Two a penny

.Australian rugby league coach Tim Sheens has rubbished suggestions he is fielding a second-string side in the Four Nations match against France this weekend.
Sheens has opted to resting star Melbourne trio Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater for the Paris clash.
The Kangaroos coach stuck to his pre-tour vow to give every member of the touring party a run during the tournament, with Michael Jennings, Josh Morris and Cooper Cronk all named to play.
Sheens claimed the inclusion of his number one halves pairing proved the Australians meant business in Paris, where a win will book a berth in the November 14 final in Leeds.
Jennings and Morris will start in the centres – the latter lining up alongside twin Brett on the left edge – while Cronk will come off the bench as back-up to starting halves Darren Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston, as well as new hooker Robbie Farah.
“If I’m resting anyone it’s because they’ve had a couple of hard hit-outs and they’ve finished with a long season and I think that’s indicative of Thurston and Lockyer starting.
“It might come across to some back in Australia as ‘oh, he’s resting people’ – it’s not the case,” Sheens said.
“The side I put out, that’s a very good side.
“I’ve changed both sides and I’m going into the third game just keeping the structure.
“For anyone to say that’s a second-string side – I don’t think we have a first-string side.
Most open are the spots on the bench, with Farah, Kurt Gidley and Cronk all battling it out for the back-up playmaker’s spot.”
While the likes of Inglis, Smith and Slater will no doubt come straight back into the side, Sheens has indicated that the squad for the November 14 final is far from decided.
Sheens also said his decision to leave Hayne on the wing and not give him a run at full-back – where he starred for Parramatta this season – was made with one eye on the final.
It is just as tight in the back row, with Ryan Hoffman and Trent Waterhouse given another chance to push for selection after being named to play France in place of injured duo Anthony Watmough (concussion/groin) and Paul Gallen (neck).
“Jarryd’s coming to terms with the wing again,” Sheens said.
“Jarryd’s coming to terms with the wing again,” Sheens said.”
Two players going nowhere are Lockyer and Thurston, though Sheens did admit the pair had been given another run just to iron out a few kinks.
“If I had a problem at the back (during the game) Jarryd would move.
“I’m concerned about getting Darren and Thurston on the same page – that hasn’t been as comfortable as I thought or as slick as it should be,” Sheens said.
It had been assumed Cronk would get the number seven jumper for the clash with France, with Australia all-but assured a finals berth.
“Game two was better. .”
Australia: Kurt Gidley, Brett Morris, Josh Morris, Michael Jennings, Jarryd Hayne, Darren Lockyer (c), Johnathan Thurston, Petero Civoniceva, Robbie Farah, Ben Hannant, Trent Waterhouse, Ryan Hoffman, Nathan Hindmarsh. I’d like to improve it, I’d like things to be working better and Darren getting good ball when he wants it.
– AAP

. Interchange: Cooper Cronk, Luke Lewis, David Shillington, Sam Thaiday

.Croatian Ivan Ljubicic ended a title drought stretching back over two years overnight as he claimed the 650,000 euros Lyon ATP trophy beating Frenchman Mickael Llodra 7-6, 6-3.
The third-seeded Ljubicic, who won the first of his nine career titles at this event in 2001, required one break of serve in the first set in the 12th game to edge into the lead having wasted two break points in the sixth game.
However, that was the high point of his match as Ljubicic, ranked 29 in the world, stormed back to take the next five games and ultimately the match to claim his first title since winning on grass at s’Hertogenbosch in the summer of 2007.
Llodra, ranked 107th in the world and who required a wild card invitation to compete here, fought back to break Ljubicic in the first game of the second set and then took a 2-0 lead.
“I felt good on court and I played really good tennis. .
“My level of play was top notch and I will remember the manner in which I played such fantastic tennis this week.
“If I continue to play like this, there will still be good things to come.
“I wasn’t quite as strong physically as I had been and the semi-final against Gilles Simon took its toll on me,” said Llodra, whose previous final this year was in Marseille in February.”
Llodra, principally regarded as a doubles specialist, lamented the fact he had not been able to play as he had done for the rest of the week.
“Here I was not able to get enough first serves in.
“My general play was pretty good except for my serve which had held up alright prior to Sunday.
“My target this year was to finish in the top 100 and I will be definitely well inside that mark,” added Llodra, who has been plagued by shoulder and groin injuries this campaign.”
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Former All Black Byron Kelleher has received a two-month suspended jail term and been fined NZ$8700 for driving under the influence of alcohol and violent behaviour from an ensuing fight.

