Ahmadinejad: European politicians are stupid

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says "European politicians are stupid, that they know nothing about politics and even less about history". He added that "one was more stupid than the other".

According to the semi-official Fars news agency, President Ahmadinejad said "Iran's foreign enemies cannot harm the Islamic state," adding "they had planned a very complicated and wide-ranging scenario... but they don't know that a nation which is ready to sacrifice its life for its religious figures will destroy all their Satanic attempts".

Mr Ahmadinejad said European politicians erroneously believe that a ban on building minarets will restrict the Islamic religion, saying, "minarets do not cause people to believe, they are a result of belief".

At the end of November, more than 57 percent of the Swiss electorate voted in favour of a referendum banning the construction of minarets. The decision was widely condemned.

Source:rnw.nl/

Spain to rescue stranded air travellers

The Spanish government has chartered four aircraft to take thousands of travellers stranded by the collapse of the Air Comet airline to their destinations.

Air Comet offered mainly cheap flights between Madrid and several destinations in Latin America. It has been experiencing financial difficulties ever since the global financial crisis erupted.

Earlier this week, Spanish aviation authorities withdrew the airline's licences after it requested protection from its creditors and laid off all 600 employees. Since then, travellers have been stranded at airports in Latin America and Spain. Because it is Christmas-time, other airlines have been able to offer only a few vacant seats.

The Spanish government expects to pay six million euros for the charter flights.

Source:rnw.nl/

Liverpool denies pressure from Spain to put Torres under knife

LONDON: Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has dismissed reports that Spain is putting pressure on the club into sending their star striker Fernando Torres Day in Pics: December 25

for surgery to ensure that he is 100 per cent fit for the 2010 World Cup.

No force is being applied to have Torres undergo surgery to cure a niggling groin problem.

Anfield insiders say it is not going to happen anyway because Torres does not want to go under the knife, The Sun reports.

Liverpool has stressed all along that the best way to get Torres fit was to let him rest and then work with the physios on a daily basis. And manager Benitez believes their patience is about to be rewarded, with the Spanish striker ready to play a much bigger role in the second half of the season.

Benitez said: "Torres' condition is improving all the time and he could manage a full Christmas programme. In training this week he was fine. We've been patient with him and it is working.

"It has not been a straightforward thing to deal with. Sometimes he can play and, after the game, you never know how he will react. We don't know if his next game will be easy or difficult for him. There has not been any contact with Spain. None. They know we will do what is best for the player."

"At this moment, he will carry on training and working with the physios every day. That is the correct treatment. We knew we had to manage this problem during the whole season, so sometimes he is good after the treatment and sometimes not," Benitez said.

"The other problem is match fitness. We have some players who have to improve that like Torres, Fabio Aurelio, Alberto Aquilani and Steven Gerrard. We have to balance it for each one but we know we have to win games, so we have to bring the best from each player," he added.

Benitez denied Aquilani's injury problems were worse than Liverpool suspected when they paid Roma 20 million pounds for him in the summer.

Source:indiatimes.com/

Spanish federation extends Del Bosque's stay

Madrid - The Spanish football federation said on Wednesday that national team manager Vicente del Bosque had agreed to extend his contract until 2012.

"The rule of the house has always been that the contract of the national manager is extended after qualifying for the World Cup finals, whatever happens in the tournament," said Angel Maria Villar, the president of the federation at its annual Christmas dinner with the media.

Villar added that "Del Bosque has managed to take our team to the highest place (in the Fifa rankings), and has known how to handle the rich inheritance that he received".

Villar continued his after-dinner speech by saying that 2009 had been a "spectacular year" because of the centenary of the federation, and because of the results obtained.

"We have qualified for the World Cup finals brilliantly, we are the leaders in the world rankings and we have won every match except against the United States (a 2-0 loss in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup)."

With regard to Spain's prospects at the World Cup, Villar said that "there is a lot of hope, we have a great team".

"But words are one thing and actions another thing. We will go with illusion, enjoying the fact that millions of Spaniards want us to be the champions of the world."

Villar finished by wishing Del Bosque a happy birthday. He is 59 on Wednesday.

Del Bosque, ever calm and composed, has done even better in charge of "La Seleccion" than even his closest friends and supporters hoped.

He took over in July 2008 just after Spain had elegantly won the European Championship in Vienna, when the explosive Luis Aragones - annoyed at Villar not offering him a contract extension earlier - signed for Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

Del Bosque has wisely kept faith with the little ball players - men like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Silva and David Villa - who took Europe by storm in 2008, and has gradually added to the mix ambitious youngsters like Gerard Pique, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Llorente.

He became the first national manager to win every single match in one of the European six-team World Cup qualifying groups - and can now prepare for South Africa safe in the knowledge that he will be staying in the job until 2012. - Sapa-DPA

Source:iol.co.za/

Spanish lottery hands out more than $3 billion

Spain's Christmas lottery, probably the world's richest, was won earlier in the week by 1,950 people with tickets bearing the number 78294. The lottery is known as 'El Gordo' which literally means 'The Fat One' and is highly anticipated event each year, being held on 22 December.

