Two people were killed as another tropical storm swept across the Philippines on Wednesday, triggering landslides in the mountainous north and dumping more heavy rain on the flood-battered capital. Tropical Storm Kai-tak hit the northeast of the main island of Luzon before dawn, packing powerful winds and dumping up to 35 millimetres (1.3 inches) of rain an hour on a vast farming region, the state weather bureau said.
Areas to the south that were trying to recover from devastating floods last week, including Manila, also endured strong rain, prompting authorities to warn residents in low-lying areas of the capital to be ready to evacuate.
The worst-hit areas on Wednesday morning were four small northern farming towns, where water reached neck-deep in some areas and landslides cut off a major highway, said Melchito Castro, civil defence chief in the region.
"We have been experiencing really heavy rains since last night, and our rescuers have evacuated some residents," Castro told AFP by phone.
Two people died in the far north on Wednesday, including a 47-year-old man who drowned in a swollen river, adding to the 95 deaths in and around Manila during last week's floods, the civil defence office said.
Norma Talosig, the civil defence chief for northeastern Luzon, said authorities there were closely watching the Cagayan river, the country's largest river basin, amid fears it could overflow.
At more than 500 kilometres (310 miles) long, the heavily silted Cagayan river is the longest in the country and cuts across four northeastern agricultural provinces.
"The water level is rising, but it has not yet reached critical levels," Talosig told AFP.
"The danger is that when it does overflow, it will flood hundreds of hectares of agricultural production areas and communities."
More heavy rains were expected in the northeast on Wednesday, she said.
"When the storm's outer bands hits us, it's like a whip that's deadlier," she said.
Rain was also falling in and around Manila on the other side of the Sierra Madre mountain range to the southwest, where more than 300,000 people were still in evacuation shelters following last week's floods.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said many low-lying farming areas near Manila remained flooded, and with the fresh rain there was little chance of the waters receding anytime soon.
Council chief Benito Ramos also said Kai-tak had not yet caused any major fresh floods in Manila, 80 percent of which was submerged last week amid an intense 48-hour deluge triggered by another tropical storm,
But he said people in coastal areas of Manila and others in dangerous areas should be prepared to leave their homes if the rains worsened.
Local governments declared school holidays in some areas of Manila on Wednesday because of the heavy rains, while several domestic flights were delayed or cancelled due to bad visibility.
Weather forecasters said Kai-Tak was expected to move across Luzon on Wednesday, and exit into the South China Sea towards Hong Kong on Thursday morning.
Related Articles Death toll in Philippine floods tops 1,000 - 21-12-2011 Philippine capital battles deadly floods - 08-08-2012 Philippine flood deaths climb to 60 - 10-08-2012 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
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
US defense chief concerned about Afghan 'insider attacks'
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday he was "very concerned" about attacks on US and NATO troops by their Afghan allies and the impact they are having on cooperation. "Our enemies have attempted to undermine the trust between the coalition and the Afghan forces and in particular they have tried to take credit for a number of so-called green-on-blue or insider attacks that are taking place this fighting season," he said.
"Make no mistake about it, I've been very concerned about these incidents, because of the lives lost and because of the potential damage to our partnership efforts," he told reporters.
The attacks have raised questions about the viability of US and NATO efforts to train Afghan security forces so they will be ready to take charge of security after the departure of foreign forces in 2014.
In the latest attack, an Afghan policeman shot and wounded two troops from the NATO-led mission on Monday in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where Americans troops make up the bulk of the force.
Seven soldiers of the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) lost their lives over four days last week when Afghan forces turned weapons on their NATO allies.
According to NATO, 37 of its soldiers have died in 27 such attacks so far this year, up from 21 incidents and 35 deaths in all of 2011.
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"Make no mistake about it, I've been very concerned about these incidents, because of the lives lost and because of the potential damage to our partnership efforts," he told reporters.
