Two goals from Neymar, the first a brilliant finish, gave Brazil a comfortable victory over a limited Scotland This afternoon we get to find out how old fashioned hustle and bustle fares against samba artistry. Just how will Ramires and Lucas Leiva cope with Charlie Adam? Got you! This match won’t be played in Rio and nor will it be played in Edinburgh. No, instead Brazil and Scotland are hot-footing it to the Emirates Stadium. Apparently Brazil’s fans aren’t too happy about their side jetting about all over Europe playing friendlies, although speaking as someone who’s sat through far too many England friendlies, the further away these games are, the better. In any case, what better venue than Arsenal’s ground than the purveyors of Joga Bonito , whatever the hell that is, and the owners of the aforementioned Charlie Adam? That said, Craig Levein has been known to take a leaf out of Fun Bobby’s book and play a revolutionary 4-6-0 formation. There are some nifty footballers playing for Scotland though. Aside from Adam, James McCarthur – not to be confused with his Wigan team-mate James McCarthy – and James Morrison are two smooth midfielders. Kenny Miller once scored a really important goal against Dani Alves. Alan Hutton is the Scottish Dani Alves. Gary Caldwell is always amusing to watch. Christophe Berra has an exotic name. For Brazil, there’s no obvious stand-out player. The old fantasy isn’t quite there; there’s no Ronaldinho, no Kaka, no Ronaldo, no Adriano, no Robinho, not that this lot are exactly a bunch of chancers. David Luiz and Maicon are only on the bench after all. The one to watch out for today is Neymar, the prodigiously talented Santos youngster, Neymar, who West Ham pretended they wanted tried to sign in the summer. Weather update: It’s sunny and hot in north London, as if Brazil needed any more of an advantage. Brazil (4-4-2): Julio Cesar; Alves, Lucio, Thiago Silva, Andre Santos; Jadson, Lucas, Ramires, Elano; Damiao, Neymar. Subs: Victor, Jefferson, Maicon, Luisao, David Luiz. Sandro, Henrique, Elias, Renato Augusto, Lucas, Jonas. Scotland (4-5-1): McGregor; Hutton, Caldwell, Berra, Crainey; Morrison, Adam, Brown, McArthur, Whittaker; Miller. Referee: England’s Howard Webb. On Twitter, TLDORC is imploring me to mention Elano. ELANO. Craig Levein hasn’t shaved. What a maverick. I toyed with the idea of letting my face hair run wild last week, but it was too itchy, so I cracked early on. The shame. Ronaldo – the Ronaldo – has just made an appearance on the pitch to a fantastic reception. He was quite good. He’s also now huge. He has no shame. What a man. These sides met in the 1998 World Cup, Brazil winning 2-1 thanks to a Tommy Boyd own goal. Oh Tommy! The teams are out. What a nice atmosphere. Both sets of players will be introduced to guest of honour, Ronaldo. The Brazil players probably know who he is. In the commentary, Kevin Gallacher is reminiscing about the game in 1998. Amy Macdonald will sing the Scottish national anthem. She’s a self-taught musician, apparently inspired by Travis. Hmmm. I never knew such a thing was possible. Can we have the Brazilian national anthem? It’s lovely. 1 min: We’re off! Scotland kick off from right to left and immediately hoof the ball out of play on the right, playing for territory. They’ve got Brazil running scared already. They keep the pressure on, and just outside the area, Miller backs into Lucio, who nudges him over. This is a great position for Adam. 2 min: The free-kick is 25 yards out, just to the right, a perfect position for Adam, who’s scored from here with that marvellous left foot of his. This, though, is not so perfect, wafted straight into the wall, and Brazil clear. 3 min: Scotland fans boo as Brazil get a feel of the ball. Really? It’s only a friendly. Someone should tell Scott Brown and Andre Santos though, who have just a minor disagreement over a throw-in. A throw-in. Maybe it’s the sun. 5 min: Adam woefully gives the ball away with a square pass across the face of his own area, straight to Neymar. The 19-year-old darts into the area menacingly, but Hutton ushers him down a blind alley and he’s eventually crowded out. Brazil win it back quickly though, and Neymar tees up Lucas for a shot from 25 yards out, but it’s hit with all the confidence of a man with 0.2 career goals. 6 min: I’m watching this on an internet feed. It’s grainy. 7 min: Scotland’s game plan is clear; make room for Adam in the centre, so he can ping the ball about at will. He’s just tried two diagonal balls in quick succession, one to the right and one to the left, but neither Andre Santos nor Dani Alves were having anything of it. Clearly, though, Scotland have identified Brazil’s full-backs as weak links. Not so sure about that, myself. 8 min: Damiao is played to the byline with a glorious reverse pass by Elano on the left, but it’s just overhit, meaning the attacker is on the stretch as he pulls his cross back into the six-yard box. Neymar is waiting, but McGregor plunges on the ball comfortably enough. 10 min: Well, it’s pretty even so far, which is another way of saying nothing’s happened yet. 11 min: This is a waste. Just for a moment, Scotland’s defence appeared to be creaking under the pressure as Jadson found space on the right, but he checked back on to his left foot and then generously looped a dire cross out for a goal-kick, Neymar’s efforts to keep it in all in vain. But well done for the youthful zest and energy. He’ll soon have that ground out of him. 12 min: Brazil are starting to settle into their groove. Neymar is clearly the biggest threat for them. It looked like he was going nowhere on the left flank, but suddenly produced a marvellous backheel to Andre Santos, whose return pass inside Hutton was judged to perfection. Neymar was away down the inside-left channel, but with Scotland’s defence all over the place, his cutback took a nick off a Scottish defender, taking it away from the waiting Brazil forwards. The ball came back to Alves on the edge of the area, but after a clever pirouette, his attempted pass through to Jadson was overhit. 15 min: Elano is allowed too much time on the right to whip a cross to the far post, where Ramires rises above Hutton to head over the bar. “Where o where can Arsenal’s Denilson be?” asks Scott Stricker. “Surely his performances warrant a Brazil call-up.” Especially on home soil. 16 min: Neymar’s a bag o’tricks at times – although he has a ridiculous haircut. It looks like a really bushy mohawk, although it also seems to resemble something from the 80s. More on this soon. 18 min: It feels like a matter of time for Brazil. Jadson suddenly finds himself clear on the right side of the area, and whacks a low shot towards goal. It’s straight at McGregor, who makes a meal of the effort, spilling it out into the six-yard box. Thankfully Neymar slips when he might have just prodded the ball home and Scotland hack it clear. 20 min: Another miss from Brazil! Whittaker is caught napping as Alves makes one of his buccaneering charges forward from right-back. Elano spots his run and lofts a delightful ball towards him, and Alves’ header into the area is put scrambled behind for a corner. Elano sends it in from the right and Damiao leaps above two – two! – Scottish defenders beautifully to power a header inches over the angle of post and bar. He really should have scored. On target, it was in. 23 min: The game is now being exclusively played in Scotland’s half, which isn’t a huge surprise. Crainey deflects Elano’s cross behind for another corner… 24 min: Scotland defend the corner better this time, the ball headed clear, but the danger’s not over. It only comes straight back to Elano, who clips another teasing cross into the six-yard box where, again, Damiao causes havoc, looping a header wide of the left post. Scotland need to deal not only with this threat in the area, but also concentrate on stopping Elano’s crosses. 25 min: Another Howard Webb special. On the edge of Scotland’s area, Neymar dinks the ball past Hutton, who clumsily whacks him on the knee. That should be a free-kick, but Webb awards nothing, which isn’t much of a surprise . The ball deflects to the left of the area for Ramires but his volley is charged down by Caldwell. 27 min: Again Whittaker switches off on the left, and Brazil take advantage. This is far too easy. Elano stands on the right touchline, no one bothering to put any pressure on him, and he’s able to lazily roll a pass behind Whittaker for the onrushing Lucas, no one going with the Liverpool midfielder. Lucas reaches the byline, and slams the ball into the six-yard box, where chaos ensues. With various team-mates to pick out, this was actually a terrible cross from Lucas, but it deflects up off the chest of the diving McGregor and on to the arm of Caldwell in front of his own goal. It’s not handball, though, as he knew nothing about it, and he does well to adjust his body and ensure he doesn’t divert the ball into his own goal. Instead it loops wide of the right post, where Damiao, trying to rescue the situation, can only touch it out for a goal-kick. 28 min: Now Alves breaks clear into the area, but his shot is charged down by Berra. He looked poised to score there. 30 min: Neymar has been off getting treatment after a clash with Scott Brown, although he’s able to continue. 33 min: I can’t remember the last time Scotland got into Brazil’s half. That said, it’s still 0-0, so they probably won’t care too much. Probably not for too much longer though. 