Kelleher appeared at court in Toulouse last night (NZ time) and pleaded guilty to both charges. People close to the scene then joined in the brawl.Last month, Kelleher was briefly held in custody after hitting a car and getting into a fight with its driver after attempting to escape.Kelleher released a statement to news agency AFP after the hearing.Kelleher picked up a minor shoulder injury and facial bruises in the scuffle.”I would like to reiterate my sincere apologies to those who would have found my behaviour shocking and now wish to draw a close to the matter, turn the page and to go back to my career.”The punishment delivered appears to me to be justified and corresponds to the seriousness with which I took this incident,” AFP quoted the halfback as saying.”When you make a mistake you have to own up to it, to have the courage to square up to it and say sorry,” he said. . It should never have escalated like it did.”Our cars collided. I was mixing with the wrong types. I got stupidly angry, due for sure to drink.”

.”I don’t want people in Toulouse to believe I’m proud of what happened, I have different values than that

.The French resort of St Tropez hosts the Antipodes Film Festival this week, featuring about 50 movies from Australia and New Zealand.
The 11th edition of the festival opens today with New Zealand film Dean Spanley, directed by Toa Fraser and with a cast including Peter O’Toole and Sam Neill.
Anthony LaPaglia – the Australian actor who stars in the US television series Without A Trace – serves as head of the jury, which will hand out the Grand Prix des Antipodes award to one of the six full length films in competition.
Set in Edwardian England, the story centres on a father and son reconciling.
A dozen documentaries will also be featured at the festival, which runs to October 18. .
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AFP – French soldiers providing protection on board French fishing ships in the Indian Ocean early Saturday fired on pirates to repel an attack, sources said.

Three small launches.. (which were) nearly invisible and that we had on the radar at the last moment, chased us, a member of the crew of the Drennac, one of two fishing French vessels approached by the pirates, told by telephone..

The incident took place 195 nautical miles (350 kilometres) north of the Seychelles.

The soldiers at first fired warning shots, then they fired at the target, he added. There were no casualties on the French side. He said that the pirate skiffs that came under fire returned to a mother ship some 30 metres (90 feet) long.

The report was confirmed by a western source in the same area.

It proves that this measure (having soldiers on board) works, the western source said.

It is the first time that the French soldiers, who have been providing protection since July 1 on board about 10 French fishing ships off the Somalian coast, have opened fire on pirates.

A Spanish vessel, the giant tuna hauler the Alakrana, was captured September 2 on the high seas between Somalia and the Seychelles with 36 crew on board.

Spanish fishing vessels operating in the same region have called for the same protection measures but Madrid has so far refused.

The pirates brought the vessel in towards the coast and it is currently anchored off Harardere, a central Somlia port.

The pirates brought the vessel in towards the coast and it is currently anchored off Harardere, a central Somlia port.

Several warships involved in the Atalanta operation headed into that zone following the attempted attack on the cargo vessel.

The latest attack on the Glenan and the Drennec took place some 20 nautical miles (36 kilometres) from the place where pirates last week attacked a cargo vessel.

Five pirates were captured.

On Wednesday Somali pirates operating at night attacked a French military command ship and petrol tanker La Somme after mistaking it for a cargo vessel.

France – piracy – Seychelles

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A missing Indian student’s family say Auckland police diverted resources to search for two-year-old Aisling Symes, leaving them to look for Srikanth Rayadurgam on their own.

Mr Rayadurgam, 23, disappeared on his way to class at the Auckland University of Technology eight days ago. Aisling went missing in West Auckland on Monday evening.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Joe Aumua of Avondale police told One News the two cases did not have the same officers working on them.