The attacks have raised questions about the viability of US and NATO efforts to train Afghan security forces so they will be ready to take charge of security after the departure of foreign forces in 2014.
In the latest attack, an Afghan policeman shot and wounded two troops from the NATO-led mission on Monday in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where Americans troops make up the bulk of the force.
Seven soldiers of the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) lost their lives over four days last week when Afghan forces turned weapons on their NATO allies.
According to NATO, 37 of its soldiers have died in 27 such attacks so far this year, up from 21 incidents and 35 deaths in all of 2011.
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Friday, January 31, 2014
Indian yoga guru ends anti-graft hunger strike
An Indian yoga guru on Tuesday ended a six-day hunger strike against corruption but vowed to use his public popularity to pile pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Baba Ramdev, a maverick "holy man" who heads a wealthy international yoga organisation, sipped juice to break his fast as several thousand supporters cheered him in New Delhi.
Ramdev had tried to lead an anti-corruption march to parliament on Monday but was corralled by police at a sports stadium in the Indian capital.
The prime minister "should show political will and honesty, and if he does not show it, he will be deemed as corrupt", Ramdev, half naked and wearing saffron-coloured robes, told the crowds.
"If he cannot remain politically honest then he should leave the post," Ramdev said, claiming that the fast had achieved its aims and calling for the downfall of Singh's ruling Congress party at general elections due in 2014.
"Next time in the elections, we should ensure that not a single Congress leader gets elected to parliament," he said.
Pranab Mukherjee, India's newly elected president, in a customary address on the eve of Independence Day, said he had sympathy with Ramdev's cause but warned against random protests.
"Anger against the bitter pandemic of corruption is legitimate, as is the protest against this plague that is eroding the capability and potential of our nation," he said, without referring to the yoga guru.
"There are times when people lose their patience but it cannot become an excuse for an assault on our democratic institutions," said Mukherjee, who quit as finance minister in June to run for the largely ceremonial post.
"When protest becomes endemic, we are flirting with chaos," he added.
Ramdev has modelled his anti-graft campaign on the spirited protest movement launched last year by veteran social activist Anna Hazare, but he has failed to attract an equal level of public support.
Ramdev, who returned to his ashram in the Himalayan foothills, has focused on demanding the government repatriate billions of dollars of "black" money stashed by Indians in foreign accounts.
The government has accused him of trying to whip up popular support for his own benefit and of being used by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Ramdev had tried to lead an anti-corruption march to parliament on Monday but was corralled by police at a sports stadium in the Indian capital.
The prime minister "should show political will and honesty, and if he does not show it, he will be deemed as corrupt", Ramdev, half naked and wearing saffron-coloured robes, told the crowds.
"If he cannot remain politically honest then he should leave the post," Ramdev said, claiming that the fast had achieved its aims and calling for the downfall of Singh's ruling Congress party at general elections due in 2014.
"Next time in the elections, we should ensure that not a single Congress leader gets elected to parliament," he said.
Pranab Mukherjee, India's newly elected president, in a customary address on the eve of Independence Day, said he had sympathy with Ramdev's cause but warned against random protests.
"Anger against the bitter pandemic of corruption is legitimate, as is the protest against this plague that is eroding the capability and potential of our nation," he said, without referring to the yoga guru.
"There are times when people lose their patience but it cannot become an excuse for an assault on our democratic institutions," said Mukherjee, who quit as finance minister in June to run for the largely ceremonial post.
"When protest becomes endemic, we are flirting with chaos," he added.
Ramdev has modelled his anti-graft campaign on the spirited protest movement launched last year by veteran social activist Anna Hazare, but he has failed to attract an equal level of public support.
Ramdev, who returned to his ashram in the Himalayan foothills, has focused on demanding the government repatriate billions of dollars of "black" money stashed by Indians in foreign accounts.
