Police capture 'The Wolf' after 10-day manhunt

Italian police captured the suspected killer of a policeman in a shoot-out today in which a young woman was briefly held hostage near Rome’s Circus Maximus.The suspect, Luciano Liboni, terrorised the city a week ago by firing at police and forcing at gunpoint a motorist with his children to drive him in their car so he could escape.

Major Giovanni Arcangeli told SKY TG24 TV that Liboni grabbed a young woman and started firing when he spotted police officers approaching him near a subway stop across from the Circus Maximus, an ancient, grassy field frequented by tourists. Liboni was wounded in the shoot-out and taken to San Giovanni Hospital, Carabinieri police Col. Vincenzo Conte said. The identity of the hostage wasn’t immediately released.Conte said neither passers-by or police were wounded in the shoot-out, which occurred just before noon.

Italian news reports said Liboni was shot in the head.The subway stop, outside the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Agency, is heavily used on weekdays during work hours, but the area was not crowded today. Liboni’s photograph has been stuck on police dashboards and shown on TV nearly every day since the July 22 shooting of a Carabinieri officer near the Adriatic during a check of his documents. On July 24, police stepped up the manhunt, guarding subway exits, manning roadblocks and patrolling Italian capital in helicopters after Liboni terrorised Rome with a shoot-out near the main train station when police closed in on him. Liboni’s ability to strike and flee earned him the nickname “The Wolf.”

Moretti: "Los dos partidos no nos han ido bien, pero podemos mejorar"

Emiliano Moretti, defensa del Valencia, confesó que los dos primeros encuentros amistosos que jugó con su nuevo equipo en la gira por Inglaterra no fueron "muy buenos", aunque se mostró convencido de mejorar su nivel.El lateral italiano se ejercitó por primera vez en la ciudad deportiva de Paterna después de haber estado en Inglaterra con el resto del grupo, pero debido a su incorporación a la selección italiana para acudir a los Juegos Olímpicos no ha podido viajar a Japón.

"La verdad es que los dos partidos no han ido del todo bien, pero se puede mejorar", explicó el ex jugador del Parma, que destacó la comunicación que existe entre los jugadores y el entrenador valencianista, Claudio Ranieri."A Claudio le gusta mucho hablar con todos nosotros para corregir cosas de los partidos y en los entrenamientos", dijo Moretti, que confesó que el hecho de que haya en el equipo otros italianos le ha favorecido para "conocer al resto de jugadores, porque conocen el idioma".

El defensor valencianista confirmó que el próximo 1 de agosto se marchará de Valencia para acudir a la concentración del combinado italiano para preparar la cita olímpica, un acontecimiento que le privará de disputar la Supercopa de Europa y de España."Jugar unos Juegos Olímpicos es muy importante y es muy difícil elegir entre la selección y el Valencia, pero tengo claro que el día siguiente que acabe en Atenas volveré a Valencia para entrenarme", finalizó.

Inter signed Ze Maria, from Perugia

MILAN - F.C. Internazionale informed its supporters in the Official Website that Ferreira José Marcelo Zè Maria (31 years old) has joined the club from A.C. Perugia.

Accompanied by technical director Marco Branca and transfer market consultant Gabriele Oriali, the player signed a two-year contract in president Giacinto Facchetti's office. Ze Maria will be at Angelo Moratti Sports Centre this afternoon to train with the players that haven't been called up to Roberto Mancini's squad for tomorrow's friendly against Bolton Wanderers.

The future of Yukos

From an Article of "the Economist" (July 29th 2004)

OUTRIGHT expropriation is ugly. It scares investors. But it would have been less ugly and less scary than the deliberate dismemberment of one of Russia's best-run firms behind a paper-thin veil of legal due process. Two weeks ago many businessmen in Russia still hoped for a deal between Yukos and the government. They now glumly accept that the embattled oil firm's likeliest fate is to be broken up and at least partly sold off—ostensibly to cover tax bills, but really as a way to put some of Russia's choicest oil-producing assets in state hands for next to nothing. “I told you so,” say those who claimed that was the plan all along.
What convinced the rest was the announcement earlier this month that Yuganskneftegaz, Yukos's main production subsidiary, would be sold to cover a $3.4 billion claim for back taxes for the year 2000. Having given Yukos virtually no time to pay, the government not only ignored its attempts to negotiate a payment schedule and an offer by its on-trial ex-boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky (pictured) to sell his stake to cover the debt: it chose to bite off the biggest, most efficient chunk of Yukos. Yuganskneftegaz is worth $30 billion, reckons the firm, and even in a heavily discounted quick auction it should fetch $12 billion-14 billion, more than all possible back tax claims combined.

