Video: Wayne Rooney gives his support to Ryan Shawcross

Published: 4:21PM GMT 01 March 2010

Aaron Ramsey must ensure no mental scars remain from Ryan Shawcross tackle

By Henry Winter Published: 6:21PM GMT 01 March 2010

Crying shame: Ryan Shawcross is a earnest player who done a forward plea on Arsenal"s Aaron Ramsey but not a antagonistic one Photo: AFP

Some reflections on events at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke City are a singular group but not a unwashed one. Their centre-half, Ryan Shawcross, is a earnest player who done a forward plea on Arsenals Aaron Ramsey but not a antagonistic one.

Shawcrosss distress was patently genuine. But if he is to grown up in to a top-class centre-half, one able of any postulated inflection with England, Shawcross contingency sense that there is a sure sort of aggressive, high-speed plunge into tolerated in English football that draws benefaction permit from unfamiliar referees, even if no hit with the competition occurs.

Stoke urge Shawcross firmness Ryan Shawcross"s "intent" is not the point Ramsey"s damage does not infer Arsenal are targeted Ramsey"s predestine is bequest of weed roots charge Stoke City 1 Arsenal 3 Wenger: "We have achieved"

Shawcross contingency sense to scrape the ball.

As for Ramsey, a excellent immature bent with technical gifts that Shawcross can usually mental condition of, the Welshman will redeem medically.

The earthy scars will blur but Ramsey contingency safeguard no mental scars sojourn that could stymie his development. Just see at Eduardo.

History"s derisive lessons for England

If England physical education instructor Fabio Capello seeks a low-pitched miscellany to retard out the sound from the John Terry-Wayne Bridge saga, he would be well suggested to equivocate the singles that dominated the charts during past World Cups.

Secret Love by Doris Day and Whos Sorry Now by Connie Francis were the songs that averaged the top positions via Switzerland 1954 and Sweden 1958 respectively.

Historys derisive lessons for Englands benefaction continues with She by Charles Aznavour at West Germany 1974 and Brown Girl in the Ring by Boney M at Argentina 1978.

Terry competence not conclude the mental recall from Mexico 1982 of the touching Happy Talk by Captain Sensible. Or Bridge for Sacrifice by Elton John at Italia 90 (with England/New Orders World In Motion at No 2 and Luciano Pavarottis Nessun Dorma at No 3). Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet dripping all the weeks of USA 94.

Most recently, dual apposite classics ruled the charts during Japan/Korea 2002 and Germany 2006: A Little Less Conversation by Elvis Presley and a important charity from Gnarls Barkley that encapsulates the stream playground around Capellos squad. Crazy.

Hilary Mantel interview

By Anna Murphy Published: 2:39PM GMT 01 March 2010

Hilary Mantel Photo: MARTIN POPE

The nations chiropractors contingency have been gay at the success of Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantels conspicuous 653-page circumnavigation of Thomas Cromwell. As of subsequent week, however, the biggest-selling Booker prizewinner ever 220,000 hardback copies in Britain alone is out in paperback. Which equates to a dodgy lumbar segment is no longer an unavoidable effect of enjoying one of the majority appropriate novels of new years, a high-wire action that manages to work as an addictive page-turner, as a serious ratiocination of a duration and man of history, and as a overwhelming square of essay as gangling and robust as it is abounding and allusive.

Wolf Hall has additionally captivated customarily the right volume of controversy, a small critics observant that Mantel has given one of the majority scandalous total in British story the man who engineered all from the retraction of the monasteries to the execution of Anne Boleyn as well easy a ride. "It wasnt a subject of rehabilitating someone, says Mantel, 57, her tinge at once girlish and justification of a debate intelligence. "When you have got someone going from blacksmiths son to Earl of Essex in that firm multitude you have to wish to know how he did it.

Girls ready for babies at 14, says bard Hilary Mantel wins Man Booker Prize for Wolf Hall Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: examination 2009 Man Booker prize: chimp bard in in between 3 initial time novelists in utilizing Literary Life Summer celebration of the mass

She is sitting, twinkly-eyed and charcterised in the winter sun, her dim doll-like face atop an twisted cloaking of black creation her see rather similar to a hulk palm puppet. Minutes earlier, when I had been shown in to the sea of thickk cream that is the living-room at her and her husbands prosaic in an old Victorian sanatorium in Woking, I had seen customarily the black, her shapeless at the behind of a appearing participation over the computer shade in a sole dim corner. That chairman seems to have transmogrified.

"Hans Holbein embellished this incredibly passed design of Cromwell, and given afterwards it was roughly as if everyone corroborated off, Mantel continues, all flicker and smiles. "What I longed for to do was discuss it Cromwells story, given it had not been told, to transparent out the junk and the influence and get a uninformed begin with the character. And when you mount in Cromwells shoes, that is unequivocally majority the on all sides of the book, the total over-familiar Tudor universe defamiliarises at once.

Mantel had primarily felt drawn towards Cromwell in the 1970s when she was operative on A Place of Greater Safety, an additional back-busting chronological novel set during the French Revolution. It took her so prolonged to get to him, she says, given of the direct on the complicated bard not to "step off the escalator, to keep edition a book each integrate of years or so.

Which is precisely what Mantel did, skipping patently facilely from place to place, epoch to epoch in her books, be it England in 1970, Botswana in the 1950s or Saudi Arabia in the 1980s. ("I can never assimilate given people write the same book twice.)

But when she eventually came to Cromwell, she says, "I felt the wait for had paid off, given it was as though in the dim the story had been entertainment power. When I wrote the initial page I got such a surge of exhilaration, a charge, and I felt unstoppable. I felt such a detonate of appetite being lent to me by the character. And it wasnt a book to write but a lifetimes experience at the behind of you. I couldnt have thought myself in to him when I was younger.

What Mantel thinks herself in to is plural in the brilliance, for she animates not customarily Cromwells poise of the stateroom the approach in that he overcomes the strangulating arrogance of men such as the Duke of Norfolk to climb on top of them all as Henry VIIIs right-hand man but additionally of the kitchen and the parlour. Here is a high-flying counsel and office worker who can additionally "clarify calfs feet jelly, chatting afar in a reduction of French, Tuscan and Putney, cost a ladys brocades and furs on sight, or conjure up up the undiluted set of Venetian crystal-handled forks to consequence him a days foster with the fickle Anne Boleyn. Having learnt the ways of the transport not to discuss large alternative places as a kid and immature man, Cromwell deploys them all to shin up the intensely oily stick of the Tudor court.

Mantel talks about Cromwell as if he had customarily popped out to buy a pint of milk. He is apparently unequivocally majority alive for her. "This person, whoever is the centre of the universe in your book, they are unequivocally close to you psychically. There is an invisible sell going on all the time, a kind of send of energy. A bit of them issuing in to you, a bit of you issuing in to them.

In majority ways it is formidable to suppose dual characters some-more different. Yet Mantel with her self-professed "quiet day to day of the introvert and "appearance of delicate fearfulness and the world-bestriding Tudor politician as recognized by her, share majority traits. Both are plotters, of course, in Mantels box in her novels, in Cromwells at the Tudor court. Both are lift out freaks, spooky with sequence in their work and in, in in between alternative things, their made at home environments. Cromwell runs his home at Austin Friars similar to an sea liner; Mantel used to transport with a span of rubber gloves.

Mantel talks about how she has learnt that "power is negotiated, acquired, given away, in pointed ways. She writes of how the commoner Cromwell contingency for majority years "edge blackly in to a room. Mantel herself has "edged towards appetite by her fiction. She initial embarked on writing, she tells me with evil frankness, "because I longed for to levy myself on the world. I longed for to have my mark.

Her early books were mostly discharged by short-sighted, customarily masculine reviewers as "domestic. (As she once put it, "When you write you are not presumably sex. But when youre review you are unequivocally gendered.)

One utterly snitty reviewer discharged her French Revolution masterpiece, A Place of Greater Safety, for carrying as well majority in it about wallpaper. Other critics unsuccessful to see that Eight Months on Ghazzah Street, formed on her 4 years outlayed with her geologist husband, Gerald, in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, was not "just a medieval novel about an the upper story prosaic that competence or competence not be empty, but a chilling expectation of the dangers fundamental in the "vast cove of disagreement in in between East and West. It was in those misunderstandings that extremism breeds, given the picture of the West there was so black and so distorted.

In short, Mantel has been essay "important books for decades, but it is customarily with Wolf Hall that this has been at large recognised. She is both amused and indignant about the injustice. "It is deeply irritating to be darned with gloomy regard for your sharp-witted depictions of your own sex, and for your hoop on domesticity, she says. "It is as if people see at the moon and dont realize that it has a dim side; they think it is a prosaic yellow front pinned on the sky. Everyone has a in isolation life. Household names come out of households, and to report someones open hold up but their in isolation life, in a work of fiction… I think it is utterly fake to spin out cinema of whoever it is customarily in the open arena: at a small point they have to travel off-stage.

