UPDATE 1-Arseus repeats outlook as drugs unit offsets dental

July 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

BRUSSELS, July 14 (Reuters) – Belgian medical equipment and services company Arseus NV (RCUS.BR) reiterated its outlook for 2010 as an increase in pharmacies buying in raw materials offset falls in its dental business.

Its Fagron drug ingredients unit saw second-quarter sales rise 9.2 percent, benefiting from a trend towards bespoke prescribing by doctors which resulted in pharmacies buying in ingredients to prepare treatments for patients.

This helped offset a fall of 0.9 percent in sales at its dentist equipment unit as surgeries in Belgium and France delayed buying in equipment.

Overall, the company said on Wednesday, it made 108 million euros ($136 million) of sales in the second quarter, compared with a forecast for 107 million in a reuters poll.

Arseus repeated its expectation of sales growth of 5-10 percent in 2010. (Reporting by Ben Deighton; Editing by Dan Lalor) ($1 = 0.7939 euro)

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Shell CEO says to continue deep-water drilling

June 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 27 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) will continue its deep-water drilling programme to meet rising global demand, despite safety concerns following the worst oil spill in U.S. history, its chief executive said on Sunday. “Given the rise in the population and rise in developing world of energy needs, we will have to develop those resources in deep waters as well, so my expectation is that we will go forward with it, but it will need some changes,” Peter Voser, said during the Fortune Global Forum in Cape Town. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf)

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Danes happy to make their point against Dutch

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Denmark coach Morten Olsen will happily settle for a draw when his injury-hit team take on the Netherlands on Monday in their World Cup Group E opener without striker Nicklas Bendtner.

Sports

“A draw would be a good result for us,” Olsen told a news conference at the Soccer City stadium on Sunday. “But we have to see how the match develops to discover if that expectation is fair.”

The Danes have been hit by several injuries during their four-week preparation and will miss Bendtner, who is recovering from a groin injury.

Asked about the Bendtner situation and whether he had become part of a game of bluff between Olsen and Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk, the Dane said: “If Van Marwijk said that he expects Bendtner to feature, I can say that I expect (Arjen) Robben to play.

“I don’t know who is bluffing but I can tell you right now that Bendtner is not playing.”

Dutch winger Robben is widely expected to miss the game too with a hamstring injury.

Besides Bendtner, Denmark’s Jon Dahl Tomasson and Daniel Jensen are also carrying minor knocks and they trained separately from the rest of the squad. Both are rated doubtful for the match against the Dutch.

Olsen said the Dutch were favorites to win the opener as they had the better individual players from top clubs.

“We have prepared like we always do and we know already a lot of their players from our clubs,” said Daniel Agger, who faces his Liverpool team mates Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel.

“But tomorrow we have to stand like a team. It is a bonus match against one of the favorites for the title and we are ready for a surprise,” added Christian Poulsen.

Besides the Netherlands, Denmark will face Cameroon and Japan as their other opponents in Group E.

(Editing by Jon Bramley)

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Iran says U.S. “hikers” spies, proposes prisoner swap

May 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Iran’s intelligence minister said on Sunday he had no doubt three U.S. citizens arrested last July near the Iraq border were spies and called on Washington to propose a prisoner swap to secure their release.

Relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic are strained by what Western powers believe are Iranian efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the accusation, but U.S.-led efforts are afoot to impose new sanctions on Tehran.

The U.S. State Department has called for the freeing of the three, who entered Iran from northern Iraq. Iran’s judiciary has laid espionage charges against Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27.

Their families said they were hiking and strayed over the border accidentally.

“Their status as spies is explicit and certain and there is no equivocation in regard to a swap,” Heydar Moslehi told reporters on the sidelines of an Iranian cabinet meeting, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

“Our expectation is that the Americans, with their claim on human rights issues, should initiate an action so that we can decide on whether or not there would be one (a swap),” he said.

(Reporting by Hashem Kalantari; writing by Robin Pomeroy; editing by Ralph Boulton)

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Berbatov is going nowhere: Fergie

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21 (ANI): Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has rubbished claims he was set to cut his losses by selling 30.5 million flop Dimitar Berbatov this summer.