Some hardy optimists had still hoped for a fair auction, open to all. But officials have not even bothered to claim that there will be one. And this week's naming of Igor Sechin, one of President Vladimir Putin's closest advisers, as chairman of the state oil firm, Rosneft, sent an unmistakable signal. “[This] presents the government with the perfect opportunity to catapult Rosneft from a mid-ranking oil producer to one of the world's major producers,” wrote Chris Weafer at Alfa Bank in Moscow.

Then came the coup de grace. This week, courts ordered that all the assets of Yukos's three production subsidiaries be frozen. The firm said that this meant it would have to stop pumping oil, a statement that panicked the oil markets into driving up world oil prices to a new high of $43 a barrel. Russian officials denied that the ruling meant that production should stop. There were suggestions that Yukos was scaremongering in a bid to embarrass the government (surely impossible) into doing a deal. Whatever the truth, the incident wiped out the little remaining value Yukos had on the stock market—which may now provide a perfect excuse to sell it for peanuts to the only firm willing to buy.
In the teeth of this assault, good news has continued to trickle out about Russian business. Germany's Siemens announced a joint venture with Russia's Interros for control of Power Machines, the country's biggest industrial machinery firm. The government put its remaining small stake in Lukoil, another oil firm, up for sale; America's ConocoPhillips is expected to buy it. France's BNP Paribas is buying 50% of a unit of Russian Standard Group, which controls one of Russia's top private banks. Such firms still seem to view Yukos's problems as something that only Yukos will face. But the ferocity of its destruction has shocked even the most bullish of Moscow's foreign investment analysts. And among the business elites the question still echoes: “Who might be next?”

Potito Starace

I am following a new Italian talent in the ATP Tennis landscape: Potito Starace, who has just come into the game. Now he is playing at the CEPU San Marino tournament: he is doing well because he already joined the Semifinals. He is playing tonight with Oliver Rochus, n° 86 for the ATP ranking.

Hefty Beauty Wins Italy’s Miss Chubby Contest

Weighing in at 189 kg (416 lb), Giovanna Guidoni is not your average beauty contest winner. But then again, Italy’s annual Miss Cicciona competition is not your average beauty contest. To compete in Miss Cicciona, which translates as “Miss Chubby”, women have to weigh more than 100 kg. Men hoping to walk off with the title of Mr Ciccione have to be at least 150 kg. This year, 40 women and five men vied for the title.

“The idea isn’t to make fun,” said Gianfranco Lazzereschi, one of the organisers of the festival, held in the Tuscan town of Forcoli. “We wanted to show that the media image of perfection -- being stick-thin -- isn’t the only way to get recognised”. The 20-year-old Guidoni crushed the competition. “Last year I came in second, but this year I was the heaviest contestant,” she said. The secret of her success? Guidoni is part-owner of a restaurant, organisers pointed out. The winner of Mr Ciccione, Fabio Teseo, saw off the competition after tipping the scales at 206 kg.

Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte was not murdered, but was killed by his overenthusiastic doctors, according to a study of records from the emperor's final weeks. Controversy over Napoleon's death in exile on the island of St Helena has been raging for more than half a century. Most historians accept the official version: that he died from stomach cancer.

This was the verdict of an autopsy by his personal physician, Francesco Antommarchi, which was observed by five English doctors. What is more, Napoleon's father had died of the same disease. The most colourful version of events is that the emperor was murdered by his confidant Count Charles de Montholon. The army officer was supposedly in the pay of French royalists worried that Napoleon would return to France. Montholon could have poisoned the emperor by putting arsenic in his wine - an idea that was bolstered by the discovery of arsenic in locks of Napoleon's hair collected after his death.

Now forensic pathologist Steven Karch at the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Department and his team have come up with the idea that it was medical misadventure that finished Napoleon off.

