Tottenham Hotspur attacker Luka Modric is at the top of Chelsea's shopping list.
The Croatian has played a major role in Spurs' sensational form of late and his attacking prowess has captured the imagination of potential suitors.
Among them hails not far from home in the form of London rivals Chelsea.
Blues manager Carlos Ancelotti has reportedly proclaimed his admiration for the 25-year-old and placed him at the top of his shopping list for Roman Abramovich's perusal.
Breaking the news is Dinamo Zagreb vice-president Zdravko Mamic, who is coincidently a close friend of Modric and it was him who engineered his move to White Hart Lane.
According to The Sun newspaper, Mamic was having lunch with Ancelotti when the latter told him of his plans to bring the midfielder to Stamford Bridge.
Mamic was quoted as saying: "I was with Ancelotti for lunch. I was very proud when I heard what he said about Modric.
"Luka is top of his list, his first pick when it comes to new signings. I am not Modric's agent - I am just his friend - but I am very proud.
"I don't want to say anything more because I don't want to upset my friends at Tottenham."
Just weeks ago, Ancelotti appeared to be heading out of Chelsea after the recent slump at Bridge which saw them relinquish top spot and dropped to fourth.
But the Italian's ambitious transfer plans have indicated he is here to stay after Abramovich promised him a shopping spree for next summer.
Meanwhile, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is bracing himself for a possible £30million bid from the champions.
But he will be desperate to keep his man as he plans an audacious assault on both the Premier League and the Champions League, where they will face AC Milan in the last 16.
Modric joined Spurs in 2008 for a fee of £16.5 million and has played over 70 games and scored seven goals for the North London side.
Washington (CNN) -- The Obama administration is drafting new plans to hold suspected terrorists without trial indefinitely but allow them to challenge their imprisonment periodically, a White House official said Tuesday.
A proposed executive order would cover prisoners who can't be tried in civilian courts or before the military commissions set up at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official provided few details, since the draft had not yet been presented to President Barack Obama. But the official said Obama had pledged in May 2009 to give suspected terrorists some recourse.
"We must have clear, defensible and lawful standards for those who fall in this category," Obama said in a 2009 speech at the National Archives. "We must have fair procedures so that we don't make mistakes. We must have a thorough process of periodic review, so that any prolonged detention is carefully evaluated and justified."
The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that captives held at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay could challenge their detention. But the decision gave no specific guidelines on how often accused terrorists could make their claims.
The latest proposal could be aimed at securing political support for the Obama administration as it ponders whether to bring top al Qaeda figures such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, to the United States for trial in a civilian court.
Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal will "respect our budget" in the January transfer window.
The French coach is not known for big spending, preferring to invest in youth.
But a trophy drought that stretches back to May 2005 means that he has come in for some criticism as a result of his reluctance to land big-name players.
Wenger, though, believes his way of doing things is better than that of some of his rivals, who he has accused of not respecting "financial fair play".
In an interview with Al Jazeera TV, he said: "We respect our budget. You look at clubs who lose £100million or £150million and if we do that, then we go bust. It's as simple as that. We pay what we can afford.
"I'm amazed that people are amazed that we do that. I think what is surprising is that people don't respect that.
"The beauty of the competition and this club is to be successful while respecting the financial balance.
"People will maybe realise one day that it's not as easy to stay at the top and as well to cope with financial compulsories that you have at the top.
"We face rivals who do not respect the financial fair play. Instead of us being accused, maybe people should look somewhere else."
London (CNN) -- Forests covering an area almost the size of Russia could be restored around the world, according to a global partnership of scientists.
The researchers, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), have drawn up a world map showing 1.5 billion hectares where there are opportunities to replant degraded or cleared forests.
Carole Saint-Laurent, IUCN's senior forest policy advisor, said: "There's no one-size-fits-all blueprint. The restoration would need to be driven by the community needs in each area.
"We know it can be done. There are people all over the world who are doing it already."
Three quarters of the world's forests have been cleared, degraded or fragmented due to human activity, while a third have disappeared altogether, according to IUCN.
However, as forests fulfill needs for food, fuel and timber, restoring them can benefit communities as well as the environment, the organization said.
The map was drawn up by the World Resources Institute, South Dakota University and IUCN, for the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration ahead of the launch of the United Nations International Year of Forests 2011.
Saint-Laurent said: "This study came out of a partnership with about 30 governments all over the world. We are bringing people who are working on forest restoration together, as well as increasing understanding of the contribution that forest landscape restoration can make in addressing climate change.
Saint-Laurent added: "So far this is all at a global level, but our next step is to apply this to individual countries to give a more detailed picture."
The map was created using information on areas that were once forest and have the potential to be re-grown, according to Saint-Laurent. The researchers excluded areas that are now urban or crop land.
However, they still need to look in more detail to determine exactly where it is feasible to re-grow forest.
"These are 1.5 billion hectares where opportunities could be found," said Saint-Laurent. "More analysis needs to be carried out to find what's really possible within that, because we haven't been able to map land rights, and there might be areas that are not suitable from a social point of view.
"Even if you took out a third, it's still a vast area and a vast opportunity."
Often, this would be done in small patches between farms or villages, or along corridors to protect waterways or fields.
"We are talking about taking landscapes that are not doing anything for anybody and producing something of value," said Saint-Laurent.
"It can help create livelihoods for communities. There's an increasing groundswell of interest at the moment in forest restoration.
"People are starting to see there's a wonderful opportunity that forests can offer more to people than they already do.
"For example, in an area of Tanzania over a 15-year period significant areas of forest have been restored in small patches around villages and farms.
"It means the women do not need to walk as far to get their firewood for fuel, which has significant benefits for families."
"You are accommodating a diversity of land uses in one area."
IUCN said the greatest opportunities for restoring forests were in Africa and Asia, each offering potential for 500 million hectares.
The emphasis on restoring forests would complement work on preventing deforestation in the first place.
