I’m not making excuses, says Arsene Wenger

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk Arsene Wenger says he will remain steadfast in his footballing beliefs despite Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, which left them nine points behind the Barclay’s Premier League leaders. “There is only one way to play football – that is to win games and be efficient,” the Arsenal manager said. “The best way to win the games is the way that is most adapted to the qualities of your players and the philosophy of your club. That is what we try to be faithful to. “You have to accept that when you lose games, the way you play is always questioned – what becomes a fantastic quality when you win, becomes a fantastic mistake when you lose. It is like that. “We still have to believe in the way we do things, in the way we play and to show that strength.” However, Wenger believes his post-match comments were taken out of context. “I was full of compliment and praise for Chelsea,” Wenger said. “I find it completely unfair from the press that you take one word from my press conference to turn it.

Mukesh Ambani and Subrata Roy ‘preparing Liverpool takeover bid’

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk Two Indian business tycoons were reported last night to be lining up attempts to take control of Liverpool. Mukesh Ambani and Subrata Roy were said to be willing to pay off the club’s £237m debt in return for a 51% stake in the club, according to The Times. Ambani is India’s wealthiest person with a fortune valued at about $20bn. He is the chairman of India’s Reliance Industries and owns the Mumbai Indians cricket team. Roy, chairman of the Sahara Group, which sponsors the India cricket team, is also a billionaire. Liverpool’s co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, have been searching for fresh investment for some time but they are not thought to want to sell more than 50% of the club’s shares. They have been seeking investment of £100m for a minority stake in the club. The Americans have been ordered by the Royal Bank of Scotland to reduce Anfield’s debt by £100m before July. There is also said to be interest from the United States and from a Saudi Arabian consortium.

Body found in plane landing gear hatch

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk Japanese authorities are trying to identify a body found inside one of the landing gear compartments on a Delta Airlines plane flight that arrived in Tokyo from New York. The body of the apparent stowaway, identified only as that of a male with dark skin, was clad in a long-sleeved plaid shirt and jeans, said police at the Narita international airport. A mechanic found the body lying inside the landing gear compartment of the Boeing 777-200 during maintenance after Delta Flight 59 from New York landed at Narita on Sunday night, police official Zenjiro Watanabe said. “All we know is that he must have sneaked in just before departure, because it is impossible for him to enter the storage during flight,” Watanabe said. The body had no visible injuries except signs of frostbite and the man might have frozen to death during the flight, Watanabe said. The temperature in that part of the plane falls to about -50C during flight.

Philippines charge clan head over massacre

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk Andal Ampatuan Jr before a hearing earlier this month. His father has now been charged over the massacre in the Philippines. Photograph: Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images Prosecutors in the Philippines today filed murder charges against the head of a powerful clan and 195 others, including his three sons, for the massacre of 57 people in November. The indictment said Andal Ampatuan Sr and the others were part of a conspiracy to ambush and kill members of the rival Mangudadatu family, who were shot by 100 gunmen in Maguindanao province, in the southern Philippines. Among those killed in the country’s worst election violence were 30 journalists who were going to cover the filing of candidacy papers of Esmael Mangudadatu, who is running for governor, in the May elections. Before today’s indictment, only the patriarch’s son, Andal Ampatuan Jr, had been formally charged.

Victoria Beckham gifts pigs to husband!

clipped from www.hindustantimes.com Singer-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham paid £1,400 for two miniature pot-bellied Gloucester Old Spot cross-breed animals for the soccer star as an early Christmas present. A source said: “What can you possibly buy the multi-millionaire, superstar footballer who has absolutely everything? “In the case of David Beckham, the answer is, obviously, a pair of cuddly designer piglets. “Victoria fell in love with them and realised she’d found the perfect present.” The former Spice Girls star was said to be particularly keen on the pigs – which David wants to name Pinky and Perky after characters in a children’s TV show – because they are easy to house-train. The source added to Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper: “”Micro pigs are incredibly clean and easy to train. They will be given the run of the place and could even end up watching TV on David and Victoria’s laps.”