.The Republic of Ireland has appealed to world governing body FIFA to be allowed to compete as a 33rd team in next year’s World Cup finals, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Monday.
Ireland was eliminated from the competition earlier this month by France after Thierry Henry handled the ball in the build-up to William Gallas’s equaliser that gave France a 1-1 draw and a 2-1 aggregate play-off win.
“We received a delegation from Ireland at FIFA and they were naturally absolutely unhappy at what has happened,” Blatter told a keynote address at the Soccerex business conference.
“Naturally they have not asked for any sanctions to be given to any player or the referee, but they have asked, very humbly ‘can’t we be team number 33 at the World Cup? They have asked for that, really.
“They know the match cannot be replayed and the decision of the referee is final. I cannot confirm what will happen, but I will report it to the executive committee.
“I will bring it to the attention of the Executive Committee.”
Blatter said that FIFA’s Executive Committee would consider Ireland’s appeal when they held their extra-ordinary meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday (local time).
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.The world’s biggest atom-smasher has set a world record by accelerating to energy levels that had never been previously reached.
The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) says its Large Hadron Collider has “become the world’s highest energy particle accelerator, having accelerated its twin beams of protons to an energy of 1.
A teraelectronvolt (TeV) is equivalent to the kinetik energy level of a flying mosquito, but the collider squeezes this energy into a much smaller space.18 TeV in the early hours of the morning”.0 teraelectronvolts in its bid to replicate the conditions immediately after the big bang.
CERN wants to ultimately achieve a maximum power of 7.98 TeV.
The previous world record was set by a the US Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory’s Tevatron collider in 2001, when it reached 0.
The LHC was relaunched on November 20, after breaking down nine days after it was started with great fanfare in September 2008.
Scientists are looking to the collider - inside a 27-kilometre tunnel straddling the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva - to mimic the conditions that followed the Big Bang and help explain the origins of the universe.5 teraelectronvolts, reaching “close to five” teraelectronvolts in the second half of next year, scientists said. .5 TeV, we can open new windows into physics.
“Already with 3.
At the same time, he would not predict how soon new data could be generated from the LHC, stressing that “it depends on how kind nature is to us”. That can already happen next year,” CERN director-general Rolf-Dieter Heuer had said.5 billion).
The LHC at CERN took nearly 20 years to complete, at a cost of six billion Swiss francs ($6.
The Holy Grail will be finding a theorised component called the Higgs Boson, which would explain how particles acquire mass.
The massive experiment aims to resolve physics enigmas such as an explanation for “dark matter” and “dark energy” that account for 96 per cent of the cosmos and whether other dimensions exist parallel to our own.
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. The elusive Higgs has been dubbed the “God particle”
.New Zealand has filed an official complaint with the International Rugby Board after prop Tony Woodcock suffered abrasions around his eyes during Saturday’s 39-12 win over France in Marseille.
All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen says the team had asked the citing commissioner to investigate an incident late in the match.
“We asked the citing commissioner to have a look at it and we’ll leave it in his hands.
“There’s no doubt Tony got a facial, that’s how he described it,” he said.
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The officer has 48 hours to decide whether any player has a case to answer, but Woodcock says television footage of the incident was inconclusive and is happy to let the matter rest
.New Zealand coach Graham Henry celebrated “a special day” after the All Blacks outclassed France 39-12 in Marseille to end their European tour undefeated.
“It was a special day, really, a special day because all the players who played today played their role superbly,” he said.
“It was good to see two teams playing attacking football because there has been some pretty boring stuff over the last year or so in rugby, and it was just a great game with two teams wanting to attack and I think it’s pretty special. .”
The New Zealand coach, whose team beat Wales, Italy and England in its previous outings, also said it was a remarkable effort “to go through the last two tours of Europe undefeated without having our line crossed.”
France coach Marc Lievremont admitted the All Blacks were the best team on the day.
“I’m just delighted for the guys because they put their record straight and they can feel good about their season and enjoy the summer.
“Sometimes, one has to accept defeat with dignity.
“This game quickly turned into a contest between a team that were euphoric and another team that was swamped. When the All Blacks play like that, attacking the line with complete confidence, they are unstoppable,” he said.”
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.New Zealand captain Richie McCaw won the International Rugby Board (IRB) player of the year award for 2009, the global governing body has announced, so becoming the first player to win the award twice.
Outstanding flanker McCaw, who won the IRB award for the first time in 2006, succeeded Wales wing Shane Williams as player of the year. .
World champion South Africa took the team of the year award, having won the Tri-Nations title and defeated the British and Irish Lions 2-1 in a Test series in 2009.
This year he saw off competition for the award from South Africa duo Francois Steyn and Fourie du Preez, Australia fly-half Matt Giteau, the Ireland pair of skipper Brian O’Driscoll and back-row Jamie Heaslip and England loose forward Tom Croft.