"This is not a replacement for protecting native primary forests, but it's an add-on," said Saint-Laurent. "We need to protect forests, but also put something back where they have been degraded.
"Over a 30-year-period we believe this could have as much benefit as avoided deforestation."
The U.N.'s International Year of Forests 2011 will be launched to take over from International Year of Biodiversity 2010 on December 18.
Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- A magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Japan early Wednesday triggered a tsunami warning for a group of remote islands and an advisory for the southern region of the country, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which occurred 3:19 a.m., is about 95 miles (155 km) from Chichi-shima, Ogasawara Islands.
A tsunami is a series of destructive sea waves caused by an earthquake, and the warning required people in the islands to evacuate from the seashore immediately to safe places.
According to an initial observation by the Japanese agency, the tsunami height is estimated to be up to 2 meters.
The tsunami advisory stretched across the southern Japanese coast. The quake epicenter is 210 miles (335 km) from Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, and 650 (1,050 km) miles from Tokyo.
The Japan National Tourism Organization says the "Ogasawara Islands is the general term for 30 islands of various size scattered over the Pacific Ocean." They are also known as the Bonin Islands.
Chichi-shima island, "the main island and the entrance to the area, is 1,000 kilometers south of downtown Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean, and it has a land area of about 24 square kilometers. Water-eroded high cliffs surround the island making the scenery even more magnificent, and the area is a popular spot for divers," the organization said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected.
"No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data," the Warning Center said.
"However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter. Authorities in the region of the epicenter should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action."
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has three major stars in his Christmas shopping list for the January transfer window.
Blues owner Roman Abramovic has promised the Italian of fundings to boost the faltering squad as they seek to get their title defence back on track.
The reigning champions are currently in their longest winless streak in a decade and have dropped down from top spot to fourth in the league.
And according to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Ancelotti has pin-pointed three players whom he wants at Stamford Bridge in January.
However, all three have recently signed new deals at their respective clubs.
Newcastle striker Andy Carroll, regarded as the up-and-coming England number nine, has signed a five-year-contract to remain at St James Park two months ago.
But Ancelotti is not put off by that and sees the 21-year-old as a replacement for Didier Drogba.
Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger have dashed the hopes of many suitors by penning a four-year contract with the German giants - but not the Chelsea boss.
Likewise, Dutch midfield maestro Wesley Sneijder has extended his contract with Inter Milan by a further two years.
Despite the apparent setback, Ancelotti is adamant he can still get his men as the clubs will not rule out selling their players at the right price.
Washington (CNN) -- The al Qaeda group that built two toner-cartridge bombs in an unsuccessful attempt to blow up planes in October also has contemplated spreading poison on salad bars and buffets at U.S. hotels and restaurants, U.S. officials told CNN Tuesday.
But U.S. officials sought to downplay the threat -- first reported by CBS News -- saying it was months old, and that it was more in the nature of a discussion of "tactics" than an actual plot. Officials implied the tactic is beyond the capabilities of the terrorist organization, which is based in the Middle East.
The United States has received information the group -- al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- was considering the tactic of placing ricin and cyanide poisons into food supplies, Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed to CNN.
In response to that information, U.S. officials met through regular channels with representatives of the hotel and restaurant businesses to discuss the possibility that terrorists could target the food supply, and to reiterate "best practices" to ensure the food supply is safe.
Officials, however, likened the threat to numerous others discussed in jihadist publications such as the online magazine Inspire, where al Qaeda members and sympathizers discuss various ways to attack Western countries.
"We're talking months, not weeks (ago), that this came into the threat stream," one official said.
Earlier this year, the federal government staged a tabletop exercise, or role-playing drill, in which the government and industry practiced responses to a fictional incident involving "intentional contamination" of food. A Homeland Security Department official said the drill was not a direct response to the threat information, but that the threat from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP, helped define the scenario and add to its authenticity.
The group that held the exercise -- the Food and Agriculture Sector Coordinating Council -- declined to discuss the threat, referring CNN's calls to the Department of Homeland Security.
The CBS report quoted an unnamed intelligence source saying the threat was "credible."
But officials told CNN they did not believe the threat was in any advanced stage of planning.
"We're aware that terrorists have been interested in doing this kind of thing for a long time," one U.S. official told CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. "They've said as much and, as a result, we take all of this very seriously. But we don't know of any current plotting along these lines."
Homeland Security Department's only official comment came in response to the CBS report.
"We are not going to comment on reports of specific terrorist planning. However, the counterterrorism and homeland security communities have engaged in extensive efforts for many years to guard against all types of terrorist attacks, including unconventional attacks using chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials," spokesman Sean Smith said in a prepared statement.
"Indeed, (al Qaeda) has publicly stated its intention to try to carry out unconventional attacks for well over a decade, and AQAP propaganda in the past year has made similar reference. Finally, we get reports about the different kinds of attacks terrorists would like to carry out that frequently are beyond their assessed capability," the statement said.
Some terror experts said food poisoning may be within al Qaeda's capabilities.
It's "easier to do this than get a bomb on a plane or make a sophisticated biological weapon that you would spray in the air," said Randall Larsen, a homeland security expert. "This is very crude, it's very simple, and with knowledge you get in a high school biology class, you could produce something that would cause a problem."
"It's good that the word is out there, because people in public health departments really need to know about this, so if they start seeing something coming into emergency rooms, they're kind of ready to look for it and to watch for it," Larsen said. "And ... restaurant owners and people like that (need) to know about this if there's a potential threat."
While ricin and cyanide can sicken or even kill people, neither is considered a weapon of mass destruction, Larsen said.
Experts say terrorists have long considered the possibility of contaminating water and food supplies with chemical or biological substances, and that both ricin and cyanide have been in the terrorists playbook. Ricin, a natural, highly toxic compound, is extracted from castor beans.
In 1978, Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was shot with a ricin-tipped dart fired from an umbrella while waiting for a bus in London. He died four days later. And in 2004, ricin was found in a letter in Sen. Bill Frist's mailroom in a letter demanding changes in truckers' sleep/work schedule rules.
