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How Enyeama lost Caf honor to Toure The voting example for the 2014 African Footballer of the Year has uncovered that Vincent Enyeama completed third behind Yaya Toure and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Ivory Drift and Gabon separately. The 32-year-old LOSC Lille goalkeeper had been tipped as the principle challenger to Toure in the Caf grant preceding its declaration of champs in Lagos on Thursday night. Anyhow rather it was the Nigerian chief and goalkeeper, who completed in third place and 70 focuses behind Yaya Toure, who has now won the African Footballer of the Year recompense for a record fourth progressive time. The voting example discharged by Caf demonstrates that Toure got 175 focuses while 120 went to Aubameyang and Enyeama got 105. Ghana skipper, Asamoah Gyan and Nigerian winger, Ahmed Musa, who made the main five got 94 and 78 focuses separately from the mentors and specialized executives who voted. Votes in favor of Enyeama and Musa Interestingly, numerous s...

Opposition says limited anti-discrimination bill offers no protection, as rightwing campaigners resist call for civil unions Nearly three years after it was first brought to parliament, Greek MPs are poised to pass an anti-discrimination bill which human rights groups say still falls far short of dealing with an epidemic of racist and homophobic violence in the country. Before this week's vote, gay rights protesters have taken to the streets to denounce the conservative-dominated government's refusal to extend protective rights, including domestic partnerships, to same-sex couples. Rightwing MPs have resisted introducing legal protection for gay people despite an alarming rise in homophobic attacks in Athens, claiming that such measures could take Greece down a dangerous path. In Holland there are parties that recognise paedophilia; what are we going to do, adopt it too? asked Anastasios Nerantzis, an MP with the ruling New Democracy party, as debate raged in the 30...

SYRIA launched air strikes targeting a stronghold of the Islamic State extremist group yesterday, killing at least 25 people, most of whom died when a missile slammed into a crowded bakery. The eight air strikes smashed buildings, set cars alight and crushed people under rubble in the north-eastern city of Raqqa, which is ruled by the extremist group, according to video of the aftermath uploaded to social media networks. At least 16 civilians were killed, alongside nine Islamic State fighters, said the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the civilians were killed after at least one strike hit a bakery on a busy street, and the death toll was likely to rise, said the Observatory, which obtains its information from a network of activists on the ground. Another group, the Raqqa Media Centre, uploaded video of the aftermath which appeared to be genuine. Activist Abu Ibrahim said the local morgue was packed with charred bodies, making identification diff...

NEW DELHI — Officials in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir said Saturday that more than 100 people had died in five days of flooding, with rivers swollen far above their normal level and flowing at unusual speed. In the region of Kashmir, at least 40 bridges have been washed away, and four districts are cut off from the summer state capital, Srinagar, said Rohit Kansal, a civilian official who is supervising rescue and relief operations in the Srinagar district. Thousands of people are living in relief camps because their homes have collapsed or are submerged in water. An army spokesman said that 7,000 soldiers had been deployed in the region, distributing food and shelter and transporting people to safer places. On Saturday, a boat carrying 11 soldiers capsized in floodwaters, and two soldiers were still missing by the evening, said S. D. Goswami, a spokesman for the army’s northern command. A bus loaded with more than 50 wedding guests was washed away by floodw...

The suspected killer of a British TV host has died in hospital after the “plug was pulled” on his life support machine. Police have revealed that Matthew Hodgkinson died in Our Lady of the Lake medical centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, just after midday on Friday. Investigators believe Mr Hodgkinson, 36, shot and killed 52-year-old Scott Rogers before turning the gun on himself. Mr Rogers, who was Mr Hodgkinson’s father-in-law and ex-lover, died in the attack on August 27, but his suspected killer survived but was in a critical condition on life support. Speaking to a local news channel, Sheriff Brett Stassi revealed their main suspect had died and that officers were now investigating who gave the instruction to turn off the life support machine. He said: “(I) still have questions to be asked about the procedure that was done.” News of the death comes after it was revealed police are investigating sex abuse allegations made against the British ex-pat. Suffolk Police s...

Estonia said Friday that a security service officer was abducted by unknown gunmen and taken across the border to Russia, but Russia said the man was detained on its territory and suspected of being a spy. The incident came at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries. Only two days earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama visited Estonia and gave the NATO member assurances of protection from any Russian threat. The Estonian Internal Security Service said the officer was investigating cross-border crime when he was abducted at gunpoint on Estonian territory near the Luhamaa border checkpoint. The Russian Federal Security Service said the Estonian was detained in the Pskov region of Russia — a claim that the Estonian security service denied. He was carrying "a Taurus handgun with cartridges, 5,000 euros in cash, special equipment for concealed audio recording and materials that indicated an intelligence mission," the agency said in a statement. Arnold S...

David Cameron has said Britain must "use everything we have in our armoury" to squeeze the Islamic State terror group out of existence. Cameron joined US president Barack Obama to insist that Britain and America will not waver following the murders of two US journalists and threats against the life of a British hostage by the jihadi group in Iraq. They are joining other leaders of Western powers for a Nato summit in south Wales which will be dominated by the situation in Iraq, as well as the stand-off with Russia over Ukraine. Mr Cameron restated his policy that Britain will not pay ransoms to free nationals held by terror groups, but said that this meant the Government had a duty to do "everything we can" to help hostages. He said he had not ruled out UK involvement in air strikes on IS, but stressed that the priority was support for those already fighting the militants on the ground.