Diego Maradona (not his son) at odds with ex-wife, daughters

Diego Maradona is engaged in a battle with his ex-wife and daughters over where the ailing Argentine football legend should go next to treat his cocaine addiction. Maradona is due to leave a psychiatric clinic where he has been receiving treatment since May in the next few weeks – from there, he wants to return to the drugs rehabilitation centre in Cuba where he has lived since 2000, and after that Switzerland. He is supported by his doctor, Alfredo Cahe, and lawyers - Oscar Moyano and Roberto Damboriana.

But a close family friend who wished to remain unnamed said his former wife Claudia Villafane and his daughters Dalma and Giannina are trying hard to keep him in Argentina. They want Maradona to return to the country estate of a friend where he was been taken in between hospital visits in April. They plan to equip the house to deal with the stricken World Cup winner's medical needs and in this they are supported by a team of psychiatrists and government agencies. If no common ground is found, a local court has authority to rule on Maradona' next step.

The 43-year-old Maradona came close to death in April when he was admitted to hospital here with heart and lung problems.

Zola & Chelsea

Cagliari president Massimo Cellino has admitted he does not have the financial muscle to compete with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for Gianfranco Zola.
Zola had a fantastic season at Cagliari last term and led the Sardinian club to promotion to Serie A. Cellino offered Zola a package which would have made him the highest paid player at the club, but he rejected the proposal.

Zola has been linked with a return to Chelsea in an ambassadorial role and Cellino has stressed he cannot compete with Abramovich. "We made him a huge economical offer," said Cellino. "The highest of the whole team. "I thought it would be a surprise to the player, but he refused it. "I know that this is small change for Abramovich. But I'm Massimo Cellino and I'm not rich like the Russian tycoon."

Despite being disappointed at Zola's exit, Cellino claims he still holds the former Italian international in the highest esteem. "My affection and esteem for Gianfranco have not changed," he said. "We tried everything we could to keep him."

Globalization

I have been told that this book about Globalization is the top about the topic. I wish I can read it soon, but I am not sure about it. We will see.

The debate on globalization has reached a level of intensity that inhibits comprehension and obscures the issues. In this book a highly distinguished international economist scrupulously explains how globalization works as a concept and how it operates in reality. Martin Wolf confronts the charges against globalization, delivers a devastating critique of each, and offers a realistic scenario for economic internationalism in the future.

The Etruscan Apollo of Veio is restored to its original beauty

That's great news: the Apollo of Veio shines again after cleaning that has restored the Etruscan masterpiece’s original colours and shed light on techniques used 2,500 years ago. The restoration, unveiled on Thursday at a Rome museum, was the first in decades on the terracotta statue of the Greek god. The statue was discovered shortly after the beginning of excavations in Veio, once a flourishing centre of Etruscan civilisation just north of Rome, which was conquered by the Romans in 396 BC. Together with other statues, fragments of which have also been recovered, it decorated a temple in honour of Apollo.

Pieces of the sculpture were recovered in 1916 near Rome. Three years later the fragments - about 30, including one single big piece of the head, shoulders and torso - were pieced together to form a statue, although the arms and other parts are missing.  Since then, the Apollo has undergone minor cleanups, but never a thorough restoration.

Going into the work, the statue’s structure was stable, but its surface was opaque and covered in heavy layers of dirt, dust, wax and protective coatings applied over the years, officials said.
The restorers stripped the layers with a technique that included the use of distilled water, alcohol and other delicate removers. The statue is now brighter and more colourful. The god’s tunic is light brown and his robe is of a slightly different, more pinkish shade, edged in darker brown. Apollo’s smiling face is reddish, in stark contrast with the light colours of his tunic and the grey of his braids. The six-month, 150,000-euro (185,000 dollars) restoration was also used to learn about the materials and decorating or colouring techniques used to create works of art in the Etruscan period. All the colours, for example, were obtained mixing two minerals alone in varying quantities.

Is Klinsmann the "right" person for the vacant coaching job for Germany's national soccer team?