Each ticket holder will collect $430,000 in winnings and thousands of other people won smaller prizes.

Tickets with the winning number were apparently sold in a Madrid city center lottery office.

The drawing of the winning numbers by students at Madrid's Saint Ildefonso School is a nationally televised event and excitement builds dramatically across Spain in the weeks leading up to it. The lottery is now firmly entrenched as a Spanish holiday tradition.

Whilst there are other lotteries with higher individual top prizes, El Gordo is the world's richest on account of the total sum paid out which is a staggering $3.33 million. There is no single jackpot but rather a share in the top prize.

Source:onlinecasinoreports.com/

Spanish airline Air Comet suspends all flights

Spanish airline Air Comet announced today that all its flights have been suspended owing due to financial problems due to which it is unable to pay its debts. The airline has a fleet of 13 planes and around 1500 passengers use its services everyday.

The airline, which specializes in flights to Latin American countries, has said that the main reason behind its problems is the decision by a commercial court in London on Friday which allowed the German bank ‘Nord Bank’ to deny the airline the right to redeem the mortgage against its debt. It is reported that the debt amount was close to 20 million dollars or 14 million euro.

This has ruined travel plans for a large number of passengers, and that too at a time of the festive season and holidays. The airline is also gearing up for staff lay-offs and declaring its inability to clear off the debts.

Source:spanishnews.es/

Mali albino given Spanish asylum 'fled discrimination'

Lawyers for a Malian albino man granted asylum in Spain have told the BBC he faced constant discrimination at home.

Abdoulaye Coulibaly, 22, who arrived illegally by boat in the Spanish Canary Islands in April, says he also survived two kidnap attempts in 2007.

Cases of violence aimed at albinos are unusual in Mali, but there have been numerous cases of murder, kidnap and torture of albinos in East Africa.

Lawyers say Mr Coulibaly's case shows the problems are more widespread.

In Tanzania, witchdoctors sell good-luck potions made from the body parts of albino people for thousands of dollars.

'Bad luck'

Mr Coulibaly is the first albino man from Africa to be granted asylum by Spain.


We've been telling people that albinos are human like anyone else, that their hair doesn't bring happiness or wealth

Mamoutou Keita of the Salif Keita Foundation
His case was taken up by the Spanish refugee aid agency, CEAR.

"He found it difficult to get work in Mali and whenever anything went wrong in his town, people would blame him," Kimi Aoki, a lawyer from CEAR in Las Palmas, told the BBC.

"They said he brought bad luck," she said.

Mr Coulibaly was even blamed when the boat that carried the migrants to Spain from Africa got into difficulty.

Ms Aoki said he escaped two kidnap attempts with the help of people on the street.

"They tried to kidnap me twice to use my body," Mr Coulibaly told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

"I know they cut off the fingers and hands of other albinos to use them in rituals."

Lawyers' surprise

His case was supported by the famous Malian musician Salif Keita, who is albino himself.



Even so, the foundation established by the singer says a series of public information campaigns in Mali have helped reduce the risk of kidnap or killing.

"We've been telling people that albinos are human like anyone else, that their hair doesn't bring happiness or wealth, that their heart is the same as anyone's," the foundation's Mamoutou Keita says.

"More and more people are starting to understand that an albino is like anyone else. All that's different is the lack of melanin in their skin."

Now in Tenerife, Mr Coulibaly is learning Spanish and plans to find work.

He has also discussed trying to help his two brothers - who are also albino - join him legally in Spain.

It can take up to two years for the Spanish authorities to process an asylum application but Mr Coulibaly's case was completed in just nine months.

Surprised local lawyers call it a "real success" and hope it can help other albino people who seek refuge here.

The asylum application of the only other African albino to do so previously was rejected and is currently under appeal.

Spain's Interior Ministry did not accept that the serious daily discrimination he reported in Nigeria amounted to persecution.

Sourc:bbc.co.uk

Ship with £375m cocaine cargo is seized

Police have smashed a London-based drugs gang after a ship carrying a record £375 million of cocaine was seized off the Spanish coast.

Spanish police boarded the 150ft former coastguard vessel, named Destiny Empress, yesterday after it crossed the Atlantic from the West Indies. Armed officers swooped on the boat with support from the Spanish Navy.

The raid was co-ordinated by Scotland Yard's Central Task Force with support from the Spanish police and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Beyer said the cocaine haul was the biggest the Met had ever seized. He added that the drugs were destined for London and the seizure would have an effect on the price of cocaine in the coming months.

"We target the people at a higher level. We want to catch people who import the drugs in large amounts and we have made a huge dent in that," Mr Beyer said.

The gang was linked to a network stretching between London, Spain, the Caribbean and Colombia. The vessel, which had been tracked across the Atlantic from Trinidad, was carrying at least 1.5 tonnes of cocaine.

Its crew was arrested and other arrests have taken place in London.