Asked if Berbatov would be sold, The Mirror quoted Fergie, as saying: “No, he will not – definitely not. There”s a problem with Manchester United in terms of expectation and media attention.

“There”s speculation every year and we”ve got to live with that hype. We know Dimitar is a good player and he will be with us next year. We don”t have a great deal to improve on. The one area of concern last season was that we had 16 players missing through injury,” he added.

“That impacts on the stability of the team as the season develops. But we always felt that when our back four was in place there was a sense of purpose and strength,” Fergie said. (ANI)

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Pleased Flower hails KP’s battling top form

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 18 (ANI): Andy Flower, the England cricket team’s coach, is a pleased man these days, not so much for the recent laurels acquired on the world stage, but for the battling return to form of key batsman Kevin Pietersen.

Flower has revealed his pleasure at watching a player of Pietersen”s class cope with the pressure of expectation as well as a 72-hour round trip to see his newly enlarged family.

“It speaks volumes for him and for the way he handles pressure,” The Mirror quoted said the England team director, as saying.

“Kevin, more than most, is expected to deliver on most occasions and especially in situations like this. He handles pressure superbly and has made match-winning contributions on a number of occasions through this series so his award was well earned,” Flower added.

“I am really happy for him to get those results, not just because he helps us win but because he had to work so hard on his game over past 12 months and now he can see the fruits of his labours,” Flower said.

A fit and firing Pietersen has made a huge difference, turning a good England Twenty20 side into a great one, but as he acknowledged after the final that he is only part of the puzzle. (ANI)

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Sir Alex thinking about retiring

May 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has uttered the retirement word again, and said he had been thinking about when and how he would leave Old Trafford.

The Manchester United boss, 68, is considering the best way to bow out.

“It’s always in the back of your mind. Your health does come into it. My dad retired and the next week he was diagnosed with cancer.

“The other thing that’s important is the expectation of Man United. If we hit a bad spell, it wouldn’t be time to go,” The Sun quoted Ferguson, as saying.

Earlier, Ferguson had said that he had no intentions of retiring at the end of next season, and insisted on carrying on with his work.

“I’ve no intention of retiring. The only thing that determines my staying here is my health. Unfortunately for you lot, I’m in rude health,” Ferguson said.

“You can be left to suffer me. You’ll be gone before I’m gone, don’t worry,” he added.

Media reports had suggested that Ferguson may not be far off retirement.

Several names have also been linked with the post, including Everton manager David Moyes and former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho

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Ferguson thinking about retiring from Man U

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 15 (ANI): Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has uttered the retirement word again, and said he is thinking about when and how he will leave Old Trafford.

The Manchester United boss, 68, is considering the best way to bow out.

“It’s always in the back of your mind. Your health does come into it. My dad retired and the next week he was diagnosed with cancer.

“The other thing that’s important is the expectation of Man United. If we hit a bad spell, it wouldn’t be time to go,” The Sun quoted Ferguson, as saying.

Earlier, Ferguson had said that he had no intentions of retiring at the end of next season, and insisted on carrying on with his work.

“I’ve no intention of retiring. The only thing that determines my staying here is my health. Unfortunately for you lot, I’m in rude health,” Ferguson said.

“You can be left to suffer me. You’ll be gone before I’m gone, don’t worry,” he added.

Media reports had suggested that Ferguson may not be far off retirement.

Several names have also been linked with the post, including Everton manager David Moyes and former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. (ANI)

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A little motivation can improve eyesight

April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 30 (ANI): Eyesight markedly improved when people were experimentally induced to believe that they could see especially well, a new study found.

Harvard University psychologist Ellen Langer and her colleagues reported the finding in the April Psychological Science.

The boffins emphasize that such expectations actually enhanced visual clarity, rather than simply making volunteers more alert or motivated to focus on objects.

In the study, “20 men and women who saw a reversed eye chart — arranged so that letters became progressively larger further down the chart, with a giant “E” at the bottom — accurately reported more letters from the smallest two lines than they did when shown a traditional eye chart with the big letters on top. All volunteers had normal eyesight.

These results reflect people”s expectation, based on experience with standard eye charts, that letters are easy to see at the top and become increasingly difficult to distinguish on lower lines, the researchers suggest.