Speculation is growing that former star striker Jürgen Klinsmann will take over the vacant coaching job for Germany's national soccer team. He would lead the squad into the 2006 World Cup being held in Germany.  The president of the German football federation (DFB), Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, held talks with Klinsmann in New York on Tuesday "to discuss the future planning for staffing of the national team," a DFB spokesman said on Wednesday.  Although it was not yet certain Klinsmann would take over from Rudi Völler, who resigned last month after Germany's miserable Euro 2004 campaign, he expressed his desire to help the national team get back on its feet.
 
"The World Cup is the most important sporting event of the past 40 years in Germany. It's obvious that I'll help the DFB, independently of the post," Klinsmann said. The 39-year-old former VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan and Tottenham star, who won the World Cup in 1990, currently runs a sports marketing company in California. He holds a training license but does not have any professional coaching experience. 

But according to media reports, Klinsmann was now the frontrunner for the top coaching spot and another former star striker, Oliver Bierhoff, is set to fill the newly created position of team manager. Bierhoff, who is known to be a close friend of Klinsmann, has already expressed his interest working with him.  "If Jürgen will agree to be coach, then I can imagine the job will be a lot of fun -- that would be a good model," Bierhoff said according to the Associated Press.
 
Klinsmann has also been a vocal critic of the DFB's recent disorganization and bumbling in trying to find a replacement for Völler. After ex-Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld balked at taking the job, German soccer officials have flailed about embarrassingly in their search.  Euro 2004-winning Greece coach Otto Rehhagel said he'd serve out his contract with the Greeks and the DFB has been reluctant to sign a foreign coach like Dutchman Guus Hiddink and Dane Morten Olsen. Most observers believe a Klinsmann-Bierhoff tandem would be an elegant solution, which would represent a fresh start for the national squad. Both are know for their intelligence and international experience that could serve Germany well as it hosts the sport's biggest event in 2006.

Torino

I spent the last few days in Torino, great city in the North of Italy.
Nothing special, but I had a good time!

 

Diego Maradona jnr. (again)

Dunfermline have pulled the plug on plans to sign Argentina legend Diego Maradona's 17-year-old son. Diego junior, who is currently with his father's old club Napoli, spent time on trial at East End Park earlier in the month. An offer was then made to the youngster, who is now back in Italy, but this has now been rejected.

Dunfermline director of football Jim Leishman said: "We made an offer that we thought was fair for a 17-year-old laddie who has not played for the first team but they thought it derisory so we are not going to pursue it now." Leishman also insisted no contact had been made by Aberdeen over striker Craig Brewster. Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood, who is looking for a frontman, has admitted he is still an admirer of the 38-year-old despite his age. But Leishman insisted: "They have not spoken to Dunfermline and they would have to because he is a valuable contracted player for us."

Meanwhile, Pars boss Davie Hay is set to run the rule over two Italian trialists on the forthcoming tour of Holland. One is a striker (Enzo Catania) and the other a left-sided midfielder

Diego Maradona jnr. in Scotland for a soccer test

For a new 2006 update about Diego Maradona jr., see here.


Dunfermline manager Davie Hay is already impressed by Diego Maradona Junior despite having initial reservations about the player.



The son of the former Argentina superstar jetted into Scotland on Wednesday night to a barrage of media attention ahead of a two-day trial at East End Park.

The 17-year-old Napoli midfielder was put through his paces at the club on Thursday morning along with fellow Italian trialist Emanuela Catania, as the main stand was opened to supporters to witness the training session.

But the youngster ducked out of an afternoon press conference, leaving Dunfermline staff to explain their decision to bring him to Scotland - 12 months after he failed to show for an earlier trial.

Hay concedes he was sceptical about Maradona Junior but reckons there are already signs he has the ability to forge a decent career.

He said: "The lad hasn't been training and he's 10 days behind the rest of the squad fitness-wise but, despite earlier doubts, I've gone into this with an open mind and he's obviously got talent.

"Already you can see he has got a talent but before you would make a permanent decision there are other issues.

"The boy himself, whether he likes it or not, whether he can adapt to life in Scotland, and then there's the financial aspects.

"From my point of view, would the financial aspects maybe encroach into some other players when I'm looking to strengthen the first team? We have to sit down and make a decision."

Dunfermline only escaped becoming the fourth Bank of Scotland Premier League side to go into administration last season when their players and coaching staff agreed to have their wages slashed.