The government has accused him of trying to whip up popular support for his own benefit and of being used by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Friday, January 24, 2014
China bows down to 'Devil Beast' Drogba
Didier Drogba's first month in China is being heralded as an unequivocal success, the powerful Ivory Coast striker earning rave reviews, the moniker "Devil Beast" and being compared to "a nuclear bomb". The 34-year-old became one of the world's highest-paid players when he swapped European Champions League winners Chelsea for the relative obscurity of the ambitious Shanghai Shenhua, in China's Super League.
Vocal in English football, Drogba has kept a low profile off the pitch since arriving in China to a hero's welcome in mid-July, insisting that his reported 200,000 pounds ($314,000) a week was not the main motivation.
"China is a big sports country and it is a big challenge," said Drogba on his arrival, fresh from scoring the goal which won Chelsea the Champions League.
"For me it would have been easy to go to another team in Europe but I chose China because of the challenge."
Drogba got off to a flying start at struggling Shenhua -- then 12th in the 16-team Super League -- scoring twice on his home debut in the 5-1 thrashing of longtime rivals Hangzhou Greentown and quickly earning the tag "Devil Beast".
The fanatical home crowd, swelled from the usual 15,000 to 25,000, chanted the veteran's name repeatedly and gave him a rousing cheer as he performed the traditional post-match bow.
"Shenhua's nuclear bomb has arrived," Shanghai goalkeeper Wang Dalei said of his new team-mate, who joins another former Chelsea striker, Nicolas Anelka, at the club.
Although Chinese teams have been luring a fast-expanding group of foreign stars to play for enormous salaries, Drogba is the highest paid and has quickly become a fan favourite, eclipsing Anelka.
"We suddenly found out that football, which is very close to us, can be so thrilling, so touching and so good that you can't help but tremble," prominent football commentator Ji Yuyang wrote in the Oriental Sports Daily.
Despite the plaudits, Drogba has had only a negligible effect on his team so far. He has not found the net since his double and Shenhua are still struggling, creeping up to 10th in the table.
Not that the fans are laying any blame on their new hero, who is on international duty on Wednesday when Ivory Coast play Russia in a friendly in Moscow.
"Reliable, exciting and full of class, he's a real leader on the pitch, hopefully he will lead us to glory over the next two years," said Lu Xiaoming, a long-time Shenhua fan.
British expatriate Andy Summers, another Shenhua supporter, added: "It takes time to settle in, but he's played great so far."
The biggest name to play in Chinese football, fans in the northeastern city of Changchun clambered over locked stadium gates to get a glimpse of Drogba during a training session when Shenhua visited for a cup match.
Shenhua's eccentric owner, Zhu Jun, posted a photo online showing the bashed-up back of Drogba's silver Mercedes-Benz Viano after enthusiastic fans gave chase and rear-ended the vehicle, though he was not inside.
Drogba is a rare beam of light in a league battling to recover from a bribery scandal that saw scores of officials and players jailed for match-fixing.
Although that was before Drogba's highly anticipated arrival on a two-and-a-half-year contract, scars remain and many Chinese fans still prefer to follow European clubs.
Shenhua have their own issues. Zhu, a billionaire online gaming tycoon, is notorious for putting himself on in matches -- despite being in his 40s and mediocre on the pitch.
During his pursuit of the player, Zhu said that "chasing Drogba is like trying to get a girl, you put in too much effort and she seems less interested".
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Vocal in English football, Drogba has kept a low profile off the pitch since arriving in China to a hero's welcome in mid-July, insisting that his reported 200,000 pounds ($314,000) a week was not the main motivation.
"China is a big sports country and it is a big challenge," said Drogba on his arrival, fresh from scoring the goal which won Chelsea the Champions League.
"For me it would have been easy to go to another team in Europe but I chose China because of the challenge."
Drogba got off to a flying start at struggling Shenhua -- then 12th in the 16-team Super League -- scoring twice on his home debut in the 5-1 thrashing of longtime rivals Hangzhou Greentown and quickly earning the tag "Devil Beast".
