Beckham talking to MLS about owning a new team

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http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/Story/A1Story20130518-423559.html

David Beckham, who announced his retirement from professional football on Thursday, could return to the United States (US) as owner of a new club.

The former England captain's contract with Major League Soccer (MLS), signed when he joined the L.A. Galaxy in 2007, included an option to purchase an 'expansion franchise'.

Beckham's option, which would allow him to create a new franchise for a fee understood to be US$25 million (S$31.3 million), well below the recent entry fees to the league for other expansion clubs, explicitly rules out New York City as a location for an eventual new team.

MLS currently has 19 teams. His advisors, which include his management team, Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment, have already discussed with the MLS on some of the possible locations for an eventual team.

The South East of the US is currently without an MLS team and Miami has been considered as one of the possible locations by Beckham's team.

The Miami Fusion, who played in neighbouring Fort Lauderdale, joined MLS in 1998 but were closed down by the then struggling league after four seasons along with fellow Florida team the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

A major stumbling block to a South Florida team is that they would likely have to finance a purpose-built football stadium given the two major venues in the city are for NFL and baseball.

MLS commissioner Don Garber has frequently mentioned a desire to return to the South East though and there have been talks with ambitious lower division club Orlando City and with the owners of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

Other cities that are considered potential expansion sites for MLS include Minneapolis, Tampa and San Antonio.

60 youngsters to get training from Brazilian football club on June 9

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http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/youngsters-get-training-brazilian-football-club-20130517

Some 60 youngsters will get the opportunity to train under coaches from the football club that groomed Brazilian football star Ronaldo.

Sponsored by Nutella, the football clinic by SC Corithians will be held on June 9.

Besides this group of youngsters, winners of a online contest on Nutella's FaceBook page will also get a 90-minute training session with the club. To enter, parents must go to the Facebook page and write in why their child should be picked for the clinic.

The Nutella Football Clinic is open to kids between the ages of 10 and 14. It is the pre-tournament lead up to the Lion City Cup, an annual under-15 tournament held in Singapore.

MSL: Late goal denies LionsXII victory

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http://sg.sports.yahoo.com/news/goal-denies-lionsxii-victory-154200190.html

Pahang Captain Azamuddin Akil

They thought they had done enough to hang on to victory. First, Safuwan Baharudin contorted to head away a dangerous ball, before Shakir Hamzah made a vital tackle as another cross came in.

But when the ball returned for a third time into the box via a punt to the far post and was knocked back across goal, there was no one this time to stick in a foot or make any sort of intervention as Azamuddin Akil dived in to head home a 95th minute equaliser.

That heartbreaking goal denied the LionsXII all three points in a 1-1 draw after they looked to have weathered the barrage of attacks from Pahang FA, who laid siege to the visitors’ goal throughout the game.

Safuwan, in particular, was immense at the heart of the Malaysian Super League leaders’ defence as he made numerous vital blocks and tackles to frustrate Azamuddin and substitutes Matias Conti and Fauzi Roslan.

Such valiant rearguard action was needed due to the smash-and-grab tactics of coach V. Sundramoorthy, which admittedly looked to be working out well after skipper Shahril Ishak had curled home a low freekick in the 11th minute for his seventh goal of the season.

It looked like Pahang's time was up when Safuwan and Shakir made those two clearances in the final minutes, but Damion Stewart rose superbly to head back a deep cross for their captain to level deservedly for the Tok Gajah as the Darulmakmur Stadium erupted with joy.

Violent end to Copa del Rey as Atletico beat Real in All-Madrid derby

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http://sg.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/violent-end-copa-del-rey-atletico-madrid-beat-224136453.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo were both sent off as Atletico Madrid beat Real Madrid for the first time since 1999 to win the Copa del Rey final 2-1 in extra time.

Real Madrid fell victim to the woodwork and Atletico keeper Thibault Courtois, who made a couple of tremendous saves to thoroughly frustrate Real.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 14th minute and it seemed Real Madrid would stroll to yet another win against their local rivals. But Atletico kept their focus.