Mantel learnt the eminence in in between on-stage and off at an scarcely early age. In her discourse of her working-class Derbyshire childhood, Giving up the Ghost, she recounts the conspicuous opening she and her dual younger brothers were approaching to lift off when their father was supplanted by a man called Jack. Jack simply changed in one day and never left. Her father, meanwhile, became a "ghost about the house, prior to eventually dematerialising exactly when she was 11, never to be seen again. After that, as far as the universe outward their doorway was concerned, it was Jack who was their father.

"When alternative people repudiate the being of what is going on, she says carefully, embarking on an additional of her page-ready paragraphs of speech, "when you can see for yourself that certain things are function but you are being told that they are not, that creates the universe a unequivocally dangerous place for perception. In a clarity I still have to support it. I am not free with that material. Jacks dead. My genuine father, Henry, is dead. Other people are unequivocally majority alive. I think the a story of the time, when family break-up was a disgrace, and people were led in to formidable forms of lying in sequence to sojourn respectable. Henry had to be created out of history.

Mantel never attempted to snippet her father. "Henry was never mentionable at home, so there was no point perplexing to get any report out of my mom it customarily led to rows. Of course, I customarily listened her side of the story, but she assured me that he had never felt any shortcoming for me and didnt caring what became of me. Youd have to assimilate how flamable the domicile was. The romantic heat ran unequivocally high.

"Besides, I think in that incident it is up to the adult, not the child, to have contact, she continues. "Later I wondered given he hadnt. I shall never know, of course. I could presumably have traced him, but you dont know what youre bungling into. Perhaps he had tied together again and kept his past dark? In fact, after the announcement of the discourse in 2003 a stepsister contacted her, revelation her of her fathers remarriage and how, prior to his death, he had once seen Mantel on radio and said, "I think thats my daughter.

"Not a day goes by but me removing a small discernment in to the past, she observes. "As a bard you owe it to yourself not to get stranded in a rut of seeking at the universe in a certain way. You have no commercial operation saying, "My impression is this and my impression is that. This is my habit, this is what I am like." That is no great for a writer. You have got to be positively fluid. You have to turn all your element final of you. You have to be mutable. You have to be all the time ready to shift shape.

Shape-shifting, both verbatim and metaphorical, is a thesis via Mantels writing, and in law her life.

A self-proclaimed trip of a thing when she was young, her struggles with serious endometriosis the suffering of that has mostly feeble her followed by a thyroid problem, led to her physique "rising similar to a fritter left in a comfortable place. In the past she has created of how "ignorable you turn when you are fat similar to a square of furniture. Im similar to a comic-book version of myself. My physique is vigilant on revelation the story, so my mind had improved go along with it and write the memoir. And yet, as these difference suggest, this physique that has again and again tricked her has additionally empowered her as a writer.

Indeed, she credits her ill health with removing her to write in the initial place. She complicated law at university but by her early twenties, "My options were shutting off, given the things I felt I competence do, I patently wasnt going to be means to do. I was still but diagnosis, but I knew something was wrong with me. I felt unequivocally marginalised, and that what I indispensable was a plan underneath my control. As she once wrote, "Illness forces you to the wall, so the position of the bard is forced on you.

And so, whilst Mantel still struggles by days and weeks when she feels as well ill to work, paradoxically her seizure additionally seems to be her hardest and thus her majority constant charge master. As she puts it now, "You cant get afar from apocalyptic health, but you competence as well get a small have use of out of it. It is not a subject of creation clarity of suffering, given zero does have clarity of it. It is a subject of not… falling in to it. It is articulate at the behind of to whatever hurts, either that is earthy or psychological, so that it doesnt plunge you.

The aspect of her ill health with that she could creek no evidence was her enforced infertility after the removal of her ovaries when she was in her late twenties. I ask Mantel about her childlessness. "I think the figure of the loss keeps changing. When I initial had that surgery I was blissful to be alive. The childlessness was patently an egghead fact, but the law was I wasnt ready to have immature kids at that stage.

I wouldnt in the march of inlet come to think about immature kids until my mid-thirties, I think. So afterwards after it gets you that this is the age when you would have had children.

"And this is the point where the chairman who is driven by their will comes up opposite the sealed door, the section wall, and starts banging their head on it. You have no choice, and no volume of deceit and plotting is going to have it any different. You have customarily come up opposite a beast fact, and you wish to combust you are so frustrated. That was I think the initial time in my hold up I had come up opposite an comprehensive "No" from fate. It is a womans right to choose, I thought. But it wasnt. I competence unequivocally well have selected not to have children. But it has regularly stayed with me, the actuality of this vacant denial. And I did feel it again when my friends proposed to turn grandmas. It follows that if you are not a mom you are not a grandmother. Your hold up has turn unpunctuated, given the lives of alternative women around you have these graphic phases.

Mantel has a small thought-provoking views on women and flood in general. "I think there is this multiply of women for whom societys calendar is utterly wrong. We were being prepared well in to the twenties, an age when a small of us longed for to turn mothers, probably small pieces of all of us. Some, similar to me… you know, I was ideally able of environment up a home when I was 14, and if, say, it had been systematic differently, I competence have thought, "Now is the time to have a integrate of children, and when I am thirty I will go at the behind of and Ill get my PhD." But multitude isnt nonetheless systematic with that kind of flexibility, and is incredibly false about teenage sex, teenage mothers and so on.

"Having sex and carrying babies is what immature women are about, Mantel continues. "And their instincts are suppressed

in the interests of societys timetable. And, again, there are alternative women who think, "I wish to pull forward with my life, have a career, success," afterwards when they are in their late thirties it hits them that there is a piece of hold up they havent experienced, and they wish it now. If there were a small bliss for women, both those models would be valid. I think it is that mens lives have set the timetable.

Mantel is bustling with a calendar of her own and it is as regularly for her, one suspects to do with books alone. ("Cromwell was a workaholic but when he was off-duty he was off. There were copiousness of things he favourite to do. He creates you think, "Well, couldnt I have a somewhat some-more human life?" But I have not utterly blending to that.) She throws off infrequent nonetheless minute asides about destiny projects: a non-fiction work, a novel set in � la mode Botswana, and the actuality that her father has instructions not to let her tumble in to the "10-year array of a Civil War novel.

Yet for the impulse her hold up is all about The Mirror and the Light, the supplement to Wolf Hall, that will etch the years of Cromwells biggest power, prior to his execution by Henry VIII. "The pretension is a word that Cromwell used, and it customarily seems forever fertile, the distortions a counterpart can throw up and nonetheless the law it tells. The approach you can move the light towards the mirror… I am not certain I am ever going to get to the finish of that.

Mantel refers to herself as "this outrageous furnace, utilizing everything, great or bad, someway digesting hold up in to a small alternative form, and it would crop up her Booker Prize practice have given her copiousness of fuel for the new book. "I have had a lot of thoughts about success given I won the Booker, she says, shouting impishly. "All of that can find a place. They are not regularly pleasantly thoughts. It is a subject of the approach people orientate themselves to you when you have had the tag of big success. Well, I couldnt hold it, actually, on Booker night. You would think I would be as well old to be repelled by the pomposity of the world, but the series of people who oozed up to me was incredible, people who I know hatred my work and hatred me, and havent been demure to contend so in imitation or on air. And afterwards I think, "You fat fool! Do you think I dont know?" And afterwards you realize what a enormous diversion we are all playing.

Thomas Cromwell contingency have seen a lot of oozing in his time, I say. "I am certain he did! With anxiety to him, not me, really, I have been meditative about the space that develops around one with success, the approach that people who didnt get out of the approach for Master Cromwell got out of the approach for Lord Cromwell. It is rather similar to meditative of the new novel choreographically, the approach when you move in to a room alternative people sunder themselves, clearing a trail for you. In The Mirror and the Light the days of "edging blackly in to a room" are over for Thomas Cromwell. And actually, she says, pausing afterwards shouting again, gay at the comparison, "they are over for me as well, arent they?

"Wolf Hall is published in paperback on Thursday at �8.99

Gang threatened to destroy Leonardo da Vinci painting

By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent Published: 4:53PM GMT 01 March 2010

Madonna of the Yarnwinder

The Madonna of the Yarnwinder painting, that is estimated to be value some-more than �30m, was stolen by axe-wielding robbers from the Duke of Buccleuchs home at Drumlanrig Castle in south west Scotland.

Alison Russell, 25, who was operative as a debate guide, pronounced dual men appeared in the castles Staircase Gallery only after opening time on Aug 27, 2003, and told her she would be killed if she did not distortion on the floor.