Participants who said they thought that they could improve their eyesight with practice displayed a bigger vision boost on the reversed chart than those who didn”t think improvement was possible, but only for the next-to-smallest line. Both groups did equally well at reading the smallest, topmost line”, reports Discovery News. (ANI)

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Dragons haunted by title drought: Ryles

April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sydney Roosters prop Jason Ryles believes the weight of a 31-year NRL premiership drought continues to haunt his former club St George Illawarra.

Ahead of Sunday’s first meeting against the club with whom he played 156 games from 2000 to 2008, Ryles lifted the lid on the pressure that comes with wearing the “red V”.

“It’s massive – it probably stems back to the 11 premierships,” Ryles said of the expectations placed upon the players, referring to St George’s record premiership run prior to its merger with Illawarra.

“It’s a proud, traditional club and they’re used to winning and they haven’t done that for a long time as far as a premiership’s concerned.

“There’s always an air of expectation around the club with the supporters and within yourself because you want to be the first one to win that competition – I think it’s 30-odd years now since Craig Young and those guys (won the premiership) – it’s a massive expectation at the club.”

Since forming the NRL’s first joint venture in 1999, no team has failed to live up to the hype more than St George Illawarra.

They have reached the finals in eight of the 11 campaigns they have been a part of, though their best effort remains the grand final loss to Melbourne in their inaugural season.

Ryles was part of a star-studded roster alongside the likes of Trent Barrett, Mark Gasnier, Shaun Timmins, Luke Bailey and Matt Cooper that continually came up short in the finals.

That ‘Super-Six’ was eventually disbanded – but the pressure remains following the arrival last year of coaching guru Wayne Bennett, who claimed the minor premiership in his first year at the club before the Dragons were bounced out of the finals in straight sets.

“If we weren’t the favourites to win the comp we were in the top three or four,” Ryles said of his time with the Dragons.

“It was always there. You say you don’t notice it but you can’t not notice it because (the media) are always bringing it up.

“Definitely (it increases) towards the back of the year because not only do they expect you to make the eight but they expect you to be deep into the finals.”

Of his new club’s expectations, Ryles said the Roosters had a point to prove after an inconsistent start to the year.

They appeared to get back on track with a 36-6 win over Canberra on Saturday night, but Ryles knows a scalp like the Dragons on Anzac Day would provide a massive lift for the club.

“As far as we’re concerned, they’re the benchmark at the moment, both themselves and Melbourne so it’s going to be a good test for us,” Ryles said.

“We’ve had six games now and we’ve turned it around from last year so far, but the quality of team we’re coming up against is going to be a real good test for us and a good gauge to see where we are.

“The Roosters and the Dragons have always had a bit of an unofficial rivalry – no-one really makes much of it but you always like to beat the Roosters.

“It’s good to see it from the other side of the fence.”

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Labor urged to abandon Tarkine Road

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

An environmental group wants Labor to formally abandon its Tarkine Road plan.

The $23 million project is being assessed by the Federal Government, and still needs approval by State Parliament.

Scott Jordan from the Tarkine Coalition says it is clear legislation for the road has no chance of making it through parliament.

“Our expectation would be that both the Liberal party with 10 votes and the Greens with five votes have run campaigns against the road,” he said.

“So our feeling would be that there’s now 15 votes against, and only 10 for, so we would expect that the Tarkine Road is finished.”

Mr Jordan says a Tarkine National Park would have the support of the community.

“It will be a great driver for tourism and for jobs in the local region,” he said.

“We think now that the heat of the election is over, we’d like to think that all three parties can sit down and look at it as something that’s positive for the region, positive for the environment and is a win all around.”

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Centre-right declares victory in Hungary poll

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Viktor Orban has declared a sweeping victory for his centre-right Fidesz party, telling reporters that leading Hungary as prime minister will be the biggest task of his life.

Fidesz pushed the ruling Socialists to a distant second, ahead of the far-right Jobbik party, but it was still not immediately clear whether Fidesz would win the two thirds majority in parliament it needs push through vital reforms.

A second round of voting will be held on April 25 when the remaining 121 seats will be decided.

“Hungarians have expressed that Hungary is united, Hungary has power, is able to do great things, it wants jobs, order and safety,” he told 2,000 cheering supporters in central Budapest.