The idea of contaminating salad bars also is not original. In 1984 members of an Oregon cult contaminated salad bars with salmonella, sickening hundreds of people in an attempt to influence a local election that day.
But if AQAP is contemplating such an attack, it would be a shift in direction.
CNN National Security Contributor Frances Fragos Townsend said AQAP "seems very focused on (creating) an improvised explosive device, preferably involving aviation."
AQAP, was behind the October attack on two cargo planes. The group created bombs out of printer toner cartridges, but the devices were discovered and disarmed before they detonated. AQAP also has claimed credit for the September 6 crash of a UPS cargo plane in Dubai, but U.S. authorities say there is no evidence they played a role in the crash.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claims his side are in a strong position to mount a challenge for the Premier League.
Arsenal are currently two points behind leaders Manchester United after having played a game more.
While questions about their mental strength in big games still abound - the fact remains that the Gunners have already played Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City away from home.
Out of a possible 12 points, they have garnered only four - but Wenger believes the title remains up for grabs.
"I believe overall this championship is very open," he told the Official Matchday Programme.
"We have played at Manchester United, at Chelsea, at Manchester City and at Liverpool so we are in a very strong position.
"What we have learned in the away games against the big teams is that we are there with our quality.
"The rest of the season will be decided by what we have learnt until now, how much we will improve and how much confidence we can take from our run until now."
Wenger's men will have the opportunity to show how much they have learnt soon enough. They host Carlo Ancleotti's Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Monday.
Chelsea's Florent Malouda has predicted an open title race between the Blues, Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City.
The reigning champions saw their grasp on their title defence loosen after suffering their longest winless streak in a decade, which saw them relinquish top spot and settle for fourth at the moment.
Currently three points behind leaders United, who still have a game in hand, Malouda has bemoaned his side's abysmal form of late and admits it will be tight at the top come the end of the season.
"It is an open race. We were on top for the first part of this season and now we have dropped so many points that now we are chasing Man United, Arsenal and Man City so I think it is going to be tight until the end of the season," the Frenchman told Chelsea's official website.
"We have the experience of last year when we ended up winning the league with one point ahead and at this period of the year we not so far ahead.
"I think it is going to be open because there are more teams involved in the race so I think it is going to be interesting to the end."
Giving his take on the season behind the Blues' slump, the 30-year-old pointed his finger to the back, where they have conceded seven goals in the last five matches and kept just one clean sheet in 11.
"When you look at the records we kept a lot of clean sheets at the beginning of the season and now we are conceding goals.
"I don't think in the last six or seven games we have a good defensive record.
"We have one of the most prolific attacks in the league, our main strength was our defence in the first part of the season and I think the reason why we drop is because we are not defending so well."
Brushing aside World Cup fatigue as a reason for the slump at Stamford Bridge, Malouda believes it is the increased competition in the Barclays Premier League that the Blues have been struggling to cope with.
"I think the other teams in the league improve every year and try to challenge the top teams and try to get into the top four," said the 30-year-old from French Guyana. "Some teams get the results of their efforts and that is normal when you have more competition.
"We know that the league is the most difficult in the world and there is more competition this year but that doesn't mean the same team won't be on the top at the end.
"It is more difficult for the players who play the international games but we are used to that and that is the reason why we come to the top clubs, to play for national sides."
Chelsea will look to get their title challenge back on track when they play Arsenal at the Emirates next Monday.
Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has warned his teammates not to relax during the busy festive period.
United are currently top of the Premier League - two points clear of Arsenal with a game in hand over the Gunners.
The Red Devils are traditionally slow starters and this season has been no different - with a slew of drawn games seeing them fall behind Chelsea at various points in the past few months.
However, a consistent run coinciding with Chelsea's dip in form has seen them top the charts prior to the all-important Christmas-New Year fixtures. Speaking to Manchester United's official website, Carrick admitted the team had been frustrated with early results.
"You hope that spell is behind us," he said.
"It's never far away though if you start to take your foot off the pedal. A couple of bad performances and bad results aren't far behind. That's what keeps you going and keeps you on your toes.
"You've got to keep the standards high, and that's been the strength of this club over the years, maintaining that quality. It was a frustrating time earlier on in the season when we felt we were throwing away some games when we were in front.
"Now, we look back and it seems as though we've had a good run under the circumstances having not lost a game yet, and we're satisfied with the position we're in.
"It's funny how things can change in this league, but we're not getting carried away. We'll assess it again after the Christmas period and see what position we're in then. Hopefully it's a good one."
If history is any indicator, United are poised to go on an excellent run of form. Sir Alex Ferguson's men have been known to really hit their stride sometime around the midway point of the season - a phenomenon that Carrick was unable to explain.
"It's difficult to put your finger on," he said.
"I think after Christmas you've got your eyes on the finish line, and that just brings everyone together with the same aim. It could also be that this is when the big league games and the cup games come around, and it lifts us.
"Every game seems to be more important, and when the business end of the season comes around the big games are the ones that count. We seem to relish it. But I don't think there's a formula for it, it just happens at United."
United play Sunderland at home on Boxing Day and assuming they beat the Black Cats, will see at least one of Chelsea and Arsenal fall further behind a day later.
The two London sides meet each other on Monday.
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Aspiring and retiring actors, struggling producers, hopeful musicians, low-income and disabled people fill the aging Hollywood apartment building where a "person of interest" in the Beverly Hills shooting death of celebrity publicist Ronni Chasen killed himself Wednesday.
The Harvey Apartments, a four-story former hotel, draws a diverse group because of its cheap rent, no deposit requirement, proximity to major film studios and a reputation for being roach-free, residents said.
"There's a lot of screaming goes on and hollering and the kind of ruckus you wouldn't find in the traditional apartment complex," said Eddie Burke, who moved in just two weeks ago.