Diego Costa equalized in the 35th minute and the longer circumstances conspired against Real, preventing them from finishing off the game, the testier the atmosphere became. Mourinho was sent to the dressing room in the 75th minute in a bizarre incident that even he didn't seem to understand and the bookings began to pile up.

A total of 13 players were booked in the match, including Ronaldo, who was sent off in the 114th minute for catching Gabi in the face with his studs after throwing tantrums throughout much of the match. Gabi, with a wad of cotton up his nose to plug the bleeding, was sent off himself just before the final whistle.

After Ronaldo joined Mourinho in the dressing room, a scuffle broke out between the two sides and Courtois was hit in the back of the with a missile thrown by someone behind his goal. This was probably a cowardly act of revenge for the astonishing save he pulled off to keep Mesut Ozil from a certain equalizer in extra time.

Atletico held on to win and finally break the spell that Real have had over them for the last 13 years. For Real Madrid, it is perhaps a fitting end to a tumultuous season. Jose Mourinho goes his first season without a trophy (if you don't count the Spanish Super Cup) since he joined Porto in 2002. If/when he leaves Madrid under a cloud of bitterness this summer for a return to Chelsea, he will be out for blood.

Waitress fired after bashing police on Facebook

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http://www.policeone.com/social-media-for-cops/articles/6238231-Waitress-fired-after-bashing-Okla-police-on-Facebook/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

A local waitress is causing a national uproar over a picture and comment she posted about some Oklahoma sheriff's deputies.

Ashley Warden posted the picture on her Facebook page Thursday along with the comment: "Stupid Cops better hope I'm not their server FDP."

The post has gone viral and is now all over law enforcement sites across the country. Many people contacted the waitress's employer, Chili's, over the whole thing and now that waitress has been fired.

The three men in the picture are Oklahoma County Sheriff's deputies.

"This is what she posts and what she chooses to post during Law Enforcement Week when we are honoring those who have died in service to our citizens, I think that's pathetic," said Sheriff John Whetsel.

The sheriff says his office has never had any dealings with Warden and the deputies had actually just finished volunteering the past five hours as a funeral escort for a Catholic priest.

"I was extremely disappointed that here are these dedicated public servants got called names and then get threatened by a lady that doesn't have a clue about who they are or what they do or the service they provide," he said.

Warden is not new to controversies involving police officers. She's the same Ashley Warden who was ticketed last year when her 3-year-old son peed in their front yard. That officer lost his job over the ordeal.

11/19/2013 Related Story: Piedmont Officer Fired After Writing Controversial Public Urination Ticket

Now it looks like Warden will learn what that feels like. Wednesday afternoon, a Chili's spokesperson issued this statement saying she has been fired.

"Here at Chili's, the privacy and safety of our guests as well as the quality of food we serve each day is of utmost importance. With the changing world of digital and social media, Chili's has Social Media Guidelines in place, asking our team members to always be respectful of our guests and to use proper judgment when discussing actions in the work place. When we find that team members violate these policies, they are subject to termination. After looking into the matter, we have taken action to prevent this from happening again. Involvement in the local community is something Chili's prides ourselves on, and we are proud to partner with local law enforcement officials in our more than 1,200 restaurants throughout the U.S."

SIA to reveal 'next gen' seats & cabins in July

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http://www.ausbt.com.au/singapore-airlines-to-launch-new-first-class-suites-business-class-seats-cabins-for-b777-a350

Singapore Airlines will unveil the next generation of its seats and cabin interiors in July, ahead of their inflight debut on selected long-range Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The media launch, to be held in Singapore on July 9, also comes ahead of a worldwide redesign of the airline' SilverKris airport lounges.

All eyes will be on Singapore Airlines' ultra-luxe first class suites, which have been reimagined by BMW's Designworks USA outfit and come as SQ faces increased competition from Middle East airlines in the premium travel market.

But most business travellers will be paying close attention to SQ's all-new business class seats. These have been designed by James Park Associates, which created the airline's current business class seat as well as Cathay Pacific's highly-regarded new business class.

