Adeltrud Laught blog

Inter are favourites: Ranieri

ROME (AFP) – Following a fifth straight victory under new boss Leonardo, Inter Milan must be considered the favourites to win the Italian league title, according to Roma coach Claudio Ranieri.

The 3-2 success over Cesena on Wednesday moved Inter above Roma on goal difference in fourth place in the league.

They trail leaders and arch city rivals AC Milan by six points but have a game in hand on all the other title contenders.

Added to their two wins at the Club World Cup with Rafael Benitez at the helm, it is now seven wins in a row for the reigning treble holders, and that is enough for Ranieri to consider them and not Milan the team to beat.

"Inter are the scudetto favourites, all the others have to measure themselves against them," he said after his side dumped Roman neighbours Lazio out of the Italian Cup.

While many assume Inter will win their other game in hand and go second in the table, just three points off Milan, Leonardo is more coy.

"The standings are still virtual because we still have one match to catch up, in Florence (against Fiorentina) and it will be difficult," he said.

"So we'll keep thinking about one game at a time given that we have another tough match against Udinese on Sunday."

Inter were brilliant at the beginning against Cesena and stormed into a two-goal lead after just a quarter of an hour as strike pair Samuel Eto'o and Diego Milito hit the back of the net.

But Milito then had to hobble off with an injury, to be replaced by French flyer Jonathan Biabiany.

Cesensa mounted an unlikely comeback as Erjon Bogdani and Emanuele Giaccherini struck against a hesitant defence.

Christian Chivu proved the unlikely winner for Inter, heading home fellow full-back Maicon's cross.

But while there was much to admire in Inter's attacking verve, they were vulnerable at the back.

Leonardo suggested the Milito change had hampered his team.

"It was a very difficult game, almost a paradox, we were playing very well, went 2-0 up but then we made the change and we tried to settle down, there was a bit of ping pong and what happened, happened," he said.

"But then in the second half we gave away less, fewer counter opportunities. In general it was a struggle with great sacrifice from everyone.

"We struggled a lot, it was the longest game of my life as coach but in the end it was worth it."

And the Brazilian played down the loss of Milito.

"He wanted to stay on the pitch but muscles are very sensitive and you never know, he's not in pain but he felt it harden, it was better to come off.

"I don't think it's anything serious, we'll evaluate it in the coming days but without worrying excessively.

"It was normal to replace Milito with a forward, had I put on a midfielder it wouldn't have given out the right signal in this moment."

Massey CEO will testify about deadly W.Va. blast

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The chief executive of the company that operated the West Virginia mine where 29 men were killed this year is expected to testify in a probe on the explosion.

Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship is scheduled to testify Dec. 14 to the state Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is leading the investigation of the blast, which is also the subject of a criminal probe. By law, MSHA can only subpoena witnesses if it convenes a public hearing — something the agency has so far declined to do.

State law lets investigators subpoena witnesses regardless of whether interviews are public or private.

Investigators have said a buildup of methane and coal dust might have contributed to the blast. Massey claims a sudden release of gas overwhelmed the mine and discounts the role of dust.

U.N. atom agency head "solidly in U.S. court": WikiLeaks

VIENNA (Reuters) – U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Yukiya Amano suggested before he took office last year that he was "solidly in the U.S. court" on key issues including Iran, U.S. diplomatic cables cited by the Guardian newspaper said.

The report may worsen tension between Amano, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Iran at a sensitive time in wider diplomatic efforts to resolve a dispute over the Islamic state's nuclear program.

Talks between Iran and six big powers -- the United States, France, Russia, Britain, China and Germany -- are due to resume next week in Geneva in the first such meeting in more than year.

Western powers suspect Iran of seeking to develop nuclear bombs behind the front of a declared civilian nuclear energy program, an accusation Tehran rejects.

A European diplomat predicted that Tehran's envoy would raise the issue of the leaked U.S. cables at a meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation governing board starting on Thursday, which is due to discuss its latest report on Iran's nuclear activities.

"I'm certain that at some point he will comment on how the United States has stated Amano is their person or is on their wavelength," the diplomat said.

Washington's envoy to the Vienna-based U.N. agency, Ambassador Glyn Davies, said the United States regretted any "embarrassment or discomfort" caused by the leaked documents.

Iran has accused Amano, a veteran Japanese diplomat, of bias and relations, which soured further in June when he said Tehran was hampering IAEA work by barring some of its inspectors.

Throwing independent weight behind the West's suspicions about Tehran's atomic ambitions, Amano said in his first report on Iran in February that the IAEA feared Tehran may be working now to develop a nuclear-armed missile.

U.S. REGRETS

Britain's Guardian is one of a number of publications worldwide to have had early access to some 250,000 U.S. cables obtained by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.

The U.S. mission to the IAEA, in a cable written after Amano was elected but before he took office in December 2009, described him as a "DG (Director General) of all states, but in agreement with us."

It said Amano had reminded the U.S. ambassador on several occasions that he would need to make concessions to developing countries, "but that he was solidly in the U.S. court on every key strategic decision, from high-level personnel appointments to the handling of Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program."

Amano, who succeeded Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei after serving as Japanese ambassador to the IAEA, rose into the position thanks to overwhelming support from industrialized states, while many developing countries regarded him as a tool of Western powers.

The cables also suggested there were staff tensions within the IAEA, with one quoting Amano as saying he was seeking to replace a senior official with someone who was closer to his own thinking. The official named is still in his position.

The European diplomat said he believed the impression created by the leaked documents was unfair to Amano, who he said had "done bis best to be a neutral and technical DG."

Davies, the U.S. ambassador, said: "We regret the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential and we regret any embarrassment or discomfort to colleagues that the publications of the documents may cause."