Burke, who was the Tea Party candidate in Alaska's lieutenant governor's race this year, found the Harvey Apartments on the internet while looking for a place to stay while his son trains at a Hollywood gym to be a pro boxer.
If he had known about the neighborhood, he would not have rented here, Burke said.
"It's rough," he said. "The people here are diverse. It's really different from back home in Alaska."
But for $600 a month and with no deposit required, it was a tempting deal.
It also became a profitable arrangement for Burke, who made several thousand dollars Thursday selling a blurry photo of the lobby he took with his cell phone while investigators were still there.
The Santa Monica Boulevard location is just a block from Hollywood Forever cemetery, the final resting place for Rudolph Valentino, Cecil B. DeMille and many other show business icons.
Three blocks away is Paramount Studios, where major movies and television shows are produced.
While the iconic Hollywood sign is visible from the sidewalk, the neighborhood is better known for the darker side of Hollywood where tour buses don't go.
Musician Tommy Zazen moved in three months ago, leaving a $2,500 a month apartment in Venice Beach.
"I've been around the block," Zazen said. He moved to Los Angeles from Chicago nine years ago to pursue his recording career.
He has played his guitar with the Smashing Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers, he said, but lately his day job as a handy man has paid his bills.
He likes the Harvey Apartment management for keeping the building clean and roach-free, but Wednesday's shooting left him "a little bit scared."
"Time for me to pack my bags," Zazen said.
He did not know many of his neighbors or the man who killed himself in the lobby, he said.
"I'm a hermit," he said. "I stay to myself, in my apartment listening to music, writing my songs."
Terri Gilpin, who claims to be a cousin to "Frasier" actress Peri Gilpin, said she moved into Harvey Apartments because "the rent's pretty cheap and reasonable."
She does make it a point to know her neighbors, who she said include "retired actors and a few producers who are trying to get back on their feet."
Journalists covering the shooting have also gotten to know the residents. Dozens of them were stranded in a strip mall parking lot for several hours as police closed their apartment building for five hours after the shooting.
One man told reporters that the building had a problem with drug users and dealers who come back even after being evicted.
"They make keys to the lock so they can come in and out," he said.
He said the man who shot himself was "really moody all the time" and had been recently evicted, said the man, who was in a wheelchair. He then explained how he knew this.
"I found all this out," he said. "I'm the son of a war hero, my dad was in the CIA, for Air America, in Saigon, for 10 years and I'm, like, kind of smart."
The Harvey Apartments is the kind of place that could keep a journalist covering a mysterious murder busy chasing down stories.
England captain Rio Ferdinand has led the reaction to the failed World Cup 2018 bid, describing himself as "gutted".
Russia got the nod from FIFA's executive committee despite England's odds of success shortening significantly after a lavish charm offensive led by Prime Minister David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham.
Having heard the news from Zurich the Manchester United defender, who has played an ambassadorial role in England's bid, wrote on his Twitter account: "Wow Russia will host the world cup 2018....soooo gutted. What more could we have done? What did we do wrong?"
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who was part of the official delegation in Zurich, was also quick to express his disappointment at the decision.
"This is a tremendously disappointing result," said Johnson.
"We put together a cracking bid, our technical specification was top notch and our stadiums would have been packed to the rafters. Londoners love football. This is a blow but we have achieved a great deal with this bid and we have much to look ahead to."
"We remain 100% focused on developing London as the most exciting sporting destination in the world, and we have a lot to offer other countries from putting together our bid and from planning the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We will carry on providing a strong voice in football and world sport."
Johnson told reporters that, according to information he had received about the voting, England had been knocked out in the first round.
Martin Peters, who was part of the England team that won the World Cup on home soil in 1966, said on Sky Sports News: "I'm absolutely gutted.
"I'm sure the boys of 66 would have loved to have it back here and there'll all be really upset."
Former Football Association chief executive Mark Palios congratulated the bid team for their efforts.
"The bid team themselves did a fantastic job," he said. "They put forward the best case they could put forward and it's no discredit to them the fact we haven't won it. It's deeply disappointing for this country."
There were concerns that trouble at Birmingham following last night's Carling Cup victory over Aston Villa coupled with media investigations into alleged corruption within FIFA could have counted against England.
Palios, though, feels the election process itself is what needs looking at.
He continued: "With regard to the problems with the football hooligans, I doubt whether that has really influenced anybody because people accept we've managed that situation effectively over the last 10/15 years.
"The fact you have a very small electorate is a big issue. If you've got that you've inherently got the ability for a number of individuals to influence it. I think that's what needs to be looked at.
"You can lay over that a natural distrust of the media but what we won't know is whether that has been a factor."
Former England skipper Alan Shearer told BBC Radio Five Live: "I don't think anyone could have done any more, everyone's worked very, very hard but at the end of the day it's not been successful. If you try your best at least you can sleep at night.
"I was hoping I might see a World Cup in my lifetime in England. I wasn't born the last time we had one in '66.
"It's unfortunate, it's sad, it hurts, but you have to congratulate the winners and Russia have been winners today - and Qatar - so well done to those guys, I'm sure they've worked very hard, but it's disappointing from my point of view.
"Everyone was really happy and really confident with the bid that we put in, we don't feel as though we could have done any more.
"Everyone has worked tirelessly and for the Prime Minister and Prince William to do what they have done, we really couldn't have done any more."
David Beckham, a prominent member of England's bid team as well as a former national team captain, told BBC Radio Five Live: "I think the bid team have done everything possible, we couldn't have got a better bid.
"We're disappointed but we wish Qatar and Russia the very best, they're two great countries and I'm sure they'll make FIFA very proud.
"It's obviously hard to not come away with the World Cup in 2018 but a lot of congratulations have to go to the team, a lot of hard work has been done.
"With the Prime Minister's hard work and Prince William's hard work, the whole bid team has been exceptional.
"It would be great to bring the World Cup to our country because we've not had it for so many years but it's a process I've enjoyed."
