Home Ministry yesterday stated that it has started work to modify the current national identity card to a smart card which would include finger print information and can be used for different purposes. Home State Minister, Ahmed Fayaz said that the project to upgrade the ID card is a major initiative undertaken in association with the Pension Administration Office and the National Planning Council. He said that discussions are underway to plan how the project can be carried out.
The Ministry detailed that the changes are being brought to the card to offer services such as drivers’ license and insurance from one single card instead of many. Home Ministry is also discussing on including fingerprint information from more than one finger.
The Ministry does not plan to renew all the cards at once, but to renew expired ID cards with the new smart ID cards. But it is yet undecided when the process will be initiated.
Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed said that the process of issuing ID cards had been a difficult when the new government assumed power. He added that the Department of National Registration had 23,000 cards to be issued at the time.
“But the number had since been decreased to a mere 3,000 in which 1,000 cards are in the normal queue without any issues, while 2,000 cards have had issues and the card owners have been informed to clarify and correct the issues related to it†Minister said.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
France struggle to beat Iceland in Euro warm-up
France battled back from two goals down at half-time to beat Iceland 3-2 and avoid a humiliating defeat in the first of three warm-ups for Euro 2012 here on Sunday. Iceland, ranked a lowly 131 in FIFA's world table, stunned their hosts when Birkir Bjarnason put them into a 28th minute lead, with Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson doubling up five minutes later.
Whatever words of wisdom coach Laurent Blanc came up with at the interval evidently sank home as the second half was only seven minutes old when Lille defender Mathieu Debuchy reduced the deficit.
But France had then to wait until the 85th minute before Franck Ribery put them back on level terms with a lob for the Bayern Munich star's first goal for his country since April, 2009.
Valencia back Adil Rami bagged the winner three minutes from time, volleying home Olivier Giroud'd knockdown to extend France's unbeaten run to 19 matches.
France's next prep outing is against Serbia on Thursday in Reims, with their third and final warm-up scheduled for June 5 in Le Mans against Estonia.
Blanc's men are drawn in Group D at the European Championships and they begin their campaign in Donetsk against England on June 11 followed by co-hosts Ukraine and Sweden.
A lacklustre display by most of the French side, the one notable exception being Karim Benzema who had a good match, will give Blanc plenty to think about with only two weeks to go before battle commences in Ukraine-Poland.
He said: "We defended very badly in the first half. I changed lots of players in the second half who brought in a different style and with Iceland getting tired it enabled us to win in the end.
"We can be satisfied with certain aspects and less satisfied with others."
Blanc conceded a defeat would have dented his team's confidence.
"Confidence comes when you win so in that respect the result was a good thing. I've seen a lot of teams lose their first warm-up. We're not yet ready for June 11, physically we're not ready which explains our problems in defence."
Despite the scare Sochaux midfielder Marvin Martin put a positive spin on the performance.
He reflected: "It was difficult but it's fine, we saw a team that didn't let go. We continue our positive set of results. Friendly games are played at international level and defensively they (Iceland) weren't bad."
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri added: "After eight days of training we all had heavy legs. That, with the heat, weighed against us. But after, we felt better and better. It was very important to win. We showed character and showed that we were ready physically because we made the difference at the end of the match."
"We're still in the preparation stage," said Benzema.
"We'll be ready as expected for June 11."
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Whatever words of wisdom coach Laurent Blanc came up with at the interval evidently sank home as the second half was only seven minutes old when Lille defender Mathieu Debuchy reduced the deficit.
But France had then to wait until the 85th minute before Franck Ribery put them back on level terms with a lob for the Bayern Munich star's first goal for his country since April, 2009.
Valencia back Adil Rami bagged the winner three minutes from time, volleying home Olivier Giroud'd knockdown to extend France's unbeaten run to 19 matches.
France's next prep outing is against Serbia on Thursday in Reims, with their third and final warm-up scheduled for June 5 in Le Mans against Estonia.
Blanc's men are drawn in Group D at the European Championships and they begin their campaign in Donetsk against England on June 11 followed by co-hosts Ukraine and Sweden.
A lacklustre display by most of the French side, the one notable exception being Karim Benzema who had a good match, will give Blanc plenty to think about with only two weeks to go before battle commences in Ukraine-Poland.
He said: "We defended very badly in the first half. I changed lots of players in the second half who brought in a different style and with Iceland getting tired it enabled us to win in the end.
