Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Spurs are ready to hunt down Leicester, says Harry Kane

Harry Kane has warned Leicester City that Tottenham are "on their tails" after moving to within five points of the Premier League leaders.
Spurs increased the pressure on the Foxes by thrashing Stoke City 4-0 at the Britannia Stadium on Monday.
"We are not going anywhere," said 22-year-old striker Kane, who took his Premier League goal tally to 24 with a brace.
"If we keep playing like that, there are not many teams who will beat us."
The England player added that, with four games left for the top two sides, Spurs still believe they can win the title.
"We think we can do it, otherwise there's not much point being involved," he said. "Leicester are still in the driving seat being five points ahead but there are four games left and we've reduced the gap. That's all we could have done."
A dejected Alli reflects on his miss
A dejected Alli reflects on his miss
Dele Alli also scored twice in the victory over Stoke as Tottenham cut the gap to Leicester, who drew 2-2 with West Ham on Sunday.
He also hit the post when he had the goal at his mercy, evoking memories of Ronny Rosenthal's extraordinary miss against Aston Villa in 1992.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino echoed Kane's sentiments about the title race, insisting his players "really believe" they can overhaul the Foxes.
"This is our dream, to win the title," he said. "Always we try. You must never give up. You can feel every day this season from the beginning was special."
Tottenham have won 10 of their past 13 Premier League games to keep pace with Leicester and play on Monday night again in each of the next two weeks.
Stoke City 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur: We showed we believe - Mauricio Pochettino
"The most important thing is that the performance we showed was perfect," said Pochettino. "It was a big signal that we are there waiting and fighting."
Stoke boss Mark Hughes praised a "very impressive" Tottenham, describing them as stronger, faster and more powerful than his team.
"Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition," he added. "They are quick and sharp and have got that edge that chasing major trophies gives you.
"You wouldn't bet against them catching Leicester."

The run-in

LeicesterDateTottenham
Swansea (h)24 April
25 AprilWest Brom (h)
Man Utd (a)1 May
2 MayChelsea (a)
Everton (h)7 May
8 MaySouthampton (h)
Chelsea (a)15 MayNewcastle (a)

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Philippines candidate Duterte condemned over rape comments

A video of leading Philippines presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte joking about a murdered Australian rape victim has provoked a storm of protest.
The footage shows Mr Duterte and his supporters making light of the assault by prison inmates in 1989 when he was town mayor.
He said the female missionary was so beautiful that "the mayor should have been first".
Critics say this shows Mr Duterte is "unfit" for the office of president.
Mr Duterte's supporters however have dismissed the comments as a joke.
The candidate is known for his irreverent speeches and boasts of sexual conquests.
One recent poll had him leading over other contenders ahead of the 9 May election.

'Disgusting endorsement'

The rape comments in a YouTube video are the latest in a string of inflammatory statements - including the proposed mass executions of suspected criminals - made by Mr Duterte.
Supports of Rodrigo Duterte at an election rally east of Manila (12 April 2016)Image copyrightEPA
Image captionMr Duterte has been mobbed by supporters throughout much of the election campaign which culminates next month
Rodrigo Duterte (top right), Philippines presidential candidate and a local mayor, raises his fist during a motorcade campaign at Cainta Rizal, east of Manila (12 April 2016)Image copyrightReuters
Image captionMr Duterte has a popular following ahead of the 9 May poll
In the video he refers to the missionary who was murdered while ministering in a prison in the city of Davao in the southern Philippines and goes on to make his remark to laughter at a campaign rally.
President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Herminio Coloma said the comments reflected Mr Duterte's "lack of fitness for the presidency" and his "utter lack of respect for women".
A rival presidential candidate, Vice-President Jejomar Binay, called the comments revolting.
"You are a crazy maniac who doesn't respect women and doesn't deserve to be president," Mr Binay told Mr Duterte in a statement.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson said the comments "were a disgusting endorsement of sexual violence" for which Mr Duterte should be utterly condemned.
In 2015, HRW described Mr Duterte as the death squad mayor for his tactics in dealing with violent crime in Davao, with more than 1,000 people being killed.

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Lewis Hamilton battles back as Rosberg win Chinese Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg took his third straight win of 2016 as Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton fought back to seventh in a hectic Chinese Grand Prix.
World champion Hamilton started from the back, suffered a broken front wing on lap one and did five pit stops.
The Briton faces the prospect of trying to overhaul a 36-point deficit in the remaining 18 races of the season.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel came second despite colliding with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen on the first lap.
The two Ferraris collide at the Chinese Grand Prix
"Sorry boss" - a manic start saw the Ferraris collide with each other as the head of the company watched from the garage
The incident damaged both cars, with Raikkonen fighting back to fifth behind the Red Bulls of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.
Raikkonen's rise through the field included passing Hamilton in the closing stages, Ferrari's decision to use soft tyres for the final stint as opposed to the mediums chosen by Mercedes giving the Finn an advantage as the Briton fought in vain to try to pass the Williams of Felipe Massa.
Hamilton will express his confidence at being able to erode Rosberg's points lead and will expect his awful luck of the first three races to turnaround - but the fact remains that no driver who has won the first three races of a season has failed to go on to claim the World Championship.
Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna
Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna both claimed the world title having won at least the first three races of the season. The others are Alberto Ascari, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. Source: Forix

That crazy first lap

The race was shaped by an incident-packed opening, with a number of collisions on the first lap leading to the introduction of the safety car on lap four.
By that stage, Hamilton and Raikkonen had already pitted once to replace front wings damaged in first-corner collisions.
Raikkonen moved right into Vettel's path as the German moved left to ensure he was not tagged by an aggressive dive down the inside by Kvyat.
Hamilton was then turned into by Sauber's Felipe Nasr as he avoided Raikkonen's damaged car swerving back on to the circuit.
sergio marchionne
So, who would like to explain to this man what went on there, then? Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne makes an appearance outside the Ferrari garage
Vettel confronted Kvyat about the incident in the pre-podium room after the race, saying: "If I don't go left, you crash into us and we all three go out - you are like a torpedo."
Kvyat replied: "We didn't crash." Vettel responded: "You didn't. You were lucky this time." Kvyat shrugged: "I'm on the podium; you're on the podium."
In the post-race interviews, Kvyat added: "You see the gap, you go for it on the inside. You see one car it is hard to see both. It was a risky move, I agree with Seb but you have to take risks and I am on the podium."
Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel
"That's for shouting at Kvyat" - Vettel interrogated the Russian after the race over the first-lap collision

Ricciardo's fizzing start turns flat

At the front, Ricciardo had made a stunning start to take the lead from pole-sitter Rosberg at the first corner.
In the process his left-rear wheel had been tagged by Rosberg's front wing. Whether it was that or the debris on the track, Ricciardo suffered a left-rear puncture on lap three, allowing the Mercedes to pass.
Ricciardo would almost certainly not have been able to hold off Rosberg in any case, but his removal from the lead left the German serene out front.
Mercedes decided not to stop him under the safety car and when the race re-started on lap nine, Rosberg simply drove off into the distance.

Just the five pit stops then, Lewis...

lewis hamilton
Any great comeback from Hamilton was scuppered when he was hit by a Sauber and his car's aerodynamics were damaged
Hamilton, meanwhile, was in the wars. Mercedes stopped him twice under the safety car, doing only one lap on the super-soft tyres in an attempt to ensure he could use only the softs for the rest of the race.
So Hamilton had done three stops within the first six laps and he was lying third from last at the restart.
He began his fightback from there, with the Ferraris doing the same - Vettel starting from 11th and Raikkonen not far behind Hamilton, who said his progress had been affected by damage to the car in the incident with Nasr.
"The car was pretty damaged," said the 31-year-old afterwards. "I'm sure it was some aero components but I think it was the suspension as well because it was flexing all over the place."
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said the front wing had damaged the leading edge of the floor and the barge boards when it came off and that the car had lost a "lot of aerodynamic performance".
After a further switch to the medium compound tyres to last the race, Hamilton was not able to recover as much ground as the Ferraris and faces an uphill battle if he is to stop Rosberg winning his first world title this year.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton came back to the pits - five times
John Watson in 1983
Comeback king: John Watson won the 1983 Long Beach Grand Prix having started 22nd on the grid
chinese gp
Daniel Ricciardo overtook Nico Rosberg at the first corner, but lost the lead when he suffered a puncture
chinese gp
The safety car was called out as marshals raced to clean a lot of debris off the track
chinese gp
That's three race wins this season and six in a row for German Rosberg - he's starting to look impressive

Leonardo Ulloa's stoppage-time penalty salvaged a point for 10-man Leicester as West Ham threatened to derail the Foxes' Premier League title charge.

Leonardo Ulloa scored a 95th minute equaliser for Leicester

Jamie Vardy's first-half strike gave the hosts the lead before he received a second yellow card in the 56th minute for a dive in the penalty area.
Andy Carroll equalised from the spot before Aaron Cresswell smashed home a brilliant second from outside the area.
But with seconds left Ulloa converted after Carroll had fouled Jeff Schlupp.

The facts you need to know

  • Leicester have won (11) and scored (9) more penalties than any other Premier League team this season.
  • Leicester scored with both of their shots on target.
  • West Ham were awarded their first Premier League penalty on the road since October 2010.
  • Vardy is only the second Leicester player to score and be sent off in the same league game (David Lowe v Wimbledon in 1994 is the other).
  • Vardy has scored the opening goal in 11 Premier League games this season - more than any other player.
  • Vardy has had a hand in more Premier League goals this season than any other player (22 goals, 6 assists).