Gary Lineker, whose tally of 48 international goals is the second-highest in England's history, added: "They've always said they want to push the frontiers - I was surprised they went with two new ones but there were a lot of good strong bids.
"It was always going to be hugely competitive, I just wish it was us."
Sir Keith Mills, England bid adviser, said FIFA were sending a message to the world.
"I think we are all gutted," he told the BBC.
"We felt over the last 18 months that we put together an outstanding bid."
He added: "I think our Three Lions in Zurich did an outstanding job in the last 48 hours and I think the presentation was faultless so I'm not sure what else we could have done.
"I think that FIFA are definitely sending a message to the world about where they want the World Cup to go.
"You have to understand that FIFA's view of a host city is different from our ours."
Officials in Manchester, which boasted two venues included in the England 2018 bid, said they were disappointed but proud of their efforts.
Old Trafford and the City of Manchester stadium would have played a major part in the tournament if England had been successful.
Councillor Mike Amesbury, executive member for sport and leisure, said: "England put forward an excellent bid in which Manchester played a proud part. While we're naturally disappointed that we weren't chosen by Fifa to host the 2018 World Cup, we remain an ambitious city and will continue to take our place on the world sporting stage."
Hugh Robertson, the Minister for Sport, said he remained confident that England had done everything in their power to secure the hosting rights despite some obvious hiccups along the way.
"We have had some disappointing moments but we arrived here with a magnificent technical bid and gave a great technical bid and a great presentation," the minister told Sky Sports News.
"We encouraged them to vote for football reasons. At the moment I don't understand and the only possible explanation is the one given by Sepp Blatter when he announced the decision, which was wanting to take football to new frontiers.
"I'm not sure I would say we were humiliated, everybody saw our presentation this morning and it was widely praised as being the best one the FIFA ExCo received.
"We now need to go away to understand why this happened."
New York (CNN) -- A nearly 200-year-old copy of "The Star Spangled Banner" is set to hit the auction block Friday at Christie's auction house in Manhattan.
The famed sheet music is one of 11 known copies of Francis Scott Key's patriotic tune, said to be written after he witnessed the British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry during the war of 1812.
"This is very exciting," said Christie's spokesman Chris Coover. "Things like this are once in a lifetime to collect."
Key, then a young lawyer and amateur poet, is said to have boarded a truce vessel in the Chesapeake Bay in an effort to negotiate the release of a detained American doctor, according to documents from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
But Key was himself detained, the documents said.
His vantage point aboard the British ship is said to have offered sweeping views of the ensuing battle, spanning the night of September 13 to the morning of September 14, 1814.
"By the dawn's early light" Key saw that the fort's flag -- torn and burned from near constant shelling -- had remained erected above its walls, inspiring words later printed by Baltimore music publisher Thomas Carr.
Carr is said to have rushed to publish the song, leaving first copies with a typographical error in the works' title.
The copy at Christie's bears that first edition hallmark, Coover said.
The print reads: "The Star Spangled Banner. A Pariotic Song," rather than "patriotic."
The copy will be sold as a part of the auction house's autumn "Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts including Americana" sale.
It is the only privately-owned copy, Coover said.
The other 10 copies are in institutions or university libraries.
"In a sense this is a last opportunity to own a copy of the American national anthem in its first appearance," Coover said.
The copy's original owner kept the document with 49 other pieces of sheet music in an album used as a song book for family gatherings, according to Coover.
Once purchased for $50, the two-paged copy is currently valued between $200,000 and $300,000.
Congress named "The Star Spangled Banner" the country's national anthem in 1931.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is gearing up for a crucial round of fixtures in December.
The Red Devils play away at Blackpool this Saturday with Ferguson expecting nothing less than a response and a win following the midweek Carling Cup debacle at West Ham United. And after that Ferguson faces a massive double-header of Arsenal at Old Trafford on 13 December and Chelsea away just six days later.
"You always want to win those [two] games because I think they're really significant," Ferguson told Inside United.
"We've managed to claw ourselves into a position where we're two points ahead of Chelsea, so the game at Stamford Bridge and Arsenal's trip to Manchester will certainly be very important, there's no doubt about that.
"We saw that last season - some big decisions didn't go our way in the two matches against Chelsea and they ended up costing us important points."
United failed to beat Chelsea home and away in the league last season - and ended up conceding the title race by a single point to Carlo Ancelotti's men. However, this season Ferguson's side currently sit two points above Chelsea in the standings heading into this festive period.
"Of course, how you do at Christmas depends on who you've got to play, and more importantly who you have to play in away games," Ferguson said.
"Over the years we always seemed to have had games in the North-east, but this year it's a bit more local, which is good. We're at home on Boxing Day [Sunderland] and just after New Year [Stoke], and only have to travel to the Midlands for games with Birmingham and West Brom on 28 December and New Year's Day. So that's not too bad.
"You're aware that you have to use your squad well because there are so many games, particularly during that week between Christmas and New Year - three matches in six days is a lot. It's a hectic period but we have the players to cope. Hopefully we're in the right position come the start of January."
There might be 18 league points on offer for United between now and New Year's Day, but Fergie could be forgiven if he doesn't get too carried away should a poor run of form occur in December. It has happened before and United have managed to get through it in the end.
During United's treble winning 1998/99 season, United picked up a paltry seven points from 18 during this period while in the 2003/04 season they won five out of five games over Christmas and New Year but ended up finishing third in the league.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Federal Trade Commission proposed this week that consumers should have a "do not track" option for the Internet, similar to the "do not call" list that exists to block telemarketers.
Sounds great, right? With private data abuses and security lapses constantly popping up in the headlines, the idea of easily taking yourself off the radar might sound appealing.
But the FTC's proposal faces fierce opposition, from both the tech industry and many lawmakers. And if it were adopted, it would open a Pandora's box of unintended consequences.