"We can be satisfied with certain aspects and less satisfied with others."
Blanc conceded a defeat would have dented his team's confidence.
"Confidence comes when you win so in that respect the result was a good thing. I've seen a lot of teams lose their first warm-up. We're not yet ready for June 11, physically we're not ready which explains our problems in defence."
Despite the scare Sochaux midfielder Marvin Martin put a positive spin on the performance.
He reflected: "It was difficult but it's fine, we saw a team that didn't let go. We continue our positive set of results. Friendly games are played at international level and defensively they (Iceland) weren't bad."
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri added: "After eight days of training we all had heavy legs. That, with the heat, weighed against us. But after, we felt better and better. It was very important to win. We showed character and showed that we were ready physically because we made the difference at the end of the match."
"We're still in the preparation stage," said Benzema.
"We'll be ready as expected for June 11."
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
German girl locked up for years by Bosnian couple
A German girl has been rescued by Bosnian police after allegedly being held captive by a couple for eight years during which she was forced to eat pig feed and pull a horse-cart. A neighbour who raised the alarm told AFP he witnessed the couple treating the girl, now 19, like an animal.
Milenko and Slavojka Marinkovic were arrested at their home in a village in the northwestern Tuzla region after police received the tip-off from neighbour Sead Makalic earlier this month.
"They kept her locked up, neither allowing her contact with other people, nor to go to school," police spokesman Admir Arnautovic told FTV public television. "They subjected her to inhumane treatment and torture."
The couple were arrested on May 17 but police on Sunday said they could not reveal further details of the case, while prosecutors were not available for comment.
The girl, who has not been named by police, had been placed in a safe house and was receiving medical treatment, investigators quoted by FTV said.
Makalic said he remembered the German girl appearing in the village of Karavlasi with her mother and two sisters but did not take much notice of her arrival.
"At the time I was helping them (the Marinkovic couple) to build their house and I did not pay attention," Makalic said.
Years later, he said he saw her eating pumpkin and corn grain used to feed the couple's pigs.
One day, he said, he saw them make her pull a horse-cart "while they were sitting on it".
"They put her in place of the horse and were laughing," he said.
According to Makalic, the couple were from a "Roma family in which several brothers lived together, often travelling to Germany and Austria.
He said he had tried to alert police earlier. "But when the police came they hid her very well," he said.
Earlier this year he had not seen her for about a year and was told by the couple that she was in Germany.
But "when I saw her again on May 15, I took a picture of her with my mobile telephone and went to alert the police", he said.
Miko Marinkovic, a brother of the suspect who had returned from Austria where he lives, on Sunday told AFP in Karavlasi that the allegations were nothing more than fabrications.
"We have never mistreated" her, he said. "It will be proved."
The girl's mother, meanwhile, also denied any wrongdoing.
"This is all a lie. We live well here. Those people made up all of this," she said.
Local media reported that the girl had arrived in Bosnia from Germany eight years ago with her mother.
The mother had lived between Karavlasi and Germany for several years and was in the village at the time of the arrests, they said.
They added that the girl's mother could have entered into a sham marriage with Milenko Marinkovic to allow him to obtain a German residency permit.
Quoting officials, they said she was found in a forest and was in a poor physical and psychological state.
They also reported allegations of sexual abuse, quoting neighbours saying they heard the girl screaming and crying. They said she could have been abused by friends of the Marinkovic family who visited them regularly.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Milenko and Slavojka Marinkovic were arrested at their home in a village in the northwestern Tuzla region after police received the tip-off from neighbour Sead Makalic earlier this month.
"They kept her locked up, neither allowing her contact with other people, nor to go to school," police spokesman Admir Arnautovic told FTV public television. "They subjected her to inhumane treatment and torture."
The couple were arrested on May 17 but police on Sunday said they could not reveal further details of the case, while prosecutors were not available for comment.
The girl, who has not been named by police, had been placed in a safe house and was receiving medical treatment, investigators quoted by FTV said.
Makalic said he remembered the German girl appearing in the village of Karavlasi with her mother and two sisters but did not take much notice of her arrival.
"At the time I was helping them (the Marinkovic couple) to build their house and I did not pay attention," Makalic said.
Years later, he said he saw her eating pumpkin and corn grain used to feed the couple's pigs.
One day, he said, he saw them make her pull a horse-cart "while they were sitting on it".
"They put her in place of the horse and were laughing," he said.
