Benitez calms Anfield exit talk
 Benitez has hinted that he will remain at Liverpool |
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has given a big hint he is prepared to commit his long-term future to the Anfield club.
The Spaniard has been locked in talks about a new contract for several weeks, prompting speculation he could leave.
But following Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid, he said his future could be resolved soon.
He said: "My lawyers and advisors have been talking to the club's owners on Wednesday about the contract and I feel the problems we have can be overcome."
Benitez has been discussing a new four-year deal, but it is believed American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have balked at some of his demands.
That has led to wild speculation, some of which surfaced before Wednesday's game in Madrid.
A flurry of bets led some bookmakers to suspend betting on Benitez leaving Anfield before the end of the week.
But he insisted the rumours were wide of the mark and said talk of his exit came as a surprise.
"I can assure you that I have not been considering such a move, and it was a shock to hear such suggestions," said Benitez.
"It needs to be clear that I was not thinking of resigning. My aim is to keep working and winning and to tell the owners that on the pitch."
 | PHIL McNULTY BLOG BBC Sport's Phil McNulty |
The former Valencia boss, who became Liverpool manager in 2004, is certain an agreement over his future will be reached.
"I expect talks to continue between my lawyers, my advisors, myself and the owners," said Benitez.
"I am really pleased with my position at the club, I have not been thinking about resigning.
"My aim is to win every game that is possible for this club, and my advisors will continue to talk. We will see what happens then.
"We are still talking, so we will see what happens. I was not thinking about resigning, obviously I cannot control other things that I could be fired, but I was just concentrating on the game.
"The club has made it clear this rumour was not true. That is important for everyone. Stability is the key if you want to be successful."
Yossi Benayoun gave Liverpool a 1-0 win at the Bernabeu in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
The Israeli headed home Fabio Aurelio's free-kick with eight minutes remaining.
"We knew they had problems at set pieces so we were trying to benefit from that," said Benitez. "Yossi is better in the air than people think."
The Reds boss, who left Steven Gerrard on the bench and revealed after the match that striker Fernando Torres had been injured early on, also praised the rest of the team.
"We knew it could be difficult because Real Madrid are a team with quality and we needed to work really hard," he said.
"We were trying to go also on the counter-attack because we knew how important it was to score an away goal.
"To see Torres limping from the first minute and without Steven Gerrard, it is a fantastic result."
Benitez expects Torres to miss Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough with his ankle injury, but believes Gerrard could start the game.
Real Madrid had won their last nine games under temporary manager Juande Ramos but rarely looked like breaking through the Liverpool defence as they struggled for any kind of fluency.
"We wanted to try and score a few goals for the second leg but Liverpool played their game and were very good in defence," said former Tottenham boss Ramos.
"They scored from a set-piece but it was meant to be a 0-0 as there were hardly any chances from either side.
"We were unlucky to concede and now we need to win in Anfield. We are behind in the tie, but it is far from over as we are capable of winning anywhere."
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Palestinian groups agree releases
Palestinian groups agree releases
 Senior Hamas officials, including Mahmoud Zahar, have agreed to release Fatah detainees |
Senior members of Hamas and Fatah, the main rival Palestinian factions, have agreed to release each other's members from detention.
Hamas has lifted house arrest on some Fatah members in the Gaza Strip while Fatah has released about 80 - out of a total 380 held - Hamas members.
The agreement came ahead of unity talks, due to start in Cairo, which could lead to more aid for Gaza.
The rivalry between the two came to a head when Hamas took control of Gaza.
"A certain number of detainees will be freed right at the beginning of the dialogue," said a statement from Azzam al-Ahmed, leader of the Fatah bloc in the Palestinian parliament, and Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas official, referring to the talks about to start in Egypt.
"Other detainees will be freed successively so that this issue will be totally closed before the end of the national Palestinian dialogue," the statement said.
The two sides also promised to stop media attacks against each other.
Unity talks
About a dozen Palestinian groups are expected to be represented in the national dialogue, whose aim is to set up a unity government.
A unity government could serve for an interim period, preparing for new presidential and legislative elections and co-ordinating the rebuilding of Gaza.
The US, Britain and the EU have made clear that they would rather see non-partisan technocrats in control of the Palestinian territories than a coalition which includes Hamas.
Egypt had originally called for Palestinian reconciliation talks in November.
However, Hamas withdrew from the talks, complaining that Fatah continued to arrest Hamas members in the West Bank.
The two sides have fundamental differences over how to deal with Israel. While Fatah has renounced violence, Hamas refuses to recognise Israel. Hamas is prepared to accept a short-term truce but it reserves the right to fight Israel.
Four British personnel are killed
Four British personnel are killed
 Three soldiers were killed in a blast and one in enemy fire, the MoD said |
Four British personnel have died from injuries sustained in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.
Three soldiers from 1st Battalion The Rifles were struck by a blast in the Gereshk district of Helmand province and pronounced dead at the scene.
The fourth, a Royal Marine from 45 Commando, was hit by enemy fire near Sangin and died in a UK hospital.