“Hungarians have shown to the world that it’s again good to be Hungarian.”

All the opinion polls had pointed to a Fidesz victory, and the weight of expectation to act quickly to put Hungary back on a track of sustainable growth after near financial collapse will be immense, from Hungarians and investors alike.

Economists say Mr Orban, 46, will need to implement deep reforms to reduce the local government sector and make the health care and education systems more efficient.

The Socialist government – led by technocrat Gordon Bajnai since April 2009 – made painful budget cuts to rein in the deficit under a deal led by the International Monetary Fund, which provided emergency financing for Hungary amid a crisis in 2008.

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Fidesz wins Hungary election with strong mandate

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Viktor Orban declared a sweeping victory for his center-right Fidesz party Sunday and told supporters that leading Hungary as prime minister would be the biggest task of his life.

World

All the opinion polls had pointed to a Fidesz victory, and the weight of expectation to act quickly to put Hungary back on a track of sustainable growth after near financial collapse will be immense, from Hungarians and investors alike.

Fidesz pushed the ruling Socialists to a distant second, ahead of the far-right Jobbik party, but it was still not immediately clear whether Fidesz would win the two thirds majority in parliament it needs push through vital reforms.

A second round of voting will be held on April 25 when the remaining 121 seats will be decided.

Economists say Orban, 46, will need to implement deep reforms to reduce the local government sector and make the health care and education systems more efficient.

“On this splendid day Hungarians have expressed that Hungary is united, Hungary has power, is able to do great things, it wants, jobs, order and safety, Hungarians have shown to the world that it’s again good to be Hungarian,” he told 2,000 cheering supporters in central Budapest.

He said Hungarians had “defeated hopelessness,” adding: “I feel it with all my nerves and know it deep in my heart that I face the biggest task of my life. I will need all the Hungarian people to solve that.”

Fidesz, which last ruled between 1998 and 2002, campaigned on cutting taxes, creating jobs and supporting local businesses to boost to Hungary’s ailing economy.

“We have been waiting for this for eight years; no, for 22 years, since Fidesz was founded,” Magdolna Karbacz, 44, an entrepreneur from the western city of Szekesfehervar said at Fidesz headquarters in downtown Budapest.

The Socialist government led by technocrat Gordon Bajnai since April 2009 made painful budget cuts to rein in the deficit under a deal led by the International Monetary Fund, which provided emergency financing for Hungary amid a crisis in 2008.

The country’s economy contracted by 6.3 percent last year, while unemployment is running at 11.4 percent — the highest since 1994 — which has further increased public discontent.

TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY?

Fidesz secured 206 out of 386 parliamentary seats, the National Election Committee said on its website based on numbers on individual constituencies and party list votes. The Socialists gained 28 seats, ahead of the far-right Jobbik party which had 26 seats in the first round.

Green liberal LMP is the fourth party which passed the threshold to get into parliament, and secured 5 seats.

Analysts said ahead of the results that if Fidesz won 53-55 percent of party list votes and 120-130 seats in individual constituencies in the first round, it stands a strong chance of securing two-thirds of the seats.

“The Socialists and Jobbik are below 20 percent. This means that Fidesz has a good chance to garner two-thirds of parliament seats even if it will lose some seats in the second round,” said Attila Juhasz, analyst at Political Capital after the results.

Orban was the prime minister heading the last Fidesz government and many supporters hope his government will restore Hungary’s national pride.

“Fundamentally, this country needs a renewal in its soul and in its morals. This elections can help achieving that if the (new) leaders will represent that,” said Peter Buki, 37.

Analysts said Fidesz’ strong victory was expected to have a neutral or slightly positive impact on financial markets and the forint Monday as the election result had been expected.

“I expect moderate strengthening of the forint and a drop in government bond yields tomorrow … Global developments like Greek news and U.S. economic figures are also supportive,” said analyst Gergely Suppan of Takarekbank.

(Additional reporting by Sandor Peto and Marton Dunai; Writing by Krisztina Than; Editing by Alison Williams)

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UPDATE 8-Fidesz wins Hungary election with strong mandate

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

BUDAPEST, April 11 (Reuters) – Viktor Orban declared a sweeping victory for his centre-right Fidesz party on Sunday and told supporters that leading Hungary as prime minister would be the biggest task of his life.