The inhabitant art treasures Britain cannot means to lose Art experts strife over Da Vinci portrayal that cost �150 Summer celebration of the mass The American Leonardo by John Brewer: examination Michael Jacksons tip emails

She told the High Court in Edinburgh: "One of them put his palm over my mouth and asked me to get down on the ground. He came from behind, put his palm over my mouth and told me I had to distortion down on the belligerent or they would kill me."

Sarah Skene, 73, a emporium partner at the palace who was additionally operative as a debate guide that day, went to the art studio after conference "a commotion."

She said: "There was a masculine station in front of the portrayal with an mattock in his hand."

The pick man pulled the Da Vinci portrayal - one of the main attractions in the noble home - from the wall and as the warning sounded the span transient by a window and down an outward staircase.

The jury saw CCTV photos display one of the men in a white, wide-brimmed hat and tan jacket, and the pick in a dim coupler and ball cap.

The five men on hearing repudiate conspiring to extract �4.25m and an pick assign of attempted extortion. They are not indicted of the robbery.

The hearing centres on a explain that they were holding the portrayal to ransom in a bid to get members of the family and their insurers to compensate for the protected return.

The charges embody allegations that they are guilty of reception stolen products and that income used when the portrayal was recovered somewhere in England was embezzled from the customer comment of a solicitor"s organisation related to Marshall Ronald, one of the accused.

The 3 men from England and dual from Scotland are purported to have hatched a plan in between Jul and Oct 2007 to get the income from the ninth Duke of Buccleuch - who died weeks prior to the portrayal was recovered - his son, the 10th Duke of Buccleuch, and their insurers.

The five are purported to have menaced the dukes with threats that the portrayal would be shop-worn or broken if the income was not paid.

The complaint claims that they met in the offices of the authorised organisation Boyds in West Regent Street, Glasgow, to determine their plan.

Ronald, 53, of Upholland, Skelmersdale, Lancs, is purported to have contacted a franchised loss adjuster behaving for the insurers in a bid to set up a assembly and to have claimed that the portrayal could be returned in 72 hours.

The complaint states that he thought he was in hit with people behaving for the count when he sent e-mails and done write calls observant "volatile people" would "do something really silly" to the design if military were brought in, and perfectionist that �2m should be deposited with a solicitors" organisation and an additional �2.25m should be put in to a Swiss bank account.

Ronald was unknowingly that the people he was traffic with were clandestine officers, according to the indictment.

He is purported to have paid for special acid-free paper and a folio box to ride the portrayal and to have upheld �350,000 to Robert Graham, 57, of Ormskirk, Lancs, who along with John Doyle, 61, additionally of Ormskirk, is pronounced to have picked up the Da Vinci portrayal from somewhere in England and delivered it to the bureau in Glasgow.

The complaint claims that at a assembly there on Oct 4, 2007, Ronald, Graham, Doyle and Calum Jones, 45, of Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, met clandestine officers with the goal of returning the portrayal if �4,250,000 was paid in dual instalments.

A second assign alleges that the five indicted - together with David Boyce, 63, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, attempted to better the ends of probity by removing one of the officers to pointer an agreement that the military would not be told.

The hearing continues.

HSBC reports pre-tax profit of $7.07bn

Published: 8:48AM GMT 01 March 2010

HSBC Hldgs

The lender told shareholders that pretax profts fell to $7.07bn in 2009 from $9.3bn in 2008. HSBC pronounced bad debts and alternative risk supplies totalled $26.5bn in 2009, 9pc higher than in 2008.

"Huge hurdles and risks sojourn for all of us," Stephen Green, HSBC"s chairman, pronounced in the statement.

US problems take gleam off clever HSBC opening HSBC asks shareholders for �12.5bn as increase decrease HSBC asks shareholders for �12.5bn as tellurian downturn hits increase HSBC: in numbers and quotes Taxpayers in line for interest in HSBC and Barclays

HSBC, that has been regarded as "safe haven" between banks during the monetary crisis, changed the arch senior manager Michael Geoghegan to Hong Kong from London last month as it seeks to step up the Asian focus. Mr Geoghegan pronounced currently that he will present his �4m reward for the year to charity.

HSBC has scaled behind the consumer monetary commercial operation in the US after the blast of the sub-prime housing marketplace saw it rack up bad debt supplies of at slightest $70bn in the past 4 years.

Mr Green has been transparent that he expects higher collateral mandate to be introduced in reply to the monetary crisis. The marketplace will be seeking at HSBC"s formula for what they contend about the state of Asia"s economy, generally since the bank"s preference to immigrate Mr Geoghegan to Hong Kong at the begin of the year.

Michael Owen only focused on Manchester United careernot England future

By Mark Ogden Published: 9:01AM GMT 01 Mar 2010

United we stand: Michael Owen scored Manchester United"s equaliser at Wembley Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Owen, who is set for a indicate on Tuesday on the injure leg tendon damage that forced him to baggy out of Sundays Carling Cup last feat opposite Aston Villa, has been absent from the England stage given winning his last top in the accessible opposite France in Paris in Mar 2008.

The thirty year-olds summer move to Old Trafford has unsuccessful to prompt a lapse to Fabio Capellos plans and his hopes of creation the World Cup right away crop up to be over.

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Owens injure leg tendon injury, postulated prior to prolonged after scoring Manchester Uniteds equaliser opposite Villa in front of Capello at Wembley, snuffed out any gloomy hopes of a late call-up for Wednesdays accessible opposite African champions Egypt.

But notwithstanding being usually 9 goals adrift of Englands all-time heading goalscorer Bobby Charlton, Owen admits he no longer thinks about adding to his 89 caps.

He said: "A lot of people have been removing their knickers in a turn for a whilst right away about my England career.

"I overtly dont even think about it. Its not something that I see at since my usually regard is personification for United.

"I have been to World Cups and European championships before. If I go to South Africa this summer, thats great, but if not, it will give somebody else the chance.

"I didnt know that Fabio Capello was examination the diversion at Wembley, but I dont go out onto the representation meditative about who is in the stands."

Owen is confronting a dual to 3 week lay-off with the injure leg tendon damage that struck him down five mins prior to half-time at Wembley.

United are carefree that he will be accessible for preference in time for the strife with his former bar Liverpool at Old Trafford on Mar 21, but Owen insists he has outcast fears over his fitness jot down at United this season.

He said: "I have been concerned in 42 of 43 squads this season, so I hold I have had a illusory year at United.

"Its hapless that I have suffered the injure leg tendon injury, but Im assured that it wouldnt keep me out for as well long."

Stoke rally round Ryan Shawcross after challenge on Arsenals Aaron Ramsey

Published: 11:59AM GMT 01 March 2010

Dismissed: Ryan Shawcross left the margin in tears after saying red for his plunge in to on Aaron Ramsey Photo: REUTERS

The 19-year-old is expected to be sidelined for multiform months after nutritious a offensive mangle of both skeleton in his shin in a strife with Shawcross that saw the Stoke centre-back sent off.

Arsenal physical education instructor Arsene Wenger cursed the plunge in to as "horrendous and unacceptable" and additionally criticised Stoke"s altogether proceed but Delap pronounced the Frenchman was wrong.

Shawcross"s "intent" is not the point Aaron Ramsey faces hilly highway to liberation Stoke City 1 Arsenal 3 Arsenal contend they will not be derailed by Ramsey damage Ramsey"s damage does not infer Arsenal are targeted Wenger: "We have achieved"

"The plunge in to didn"t see at all malicious. I spoke to the arbitrate and he pronounced he didn"t think Ryan meant it, but he had to send him off," he said.

"I know Ryan and he wouldn"t meant to do that. Ryan was in tears and he is not a kid who would go out to do that. He will be ravaged and we will need to collect him up. But the thoughts are with Aaron."

Delap added: "Everyone knows what we are about. We are physical, but there"s not one chairman in the sauce room that would do that (deliberately harm an opponent).

"It is really singular in the total of football that someone does go out to harm someone."

Pugh corroborated up that perspective by saying: "We are a fully-committed side, but we never go out to harm anyone, only give 100% to the diversion either we are personification Arsenal, Man City or whoever."

The defender additionally believes 22-year-old Shawcross, who was called in to the England patrol only a integrate of hours after his red label at the Britannia Stadium, will rebound behind from the situation quickly.

"Ryan"s a immature lad, but he"s got a grown up head, so he"ll be means to only combine on his diversion and get over this," Pugh added.

Radovan Karadzic: Bosnian war was just and holy

By Bruno Waterfield in The Hague Published: 9:49AM GMT 01 March 2010

Link to this video

The Bosnian Serb wartime personality non-stop his counterclaim currently as his violent death and fight crimes hearing resumed in The Hague.

