07.11.2009. 17:43h

Norwich striker Chris Martin puts four past Paulton

• Paulton Rovers 0-7 Norwich City • Bromley 0-4 Colchester • Stourbridge 0-1 Walsall Chris Martin scored four times for Norwich City as the League One side inflicted a 7-0 defeat on Paulton Rovers of the Zamaretto South and West League when the first...

Related articles:

Norwich striker Chris Martin puts four past Paulton

suggest

whole article guardian.co.uk, world

07.11.2009. 17:01h

How far can Lula's stardust scatter? | Richard Bourne

to have ridden out the global economic crisis with an enhanced reputation. In April he was congratulated by Barack Obama at the Summit of the Americas as the most popular politician on the planet, and he has had approval ratings of over 80%. The Chatham House award may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread; Lula was voted for by members ahead of the prince who is foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, and the president of Liberia. But he deserves to be saluted not only for the economic management of his government – enormously helped by the discovery of deepwater oil fields, and the international commodities boom – but for the role he has played in consolidating democracy in his country. For over 20 years, from 1964 onwards, Brazil was a military dictatorship. He has represented the democratic impulse since his days as a strike leader in the 1970s, he later set up the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores) at the start of the 1980s. He ran three times for president before getting elected in 2002, and has ruled out altering the constitution to permit a third four-year term, despite calls from "friends" who know his personal popularity is greater than his party's. Elsewhere, the undemocratic impulse is still alive and well. In the Commonwealth, Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni – outgoing chair of an association that advertises democracy – has altered the constitution so that he can stay in office. In Venezuela, president Chávez has done the same, waving the banner of radical Bolivarian socialism. If all power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, the rotational principle remains central to the practice of democracy. In fact Brazil's 1988 constitution laid down a single term for the president, and Lula opposed President Fernando Henrique Cardoso when he altered it to permit two terms. And not everything is splendidly democratic in Brazil. Shortly after Lula was re-elected in 2006 there was an enormous row when congressmen sought to virtually double their emoluments – a project only reined in by the public outcry. Corruption scandals, including a deal in which small, unprincipled and rapacious parties were put on the government payroll, nearly prevented Lula's re-election. While his PT party has recovered slightly from its ethical disasters, he has had to rule by means of a series of coalitions, and the pork-barrel business of politics in a large, federal country has not greatly altered. But Lula's popularity rests not only on his famously dynamic personality, but on his efforts to reduce the huge inequalities in Brazil, and his success in putting the country on the world map. Even in his first term, experts were pointing out that increases in the minimum salary and in the Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) programme were reducing poverty and hunger for the poorest. His own experience as a poor northeastern boy in a dysfunctional family, who migrated to the industrial area around Sao Paulo, had given him a political determination quite unusual in the modern world. Further his country, famously described as the "country of tomorrow" in the 1940s, seems actually to have arrived. The Bric grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and China beloved of emerging market analysts may conceal many differences, but the Brazilian currency has strengthened, Lula was standing at Obama's right hand in official photos of the Pittsburgh G20 summit, and his active lobbying as a football and sports fan has yielded the football World Cup in 2014 and the Rio Olympics in 2016. However no amount of presidential verve can wish away Brazil's immense problems – social, environmental and economic. Crime remains horrendous; there aren't many countries where gangsters shoot down a police helicopter, as happened in Rio recently, and human rights are routinely ignored in spite of an active NGO network and vibrant media. And can Lula, who is working hard on it, mastermind his succession? Some say that he could get a broomstick elected. Others that his stardust is so personal to himself, that it will not scatter easily to others. His favourite has been Dilma Rousseff, a one-time guerrilla who has been managing the presidential office, but who has had a brush with cancer. Presidential elections will be held in 2010, and Brazilian politicos, working in a still fluid party system with four large parties and many others, are already manoeuvring the pieces at state level. It is right that Chatham House is honouring Lula. He stands for democracy, and for the worst-off. These are still valuable qualities in the 21st century. Brazil Drugs trade Richard Bourne guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