The fanatical home crowd, swelled from the usual 15,000 to 25,000, chanted the veteran's name repeatedly and gave him a rousing cheer as he performed the traditional post-match bow.
"Shenhua's nuclear bomb has arrived," Shanghai goalkeeper Wang Dalei said of his new team-mate, who joins another former Chelsea striker, Nicolas Anelka, at the club.
Although Chinese teams have been luring a fast-expanding group of foreign stars to play for enormous salaries, Drogba is the highest paid and has quickly become a fan favourite, eclipsing Anelka.
"We suddenly found out that football, which is very close to us, can be so thrilling, so touching and so good that you can't help but tremble," prominent football commentator Ji Yuyang wrote in the Oriental Sports Daily.
Despite the plaudits, Drogba has had only a negligible effect on his team so far. He has not found the net since his double and Shenhua are still struggling, creeping up to 10th in the table.
Not that the fans are laying any blame on their new hero, who is on international duty on Wednesday when Ivory Coast play Russia in a friendly in Moscow.
"Reliable, exciting and full of class, he's a real leader on the pitch, hopefully he will lead us to glory over the next two years," said Lu Xiaoming, a long-time Shenhua fan.
British expatriate Andy Summers, another Shenhua supporter, added: "It takes time to settle in, but he's played great so far."
The biggest name to play in Chinese football, fans in the northeastern city of Changchun clambered over locked stadium gates to get a glimpse of Drogba during a training session when Shenhua visited for a cup match.
Shenhua's eccentric owner, Zhu Jun, posted a photo online showing the bashed-up back of Drogba's silver Mercedes-Benz Viano after enthusiastic fans gave chase and rear-ended the vehicle, though he was not inside.
Drogba is a rare beam of light in a league battling to recover from a bribery scandal that saw scores of officials and players jailed for match-fixing.
Although that was before Drogba's highly anticipated arrival on a two-and-a-half-year contract, scars remain and many Chinese fans still prefer to follow European clubs.
Shenhua have their own issues. Zhu, a billionaire online gaming tycoon, is notorious for putting himself on in matches -- despite being in his 40s and mediocre on the pitch.
During his pursuit of the player, Zhu said that "chasing Drogba is like trying to get a girl, you put in too much effort and she seems less interested".
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Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Leave Messi in peace says Argentina coach
Argentina coach Alejandro Sabello says star player Lionel Messi needs to be left in peace and one should "talk to him as little as possible" as the South American giants get set to face Germany in a friendly here on Wednesday. When asked whether the Barcelona icon had changed since being appointed captain by Sabello, he replied: "No, not at all. I see him as calm, content and happy. He needs to be left alone and to talk to him as little as possible because if he is happy and content, then that is the best thing for everyone".
Messi has been in imperious form at international level in recent matches and has scored eight goals in his last four outings, including a hat-trick during the 4-3 win over arch rivals Brazil.
Sabello has given little away in regards to his tactics for Wednesday's match but admits he will likely use two or three strikers in an attacking starting eleven.
"It depends on the overall context of the team and not just two or three players. We can play with two or three strikers but at Barcelona they use just one man up front while at Spain there was a debate whether (Fernando) Torres or (Cesc) Fabregas should play. In the end they played without an outright striker and finished champions of Europe".
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Messi has been in imperious form at international level in recent matches and has scored eight goals in his last four outings, including a hat-trick during the 4-3 win over arch rivals Brazil.
Sabello has given little away in regards to his tactics for Wednesday's match but admits he will likely use two or three strikers in an attacking starting eleven.
"It depends on the overall context of the team and not just two or three players. We can play with two or three strikers but at Barcelona they use just one man up front while at Spain there was a debate whether (Fernando) Torres or (Cesc) Fabregas should play. In the end they played without an outright striker and finished champions of Europe".