According to Makalic, the couple were from a "Roma family in which several brothers lived together, often travelling to Germany and Austria.
He said he had tried to alert police earlier. "But when the police came they hid her very well," he said.
Earlier this year he had not seen her for about a year and was told by the couple that she was in Germany.
But "when I saw her again on May 15, I took a picture of her with my mobile telephone and went to alert the police", he said.
Miko Marinkovic, a brother of the suspect who had returned from Austria where he lives, on Sunday told AFP in Karavlasi that the allegations were nothing more than fabrications.
"We have never mistreated" her, he said. "It will be proved."
The girl's mother, meanwhile, also denied any wrongdoing.
"This is all a lie. We live well here. Those people made up all of this," she said.
Local media reported that the girl had arrived in Bosnia from Germany eight years ago with her mother.
The mother had lived between Karavlasi and Germany for several years and was in the village at the time of the arrests, they said.
They added that the girl's mother could have entered into a sham marriage with Milenko Marinkovic to allow him to obtain a German residency permit.
Quoting officials, they said she was found in a forest and was in a poor physical and psychological state.
They also reported allegations of sexual abuse, quoting neighbours saying they heard the girl screaming and crying. They said she could have been abused by friends of the Marinkovic family who visited them regularly.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Israel sees Iranian hand in Syria killings
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday voiced "revulsion" over the bloodshed in Syria, while accusing Iran and its Lebanese militia ally Hezbollah of being accomplices. He was "revolted was by the incessant massacres conducted by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces against ... civilians ... which continued over the weekend in the town of Houla," the premier's office said.
"Iran and Hezbollah are an inseparable part of the Syrian atrocities, and the world needs to act against them too," Netanyahu was quoted as saying.
At least 92 people, more than a third of them children, were killed in the central Syrian town of Houla on Friday and Saturday, provoking international outrage.
Earlier this month, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime was "doomed" and that its ouster would be a "major blow" to Iran and Hezbollah, which is backed by Damascus and Tehran.
More than 13,000 people have been killed since an uprising against Assad erupted in March last year, according to monitors.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 1 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment More Loading comments... Please wait
"Iran and Hezbollah are an inseparable part of the Syrian atrocities, and the world needs to act against them too," Netanyahu was quoted as saying.
At least 92 people, more than a third of them children, were killed in the central Syrian town of Houla on Friday and Saturday, provoking international outrage.
Earlier this month, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime was "doomed" and that its ouster would be a "major blow" to Iran and Hezbollah, which is backed by Damascus and Tehran.
More than 13,000 people have been killed since an uprising against Assad erupted in March last year, according to monitors.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 1 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment More Loading comments... Please wait
Amnesty urges Saudi to free Shiite prisoners
Amnesty International urged Saudi Arabia to free Shiite prisoners arrested for taking part in "peaceful" protests and those detained without charge in the kingdom's Eastern province. In a report called "Dissident Voices Stifled in the Eastern Province," where most of the country's minority Shiites live, the rights group on Monday said hundreds of individuals, mainly men, but also children, had been arrested since March 2011.
Though "many of those arrested have been released some continue to be detained, mostly without charge or trial and apparently solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression," according to the report.
Saudi's minority Shiites first took to the streets in protest in February 2011 after an outbreak of violence between Shiite pilgrims and religious police in the holy city of Medina.
The protests escalated after the kingdom led a force of Gulf troops into neighbouring Bahrain to help crush a month-long Shiite-led uprising against the country's Sunni monarchy.
The report singled out the cases of nine men and a 16-year-old who remained in custody. Seven of the 10 detainees were arrested more than six months ago and had yet to be "informed of any charges filed against them," it said.
According to Amnesty, "none of these detainees has been allowed to appoint a lawyer (except for one)... and none of them have been allowed to challenge the legality of their continued detention."
The London-based rights group also accused Riyadh of "torture or other ill-treatment" of prisoners and said public- and private-sector employees "who choose to exercise their rights to freedom of expression... risk losing their jobs."
Saudi authorities have "blocked several websites operating from the Eastern province," according to the report, apparently for "posting news about demonstrations and other activities opposed to government policies."
Amnesty said it was concerned about the "use of force" by security forces in their clampdown on Shiite protests, adding that since November 21, "seven men have died and a number of others injured after being shot while protesting".
Saudi authorities have said the deaths were the result of clashes between police and armed individuals.
The report said the measures taken by Saudi authorities amount to a "pattern of widespread human rights violations" against residents of the province.
Oil-rich Eastern province is home to some two millions Saudi Shiites who for decades have complained of marginalisation by the Sunni monarchy.
On May 16, Amnesty submitted a "memorandum" to the Saudi government citing the alleged
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Though "many of those arrested have been released some continue to be detained, mostly without charge or trial and apparently solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression," according to the report.
Saudi's minority Shiites first took to the streets in protest in February 2011 after an outbreak of violence between Shiite pilgrims and religious police in the holy city of Medina.
The protests escalated after the kingdom led a force of Gulf troops into neighbouring Bahrain to help crush a month-long Shiite-led uprising against the country's Sunni monarchy.
The report singled out the cases of nine men and a 16-year-old who remained in custody. Seven of the 10 detainees were arrested more than six months ago and had yet to be "informed of any charges filed against them," it said.
According to Amnesty, "none of these detainees has been allowed to appoint a lawyer (except for one)... and none of them have been allowed to challenge the legality of their continued detention."
The London-based rights group also accused Riyadh of "torture or other ill-treatment" of prisoners and said public- and private-sector employees "who choose to exercise their rights to freedom of expression... risk losing their jobs."
Saudi authorities have "blocked several websites operating from the Eastern province," according to the report, apparently for "posting news about demonstrations and other activities opposed to government policies."
Amnesty said it was concerned about the "use of force" by security forces in their clampdown on Shiite protests, adding that since November 21, "seven men have died and a number of others injured after being shot while protesting".
Saudi authorities have said the deaths were the result of clashes between police and armed individuals.
The report said the measures taken by Saudi authorities amount to a "pattern of widespread human rights violations" against residents of the province.
Oil-rich Eastern province is home to some two millions Saudi Shiites who for decades have complained of marginalisation by the Sunni monarchy.
On May 16, Amnesty submitted a "memorandum" to the Saudi government citing the alleged
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Rescuers find first bodies at Pakistan avalanche site
Pakistani rescuers have recovered the first bodies from the site of an avalanche that buried 140 people at a high-altitude army camp more than seven weeks ago, the military said Sunday. A huge wall of snow crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier base high in the mountains in disputed Kashmir in the early hours of April 7, smothering an area of one square kilometre (a third of a square mile).
Rescuers have been digging in tunnels in the hard mass of snow and ice that hit the battalion headquarters of the 6th Northern Light Infantry to try to recover the bodies of 129 soldiers and 11 civilians at the Gayari camp.
"The body of one more soldier was found today from the avalanche site. It was recovered from a place which is very close to a site from where the first body was found yesterday," the military said in a statement.
A third body spotted in the same area was also being recovered, the military added.
Several foreign teams have visited the site, which is 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) up in the mountains, to assist the rescue efforts.
Gayari sits just below the Siachen Glacier, known as the "world's highest battlefield", where Pakistani and Indian troops have faced off in extreme conditions since the 1980s.
Kashmir has been the cause of two wars between India and Pakistan and the nuclear-armed rivals fought over Siachen in 1987, though guns on the glacier have largely fallen silent since a peace process began in 2004.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Rescuers have been digging in tunnels in the hard mass of snow and ice that hit the battalion headquarters of the 6th Northern Light Infantry to try to recover the bodies of 129 soldiers and 11 civilians at the Gayari camp.
"The body of one more soldier was found today from the avalanche site. It was recovered from a place which is very close to a site from where the first body was found yesterday," the military said in a statement.
A third body spotted in the same area was also being recovered, the military added.
Several foreign teams have visited the site, which is 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) up in the mountains, to assist the rescue efforts.
Gayari sits just below the Siachen Glacier, known as the "world's highest battlefield", where Pakistani and Indian troops have faced off in extreme conditions since the 1980s.
Kashmir has been the cause of two wars between India and Pakistan and the nuclear-armed rivals fought over Siachen in 1987, though guns on the glacier have largely fallen silent since a peace process began in 2004.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Afghans 'concerned' over airforce as NATO pulls out
Afghanistan's defence ministry has expressed concern over the slow pace of developing its airforce ahead of a scheduled withdrawal of NATO troops and equipment, the government said Sunday. More than a dozen transport aircraft provided to the Afghan airforce by the United States have been grounded because of age, a lack of spares and safety problems, President Hamid Karzai's office said in a statement.