All the opinion polls had pointed to a Fidesz victory, and the weight of expectation to act quickly to put Hungary back on a track of sustainable growth after near financial collapse will be immense, from Hungarians and investors alike.

Fidesz pushed the ruling Socialists to a distant second, ahead of the far-right Jobbik party, but it was still not immediately clear whether Fidesz would win the two thirds majority in parliament it needs push through vital reforms.

A second round of voting will be held on April 25 when the remaining 121 seats will be decided.

Economists say Orban, 46, will need to implement deep reforms to reduce the local government sector and make the health care and education systems more efficient.

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“On this splendid day Hungarians have expressed that Hungary is united, Hungary has power, is able to do great things, it wants, jobs, order and safety, Hungarians have shown to the world that it’s again good to be Hungarian,” he told 2,000 cheering supporters in central Budapest.

He said Hungarians had “defeated hopelessness”, adding: “I feel it with all my nerves and know it deep in my heart that I face the biggest task of my life. I will need all the Hungarian people to solve that.”

Fidesz, which last ruled between 1998 and 2002, campaigned on cutting taxes, creating jobs and supporting local businesses to boost to Hungary’s ailing economy.

“We have been waiting for this for eight years; no, for 22 years, since Fidesz was founded,” Magdolna Karbacz, 44, an entrepreneur from the western city of Szekesfehervar said at Fidesz headquarters in downtown Budapest.

The Socialist government led by technocrat Gordon Bajnai since April 2009 made painful budget cuts to rein in the deficit under a deal led by the International Monetary Fund, which provided emergency financing for Hungary amid a crisis in 2008.

The country’s economy contracted by 6.3 percent last year, while unemployment is running at 11.4 percent — the highest since 1994 — which has further increased public discontent.

TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY?

Fidesz secured 206 out of 386 parliamentary seats, the National Election Committee said on its website based on numbers on individual constituencies and party list votes. The Socialists gained 28 seats, ahead of the far-right Jobbik party which had 26 seats in the first round.

Green liberal LMP is the fourth party which passed the threshold to get into parliament, and secured 5 seats.

Analysts said ahead of the results that if Fidesz won 53-55 percent of party list votes and 120-130 seats in individual constituencies in the first round, it stands a strong chance of securing two-thirds of the seats.

“The Socialists and Jobbik are below 20 percent. This means that Fidesz has a good chance to garner two-thirds of parliament seats even if it will lose some seats in the second round,” said Attila Juhasz, analyst at Political Capital after the results.

Orban was the prime minister heading the last Fidesz government and many supporters hope his government will restore Hungary’s national pride.

“Fundamentally, this country needs a renewal in its soul and in its morals. This elections can help achieving that if the (new) leaders will represent that,” said Peter Buki, 37.

Analysts said Fidesz’ strong victory was expected to have a neutral or slightly positive impact on financial markets and the forint on Monday as the election result had been expected.

“I expect moderate strengthening of the forint EURHUF= and a drop in government bond yields tomorrow … Global developments like Greek news and U.S. economic figures are also supportive,” said analyst Gergely Suppan of Takarekbank. (Additional reporting by Sandor Peto and Marton Dunai; Writing by Krisztina Than; Editing by Alison Williams)

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HP Announces Leadership Changes for HP Enterprise Sales, Marketing and Strategy

April 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

PALO ALTO, Calif.–(Business Wire)–
HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced it has appointed David J. Shirk as senior vice
president of Worldwide Marketing, HP Enterprise Business.

Deborah Nelson, who currently leads HP Enterprise Business Marketing, will
become chief of staff for the Enterprise Sales, Marketing and Strategy unit at
HP. Both changes are effective immediately.

Shirk and Nelson will report to Thomas E. Hogan, executive vice president,
Enterprise Sales, Marketing and Strategy, HP.

Shirk will lead marketing for HP`s Enterprise Business, the approximately $54
billion unit of HP that includes the company`s industry-leading portfolio of
servers, storage, networking, software and services.