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Afghan suicide attacks kill 36: officials
Suicide bombers killed 36 people Tuesday, mostly civilians shopping for Eid celebrations, in the capital of Afghanistan's Nimroz province on the border with Iran, officials said. The attack on Zaranj city is the biggest in recent memory in the relatively peaceful province and one of the deadliest anywhere in the war-torn country this year. At least 66 people were injured.
Three suicide attackers out of an original group of 11 blew themselves up in separate areas of the city, one outside a hospital, police said.
"This was a group of 11 attackers who wanted to conduct simultaneous attacks across the city," deputy provincial police chief Mujibullah Latifi told AFP.
"Security forces killed two of the suicide attackers last night and detained three others this morning. Three managed to detonate themselves while three others were gunned down.
"We have a lot of civilian casualties because two of the attackers detonated themselves near a bazaar where many people had gathered to do shopping for Eid", the Muslim celebration at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, he said.
"We have confirmation that 21 civilians and 15 members of the security forces have been killed in these attacks and more than 66 others injured," provincial governor Abdul Karim Brahawi told AFP.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but similar attacks are usually blamed on Taliban insurgents fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.
The attack in the normally peaceful province comes after 11 Afghan policemen were killed there on Saturday when one of their colleagues, believed to be a Taliban infiltrator, opened fire on them.
That incident, in Delaram district of Nimroz, was the latest in a series of shootings in which members of the Afghan security forces have targeted local and foreign colleagues.
A day earlier, three American soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan policeman who invited them to a meal in Helmand province. Three other troops were killed by an Afghan civilian employed on a NATO base in the same province.
Green-on-blue attacks, in which Afghans turn their weapons against their foreign allies, have killed a total of 37 international soldiers this year, according to a NATO count.
But Afghan troops and police have also come under increasing pressure as they take over more responsibility for security as NATO troops prepare to leave the country.
And civilians continue to bear the brunt of the war.
The United Nations said 1,145 Afghan non-combatants lost their lives, mostly in Taliban and other insurgent attacks, between January 1 and June 30 this year. Last year, a record 3,021 civilians died.
The spread of violence to Nimroz will add to growing concerns over the country's future once some 130,000 NATO troops withdraw as planned by the end of 2014, handing responsibility for security to Afghan forces.
Western politicians keen to get their troops out of an increasingly unpopular war regularly talk up the ability of the Afghan army and police to cope on their own, but there is widespread fear of a multi-factional civil war once they leave.
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Three suicide attackers out of an original group of 11 blew themselves up in separate areas of the city, one outside a hospital, police said.
"This was a group of 11 attackers who wanted to conduct simultaneous attacks across the city," deputy provincial police chief Mujibullah Latifi told AFP.
"Security forces killed two of the suicide attackers last night and detained three others this morning. Three managed to detonate themselves while three others were gunned down.
"We have a lot of civilian casualties because two of the attackers detonated themselves near a bazaar where many people had gathered to do shopping for Eid", the Muslim celebration at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, he said.
"We have confirmation that 21 civilians and 15 members of the security forces have been killed in these attacks and more than 66 others injured," provincial governor Abdul Karim Brahawi told AFP.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but similar attacks are usually blamed on Taliban insurgents fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.
The attack in the normally peaceful province comes after 11 Afghan policemen were killed there on Saturday when one of their colleagues, believed to be a Taliban infiltrator, opened fire on them.
That incident, in Delaram district of Nimroz, was the latest in a series of shootings in which members of the Afghan security forces have targeted local and foreign colleagues.
A day earlier, three American soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan policeman who invited them to a meal in Helmand province. Three other troops were killed by an Afghan civilian employed on a NATO base in the same province.
Green-on-blue attacks, in which Afghans turn their weapons against their foreign allies, have killed a total of 37 international soldiers this year, according to a NATO count.
But Afghan troops and police have also come under increasing pressure as they take over more responsibility for security as NATO troops prepare to leave the country.