34 min: Danger as Elano coaxes a super little pass into the path of Neymar, who shapes to shoot on the edge of the area, only to be denied by a wonderful double-challenge from Adam and Caldwell. 35 min: In the context of the match, this is a brilliant chance for Scotland. Just after the tackle on Neymar, Scotland broke forward and Morrison won a free-kick on the left, around 40 yards from goal. Adam curled it into the area and Whittaker used the pace on the ball to glance a header a few yards wide of the right-hand post. Unlucky. If it had been on target, it was one of those skimming headers which would have given the goalkeeper no chance. But it wasn’t on target, so you don’t care about all that, do you? 37 min: Now Brazil have a free-kick on the left touchline, but Neymar proves he’s no Charlie Adam, hitting the first man. “Watched the Argentina – USA friendly yesterday,” says Paul Taylor. “Argentina for most of the game passed and played like Spain/Barca—a beautiful side, with Messi to boot. Are they a new/old power in the making?” They really should be. Essentially they just need to be coached properly and lose their ability to choke when it comes to the crunch. 39 min: For all their dominance and possession, Brazil haven’t created too many clear-cut chances, which is mainly down to some thunderous tackles from the Scotland defence. On occasion they’ve been caught out, but hardly embarrassed. There have been dodgy moments, but McGregor hasn’t actually had to overly exert himself. 40 min: Brazil joga bonito their way through the middle, Neymar at the heart of the move, twisting, flicking, spinning and generally dazzling the Scottish defence with some astonishing footwork. He also produces the final pass too, scooping the ball through to Damiao, but unfortunately the flag goes up. GOAL! Brazil 1-0 Scotland (Neymar, 42 min): Well, he’s been the undoubted star of this first half and this is an absolutely brilliant goal. This kid is definitely one for the future. Scotland haven’t really coped at all well with Brazil’s marauding full-backs, and this time Andre Santos was sent haring clear on the left. No one got close to him and he was able to slide the ball into the area for Neymar, around 10 yards from goal. His first touch wasn’t great, setting him off balance, and Caldwell appeared to have the situation covered. But then out of nothing, he adjusted himself and, quick as a flash, he suddenly opened up his body and curled a sublime shot around Caldwell, using him as shield to flummox McGregor, and into the bottom right corner. Now that’s what they mean when they talk about joga bonito. 44 min: Neymar. He’ll be at Real Madrid next season. 45 min: The match is now on ITV, bizarrely. 45 min+2: The best aspect of Neymar’s goal was that Caldwell, while essentially a mere spectator, was also unwittingly the most important thing about it. Peep! Peep! Howard Webb blows for half time. Well that was enjoyable. It’s always good to find out what all the fuss was about. More on Travis. “Never mind Travis just inspiring musicians, yesterday, on the Glasgow Underground, I saw a Wedding Venue being advertised by an inspiring quote-cum-review from Fran “the Main Travis Guy” Healy!” says Ryan Dunne. “How the mighty are fallen. Or not so much. I also think Ronaldo should have tried another season, in the Scottish Fitba League. Kris Boyd, plump and beery, never bothered to run around and he still scored oodles up here.” It would be like George Best and Rodney Marsh playing for Fulham. Hair update: Actually, Neymar’s hair is a bit like Pumba’s in the Lion King . So a cross between a punk and a warthog. Good job he’s so good at football. 46 min: Happily neither side have made any changes. Brazil get us going again, and Neymar starts where he left off, hitting the bar with a magnificent shot! Once again Adam gave the ball away in his own half, allowing Neymar to run at a retreating Scotland defence and crack the ball over McGregor from 25 yards out, the ball whistling past the goalkeeper and clipping the top of the bar. This kid has got it. 47 min: What on earth is McGregor thinking of here? In possession of the ball, instead of kicking it clear, he rolls the ball to the edge of the area to McArthur, facing his own goal. He’s immediately smothered by two Brazilian midfielders, Ramires robbing him and advancing forward, clear on goal. This really should be 2-0 but amazingly Ramires also makes the wrong choice, trying to set up Neymar for a tap-in. He gets the pass all wrong, allowing McGregor to redeem himself, diving at the youngster’s feet and scooping the ball away, before charging down Elano’s follow-up. 50 min: Alves squeezes a pass into the area for Ramires, but he’s closed down well by Berra. As with the first half, even when they get the ball, Scotland are struggling to make it out of their own half. This has been a chastening experience for them. 51 min: For a moment, Miller finds himself with time and space on the edge of Brazil’s area, after Whittaker had tackled Alves, but Webb blows for a foul to Brazil, despite the Scottish midfielder getting the ball. Oh Howard. 53 min: Dear me. What a superb miss from Ramires. Once again, Brazil poured forward on the counter, the ball worked to Jadson, in space on the right side of the area. He had around 73 team-mates to pick out in the area, and decided to roll it across to Ramires. No more than eight yards out, he totally lost his head, leant back and blazed the ball miles over the bar. I’ve just seen it whizz past our office in Kings Cross. 55 min: That Ramires shot wouldn’t have looked out of place in this video. 57 min: Scotland make their first change, Barry Bannan, currently on loan at Leeds, coming on for James McArthur. 58 min: Adam concedes a foul around 40 yards from goal in a central position. Elano is standing over it. Surely not? He does have form from this range , mind you. No. He does shoot, but it’s a fairly tame effort, making its way through the wall but bouncing straight into the arms of McGregor. 60 min: Another Elano corner from the right, another Leandro Damiao header wide. Once again the marking was non-existent, once again the leap was prodigious, once again the header was off target, once again he should have scored. 61 min: This is a worrying sight for Blackpool fans – Charlie Adam has gone down clutching his knee after tackling Elano. He looks to be in some pain. 62 min: Well, he’s had some treatment and he’s up again and waiting to come back on, although Craig Levein should probably think about taking him off. 63 min: And straight away, Adam is back in the action. He finds a bit of space and looks to float a ball over the top for Miller. His pass is blocked but deflects into the path of Morrison, who chests the ball forward, forcing Ramires to come across and shank the ball out for a corner. And Adam hits the first man. What a waste. 65 min: Kris Commons comes on for Steven Whittaker. 66 min: Peter Drury needs to think before he speaks. He’s just described Bannan blocking a Lucio clearance out for a Brazil throw-in as a “lovely moment”. Really, Peter? Really? This is a decent little spell for Scotland though, not allowing Brazil to settle at all. Adam has a pop from 30 yards out but it flies well over the top. 67 min: More pressure on Lucio forces him to concede another corner on the left, much to the delight of the Scotland fans, who haven’t had much to cheer about today. Adam’s corner is headed clear by Thiago Silva though. Drury doesn’t decide to call this fairly mundane occurrence a “lovely moment” though. I wonder why. 69 min: “Any Scot getting forward becomes engulfed by Brazilians like a gazelle that’s been separated from the herd trying to escape a pride of lions,” says Linda Howard. “Although Scotland don’t really come off a gazelles, do they? Hippos? Baby hippos?” 70 min: Ramires bursts powerfully through the middle but Hutton cuts out his poor pass, which was intended for Neymar. He reminds me a bit of Nigel Reo Coker in that regard. 72 min: Alves shoots over the top. Brazil make their first change, Lucas on for Jadson. “Not Charlie Adam of course,” says Linda Howard, arguing with herself. “A bit harsh. Charlie Adam is there. Surely not a hippo.” 73 min: For a moment, it looked like Miller was about to reach a long ball over the top, but the ball agonisingly skipped off the surface and span through to Julio Cesar, which, I believe, is the first time I’ve mentioned him today. 74 min: The game is being broken up now by the changes – the former Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley manager Danny Wilson comes on for Christophe Berra. 76 min: PENALTY TO BRAZIL! And inevitably, Neymar’s won it. He got the wrong side of Adam just inside the area, and the Blackpool midfielder clipped his heels. An easy decision. GOAL! Brazil 2-0 Scotland (Neymar pen, 77 min): Coolly done. McGregor dives to his left, Neymar strokes the ball to his right. He’s been the difference today. All he needs is a proper haircut. 78 min: Charlie Adam, who’s not had the best time of it today, is replaced by Robert Snodgrass. For Brazil, Jonas is on for Leandro Damiao. 81 min: Have you seen what Neymar looks like?” quotes Mike Wilkins. Have you seen Morrissey’s ‘Kill Uncle’ ? You have your answer.” 82 min: Charlie Adam was rubbish, rather like Aaron Ramsey was for Wales yesterday. But rather than criticise this pair, it should be noted that both were playing against much better teams than the ones they represent. 