. "The English got used to hot temperatures during the colonial era — and the Iraq war," Rebelo said in a not-so-subtle dig. While saluting Brazil's "firm links with Britain," he could not resist an additional barb. Noting the northeastern coastal city of Recife hosts a British cemetery, a relic of a sea-faring colonial power's historic tropical adventures, he said: "I don't think its population will rise because of the World Cup!" Rebelo said violence had rocked several sporting events around the world in the past, citing the Munich Olympics massacre and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing, as well as suicide bombings in the lead-up to the Sochi Olympics in February. France also got the Rebelo treatment for "frequent problems in the metro" in Paris — while social problems sometimes had seen its suburbs erupt "in flames." Promising "modern, sophisticated" security for the World Cup, Rebelo said Brazil would cope with popular protests expected to occur during the event — some Brazilians have slammed corruption and the Cup costs, estimated at more than US$11 billion. "Brazil has constitutional protection for demonstrations but the law prohibits violent protests," he warned. "We will do everything to protect the population. We have our deficiencies but will tackle the problems and overcome them. — AFP |
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