And there is no doubt that snapping up the son of arguably the world's greatest ever player could be of huge commercial benefit to the cash-strapped side.

The increase in gate money could be just one reason for hiring such a famous name to wear the black and white.

But chairman John Yorkston - who believes the midfielder's first-team chances would be greater at East End Park than in England - insisted the final decision would be Hay's and would be based on football alone.

He explained: "It's trying to get a balance for him. The boy wants to play football. If he was to go to Manchester United his chances of getting into the first team are less than here.

"We have a tight squad and we have to have three under-21 players on the bench next season, so the chances of him being in the squad are greater here than they would be at some of the bigger clubs.

"You're always going to get cynics. Any player that comes here, you're trying to get as much out of them as you can. But you won't get people coming through the turnstiles if he's not getting stripped.

"We brought him over here for Davie to see him and any decision will be a football decision and it will be made by Davie in the first instance.

"Davie's got to want him, if he doesn't want him then end of story."

Man dies after winning vodka-drinking competition

A vodka-drinking competition in a southern Russian town ended in tragedy with the winner dead and several runners-up in intensive care.
"The competition lasted 30, perhaps 40 minutes and the winner downed three half-litre bottles. He was taken home by taxi but died within 20 minutes," said Roman Popov, a prosecutor pursuing the case in the town of Volgodonsk. "Five contestants ended up in intensive care. Those not in hospital turned up the next day, ostensibly for another drink."
Popov said the director of the shop organising this month's contest had been charged with manslaughter. He had offered 10 litres of vodka to the competitor drinking the most in the shortest time.
Russians drink the equivalent of 15 litres of pure alcohol per head annually, one of the highest rates in the world. Some experts estimate one in seven Russians is an alcoholic.

Diego Maradona jnr in UK for a Soccer Test....

BLACKBURN are set to snap up Diego Maradona - SON of the Argentine legend who is fighting booze and drugs problems.

Maradona junior will arrive at Ewood Park this week for a trial in front of Rovers manager Graeme Souness with a view to switching from his Italian club Napoli.

But the 17-year-old says he is desperate to emulate his soccer heroes David Beckham and Alessandro Del Piero - not his father who has been in intensive care with heart problems.
If Maradona Jr proves a hit he will join Rovers' highly-rated youth academy as he tries to make his name in the game as an attacking midfielder.

Rovers have kept the deal under wraps because of the attention the youngster attracts on account of his famous dad. Sources in Italy have revealed Blackburn have been using a codename for the player in an attempt to shield him from the spotlight.

The teenager, a product of Maradona's fling with Italian Cristiana Sinagra, was due to land in England yesterday but his trip was delayed after he picked up an injury in training.

Diego jnr was ignored by his father because of a legal battle with his mother that ended in tests that proved the footballer was his dad. Maradona jnr admits he'll never emulate his father's success. He said: "Is the name a problem? Only in as much as I feel I have to work twice as hard as my team-mates. "My dream is to be a professional footballer."

Orange UK will launch UMTS services on June 19th

Orange UK will launch its UMTS services on 19 July with 3G coverage in major cities including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Belfast, Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Leeds. Orange will also be taking advantage of its position within the FreeMove alliance, giving UK business customers the ability to access 3G services in Spain, Italy and Germany at launch, as well as the 3G network of Orange in France. Orange and its FreeMove partners have licences in 14 markets across Europe.
Orange is developing a range of business services, leveraging the high-speed network, to give companies a faster and more productive way to work on the move. The first of these to market will be the 3G Mobile Office Card in the UK.
Orange will be launching its next generation services in France this Autumn (2004) with coverage available in over 20 cities.

Wireless

While I am trying to set up a wireless connection in my apartment with my new laptop (yes, I got a new one....), I saw this cool site Bay area free wifi. I am just wondering if there is one for Italy....

Greece

You are the best!

Armstrong quickly moves ahead

Armstrong, the leader of the United States Postal Service team, opened the 91st Tour de France here Saturday by finishing second in the short prologue to three weeks of racing, leaving all his major rivals behind.

It was a strong psychological blow by Armstrong, who is seeking a record sixth consecutive victory in the Tour. His performance may go far in dissipating the feeling that his powers are on the wane, as some of his results this spring hinted.