The issue was raised at a security meeting which was told that the defence ministry was "concerned over the slow pace of reviving the country's air force" and wanted the US to "intensify its efforts for that end".
As part of its exit strategy from the Afghan war, the US is helping Kabul build its airforce before most air support from NATO forces is withdrawn along with 130,000 troops by the end of 2014.
Fifteen C-27 transport aircraft supposed to provide support to the Afghan army and deliver humanitarian aid had been grounded for two years, defence ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi told AFP.
"The planes were made in Italy, they are old and were out of the Italian fleet before they were given to Afghanistan," Azimi said.
Air transport is critical in Afghanistan, where the road network is underdeveloped and targeted by insurgent bombings, while strike aircraft are a vital part of the war against Taliban insurgents.
The US Air Force announced last month that it was reopening a contest for a contract to build 20 light attack aircraft for Afghanistan after the cancellation of an award to Brazil's Embraer two months earlier.
But a final decision for the contract will not be made before early 2013, the Air Force said in a statement, with the first planes due to be delivered in the second half of 2014.
The new schedule will mean "a delay of about 15 months" from original plans, before the Air Force called off the award, the statement said.
Last year, an Afghan air force officer shot dead nine US service members at a training centre at Kabul International Airport, one of the deadliest attacks on coalition troops in recent years.
It was one of an increasing number of attacks in which Afghans being trained by NATO troops have turned their weapons on their mentors.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
The issue was raised at a security meeting which was told that the defence ministry was "concerned over the slow pace of reviving the country's air force" and wanted the US to "intensify its efforts for that end".
As part of its exit strategy from the Afghan war, the US is helping Kabul build its airforce before most air support from NATO forces is withdrawn along with 130,000 troops by the end of 2014.
Fifteen C-27 transport aircraft supposed to provide support to the Afghan army and deliver humanitarian aid had been grounded for two years, defence ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi told AFP.
"The planes were made in Italy, they are old and were out of the Italian fleet before they were given to Afghanistan," Azimi said.
Air transport is critical in Afghanistan, where the road network is underdeveloped and targeted by insurgent bombings, while strike aircraft are a vital part of the war against Taliban insurgents.
The US Air Force announced last month that it was reopening a contest for a contract to build 20 light attack aircraft for Afghanistan after the cancellation of an award to Brazil's Embraer two months earlier.
But a final decision for the contract will not be made before early 2013, the Air Force said in a statement, with the first planes due to be delivered in the second half of 2014.
The new schedule will mean "a delay of about 15 months" from original plans, before the Air Force called off the award, the statement said.
Last year, an Afghan air force officer shot dead nine US service members at a training centre at Kabul International Airport, one of the deadliest attacks on coalition troops in recent years.
It was one of an increasing number of attacks in which Afghans being trained by NATO troops have turned their weapons on their mentors.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Spain's Del Bosque opts for Negredo ahead of Soldado
Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo edged Roberto Soldado for the final striker's spot in defending champions Spain's squad for Euro 2012 announced by coach Vicent del Bosque here on Sunday. Negredo effectively fills the void of Spain's record goalscorer David Villa -- who failed to recover from a broken tibia in time -- after scoring 14 goals in La Liga in the season just finished.
Soldado misses out despite scoring 17 league goals as his form dipped dramatically in the latter stages of the season.
Barcelona's Pedro was rewarded for doing exactly the opposite as his rich vein of form in the latter part of the season -- including a double in Barca's Spanish Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao on Friday -- saw him make the squad.
"Pedro had an inconsistent season like others did," said Del Bosque.
"But we took into account certain aspects of his season. We looked at his season in its entirety.
"And also we need players out wide, wingers who are effective," added del Bosque of the 20102 World Cup winner.
Negredo will compete for places up front with Fernando Torres, who showed glimpses of a return to form for Champions League winners Chelsea at the end of the season, and Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente.
There are just four members of the 2008 squad missing, with Carlos Marchena and Joan Capdevila no longer in favour and talismanic defender Carles Puyol and Villa out because of injuries.
The midfield is dominated by Barcelona with Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta definite starters while Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets are also included.
However, Barcelona informed del Bosque that former Arsenal captain Fabregas will need up to 10 days to recuperate from the pulled right thigh muscle he suffered in the Spanish Cup final.
"The doctors are optimistic in his case," said Del Bosque.