Steven Sotloff, the kidnapped journalist beheaded by Islamic State, was a dual Israeli-US citizen who had managed to hide his second nationality from his militant Islamist captors, even while reportedly managing to fast during the Yom Kippur religious festival. Sotloff (31) became the second kidnapped journalist to be beheaded by the group, which also murdered US journalist James Foley. Islamic State has threatened to kill a British hostage next. The revelation of Sotloff’s Israeli citizenship was disclosed by the country’s foreign ministry yesterday morning. In a brief tweet, Paul Hirschson, a spokesman, said: Cleared for publication: Steven Sotloff was Israel citizen RIP. It followed confirmation by the US that the video depicting his murder was genuine. The US intelligence community has analysed the recently released video showing US citizen Steven Sotloff and has reached the judgment that it is authentic, national security council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statem...

Gold has fallen to its lowest level for eleven weeks, sliding as much as 1.7% in trading on Tuesday to a low of $1,264 per ounce. Strong US economic data -- especially manufacturing -- and the growing strength of the US dollar are the main reasons for gold's weakness, but there are also fears that the surge in physical gold demand from Chinese banks may fall, as the banks' use of gold leasing to circumvent restrictions on new loans could come under closer scrutiny. Chinese banks' gold holdings have risen by 55% to 1,445 tonnes over the last year, according to World Gold Council data -- that's more than the official gold reserves of Russia, Switzerland or China itself, according to the organisation. As a result, physical gold ETFs fell sharply on Tuesday, with the $33bn SPDR Gold Trust (NYSE: GLD.US) ETF trading down by 1.8% at $121.62 shortly after US markets opened, cutting its gains for the year to date to just 4.7%. Similarly, the London-listed, Gold Bulli...

Apparent incursions by Russian troops into Ukraine indicate a Moscow orchestrated counter- offensive in rebel-contested areas, the US says. The United States has warned that apparent incursions by Russian military units into Ukraine indicate a Moscow-orchestrated counter-offensive in rebel-contested areas. Kremlin-aligned rebels in east Ukraine have seized territory from retreating government forces, with Kiev accusing Russia of pushing columns of its tanks and weaponry toward towns in southeastern Ukraine. These incursions indicate a Russian-directed counter-offensive is likely under way in Donetsk and Lugansk," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. "Clearly that is of deep concern to us. Psaki also said Washington has noted "the Russian government's unwillingness to tell the truth even as its soldiers are found 30 miles (48km) inside Ukraine." She cited reports of wounded soldiers at a hospital in St. Petersburg, and said Russia was...

The UN refugee agency said Tuesday it was poised to mount a massive aid operation for 500,000 Iraqis driven from their homes by jihadist rebels.  “In response to the deteriorating situation in northern Iraq, UNHCR is this week launching one of its largest aid pushes aimed at helping close to half a million people who have been forced to leave their homes,” UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters.

SSC Napoli and FC Porto drew Athletic Club and LOSC Lille in the UEFA Champions League play-offs while Arsenal FC face a Turkish team for the second year running. SSC Napoli and FC Porto face tough tasks to return to the UEFA Champions League group stage having been paired with Athletic Club and LOSC Lille respectively in the play-off draw in Nyon. Both Napoli and Porto were eliminated in the group stage last season and, having finished third in Serie A and the Portuguese Liga respectively in 2013/14, must now overcome LOSC – third in Ligue 1 last term – and the Spanish Liga's fourth-placed side Athletic, whose sole previous group appearance came in 1998/99. For the second season running Arsenal FC face Turkish opposition at this juncture. Twelve months ago they defeated Fenerbahçe SK in the play-offs; now they have been pitted against Beşiktaş JK, whose fifth and last group stage campaign came in 2009/10. Elsewhere in the league route, Danish runners-up FC København tak...

This spray is very useful," said UEFA President Michel Platini after the UEFA Referees Committee approved introducing vanishing spray paint for UEFA matches. Vanishing spray paint, used by the referee to mark the spot a free-kick is taken and the minimum required distance for the defensive wall, is to be used in UEFA competition games following a successful trial. After a successful test at the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Malta, I am pleased that the Referees Committee decided to approve the use of the vanishing spray in our senior competitions," explained UEFA President Michel Platini. "As we all saw at the World Cup, this spray was very useful in helping the referee in free-kick situations, and I am sure we will see similar results in our matches this season. I take this opportunity to praise the late Argentina Football Association president Julio Grondona who initially pushed the International Board to use the vanishing spray a few years ago. H...