The race, over 3.8 miles on flat streets in the center of Liège and along the Meuse River, was won by Fabian Cancellara, a 23-year-old from Switzerland who rides for the Italian team Fassa Bortolo.
A specialist in prologues and twice, in 1998 and 1999, the junior world champion in the time trial, Cancellara was clocked in 6 minutes 50 seconds, a speed of 33.2 miles an hour.
Armstrong was two seconds slower than Cancellara, who donned the leader's yellow jersey but does not rate as a contender in the Tour.

"I'm satisfied by the way I felt, but I'm disappointed to lose by only a couple of seconds," Armstrong said, according to The Associated Press, after a congratulatory kiss from his companion, the musician Sheryl Crow. "That's the way it goes. The most important thing is, how does it feel? I was very comfortable, I felt strong, and that feels good."

Third in the individual race against the clock was José Gutierrez, a Spaniard with the Illes Balears team from his homeland, eight seconds behind Cancellara. The Australian Brad McGee, with fdjeux.com and the winner of the prologue in the last Tour, was fourth, nine seconds behind. Thor Hushovd, a Norwegian with Crédit Agricole, was fifth, 10 seconds behind. Two other Americans finished in the top 10: Bobby Julich, who rides for CSC from Denmark, was ninth, 12 seconds behind; and George Hincapie, Armstrong's teammate, was 10th, also 12 seconds behind. Levi Leipheimer, the American leader of the Rabobank team from the Netherlands, was 13th, 15 seconds behind the winner.

Three riders considered among Armstrong's top rivals finished at least 15 seconds slower than he did. Jan Ullrich, the leader of T-Mobile from Germany and the second-place finisher in the last Tour and in four others, was 16th Saturday by 15 seconds; Tyler Hamilton, the leader of the Phonak team from Switzerland, who was fourth last year and 18th Saturday, 16 seconds behind Armstrong; and Iban Mayo, the leader of the Euskaltel team from his homeland, Spain, sixth last year and 26th Saturday, 19 seconds behind Armstrong.
With three weeks to go and many mountains ahead, those deficits are not damaging, except to the morale. Mostly they served as a warning that Armstrong is starting the Tour at the top of his game.

"It's just a start," Armstrong said, according to The A.P. "They don't call it the prologue for nothing. It sets the tone of the race for the first week. There is a lot of dangerous racing to go. Just in three days, we have some sections of cobblestones, that if it rains and is windy, will be very dangerous."
A huge crowd watched the prologue in cool and windy weather with occasional sprinkles. The turnout was surprising because of a lack of the usual hoopla to welcome a Tour de France. There were few signs and banners in and around Liège and only the rare store window was decorated with a bicycle motif, in contrast to the standard celebration in a start city.

Muscle Stimulator

I bought a Muscle stimulator, Compex for around 400 euro. That's a great deal, very happy about it. I wish I could use it more during the week, but I can't.

I use it after running, as soon as I can do it.
I am planning to lose 10 pounds after my 2 years in the US, but it is pretty hot running in Milan during this season.

Book

I am reading Information Rules. I bought the book in 2000 in Dublin but I never had time reading it carefully. I hope it is a good time.....

I am planning my trip to Berlin, with Airberlin. I hope I can make it soon. There are many things I want to do there, but I am still unable to speak German.

Cambiasso

F.C. Internazionale has just informed its supporters that Argentine player Esteban Matias Cambiasso has joined the club. In the trophy room at Inter's headquarters in via Durini this afternoon Cambiasso, who has an Italian passport, signed a contract which expires on 30 June 2008. He joined Inter from Real Madrid, one of the most prestigious soccer team in the world.

Fed Raises Interest Rate a Quarter Point

WASHINGTON June 30, 2004 — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised interest rates for the first time in four years, reversing course as the economy strengthened. Policy-makers signaled only slow increases ahead in the rock-bottom rates Americans have enjoyed.
Wall Street rallied modestly on the Fed's continued promise of a "measured" pace for future rate increases as the Dow Jones industrial average climbed 22.05 points to 10,435.48. The muted reaction underscored the lack of surprise in what was the most telegraphed rate increase in Fed history