Shirk joins HP from Siemens, where he served as executive vice president of
Global Marketing and Communications. Shirk was responsible for public relations,
digital marketing, industry and solution marketing, strategy and analyst
relations, collateral, creative services, and campaigns and programs for
Siemens` hardware, software and services portfolio. Prior to Siemens, Shirk was
executive vice president of Global Marketing at UGS Corp. He also held several
leadership positions at Vignette, Novell and Oracle.

In her new role, Nelson will be responsible for driving the HP Enterprise
Business sales and marketing agenda to establish HP as the partner of choice for
enterprise solutions and the clear leader in client loyalty. Previously, Nelson
held senior leadership positions for multiple HP business groups and client
segments at both global and regional levels.

“David brings a long track record of thought leadership and results. His broad
experience across hardware, software and services will be instrumental in
aligning HP`s marketing with the continued expansion in our enterprise
portfolio,” said Hogan. “Deborah has done an exemplary job the past five years
leading a significant transformation in marketing. I look forward to her
continued contributions as we partner to bring HP`s enterprise clients a new
standard in service and value.”

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on
people, businesses, governments and society. The world`s largest technology
company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing,
software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More
information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks,
uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or
such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated
subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements
of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking
statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and
objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning
expected development, performance or market share relating to products and
services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial
results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of
assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and
assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the
execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and
partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and
other risks that are described in HP`s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2010 and HP`s other filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP`s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009. HP assumes no obligation and
does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

© 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained
herein is subject to change without notice.

The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express
warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein
should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be
liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

HP
Emily Neumann, +1-714-963-3501
emily.neumann@hp.com
or
HP
Michael Thacker, +1-415-819-3115
thacker@hp.com
or
HP Media Hotline
+1-866-266-7272
pr@hp.com
www.hp.com/go/newsroom

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Bombers cop criticism on the chin

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Essendon coach Matthew Knights has welcomed criticism of the Bombers’ AFL first-round loss to Geelong – saying it means the Bombers now expected to win high-profile games.

The Bombers broke away from the Cats twice early in the game before a late fade-out saw them lose by 31 points.

“It’s great, I think it’s good the expectations are going up on this group, that we’ve been critiqued really hard against the reigning premiers,” Knights said on Tuesday.

“I think it’s good the expectations are going up on this group.

“So there’s an expectation that we should win those games now.

“We take it as a compliment. For two-and-a-half quarters we had the balance right, I thought, and we were really diligent both when we had the ball and when they had it.

“I was really proud of that but the last quarter-and-a-half we just weren’t strong enough to keep it up.”

Knights’ main criticism was that Essendon was unable to capitalise on the chances it created in the final term and faded when the Cats applied late pressure.

“Geelong, with the talent they have, once they get on top, they really punish you – they punished the opportunities which we didn’t take also,” Knights said.

“It’s having the mindset to absorb the pressure and take those opportunities and keep the scoreboard ticking over.

“Also defensively, we weren’t as sound as we were in the first two-and-a-half quarters.

“We can try and trick ourselves and come up with unique things that are out of left field but the reality is we just let ourselves down and didn’t cover off on the areas we were good at in the first two-and-a-half quarters.”

Knights also said that Essendon was intent on continuing its aggressive game plan.

“Reasonably fast football is sustainable,” he said.

“I don’t think you’re going to win a premiership by just playing slow, economic football.”

- AAP

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Craig worried after Crows’ horror show

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Adelaide coach Neil Craig admits the Crows are off the pace after watching his side crash to an insipid 56-point loss to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

Craig’s decision to play several underdone players backfired badly, as the Dockers piled on seven goals to two in the second quarter and five unanswered in the last term to cruise to the 17.16 (118) to 9.8 (62) win.

“We are a fair way off where we need to be and want to be,” Craig said.

“Obviously there’s a fair bit of improvement to look forward to hopefully. The guys that we brought back weren’t on the speed of the game.

“I think a fair bit of it can’t be excused from what I saw.

“The second quarter has nothing to do with personnel, nothing to do with structure, nothing to do with personnel who have come back.

“I didn’t like it at all.”

On the eve of the season Craig declared the group he had assembled this year was the most talented ever under his tutelage.