And civilians continue to bear the brunt of the war.
The United Nations said 1,145 Afghan non-combatants lost their lives, mostly in Taliban and other insurgent attacks, between January 1 and June 30 this year. Last year, a record 3,021 civilians died.
The spread of violence to Nimroz will add to growing concerns over the country's future once some 130,000 NATO troops withdraw as planned by the end of 2014, handing responsibility for security to Afghan forces.
Western politicians keen to get their troops out of an increasingly unpopular war regularly talk up the ability of the Afghan army and police to cope on their own, but there is widespread fear of a multi-factional civil war once they leave.
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Friday, September 20, 2013
MDP propose reinstatement if CNI verdict is coup
Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) National Steering Committee on Tuesday passed to propose the reinstatement of its government if the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) decides that the transfer of power on February 7 was illegitimate. MDP Parliamentary group leader and Thoddoo constituency MP Ali Waheed presented the proposition at the party discussions which was supported by the National Steering Committee, also stated that if the CNI report mentions illegal activity, the perpetrators behind the acts must be removed from their posts and to agree to hold an early presidential election.
The recommendation also agrees to bring those responsible to justice and to conclude the legal proceedings within a month. In addition, it also stated that participation of the Commonwealth and other international parties must be allowed within every phase of the cases.
In the circumstance that the CNI decides that the transfer of power on February 7 was legal, MDP National Steering Committee by a 22 member majority decided to hold the presidential election in 2013 as stipulated under the constitution.
The committee also stated that they expect a decision to the proposition before the end of Ramadan.
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The recommendation also agrees to bring those responsible to justice and to conclude the legal proceedings within a month. In addition, it also stated that participation of the Commonwealth and other international parties must be allowed within every phase of the cases.
In the circumstance that the CNI decides that the transfer of power on February 7 was legal, MDP National Steering Committee by a 22 member majority decided to hold the presidential election in 2013 as stipulated under the constitution.
The committee also stated that they expect a decision to the proposition before the end of Ramadan.
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Khedira defends Loew and players over anthem
Germany midfielder Sami Khedira on Tuesday hit back against criticism of players, including himself, who do not sing their national anthem before matches. Khedira also gave his backing to under-fire head coach Joachim Loew, insisting that he had the players' complete support despite a backlash against his tactics following their 2-1 Euro 2012 semi-final defeat to Italy.
"It (criticism of Loew) is something that has been completed over-exaggerated," he told a press conference in Frankfurt, where Germany play Argentina in a friendly on Wednesday.
"People tried to find the reasons for our defeat but we won the Euro under-21 championships with eight originally foreign players and no-one said anything, in fact the team were celebrated as heroes.
"As the coach said yesterday (Monday), it is better to sing but it doesn't determine whether someone is a good German," said the 25-year-old Real Madrid player, who has a Tunisian father and German mother.
"Someone is a good German if they speak the language and live by the customs of the country. To reduce this affair down to the national anthem and whether someone is a bad German if they don't sing is completely unfair.
"I have done this since I was 15 and I am not going to change. It is also part of my pre-match preparation. To sing the anthem or not has nothing to do with the amount of effort we give on the pitch."
As for Loew, Khedira said the man who led Germany to three consecutive semi-finals at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, had the complete backing of the players.
"We have 100 percent confidence in him. A coach shows his courage when he takes risks with his decisions and no-one can criticise him for his starting 11," he added.
"It was us, the players, who were on the pitch and not down to tactics or the composition of the team. The coach did his best and gave us the best conditions in which to prepare."
Khedira said Germany missed two "fantastic" chances against Italy but they did not take them and were made to pay.
German football officials have also expressed their faith in Loew, who has been in charge since 2006 and is set to lead the Mannschaft for the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, where they play Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.
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"It (criticism of Loew) is something that has been completed over-exaggerated," he told a press conference in Frankfurt, where Germany play Argentina in a friendly on Wednesday.
