Category: news

World governing body Fifa is to probe ex-Football Association chairman Lord Triesman’s "bribery" comments over the bidding process for the 2018 World Cup.

Triesman was caught up in a tabloid sting suggesting Spain could drop its bid if rival bidder Russia helped bribe referees at this summer’s World Cup.

Fifa has also written to the FA asking for a report on the Triesman case.

The FA is keen to draw a line under the saga and has already apologised to the Spanish and Russian associations.

However, a Fifa statement read: "Fifa can confirm that secretary general Jerome Valcke has requested its Ethics Committee to examine the alleged statements made by Lord Triesman in relation to the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

"In addition, Fifa has sent a letter to the Football Association asking the FA to provide a report on this matter, including Lord Triesman’s position.

"Fifa will not make any further comment on this matter until it has been dealt with by the Fifa Ethics Committee."

Triesman was secretly recorded allegedly divulging sensitive information to a former aide, including a claim that Spain and Russia, rival bidders for the 2018 World Cup, were conspiring to bribe referees at next month’s finals in South Africa as part of efforts to win the right to host the tournament.

The former Labour peer, who also resigned from his post as chairman of England’s 2018 World Cup team, accused the Mail on Sunday newspaper of engaging in "entrapment" tactics in order to cause him personal embarrassment.

"In that conversation I commentated on speculation circulating about conspiracies around the world," said Triesman.

"Those comments were never intended to be taken seriously as indeed is the case with many private conversations."

Before Triesman’s unwanted spell in the headlines, England’s 2018 World Cup candidacy was generally viewed as having a good chance of success.

But the bid team now faces an uphill task to persuade Fifa’s executive to award England the event for the first time since 1966.

The revelations came only two days after the FA delegation submitted its 1,752-page bid book to Fifa.

A European bid is tipped to get the 2018 tournament with England up against Russia and joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands.

The other bidders, although they are mainly focused on the 2022 tournament, are Australia, the United States, Japan, Qatar and South Korea.

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A Great Britain rugby league player who admitted being behind a fake ink cartridge and computer game scam has been jailed for 15 months.

Former Hull FC player Gareth Raynor, 32, pleaded guilty last month to 14 counts of fraud and counterfeiting.

Hull Crown Court heard Raynor ran a web company called Genuine-Ink and sold low quality ink on Ebay passing it off as high-quality named brands.

Investigations by trading standards officers uncovered the £36,000 scam.

The court was previously told Raynor, who signed for Crusaders in Wrexham in January, imported and reconditioned second-hand ink cartridges from China and re-packaged them to look like genuine brands such as Epson, Canon and Hewlett Packard.

Nintendo DS and Gameboy cartridges were also imported and sold on the same false basis via the auction website.

Trading standards officers with East Riding of Yorkshire Council raided his home in Brough in August 2008 and he was later charged.

He was jailed for nine months for the counterfeiting offences and a further six months as a result of breaching a previous suspended sentence relating to a racially aggravated common assault.

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Are ‘mockbusters’ the ultimate compliment?

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Students should pay more to go to university, says the Russell Group of leading universities.

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A ban on flights imposed due to the danger posed by a cloud of volcanic ash has been extended at some Scottish airports.

Aircraft were grounded on Sunday in parts of Scotland, northern England and the whole of Northern Ireland.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) extended the ban until 0700 BST on Monday.

Prestwick, Oban, Campbeltown and Aberdeen airports are affected, as are those on the Western Isles.

The air traffic control service Nats confirmed Prestwick was now outside the no-fly zone but an airport spokeswoman said it would not receive any flights up until 1245 BST on Monday.

‘Likely to worsen’

Meanwhile, flights from Belfast were cancelled from early Sunday morning after a no-fly zone was imposed over the whole of Northern Ireland.

Glasgow Airport remains open but passengers across the UK have been advised to check with their airlines for up-to-date information.

However, Easyjet, Aer Lingus and Flybe grounded some flights on Sunday and two services bound for the US from Glasgow were also cancelled.

Earlier, Finance Secretary John Swinney said current predictions suggested the situation was "likely to worsen" over the next 24 hours before easing on Tuesday.

He said additional capacity was being made available on other modes of transport, including an extra 7,000 seats on Virgin trains.