The new business class seats will provide more storage for pieces of personal carry-on kit such as mobile phones, iPods and reading glasses, and is also said to offer increased privacy.

Singapore Airlines has earlier said it would target "improved comfort in both seating and sleeping positions" on the new business class seats. The cabin upgrade also includes touchscreen displays on the inflight video system.

The new seats and refreshed cabin interior will be fitted to Singapore Airlines' new Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A350 aircraft.

Man abducts 4-year-old girl, mother goes berserko, chases suspect and mows him down

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http://www.todayonline.com/world/quirky-world/mum-chases-down-child-abductor-man-arrested

A mother whose 4-year-old was being abducted chased the suspect down and crashed her vehicle into his car, triggering a manhunt and the arrest of the suspect, Albuquerque police said yesterday (May 16).

The young girl was playing in her yard at St Anthony’s Plaza Apartments in Albuquerque’s North Valley on Wednesday when a group of teenagers saw the kidnapping and ran to alert the girl’s mother, police said.

The family called 911 but Melissa Torrez, the mother, jumped into her vehicle and gave chase for about seven miles, unaware the man had pushed the girl out of the silver Buick before fleeing the apartment complex, authorities said. The girl was found wandering nearby, uninjured, police said.

According to police, the mother followed the suspect and finally rammed into his car near an intersection. The suspect fled on foot, police said.

The attempted kidnapping sparked a massive manhunt Wednesday as more than two dozen officers went door-to-door in the area looking for the suspect. A helicopter with heat-sensor cameras also was sent in for the search, authorities said.

Police arrested David Hernandez, 31, yesterday afternoon in Rio Rancho after he saw his picture on television and called police. After being interviewed, he was charged with kidnapping, police spokeswoman Tasia Martinez said.

Police were also investigating a possible connection to the abduction and sexual assault of a 6-year-old from the same apartment complex last week. The suspect in that case was described as a male in a silver or gray vehicle.

Animal welfare code could be in place next year

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/animal-welfare-code-could-be-in-place-ne/678576.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

An animal welfare code that spells out the do's and don'ts of pet care could be in place next year.

That means owners who don't provide proper shelter, food or leave their sick pets untreated can be punished.

Activists are asking authorities to go one step further and set up an animal police force to investigate and nab offenders.

For now, a national microchip database is in the works although it may take some time to implement it.

Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of Animal Welfare Legislation Review, said: "It is very straightforward in the sense to say that if any owner or person in charge of the animal or pet does not take good care of the animal, they can be taken to task."

No offence committed during Abdul Ghani Othman's visit

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http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20130517-423508.html

There was no offence committed during former Johor chief minister Abdul Ghani Othman's visit to Singapore earlier this month, said the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

Their joint statement came in the wake of a police report that was lodged about Mr Ghani's visit, which happened on May 2, during the Malaysian general election campaign.

The statement said the Singapore police found "no offence" disclosed in the report lodged with them.

On May 2, Mr Ghani had boarded a bus to Singapore, ate breakfast at the Wendy's restaurant at Jurong East MRT station, and spoke to journalists before going back to Malaysia. He did not carry any campaign material with him.

He said then that he wanted to get a sense of Johor residents' commute to Singapore for work.

"The acts referred to in the report such as arriving in Singapore, having breakfast or speaking to reporters do not constitute an offence."

The police had also said that nobody is allowed to publicise a cause or campaign, or demonstrate support for or opposition to any persons or government, without a police permit.

MISSING: 83-year-old Tengh Koo Yam, last seen on May 6 at Serangoon Avenue 2

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http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/police-appeal-for-information-on-missing-elderly-man#scpshrtu

Police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of an elderly man.

Eighty-three-year-old Tengh Koo Yam was last seen in the vicinity of Serangoon Avenue 2 on May 6 at about 7.30am.

Mr Tengh is about 1.62 metres tall and is thin. He has a fair complexion.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts can contact the Police hotline at 1800-255 0000.