83 min: Brazil make another change, Elias on for Elano. 84 min: “Don’t touch him,” parps Peter Drury, as Neymar skips into the area, somehow managing to imply the kid dived for the penalty. 85 min: The first glimpse of the new youngster, Lucas, who goes on a lovely run past a host of tired Scottish challenges. He moves it to the right for Alves, who touches it back to Lucas, whose clipped shot is deflected by Crainey, taking the sting out of the shot. Brazil cry for handball, but Webb is having none of it. 86 min: Alves stands up a cross from the right, and Elias sends a header narrowly over the bar. That’s the cue for Levein to send on Craig Mackail-Smith for Kenny Miller. This is Mackail-Smith’s international debut, much to the wonderment of the ever-innocent Peter Drury. Sandro is also on for Brazil, in place of Lucas Leiva. 89 min: Scotland win a free-kick 25 yards out, a late chance for a consolation. Bannan’s effort is decent, but straight at Cesar, who makes his first save of the afternoon. “Hair-wise, are we sure Neymar hasn’t been inspired by Travis?” asks Mark Gillies. “Bickle, I mean. Why weren’t you watching ITV from the start like the rest of us?” It was on there from the start. 90 min: Neymar, who’s achieved the rare feat of making an international friendly vaguely watchable, is replaced by Renato Augusto. A good afternoon’s work for the youngster, who will have made a few people sit up and take notice with a sparkling performance. 90 min+2: Neymar’s not the only youngster who’s caught the eye. Lucas has been very impressive since coming on, inventive and skillful in equal measure. Just here, a delightfully disguised pass set Jonas through on goal, but his finish, lashed over the top from close range, did not do the assist justice. Scotland make a final change, Don Cowie on for James Morrison. Peep! Peep! Peep! And there it is. Howard Webb brings the match to an end. That wasn’t much of a contest, to be perfectly honest. Hopefully Scotland enjoyed their day out. They’ll enjoy it even more now that’s over, safe in the knowledge they won’t have to play Neymar again any time soon. Thanks for reading and thanks for emailing. Bye. Friendlies Scotland Brazil Jacob Steinberg guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Two goals from Neymar, the first a brilliant finish, gave Brazil a comfortable victory over a limited Scotland This afternoon we get to find out how old fashioned hustle and bustle fares against samba artistry. Just how will Ramires and Lucas Leiva cope with Charlie Adam? Got you! This match won’t be played in Rio and nor will it be played in Edinburgh. No, instead Brazil and Scotland are hot-footing it to the Emirates Stadium. Apparently Brazil’s fans aren’t too happy about their side jetting about all over Europe playing friendlies, although speaking as someone who’s sat through far too many England friendlies, the further away these games are, the better. In any case, what better venue than Arsenal’s ground than the purveyors of Joga Bonito , whatever the hell that is, and the owners of the aforementioned Charlie Adam? That said, Craig Levein has been known to take a leaf out of Fun Bobby’s book and play a revolutionary 4-6-0 formation. There are some nifty footballers playing for Scotland though. Aside from Adam, James McCarthur – not to be confused with his Wigan team-mate James McCarthy – and James Morrison are two smooth midfielders. Kenny Miller once scored a really important goal against Dani Alves. Alan Hutton is the Scottish Dani Alves. Gary Caldwell is always amusing to watch. Christophe Berra has an exotic name. For Brazil, there’s no obvious stand-out player. The old fantasy isn’t quite there; there’s no Ronaldinho, no Kaka, no Ronaldo, no Adriano, no Robinho, not that this lot are exactly a bunch of chancers. David Luiz and Maicon are only on the bench after all. The one to watch out for today is Neymar, the prodigiously talented Santos youngster, Neymar, who West Ham pretended they wanted tried to sign in the summer. Weather update: It’s sunny and hot in north London, as if Brazil needed any more of an advantage. Brazil (4-4-2): Julio Cesar; Alves, Lucio, Thiago Silva, Andre Santos; Jadson, Lucas, Ramires, Elano; Damiao, Neymar. Subs: Victor, Jefferson, Maicon, Luisao, David Luiz. Sandro, Henrique, Elias, Renato Augusto, Lucas, Jonas. Scotland (4-5-1): McGregor; Hutton, Caldwell, Berra, Crainey; Morrison, Adam, Brown, McArthur, Whittaker; Miller. Referee: England’s Howard Webb. On Twitter, TLDORC is imploring me to mention Elano. ELANO. Craig Levein hasn’t shaved. What a maverick. I toyed with the idea of letting my face hair run wild last week, but it was too itchy, so I cracked early on. The shame. Ronaldo – the Ronaldo – has just made an appearance on the pitch to a fantastic reception. He was quite good. He’s also now huge. He has no shame. What a man. These sides met in the 1998 World Cup, Brazil winning 2-1 thanks to a Tommy Boyd own goal. Oh Tommy! The teams are out. What a nice atmosphere. Both sets of players will be introduced to guest of honour, Ronaldo. The Brazil players probably know who he is. In the commentary, Kevin Gallacher is reminiscing about the game in 1998. Amy Macdonald will sing the Scottish national anthem. She’s a self-taught musician, apparently inspired by Travis. Hmmm. I never knew such a thing was possible. Can we have the Brazilian national anthem? It’s lovely. 1 min: We’re off! Scotland kick off from right to left and immediately hoof the ball out of play on the right, playing for territory. They’ve got Brazil running scared already. They keep the pressure on, and just outside the area, Miller backs into Lucio, who nudges him over. This is a great position for Adam. 2 min: The free-kick is 25 yards out, just to the right, a perfect position for Adam, who’s scored from here with that marvellous left foot of his. This, though, is not so perfect, wafted straight into the wall, and Brazil clear. 3 min: Scotland fans boo as Brazil get a feel of the ball. Really? It’s only a friendly. Someone should tell Scott Brown and Andre Santos though, who have just a minor disagreement over a throw-in. A throw-in. Maybe it’s the sun. 5 min: Adam woefully gives the ball away with a square pass across the face of his own area, straight to Neymar. The 19-year-old darts into the area menacingly, but Hutton ushers him down a blind alley and he’s eventually crowded out. Brazil win it back quickly though, and Neymar tees up Lucas for a shot from 25 yards out, but it’s hit with all the confidence of a man with 0.2 career goals. 6 min: I’m watching this on an internet feed. It’s grainy. 7 min: Scotland’s game plan is clear; make room for Adam in the centre, so he can ping the ball about at will. He’s just tried two diagonal balls in quick succession, one to the right and one to the left, but neither Andre Santos nor Dani Alves were having anything of it. Clearly, though, Scotland have identified Brazil’s full-backs as weak links. Not so sure about that, myself. 8 min: Damiao is played to the byline with a glorious reverse pass by Elano on the left, but it’s just overhit, meaning the attacker is on the stretch as he pulls his cross back into the six-yard box. Neymar is waiting, but McGregor plunges on the ball comfortably enough. 10 min: Well, it’s pretty even so far, which is another way of saying nothing’s happened yet. 11 min: This is a waste. Just for a moment, Scotland’s defence appeared to be creaking under the pressure as Jadson found space on the right, but he checked back on to his left foot and then generously looped a dire cross out for a goal-kick, Neymar’s efforts to keep it in all in vain. But well done for the youthful zest and energy. He’ll soon have that ground out of him. 12 min: Brazil are starting to settle into their groove. Neymar is clearly the biggest threat for them. It looked like he was going nowhere on the left flank, but suddenly produced a marvellous backheel to Andre Santos, whose return pass inside Hutton was judged to perfection. Neymar was away down the inside-left channel, but with Scotland’s defence all over the place, his cutback took a nick off a Scottish defender, taking it away from the waiting Brazil forwards. The ball came back to Alves on the edge of the area, but after a clever pirouette, his attempted pass through to Jadson was overhit. 15 min: Elano is allowed too much time on the right to whip a cross to the far post, where Ramires rises above Hutton to head over the bar. “Where o where can Arsenal’s Denilson be?” asks Scott Stricker. “Surely his performances warrant a Brazil call-up.” Especially on home soil. 16 min: Neymar’s a bag o’tricks at times – although he has a ridiculous haircut. It looks like a really bushy mohawk, although it also seems to resemble something from the 80s. More on this soon. 18 min: It feels like a matter of time for Brazil. Jadson suddenly finds himself clear on the right side of the area, and whacks a low shot towards goal. It’s straight at McGregor, who makes a meal of the effort, spilling it out into the six-yard box. Thankfully Neymar slips when he might have just prodded the ball home and Scotland hack it clear. 20 min: Another miss from Brazil! Whittaker is caught napping as Alves makes one of his buccaneering charges forward from right-back. Elano spots his run and lofts a delightful ball towards him, and Alves’ header into the area is put scrambled behind for a corner. Elano sends it in from the right and Damiao leaps above two – two! – Scottish defenders beautifully to power a header inches over the angle of post and bar. He really should have scored. On target, it was in. 23 min: The game is now being exclusively played in Scotland’s half, which isn’t a huge surprise. Crainey deflects Elano’s cross behind for another corner… 24 min: Scotland defend the corner better this time, the ball headed clear, but the danger’s not over. It only comes straight back to Elano, who clips another teasing cross into the six-yard box where, again, Damiao causes havoc, looping a header wide of the left post. Scotland need to deal not only with this threat in the area, but also concentrate on stopping Elano’s crosses. 25 min: Another Howard Webb special. On the edge of Scotland’s area, Neymar dinks the ball past Hutton, who clumsily whacks him on the knee. That should be a free-kick, but Webb awards nothing, which isn’t much of a surprise . The ball deflects to the left of the area for Ramires but his volley is charged down by Caldwell. 27 min: Again Whittaker switches off on the left, and Brazil take advantage. This is far too easy. Elano stands on the right touchline, no one bothering to put any pressure on him, and he’s able to lazily roll a pass behind Whittaker for the onrushing Lucas, no one going with the Liverpool midfielder. Lucas reaches the byline, and slams the ball into the six-yard box, where chaos ensues. With various team-mates to pick out, this was actually a terrible cross from Lucas, but it deflects up off the chest of the diving McGregor and on to the arm of Caldwell in front of his own goal. It’s not handball, though, as he knew nothing about it, and he does well to adjust his body and ensure he doesn’t divert the ball into his own goal. Instead it loops wide of the right post, where Damiao, trying to rescue the situation, can only touch it out for a goal-kick. 28 min: Now Alves breaks clear into the area, but his shot is charged down by Berra. He looked poised to score there. 30 min: Neymar has been off getting treatment after a clash with Scott Brown, although he’s able to continue. 33 min: I can’t remember the last time Scotland got into Brazil’s half. That said, it’s still 0-0, so they probably won’t care too much. Probably not for too much longer though. 34 min: Danger as Elano coaxes a super little pass into the path of Neymar, who shapes to shoot on the edge of the area, only to be denied by a wonderful double-challenge from Adam and Caldwell. 35 min: In the context of the match, this is a brilliant chance for Scotland. Just after the tackle on Neymar, Scotland broke forward and Morrison won a free-kick on the left, around 40 yards from goal. Adam curled it into the area and Whittaker used the pace on the ball to glance a header a few yards wide of the right-hand post. Unlucky. If it had been on target, it was one of those skimming headers which would have given the goalkeeper no chance. But it wasn’t on target, so you don’t care about all that, do you? 37 min: Now Brazil have a free-kick on the left touchline, but Neymar proves he’s no Charlie Adam, hitting the first man. “Watched the Argentina – USA friendly yesterday,” says Paul Taylor. “Argentina for most of the game passed and played like Spain/Barca—a beautiful side, with Messi to boot. Are they a new/old power in the making?” They really should be. Essentially they just need to be coached properly and lose their ability to choke when it comes to the crunch. 39 min: For all their dominance and possession, Brazil haven’t created too many clear-cut chances, which is mainly down to some thunderous tackles from the Scotland defence. On occasion they’ve been caught out, but hardly embarrassed. There have been dodgy moments, but McGregor hasn’t actually had to overly exert himself. 40 min: Brazil joga bonito their way through the middle, Neymar at the heart of the move, twisting, flicking, spinning and generally dazzling the Scottish defence with some astonishing footwork. He also produces the final pass too, scooping the ball through to Damiao, but unfortunately the flag goes up. GOAL! Brazil 1-0 Scotland (Neymar, 42 min): Well, he’s been the undoubted star of this first half and this is an absolutely brilliant goal. This kid is definitely one for the future. Scotland haven’t really coped at all well with Brazil’s marauding full-backs, and this time Andre Santos was sent haring clear on the left. No one got close to him and he was able to slide the ball into the area for Neymar, around 10 yards from goal. His first touch wasn’t great, setting him off balance, and Caldwell appeared to have the situation covered. But then out of nothing, he adjusted himself and, quick as a flash, he suddenly opened up his body and curled a sublime shot around Caldwell, using him as shield to flummox McGregor, and into the bottom right corner. Now that’s what they mean when they talk about joga bonito. 44 min: Neymar. He’ll be at Real Madrid next season. 45 min: The match is now on ITV, bizarrely. 45 min+2: The best aspect of Neymar’s goal was that Caldwell, while essentially a mere spectator, was also unwittingly the most important thing about it. Peep! Peep! Howard Webb blows for half time. Well that was enjoyable. It’s always good to find out what all the fuss was about. More on Travis. “Never mind Travis just inspiring musicians, yesterday, on the Glasgow Underground, I saw a Wedding Venue being advertised by an inspiring quote-cum-review from Fran “the Main Travis Guy” Healy!” says Ryan Dunne. “How the mighty are fallen. Or not so much. I also think Ronaldo should have tried another season, in the Scottish Fitba League. Kris Boyd, plump and beery, never bothered to run around and he still scored oodles up here.” It would be like George Best and Rodney Marsh playing for Fulham. Hair update: Actually, Neymar’s hair is a bit like Pumba’s in the Lion King . So a cross between a punk and a warthog. Good job he’s so good at football. 46 min: Happily neither side have made any changes. Brazil get us going again, and Neymar starts where he left off, hitting the bar with a magnificent shot! Once again Adam gave the ball away in his own half, allowing Neymar to run at a retreating Scotland defence and crack the ball over McGregor from 25 yards out, the ball whistling past the goalkeeper and clipping the top of the bar. This kid has got it. 47 min: What on earth is McGregor thinking of here? In possession of the ball, instead of kicking it clear, he rolls the ball to the edge of the area to McArthur, facing his own goal. He’s immediately smothered by two Brazilian midfielders, Ramires robbing him and advancing forward, clear on goal. This really should be 2-0 but amazingly Ramires also makes the wrong choice, trying to set up Neymar for a tap-in. He gets the pass all wrong, allowing McGregor to redeem himself, diving at the youngster’s feet and scooping the ball away, before charging down Elano’s follow-up. 50 min: Alves squeezes a pass into the area for Ramires, but he’s closed down well by Berra. As with the first half, even when they get the ball, Scotland are struggling to make it out of their own half. This has been a chastening experience for them. 51 min: For a moment, Miller finds himself with time and space on the edge of Brazil’s area, after Whittaker had tackled Alves, but Webb blows for a foul to Brazil, despite the Scottish midfielder getting the ball. Oh Howard. 53 min: Dear me. What a superb miss from Ramires. Once again, Brazil poured forward on the counter, the ball worked to Jadson, in space on the right side of the area. He had around 73 team-mates to pick out in the area, and decided to roll it across to Ramires. No more than eight yards out, he totally lost his head, leant back and blazed the ball miles over the bar. I’ve just seen it whizz past our office in Kings Cross. 55 min: That Ramires shot wouldn’t have looked out of place in this video. 57 min: Scotland make their first change, Barry Bannan, currently on loan at Leeds, coming on for James McArthur. 58 min: Adam concedes a foul around 40 yards from goal in a central position. Elano is standing over it. Surely not? He does have form from this range , mind you. No. He does shoot, but it’s a fairly tame effort, making its way through the wall but bouncing straight into the arms of McGregor. 60 min: Another Elano corner from the right, another Leandro Damiao header wide. Once again the marking was non-existent, once again the leap was prodigious, once again the header was off target, once again he should have scored. 61 min: This is a worrying sight for Blackpool fans – Charlie Adam has gone down clutching his knee after tackling Elano. He looks to be in some pain. 62 min: Well, he’s had some treatment and he’s up again and waiting to come back on, although Craig Levein should probably think about taking him off. 63 min: And straight away, Adam is back in the action. He finds a bit of space and looks to float a ball over the top for Miller. His pass is blocked but deflects into the path of Morrison, who chests the ball forward, forcing Ramires to come across and shank the ball out for a corner. And Adam hits the first man. What a waste. 65 min: Kris Commons comes on for Steven Whittaker. 66 min: Peter Drury needs to think before he speaks. He’s just described Bannan blocking a Lucio clearance out for a Brazil throw-in as a “lovely moment”. Really, Peter? Really? This is a decent little spell for Scotland though, not allowing Brazil to settle at all. Adam has a pop from 30 yards out but it flies well over the top. 67 min: More pressure on Lucio forces him to concede another corner on the left, much to the delight of the Scotland fans, who haven’t had much to cheer about today. Adam’s corner is headed clear by Thiago Silva though. Drury doesn’t decide to call this fairly mundane occurrence a “lovely moment” though. I wonder why. 69 min: “Any Scot getting forward becomes engulfed by Brazilians like a gazelle that’s been separated from the herd trying to escape a pride of lions,” says Linda Howard. “Although Scotland don’t really come off a gazelles, do they? Hippos? Baby hippos?” 70 min: Ramires bursts powerfully through the middle but Hutton cuts out his poor pass, which was intended for Neymar. He reminds me a bit of Nigel Reo Coker in that regard. 72 min: Alves shoots over the top. Brazil make their first change, Lucas on for Jadson. “Not Charlie Adam of course,” says Linda Howard, arguing with herself. “A bit harsh. Charlie Adam is there. Surely not a hippo.” 73 min: For a moment, it looked like Miller was about to reach a long ball over the top, but the ball agonisingly skipped off the surface and span through to Julio Cesar, which, I believe, is the first time I’ve mentioned him today. 74 min: The game is being broken up now by the changes – the former Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley manager Danny Wilson comes on for Christophe Berra. 76 min: PENALTY TO BRAZIL! And inevitably, Neymar’s won it. He got the wrong side of Adam just inside the area, and the Blackpool midfielder clipped his heels. An easy decision. GOAL! Brazil 2-0 Scotland (Neymar pen, 77 min): Coolly done. McGregor dives to his left, Neymar strokes the ball to his right. He’s been the difference today. All he needs is a proper haircut. 78 min: Charlie Adam, who’s not had the best time of it today, is replaced by Robert Snodgrass. For Brazil, Jonas is on for Leandro Damiao. 81 min: Have you seen what Neymar looks like?” quotes Mike Wilkins. Have you seen Morrissey’s ‘Kill Uncle’ ? You have your answer.” 82 min: Charlie Adam was rubbish, rather like Aaron Ramsey was for Wales yesterday. But rather than criticise this pair, it should be noted that both were playing against much better teams than the ones they represent. 83 min: Brazil make another change, Elias on for Elano. 84 min: “Don’t touch him,” parps Peter Drury, as Neymar skips into the area, somehow managing to imply the kid dived for the penalty. 85 min: The first glimpse of the new youngster, Lucas, who goes on a lovely run past a host of tired Scottish challenges. He moves it to the right for Alves, who touches it back to Lucas, whose clipped shot is deflected by Crainey, taking the sting out of the shot. Brazil cry for handball, but Webb is having none of it. 86 min: Alves stands up a cross from the right, and Elias sends a header narrowly over the bar. That’s the cue for Levein to send on Craig Mackail-Smith for Kenny Miller. This is Mackail-Smith’s international debut, much to the wonderment of the ever-innocent Peter Drury. Sandro is also on for Brazil, in place of Lucas Leiva. 89 min: Scotland win a free-kick 25 yards out, a late chance for a consolation. Bannan’s effort is decent, but straight at Cesar, who makes his first save of the afternoon. “Hair-wise, are we sure Neymar hasn’t been inspired by Travis?” asks Mark Gillies. “Bickle, I mean. Why weren’t you watching ITV from the start like the rest of us?” It was on there from the start. 90 min: Neymar, who’s achieved the rare feat of making an international friendly vaguely watchable, is replaced by Renato Augusto. A good afternoon’s work for the youngster, who will have made a few people sit up and take notice with a sparkling performance. 90 min+2: Neymar’s not the only youngster who’s caught the eye. Lucas has been very impressive since coming on, inventive and skillful in equal measure. Just here, a delightfully disguised pass set Jonas through on goal, but his finish, lashed over the top from close range, did not do the assist justice. Scotland make a final change, Don Cowie on for James Morrison. Peep! Peep! Peep! And there it is. Howard Webb brings the match to an end. That wasn’t much of a contest, to be perfectly honest. Hopefully Scotland enjoyed their day out. They’ll enjoy it even more now that’s over, safe in the knowledge they won’t have to play Neymar again any time soon. Thanks for reading and thanks for emailing. Bye. Friendlies Scotland Brazil Jacob Steinberg guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …NYT’s Kristof Admits US Hypocrisy in Protecting Humanitarian Interests in a Country With Oil
March 27, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media On CNN’s The Situation Room today, The New York Time’s Nick Kristof does something we don’t see on these cable news shows very often if ever; admits that the United States has a problem that includes the word “oil” when it comes to what countries we decide are worth involving ourselves in that have a horrible humanitarian crisis going on. BLITZER: When should the United States intervene, militarily, in a country where awful things are happening, for example, like Libya as opposed to the Ivory Coast or Sudan, Darfur? What’s the benchmark there? KRISTOF: Well, I think that a lot of critics, especially liberal critics, are pointing to the U.S. involvement in Libya and saying this is inconsistent. This is hypocritical because you are intervening with a country with oil, and you don’t intervene in a country that undergoes terrible humanitarian disasters for an even longer period, that doesn’t have oil. You know, I think we have to plead guilty. There is a real inconsistency there. But I guess I would also say, you have to start somewhere. One of the oldest problems in the world of humanitarianism and the world of international relations is what you do when a leader begins to devour his people. We are not going to intervene in every case, but in some cases we will be able to build an international coalition, and there will be the popular support that will make it clear that we can actually accomplish something. So I think that in this case we should do it. I would point out that in other areas of humanitarian intervention, for example, feeding the starving. We don’t have to say that unless we reach every starving child, it’s not worth it. Just because we didn’t intervene in some cases we still should have intervened in Bosnia. I think we should have intervened in Rwanda. I would love to see more international attention to the tragedy unfolding in Ivory Coast, but if we can’t muster the gumption to do that, let’s at least support the people of Libya and prevent massacres there. I think that would be easier for a lot of people to do if we weren’t already so cynical about the reasons for our military interventions in the Middle East and other areas and propping up so many bad actors whenever it’s convenient for us if it suits the financial interests of big multi-national corporations.
Continue reading …NYT’s Kristof Admits US Hypocrisy in Protecting Humanitarian Interests in a Country With Oil
March 27, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media On CNN’s The Situation Room today, The New York Time’s Nick Kristof does something we don’t see on these cable news shows very often if ever; admits that the United States has a problem that includes the word “oil” when it comes to what countries we decide are worth involving ourselves in that have a horrible humanitarian crisis going on. BLITZER: When should the United States intervene, militarily, in a country where awful things are happening, for example, like Libya as opposed to the Ivory Coast or Sudan, Darfur? What’s the benchmark there? KRISTOF: Well, I think that a lot of critics, especially liberal critics, are pointing to the U.S. involvement in Libya and saying this is inconsistent. This is hypocritical because you are intervening with a country with oil, and you don’t intervene in a country that undergoes terrible humanitarian disasters for an even longer period, that doesn’t have oil. You know, I think we have to plead guilty. There is a real inconsistency there. But I guess I would also say, you have to start somewhere. One of the oldest problems in the world of humanitarianism and the world of international relations is what you do when a leader begins to devour his people. We are not going to intervene in every case, but in some cases we will be able to build an international coalition, and there will be the popular support that will make it clear that we can actually accomplish something. So I think that in this case we should do it. I would point out that in other areas of humanitarian intervention, for example, feeding the starving. We don’t have to say that unless we reach every starving child, it’s not worth it. Just because we didn’t intervene in some cases we still should have intervened in Bosnia. I think we should have intervened in Rwanda. I would love to see more international attention to the tragedy unfolding in Ivory Coast, but if we can’t muster the gumption to do that, let’s at least support the people of Libya and prevent massacres there. I think that would be easier for a lot of people to do if we weren’t already so cynical about the reasons for our military interventions in the Middle East and other areas and propping up so many bad actors whenever it’s convenient for us if it suits the financial interests of big multi-national corporations.
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Tokyo Electric Power says initial reports of levels 10m times higher than normal in parts of No 2 reactor were inaccurate Fresh doubt was cast on a Japanese firm’s handling of the Fukushima nuclear crisis after officials admitted overstating high levels of radiation that prompted an evacuation. Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said initial reports of levels 10m times higher than normal in parts of the No 2 reactor were inaccurate, although it was unable to say by how much. The initial report said the worker who made the measurement, in a pool of water in the reactor’s basement turbine building, had fled before taking a second reading. The worker’s discovery prompted another evacuation at the site, halting work to pump and store radioactive water that has built up in the turbine buildings of three of the plant’s six reactors. Tepco said later that the pool of water had been contaminated with radiation but the extremely high reading was a mistake. “The number is not credible,” said a spokesman, Takashi Kurita. “We are very sorry.” Kurita said officials were taking another sample to get accurate levels, but did not know when the results would be announced. Evidence of dangerous contamination in the No 2 reactor emerged days after three workers were exposed to high levels of radioactivity while repairing the cooling system at the No 3 reactor. Two of the men received suspected beta ray burns after stepping into water with radiation levels 10,000 times higher than normal. Reports said the workers were due to be discharged from hospital on Monday. Modest progress was made over the weekend to remove contaminated water and step up work to cool the reactors with fresh water, rather than corrosive sea water. But Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned that the emergency could continue for weeks, and possibly months. “This is a very serious accident by all standards,” Amano told the New York Times . “And it is not yet over.” One pump is being used to extract radioactive water, and two more will be taken to the site. The US military is sending barges loaded with 500,000 gallons of fresh water to nearby Onahama Bay. Two of Fukushima’s six reactors are considered safe, having achieved “cool shutdown”, but the remaining four have yet to be brought under control. Japan’s nuclear safety agency Nisa said temperature and pressure inside all six reactors had stabilised. Yukio Edano, the chief government spokesman, said the myriad problems at the power plant were no closer to being resolved. “We are preventing the situation from worsening,” he said. “We have restored power and pumped in fresh water, and we are making basic steps towards improvement. But there is still no room for complacency.” Growing concern over food safety spread to the fishing industry over the weekend when officials said sea water samples taken 20 miles off the coast of the Fukushima plant contained 1,850 times the normal level of radioactivity. Nisa said the tainted seawater posed no risk to health. “Ocean currents will disperse radiation particles and so it will be very diluted by the time it is consumed by fish and seaweed, and even more by the time they are consumed by humans,” a spokesman said. “There is no need to worry about health risks.” Japan disaster Japan Natural disasters and extreme weather Nuclear power Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Townhall ‘s Andrew Tallman will ‘take his chances with the Jared Loughners of the world’ over our Government
March 27, 2011 No Comment
enlarge C&L readers know that I have my own spiritual beliefs, but I keep them private and rarely write about them because they are mine, not right or wrong—not better or worse than yours and certainly not in conflict if you have none at all. And then there’s the RRRs: the religious right Republicans who can’t stop telling you enough times how superior they are because of their belief in their GOD. I write this because not only does Tallman write a despicable column, but then he uses his GOD to justify it. He’s terribly upset with Gail Collins because she –like most Liberals– advocates for stricter gun controls in a countrywith an incredible amount of guns causing incredible amounts of harm. And unfortunately, it’s only enabled by courts that are willing to rule that people drinking in bars in states like Arizona should have the freedom to carry guns . When Gabby Giffords was shot in the head by a lunatic packing a Glock, the debate on sensible gun control did come back to the forefront since most of us are civilized people. Jamison Foser was the first person I saw write about Tallman’s dressed-up psycho-philosophical debate about good and evil, making a rather odious analogy as a response to Collins’ column: Townhall columnist and talk radio host Andrew Tallman finds a rather inflammatory way to emphasize his dislike of the government : [T]he government itself is made up of people: real, morally flawed people. Since bad people with power are capable of far greater evil than bad people without it, our country is predicated on the belief that we have more to fear from sinners in government than we do from sinners with personal freedom. Remember, the government has guns, too. And their misuse of them in history has been exponentially worse than anything private individuals have done. But because Gail Collins has unshakeable faith in the inherent goodness of Government, she doesn’t mind trusting its guns. As for me, I’d rather take my chances with the Jared Loughners of the world. Anti-government right-wingers usually stick to denouncing Department of Education bureaucrats; Tallman goes further and suggests he sees the U.S. military and law enforcement personnel as a greater threat than Jared Loughner. Good to know. This is a truly twisted thing to say, but not to conservatives like Tallman. They understand each other perfectly. Since he’s from Arizona, I wonder if he knows of Pastor Anderson? Does he agree with Anderson’s take on President Obama? .Nope. I’m not gonna pray for his good. I’m going to pray that he dies and goes to hell. When I go to bed tonight, that’s what I’m going to pray. And you say, ‘Are you just saying that?’ No. When I go to bed tonight, Steven L. Anderson is going to pray for Barack Obama to die and go to hell. I ask this because Tallman’s column is riddled with his own religious vision and since he has his GOD on his side, life is all so easy to understand. Any crime is the result of a variety of causes including but not limited to: education, genetics, parenting, social treatment, friends (or lack thereof), religion (or lack thereof), internalized sense of virtue, financial hardship (or excess), altered brain chemistry, peer pressure, dangerous ideas, a weak moral culture, psychological disorder, access to the instruments of crime, failure of others to notice warning signs and/or intervene, and (my own personal favorite) individual free will. It’s incredibly rare that any one of these factors is solely or even mostly to blame for any particular crime, and you’ll notice that government isn’t even featured on the list. But if we do include government, it offers two main entries: inadequate police prevention and permitting too much freedom. Since police are primarily punitive rather than preventative, the remaining big governmental “defect” factoring into most crime is the existence of freedom. And that’s the real point Governmentists miss: Just like any other problem in society, crime is primarily the result of people misusing their freedom. I’ll say it again because it’s really important to grasp this point: Just like any other problem in society, crime is primarily the result of people misusing their freedom. I won’t go into a whole long-winded piece to debate this bit of lunacy and just say this to Tallman: If Loughner wasn’t able to acquire a semi-auto gun with a high capacity magazine because of his obvious mental condition with some simple gun control measures (which wouldn’t affect any normal person) then Gabby Giffords would have stood a much better chance of not being shot in the head on that tragic day and six others might not have lost their lives. Now, those responsible government regulations wouldn’t have prevented Kevin Harpham from allegedly planting a backpack bomb in Spokane on MLK day , but Gabby Giffords might have had a nice glass of ice tea with her day off because of the national MLK holiday while Christina Green might have had a few friends over to watch either High School Musical again or a Harry Potter movie. I’m just saying.
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State-run news agency says armed gangs attacked neighbourhoods in Latakia as protests against Bashar Assad regime continue The Syrian government has said 12 people were killed in violence in the port city of Latakia, which has been rocked by protests and unrest, yesterday. The country’s state-run news agency said unknown armed gangs had attacked neighbourhoods, firing guns from rooftops. Anti-government protesters, meanwhile, accused government forces – which were deployed in Latakia yesterday – of opening fire on them. Activists said some demonstrators burned tyres, attacked businesses and set fire to an office of the ruling Ba’ath party. Dozens of people have been killed in a number of Syrian cities after protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime flared up more than a week ago. Ten people, including members of the security forces, residents and two members of “armed elements” died in the Latakia violence, the state-run news agency said, adding that at least two people were killed by rooftop snipers. Around 200 others, mostly members of the security forces, were reported to have been injured. Ammar Qurabi, an exile in Egypt who heads Syria’s National Organisation for Human Rights, told the Associated Press that dozens of people had protested in Latakia before attacking the Ba’ath party’s offices in the city. Demonstrators also attacked a police station and the Ba’ath party offices in the town of Tafas, six miles (10km) north of the southern border city of Daraa, the epicentre of the anti-government protests. An activist in Daraa told AP that up 1,200 people were still holding a silent sit-in the al-Omari mosque. He said the army and police were surrounding the area in a standoff with protesters, but reported no violence. “I think they will storm our sit-in very soon,” he added. The spread of violence to ethnically mixed Latakia is significant, and Assad’s government of minority Alawite Muslims blamed a prominent Sunni cleric in Qatar for inciting unrest. Bouthaina Shaaban, a presidential adviser, said Qatar-based Sheik Youssef al-Qaradawi had incited Sunnis to revolt with a sermon in Doha on Friday. Al-Qaradawi, who has millions of followers around the world and is seen as one of most influential voices in Sunni Islam, praised the Syrian uprising and criticised the regime. Shabaan said those words were responsible for the unrest in Latakia, adding: “There was nothing [in Latakia] before Qaradawi’s sermon on Friday,” she told reporters in Damascus. “Qaradawi’s words were a clear and honest invitation for sectarian strife.” Sectarian divisions are a sensitive topic in Syria, where Assad has used increased economic freedom and prosperity to win the allegiance of the prosperous Sunni Muslim merchant classes while punishing dissenters with arrest and imprisonment. Assad has placed his fellow Alawites, adherents of a mystical offshoot of Shia Islam, into most positions of power in Syria. He has built a close relationship with Iran, allowing it to extend its influence into Lebanon, where it provides money and weapons to Hezbollah militants. Syria Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Bashar Al-Assad guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …A conservative wave election can lead to a wave of conservative legislation, like limitations on abortion. But for the Associated Press (the Abortion Press?), the wave of opinion remains firmly on the left. A David Crary story on Wednesday slanted its quotes 7 to 2 against the conservative position and the “threat” it represents. The Washington Post Express tabloid perfectly expressed the article's tone: “Anti-Abortion Onslaught,” it read in large black type. It was “conservatives” vs. a pile of “abortion rights activists”: NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of bills are advancing through statehouses nationwide that would put an array of new obstacles — legal, financial and psychological — in the paths of women seeking abortions. The tactics vary: mandatory sonograms and anti-abortion counseling, sweeping limits on insurance coverage, bans on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. To abortion-rights activists , they add up to the biggest political threat since the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 that legalized abortion nationwide. “It's just this total onslaught,” said Elizabeth Nash, who tracks state legislation for the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health research organization that supports abortion rights. What's different this year is not the raw number of anti-abortion bills, but the fact that many of the toughest, most substantive measures have a good chance of passage due to gains by conservative Republicans in last year's legislative and gubernatorial elections. On Tuesday, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed into law a bill that would impose a longest-in-the-nation waiting period of three days before women could have an abortion — and also require them to undergo counseling at pregnancy help centers that discourage abortions. “We're seeing an unprecedented level of bills that would have a serious impact on women's access to abortion services that very possibly could become law,” said Rachel Sussman, senior policy analyst for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Crary offered two soundbites to Mary Spaulding
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Gaddafi’s forces ousted with help from international airstrikes as regime accuses coalition of trying to push Libya into civil war Libyan rebels have entered the key oil town of Ras Lanuf after routing Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Brega with help from UN-backed airstrikes that tipped the balance away from the military. Brega, the main oil export terminal in eastern Libya, fell after a skirmish late on Saturday, with rebels continuing their push westwards to Ras Lanuf and its large oil refinery. “There is no Gaddafi army in Ras Lanuf,” said rebel fighter Walid al-Arabi, quoting rebels who had returned from the town, and that the frontline was now west of Ras Lanuf. Earlier, rebel commander Ahmed Jibril, manning a checkpoint on the western edge of Brega, said: “There are no Gaddafi forces here now, the rebels have Brega under their full control, it is free.” The two oil towns are responsible for a large chunk of Libya’s oil production, which has all but stopped since the uprising that began on 15 February and was inspired by the toppling of governments in Tunisia and Egypt. The Gaddafi regime on Saturday acknowledged the airstrikes had forced its troops to retreat and accused international forces of choosing sides. “This is the objective of the coalition now, it is not to protect civilians because now they are directly fighting against the armed forces,” Khaled Kaim, the deputy foreign minister, said in the capital, Tripoli. “They are trying to push the country to the brink of a civil war.” The fall of Ajdabiya after days of artillery duels and air bombardment delivered the Libyan revolutionaries their first significant victory over Gaddafi’s forces since the coalition air strikes began a week ago. The Libyan army sat outside town, astride the main coastal highway, blocking the rebels’ attempts to advance west toward the capital and recapture territory lost as Gaddafi found his footing after the initial shock of the uprising. On Friday, the insurgents moved rocket launchers and other weapons down the road from Benghazi, then said they fought through the night with the dug-in enemy. “We hit them with our rockets and RPGs,” said Mohammed Rahim, a former regular soldier wearing a makeshift uniform of blue camouflage jacket and green trousers. He went over to the rebels at the beginning of the uprising. “The fighting went on all night. It was a big battle. All the fighters came from Benghazi for it.” However, the destruction of tanks on the edge of the town suggested it was air strikes by coalition forces, ostensibly to protect civilians, that had finally broken the back of strong resistance by army forces before the rebels moved in. The length of time it took the insurgents to overcome the army, and the rebels’ reliance on air strikes to destroy the bulk of its armour before finally taking Ajdabiya, confirmed how dependent the poorly armed and inexperienced revolutionaries are on foreign air forces to fight their war for them. Six wrecked tanks marked the road into the town alongside artillery guns and rocket launchers mangled by the missiles from beyond the clouds. Ammunition littered the ground. Other guns were left intact and were hauled away by the rebels for the next battle. On the other side of Ajdabiya, where the road heads west out of town, were more destroyed tanks and armoured vehicles. Others sat by the roadside unscathed. Abandoned piles of weapons and ammunition, including Russian-made tank shells and rocket-propelled grenades, suggested Gaddafi’s forces had left in a hurry. The rebels swiftly arrived with transporters to remove the armour to add to an expanding revolutionary tank force that has yet to see action. Corpses of Gaddafi’s fighters lay among some of the clusters of armour, but around others there was no sign of bodies, perhaps further evidence that they had fled from their tanks in fear of the air strikes. At least 20 tanks were destroyed or abandoned along with artillery guns and rocket launchers. The strikes also appeared to have destroyed a military barracks. One of the rebel fighters, Mansour Mahdy, acknowledged that the battle would not have been won without foreign planes. “We are very grateful to the west. Everyone wants to thank France. Was it France this time? Or America? We thank them all,” he said. Days of air strikes were carried out by both countries, alongside British aircraft. The rebels took control of a mostly empty town, raising the revolutionary flag – the pre-Gaddafi-era ensign – and firing off more bullets in celebration. As word spread that the fighting was over, residents began to return in hundreds of cars . The few among the town’s 130,000 people who endured the siege were relieved but stunned. Some gave accounts of Gaddafi’s security men hunting down rebel sympathisers when they occupied the town. One man said he was looking for his brother and feared he had been executed or taken to prison in Tripoli. Other residents said they had not been badly treated and that, after the initial street battles and occasional shelling, the hardest part had been to endure a town with no electricity or water and dwindling food supplies. The local hospital closed after most of the staff fled because they feared they would be targeted by Gaddafi’s forces after some doctors publicly sided with the rebels. One elderly man did not seem to view it as liberation. He said he feared the fighting would return. He did not seem entirely trustful of the rebels either. “We never had this before, all these men with guns. This was a peaceful town. Now everyone has run away. We did not ask for this,” he said. The victory will provide a boost to morale in rebel-held territory after a string of defeats that saw the army even invading the de facto rebel capital of Benghazi until Gaddafi’s forces were destroyed by the first air strikes. But for all the celebrations, the rebels’ struggle to overcome the relatively limited defences of Ajdabiya does not bode well for their bellicose threats to march all the way to Tripoli. If Ajdabiya is the example, it offers the prospect of a protracted conflict or military stalemate, largely decided by how far the western allies are prepared to go in support of the rebels’ advance. Unless the regime cracks under other pressures, such as a sudden collapse of support for Gaddafi from within his own system, there appears little prospect of the rebels marching on Tripoli unless Britain, France and the US are prepared to offer rolling air cover for the revolutionaries that obliterates the regime’s ability to fight. The revolutionaries were able to move swiftly along the coastal road and retake Brega and Ras Lanuf, which they held at the beginning of the uprising. But moving on to the larger and more politically important town of Sirte may prove to be a challenge too far. Sirte is Gaddafi’s birthplace and he once proposed making it Libya’s capital. He is likely to reinforce the town because its fall would be a devastating blow. A rebel assault on Sirte would also raise a dilemma for Nato and the coalition leading the air strikes. The UN resolution permits military action in defence of civilians. Until now, it has been Gaddafi’s forces threatening rebel-held cities such as Benghazi, Misrata and Ajdabiya. But a rebel assault on Sirte would present the question of whether the coalition is prepared to launch air strikes to help take a town that has not risen up against Gaddafi. If not, it appears unlikely the rebels will be able to overcome the regime’s defences in Sirte on their own. Alternatively, if Gaddafi’s forces make a stand in the desert, where no civilians are threatened, that would also present the coalition forces with difficulty in justifying air strikes in support of the rebels. The revolutionary leadership had not expected Gaddafi’s forces to hold out for as long as they did at Ajdabiya, a sign that they are not entirely deterred from fighting by the air strikes. The rebels’ military spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani, has said that promises of weapons had been made by several foreign government that he declined to name, although none had so far delivered any. But given the rebels’ poor combat record on the battlefield, where the civilian volunteers who have joined their ranks have proved to be ill-disciplined and prone to flee in chaos, there may be a reluctance to supply weapons that might fall into the hands of Gaddafi’s military. For all its insistence that it will not accept a divided Libya, the revolutionary council is increasingly adjusting to the reality that it may be facing stalemate and governing the rump of a country until Gaddafi’s regime implodes. Libya Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Gaddafi’s forces ousted with help from international airstrikes as regime accuses coalition of trying to push Libya into civil war Libyan rebels have entered the key oil town of Ras Lanuf after routing Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Brega with help from UN-backed airstrikes that tipped the balance away from the military. Brega, the main oil export terminal in eastern Libya, fell after a skirmish late on Saturday, with rebels continuing their push westwards to Ras Lanuf and its large oil refinery. “There is no Gaddafi army in Ras Lanuf,” said rebel fighter Walid al-Arabi, quoting rebels who had returned from the town, and that the frontline was now west of Ras Lanuf. Earlier, rebel commander Ahmed Jibril, manning a checkpoint on the western edge of Brega, said: “There are no Gaddafi forces here now, the rebels have Brega under their full control, it is free.” The two oil towns are responsible for a large chunk of Libya’s oil production, which has all but stopped since the uprising that began on 15 February and was inspired by the toppling of governments in Tunisia and Egypt. The Gaddafi regime on Saturday acknowledged the airstrikes had forced its troops to retreat and accused international forces of choosing sides. “This is the objective of the coalition now, it is not to protect civilians because now they are directly fighting against the armed forces,” Khaled Kaim, the deputy foreign minister, said in the capital, Tripoli. “They are trying to push the country to the brink of a civil war.” The fall of Ajdabiya after days of artillery duels and air bombardment delivered the Libyan revolutionaries their first significant victory over Gaddafi’s forces since the coalition air strikes began a week ago. The Libyan army sat outside town, astride the main coastal highway, blocking the rebels’ attempts to advance west toward the capital and recapture territory lost as Gaddafi found his footing after the initial shock of the uprising. On Friday, the insurgents moved rocket launchers and other weapons down the road from Benghazi, then said they fought through the night with the dug-in enemy. “We hit them with our rockets and RPGs,” said Mohammed Rahim, a former regular soldier wearing a makeshift uniform of blue camouflage jacket and green trousers. He went over to the rebels at the beginning of the uprising. “The fighting went on all night. It was a big battle. All the fighters came from Benghazi for it.” However, the destruction of tanks on the edge of the town suggested it was air strikes by coalition forces, ostensibly to protect civilians, that had finally broken the back of strong resistance by army forces before the rebels moved in. The length of time it took the insurgents to overcome the army, and the rebels’ reliance on air strikes to destroy the bulk of its armour before finally taking Ajdabiya, confirmed how dependent the poorly armed and inexperienced revolutionaries are on foreign air forces to fight their war for them. Six wrecked tanks marked the road into the town alongside artillery guns and rocket launchers mangled by the missiles from beyond the clouds. Ammunition littered the ground. Other guns were left intact and were hauled away by the rebels for the next battle. On the other side of Ajdabiya, where the road heads west out of town, were more destroyed tanks and armoured vehicles. Others sat by the roadside unscathed. Abandoned piles of weapons and ammunition, including Russian-made tank shells and rocket-propelled grenades, suggested Gaddafi’s forces had left in a hurry. The rebels swiftly arrived with transporters to remove the armour to add to an expanding revolutionary tank force that has yet to see action. Corpses of Gaddafi’s fighters lay among some of the clusters of armour, but around others there was no sign of bodies, perhaps further evidence that they had fled from their tanks in fear of the air strikes. At least 20 tanks were destroyed or abandoned along with artillery guns and rocket launchers. The strikes also appeared to have destroyed a military barracks. One of the rebel fighters, Mansour Mahdy, acknowledged that the battle would not have been won without foreign planes. “We are very grateful to the west. Everyone wants to thank France. Was it France this time? Or America? We thank them all,” he said. Days of air strikes were carried out by both countries, alongside British aircraft. The rebels took control of a mostly empty town, raising the revolutionary flag – the pre-Gaddafi-era ensign – and firing off more bullets in celebration. As word spread that the fighting was over, residents began to return in hundreds of cars . The few among the town’s 130,000 people who endured the siege were relieved but stunned. Some gave accounts of Gaddafi’s security men hunting down rebel sympathisers when they occupied the town. One man said he was looking for his brother and feared he had been executed or taken to prison in Tripoli. Other residents said they had not been badly treated and that, after the initial street battles and occasional shelling, the hardest part had been to endure a town with no electricity or water and dwindling food supplies. The local hospital closed after most of the staff fled because they feared they would be targeted by Gaddafi’s forces after some doctors publicly sided with the rebels. One elderly man did not seem to view it as liberation. He said he feared the fighting would return. He did not seem entirely trustful of the rebels either. “We never had this before, all these men with guns. This was a peaceful town. Now everyone has run away. We did not ask for this,” he said. The victory will provide a boost to morale in rebel-held territory after a string of defeats that saw the army even invading the de facto rebel capital of Benghazi until Gaddafi’s forces were destroyed by the first air strikes. But for all the celebrations, the rebels’ struggle to overcome the relatively limited defences of Ajdabiya does not bode well for their bellicose threats to march all the way to Tripoli. If Ajdabiya is the example, it offers the prospect of a protracted conflict or military stalemate, largely decided by how far the western allies are prepared to go in support of the rebels’ advance. Unless the regime cracks under other pressures, such as a sudden collapse of support for Gaddafi from within his own system, there appears little prospect of the rebels marching on Tripoli unless Britain, France and the US are prepared to offer rolling air cover for the revolutionaries that obliterates the regime’s ability to fight. The revolutionaries were able to move swiftly along the coastal road and retake Brega and Ras Lanuf, which they held at the beginning of the uprising. But moving on to the larger and more politically important town of Sirte may prove to be a challenge too far. Sirte is Gaddafi’s birthplace and he once proposed making it Libya’s capital. He is likely to reinforce the town because its fall would be a devastating blow. A rebel assault on Sirte would also raise a dilemma for Nato and the coalition leading the air strikes. The UN resolution permits military action in defence of civilians. Until now, it has been Gaddafi’s forces threatening rebel-held cities such as Benghazi, Misrata and Ajdabiya. But a rebel assault on Sirte would present the question of whether the coalition is prepared to launch air strikes to help take a town that has not risen up against Gaddafi. If not, it appears unlikely the rebels will be able to overcome the regime’s defences in Sirte on their own. Alternatively, if Gaddafi’s forces make a stand in the desert, where no civilians are threatened, that would also present the coalition forces with difficulty in justifying air strikes in support of the rebels. The revolutionary leadership had not expected Gaddafi’s forces to hold out for as long as they did at Ajdabiya, a sign that they are not entirely deterred from fighting by the air strikes. The rebels’ military spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani, has said that promises of weapons had been made by several foreign government that he declined to name, although none had so far delivered any. But given the rebels’ poor combat record on the battlefield, where the civilian volunteers who have joined their ranks have proved to be ill-disciplined and prone to flee in chaos, there may be a reluctance to supply weapons that might fall into the hands of Gaddafi’s military. For all its insistence that it will not accept a divided Libya, the revolutionary council is increasingly adjusting to the reality that it may be facing stalemate and governing the rump of a country until Gaddafi’s regime implodes. Libya Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk
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