"I mountain prior to you not to urge the small mortal that I am but to urge the mass of a small republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina that for 500 years has had to humour and has demonstrated of tact and stability to tarry in freedom," he told the justice in his opening statement.

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"I will urge that republic of ours and their means that is usually and holy. We have a great case. We have great justification and proof."

Karadzic is charged by UN prosecutors with being the "supreme commander" of an racial clarification debate of Muslims and Croats in the 1992-95 Bosnian fight in that 100,000 people were killed and 2.2 million displaced.

Beginning his counterclaim his opposite eleven counts of genocide, fight crimes and crimes opposite humanity, he indicted a "conspiracy core" of fundamentalist Bosnian Muslims of starting the war, with American support, to emanate an Islamic state.

"They had an Islamist goal. They longed for 100 per cent energy as it was in the days of the Ottoman Empire. There were elemental goals becoming different the future of a total region. Therefore the period of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the idea and usually period that could not be conducted in a legal." he said. "They wish Islamic fundamentalism and they have been wanting it from 1991 to 1995."

Last November, the UN fight crimes judiciary listened justification that the 64-year old suspect had "issued and signed" orders, in between 1992 and 1995, autocratic Republika Srpska infantry to expostulate out Muslims in eastern Bosnia"s Srebrenica region.

UN prosecutors have presented evidence, together with video footage of killings and debate photographs of mass graves, of how Bosnian Serbs screened afterwards killed groups of journey Muslim men and boys after their constraint of Srebrenica, a ostensible UN protected enclave, in Jul 1995.

The prosecutors quoted Mr Karadzic to show that "the usually regard he ever voiced about Srebrenica was that commanders had let a little of the Muslims escape".

On 6 August 1995, less than 3 weeks after the Srebrenica massacre, the afterwards Bosnian Serb boss castigated his subordinates for unwell to "finish" 9,000 Muslims who transient capture.

Mr Karadzic, who is representing himself, with dual authorised advisers, has refused the assistance of a justice allocated lawyers and has indicted the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of denying him the time to mountain a full defence.

After primarily boycotting the opening of his hearing last October, Karadzic has pleaded not guilty for charges carrying the chastisement of hold up imprisonment.

He was arrested on a Belgrade train in Jul 2008 after thirteen years on the run.

Member of Iraqi royal family sets sights on parliamentary seat

By Hassen Jouini, in Baghdad for AFP Published: 12:13PM GMT 01 Mar 2010

Sharif Ali bin Hussein is a successor of Iraq"s second king. Photo: AFP/ALI AL-SAADI

Sitting in a plush chair in his huge villa"s vital room and flanked on his left by an Iraqi flag, the 54 year-old concedes that right away is not the time for indiscriminate domestic changes.

"I sojourn assured that the lapse of the kingdom might be the pill to Iraq"s ills, that has regularly been my ambition, but the context does not concede for this," pronounced Sharif Ali.

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"There have been dual years of narrow-minded conflict, of a miss of security, and the amicable incident has worsened.

"My regard was to assistance repair these problems, and that is because we have motionless the impulse is not right to plead a lapse of the monarchy, even if the thought enjoys support.

"Until improved days come, we will experience in the domestic process" by fasten forces with a Shia-led confederation to competition Iraq"s Mar 7 parliamentary election, pronounced the former banker.

Sharif Ali is the son of Badiaa, a initial cousin on the mother"s side of King Ghazi, the Sunni Hashemite woman monarch of Iraq from 1933-39.

His villa in the up-scale residential community of Jadriyah on the banks of the Tigris is ornate with photographs of Iraq"s Hashemite kings, who ruled from 1921 to 1958, when the kingdom was dismissed by a troops coup.

He left Iraq at the time, elderly two, and grew up in Britain, usually to lapse in Jun 2003 as personality of the Constitutional Monarchy Party when he admitted "the infancy of the Iraqi people direct the lapse of the monarchy".

The would-be king"s Shia mother and 4 young kids sojourn at his banished home in London.

His Baghdad home is rhythmical by an Iraqi armed forces section and a print hangs nearby the opening temperament Sharif Ali"s smiling face and the slogan: "Give your opinion to those who merit it."

His explain to the bench is not unchallenged, though. Raad bin Zaid, 74, a initial cousin of King Ghazi, lives in Jordan and has not returned to Iraq.

"Since 1991, a accord has emerged in the stately family that I be directed towards the next-in-line to the throne," Sharif Ali insisted.

Since returning, however, he has had difficulty garnering await in steady bids to come in politics.

The Americans refused to confederate his transformation in to the Iraqi ruling council, that was shaped after the US-led advance to reject Saddam Hussein in 2003, and the Constitutional Monarchy Party unsuccessful to win any seats in Iraq"s initial parliamentary elections in 2005.

Now, though, he is improved placed.

His celebration has associated itself with the Shia-dominated Iraqi National Alliance, that is led by dual sincerely eremite factions, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and the transformation constant to the in advance minister Moqtada al-Sadr.

"Working with the INA was disputable but in my view, it was the right choice," pronounced Sharif Ali.

"It"s wrong to contend that the INA is a eremite coalition. It includes liberals and people with opposite sensibilities. For me, the fondness is formed around a domestic programme: strengthening the institutions of the state and an finish to sectarianism."

"The Sunni lists that we discussed operative with offering alliances that would end after the elections, and with the State of Law coalition, I got the feeling that their usually design was to safeguard (that budding minister) Nuri al-Maliki kept his post."

Sharif Ali is listed as series eleven on the INA"s list of possibilities for the Baghdad governorate.

His enlightened ranking gives him a great possibility of obtaining a chair in parliament, since Iraq"s proportionate choosing by casting votes complement and the 70 seats accessible in Baghdad.

The realities of Iraq have hampered any bid at campaigning for majority would-be MPs, however - assault in the nation stays high, notwithstanding carrying depressed considerably from the rise from 2005 to 2007, and possibilities fright domestic assassinations.

Sharif Ali is no different. While he has a little posters sparse opposite the collateral and conducts interviews with radio headlines stations in his home, he is not organising open rallies or distributing flyers on the street.

"We are without delay communicating with the supporters from the house," he said.

Arsene Wenger is wrong to suggest Aaron Ramseys injury proves Arsenal are targeted

By Alan Hansen Published: 7:30AM GMT 01 March 2010

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Unhappy: Arsenal earthy education instructor Arsene Wenger believes Aaron Ramsey"s damage proves his group are targeted for severe diagnosis Photo: REUTERS

For the third time in new seasons following Abou Diaby and Eduardo Arsenal"s players have seen a team-mate"s career placed in danger by a critical injury.

But no make a difference how indignant Wenger feels about Ryan Shawcross"s plea on Ramsey, he is wrong to explain that Arsenal are subjected to tougher and some-more asocial diagnosis from opponents than anybody else.

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Wenger competence courtesy Ramsey"s damage as clearance of his idea that Arsenal players are targeted for severe treatment. But the law of the make a difference is that all teams who come up conflicting Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool know they contingency get their feet in early if they are to have any possibility of removing a result.

When players are told to "get their feet in," it isn"t an call in for them to mangle a guy"s leg, however. I cannot think of any arise during my time in the diversion when a player has left out to purposely harm an opponent.

At Liverpool, we regularly came up conflicting teams who were earthy conflicting us. Our higher peculiarity meant they had to try that proceed and we knew that the initial twenty mins of each diversion would be a battle. It is piece of the game. It regularly has been and regularly will be, but football is most cleanser right away than it was 25-30 years ago.

I have watched the Shawcross plea on Ramsey half-a-dozen times and my design perspective is that it was awkward rather than malicious.

The Arsenal stay will contend it was infamous and violent, whilst the Stoke people will hold the conflicting opinion.

Shawcross didn"t go over the top, he came in from the side, and it wasn"t one of those terrible, late tackles that can infer so dangerous.

When Eduardo was injured, following a plunge into by Birmingham"s Martin Taylor dual years ago, I don"t hold that Taylor went out to harm the Arsenal player.

Not so prolonged ago, Arsenal"s William Gallas transient a red label for a bad plea on Bolton"s Mark Davies. And given Nani, of Manchester United, was sent off for a tainted on Aston Villa"s Stiliyan Petrov progressing this month, I have seen may be 40-50 tackles that were only as bad, if not worse, go unpunished. The speed of football in the Premier League ensures that such tackles will happen.

Shawcross"s plea was clumsy, but the consequences have proven to be distressing for Ramsey. The Arsenal youngster is a large bent and it is distressing to see him humour such a bad injury. A cause in his foster is that he is immature sufficient to overcome this and realize his potential.

When I played for Liverpool, Kevin MacDonald and Jim Beglin suffered horrific damaged legs inside of 6 months and, as team-mates, it is an horrible experience to see your colleagues continue such injuries.