"It is an injury from which he should recover pretty quickly, although it did give me pause for thought when I came to select the definitive squad."
In defence Del Bosque named Atletico Madrid right-back Juanfran in place of the injured Andoni Iraola, who had an outstanding season for Athletic Bilbao.
"Juanfran had a good season for Atletico and for that reason gets to replace the injured Iraola," said Del Bosque.
Spain will remain at their training camp here and have two more warm-up matches - they beat Serbia 2-0 on Saturday - against South Korea and China before moving to their base for the championship in Gniewino on June 5.
They begin their title defence on June 10 against Italy, before other group games against the Republic of Ireland and Croatia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Reina (Liverpool/ENG), Victor Valdes (Barcelona).
Defenders: Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol, Sergio Ramos (all Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao).
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Santi Cazorla (Malaga), Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets (all Barcelona).
Forwards: David Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo (both Sevilla), Fernando Torres, Juan Mata (both Chelsea/ENG), Pedro (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao).
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Soldado misses out despite scoring 17 league goals as his form dipped dramatically in the latter stages of the season.
Barcelona's Pedro was rewarded for doing exactly the opposite as his rich vein of form in the latter part of the season -- including a double in Barca's Spanish Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao on Friday -- saw him make the squad.
"Pedro had an inconsistent season like others did," said Del Bosque.
"But we took into account certain aspects of his season. We looked at his season in its entirety.
"And also we need players out wide, wingers who are effective," added del Bosque of the 20102 World Cup winner.
Negredo will compete for places up front with Fernando Torres, who showed glimpses of a return to form for Champions League winners Chelsea at the end of the season, and Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente.
There are just four members of the 2008 squad missing, with Carlos Marchena and Joan Capdevila no longer in favour and talismanic defender Carles Puyol and Villa out because of injuries.
The midfield is dominated by Barcelona with Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta definite starters while Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets are also included.
However, Barcelona informed del Bosque that former Arsenal captain Fabregas will need up to 10 days to recuperate from the pulled right thigh muscle he suffered in the Spanish Cup final.
"The doctors are optimistic in his case," said Del Bosque.
"It is an injury from which he should recover pretty quickly, although it did give me pause for thought when I came to select the definitive squad."
In defence Del Bosque named Atletico Madrid right-back Juanfran in place of the injured Andoni Iraola, who had an outstanding season for Athletic Bilbao.
"Juanfran had a good season for Atletico and for that reason gets to replace the injured Iraola," said Del Bosque.
Spain will remain at their training camp here and have two more warm-up matches - they beat Serbia 2-0 on Saturday - against South Korea and China before moving to their base for the championship in Gniewino on June 5.
They begin their title defence on June 10 against Italy, before other group games against the Republic of Ireland and Croatia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Reina (Liverpool/ENG), Victor Valdes (Barcelona).
Defenders: Juanfran (Atletico Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol, Sergio Ramos (all Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao).
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Santi Cazorla (Malaga), Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets (all Barcelona).
Forwards: David Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo (both Sevilla), Fernando Torres, Juan Mata (both Chelsea/ENG), Pedro (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao).
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Deportivo return to La Liga
Deportivo La Coruna returned to the Spanish top flight on Sunday after their 2-1 success at Huesca assured them the Second Division title with one game to play. The side from Galicia in the north-western corner of Spain were relegated last season but are top of the Second Division with 88 points and cannot be caught by Celta and Valladolid with just one game to go.
Deportivo won their only La Liga title in 2000, and two year's later won both the King's Cup and Spanish SuperCup titles.
They were relegated after finishing 18th in 2011.
Celta, won 2-1 at Gimnastic on Sunday, and are second on 84 points with Valladolid two points further behind after drawing 2-2 with Alcorcón.
Celta and Valladolid will fight for the second automatic promotion spot to avoid the play-off.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Deportivo won their only La Liga title in 2000, and two year's later won both the King's Cup and Spanish SuperCup titles.
They were relegated after finishing 18th in 2011.
Celta, won 2-1 at Gimnastic on Sunday, and are second on 84 points with Valladolid two points further behind after drawing 2-2 with Alcorcón.
Celta and Valladolid will fight for the second automatic promotion spot to avoid the play-off.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Indian PM meets Myanmar president in historic visit
India's prime minister held talks with Myanmar's president Monday in a historic visit aimed at boosting trade and energy links and contesting the influence of regional rival China. Manmohan Singh, the first Indian premier to visit Myanmar in a quarter of a century, was greeted with a guard of honour as he met President Thein Sein in the capital Naypyidaw.
