German football legend Franz Beckenbauer is cancelling his trip to the World Cup in Brazil in the light of FIFA suspending him for 90 days over the investigation into the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid, he told the German media today.
     The 68-year-old, who won the World Cup both as a player and as a coach in 1974 and 1990 respectively, told daily newspaper Bild he did not feel he would be made welcome after FIFA announced he had been suspended because he refused to speak to investigators looking into allegations that Qatar paid bribes to secure votes for its 2022 World Cup bid.
     "I won't be going to Brazil," said Beckenbauer, whose sole title these days is honorary president of Bayern Munich.
     "I am basing that decision on the fact I will not be welcomed by FIFA."
     Beckenbauer, who was a member of the FIFA executive board in 2010 when the votes were cast to award Russia the 2018 finals and Qatar the 2022 edition, had originally planned to go to Brazil for the semi-finals.
   

Beckenbauer calls off trip to finals after suspension

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Spain's domination of world football, which has seen them win three trophies in the past six years, could be at an end after their hopes of retaining the World Cup took a huge knock when the Netherlands inflicted their worst defeat in 51 years.
     Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben each scored twice as a rampant Netherlands humiliated Spain in a 5-1 trouncing in their opening group game, a rerun of the 2010 World Cup final.
     It was the heaviest defeat suffered by any defending champions at a finals and the Spanish press did not refrain from slamming a side they have had the habit of eulogising over for the past six years.
     "Spain is like the remains of an empire that knows it is near its end," mused a columnist in the Barcelona-based daily Sport.
     A jubilant van Persie, who scored one of the best goals seen at the World Cup, said it was one of greatest football nights for the Netherlands.
     Spanish goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas took the blame for what he called .

Dutch trouncing could herald end of an era

Astrophysicists are casting doubt on what just recently was deemed a breakthrough in confirming how the universe was born: the observation of gravitational waves that apparently rippled through space right after the Big Bang.
	If proven to be correctly identified, these waves -- predicted in Albert Einstein's theory of relativity -- would confirm the rapid and violent growth spurt of the universe in the first fraction of a second marking its existence, 13.8 billion years ago.
	The apparent first direct evidence of such so-called cosmic inflation -- a theory that the universe expanded by 100 trillion trillion times in barely the blink of an eye -- was announced in March by experts at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
	The detection was made with the help of a telescope called BICEP2, stationed at the South Pole.
	"Detecting this signal is one of the most important goals in cosmology today," John Kovac, leader of the BICEP2 collaboration at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center .

Experts cast doubt on Big Bang bolstering discovery

Police used pepper spray to scatter protesters at Hong Kong's government headquarters in an angry rally against plans for a new town development, with 21 arrested, officials said today.
	Around 900 people gathered at the city's harbourfront government complex with some trying to force their way into the building to oppose the project, which they say will displace villagers and turn farmland into housing estates -- favouring property developers.
	Television footage showed protesters pushing over barricades and surging towards an entrance to the Legislative Council as lawmakers met to discuss funding for the development.
	Police cordons inside and outside the building pushed back the rally yesterday as protesters tried to prise the doors open with bamboo sticks, shouting "Withdraw the plan".
	They managed to smash a hole in a glass panel, which police inside then used to pepper-spray protesters, while lawmakers were forced to suspend the meeting.
	Around 200 protesters then chained ...

Police arrest 21 in Hong Kong new town protest

Barack Obama travelled to a Native American reservation in North Dakota, his first visit as US president to "Indian Country," where he focused on education and economic development.
	The president, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama, visited the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation in the central far northern state yesterday.
	The Sioux, which include the Lakota and Dakota nations, are the people of Sitting Bull, the chief famous for his victory over the US cavalry in the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn.
	Ahead of the visit officials announced a series of initiatives on improving education and economic development for Native American communities.
	Obama began the visit with a stop at a local elementary school, where he and his wife met with tribal children in their classrooms.
	When the couple arrived at Standing Rock, dancers in colourful tribal outfits greeted the Obamas, who met with senior tribal officials.
	At an open air ceremony the president touted his administration's ...