Both those players unsuccessful to recover their full fitness and the injuries flattering most finished their top-flight careers, but disinfectant has changed on so most in twenty-five years and that is in Ramsey"s favour.

The unhappy irony for Shawcross is that Saturday should have been the most appropriate day of his career so far. He knew that he had been called up by England for the initial time, but the outcome of his plunge into on Ramsey will meant that he feels all dull when he reports for avocation with Fabio Capello"s squad.

He appeared up in arms by the consequences of his challenge. The awaiting of going from that to the England patrol will feel surreal.

How will the Arsenal players feel when they encounter up with the patrol and see Shawcross? How will he feel?

By nature, footballers only get on with it when they are faced with something similar to this, but it will be a formidable incident for all concerned.

Football has spotless itself up so most in the past twenty years, though. The bad tackles of the past have been hammered out, but you cannot censure Arsenal"s players if they feel tough finished by.

But they are not subjected to special diagnosis only since they are Arsenal.

Flavio Briatore sued by Angelo Galasso over Billionaire Couture shares dispute

By Murray Wardrop Published: 7:30AM GMT 01 March 2010

Flavio Briatore Photo: GETTY

Briatore, 61, is purported to have nude Galasso of his shares in Billionaire Couture, a oppulance conform code they dynamic together, by reneging on a commercial operation deal.

Galasso, whose designs are ragged by important names from David Beckham to Tony Blair, claims Briatore elbowed him out of the commercial operation to have approach for Italian investors.

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The former Renault F1 physical education instructor allegedly swayed Galasso to palm over his 49 per interest in the wardrobe label, that has a benefaction in Harrods, but gave him zero in return.

Briatore, who was criminialized from F1 last year for competition fixing, is right away inextricable in a High Court conflict as Galasso has sued him for crack of contract.

A source close to the box told the Dailythat Galasso is "furious" that he has been forced to take the have a difference to court.

Billionaire Couture, where the cheapest equipment sell for around �1,000, was set up in 2004 after Briatore recruited Galasso to pattern the pick up of menswear and accessories, probity writings allege.

Briatore took a 51 per cent interest and saved the venture, whilst Galasso took 49 per cent for investing "his dynamic repute and customer following" and "artistic and beautiful skills".

The code prospered, opening boutiques in London, Las Vegas, Moscow, Tokyo and Vienna, and sauce the likes of Roger Moore and Sir Paul McCartney.

However, penetrating to enhance the business, Briatore allegedly approached Percassi Group, an Italian corporation, in 2007 to secure serve capital.

A High Court command claims that at that point, Briatore struck a understanding with Galasso to revoke the designer"s share in the commercial operation from 49 to twenty per cent to have room for Percassi. Galasso would additionally embrace a 5 per cent annual reward underneath the agreement, the writings claim.

Although slicing his share in the company, Galasso claims he accepted he could still design to reap estimable increase from a bigger, some-more successful commercial operation with some-more income at the behind of it.

However, it is purported that after being asked by Briatore to obey his obligation for 49 per cent, he was since zero back.

It is claimed that he has abandoned Galassos steady final to honour the verbal agreement, together with a defence at Briatores marriage to the Wonderbra indication Elisabetta Gregoraci in Jun 2008.

Galasso is right away attempting to redeem a twenty per cent share and reward allegedly owing by the courts and is looking indemnification for gain lost since he was allegedly cut out of the business.

Galasso"s lawyer, Eddie Parladorio, of MGP Law, pronounced last night: "It is with substantial bewail that Mr Galasso finds himself in a on all sides of carrying to take grave movement opposite Mr Briatore for crack of contract.

"Mr Galasso is dynamic to see that probity is finished and looks brazen to the High Court creation the preference on this in due course."

Withers, the law organisation behaving on interest of Briatore, pronounced it was incompetent to criticism on the case.

The authorised plea represents a thespian change in family in between Briatore and Galasso, who had enjoyed a close operative relationship.

In a prior interview, Galasso, who has been voted the worlds most appropriate ready to go man, said: "With Flavio, I see someone who is unapproachable and powerful.

"When I proposed conceptualizing garments for him, people would stop him and say: "Flavio, you"ve lost weight!" But he hadn"t. It was the cut of my jackets."

The Billionaire Couture website right away bears no discuss of Galasso but has an complete page dedicated to Briatore, that claims he is "esteemed for his commercial operation acumen".

The box is the ultimate liaison for the former Queens Park Rangers chairman, who in Sep was since a lifetime anathema from F1 by the FIA, the sports statute body.

The FIA"s World Council criminialized Briatore and the Renault F1 team"s former head of engineering Pat Symonds after Nelson Piquet Jr claimed the dual men asked him to pile-up during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to assist his team-mate, Fernando Alonso.

The anathema was overturned by a French probity in Jan and Briatore, who has fathered a daughter by supermodel Heidi Klum, pronounced he plans to sue the FIA for damages.

The FIA has pronounced it will interest the courts statute to overturn the ban.

Marks & Spencer investors call for cut in Sir Stuart Roses £1.13m pay

By Ben Harrington Published: 9:43PM GMT twenty-eight February 2010

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Sir Stuart Rose will return to a required non-executive authority purpose at M&S on May 1 when Marc Bolland joins Photo: Geoff Pugh

Top institutional investors are pronounced to be propelling the M&S house to cut Sir Stuart"s income when Marc Bolland, the new arch executive, joins in May, to simulate Sir Stuart"s marked down responsibilities.

Sir Stuart is now senior manager authority and arch executive, a twin purpose that has murderous shareholders. Once Mr Bolland joins the company, on May 1, Sir Stuart will return to a required non-executive authority role. He has betrothed to leave in mid-2011.

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One large financier is reported to have said: "We think it is suitable that Rose takes a poignant compensate cut and we plan to give that feedback to the company."

Another big shareholder in M&S, who did not wish to be identified, is believed to have argued that Sir Stuart"s compensate should be lowered by at slightest 20pc.

Steve Holliday, arch senior manager of National Grid and the eccentric senior manager who chairs M&S"s arrangement committee, is thought to have met investors during the past couple of days, and is due to hold serve talks. He is already confronting questions about the preference to give Mr Bolland a �15m compensate package, together with �7.5m for share options and bonuses that he lost out on by withdrawal his pursuit as arch senior manager of Wm Morrison, the supermarket chain.

Pirc, the shareholder body, pronounced the package was a "bad begin for the new system of administration at M&S". "We are against to this sort of golden hello," Pirc pronounced at the time, adding: "It distorts the marketplace for executives, and compensating directors for the loss of bonuses and incentives at their prior association creates a hoax of the thought that the already high levels of arrangement action to keep key people."

The formidable attribute in between M&S and a little of the large institutional shareholders can be traced behind to 2008 when Sir Stuart was towering to the total purpose of authority and arch executive. The move pennyless with majority appropriate use in corporate governance.

Yesterday, sources close to the association pronounced the routine of seeking in to renumeration has not proposed yet. "No preference had been taken about shortening Sir Stuart"s pay," pronounced the source informed with the matter.

M&S declined to criticism on Sir Stuart"s compensate and talks with shareholders. But the tradesman did have known that it has launched a programme to have it one of the world"s majority tolerable retailers by 2015.

The Beach House, Goa, India

Published: 7:00AM GMT 01 March 2010

The Beach House, Goa, India

The spa: Right on Sernabatim beach in southern Goa, the Beach House prefers to be called a "wellness centre" rather than a spa. There"s a doctor, nutritionist and hypnotherapist on the staff, and treatments take place in thatched huts in the well-tended grounds.

The symptoms: A stressful lifestyle and ubiquitous blazing of the candle at both ends had left Spy not in lustre, with lifeless skin, indolent digestive process and an neglected magisterial feeling.

The Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel and Spa, Lausanne, Switzerland Vann Spa Hotel, Lysekil, Sweden Bailiffscourt Hotel and Health Spa, Climping, West Sussex La Serra Holistic Spa, Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Sorrento, Italy Spa Spy

The prescription: The seven-night Total Body Rebalancing package, a finish MOT for both physique and mind that claims to leave the target cleansed and rejuvenated.

The procedure: Spy was softly dumbfounded to sense her ostensible sauna legal holiday concerned a despotic detox no plain food all week, only ripened offspring and unfeeling juices and transparent broth, accompanied by twenty-eight opposite supplements and aloe vera shots. More intolerable were the twice-daily enemas, thankfully self-administered, and written to clean the colon. There were additionally dual requisite every day treatments at the spa, as well as sessions with a nutritionist and hypnotherapist, life-coaching and talks on wellbeing. As piece of the package, Spy was tested for assorted diseases and conditions; bone-mass density, astringency levels and abdominal fat were additionally measured.

