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Football: Scots frustrated by late penalty controversy

Posted: 03 Sep 2011 06:56 PM PDT

GLASGOW - Scotland's hopes of qualifying for Euro 2012 were left hanging by a thread after Michal Kadlec scored a controversial last minute penalty to give the Czech Republic a 2-2 draw at Hampden Park on Saturday.

Craig Levein's side, hunting a place in the qualification play-offs, needed a victory to close the gap on the Czechs in the race to finish second behind runaway group leaders Spain.

They were in control when Darren Fletcher set up Kenny Miller to open the scoring a minute before the break.

But the Czechs laid siege to the Scotland goal in the second-half and got the goal their pressure deserved when Jaroslav Pasil headed home a 78th equaliser.

A Jan Rajnoch mistake allowed Miller to cross for Fletcher to put Scotland ahead again in the 83rd minute.

However, there was heartbreak for the Scots when Dutch referee Kevin Blom pointed to the spot in the 90th minute after substitute Jan Rezek went down even though replays showed Danny Wilson made no contact with his challenge.

Kadlec expertly converted the resulting penalty which leaves Scotland, who have played a game less, five points behind the Czechs in second place. - AFP

Australia to drop PNG immigration deal: Minister

Posted: 03 Sep 2011 06:51 PM PDT

SYDNEY - Australia is to abandon plans for Papua New Guinea and Nauru to process asylum seekers after a court ruling last week scuttled plans to send 800 boatpeople to Malaysia, a minister said Sunday.

"The solicitor-general... can have no confidence that an arrangement with PNG or Nauru is possible under existing law as a result of this judgment," the AAP news agency quoted Immigration Minister Chris Bowen as saying.

Australia and Papua New Guinea, its developing northern neighbour, last month signed a memorandum of understanding under which PNG would establish an assessment centre on its Manus Island to process boat people.

Rights groups said the idea was a return to the "Pacific Solution" of former leader John Howard under which asylum seekers arriving by boat were sent to Manus and the tiny Pacific state of Nauru as a deterrence to others.

Under that policy, since dismantled, asylum seekers were processed offshore, but often ended up being resettled in Australia.

Sunday's announcement came four days after Australia's highest court blocked government plans to send 800 boat people to Malaysia — a key plank of its regional approach to halting the flow of asylum seekers.

It was a huge embarrassment for Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her fragile Labor government, which had heralded the policy as a sure-fire strategy to deal with the politically divisive issue.

Gillard said the High Court ruling was a missed opportunity "to enhance our region's response to the evil of people-smuggling". - AFP

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Sabtu, 3 September 2011

NST Online: Latest

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