The FTC's plan calls for a universal add-on piece of software that surfers could install on their Internet browsers to notify websites that they do not want any information about them to be collected. The proposal would need congressional approval before it could be enacted as an industry-wide mandate.
On the surface, a "do not track" option sounds like an elegant solution to a growing problem. It's increasingly difficult for consumers to know who is collecting their browsing history and personal information, and what is being done with it. Shifting the privacy-protection burden from consumers to the companies who track information is attractive.
But those in the industry warn that such an overarching policy would put billions of e-commerce and advertising dollars at risk. It would also unleash all kinds of unintended and undesirable effects on the very consumers the FTC is trying to protect.
That's because companies like Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and Facebook make money by targeting ads to people based on their Internet browsing behavior. It's not the only way those companies make money, but it's a critical aspect of their business model. Marketers are willing to spend lavishly to get their ads in front of people who are likely to buy their products.
Though highly targeted ads can spook some consumers, they also serve as the mechanism that make it possible for many websites and applications to be free, including Google's Gmail and Facebook (and, yup, CNNMoney.com).
A "do not track" plan would also change the way consumers use the Internet. Many take for granted the fact that Amazon.com (AMZN, Fortune 500) stores your credit card information, Yahoo Mail stores your username and password, and Facebook keeps you logged in when you navigate away from the site for a minute. Those handy features would disappear if consumers enabled a "do not track" option.
The Obama administration has a very different privacy solution. The Commerce Department is expected to soon release a framework that Internet companies would voluntarily adopt, but that the government could choose enforce. Its goal would be to map out standards and best practices for using and collecting personal data online.
Internet privacy is a serious issue that captures significant attention every time Facebook IDs are tied to a user's browsing behavior or the e-mail contacts of millions of people are revealed. The fact that the FTC has released a set of guidelines shows that regulators are getting serious about giving consumers more control over their online privacy.
But "do not track" is not the privacy policy plan that's likely to pass.
"The FTC's intent was go to after companies that use consumers' data without them being aware of it, but a blanket statement won't be effective," says Debbie Williamson, senior analyst at research firm eMarketer. "It would bring e-commerce to a halt, and consumers aren't going to like the results. There's not much chance that these specific proposals would be enacted."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger expects Samir Nasri to be fit for Saturday's Premier League clash against Fulham.
But he remains unsure whether to hand Robin van Persie his second start of the week.
Midfielder Nasri picked up a minor knee problem after coming on as second-half substitute in the Carling Cup win over Wigan at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
With captain Cesc Fabregas still sidelined by a hamstring problem, the Frenchman provides a crucial creative spark for the Gunners, now just two points off leaders Manchester United whom they face at Old Trafford on December 13.
However, Wenger admits he may have to be cautious with van Persie after the Dutchman completed 73 minutes against Wigan in what was a first start since the end of August having been sidelined by an ankle injury.
"Nasri has got a knock from Tuesday night. It is a knee problem but he should be all right. Apart from that, we do not have any fresh players injured," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.
"There are no other ins or out.
"[Abou] Diaby and [Thomas] Vermaelen are not available. Fabregas is still injured, so it will be a similar squad to the Aston Villa game."
However, Wenger added: "I will see how Robin recovers [before deciding whether to start him].
"I rotate a bit from game to game at the moment, so I will see - but we have quite a strong squad available."
(CNN) – Jimmy Lai’s Next Media is at it again.
The billionaire entrepreneur and media tycoon is no stranger to ruffling feathers, earning the ire of politicians in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan with his provocative and often racy publications.
His most recent gambit is animated news, which mixes real news footage with dramatization of often unverified version of events. The venture garnered international attention earlier this year with its version of the Tiger Woods car crash and golf club incident.
The latest video – an explainer of the Irish financial crisis and EU bailout, complete with a character representing the EU forcing Ireland to take cash at gunpoint.
Stereotype warning! Does the video include:
A leprechaun and a pot of gold? Check.
Potato characterization of the Irish diet? Check.
Line dancing a la “Riverdance”? Check.
Image of Prime Minister Brian Cowen drinking Guinness beer at his desk? Check.
Jimmy Lai and Next Media will never be accused of subtlety, but the video does gives a fairly involved explainer of why foreign multinationals were drawn to do business in Ireland.
Real Madrid have revealed that Brazilian star Kaka is close to a return to full training with their squad.
The player has been out injured since suffering a knee injury in August, but is expected to return to full match fitness by early 2011.
Real Madrid's official website has now confirmed that the 28-year-old's recovery is on schedule.
A statement on Madrid's official website said: "During a meeting between Real Madrid's medical services and Dr. Toribio Leite to discuss the progress of Ricardo Izecson Dos Santos, Kaka, it was determined that the player's functional and biomechanics levels are satisfactory.
"A specific field work regiment that should see the player rejoin the team by the initial deadline has been prescribed."
Real boss Jose Mourinho has admitted that he does not plan to bring in any other players into the side during the January transfer window, regarding the Brazilian as a "new signing".
Anyone who’s ever visited the Emerald Isle will confirm that humor always lies just beneath the surface. Even in these tough times, with the “Celtic Tiger” reduced to the status of a bemused kitten trying hard to look cute beside a begging-bowl, the Irish can fall back on their love of irony and their taste for gallows humour.
So it’s hardly surprising that the following droll story is now hurtling round the email circuit at breakneck speed. It’s actually quite hard to find the original source, but this particular yarn does seem to have been spinning around for at least a few weeks – before the Irish government was forced into a painful climb-down in the shape of a bailout deal with the EU and IMF. In fact, I suspect it’s an older story which has been dug out, brushed off and tweaked to make it fit the current circumstances.
Whatever the source, the events of the past few days have sent this tale zooming round cyberspace all the faster, so much so that I received it from two quite separate sources on the same afternoon:
“It is a slow day in a damp little Irish town. The rain is beating down and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.
“On this particular day a rich German tourist is driving through the town, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.
“The owner gives him some keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher takes the €100 note and runs down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer.