The verdict: Not an easy week. It"s a bit of an romantic roller-coaster, with the initial dual days a sold struggle, involving headaches and uncanny dreams. Perfecting the enema technique took Spy a while, too. After the third day, however, things picked up, and by the finish of the week Spy found her skin was clearer, digestive process was behind on track, she had strew a couple of pounds and felt most some-more enterprising and positive. Visceral fat was suggested to have forsaken over the week, too.

The healing opinion: "When doctors verbalise of detoxification, they customarily meant entrance off dangerous remedy or unwholesome substances such as extreme alcohol," says Dr Eric Asher, healing executive of Third Space Medicine in London. "Detox in this box equates to lightening the body"s metabolic bucket by shift of diet, peaceful movements, rub the body and benefit with bowel-emptying. Some doctors think this is a rubbish of time, but patients compensate great income for it since they feel better."

The feelgood factor: What done the week acceptable was the place right on the beach, the sauna treatments, and the loyalty of the staff. The review suites are luxurious, often widespread over dual storeys, with dual bathrooms and the comfiest beds in the world. The main residence has a immeasurable open-plan sitting area, a patio for sunrise yoga, and floor-to-ceiling potion doors seeking out on to the ocean.

Details: Seven nights on the Total Body Rebalancing programme at The Beach House (www.thebeachhousegoa.com) costs �1,375 per person. Kingfisher Airways (www.flykingfisher.com) flies to Goa from London Heathrow, from �520 return.

Carling Cup final: Lucky escape for Manchester Uniteds Nemanja Vidic

By Mark Ogden Published: 7:30AM GMT 01 March 2010

Flash point: Nemanja Vidic (left) fouls Gabriel Agbonlahor at Wembley Photo: PA

Manchester United, who defended the prize won on a chastisement shoot-out opposite Tottenham last season, fell at the behind of to James Milner"s fourth-minute chastisement after Vidic had fouled Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Vidic appeared to be the last defender when committing the foul, but whilst Dowd awarded the penalty, he unsuccessful even to book the Serbian.

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And nonetheless O"Neill refused to indicate that the preference valid main in the outcome of the game, he insisted that Dowd was wrong to concede Vidic to stay on the pitch.

O"Neill said: "I think it was solid for all to see. It was an irregular preference since there was a idea scoring event in the chastisement area. Anybody would unequivocally be wondering how he could come to any alternative conclusion, but there"s no point going on about it. It"s over now.

"It was a inapplicable designation from an differently unequivocally excellent arbitrate who has got it wrong. I"ve oral to Phil, but in dual or 3 days it"s all lost and we"re the losing finalists."

United physical education instructor Sir Alex Ferguson, who conceded that Vidic was "lucky not to be booked" for the foul, carried his 34th square of precious metal at Old Trafford after goals from Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney cancelled out Milner"s opener.

Ferguson had complacent Rooney in foster of Owen for the diversion prior to carrying to send on the England brazen prior to half-time as a outcome of Owen pang a hamstring.

Ferguson said: "I knew weeks ago that Wayne wouldn"t be personification in the final. This was a great event to give him a mangle since we have large games on Saturday [at Wolves] and subsequent Wednesday [against AC Milan].

"But Michael did unequivocally well for us and put in a unequivocally great performance. The soft representation currently didn"t assistance him, though."

Owen is expected to be out for at slightest dual weeks with his injury, but he will bear a indicate tomorrow to consider the full border of the problem.

He said: "I was patently unhappy to go off, but it was good to measure and of march I will be celebrating.

"This was a genuine possibility for me since I don"t begin each week, but it has still been a illusory deteriorate so far and I can"t complain about the injury. Hopefully I will be behind soon."

Rio Ferdinand, who longed for the diversion with a behind damage that has ruled him out of England"s accessible opposite Egypt on Wednesday, insists he will be fit for United"s joining outing to Wolves.

Ferdinand said: "I"m all right. I"ve been precision this week, but patently haven"t played any games to be fit sufficient to fool around for England.

"This ultimate complaint has usually been a teenager setback. Not personification is only being precautionary, to have certain it doesn"t get any worse.

"But I"m excellent now, no pain, no problems, nothing. It was motionless it was most appropriate for me to stay in Manchester and train, rather than with England, but I"ll be fit to fool around opposite Wolves if selected."

Geraghty to pick Punjabi in Champion Hurdle: Horse Racing

By Marcus Armytage Published: 9:00PM GMT twenty-eight February 2010

Eye catcher: Soldatino tender at Kempton and looks a convincing Triumph Hurdle goal Photo: GETTY

However, the approach bookmakers see it is doubtful to be the approach Barry Geraghty sees it according to tutor Nicky Henderson.

For a prolonged time it has been insincere Geraghty would chose Zaynar, but Punjabi looked in great figure when entrance home twelve lengths transparent of Border Castle on Saturday.

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Confirming that Punjabi had finished what he had hoped and some-more when winning the Racing Post iPhone Apps Champion Hurdle Trial, the tutor certified that his fast manoeuvre would right away find it really tough to dried the reigning Champion and that, in all probability, AP McCoy will right away float Zaynar.

"We were anxious to bits," pronounced Henderson. "He"s behind to his best. He comes to himself at this time of year and usually indispensable that to put him mark on. It"s since me confidence, it"s since Barry certainty and it"s since the equine confidence."

Reflecting on the competition he added: "I know people don"t wish to see races similar to that, but there was a big throng by the saddling boxes so people do similar to to see these horses. The significance of this competition to us, however, was immeasurable."

Henderson was additionally gay with Soldatino, who won the Adonis Hurdle on his British hurdling debut, refreshing impressively median up the run-in.

"When he gets off a equine Barry never builds it up, so I was astounded he was so bullish about this one. There will be a lot of improvement. We"ve usually had him five weeks, he hasn"t galloped and hadn"t seen a set of English hurdles until 3 days ago. I see he"s 20-1, but for me that was improved than that."

The belligerent is a be concerned for his alternative Triumph hope, Super Kenny, who is approaching to have his hurdling entrance at Newbury on Saturday, but the tutor warned he would not pour out to run him there if it is heavy, that would effectively scupper a Festival outing.

Mille Chief, cold from the Adonis by Alan King after he was found to be lame, is still not sound. "He"s bruise and we don"t know what it is, so it"s not seeking great for the Triumph," he said. "We"ll put out a matter in the week."

There was a little remuneration for King though when Trenchant won the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell while, in Ireland, the Willie Mullins group seemed to be entrance to the bring to boil easily when a Leopardstown three-way took his total to fifteen winners in as most days. Edward O"Grady"s Paddy Power Gold Cup leader Tranquil Sea additionally put in an considerable Ryanair hearing when winning the Newlands Chase underneath hands and heels.

Marie Osmonds son Michael Blosil dies in Los Angeles

Published: 4:39PM GMT twenty-eight February 2010

Marie Osmond pronounced in a matter by her publicist that her family is ravaged by the "tragic loss" Photo: REX

Osmond pronounced in a matter by her publicist that her family is ravaged by the "tragic loss". She did not yield sum on the death.

Entertainment Tonight reported on the website that Blosil jumped to his genocide on Friday night from a downtown Los Angeles unit building.

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Officers responded to an strong self-murder burst in the area, but the plant was not identified on Saturday, Los Angeles Police Officer Gregory Baek said.

"My family and I are ravaged and in low shock by the comfortless loss of the dear Michael and ask that everybody apply oneself the remoteness during this formidable time," Osmond pronounced in the statement.

Blosil reportedly left a note that referred to a lifelong conflict with depression.

In 2007, Osmond pronounced Michael had been treated with colour at a reconstruction facility, but she did not divulge the inlet of his problem.

Donny Osmond, Blosil"s uncle, told Entertainment Tonight: "Please urge for my sister and her family."

Michael is one of Osmond"s five adopted children. She additionally has 3 alternative young kids from dual marriages. She divorced Brian Blosil in 2007 after dual decades of marriage. She and her initial father Stephen Craig divorced in 1985.

Osmond warranted celebrity at age thirteen with the strike strain "Paper Roses," and starred with her brother, Donny, on television"s "Donny and Marie Show" during the 1970s.

They perform a low-pitched accumulation show continually at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. The road house pronounced Saturday"s opening was cancelled.

Half of drivers crash or have a near miss swerving to avoid potholes, survey finds

By Chris Irvine Published: 11:01AM GMT twenty-eight February 2010

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Certain estimates put the sum cost of pothole repairs at �100 million Photo: PAUL GROVER

Despite the volume of drivers influenced by potholes however, the consult found roughly 7 in 10 had never reported a pothole to their internal council.

And even though they do not inform them, 9 in 10 motorists hold their legislature is not you do sufficient to correct the repairs to the roads, the consult by GEM (Guild of Experienced Motorists) Motoring Assist found.