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Meanwhile, Declan Kidney was named coach of the year after overseeing Ireland’s 2009 Six Nations grand slam - the team’s first clean sweep of northern hemisphere rugby union’s premier international tournament in 61 years
.New Zealand continued its unbeaten tour of the northern hemisphere with a comprehensive 39-12 win over France on Sunday morning (AEDT) thanks to its commitment to a running style of rugby.
The All Blacks, having already seen off Wales (19-12), Italy (20-6) and England (19-6) without really hitting second gear, showed a welcome willingness to spurn the aerial ping-pong that has marked many games of late.
In return, their sure-handedness in the offload and ability to turn the slightest mistake by the French into an attacking opportunity made for some often breath-taking rugby that resulted in five tries. .
The visitors overcame a nervous opening 10 minutes to score five-pointers through Sitiveni Sivivatu, Mils Muliaina, Jerome Kaino, Cory Jane and Conrad Smith, with the exceptional Dan Carter booting an additional 14 points.
But the All Blacks came firing back, Yannick Jauzion hauling down Ma’a Nonu within striking distance of the French line but Sitivatu skipped through the threadbare defence after quick ball from the resulting ruck.
A tremendous shunt from the French pack at the first scrum on New Zealand ball saw the visiting front row buckle and pop under pressure, and Dupuy made no mistake from 35 metres after three minutes.
Carter converted and was then on hand to produce a potential try-saving tackle on Fabien Barcella after Jauzion had exploited a huge hole in midfield.
The Stade Francais scrum-half added to his tally when flanker Kaino released his binding from another scrum under enormous pressure.
Dupuy kicked his second penalty on the quarter-hour mark after Julien Bonnaire had been obstructed at an attacking line-out to pull the score back to 7-6.
But after a bad tactical choice by Dupuy, Cowan spread the ball wide in the New Zealand 22m area, the speeding Sivivatu turning provider by drawing Vincent Clerc and offloading to full-back Muliaina for an easy try.
France had a lucky break when Trinh-Duc’s clearing kick from the restart was charged down by Jimmy Cowan, but the All Black scrum-half just failed to ground the ball.
Tom Donnelly then spilled the ball over the line after Nonu gathered Carter’s clever chip and fed a galloping Kieran Read.
Carter missed the conversion but grabbed a 29th minute penalty when Jauzion failed to roll away after tackling the dangerous-looking Nonu.
The French front-five crumbled in the ensuing scrum, Kaino touching down amid a mass of bodies for a try Carter converted.
The French front-five crumbled in the ensuing scrum, Kaino touching down amid a mass of bodies for a try Carter converted.
Carter, who was part of Perpignan’s Top 14-winning side last season, then enjoyed an impressive cameo for a full 10 minutes, giving a textbook demonstration on why many consider himself the world’s best rugby player, mixing solid defence with deft handling touches and chips.
Dupuy missed two pots at goal early in the second-half either side of a successful Carter effort and French heads went down. Carter converted.
Jane scored the All Blacks’ fourth try in the 61st minute, finding himself in space down the right flank and gathering his own chip over Traille to touch down.
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Smith rubbed French noses in it when he skipped down the blindside unmolested for a try Carter also converted as tempers frayed between a well-beaten home side and an All Blacks team that now play the Barbarians in London next week
.Hopes for a new global climate pact have risen after rich nations at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Trinidad and Tobago offered to help poorer countries bear the costs of implementing any deal.
Commonwealth countries are home to two billion people, or a third of the planet’s population - including major global players like Britain and India, and smaller island states like Nauru and the Maldives.
The United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Danish Prime Minister Loekke Rasmussen joined 53 Commonwealth leaders to work on the issue of climate change ahead of next month’s conference in Copenhagen.
He and Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen praised a move by Britain and France to launch a multi-billion-dollar fund for developing nations.
“Success in Copenhagen is in sight,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon told the summit.
But he stressed the deal to be hammered out by some 87 leaders including US President Barack Obama must include “commitments, numbers and precise language”.
Mr Rasmussen said it was now “realistic” to expect Copenhagen to result in the framework for a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.
Mr Ban, who has led the push towards Copenhagen, agreed it must not become just another talking shop, saying, “We will come out with a very concrete foundation for a legally binding treaty.
“The Commonwealth can be proud of the fact that in each of its six decades it has shaped the international response to emerging global challenges,” she told the gathered leaders.”
The need to address a changing climate was a point reinforced by Queen Elizabeth at this morning’s opening ceremony. .
“And on this, the eve of the UN Copenhagen summit on climate change, the Commonwealth has an opportunity to lead once more.
- Canada singled out -
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper faced growing international pressure to take action, with some activists even calling for Canada to be suspended from the Commonwealth.
“The threat to our environment is not a new concern but it is now a global challenge which will continue to affect the security and stability of millions for years to come,” she said.