“The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel. The guy at the Farmers' Co-op takes the €100 note and runs to pay his drinks bill at the pub. The publican slips the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer him ‘services’ on credit.
“The hooker then rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the hotel owner with the €100 note. The hotel proprietor then places the €100 note back on the counter so the rich traveller will not suspect anything.
“At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, picks up the €100 note, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.
“No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism.
“And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how the bailout package works.”
It’s a neat little story, but I have two problems with it.
First, nobody in it is actually in debt – not net debt, anyway. Their net balance sheet is zero. Take the butcher. He owes the pig farmer €100, but is owed the same amount by the hotel owner. And so on for all the Irish characters.
Second, I am not sure how appropriate it is to dwell on the underlying message of the story. What does the story really tell us? For one thing, it reveals the way a bit of liquidity (the German's ready cash) oils the wheels of the economy.
That is a perfectly sensible thing to point out - normally. But you don’t have to be a Ph.D. in economics to realise that pumping in too much cash will overheat the economy. Too much liquidity will jack up demand and ultimately create a bubble.
Sound familiar? Well, of course that is what happened in Ireland in the boom years: the housing sector floated high on oceans of liquidity, and then when someone pulled the plug the result was a bust, and a bunch of crippled banks. The rest is Irish history.
So moral of the story, if you will, is actually a dangerous one – and certainly not the one the story-teller had in mind. Mind you, if the rich German had had the presence of mind to demand an interest rate based on the average of 5.83 percent the Irish will have to pay for their bailout, the conclusions might be different.
But it’s still a good story – so why let dreary old economics spoil it?
Barcelona have confirmed Lionel Messi sat out training due to a thigh problem - but he is expected to be available against Osasuna.
The Argentina forward was the only big name absent from the session as compatriot Gabriel Milito returned to training three weeks after suffering an injury in the Copa Del Rey win over Ceuta.
The defender trained separately from the rest of the squad, but Messi remained in the treatment room as medical staff attended to what Barca describe as "a minor strain".
The 23-year-old missed two matches earlier in the season due to an ankle injury after being caught late by Tomas Ujfalusi towards the end of the 2-1 win away to Atletico Madrid on September 19.
Barca will train again tomorrow morning before travelling to Pamplona for the game.
Diega Maradona is apparently not welcomed at Real Madrid after his comments last week offended senior club officials.
According to Telam, the 1986 World Cup winning legend infuriated club president Florentino Perez and sporting director Jorge Valdano by praising coach Jose Mourinho for instilling order into the squad which "was a free-for-all" before Mourinho arrived.
Matters have been further compounded by Valdano, a former international colleague of Maradona, having a personal dispute with the latter stretching back years ago.
However, despite the warmth and respect Mourinho and Maradona shared for each other when the former Argentina boss visited the club last week, word has even circulated that Maradona's presence at Real was to distract the team ahead of their El Clasico clash with Barcelona.
Real eventually suffered a massively embarrassing 5-0 defeat to their fiercest rivals on Monday, further adding fuel to the rumours.
(CNN) -- The partying lifestyle of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had left him "a complete mess" by the fall of 2009, according to a Berlusconi confidant quoted in a U.S. diplomatic cable.
The leaked cable was sent by Ambassador David Thorne on October 27, 2009, and suggested "a growing list of scandals, adverse court decisions and health issues have weakened him; and led some erstwhile Berlusconi allies to begin hedging their bets on his political longevity."
The cable quoted a senior Italian official as saying that Berlusconi was "physically and politically weak." And it said that a longtime Berlusconi friend, Giampiero Cantoni, had told a U.S. diplomat that, "We are all worried about his health" and that his recent medical tests had come back "a complete mess."
The cable continues: "Cantoni said Berlusconi's frequent late nights and penchant for partying hard mean he does not get sufficient rest. (Note: Berlusconi dozed off briefly during the Ambassador's initial courtesy call in September and looked distracted and tired at an October 19 event attended by the Ambassador. End note.)"
Cantoni is also quoted in the cable as saying that Berlusconi was "overwhelmed with private concerns," including a bitter divorce from his wife Veronica Lario, who had published an open letter months earlier accusing the 74-year old PM of consorting with minors. Berlusconi denied any improper behavior.
Cantoni has denied making the remarks attributed to him. In a statement, he said: "It is not my habit to repeat gossip or hearsay that appear on the media and that clearly go towards feeding geopolitical analysis which by itself lacks of strategic and valid documentation." He said his name might have been used as "one of the closest collaborators of Berlusconi in order to give value to that which has no value."
The same cable also says that: "Separately, on October 21, Northern League leader Umberto Bossi, commenting on Berlusconi's troubles, told the Ambassador that organized crime figures had probably set the trap for Berlusconi on some of the sex scandals."
CNN has reached out to Bossi for comment.
According to this and other cables, the U.S. Embassy spent some time analyzing Berlusconi's relationship with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
It noted that ahead of a visit to Russia for Putin's birthday in October 2009 Berlusconi put out a press line that the visit was a "strictly private affair." This announcement was met with disbelief and some mockery.
"Italy's political class openly questioned whether Berlusconi was going to Russia principally because the scrutiny of his private time by Italian and foreign photographers had made parties in Italy too risky for the time being."
Another cable written in May 2009 noted "Putin's family spending long visits at the Berlusconi family mansion in Sardinia at Berlusconi's expense."
In a cable written in November 2008, it was noted that "many (including his own party officials) suspect he has a personally and financially enriching relationship" with Russian politicians. And one leaked cable cited the view of the Georgian ambassador in Rome as claiming that Berlusconi had profited from Italian-Russian gas deals in return for his support for the Russian side in its confrontation with Georgia.
On a visit to Kazakhstan Wednesday, Berlusconi rejected the accusation. "The United States knows very well that I have absolutely no interest with no other country, that there (is) absolutely no personal interest and that I only look after the interest of the Italians and of my country," he said.