"People tried to find the reasons for our defeat but we won the Euro under-21 championships with eight originally foreign players and no-one said anything, in fact the team were celebrated as heroes.
"As the coach said yesterday (Monday), it is better to sing but it doesn't determine whether someone is a good German," said the 25-year-old Real Madrid player, who has a Tunisian father and German mother.
"Someone is a good German if they speak the language and live by the customs of the country. To reduce this affair down to the national anthem and whether someone is a bad German if they don't sing is completely unfair.
"I have done this since I was 15 and I am not going to change. It is also part of my pre-match preparation. To sing the anthem or not has nothing to do with the amount of effort we give on the pitch."
As for Loew, Khedira said the man who led Germany to three consecutive semi-finals at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, had the complete backing of the players.
"We have 100 percent confidence in him. A coach shows his courage when he takes risks with his decisions and no-one can criticise him for his starting 11," he added.
"It was us, the players, who were on the pitch and not down to tactics or the composition of the team. The coach did his best and gave us the best conditions in which to prepare."
Khedira said Germany missed two "fantastic" chances against Italy but they did not take them and were made to pay.
German football officials have also expressed their faith in Loew, who has been in charge since 2006 and is set to lead the Mannschaft for the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, where they play Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.
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Thursday, September 12, 2013
Bin Hammam vows to fight latest FIFA ban
Qatar's Mohamed bin Hammam has insisted he will clear his name after FIFA's ethics committee opened investigation proceedings against him. The former Asian Football Confederation president was handed a lifetime ban from football last year after being found guilty of bribery by a FIFA ethics committee panel during his campaign for the presidency of the sport's world governing body.
However, bin Hammam's ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 19 after his appeal was upheld on grounds of insufficient evidence.
He was provisionally suspended by FIFA's ethics committee following the CAS ruling before the body opened formal investigation proceedings against him last Friday.
Bin Hammam has pledged to clear his name, telling the BBC: "My legal team has filed an immediate response to the actions of the AFC and FIFA in relation to my latest politically-motivated ban.
"I will announce further steps very shortly to challenge this clear abuse of power and process at the hand of FIFA."
The 63-year-old, who spearheaded Qatar's successful bid to win the 2022 World Cup, has always described his punishment as politically motivated retribution for his attempt to unseat FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
Bin Hammam was found guilty by FIFA's ethics committee last year of paying bribes to Caribbean Football Union officials at a meeting in Trinidad while campaigning against Blatter.
Jack Warner, who quit as FIFA vice-president after the scandal broke, told officials gifts of 40,000 US dollars each and totalling around one million US dollars had come from Bin Hammam.
The Qatari was subject to a 30-day temporary suspension by the AFC, which was extended worldwide by FIFA on July 26.
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However, bin Hammam's ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 19 after his appeal was upheld on grounds of insufficient evidence.
He was provisionally suspended by FIFA's ethics committee following the CAS ruling before the body opened formal investigation proceedings against him last Friday.
Bin Hammam has pledged to clear his name, telling the BBC: "My legal team has filed an immediate response to the actions of the AFC and FIFA in relation to my latest politically-motivated ban.
"I will announce further steps very shortly to challenge this clear abuse of power and process at the hand of FIFA."
The 63-year-old, who spearheaded Qatar's successful bid to win the 2022 World Cup, has always described his punishment as politically motivated retribution for his attempt to unseat FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
Bin Hammam was found guilty by FIFA's ethics committee last year of paying bribes to Caribbean Football Union officials at a meeting in Trinidad while campaigning against Blatter.
Jack Warner, who quit as FIFA vice-president after the scandal broke, told officials gifts of 40,000 US dollars each and totalling around one million US dollars had come from Bin Hammam.
The Qatari was subject to a 30-day temporary suspension by the AFC, which was extended worldwide by FIFA on July 26.
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Sunday, July 14, 2013
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