Obama visits 'Indian Country' in N Dakota

Spanish newspapers today bemoaned the "humiliation" and "catastrophe" of world champions Spain's 5-1 battering by the Netherlands in their opening World Cup match in Brazil.
     Most papers splashed on their front pages a photo of Spain's goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas kneeling with head bowed as Dutch players celebrated after ripping apart the Spanish defence.
     Leading Madrid sports daily Marca mourned "a historic catastrophe", dubbing the Netherlands' performance "a goal-scoring spree of Biblical proportions" against Spain.
     With two Euro championships plus the 2010 World Cup title under their belt, expectations for Spain in this competition could not be higher and the response to Friday night's upset was bitter.
     "This is not just any old defeat. It is a historic disaster. There is no precedent of this scale in the history of the World Cup," Marca wrote.
     "Humiliation", ran the single headline on the front page of general daily El Mundo.
     "A ridiculous ...

Spain press mourns World Cup 'catastrophe'

Iran may consider cooperating with the United States in fighting Sunni extremist fighters in Iraq if Washington acts against them, President Hassan Rouhani told journalists today.
	He was responding to questions of whether mutual interests in fighting terrorism could possibly bring together Tehran and Washington -- traditional foes that have had no diplomatic relations in more than three decades.
	"If we see that the United States takes action against terrorist groups in Iraq, then one can think about it," Rouhani said at a press conference marking a year since he was elected president.
	Both Iranian and American leaders have separately pledged support for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in fighting advancing fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
	"We have said that all countries must unite in combating terrorism. But right now regarding Iraq we have not seen the Americans taking a decision yet," Rouhani said, mentioning that problems in .

Iran's Rouhani does not rule out US cooperation on Iraq

One of Africa's largest elephants has died after being shot by poachers using poisoned arrows in Kenya, wildlife officials said as they mourned the loss of an "old friend."
	The elephant famed for his giant tusks, known as Satao and aged around 45, was wounded by poisoned arrows in May in Kenya's vast southeastern Tsavo national park.
	The Tsavo Trust, which works to protect the wilderness and its animals, announced the death  "with great sadness" for one of the "most iconic and well-loved tuskers."
	The death of the elephant, the latest in a surge of the giant mammals killed by poachers for their ivory, came a day after wildlife regulator CITES warned entire elephant populations are dying out in many African countries due to poaching on a massive scale.
	"It is with enormous regret that we confirm there is no doubt that Satao is dead, killed by an ivory poacher's poisoned arrow to feed the seemingly insatiable demand for ivory in far off countries, a great life lost so that someone ..

Poachers kill famed giant Kenyan elephant

Brazil fought hard when FIFA insisted it overturn its ban on alcohol in stadiums, but the World Cup hosts lost, and with the tournament now under way it's official: beer is back.
     After 11 years of stadium sobriety, FIFA and its sponsor Budweiser celebrated the suspension of Brazil's law against alcohol sales at matches -- a bid to stop crowd violence -- by pouring thousands of cold ones for fans at Thursday's opening game in Sao Paulo.
     Fans could also buy Bud Zero and local brands Brahma and Brahma Zero, all owned by AB InBev, the world's biggest brewer.
     Those will be the only alcoholic beverages on sale at matches, thanks to Budweiser's contract to sponsor the World Cup until 2022, a deal estimated to be worth several million dollars a year.
     Fans looking for caipirinhas or any other beer will have to find a street vendor -- who, in another concession to FIFA, are kept well away from the stadium.
     Last month the German Centre for Addiction Issues, a health ...

Biggest World Cup comeback so far: beer

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi said he was unperturbed by the attempts of several high-spirited fans to invade the pitch during a training session ahead of their World Cup opener.
     Hundreds of football supporters were in the stands of the stadium in Campinas yesterday to witness the African champions go through their paces, chanting and waving flags.
     But midway through the training session a number of people, mainly young boys, got onto the pitch and attempted to evade security staff as they made a beeline for the players.
     One youngster in a Brazil shirt was tackled to the ground before being led away, while a man got as far as a knot of Nigerian players.
     But despite the febrile atmosphere in the old concrete stadium in the city near Sao Paulo, the players did not look remotely concerned, focusing on their drills.
     Keshi played down the incidents, saying he was not worried.
     "These are kids. It's all about emotion and passion," he said. "The kids see the ...

Nigeria untroubled by pitch invaders

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera pledged to repay his country's fans who he said would "sell their houses, cars and even pawn their grandma's clothes to come to Brazil" by battling to keep their World Cup dream alive.
     Herrera's side outclassed Cameroon at a rain-drenched Estadio das Dunas yesterday thanks to a second-half winner by Oribe Peralta.
     Cameroon, who limped home from South Africa four years ago without a point from their three games, face a repeat if they fail to beat Croatia next week before their final group clash against Brazil on June 23.
     The Aztecs face the hosts, 3-1 winners over Croatia on Thursday, in nearby Fortaleza on June 17, but an opening day win means Mexico could afford to slip up and still grab one of the top two qualifying places.
     Herrera, who has boldly declared Mexico's intention of going all the way to the final and "making history" -- their best result is making the quarter-finals -- said he was "ecstatic" about his players' performance.
 