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The consult additionally found that there were a large climb in the series of potholes due to the oppressive winter weather. Certain estimates put the sum cost of repairs at �100 million

While it found that half of drivers suffered repairs to their vehicles from potholes, usually five per cent done a explain opposite the legislature for the damage, with roughly 9 in 10 motorists revelation they were unknowingly of the procession to follow when creation a claim.

David Wililams, GEM arch executive, said: Potholes affect each highway user, from drivers and motorcyclists to cyclists and those on foot. Often motorists will not mark a pothole until it is as well late and as the consult worryingly reveals, possibly snake out of the way, that could outcome in a pile-up or equates to repairs to their car.

"Local councils need to take quick movement in alleviating this national complaint but it is additionally critical for motorists to fool around their piece in stating potholes to internal councils. Potholes are not simply only a bother they are a large highway reserve issue.

Councillor David Sparks, Chair of the Local Government Association Transport Board, said: "Councils outlay millions to safeguard that roads are protected and potholes are filled. The ultimate cold continue equates to that they are operative prosaic out to fill in the ones total during the last month of frozen weather.

"Potholes are the gaping sores in the highway network and councils know how most motorists wish to see the self-evident gauze being applied. Getting people safely from A to B is at the tip of each councils agenda.

"The soppy total with the frozen conditions destroys tarmac really quickly. As the ice seeps in to the highway it expands and rips chunks of the aspect out withdrawal potholes blighting the highways.

"After the sleet comes the repairs and councils are operative prosaic out to keep drivers protected by regulating the holes as fast as possible. However, a little belligerent is right away waterlogged definition the bituminous element will not stick. Temporary solutions will be used where required until the continue improves."

Islamic radicals infiltrate the Labour Party

By Andrew Gilligan Published: 10:00PM GMT twenty-seven February 2010

Jim Fitzpatrick, the Environment Minister

The Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) - that believes in jihad and sharia law, and wants to spin Britain and Europe in to an Islamic state - has placed sympathisers in inaugurated bureau and claims, correctly, to be means to grasp "mass mobilisation" of voters.

Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Jim Fitzpatrick, the Environment Minister, pronounced the IFE had become, in effect, a tip celebration inside of Labour and alternative domestic parties.

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"They are behaving roughly as an entryist organisation, fixation people inside of the domestic parties, recruiting members to those domestic parties, perplexing to get people comparison and inaugurated so they can practice domestic change and power, either the at internal supervision turn or inhabitant level," he said.

"They are utterly at contingency with Labours programme, with the await for secularism."

Mr Fitzpatrick, the MP for Poplar and Canning Town, pronounced the IFE had infiltrated and "corrupted" his celebration in easterly London in the same approach that the far-Left Militant Tendency did in the 1980s. Leaked Labour lists show a 110 per cent climb in celebration membership in one subdivision in dual years.

In a six-month review by this journal and Channel 4s Dispatches, involving weeks of growth filming by the programmes reporters:

IFE activists boasted to the clandestine reporters that they had already "consolidated … a lot of change and power" over Tower Hamlets, a London precinct legislature with a �1 billion budget. We have determined that the organization and the allies were awarded some-more than �10 million of taxpayers money, majority of it from supervision supports written to "prevent aroused extremism". IFE leaders were available expressing antithesis to democracy, await for sharia law or derisive black people. The IFE organized meetings with extremists, together with Taliban allies, a man declared by the US supervision as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and a man underneath review by the FBI for his links to the Sep eleven attacks. Moderate Muslims in London told how the IFE and the allies were enforcing their hardline views on the rest of the internal community, curbing poise they deemed "un-Islamic". The owners of a dating organization perceived a melancholy email from an IFE activist, notice her to close it. George Galloway, a London MP, certified in recordings performed by this journal that his warn feat in the 2005 choosing due some-more to the IFE "than it would be correct for them for me to say, adding that they played a "decisive role" in his delight at the polls.

Mr Galloway right away says they were one of majority groups that upheld his anti-war position and had never sought to change him.

The IFE has quite close links to Tower Hamlets council. Seven portion and former councillors pronounced Lutfur Rahman, the stream legislature leader, gained his post with the groups help.

Some pronounced they were canvassed by a comparison IFE central on his behalf. After Mr Rahman was elected, a man with close links to the group, Lutfur Ali, was allocated partner arch senior manager of the legislature with shortcoming for accede to funding.

This was notwithstanding a checkered practice record, a dubious CV and a disastrous inform from the headhunters allocated to cruise the candidates. The councils white arch senior manager was subsequently forced from his post.

Since Mr Rahman became leader, some-more legislature grants have been paid to a series of organisations that the review determined are closely related to the IFE.

Funding for other, physical groups was finished or cut. In the boroughs obvious Brick Lane area, legislature supports were switched from a mostly physical birthright route to a rarely argumentative "hijab sculpture", angering majority residents who indicted the legislature of "religious triumphalism".

Schools in Tower Hamlets are told by the legislature should close for the Muslim legal holiday of Eid, even where majority of their pupils are not Muslim.

Mr Rahman refused to repudiate that an IFE romantic had canvassed councillors on his behalf. He said: "There are assorted people opposite Tower Hamlets who get excited, who get involved."

He would not criticism on concerns about infiltration, observant they were "party matters". He said: "If you see at the flagship policies, similar to investing �20 million to plunge into overcrowding, you can see that we are operative for everyone."

The IFE pronounced it did not find to change the legislature and had not lobbied for Mr Rahman. "If anything, existent members of the Labour Party have assimilated the IFE, rather than the alternative approach round," it said.

The organization insisted it was not a fundamentalist or nonconformist organization and did not await violence.

George Osborne sets the right tone but the country needs to see the real plan

Liam Halligan Published: 9:35PM GMT twenty-seven February 2010

Comments twenty-one |

The UK needs desperately to rein in open spending and get borrowing underneath control. Losing the triple-A credit rating would hint mountainous seductiveness rates and a plunging pound. A emperor hillside would have a bad incident far, far worse - with the UK supervision incompetent to hurl over the debts. Recovering from that would take a generation.

Laying out such oppressive realities isn"t easy for a statesman generally a young, rich statesman on the fork of power. The "tougher-than-Labour" actions the Tories propose, whilst critical in my view, meant suffering for citizens and fewer state hand-outs for absolute vested interests. No consternation Mr Osborne has been removing a bad press.

More arrogance from the Tories wouldnt go astray George Osborne: Slash seductiveness rates to draw towards Britain out of mercantile nosedive Lord Davies says banks contingency arise up to monetary remodel Lord Mandelson accuses George Osborne of counsel untruth Bank of England Governor Mervyn King left in dim by Treasury on bank reforms

Yet this columnist, at least, feels the shade chancellor deserves a pat on the back. Mr Osborne is the customarily comparison portion British statesman (apart from the Lib Dems" Vince Cable) who has grasped the sobriety of the situation. As such, his Mais Lecture affianced an "early start" to bill necessity reduction, in sequence to "establish the credit with the monetary markets that buys you time". That"s just right. Mr Osborne afterwards hold that line at Saturday"s Tory Spring Conference. So credit where credit is due.

Yet the Conservatives" on all sides on mercantile process still leaves me deeply concerned. While relocating in the right direction, the party"s proposals tumble woefully short of what is essentially needed. Mr Osborne"s research is good. But spelling out stream realities is easy when you can censure the obligatory government. When it comes to solutions, the Tories" bravery deserts them a disaster that could in conclusion have a harmful impact.

"There is no preference in in between going for expansion currently and traffic with the debts tomorrow," pronounced Mr Osborne last Wednesday. "Indeed we won"t have suggestive expansion unless we show we can understanding with the debts".

I couldn"t determine more. Sovereign risk is right away paralysing the UK"s blurb credit markets, pulling detached the widespread in in between ultra-low bottom rates and ever-rising marketplace rates of interest. Massive supervision borrowing is crowding-out in isolation lending. As a result, opposite the UK, creditworthy firms are being carnivorous of operative capital. That equates to most reduce investment - and in conclusion less expansion and fewer jobs.

Gordon Brown"s laugh was quite rictus last week when interpretation showed the UK economy stretched 0.3pc in the fourth entertain of last year, up from the progressing 0.1pc estimate. No have a difference that hard-pressed supervision statisticians "borrowed" this additional expansion from progressing in 2009, with GDP descending by 5pc during the year as a whole, rather than 4.8pc as formerly calculated.

The numerical excellent imitation showed that companies" spending on new apparatus plunged an shocking 24.1pc during the fourth entertain the greatest tumble on record. This is catastrophic for destiny growth. Investment was slashed so viciously since the UK"s credit markets, already unequivocally frail post-sub prime, are right away being crushed to bits by the weight of the emperor debt.