"Once again Scotland is facing disruption and we are working hard to minimise the impact on the travelling public," he added.

The Scottish government is publishing information on the disruption likely to be caused by the volcanic ash, categorised into three levels, on its website.

It said the advice would provide an "instant snapshot" of the current situation for the public.

Ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano closed UK airspace for five days last month.

High concentrations of ash have also grounded flights on numerous occasions since.

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Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack’s FA Cup final appearance was cut short as the Germany captain limped out of the Wembley showpiece against Portsmouth.

Less than a month before the World Cup begins the 33-year-old was upended by a late tackle from Kevin-Prince Boateng, who was booked on 35 minutes.

He played on with the ankle injury but had to be replaced as Chelsea won 1-0.

"We don’t think it’s a bad injury," said Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti. "We hope he’ll be ready for the World Cup."

Germany open their World Cup campaign against Australia on 13 June.

Ballack, who has won 98 international caps, was named in Germany’s preliminary squad on 7 May.

He is out of contract at Chelsea at the end of the season and could feasibly have played his last game for the club.

Ballack was replaced by Juliano Belletti, who gave away a penalty with the score at 0-0 early in the second half.

But Boateng missed the spot-kick and Chelsea went on to win the match courtesy of a Didier Drogba free-kick, with Frank Lampard also missing a penalty in the closing stages.

Chelsea’s win secured the club’s first FA Cup and League Double.

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Britain’s two busiest airports are to close shortly as a volcanic ash cloud drifts further south, threatening major disruption to many thousands of people.

A no-fly zone imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority will shut Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports from 0100 BST until at least 0700 BST.

Flights will also be grounded in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Restrictions will be lifted in northern England, allowing Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds Bradford airports to re-open.

Prestwick Airport will also no longer be within the no-fly zone from 0100 BST, although a spokeswoman said it would not be receiving any flights for another 12 hours.

According to air traffic authority Nats, other airports facing closure on Monday morning include Farnborough, Shoreham, Biggin Hill, all airfields in Northern Ireland, Scottish Western Isles, Oban, Campbeltown, Caernarfon and Aberdeen.

It said Cardiff would remain open but operations may be limited due its proximity to the no-fly zone.

Flights in and out of Dublin, in the Irish Republic, are also grounded until at least noon.

The Department of Transport has warned restrictions are likely across different parts of the UK until at least Tuesday.

Travellers are being advised to check with their airline before leaving home.

Ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano has caused disruption to thousands of flights since April.

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Final designs for London’s "new Routemaster bus" have been unveiled.

The double-decker uses green technology to be 40% more efficient, it has two staircases and an open platform enabling people to "hop-on hop-off".

London Mayor Boris Johnson said the new bus for the capital would be "iconic" and "beautiful".

A spokesman for Transport for London hoped the bus, which has three doors to speed-up boarding, would be in service in 2011.

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British Airways is go to the High Court later in a last-minute attempt to stop the latest strikes by its cabin staff.

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A group of experts led by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is due to report on the future strategy it recommends for Nato.

The challenges facing Nato include the war in Afghanistan, relations with Russia and missile defence.

Afghanistan has been a huge strain on the alliance and fuelled tensions on whether its future focus should be on distant missions or closer to home.

Nato is due to agree on a new strategic concept at a summit in November.

The experts will present their report at Nato headquarters in Brussels on Monday morning.

Russian issue

As the alliance has adapted from its Cold War past, it has taken in new members from central and eastern Europe, some with different security perspectives from those of traditional allies like the United States and Britain.

This new report is expected to offer a frank assessment of the difficulties facing Nato in adapting further and deciding whether and how to take on new challenges.

These include terrorism, cyber security, missile defence and how to square a desire for a closer relationship with Russia with the residual suspicions of some new members about Moscow’s ambitions.

The report, Nato officials hope, will help spur a debate leading to agreement on a new strategy at a summit in November.

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Air passengers in England delayed by a volcanic ash cloud are facing major disruption, despite the flight ban being lifted over most airports.

Airspace above Bristol Airport and Farnborough Airport in Hampshire remains a no-fly zone.

The ban has been lifted over the rest of England, but passengers continue to face chaos as airports get back to running a normal service.