The Kakanoor family told 3News they have been left to search for Mr Rayadurgam on their own, and questioned whether it was because of the colour of their skin. This inquiry is being dealt with by the Avondale police station and I’m happy with the resources that we have,” he said.

“The inquiry out west is a separate inquiry.

Mr Rayadurgam’s brother-in-law Nageesh Kakanoor found his backpack, mobile phone and his left shoe scattered along the waterfront.

They said when police divers were finally called to search the harbour they were suddenly pulled off the case to join the search for Aisling.

Mr Kakanoor and his wife Padam said Mr Rayadurgam had no enemies and was not suicidal, but police acted far too slowly.

“I honestly don’t know, to tell you.

Mr Kakanoor and his wife questioned why one missing person’s case was more important than another.

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REUTERS –

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The revelations were made in a 2005 autobiography The Bad Life and have surfaced after Mitterrand passionately defended film-maker Roman Polanski, who faces deportation from Switzerland were he was arrested to the United States for having had sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.0pt
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A senior aide to French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday defended Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand who is facing calls for his resignation for having written about paying boys for sex.

Politicians from all parties have criticised Mitterrand for his attack on the United States.

French political debate sometimes takes on a pathetic form. The far-right National Front party has called for him to step down.

Asked whether Mitterrand should resign, he said: When there is a controversy as pathetic as this, with so much delay, I don&rsquot think there should be such drastic consequences. It excessive and quite undignified, Sarkozy adviser Henri Guaino said on France 2 television.

The experiences in the book are presented as a mixture of straight autobiography and more dreamlike reflection.

Guaino said there were no facts to back up the accusations and Mitterrand had not been subject to any legal complaints.

I got into the habit of paying for boys, Mitterrand wrote, adding that his attraction to young male prostitutes continued even though he knew the sordid details of this traffic.

I got into the habit of paying for boys, Mitterrand wrote, adding that his attraction to young male prostitutes continued even though he knew the sordid details of this traffic…

Mitterrand is the nephew of former Socialist President Francois Mitterrand and was drafted into Sarkozy centre-right cabinet in June. the abundance of very attractive and immediately available young boys put me in a state of desire. Sarkozy was delighted to have brought him on board, but now faces unease within his own UMP party over his choice of minister.

Although he was not a Socialist, his surname still reverberates in France and carries a lot of clout. .

France considers itself to be at the forefront of the fight against sex tourism but Guaino said Mitterrand would not compromise this position.

Although still openly siding with Polanski, Mitterrand has toned down his language, saying his emotions overtook him the day he heard that Switzerland had arrested the film director.

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said Mitterrand was respected for his competence in the role of culture minister.

Frédéric Mitterrand – French politics

.Poland’s Robert Kubica will replace Spain’s double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso at Renault next season, the team said in a statement.
No details were given about the length of the contract, although Renault said it was from 2010 onwards.
The Pole won last year’s Canadian Grand Prix and had been approached by several teams, including Toyota and Williams, once BMW announced they were quitting the sport at the end of the season.
Kubica has driven for the BMW-Sauber team since 2006 while Alonso, one of the 24-year-old’s best friends in the paddock, is moving to Ferrari next year.
“I feel I have a special connection with this team because in 2005 I won the World Series by Renault.
“I am very happy I will be joining Renault in the 2010 season,” Kubica said.
“I share with Renault a strong winning mentality and feel comfortable with their friendly and open attitude.
“This gave me the chance to test with the team in Barcelona, which led to my debut in Formula One.”
Former champions Renault are licking their wounds after a scandal-hit year, with the team handed a suspended permanent ban from the sport for their role in a race-fixing controversy.
“I’m highly motivated and optimistic that together we can be at the front of the grid next year and, hopefully, fighting for the world title.
Kubica, an extremely quick and aggressive driver, has a no-nonsense style that will fit in well with the team’s restructuring.
Flamboyant former team boss Flavio Briatore has been banned for life and engineering head Pat Symonds barred for five years.
Although he had an impressive first test with Renault, he was snapped up by BMW-Sauber from under their noses as a test driver.
The tall Pole has also come up the hard way, with no family wealth to support him and from a country with no previous involvement in Formula One.
“Ever since Robert made his grand prix debut in 2006, he has been on our radar as one of the most naturally talented drivers of his generation,” said Renault’s acting team principal Bob Bell.
He then replaced Canada’s 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve as a race driver halfway through 2006.
“Renault has high ambitions and hopes for the future of the team and we feel that Robert can play a big role in fulfilling them.
“He has delivered on that promise so it’s great to have secured him in one of our cars next season. .”
Renault did not mention the second driver, currently French rookie Romain Grosjean