The seedings have been confirmed for the play-off draw, streamed live from 13.00CET, with new entrants including FC Internazionale Milano and Tottenham Hotspur FC.   The seedings have been released for Friday's UEFA Europa League play-off draw, which takes place in Nyon from 13.00CET, with Iceland's Stjarnan and Kazakhstan's FC Aktobe lining up alongside FC Internazionale Milano, Tottenham Hotspur FC and Olympique Lyonnais. The draw will be streamed live in the UEFA.com DrawCentre opening at 11.00CET. Draw procedure Groups 1-5 • All the clubs within the five ten-team groups are ordered randomly and identified by a number: 1 to 5 for the seeded teams and 6 to 10 for the unseeded teams. • Two bowls will be prepared, one containing the balls with slips of paper numbered 1 to 5 for the seeded teams and the other containing the balls with slips of paper numbered 6 to 10 for the unseeded teams. • A ball will be taken from each bowl and placed in an empty bowl in the middle,...

Philipp Lahm has decided to retire from international football in the wake of Germany's World Cup triumph, according to Bild . Lahm, 30, captained Germany to glory in Brazil -- playing every minute of every game as the Nationalmannschaft ended their 24-year wait for the trophy.  The victory against Argentina in the final was the Bayern Munich defender's 113th international cap; he made his debut against Croatia a decade ago in February 2004. Bild reports that Lahm has already informed his Germany teammates and coach Joachim Low of his decision. The World Cup was the ninth trophy that Lahm had lifted in just two years, having previously claimed the Bundesliga (twice), the DFB-Pokal (twice), the UEFA Super Cup, the German Supercup, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup with Bayern since August 2012. Lahm was installed as Germany captain for the 2010 World Cup, when Michael Ballack missed out due to injury. He was originally only meant to wear the cap...

UEFA has announced their disciplinary rules where players on a yellow card will have their bookings voided following the quarterfinal stages of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. In a statement posted on UEFA’s official website, it read , “Following a recommendation by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee - in order to implement in UEFA club competitions a rule which is already in force in the UEFA European Football Championship - the Emergency Panel decided that, as of this season, all yellow cards from the beginning of the group stage will expire on completion of the quarter-finals. Bookings will therefore not be carried forward to the semi-finals. Last year, Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso was forced to miss the Champions League final after picking up his third yellow card in Real’s semi-final tie against Bayern Munich.  However, he will still be unavailable to play in Real Madrid’s UEFA Super Cup tie against Sevilla due to his ban for his celebration ...

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez won England's Professional Footballers' Association's Player of the Year award on Sunday. This time last year the Uruguay international was starting a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. But now Suarez has been chosen by his fellow top-flight professionals in England as the outstanding player in the Premier League after spearheading Liverpool's title bid. Suarez received the award during a ceremony at London's Grosvenor House hotel after flying down from Liverpool following a 2-0 defeat by Chelsea at Anfield that dented the Merseysiders' challenge for a first English title in the Premier League era. The 27-year-old Suarez has scored 30 league goals in 31 appearances, despite his ban for biting Ivanovic carrying over into the start of this season. "The Premier League is full of really great players and so it is a great honour when these players recognise your work on the pitch," said Suare...

US President Barack Obama sought Friday to allay Riyadh’s criticism of his policies on Syria and Iran, telling the Saudi king their two countries remain in lockstep on their strategic interests. He also assured King Abdullah that the U.S. won’t accept a bad deal” with Iran, as global powers negotiate a treaty reining in Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. The president underscored how much he values this strategic relationship,” a senior U.S. official said, after Obama met for some two hours with the king on a royal estate outside Riyadh. In an interview aired on U.S. television later Friday, Obama defended his administration’s decision not to use military force in Syria, saying that the United States has its limits. The U.S. leader’s comments came in an interview taped ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, which was angered by his eleventh-hour decision last year to pull back from strikes against the Syrian regime over its use of chemical weapons in the country’s civil wa...

The unprecedented hunt for a missing Malaysia Airlines jet expanded northwest to Kazakhstan and south into the desolate reaches of the Indian Ocean after Malaysian authorities concluded the plane was deliberately diverted by someone with considerable flying experience. A summary of the latest information on the search for the plane and the investigation into what happened: LAST COMMUNICATIONS The Boeing 777's Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS, last transmitted at 1:07 a.m., about 40 minutes after takeoff. ACARS sends information about the jet's engines and other data to the airline. The transponder, which identifies the plane to commercial radar systems, was shut down about 15 minutes later. The final, reassuring words from the cockpit — "All right, good night" — were believed to have been spoken by co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, according to Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya. After its communications ceased, the plane...

Los Angeles became the latest city to restrict e-cig arettes after the city council unanimously voted on Tuesday to ban the devices everywhere that conventional cigarettes are prohibited. Citing their concern over the unknown health effects of e-cigarettes, council members banned them in offices, most public parks and even locales that don't admit anyone under 21. Just about the only place left for e-cigarette users, other than their own homes, will be e-cigarette lounges where patrons go to taste different flavors. Testimony at the Los Angeles hearing was heated, just as it was in cities such as New York and Chicago when legislators proposed similar restrictions there. People in favor of 'vaping,' as e-cigarette use is known, say it is a useful alternative to regular cigarettes because there is no cancer-causing tobacco. Instead, e-cigarettes heat up cartridges of flavored nicotine juice and users inhale the resulting vapor. There may be no tobacco, but opponents...