The deaths, in one day, take the number of UK servicemen and women killed in Afghanistan since October 2001 to 149.
It is believed the three soldiers in Gereshk either set off a landmine or a wire-triggered improvised explosive device.
They were on a routine escort operation.
'Deep sorrow'
A medical helicopter was scrambled but all three were pronounced dead.
Commander Paula Rowe, spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand, said after that incident it was an incredibly sad day for the whole force.
"We will all feel the loss of these brave soldiers, whose role was to build the capacity of the Afghan National Army," she said.
"But it is their family, friends and loved ones, as well as the men and women who served alongside them, who feel the greatest pain and we offer them our deepest and heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers."
|  Their valiant efforts will not be forgotten  Brig Gen Richard Blanchette |
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said the soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device.
It was the worst loss of life in a single incident for UK forces since December.
Spokesman Brig Gen Richard Blanchette said: "It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of these [three] soldiers and offer our condolences to their grieving families.
"Their valiant efforts will not be forgotten, and spurs us to continue our vital mission to bring security to the people of Afghanistan."
The Royal Marine was injured on a reassurance patrol in northern Helmand on Monday, the MoD said.
He was treated on the ground and at Isaf's medical facility at Kandahar Airfield, before being returned to the UK for further specialist treatment.
He died from his wounds in Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, on Wednesday.
Commander Rowe said: "The death of this brave Marine is a tragedy and his loss will be felt deeply by his family, friends and all those who served alongside him."
The next of kin of all four men have been informed.
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said improvised explosive devices were an increasing cause of death amongst UK soldiers.
"We understand the men may have been travelling in a Wmik, which is an armoured Land Rover," she said.
"But obviously if you have a bomb of a certain size, that can still be triggered despite the kind of counter measures they will have on those vehicles."
Obama's Commerce chief announced
Obama's Commerce chief announced
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US President Barack Obama has picked former Washington state Governor Gary Locke to be his Commerce Secretary.
This is the third time Mr Obama has picked a Commerce Secretary, after his previous two appointees both removed themselves from consideration.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson withdrew to fight an ethics probe, while Republican Senator Judd Gregg withdrew after political disagreements.
Mr Locke will be the third Asian-American in the new Cabinet.
Turkish plane crash in Amsterdam
Turkish plane crash in Amsterdam
Emergency services at the scene of the plane crash
A Turkish Airlines plane has crashed on landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol international airport, injuring at least 20 people.
The plane, with 135 passengers on board, crashed short of the runway near the A9 motorway and suffered significant damage.
It was Flight 1951 from Istanbul and was a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Witnesses have spoken of seeing at least 20 passengers walking from the wreckage, with luggage scattered about.
There were 127 passengers, including a baby, and seven crew on board.
Earlier reports said there was one dead, but Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim later clarified that no-one had died.
Turkish Airlines Candan Karlitekin told reporters: "There are injured passengers at the back of the plane but there are no confirmed casualties."
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The BBC's Geraldine Coughlan in the Hague says television has been showing pictures of helicopters at the scene, with about 20 ambulances and fire engines.
All flights have been suspended.
The last crash involving a Turkish Airlines plane was in 2003 when 65 people died in an accident in Turkey.
Schiphol airport has six runways and one major passenger terminal. In 2007, it handled 47 million passengers, ranking fifth in Europe.
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Turkey plane crashes in Amsterdam
Turkey plane crashes in Amsterdam
| |
A Turkish Airlines plane has crashed on landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol international airport, reports say.
The plane, with 135 passengers on board, is said to be in three pieces on the runway.
More details shortly.
Sierra Leone rebels await verdict
Sierra Leone rebels await verdict
 Some 120,000 people died in Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war |
A war crimes court is to deliver its verdict on three Sierra Leone rebel commanders accused of raping, mutilating and killing civilians.
Issa Sesay, 38, Morris Kallon, 45, and Augustine Gbao, 60, deny 18 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including use of child soldiers.
The trial of the RUF rebel leaders, relating to Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war, began in mid-2004.
The case is the last to be held at the special court in the capital Freetown.
The only trial still ongoing before the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone is that of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, whose case has been moved to The Hague for security reasons.
The three accused committed atrocities during the 1991-2001 civil war as senior commanders of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), prosecutors say.
The trio were allegedly involved in a joint criminal enterprise with Mr Taylor to control the diamond fields of Sierra Leone to finance their warfare.
Harrowing tales
The trial has heard harrowing tales from 75 prosecution witnesses of alleged rapes and killings at the hands of the RUF.
 Tens of thousands of civilians had limbs, noses or ears chopped off |
The RUF was notorious for using the so-called Small Boys Units - child soldiers forcibly recruited and issued with AK-47 assault rifles - who had a reputation for particular cruelty among the civilian population.
By the time the conflict ended, some 120,000 people had been killed while tens of thousands were left mutilated, their arms, legs, noses or ears cut off.
The Sierra Leone conflict was depicted in the 2006 film Blood Diamond, starring Djimon Hounsou, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly.