Russia's Lavrov to visit Iran for nuclear talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to visit Tehran next week to discuss bilateral relations and Iran’s nuclear programme after its leadership agreed alandmark deal on limiting enrichment.

“A visit by Sergei Lavrov to Iran is planned for December 10 to 11,” a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry told AFP.

During the visit, Lavrov plans to discuss “bilateral relations, regional problems and regulating the questions over (Iran’s) nuclear programme in the context of the agreements reached recently in Geneva,” the spokeswoman said.

Iran and world powers in Geneva last month agreed to freeze aspects of Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for a modest easing of the sanctions regime.

Iran denies that it is working to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a peaceful nuclear programme as suspected by Western powers and Israel.

Russia has aided Iran, a key regional ally since the Soviet era, in developing nuclear power generation, and completed the construction of its only functioning nuclear power station at Bushehr.

Iran is to hold expert-level talks with major powers on its nuclear programme next week in Vienna.

Money laundering: London police arrest 2 MQM associates

London Metropolitan Police. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON: The Metropolitan Police have arrested two people from West London in relation to a money laundering case involving the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Express News reported on Friday.

The exact details of those arrested are not known as yet, however, they are said to be associated with MQM and one of them was reportedly handling the party’s financial matters.

The police raided two houses in the city and arrested the suspects while also seizing a few items from the place.

The suspects – aged 40 and 70 years old – are now held at a police station and are being investigated.

British authorities had earlier informed Islamabad that its police found significant evidence against MQM workers in Imran Farooq’s murder case as well as against some MQM leaders in money laundering cases.

In August this year, MQM chief Altaf Hussain was investigated by the Metropolitan Police over the murder and suspicions of money laundering.

Murder

On September 16, 2010, 50-year-old Farooq was on his way home from work when he was attacked in Green Lane, outside his London home. The post-mortem examination revealed that he died from multiple stab wounds.

Zidane: World Cup win the most beautiful moment of my career

The Real Madrid assistant coach rates lifting the trophy in Saint-Denis 15 years ago as the most joyous moment he experienced in football

Zinedine Zidane has described France's World Cup triumph on home soil in 1998 as the most "beautiful" and "important" achievement of his career.

The former Juventus and Real Madrid star nearly had his tournament ruined by a dismissal against Saudi Arabia in the group stages but it was he who netted two crucial headers in Les Bleus' sensational 3-0 win over Brazil in the final in Saint-Denis.

Zidane, of course, is also responsible for one of the most iconic strikes in a Champions League final, against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002, but he rates lifting the World Cup in his home country as his most treasured footballing memory.

"It is certainly the most important thing that happened to me in my career," he told RMC.

"When you're a young player, you want to play in this competition. So, when you play in your country, and you win, you realise that this is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you."

Zidane is hoping that the current France side can emulate the achievement of Aime Jacquet's men in 1998 but feels that Brazil's home advantage could prove decisive.

"It's very important to have an entire nation behind its team," the Madrid assistant coach explained.

"I remember in 1998, we had played friendlies before the World Cup were pretty disastrous. Nobody was counting on us a team.

"But once we entered the competition, all players feel liberated and the public carried us to the final.

"Then facing Brazil, it was time to do something big. Everyone had hoped for this final. It was the icing on the cake.

"So, it is true that it was very important to have the public with us. It will be the same for Brazil next summer."

Bonera: Kaka better now than he was when he left AC Milan

The Brazilian was considered at the peak of his powers when he joined Los Blancos at 27 but the veteran defender says the attacking midfielder has developed in the interim

Daniele Bonera has claimed that Kaka has returned to AC Milan a better player than the one that left forReal Madrid four years ago.

The Brazilian was 27 when he arrived in the Spanish capital for a then world-record fee of €70 million but his time at the Santiago Bernabeu was blighted by injuries and poor form.

Indeed, there were those that questioned the wisdom of Milan's decision to re-sign the attacking midfielder on a free transfer this summer, particularly when he broke down again just after rejoining the Rossoneri, but Bonera says Kaka's performances in recent weeks have merely served to underline that he has actually developed as a player.

"He is appreciated by all of us," the 32-year-old defender told Corriere dello Sport. "He has improved in relation to his first spell at Milan.

"Ricky trained eight hours a day to recover from the injury [he picked up just after returning to Milan], without any complaints and making himself available to everyone.

"The fans see themselves in him. He's a good person, he gives his all, he sacrificed himself to return to Milan [by taking a wage cut] and it shows."

Bonera also voiced his support for Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has come under pressure on account of the club's underwhelming start to the Serie A season.

"Personally, I have to thank him for a lot," the centre-half explained. "He is a good person as well as a good coach. 

"He's always very serene. He analyses the situation calmly, but also knows how to raise his voice."

Real Madrid prepare sensational January move for Suarez

The Spanish giants are willing to pay up to £60 million to land the Liverpool star as they look to bolster their attacking line-up to challenge for La Liga and the Champions League

EXCLUSIVE
By Wayne Veysey

Real Madrid are preparing a sensational January move for Luis Suarez, Goal understands.

The Spanish giants have made the in-form Liverpool striker their No.1 marquee target for 2014 and will pull out all the stops to get him.

Goal understands that Real are willing to pay up to €72 million to land Suarez.

FOUR-MIDABLE

SUAREZ RATING VS NORWICH Pretty much unplayable in the first half as he scored a quite brilliant hat-trick. Never stopped running and looked to get others involved whenever possible. Sumptuous free-kick was the icing on the cake. FROM OUR LIVE! COMMENTARY GOAL! Luis Suarez does it again! This time, he benefits from a foul on Steven Gerrard by Russell Martin to lift the ball up and then down into the top corner beyond a hapless John Ruddy as Norwich's tormentor-in-chief comes back to haunt the Canaries yet again. Superb.

Liverpool rate Suarez in the same bracket as Gareth Bale, who joined Real for a world record €100m last summer, but the Uruguayan turns 27 in January and is unlikely to ever be able to command a higher fee than next year.

The Merseysiders resisted a £40m-plus-£1 bid from Arsenal for their prize asset in July and Liverpool would instantly dismiss a fresh attempt to sign him from a club they regard as rivals.

Arsene Wenger remains a huge admirer of Suarez but, as reported by Goal in November, Arsenal's pursuit of the forward is now "dead in the water".

However, a transfer overseas to a club of Real's prestige would be regarded as more palatable to Liverpool and their supporters.

The Spanish club prefer to do their principal transfer business in the summer window but signed Emmanuel Adebayor on a six-month loan deal in January 2011 when he was out of favour at Manchester City.

The only senior striker currently on Real's books, following the €37m sale of Gonzalo Higuain in July, is Karim Benzema. Suarez has the added attraction of being available to play in the Champions League knockout stages in the new year due to Liverpool not playing in European competition.

Sources have told Goal that Real will begin laying the foundations for a concerted push for Suarez in January, although the likelihood remains that they are more likely to get him next summer.

Suarez has been in outstanding form since returning to the Liverpool side following a 10-match domestic ban. The 26-year-old has scored 12 goals in 10 matches this season, including four in Liverpool's 5-1 midweek win over Norwich City.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers claimed on Wednesday that Suarez is the "happiest" he has ever been at Anfield and the player himself has said that he wants to help the Merseyside club clinch a top-four league finish before deciding his future.

However, Suarez went public with his desire to move to the Bernabeu last summer and is likely to have his head turned by strong interest from the club.

Lavezzi in the dark over Inter link

The Argentine has struggled to justify his €30 million price tag since arriving at the Parc des Princes from Napoli last year but says he does not know if he is bound for San Siro

Ezequiel Lavezzi is refusing to rule out the possibility of joining Inter in January but says that his current focus is on proving his worth to Paris Saint-Germain.

Nerazzurri boss Walter Mazzarri admitted on Wednesday that the Argentina international would be a "useful" addition to his squad during the winter transfer window.

Lavezzi freely admits that a move could materialise but insists that remains determined to justify the reported €30 million fee PSG paid to sign him from Napoli in 2012.

"Join Inter in January? I don't know," he told Le Parisien. "A player never knows exactly about these things. These are things that can happen in football. These are the possibilities of the transfer window; it's normal.

"But what I can tell you is that I will do everything to change my situation in Paris because I have not yet shown the best of myself and I don't want to continue like that. I want to reverse this trend and that's because I love Paris."

PSG boss Laurent Blanc claimed recently that Lavezzi was struggling physically and the 28-year-old attacker says his fitness has been an issue.

"It's true that I don't feel great," the Albiceleste ace confessed. "I didn't have a good preparation for the championship.

"And the fact that my level [of performance] is not good is certainly linked to the fact that I am, physically, a bit weak.

"So, I must speak with the doctor and remedy this situation.

Morata laughs off Real Madrid exit rumours

The promising striker is keen to stay at his current club and fight for his place despite reports linking him with a move to Arsenal

Alvaro Morata has insisted that he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid amid rumours linking him with Arsenal.

The Premier League leaders were allegedly keen to sign the Spain Under-21 international on loan until the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

However, Morata has made it clear that a winter move is not an option for him.

"I’m happy here and I feel that Carlo Ancelotti, [Zinedine] Zidane and all of the technical staff have a lot of confidence in me. I’m still only 21 and I want to continue with Madrid for a long time," the striker told reporters.

"Every player always wants to play and the boss has shown that he has faith in me – he has brought me on during difficult games and I am happy to have been able to repay him for the trust he has demonstrated in my abilities.

"I am very happy where I am and I hope to spend many more years with Madrid. Right now, the team is amazing and I think we are currently one of the most dangerous sides in Europe."

Morata's current contract with the Santiago Bernabeu side runs until June 2015.

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