.Three French soldiers died in a lightning storm during an operation targeting Taliban bomb squads in the east of Afghanistan, the French military said.
One was killed by lightning and two others drowned, spokesman for the French armed forces general staff, Admiral Christophe Prazuck, said.
The fourth French soldier died when the armoured vehicle he was travelling in fell into a ravine in Surobi district.
In all seven NATO soldiers, including four French service personnel,died this weekend in Afghanistan, NATO and other authorities say.
In the first incident on Saturday, an American soldier died of wounds sustained when an improvised-explosive device (IED) detonated in southern Afghanistan, the force said. Five other French soldiers were also hurt, some of them seriously, the French military in Kabul said.
And a British soldier died on Sunday after a roadside explosion in the south, London’s Ministry of Defence said. .
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France has now lost 35 soldiers in Afghanistan, where it has 2,900 troops in the NATO-led coalition battling Taliban guerrillas and training Afghanistan’s national security forces

.The leaders of the United States, Britain and France have threatened tough new sanctions against Iran after it was publicly revealed last night that Tehran is building a second nuclear enrichment plant.
The plant’s size and structure according to US intelligence is consistent with enriching fuel to make nuclear weapons.
The three leaders threatened to hold Iran accountable if it failed to disclose all of its nuclear program.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the Iranian Government has been lying to the international community.
Iranian officials confirmed the country was building another enrichment plant, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied it was hiding anything from nuclear inspectors. .
“Confronted by the serial deception of many years, the international community has no choice but to draw a line in the sand,” he said.
“The level of deception by the Iranian Government will shock and anger the whole international community and it will harden out resolve.
Mr Sarkozy says Iran has just two months to comply with the international demands.”
In a clear show of transatlantic unity, US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Mr Brown appeared jointly to disclose Iran’s secret enrichment plant.
“We cannot let the Iranian leaders gain time while the motors are running.
“Everything must be on the table now,” he said.”
The US has been monitoring the secret nuclear site for years, but Iran found out, forcing Mr Obama to go public with the explosive new intelligence.
“If by December there is not an in depth change by the Iranian leaders, sanctions will have to be taken.
“Iran has a right to peaceful nuclear power that meets the energy needs of its people, but the size and configuration of the facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program,” he said.
“Iran has a right to peaceful nuclear power that meets the energy needs of its people, but the size and configuration of the facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program,” he said.
China, also with a veto on the council, is reported to be still digesting the news.
Russia with a veto on the UN Security Council has financial and military trade ties with Iran and has been reluctant to impose economic sanctions on Iran, but Mr Medvedev agreed that IAEA must now be allowed to inspect the site.
He confirmed the existence of the facility but said it would not be operational for 18 months, and so Iran had not violated any international requirements.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, still in New York for the UN General Assembly meeting said Iran was keeping nothing from inspectors.
Mr Obama says he will pursue dialogue with any leader, including Iran’s, but director of the Heritage Foundation Dr Nile Gardiner says that is now going to be difficult.
Next week the five veto-wielding powers on the Security Council, plus Germany, are scheduled to hold talks with the Iranians, but today’s disclosure of the enrichment plant sounds more like the end of negotiations rather than a beginning.
The Obama administration is pessimistic about next week’s talks with the Iranians, and with a short timeline the UN is likely to be considering a resolution in November.
“There will now be calls I think on Capitol Hill for a far tougher approach be taken towards Iran, including potentially the use of force as a last resort against Iran’s nuclear facilities,” he said.