And despite the first-up loss to the Dockers, Craig says his expectations remain just as high.

“Our expectations stay really high because that’s what we believe in,” he said.

“Expectation stays high, standard needs to come up.

“Our standard was far too low.”

Goalsneak Jason Porplyzia successfully negotiated his way through a SANFL match on Friday night and Craig says the 25-year-old will come under strong consideration for a recall, along with ruckman Ivan Maric.

- AAP

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Eighth F1 title is still possible, says Schumacher

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Mar 26(ANI): Seven time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has said that he is aiming for his eighth title this season.

“My expectation was to fight for the championship and I still think that this is possible,” The Daily Telegraph quoted Schumacher, as saying.

“Can we win the championship this year? That is a tough question. It is a long year and I have been in much worse circumstances at the beginning of the year and still taken a championship. I am not feeling pessimistic at all. I know it is hard work and we will make a big effort,” he added.

Schumacher, who finished sixth in the season opener of F1 in Bahrain last Sunday, reckons that he will be stronger in Australia, where he has won four times.

He is also pushing the technical team, led by his former Ferrari chief Ross Brawn, to deliver a car that responds to his needs and driving style.

“I feel excited. It is a great challenge to work again and to develop projects and events. That is always where there is excitement. You never stand still, it is always an ongoing process. This is what I want to do, but I have to be motivated,” Schumacher said. (ANI)

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Police wait for Hey Dad! complaints

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police say no official investigation is underway into claims of sexual abuse on the set of Australian TV comedy Hey Dad!

Former child star Sarah Monahan last week told a woman’s magazine a man on the show inappropriately touched her and exposed himself to her.

Actor Robert Hughes, who now lives in Singapore, was on Wednesday night named by the Nine Network as the alleged perpetrator.

Hughes has vehemently denied the allegation and his legal team has been in contact with NSW Police.

A Current Affair reported that other women had come forward with claims similar to Monahan.

But commander of the NSW Sex Crimes Squad, Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, says an official investigation into the matter will not proceed until the alleged victims contact police.

“Our information is based on what’s in the media. I’ve had no direct contact – and neither has anyone else in NSW Police – with any of the victims,” he said.

“If victims make contact with police it’ll be taken in strict confidence.”

He added: “Investigators are collating this information … and if there’s a witness to be interviewed those investigators are ready.”

Detective Superintendent Kerlatec says he is “confident” the alleged victims will contact police in coming days.

“I have an expectation they’ll come forward,” he said.

“It’s based on small pieces of information that have come towards me today that we’ll hopefully be able to arrange to meet and speak with these people.”

Monahan played Hughes’s on-screen daughter Jenny Kelly.

Hey Dad! aired from 1987 to 1994 on the Seven Network.

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England now better prepared to defend Ashes after Bangladesh series win: Cook

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dhaka, Mar.25 (ANI): England stand-in captain Alastair Cook believes the series win against Bangladesh could serve his team well next winter, when they defend the Ashes in Australia.

“I think it’s done us the world of good in terms of how hard we’ve had to work for results here. Coming here under the expectation to win all our matches and delivering when it matters in hard conditions, in terms of the heat and the very flat pitches, can only bode well for us when it becomes tough in Australia,” Cook said.

Cook finished unbeaten on 109, his second century of the series. After running out Jonathan Trott for 19, it was his partnership of 167 in 31 overs with an effervescent Kevin Pietersen which killed off any hopes Bangladesh had of drawing the match, something they have managed in only six of their 67 Tests.

Improving that particular statistic probably accounted for the comatose pitches in the series.

If Cook’s batting could not be faulted here or in the one-day series, his captaincy, under greater scrutiny as Strauss’s likely successor, was perhaps best seen as a work in progress.

Like so many England captains, caution was his default setting, though the selectors did eventually see the superfluity of playing a sixth batsman and jettisoned him for the extra bowler in this Test. Just as well, too — James Tredwell had a debut to remember with six for 181 in the match.

“Captaincy has been a massive eye-opener for me. Over the four weeks of doing the job I’ve learnt where I need to get better in terms of leadership in the dressing room. I can now go back and speak to people who can help to get the best out of me as a captain,” Cook said. (ANI)

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