producing a team whose most impressive Champions League performances are achieved on foreign fields, only to be soured by a travelling support whose tendency towards delinquency is seemingly incurable? The Ibrox side's heavy home defeats by Sevilla and Unirea Urziceni – each by an embarrassing 4-1 – have been countered by two unbeaten trips to Stuttgart and Bucharest. But the latest of their 1-1 draws, in the Romanian capital last Wednesday, will, very likely, result in punitive measures from the Uefa disciplinary committee. The governing body, having charged Rangers with "the improper conduct of their supporters", will deliberate the episode on Wednesday and have hinted at a heavy sentence as a consequence of the club's record in this area. The 'yellow sheet' does not encourage hope of leniency. They have been fined more than ?30,000 for the unacceptable behaviour of their fans in Villarreal in 2006 and away to Osasuna the following year. They were also fortunate not to suffer at Uefa's hands for the rioting of their fans in Manchester during last year's Uefa Cup final. Because the mayhem occurred in the city centre, rather than the City of Manchester Stadium, the football authorities regarded it was a civic matter, and left charges, conviction and punishment to the police and magistrates. They are unlikely to be merciful in the wake of supporters' charging at stewards and ripping out and hurling seats, all of it captured very clearly on video. Unirea may also be in bother for opening two, rather than the pre-arranged four, turnstiles, resulting in a late surge of fans, which Martin Bain, the Rangers chief executive, claimed had contributed to the tension inside the ground. But the host club's offence will be viewed with nothing like the seriousness of that of the visitors. "Rangers will be charged over the improper conduct of their supporters," said a spokesman, "and, in any inquiry, the background of the club involved is taken into account." Predictably after Bain's ill-advised utterances – he had tried to direct culpability for the disorder at the local stewards and police – nobody at Ibrox has been prepared to comment on an event that few, if any, personnel will have witnessed. But it is believed there is a growing conviction within the club that the most appropriate and, curiously, most helpful action Uefa could take would be to ban Rangers fans from travelling to European games. This would save the club a fine they can ill afford and release them from the anxiety they experience, every time they leave the country, as a consequence of their supporters' appalling record of misbehaviour. Influential voices inside Ibrox also believe such prohibition could effect reform among fans, who would, at last, realise the extent of the damage done to their club by their criminality. For Smith, the campaign in Group G has been at least as sickening as the scuffling at the Steaua Stadium in Bucharest. With two points from four matches, Rangers are bottom of the table, needing to win their last two matches – at home to VfB Stuttgart and away to Sevilla – to retain even a gossamer-thin chance of reaching the knockout phase. "The frustrating thing," said Smith, "has been the decent standard we have achieved away from home, while falling so spectacularly on our own ground. We haven't managed even the fundamentals of keeping the ball and passing to a team-mate in our home games, and that has to change." Champions League Rangers Uefa Glenn Gibbons guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Champions League. Discussions were also held on if the club fail to qualify for next season's lucrative European competition. The Liverpool manager revealed today that the club did not budget this term for anything beyond the group stages. And Benítez insisted he was confident that financial problems next season will be avoided "because we will achieve a top four finish". Liverpool have never failed to reach the last 16 under Benítez's management, but they are in grave danger of that eventuality now with qualification from Group E out of their hands after the midweek draw in Lyon. They must hope that Lyon win their next match away to Fiorentina, and that Liverpool win their final two group games to produce the "miracle" Benítez admits they need now. Reaching the Champions League next season is also under threat with them currently sixth in the Premier League, a point behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who are at Anfield on November 21. Before that Liverpool face Birmingham at Anfield on Monday, needing to get their current form back on track. Liverpool face earning ?10m less from their European campaign this season if they do not reach the last 16, with another ?10m lost if they do not qualify for next season's group stages. Benítez says: "I spoke to Christian Purslow (Liverpool's managing director) the other day about the finances. The first thing, though, is that we have confidence we can still reach the last 16 of the Champions League this season. "But whatever happens, the budget was done for this season based on us only qualifying for the group stages. And we did that, that is complete. Whether we can still bring in more money, we will wait and see. The commercial department is working very hard, for the next season (in Europe) it is a question of time. "The Premier League is a long race, we must keep going. I am confident the team will finish in the top four and we are able to continue to do well in Europe, so let's start against Birmingham with the right result. We have to do our job against Birmingham, and then I can guarantee that things will start to get easier." Liverpool Champions League Rafael Benítez Premier League guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Liverpool face ?10m shortfall if they fail to progress • Benítez insists they will finish in Premier League top four Rafael Benítez has held talks with his Liverpool bosses over the implications if the club fail to reach the last 16 of this season's...