Mr Ban singled out Canada at the Commonwealth summit, saying Ottawa should act as soon as possible to create an ambitious target to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Ban singled out Canada at the Commonwealth summit, saying Ottawa should act as soon as possible to create an ambitious target to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Harper has now reversed his earlier position and says he will attend the climate talks in Copenhagen.
The International Energy Agency ranks Canada alongside Australia in the world’s top 5 per cent of polluters, per capita, yet Ottawa still has no policy to combat climate change.
The two European leaders proposed to compensate developing countries for the economic disadvantages they would face in cutting carbon emissions.
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Much of the new momentum for a climate deal stemmed from a joint overture by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mr Sarkozy.
For the first time, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was willing to commit his country to ambitious global carbon emission cuts, provided others shared the burden.
“Poorer countries must have an understanding that the richer countries will help them adapt to climate change and make the necessary adjustments in their economies,” Mr Brown said on his website.
“Australia is of the view that such a fast-start fund can assist in bringing about a good outcome at Copenhagen, but most critically, assist those most vulnerable states dealing with adaptation challenges now,” he said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also welcomed what he called “a fast-start fund”.
Reporting by Hayden Cooper in Trinidad and Tobago, Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto and wires
.A French artist has struck an unusual deal to sell his latest work: Instead of paying up front, the buyer will hand over a regular fee until the artist dies.
Christian Boltanski said his deal with Australian professional gambler David Walsh was a “game” with the devil, but not a pact.
The work involves four video cameras filming Boltanski’s studio in suburban Paris, day and night, from January until his death, with images relayed live to a cave in Tasmania, Australia.
“Anyone who never loses or thinks he never loses must be the devil.
“This man (Walsh) thinks he can beat the odds and he says he never loses,” Boltanski, 65, said.
The longer Boltanski lives, the more Walsh has to pay.”
Rather than handing over the price of the work in one lump sum, Walsh will make regular payments - monthly or annual, the artist did not say - until Boltanski’s death.
Walsh, a professional gambler who made his fortune in casinos, worked out that he would make money from the deal if Boltanski dies within the next eight years. If I die in 10 years, he loses,” Boltanski said.
“If I die in three years, he wins. He’s probably right. .
“But I’m going to try to survive. I don’t look after myself very well. You can always fight against the devil. You can always fight against the devil.
The images will be stored on DVD, but as long as the artist is still alive, there are restrictions on what Walsh can do with them.
“It’s not my bedroom, it’s just my studio,” he said, and in any case the pictures are going to Tasmania, where “no one ever goes”.
“He wanted to buy my ashes, but I refused.
Walsh has a passion for the macabre, Boltanski said, and collects Egyptian mummies. There’s a little temple in Japan that will suit me just fine,” he said. I don’t want to end up in Tasmania.
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.Sudanese journalist Lubna Ahmed Hussein says she has donned a full Islamic veil to sneak out of Sudan and travel to France, two months after she was freed from jail for wearing trousers.
On a visit to Paris to promote her new book, Ms Hussein accused Khartoum of trying to block her departure and said she was determined to exercise her right to travel freely.
“They wanted to prevent me from leaving; I resorted to the niqab and managed to leave,” said Ms Hussein, who was jailed for a day in September for violating Sudan’s clothing decency laws by wearing trousers.
“I did not flee Sudan.
“I requested documents to be able to leave, to be able to travel, and this is the only means I found to be able to leave Sudan,” she said. . I am a Sudanese citizen.
Ms Hussein faced a punishment of 40 lashes when she was convicted in July for wearing her green trousers in public.
After she refused to pay the fine, Ms Hussein served a one-day jail sentence.
But a Sudanese court in September ordered her to pay a fine instead, while 10 of the 12 other women arrested with her at a Khartoum restaurant on July 3 were lashed.
The Paris welcome for Ms Hussein came as France was debating measures to prohibit women from wearing the full Islamic veil, which President Nicolas Sarkozy has said is a symbol of women’s subservience.
More than 43,000 women were arrested last year in the Khartoum region by police tasked with enforcing Sudan’s laws on indecent clothing for women.
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.France’s first lady, ex-supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has agreed to star in Woody Allen’s next movie.
“He suggested I appear in his next film. I don’t know what the role would be, but I said yes,” the 41-year-old Italian-born singer-songwriter told the main evening entertainment show on the Canal+ network.
“I’m not an actress at all.
“I go into everything blindly or I’d never do anything at all,” she added, apparently referring to her showbiz career rather than to her sudden marriage last year to President Nicolas Sarkozy. When I’m a grandmother I’d like to be able to say I made a film with Woody Allen. Perhaps I’ll be completely hopeless, but I can’t miss an opportunity like this one.
“Woody Allen kindly asked me not to do a film with anyone else before him.”
New York filmmaker Allen visited the French first couple in June this year during a trip to Paris to promote his last movie, Whatever Works.
“If anything concrete ever comes of it, it’ll be a great experience for me. She has charisma and she performs, so she’s not a stranger to an audience. .”
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