Energy-hungry India is eyeing a raft of agreements with its neighbour after dramatic reforms in Myanmar ended its international isolation.
Singh will travel to the main city of Yangon for talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, in a move seen as a sign that India also wants to repair links with the veteran activist.
New Delhi was once a staunch supporter of the democracy icon, but changed tack in the mid-1990s as it sought closer ties with Myanmar, and drew international criticism for its engagement with the former junta.
India has since pointed to recent dramatic reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime, including Suu Kyi's election to parliament in April by-elections, as a validation of its stance.
Singh is the latest in a series of top-level visitors to Myanmar as the international community begins easing sanctions, raising hopes that the impoverished nation could be the next big frontier market.
An Indian diplomat who declined to be named told AFP that about 12 agreements were set to be inked during the talks on Monday.
Singh is seen as looking to expand India's influence after half a century of military rule left Myanmar heavily reliant on Chinese investment and political support.
Indian-backed infrastructure projects in the country include a port at Sittwe on the Bay of Bengal but New Delhi's presence lags well behind that of Beijing, which is behind a host of major energy developments.
"India does seem to have been rather slothful in its response to Myanmar's reforms compared to the enthusiasm shown by many other world leaders," said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at IHS Global Insight.
He said Myanmar was in the grips of a "gold rush", and that oil and gas are an area of "considerable opportunity" for investors.
According to data from IHS, China led the ranking in investments in Myanmar last year, pledging $8.3 billion, with India trailing in 13th place, with $189 million pledged.
Indian trade with Myanmar stood at $1.2 billion in 2010, far short of the $4.4 billion between China and Myanmar.
Singh, who is travelling with a top-level business delegation, stressed the countries' "shared history and culture" in a statement ahead of the visit.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was administered as a province of India during British colonial rule and the two countries have religious links dating back to the early spread of Buddhism more than 2,000 years ago.
India sees Myanmar as the springboard to a closer connection with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as a key partner in counter-insurgency and economic development drives in its northeast border areas.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Energy-hungry India is eyeing a raft of agreements with its neighbour after dramatic reforms in Myanmar ended its international isolation.
Singh will travel to the main city of Yangon for talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, in a move seen as a sign that India also wants to repair links with the veteran activist.
New Delhi was once a staunch supporter of the democracy icon, but changed tack in the mid-1990s as it sought closer ties with Myanmar, and drew international criticism for its engagement with the former junta.
India has since pointed to recent dramatic reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime, including Suu Kyi's election to parliament in April by-elections, as a validation of its stance.
Singh is the latest in a series of top-level visitors to Myanmar as the international community begins easing sanctions, raising hopes that the impoverished nation could be the next big frontier market.
An Indian diplomat who declined to be named told AFP that about 12 agreements were set to be inked during the talks on Monday.
Singh is seen as looking to expand India's influence after half a century of military rule left Myanmar heavily reliant on Chinese investment and political support.
Indian-backed infrastructure projects in the country include a port at Sittwe on the Bay of Bengal but New Delhi's presence lags well behind that of Beijing, which is behind a host of major energy developments.
"India does seem to have been rather slothful in its response to Myanmar's reforms compared to the enthusiasm shown by many other world leaders," said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at IHS Global Insight.
He said Myanmar was in the grips of a "gold rush", and that oil and gas are an area of "considerable opportunity" for investors.
According to data from IHS, China led the ranking in investments in Myanmar last year, pledging $8.3 billion, with India trailing in 13th place, with $189 million pledged.
Indian trade with Myanmar stood at $1.2 billion in 2010, far short of the $4.4 billion between China and Myanmar.
Singh, who is travelling with a top-level business delegation, stressed the countries' "shared history and culture" in a statement ahead of the visit.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was administered as a province of India during British colonial rule and the two countries have religious links dating back to the early spread of Buddhism more than 2,000 years ago.
India sees Myanmar as the springboard to a closer connection with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as a key partner in counter-insurgency and economic development drives in its northeast border areas.
Tweet Bookmark Print Badge the Comments! Give badges to the best comments you see! You will get four badges a day 0 Comments To have full access to the interactive features available in Haveeru Online please register or sign in. or Post a Comment Loading comments... Please wait
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)