West Ham beat Bristol with last-gasp goal to book place in FA Cup last 16 |
- West Ham beat Bristol with last-gasp goal to book place in FA Cup last 16
- Sharapova to Bouchard: You don’t have to be me
- Gunmen kidnap Libyan deputy foreign minister, says interior minister
- WHO on Ebola: ‘Never again should world be caught by surprise’
- 11 dead in unrest on anniversary of Egypt uprising, state media reports
- Austerity-defying Syriza tipped to be voted into government in Greece
| West Ham beat Bristol with last-gasp goal to book place in FA Cup last 16 Posted: 25 Jan 2015 08:11 AM PST
With time running out Sakho connected with Andy Carroll's cross and headed in off the underside of the crossbar to secure West Ham's place in the fifth round. A day after Chelsea and Manchester City were stunned by Bradford City and Middlesbrough respectively, Bristol City looked determined to cause another upset and striker Matt Smith had a header cleared off the line in a goalless first half. But West Ham improved in the second period and Sakho's arrival sparked life into the Hammers as he went close with a half-volley before heading home Carroll's cross in the 81st minute. Later today, Aston Villa host Championship leaders Bournemouth, while holders Arsenal travel to Brighton and Hove Albion. — Reuters  |
| Sharapova to Bouchard: You don’t have to be me Posted: 25 Jan 2015 07:58 AM PST
After all, argued the 27-year-old Russian, she is still fielding comparisons with Anna Kournikova despite winning five Grand Slams since her breakthrough at Wimbledon more than a decade ago. Sharapova, the second seed at Melbourne Park this year as she chases a second Australian title, said all 20-year-old Bouchard could do was remain true to herself. "When I was coming up, I was compared to Kournikova for many years in my career," said Sharapova, who routed Chinese 21st seed Peng Shuai 6-3, 6-0 to set up a final eight clash with Bouchard. "Still occasionally the name always comes up in interviews and articles. That's just part of the game, part of the business. It's understandable. "As I said when I was still a teenager 'I don't want to be the next anyone. I want to be the first Maria Sharapova". "That's how I've been throughout my whole career. And we all want to create our own path and go through our own career." Florida-based Sharapova is the world's wealthiest female athlete, with lucrative endorsements pushing her earnings in the tens of millions annually.
Canada's Bouchard, seeded seventh, is similarly photogenic and has been tipped as tennis' next big thing after reaching the Wimbledon final and the semi at the Australian and French Opens last year. Sharapova said she was not well acquainted with Bouchard, who is already a superstar in her homeland, but could see similarities in their games. "I personally don't know Genie very well (but) as a tennis player she's a big competitor," she said. "She's an aggressive player as well that likes to take the ball early and dictate points. From that perspective, yeah, definitely." Torrid clash Sharapova said she was gaining form at the season-opening Grand Slam after surviving a second-round scare at the hands compatriot Alexandra Panova, when she had to save two match points. "I feel like someone gave me another chance and when you come close to losing you have to pump yourself up. I think I've done a good job of that since that match," she said. Sharapova went into the match with a 4-1 record over Peng but the 29-year-old matched her in the early exchanges before the Russian ran riot. The pair exchanged breaks mid-way through the first set, with the tenacious Peng struggling to handle Sharapova's powerful forehand. Sharapova ramped up the aggression to notch another break after Peng shot her forehand into the net, going on to take the set after 39 minutes. Peng threw everything she had at Sharapova at the start of the second, stretching the opening game to 13 minutes as she desperately tried to stop the Russian breaking early. She saved two set points but succumbed to a third and Sharapova never looked back, going on to bring up match point with an ace at 6-0 and sealing the win with a cross-court backhand. The world number two said she was anticipating a torrid clash with Bouchard, who has lost all three of her previous matches with Sharapova but pushed her in the semi-finals of last year's French Open. "It was a really tough three setter. She's been playing incredibly well—confident aggressive tennis. I have a tough match ahead of me," she said. — AFP |
| Gunmen kidnap Libyan deputy foreign minister, says interior minister Posted: 25 Jan 2015 07:48 AM PST
The gunmen took Hassan al-Saghir from a hotel where he was staying in the eastern city of Bayda, Interior Minister Omar al-Zanki said today. Kidnappings have become frequent in the North African country, where two governments and parliaments, allied to different armed factions, are vying for legitimacy and control four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. Abdullah al-Thinni, the internationaly recognised prime minister of Libya, and his cabinet have been based in the east since a group called Libya Dawn seized the capital of Tripoli in August and reinstated the old assembly known as General National Congress assembly. The elected parliament, the House of Representatives, has been forced to work in the remote eastern city of Tobruk near the border with Egypt. — Reuters |
| WHO on Ebola: ‘Never again should world be caught by surprise’ Posted: 25 Jan 2015 07:46 AM PST
Opening a rare emergency session to review the fight against the epidemic, WHO head Margaret Chan said despite turning the corner there was no room for complacency, warning that progress could very easily be undone. Chan acknowledged blistering criticism that WHO's response to the epidemic had been slow and shoddy. "This was west Africa's first experience with the virus and it delivered some horrific shocks and surprises. The world, including WHO, was too slow to see what was unfolding before us," she told delegates at the third emergency session in the history of WHO. "Ebola is a tragedy that has taught the world, including WHO, many lessons also about how to prevent similar events in the future," she said. "The volatile microbial world will always deliver surprises," she said. "Never again should the world be caught by surprise, unprepared." Chan later told AFP that "the priority in 2015 is to help countries get the Ebola rate down to zero." The worst outbreak of the virus in history has seen nearly 9,000 deaths in a year — almost all in the three west African countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone — and sparked a major health scare worldwide. But "an upsurge in new cases can follow a single unsafe act or burial or violent act of community resistance," Chan said. She called for a "dedicated contingency fund to support rapid responses to outbreaks and emergencies", the need to enhance crisis management in the heart of the WHO, better international coordination and surveillance, and a "far more rigorous methodology for evaluating these capacities". "Countries must be supported to have their own workforce for responding to emergencies, trained and drilled to perform with military precision," she said. 'Strong, speedy response' David Nabarro, the UN's Ebola coordinator, said "responses must be strategic, strong and speedy" in the future. He said the outbreak showed up "weaknesses in the global institutional machinery for identifying and quickly neutralising health hazards." Nabarro, however, noted a string of generous contributions in both funds, expertise and help in building up the creaky health infrastructure of the worst-hit countries, singling out Britain, China, France, the United States as well as the African Union and the west African regional bloc ECOWAS. The conference also heard from Sierra Leonean nurse Rebecca Johnson, who survived the disease after a four-week treatment in December. Johnson said she could not walk or talk and nearly went blind. "But I have recovered my sight," she said. Despite her recovery, Johnson said she was "stigmatised and am still stigmatised by some people in my community." "I sometimes go to a (lonely) place and cry," she said, but ended her speech with a message of hope. "Ebola is not the end of the world. Ebola can be beaten." — AFP |
| 11 dead in unrest on anniversary of Egypt uprising, state media reports Posted: 25 Jan 2015 07:42 AM PST
The interior ministry said a policeman was shot dead in clashes with Islamist protesters in a north Cairo neighbourhood in which a number of demonstrators were also killed.