London’s Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports have resumed limited flights.

Gatwick is closed to arrivals until 1300 BST and departures are subject to restrictions.

Limited arrivals

Air traffic authority Nats said restrictions were needed because the London airports were close to the no-fly zone over Bristol.

Earlier, a spokesman said: "Heathrow and Gatwick airports will be clear of the no-fly zone, however restrictions will have to be applied due to their close proximity to the no-fly zone, particularly affecting Gatwick inbounds."

Eurocontrol, the European air safety body, said Heathrow arrivals would be limited to 30 an hour initially and it warned of significant delays.

Knock-on disruption was likely to continue throughout Monday, a Heathrow spokesman said.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond told the BBC the government and airline industry were working together to find ways of enabling aircraft to fly safely through the ash cloud.

Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds Bradford airports have reopened but passengers continued to experience disruption to flights on Monday morning.

Passengers at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport found their flights were still cancelled, despite the flight ban being lifted.

Margaret Palombella, 55, from Liverpool, said: "It’s been terrible. There’s just nothing going."

Robin Tudor, a spokesman for the airport, said flights had already been cancelled by the airlines, adding that people should not assume their flights would be taking off.

He said: "The restriction was lifted for this morning, but there is a difference between that and flights resuming as normal.

"Just because the restriction is lifted doesn’t mean the flights are back on."

Elsewhere, Birmingham, Norwich and East Midlands airports are open again, after suspending flights on Sunday.

The Department of Transport has warned restrictions are likely across different parts of the UK until at least Tuesday.

Network Rail has pledged to do everything possible to help stranded travellers make journeys by train.

Ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano has led to thousands of flights being delayed or cancelled across Europe since April.

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Anti-government protesters in Bangkok have defied orders to leave their fortified camp in the Thai capital.

The protesters – many of them women – continued to clap and cheer speakers on stage in the centre of their vast camp as a deadline passed.

Soldiers have been shooting live rounds to keep protesters at a distance as one government minister said the operation to "seal the area" would continue.

Violence since Thursday has left 36 dead, and some 250 injured.

Renegade Thai general Khattiya Sawasdipol died on Monday, five days after being shot as he spoke to reporters about his backing for the protest movement.

The government says it will talk to the protesters as long as they show "sincerity" by leaving their camp.

The protest leaders, for their part, have offered UN-mediated talks on condition the government pulls back its troops.

‘Don’t be afraid’

Loudspeakers, TV announcements and mobile phone messages were used to warn the protesters – particularly women, children and the elderly – they should leave by 1500 (0800 GMT).

The government offered free transportation home for those who left, and warned that the area was not safe and anyone who stayed could face up to two years in prison.

But few of the 5,000 remaining protesters appeared to heed the call.

The BBC’s Rachel Harvey, in the protesters’ camp, said that as the deadline passed speeches were still being given and people – the majority of them women – were clapping and cheering them on.

"We will stay here persistently. And we’ll ask (tell) every people don’t be afraid. Just sit still and stand still here. And don’t fight back. And if they would like to kill us, let them kill us," protest leader Weng Tojirakarn told demonstrators.

A group of more than 300 people who sought refuge in a nearby temple have told volunteers there that they do not trust the government’s offer of safe passage and do not dare to leave, the BBC was told.

Satit Wonghnongtaey, a minister attached to the prime minister’s office, said the government would not back down in its attempt "to tighten the seal around the protest area".

"We would like to urge fellow citizens to be careful and protect themselves," he said.

The BBC’s Chris Hogg is out on the streets of Bangkok and says the situation remains very tense.

He says Thai soldiers are pursuing a policy of containment by fire, shooting live rounds towards the encampment in an effort to keep protesters at a safe distance from them.

There was fresh fighting along a street of upmarket hotels overnight, which saw the first death among the soldiers.

Guests at one of the hotels, the Dusit Thani, were rushed from their rooms into the building’s basement after gunfire and explosions shook the area.

A state of emergency has now been declared in 22 provinces across the country – mostly in the protesters’ northern heartlands – in a bid to stop more demonstrators heading to the capital.