Mexico pledge to repay 'pawn-shop' Aztec fans

Switzerland will look to justify their top seed tag which raised many eyebrows ahead of the draw for the World Cup finals when they take on South American side Ecuador in Brasilia tomorrow in their opening Group E clash.
     While outside Switzerland there may have been snorts of derision at their seeding, there is a lot of expectation within the country that a team with a core of players from the side that won the Under-17 world title in 2009 in Nigeria can become the first Swiss team to reach the quarter-finals since 1954.
     Ecuador will be treated with the respect that comes from having finished ahead of Copa America champions and 2010 World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay in South American qualifying.
     Their players will be extra motivated to emulate their predecessors in 2006 and reach the last 16 as a tribute to their leading scorer Christian Benitez who collapsed and died last year playing for his Qatari club.
     However, Switzerland's highly-respected German coach Ottmar .

Swiss golden generation look to shine against Ecuador

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon had to leave training early, but coach Cesare Prandelli said he would be fit to face England in World Cup Group D.
     "He twisted his ankle very lightly, but it was a very light ankle twist," Prandelli told a press conference ahead of the encounter at Manaus's Amazonia Arena today.
     "He's receiving therapy at the moment, but it's nothing serious."
     AC Milan full-back Mattia Di Sciglio has already been ruled out of the game for Italy, who defeated England on penalties when the teams last met in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.
     Saturday's game will see the two sides open their World Cup campaigns. Uruguay and Costa Rica, the other teams in Group D, face off in Fortaleza.

Prandelli reveals Buffon injury scare

Lionel Messi will be attempting to cement his legacy as an all-time great when Argentina tackle Bosnia-Hercegovina in their World Cup Group F opener in Rio de Janeiro tomorrow.
     Trophies, plaudits and individual honours have rained down upon the record-shredding 26-year-old Barcelona sensation over the past few years, but a signature showing at a major international tournament still eludes him.
     Although he was a member of the Argentina team that claimed Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008, success in the World Cup and the Copa America has proved harder to come by.
     A four-time Ballon d'Or-winner and three-time European champion with Barcelona, Messi's devastating ability cannot be questioned, but without success with Argentina, there will always be an asterisk against his achievements.
     But while his previous World Cup experiences in 2006 and 2010 proved unfulfilling, there is a feeling that 2014 should be Messi's time.
     As an 18-year-old in 2006, he scored once off ..

Messi's moment as Argentina enter World Cup

France begin their quest to wipe away the pain of an embarrassing showing at the World Cup in 2010 when they begin their campaign in Brazil against Honduras tomorrow.
     Winners in 1998, Les Bleus nearly suffered another disastrous exit in their playoff against Ukraine just to qualify as they had to overcome a 2-0 first leg deficit before advancing 3-2 on aggregate.
     However, that comeback has marked a turning point in Didier Deschamps' time in charge that has led to wave of optimism surrounding the country's batch of young stars and that has been stoked by 4-0 and 8-0 thrashings of Norway and Jamaica respectively in pre-tournament friendlies.
     "We've gone through a rebuilding phase because people still associate the team with Knysna in South Africa (when the players went on strike) and the way in which we exited the tournament," striker Olivier Giroud told FIFA.Com.
     "The French public hasn't forgotten what happened and we're going to show them that we can keep our flag 

France's young guns hoping to erase memories of 2010

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque admits the holders were stunned by their 5-1 hammering at the hands of the Netherlands in their opening World Cup match on Friday.
     The defending holders and European champions were thrashed in their Group B opener as the Netherlands exacted emphatic revenge for the defeat in the 2010 final.
     Manchester United striker Robin van Persie and Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben both netted twice, while centre-back Stefan de Vrij also got on the scoresheet.
     Worryingly for del Bosque, it could have been more as the Dutch fired in a flurry of late shots as the Spanish defence capitulated in Salvador.
     "We didn't react well to Van Persie's second goal -- they were euphoric and they hammered us," said del Bosque.
     "In the second-half, they were simply better than we were and they overwhelmed us. Now isn't the time to point the finger of blame at each other, we are all to blame.
     "We need to try to find solutions and win the two remaining ...