(Additional reporting by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

UEFA probes Real Madrid 'time-wasters'

PARIS (AFP) – UEFA announced on Thursday it had started disciplinary proceedings against Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho and two of his players, Xabi Alonso and Sergi Ramos, over a 'time-wasting' controversy.

The pair are suspected of deliberately time wasting to get sent off in the closing minutes of Tuesday's 4-0 Champions League win at Ajax and so wipe their disciplinary slates clean for the knockout stages of the competition.

With Real assured of qualifying for the last 16 as Group G winners it meant Alonso and Ramos will now only miss out on the 'dead' tie against Auxerre in their final group game after picking up their second yellow cards of the group stages in Amsterdam.

Two yellow cards in the group stages of the competition equates to a sending off.

Had the pair -- who had already been issued one yellow card -- not been sent off against Ajax, a second yellow card in the game against Auxerre left them exposed to a suspension for the knockout stages.

As well as Mourinho and the red-carded duo, UEFA announced it was also targeting Real captain Iker Casillas and reserve goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek in their investigation.

Spanish sports daily Marca has published photographs of Dudek passing information to Casillas who then spoke to Ramos just before his sending off.

Mourinho was also shown on Dutch television speaking to Alonso just before his act of time wasting and also to Dudek.

A statement on European football's governing body read: "UEFA has confirmed that a disciplinary case has been opened against Real Madrid for the improper conduct of coach Jos'e Mourinho and players Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas and Jerzy Dudek during the UEFA Champions League Group G match against AFC Ajax in Amsterdam on Tuesday."

As Wednesday's game drew to a close midfielder Alonso spent around half a minute deliberating over a free-kick, prompting Scottish referee Craig Thomson to brandish a second yellow card.

Ramos was sent packing for a similar time wasting incident in injury time, shaking hands with the referee on his way to the changing rooms.

Ramos denied any wrongdoing, telling journalists after the match: "We didn't go looking for the cards. Seeing what the score was, the referee could have saved them. But he sent me off and that's that."

Mourinho also brushed off accusations of skulduggery.

"I spoke with many players throughout the game, not only with Ramos and Alonso," Mourinho said.

"Stories sell, but the important thing is the 4-0 win and the fantastic game we had. Let's talk about that and not other things."

Ex-Israel PM hits at Netanyahu over settlements

JERUSALEM – Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took a rare public jab at his successor on Thursday, saying that Israel should agree to the U.S. demand to halt settlement construction in the West Bank in order to restart Mideast peace talks.

Olmert suggested the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Obama administration are wasting valuable time by focusing on such a "marginal" issue, rather than tackling the essential issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

President Barack Obama has asked for a new three-month moratorium on settlement construction after a 10-month slowdown expired in September, leading peace negotiations to stall. Palestinians say they will not talk unless a freeze is in place.

"If someone says that he agrees to 10 months of freezing and the president of the mightiest nation on earth and friendliest nation to Israel comes to you and says 'please give me two (more) months, only two months,' I mean what could happen in two months?" Olmert said. "I would say 'Mr. President, why two? Why not three? Take three!'"

Netanyahu has yet to commit to a renewal, saying he is waiting for written U.S. assurances.

Olmert, who resigned two years ago to face corruption charges, has largely kept a low profile since leaving office in early 2009 and has refrained from publicly criticizing Netanyahu.

Speaking to foreign correspondents, he said he wouldn't have agreed to a settlement freeze in the first place, saying it was more important to focus on larger issues like final borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem. But he said he would not turn down a request from Israel's closest ally.

Obama has said he hopes to reach a deal within a year, and Olmert said both Israel and the U.S. should focus on achieving that.

"The substance is what counts and that was not discussed at all and we have wasted a year and a half," he said. "What counts? A building here or a building there, or a comprehensive peace plan that can resolve the conflict rather than just complicate the arguments about marginal issues?"

Since leaving office, Olmert has confirmed he made Israel's most far-reaching offer to the Palestinians, proposing a Palestinian state on close to 94 percent of the West Bank, and offering them the equivalent of the final 6 percent of territory in a land "swap."

Olmert said Thursday the Palestinians never responded to his offer, made in the final months of his term in office.

"I think that they made a mistake. I think that the fact that they didn't respond to my proposal was a historic mistake of the highest order that they will live to regret for a long time," he said.

The Olmert plan would have also turned over Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem to Palestinian control. Jerusalem's Old City, with its holy sites, one of the most intractable issues dividing the sides, was to be governed jointly by Israel, the Palestinians, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Olmert's offer included a link between the West Bank and Gaza through Israeli territory, and he agreed to a symbolic return of some Palestinian refugees to Israel.

Olmert said he met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about three dozen times, developing a strong personal bond and discussing issues down to the finest details. The talks broke down after Israel launched a war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in December 2008 to stop rocket attacks.

Olmert announced his resignation under a cloud of corruption charges in late 2008, and Israeli voters — disillusioned about the chances of peace with the Palestinians — replaced his centrist government with a hard-line coalition led by Netanyahu.

On Thursday, Netanyahu harshly rejected an official Palestinian study claiming that the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, the holiest site where Jews can pray, is not Jewish at all and belongs to the Muslims.

In a statement, Netanyahu said the new study tries to deny the Jewish link to the Holy Land and "calls into serious question (Palestinian) intentions of reaching a peace agreement, the foundations of which are coexistence and mutual recognition."

Olmert gave a vote of confidence to Obama — who has clashed with Netanyahu — calling him a "genuine partner."

"I think that George W. Bush was probably the friendliest president that ever sat in the White House, as far as Israel is concerned, and his concept of an agreement was based on the '67 borders and on the division of Jerusalem," Olmert said, pointing out that Obama wants the same.

"Why is one the greatest friend and one is an enemy? I can't understand it."