Protests have spread outside the capital with a military bus set afire in the northern city of Chiang Mai and demonstrations in two north-eastern towns in defiance of a government ban.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays and delayed the start of Bangkok’s school term, but a planned curfew was cancelled.

Many of the protesters, called red-shirts after the colour they have adopted, are from poor rural areas in northern Thailand where support is still strong for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.

He is living abroad to avoid a jail term on a corruption conviction.

The protesters say the current government is illegitimate, having come to power in a parliamentary vote after a pro-Thaksin government was forced to step down in December 2008 by a Constitutional Court ruling that it had committed electoral fraud.

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Chancellor George Osborne has accused the previous government of being "totally irresponsible" as an audit of the nation’s finances gets under way.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Osborne said officials were finding all sorts of "skeletons in various cupboards" left by Labour.

It comes as the Treasury is set to re-examine all spending decisions approved by Whitehall this year.

Meanwhile, Mr Osborne is launching the new Office of Budget Responsibility.

This new watchdog will begin its own financial review and will produce its own independent forecasts for economic growth.

Mr Osborne is expected to use this detail, instead of Treasury predictions, for next month’s emergency budget.

He told the newspaper: "We are finding all sorts of skeletons in various cupboards and all sorts of decisions taken at the last minute.

"By the end, the previous government was totally irresponsible and has left this country with absolutely terrible public finance," he said.

Before becoming coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats had argued that spending cuts should be delayed until next year.

However the coalition deal meant they signed up to the immediate budget reduction plan.

Later this week, the Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary of the Treasury, David Laws, will meet cabinet colleagues to agree where £6bn of cuts this year will fall.

On Sunday, David Cameron told the BBC One’s Andrew Marr show that an audit of the government’s books had already found some "crazy" spending decisions.

As an example, the prime minister highlighted bonuses for 75% of senior civil servants.

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Turkish officials say they believe a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme is close, as PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew to join talks in Tehran.

Mr Erdogan will try to persuade Iranian leaders to allow their nuclear material to be sent abroad for processing.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is also at the talks.

The West, worried that Iran is trying to build a bomb, has warned of stiffer sanctions if the mediation fails. Iran denies having a weapons programme.

The Turkish foreign ministry said a formal announcement on the new deal could be made on Monday.

Last-chance meeting

Last year, Western powers proposed that Iran transfer its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium to Russia and France, who would process it into a form usable in a research reactor before returning it.

The deal was an attempt to allow Iran the benefits of nuclear energy without the concern of it having weapons capabilities. But Tehran rejected the idea.

The current talks with Brazil and Turkey, two non-nuclear states on friendly terms with Tehran, are an attempt to resurrect that plan but reportedly with Turkey as the country where the uranium would be sent.

"We thought that we should also go there, in case the exchange takes place in Turkey," said Mr Erdogan.

"I guarantee that we will find the opportunity to overcome these problems, God willing."

Both Russia and the US say the talks represent Iran’s last chance to avoid harsher sanctions.

Mr Lula arrived earlier and held talks first with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and then with spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

After the meetings, Mr Lula said the level of hope of reaching an agreement "has increased".

The BBC’s Iran correspondent Jon Leyne, reporting from London, says the country has given mixed messages about a fuel-swap deal.

He says officials have suggested they are still open to the idea, but have then imposed conditions that the West would not accept.

Iran has been mounting a big diplomatic effort to prevent new UN sanctions; the foreign minister has travelled to all 15 members of the security council.

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An Afghan passenger plane with 43 people on board has crashed between Kunduz and Kabul, officials say.

The Pamir Airways plane is thought to have gone down near the Salang Pass, a mountainous area about 60 miles (100 km) north of the capital, Kabul.

The plane had been missing since early morning. A number of foreigners were thought to be on board the flight.

Search teams, assisted by US and Nato forces, were reported to be on their way to the crash site.

Aircraft had been sent to search for the plane, a spokesman for Nato told the Reuters news agency.

"I can confirm that an aircraft carrying 38 passengers plus five crew has crashed somewhere in Salang Pass," Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said.

The Salang Pass is a major route through the Hindu Kush mountains connecting the capital, Kabul, to the north of the country.

Pamir Airways is one of Afghanistan’s private carriers and operates mainly domestic routes across the country.

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