Champions Spain left reeling by record defeat

The World Cup faced fresh refereeing controversy on Friday as FIFA chiefs defended Japanese official Yuichi Nishimura after he awarded Brazil a bitterly contested penalty in their opening game victory over Croatia.
     Croatia's coach and players erupted in fury at Nishimura's decision to award a penalty against defender Dejan Lovren for a foul on Brazilian centre forward Fred on Thursday night.
     Television replays indicated that Lovren barely touched Fred. Croatian media called it an "inexcusable mistake".
     A top Brazilian newspaper used a front page headline "arigato" -- thank you in Japanese. Social media in Japan lambasted Nishimura's action, while World Cup players said that more and more of their counterparts would try to get away with such penalties.
     FIFA defended Nishimura, but it said no decision had been taken as to whether he will appear in another match at the tournament.
     FIFA referees chief Massimo Busacca insisted Nishimura had been justified in ...

FIFA defends Japanese referee in World Cup storm

Pro-Russian separatists shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane at the eastern city of Lugansk, killing several people on board, the defence ministry said today.
	"The terrorists cynically and treacherously fired with a large-calibre machinegun hitting an Ilyushin-76 of the Ukrainian air force which was carrying troops on rotation and was about to land at Lugansk airport," the ministry said in a statement.
	The four-engine jet was also carrying "equipment".
	The ministry offered its condolences to the families of the "killed soldiers", but did not give their numbers.
	Lugansk, which is close to the Russian border, is the main city of one of two eastern regions hit by pro-Moscow separatist violence and which has declared its independence from Kiev.
	An "anti-terrorist" clampdown by Ukrainian armed forces has left at least 270 people dead over the past two months.

Separatists down Ukraine military plane, several dead

Louis van Gaal believes his Netherlands side can still improve on their historic 5-1 drubbing of Spain in their World Cup opener yesterday.
     Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben both scored twice as Holland avenged their 2010 World Cup final defeat by routing the holders in emphatic style.
     Spain suffered their heaviest World Cup defeat and their worst loss since being drubbed 6-2 by Scotland in 1963.
     "That wasn't what you expect from your first World Cup match, I had expected the manner of the goals, but not that many," admitted the Dutch coach.
     "It's everything to do with strategy and the willingness of the players to convert their chances with conviction."
     The future Manchester United manager was adamant when asked if his side can improve on their stunning display.
     "Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, you could see that in the last 20 minutes when we started to play the ball around," said Van Gaal.
     "This result gives the players confidence and I expect ..

Dutch can improve on Spain rout, says confident Van Gaal

Afghans lined up today to vote in a second-round presidential election despite Taliban threats, as US-led combat troops wind down a 13-year war that has failed to defeat the insurgents.
	The run-off election will decide whether former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah or ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani leads the country into a new era with declining international military and civilian assistance.
	President Hamid Karzai is due to step down after ruling the country since 2001, when a US-led offensive ousted the austere Taliban regime for sheltering Al-Qaeda militants behind the 9/11 attacks.
	Afghan officials and international allies are hoping for a repeat of the first-round vote in April, when the insurgents failed to launch a single high-profile attack and voter turnout was more than 50 per cent.
	But the stakes are high with the Taliban issuing specific threats to target polling stations and widespread fears that electoral fraud could produce a contested result.
	In a sign of 

Afghan polls open in presidential run-off election

Alexis Sanchez helped Chile pile the pressure on world champions Spain after a 3-1 win over Australia in their World Cup opener in Cuiaba saw them join the Netherlands on top of Group B.
     Sanchez set Chile on their way early on, the Barcelona star turning provider 70 seconds later to set up Jorge Valdivia.
     Tim Cahill pulled one back before half-time with Wigan Athletic's Jean Beausejour grabbing a third for Chile in injury time of a pulsating encounter under the Arena Pantanal's floodlights.
     But following Spain's 5-1 rout by the Dutch earlier in Salvador, the reigning champions almost certainly must beat Chile in Rio on June 18th to avoid an ignominious early exit.
     Chile thought they'd done enough to snuff out the Socceroos in the time it takes to make a pisco sour.
     The 12th minute opener came after sterling work by Charles Aranguiz in the Australia box, the midfielder's efforts resulting in the ball landing at Sanchez's feet, spelling danger for an Australian .

AFP

AFP

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