Another Islamist protester was shot dead in clashes with police in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. Officials said he was killed after he opened fire and police responded. In central Cairo, police fired shotguns and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters who tried to march on the central Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the early 2011 revolt that ousted veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak. — AFP |
| Austerity-defying Syriza tipped to be voted into government in Greece Posted: 25 Jan 2015 07:36 AM PST
Barring a huge upset, Syriza, which has led opinion polls for months, will be the biggest party and aims to form the first euro zone government openly committed to cancelling the austerity terms of its EU and IMF-backed bailout programme. "In Greece, democracy will return," the party's 40-year-old leader Alexis Tsipras told a throng of cameras as he voted in Athens. "The message is that our common future in Europe is not the future of austerity." A Syriza win would represent another turning point for Europe after last week's announcement by the European Central Bank of a massive injection of cash into the bloc's flagging economy after years of trying to clamp down on budgets and pushing countries to pass structural reforms. Polls close at 7pm (1700 GMT), with 9.8 million Greeks eligible to vote. An exit poll is expected immediately after voting ends, with the first official projections due at 9.30pm with results updated into the night. While Syriza is expected to form the biggest group in the 300-seat parliament, it is unclear if it will be able to govern alone or have to form a coalition with a smaller party. Final polls on Friday gave the party a lead of up to 6.7 points with 31.2-33.4 per cent of the vote, slightly under the level needed for an outright victory. However the final result could hinge on whether it can convince enough voters that it can keep Greece on a sustainable course, with many wary of idealistic promises. "I voted for a small party to force them all to collaborate, get us back to growth and keep us in the euro," said Christos Mousouris, 52, a civil engineer. "People should be realists and not believe in fairy tales."
"Today we are deciding if we move ahead with power, safety and confidence or if we get into an adventure," Samaras said after voting in the western Pelopponese region. After its most severe crisis since the fall of the military junta in 1974, Greece's economy has shrunk by some 25 per cent, thousands of businesses have closed, wages and pensions have been slashed and unemployment among youth is over 50 per cent. At the same time, its massive public debt has climbed from 146 per cent of gross domestic product in 2010 to 175.5 per cent last year, the second highest in the world. For a factbox on the Greek elections, click: 'Enough is enough!' Greece's economy last year emerged from recession for the first time in six years and unemployment has begun to come down slightly, but it may be years before the country recovers. Tsipras' campaign slogan "Hope is coming!" has resonated with austerity-weary voters, despite Samaras' warnings that a Syriza government could bankrupt Greece. "We can't take more austerity," said 47 year-old civil servant Maria Avrami, who said she used to vote for the centre-left PASOK party, which shared power with New Democracy in the outgoing government. "I hope Syriza gets a high vote to be strong enough to negotiate with the Europeans," she said. Renouncing much of the firebrand rhetoric that was once his hallmark, Tsipras has promised to keep Greece in the euro and dropped threats to "tear up" the tough requirements of its €240 billion (RM964.6 billion) bailout. He has promised to renegotiate a deal with the European Commission, ECB and International Monetary Fund "troika" and write off much of Greece's €320-billion debt, despite clear signs from partners including Germany that they would refuse. At the same time, he wants to raise the minimum wage, cut power prices for low income families, cut taxes and reverse pension and public sector pay cuts. Financial markets have been on edge ahead of the elections, although the ECB's massive bond-buying programme and growing confidence that a Syriza-led government could compromise with its creditors boosted confidence last week. Syriza would need around 40 per cent of the vote to be guaranteed a majority but it could win with less depending on how well other parties perform. If not, it may need to form a coalition with a small party such as the centrist To Potami, the centre-left PASOK or the anti-bailout Independent Greeks or form a minority government, relying on ad-hoc support from other parties. Syriza officials have said they would seek a six-month "truce" whereby the bailout programme due to end on Feb. 28 would be put on hold while talks with creditors begin. But they face stiff resistance from the rest of Europe over demands for a debt write-off, raising the spectre of Greece being forced out of the euro if no agreement is reached. — Reuters |
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