"If markets begin to lose certainty in a nation and seductiveness rates are driven up," Mr Osborne one after another last Wednesday, "recovery is undermined and the unavoidable cuts to spending finish up being deeper and some-more monster than would have been compulsory to contend marketplace certainty in the initial place."

Spot on, George. And that"s prior to to you cruise the fallout from a fully-blown penury difficulty such as the one the UK endured in 1976, going "cap in hand" to the International Monetary Fund.

Such a difficulty is a genuine possibility. The UK"s necessity is twice as high as behind then. In Jan alone, we endured a outrageous �4.3bn mercantile shortfall, in a month that customarily brings a big surplus. The UK is right away on march to steal �200bn this year, subsequent year and the year after that compared to an annual normal over the last decade of around �25bn.

Meanwhile, with fears of acceleration rising and concerns about a descending pound, investors are apropos distrustful of unindexed, sterling-denominated instruments such as UK gilts. As the column of mass money-printing ends, and this country"s emperor debt marketplace is unprotected to reality, there is each possibility a gilts set on could occur during this pre-election phoney war.

That"s since it"s of principal significance that the Tories exhibit the scale of the cuts they intend to have prior to to the election, that contingency be hold by June. They intentionally refuse. After the Mais Lecture, Mr Osborne"s aides claimed, as they regularly do, that the shade chancellor "can"t go serve with the specifics on spending cuts since it is unfit to know the border of the mercantile plea until the new supervision has carefully thought about the books".

This is cowardly nonsense. Anyone with an open mind, even a flitting believe of economics and the residence of the Treasury"s website is means to "know the border of the mercantile challenge". The wait-until-we-see-the-books evidence is a old domestic chestnut, a novella written to clear not revelation the electorate, or the markets, what you intend to do.

Under any circumstances, such strategy criticise democracy, depriving citizens of a genuine discuss on taxation and spend. In the stream climate, though, the Tories are personification with fire. Mr Osborne and Co simply contingency exhibit their plans, afterwards win an electoral charge to exercise them. Only that will inspire the general investors on whom, since of Mr Brown"s arrange profligacy, this country"s solvency right away depends.

Make the argument, George: any good subsequent from additional supervision spending will be some-more than outweighed by the repairs caused by the additional borrowing that"s indispensable to account that spending. It unequivocally isn"t that difficult. If you mount up and show the courage compulsory to put your plans in front of the country, the infancy of the citizens - in the remoteness of the choosing by casting votes counter - will behind you.

The Tories need to show a little courage not customarily on mercantile policy, but additionally promissory note reform. Last week, the White House pronounced it was "still committed" to the Volcker Rule the US plan to apart blurb and investment banking. Yet with Congress growling and President Obama"s group still as well frightened to recover breeze legislative denunciation on the rebuilding of the consequential Glass-Steagall firewall, America"s finalise might be slipping.

Mr Osborne has formerly determined absolute arguments put brazen by reputable former Chancellor, Lord Lawson, Vince Cable and others, indicating "sympathy" towards the idea of in advance promissory note reform. The shade chancellor understands that permitting investment banks to "lever-up" taxpayer-backed deposits got us in to this mess. In last Wednesday"s speech, though, receiving his evidence from the US, Mr Osborne fell short, opting instead to find "international agreement for a levy on the promissory note system".

The levy plan is a dangerous cop-out that would inspire banks to be even some-more irresponsible. It is what the promissory note run wants as it allows everybody concerned to deflect off the evidence for much-needed, but some-more painful, constructional reform.

The Tories" City-based debate donors contend "unilateral Glass-Steagall" would criticise competitiveness. That"s not true. Unless the UK convinces the universe the magisterial promissory note zone won"t keep wanting large state bail-outs, both the City and this country"s solvency are accomplished anyway.

Under normal circumstances, George Osborne - crafty and clear - has what it takes to be Chancellor. But these are not normal circumstances. Mr Osborne and his comparison colleagues have nonetheless to show the courage indispensable to guide the UK economy by the current, chronological exceptional, predicament. Unless they do so soon, their domestic bequest could be set in mill prior to to they"ve even entered office.

Liam Halligan is arch economist at Prosperity Capital Management

Winter Olympics 2010: Canada awaits only gold that matters in ice hockey final

By Ian Chadband in Vancouver Published: 7:40PM GMT twenty-seven February 2010

Centre of attention: Canada goaltender Roberto Luongo is congratulated by his team-mates after his desirous save ensured feat for the host republic opposite Slovakia Photo: AP

In Canadas inhabitant sport/obsession/religion - as the Coke advert that drives you crazy here keeps resounding "Lets have sure everybody knows whose diversion theyre playing" - the nations bid in the bullion award confront to repel the young, colourful USA group who kick them usually a week ago in a subordinate turn is being sole as the compare to finish all matches.

Thirty-three million Canadians will switch on their TVs and switch off their lives. And you fright for the nations common wellbeing if their heroes put them by the wringer as they did here on Friday night when a loss of defensive concentration - or was that nerve? - in the last duration of their semi-final saw Slovakia come from 3-0 down and usually fall short to hide an equaliser in the last seconds interjection to one desirous save from internal legend, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo.

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Sundays last is approaching to be the majority watched eventuality ever in a nations history, and arguably one of the majority culturally poignant moments. Canadas biggest sporting story in story is enshrined as that of Paul Henderson scoring the idea in Moscows Luzhniki Ice Palace, with usually 34 seconds left, to kick the USSR in the legendary 1972 Summit Series when the Cold War collided with ice hockey.

That was an epic array in which, receiving on the full competence of the Soviet appurtenance for the initial time, Canada lost certainty and conviction in their hockey pre-eminence with early defeats, usually to keep battling and eventually recover their self-belief gloriously opposite all the odds.

That could be the story not usually of the hockey contest here, but, actually, of the complete Games. Superstar Sidney Crosby and his multi-million dollar organisation proposed nervously, with the better by the USA call wails of dismay, usually to fall short Russia in the quarter-final and show sufficient finalise to hold off Slovakia 3-2.

Reflecting this, the Games got off to an forever unhappy start, with tragedy distinguished at the Whistler Sliding Centre even prior to they were strictly opened, organisational woes and unhelpful weather. Yet a bit similar to Canadas light snowballing attack on the award table, they have grown in to a soaring event, one that majority final the undiluted send-off from their boys of winter.

Of course, as Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee President, acknowledged, the mental stop of these Games will regularly be sinister by the genocide of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on an ice lane at Whistler, the perfect rare speed of which, even now, looks the organisers majority distressing folly.

On Friday, the mens bobsledders, tough men all, were still angry about the twenty or so crashes that had occurred. "A farce," pronounced one German coach, whilst an additional insisted the march was usually as well dangerous, a as well heartless exam of piloting.

Which is since we should regularly stop Amy Williamss feat in the structure of the body as one of the good British sporting achievements, full of bravery as well as skill.

The worried irony, of course, is that the faster and some-more dangerous the test, the some-more constrained the viewing. Nobody can repudiate here how the newer sports to the programme, the X Games favourites similar to the half-pipe, aerials, snowboard cranky and ski cross, have instilled a childish wow cause that the Games need.

Seeing 4 racers drifting by the air ski-to-ski was so refreshing it even done the normal derring-do of the Alpine masters similar to Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller appear roughly staid.

Ski cranky looked violent and insanely dangerous. You feel, with a sure trepidation, that it contingency be the destiny since Cypress Mountain, the majority unfortunate venue with the miss of sleet and additional of sludge, still rocked notwithstanding Mother Natures most appropriate efforts.

Vancouver, distinct the Canadian sports authorities with their absurdly-titled Own the Podium campaign, were comfortable hosts and had their unrestrained rewarded with startling competition and the sort of human play that still renders the Olympics alone theatre.

You have to love an eventuality that can suggest something so entirely complicated and thrillingly insane as snowboard aristocrat Shaun Whites Double McTwist and something as timelessly pleasing as ice black Kim Yu-Nas free skating. One that can enthuse an athlete, Joannie Rochette, to movement so splendidly usually dual days after her mothers genocide or to convince a cranky nation skier, Petra Majdic, to conflict by the crippling anguish of 4 damaged ribs and a punctured lung to win bronze.

Now, at the last, Canadas hockey men have to serve a opposite sort of courage, the courage to perform in the face of the believe that their nation does not so most expect, as creed bullion by boundless right. Against America too, the cocky neighbours who have gleefully rented out the lectern here that Canada was ostensible to own.

On Wednesday, I got held up in the mob of fans poring out of Canada Hockey Place after the host teams abrasive feat over Russia, and to a man, lady and child, they were belting out their inhabitant anthem O Canada together in the crush.

There was an unusual clarity of uplift, a feeling of stark community honour and nationalism that you would be tough pulpy to see replicated in a British arena. Sunday, for one last time, it will possibly have Team Canada stifle or soar.