Related articles:

Liverpool hold European crisis talks

suggest

whole article guardian.co.uk, world

07.11.2009. 15:46h

24 hours in pictures

7 November 2009: A selection of the best images from around the world

Related articles:

24 hours in pictures

suggest

whole article guardian.co.uk, world

07.11.2009. 15:07h

Gordon Brown calls for global bank bailout fund

would never again be borne by taxpayers. Addressing a G20 meeting in Scotland, Brown said it was not acceptable that banking success was reaped by the few but failure was "borne by all of us". He called for a fund for future bank bailouts to be set up, possibly paid for by a tax on banking transactions. Brown told the meeting of finance ministers from the world's 20 richest nations in St Andrews that there should be a "just distribution of risks and rewards". "I believe we should discuss whether we need a better economic and social contract to reflect the global responsibilities of financial institutions to society," he said. "This is a unique sector that, when it fails, imposes such a high cost to the wider economy and damage to society that government intervention becomes essential. So the taxpayer had no real choice but to step in to keep the system afloat. "And it cannot be acceptable that the benefits of success in this sector are reaped by the few but the costs of its failure are borne by all of us. "There must be a better economic and social contract between financial institutions and the public based on trust and a just distribution of risks and rewards." Max Lawson, Oxfam senior policy adviser, said: "Gordon Brown today signalled that pay-back time for banks could be just around the corner. A tax on banks would be a major step towards clearing up the mess caused by their greed. "The G20 has a responsibility to act. Every minute around the world 100 people are forced into extreme poverty as a result of the economic crisis. Money raised by a financial transaction tax on banks could make a massive difference to the lives of ordinary people." Brown also repeated his warning that it was still too soon for countries to consider withdrawing the one trillion dollar "stimulus" package which they agreed to support their economies. Some G20 nations, including the US and Germany, want to debate ending the measures. "While recent indications of economic expansion give cause for cautious optimism they are not a reason to end economic stimulus prematurely," he said. "It would be dangerous to put recovery at risk by suddenly cutting off the funding and investment that is supporting families and businesses through the most challenging times in a generation." He added that when the time came, it was important that countries were able to co-ordinate their "exit strategies". As well as discussing how and when to withdraw the huge taxpayer support they have given their economies over the past two years, finance ministers at the two-day summit are also expected to focus on climate finance ahead of next month's United Nations conference in Copenhagen. The International Monetary Fund will tell the G20 that the global economic recovery is uneven and the timing of any exit strategies should err on the side of supporting demand. "The pace of recovery is uneven, particularly in advanced economies, with consumer confidence remaining subdued, the waning of temporary fiscal measures such as the cash-for-clunkers programme in the US and similar programmes elsewhere is slowing production," an IMF paper said. Gordon Brown Banking G20 Global recession David Batty guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