Overall, the leaked cables suggest a frustrating and unpredictable relationship with Berlusconi. When the Italian Prime Minister accused Washington of "provoking" Moscow by recognizing the independence of Kosovo, an Italian official visited the U.S. Embassy to "clarify" his remarks. A cable from the embassy said the official "took back a terse message to the FM that such comments risk substantial and lasting damage to Italy's credibility in Washington."
"Berlusconi was losing credibility for Italy as a reliable partner, which he could ill afford to do," the cable added.
Italian officials have reacted angrily to the leaking of the cables. Before they were released Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said the release of the cables would "blow up the relationship of trust between states."
"It will be the September 11th of world diplomacy," Frattini said Sunday. But he added : "I reaffirm once again that our friendship with the United States of America remains absolutely untouched by these documents."
Graham Taylor believes a perception of England as "arrogant" ended their hopes of winning the 2018 World Cup.
Former England manager Taylor was unsurprised by England's failure to secure the hosting rights for the competition, which instead went to Russia, but insists the haul of just two votes from 22 could see FIFA placed under new scrutiny.
England's bid was roundly commended for its technical quality and readiness to host an effective and profitable World Cup but aside from their own vote, delivered by former FA Chairman Geoff Thompson, they gained the support of just one more FIFA representative.
Taylor, speaking to Radio Five Live, said: "I ask the question 'what were we expecting?'. FIFA, for me, is full of people who say 'yes' to your face and 'no' behind your back. Their reputation has not changed for many years.
"We (England) have little or no influence; we are considered to be arrogant and know-alls and FIFA don't have to answer to anyone.
"I'm surprised that we're surprised. This has been going on for years and we've been aware of a lot of things going on around the back."
British media investigations into FIFA practices and the conduct of influential members have been cited as one of the reasons England fared so badly in the voting, but Taylor believes they could yet come into their own.
"I have a feeling, perhaps, that it might be time...that they really need looking into and investigating and our journalists are very good at that.
"How long has this been going on? How long have been questions been asked of FIFA and when have they answered them?
"You don't want take away from Russia or Qatar but it may be that this is the trigger for it to get looked into."
Jerusalem (CNN) -- As many as 40 people were killed Thursday in a massive wildfire that erupted Thursday near Haifa in northern Israel and showed no sign of being controlled, the Israel Defense Forces said.
A bus carrying up to 50 people overturned "allegedly after the driver lost control of the vehicle because of the fire and surrounding smoke" as it was traveling between kibbutz Beit Oren and Damon Prison, the IDF website said.
It was not clear from the IDF website how many of the deaths attributed to fire occurred in the bus accident, but the newspaper Haaretz reported that all 40 of the dead were on the bus.
Inmates of the prison were evacuated to temporary jails nearby.
Earlier, authorities had said that 22 people were dead, another 25 were seriously hurt and more were missing in the blaze, which had scorched more than 750 acres in the Carmel Forest near Haifa.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called it one of the worst fires in Israel's history and ordered the military to assist rescue and firefighting efforts.
He urged people, including the news media, to stay away from the blaze, which he called "a fire on an international scale."
Several nations, including Turkey, were sending firefighting planes, Israel's Foreign Ministry said. Relations between Turkey and Israel have been tense since last spring, when Israeli commandoes boarded a Turkish ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, killing nine people.
In addition to Turkey's sending two planes, Greece was sending four, France two, Cyprus two, and one each from Croatia, Russia and Azebaijan, the ministry said.
Spain was sending four aircraft, Netanyahu said. "The necessary means are not currently in the field but they are on the way here," he said, adding that he planned to request more planes from Russia.
He predicted that the fire would take time to douse and called for calm. "I think that together, we will surmount this."
In Washington, President Barack Obama said the U.S. government had launched an effort to identify the firefighting assistance that the United States could offer and to provide it to Israel "as quickly as possible."
Friday morning, the Israeli Cabinet was to meet in Tel Aviv to formulate a response.
Micky Rosenfield, an Israeli police spokesman, told CNN that more than 1,500 people had been evacuated from their homes and that the fire was within approximately 5 kilometers of Haifa, Israel's second-largest city.
"We must achieve two goals -- saving lives and putting out the fire, " Netanyahu said Thursday night at the forward command center, according to his media adviser.
Firefighters were continuing to fight the blaze as authorities evacuated nearby communities.
The fire, bolstered by strong winds, blanketed Haifa in smoke.
It was not clear how the fire started, but police were investigating if the blaze started in an illegal dumping ground.
Ex-England manager Terry Venables has hit out at FIFA's World Cup selection process calling it an "utter sham".
In his column for The Sun, Venables did not hold anything back as he expressed what undoubtedtly a lot of football fans in England must be feeling right now after their bid garnered a miserable two votes.
Venables wrote: "If you had given the script to the director of the new James Bond movie, he would have turned it down and accused it of being too far-fetched."
"England beat The Living Daylights out of their rival bids, but were still met by Dr No. Unbelievable. And, if we're being honest, unjust."
"We not only best met all of FIFA's critieria for the bid, we also jumped through their hoops, bent over backwards and went way above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring the World Cup to our shores for the first time since 1966."
Venables went on to state his opinion that: "FIFA led us to believe the bidding countries would be judged on things like stadiums, IT networks, transport links, hotels, training facilities and communications.
"That was clearly not so. After all, who in their right mind would score Russia above England in any of those categories? To do so, would be farcical, as anybody who has ever been beyond the old Iron Curtain would tell you.
However, Venables did admit he had no problem if FIFA had aimed to give the World Cup 2018 to a nation that had never hosted the competition before - he just wished they would have told the England FA earlier.
"It would have saved us £15 million and a lot of heartache," he wrote in his column for the Sun.
"Instead, the selection process became a charade - in fact a complete and utter sham.
"England never got the 2018 World Cup, because we were never going to get it."
On Thursday, Russia and Qatar were announced by FIFA to have won the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