Source:thisislondon.co.uk/

Italy - Minister Frattini in phone calls to his Spanish and Mauritanian counterparts to discuss the kidnapping of Italian nationals

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini spoke today on the phone with his Mauritanian colleague, Naha Mint Mouknass. The Mauritanian Foreign Minister assured Frattini of his full cooperation in the search being conducted by his country’s security organisations for the kidnapped Italian nationals.

Minister Frattini also spoke with his Spanish colleague, Miguel Angel Moratinos, who offered his country’s support through its embassies in Mauritania and Mali.

Minister Frattini expressed his deep gratitude to his two colleagues. He also confirmed his determination to maintain the utmost media reserve on the operational instructions issued and the contacts being established in the region by the competent institutions. This is to ensure the safety of the kidnapped Italian citizens.

The Foreign Ministry will also refrain from issuing news to the media on any analysis and assessment regarding the place where the van was found in a region very near the border with Mali. This desert area is fairly distant from the north-south route between Mauritania and Burkina Faso which, it seems, was the kidnapped couple’s intended destination.

The authorities are pursuing all possible contacts and information that might further their investigations and help them take the appropriate action to obtain the release of our fellow nationals.

Source:isria.com/

Spanish Inquisition: Is It All Downhill From Here For Barcelona

As the Blaugrana return home to celebrate their sixth title this year, Goal.com’s KS Leong explores the wise old saying that what goes up, must come down.

Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but the future does look rather bleak for Barcelona... but in a good, complimentary kind of way. And besides they were coach, Pep Guardiola’s own words, not mine.

But the former midfield maestro turned prodigy coach does have a very valid point. And he is making those declarations as a pre-emptive measure to play down any expectations from fans and critics that the team will effortlessly waltz away with 12 titles in 2010. Not that that’s possible, even for the wizards and magicians of Camp Nou, but you get the gist of what he’s trying to do.

Everyone at the Barca camp, including Pep himself, had remarked that it would be near impossible to repeat the kind of success that the club attained over the past 12 months.

Everything that Barcelona do from here on out, whether it’s Guardiola’s team or a completely different squad five, ten years down the line, will always be compared to the history-makers of 2009. Real Madrid had to live in the shadows of the Alfredo Di Stefano-led glory era from the 50’s and 60’s for a long time, while Milan had to contend with their own achievements from the 80’s. More recently, Arsenal have had to cope with a barrage of condemnation because the current young stars are struggling to revive the team of ‘Invincibles’ from the 2003/04 season when they won the league title without losing a single game.

Even now, Barca are drawing critique after critique for their performances, simply because they do not look as vibrant and as exhilarating as they did last season, eventhough they are still playing beautiful, possession football and getting the required results. One can only guess just how much they will be slandered and disparaged should they walk away with only the Copa del Rey in 2010.

The fact of the matter is, their achievements in 2009 do not need to be topped or even replicated. There’s no official rule in football saying that a club must win the same amount of titles or more one year after the other to join the annals of the all-time greats. The class of 2008/09 won the sextuple and it will be this group of players who will be recognised as the immortals of their generation.

But football, as with all things in life, doesn’t quite work like that. People will celebrate and embrace Barca’s unprecedented success, but in the long run, it is ultimately failure that will be remembered and revisited the most.

Which of these two games will people bring to light more often in the future: the 6-1 mauling of Real Zaragoza or the 2-1 home defeat to Rubin Kazan in the Champions League?



The bar has also been raised monumentally not just for the Blaugrana, but for the next administration who will take over Joan Laporta’s reign. It will be even tougher for Guardiola. There is absolutely nothing he can do that will top his outrageous achievements in his first 18-monts at the job. Such is the exaltation that has been showered on Pep that if and when he chooses to leave Catalunya to coach a different club abroad, he will forever have to carry the six winners’ medas around his neck wherever he goes, and be expected to deliver the same level of success, whether it will be at Roma, Brescia or Rubin Kazan.

While the harshest of critics will demand that Barcelona go on to win another six titles in the new year before they can be convinced that Guardiola’s Drean Team II are a champion outfit, there’s a small part inside the rest of us who do not want the Calatan behemoths to duplicate another hextuple-winning campaign.

Records are meant to be broken and the history books are there to be written on, but it’s always more unique and treasured when a crowning achievement is accomplished only once. If it happens to often and repeated too frequently, the allure and the myth will disappear.

And if everything does go downhill from here for Barca, they will always have 2009.

Source:goal.com

Real Madrid signs Marko Jaric from Grizzlies for rest of Spanish league season

MADRID, Spain — Real Madrid has signed former NBA player Marko Jaric for the remainder of the Spanish league season.

The six-foot-seven guard has not played for the Memphis Grizzlies this season.

Jaric will be reunited with coach Ettore Messina nine years after they helped Kinder Bologna win Euroleague and Italian league titles.

Jaric then made the jump to the NBA, where he averaged 7.1 points and 3.6 assists in seven seasons. He spent three years with the Los Angeles Clippers and three more with the Minnesota Timberwolves before moving to Memphis last season, where he averaged 2.5 points in 53 appearances.

Jaric, 31, was a member of then-Yugoslavia's world championship-winning team in 2002

Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i0fnmuilyXoI50Zj6V8Q0yBPF_Lw