this is not allowed by the law. They are the carriers of all sorts of diseases, tuberculosis, Aids, scabies, hepatitis" This is how Giancarlo Gentilini, former mayor of Treviso (1994-2005) and current deputy mayor, a leading figure in the Lega Nord (Northern League), addressed the Festival of the People of Padania in September 2008. Last month he was convicted by a court in Venice of "inciting racial hatred" and, as a result, will not be allowed to address political rallies for three years. In the country where Mussolini's racial laws were approved in 1938, the current anti-fascist constitution, which came into force on 1 January 1948 after the liberation struggles, forbids the re-formation of the Fascist party. In postwar Italy, both fascism and racism – the essence of the extreme right – have therefore had to find new and original ways of expressing themselves. Gianfranco Fini, president of the house of deputies, originally belonged to the neofacist party Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI). The MSI subjected itself to a long and critical review of its fascist roots, and by the 1990s had accepted the values of parliamentary democracy and the constitution of the republic, relaunching itself as the Alleanza Nazionale (National Alliance). In the meantime the rich Italian vein of xenophobic and racist ideas were siphoned off into the Lega Nord, a grassroots movement inspired by the French New Right ethno-pluralists such as Alain de Benoist. The ugly face of this movement was hidden behind the term "federalism" –- which is why Gentilini and Mario Borghezio, the colourful MEP also from the Lega Nord, always brag that they are "federalists". Gentilini's real views are clearly expressed in the quote above that lead to his conviction. In this, he mirrors the feelings of many fellow inhabitants in the wealthy and economically successful Veneto region. Amid all this, Fini, who is the third highest officer in the state after president Giorgio Napolitano and prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, and is now the deputy leader in Berlusconi's Popolo della Libert?, finds himself in a difficult position in his efforts to build a respectable right, albeit with ample room to manoeuvre. On the one hand, he has to steer the rightwing vote away from the racism of characters such as Gentilini, whose supporters fundamentally oppose the political unity of Italy, and who consider the south of the country to be as under-developed as the Islamic countries on the Mediterranean coast. On the other hand, Fini has to provide a buffer for Berlusconi's subversive tendencies, displayed last week when he announced, following the court's rejection of British lawyer David Mills' appeal in a corruption case in which he is also involved: "I will not resign even if I am convicted." Accordingly, Berlusconi's party has for some time now been unable to use the traditional rightwing motto of "Law and Order". Instead the Italian centre-right has been busy demolishing the respect for legality, in a long-running campaign to denigrate judges. Fini has attempted to thwart this suicidal strategy, which undermines the foundations of the rule of law and civil relations between the government and the opposition. But he is not yet strong enough to defeat an excessively rich and powerful media tycoon like Berlusconi. Translated from Italian by Judy Segor The far right Italy Race issues Roberto Mancini guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Gianfranco Fini is caught between Berlusconi's waywardness and unreconstructed racists within the Lega Nord "We must cleanse our streets of the black-skinned, the yellow-skinned, the Roma … I would have all the immigrants put on file, one by one. Unfortunately,...

Related articles:

Italy's respectable right wing in a bind | Roberto Mancini

suggest

whole article guardian.co.uk, opinion

07.11.2009. 14:00h

Tottenham up the ante with Chelsea over ground naming rights

suggest

whole article guardian.co.uk, world

07.11.2009. 02:25h

Woman dies saving son from house fire

after the two became trapped in a bedroom on Thursday, but she was overcome by smoke and flames before rescue teams could reach her. Neighbours at the house, in Bodmin, Cornwall, alleged that a firework was put through the family's letterbox by a gang who had bullied her son because he has learning difficulties. One neighbour, Doreen Rowe, 59, said: "With it being bonfire night, there were loads of kids on the street last night armed with fireworks. Police have told us one of them has put one through Mary's letterbox. She was not the only one targeted, because my next door neighbour had one thrown at her house too. "My husband saw a whole gang of youngsters carrying fireworks not long before it happened. "I'm devastated about what has happened. Mary was such a lovely lady. I used to be able to hear her singing from my garden sometimes – she had a beautiful voice." Rowe said Fox, who also has four daughters, was a "dear old soul and a hero" for saving her son's life. He suffered only minor injuries from the fall. Fox's friend, Kerry Ollerenshaw, 36, said a gang had been letting off fireworks near the family's home for days and said Raum, who reportedly changed schools because of bullying, had been a victim of intimidation. "Her son had learning difficulties and the kids on this estate can be very harsh," she said. "They hang around in groups, harassing and intimidating. Raum was a victim of that. "I can't believe someone would be callous enough to put a firework through a letterbox." Steve Halstead, group manager of Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service, said investigations into the cause of the fire were still being carried out. "There are several avenues of investigation," he said. "Obviously, with it being November 5, the possibility that fireworks were involved is something we are looking at. We are carrying out tests for all kinds of accelerant, which is normal procedure. "Fire crews arrived at the scene to find a severe fire. There were flames already visible from the windows. We were made aware there was a person inside and crews made their way to the first floor ... Unfortunately the fire was fully developed and they found the casualty was already deceased." A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said they were keeping an "open mind" about the cause of the fire, but "nothing had been ruled out". The incident comes nearly two months after an inquest heard that Fiona Pilkington, a 38-year-old single mother, killed herself and her teenage daughter, who also suffered learning difficulties, after years of sustained abuse by a gang of youths. Crime Firefighters Jo Adetunji guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds