Fair Proxy Web

Real restore seven point advantage

MADRID, Spain — Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robinho scored second half goals to give Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Zaragoza to restore their seven point advantage at the top of the Spanish Primera standings.

Dutch star Van Nistelrooy scored his ninth goal of the season in the 66th minute and Brazil’s Robinho added the second 11 minutes later at the Bernabeu, but it was tough lines on Zaragoza who created several chances of their own and often tested home keeper Iker Casillas.

They remain winless in eight league games and slip to 10th after a good start to the season.

Reigning champions Real have 44 points from 18 games, seven clear of arch-rivals Barcelona on 37 with Espanyol a further point behind.

Barcelona won 2-0 at Real Mallorca on Saturday, but have been struggling to close the gap on Real since losing 1-0 in the clash of the big two on December 23.

Earlier on Sunday, Atletico Madrid moved back into the top four with a fine 3-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

It was Atletico’s first win at Deportivo’s famed Riazor Stadium since 1995 as Diego Forlan, Kun Aguero and Jose Jurado scored. Deportivo are battling relegation in second bottom.

Valencia’s bid to claim a Champions League place again faltered with a disappointing 0-0 draw with bottom side Levante. They lanquish in seventh place with 27 points.

Sevilla are in eighth after beating struggling Real Betis 3-0 in Sunday’s late match with Luis Fabiano scoring twice to make it 12 for the season for the Spanish league’s top scorer. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

found here.

Iraqi soldiers throw selves on suicide bomber, AP reports

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — A suicide bomb exploded Sunday amid an Army Day celebration in central Baghdad, killing at least 11 people and wounding 17, an Interior Ministry official said.

The bomb attack occurred about 12:30 p.m. Sunday as people participated in an event called The Gathering for Iraq in the Karrada district of central Baghdad, the official said, as soldiers and civilians were being given gifts by a nongovernmental organization.

Two Iraqi soldiers were killed when they tried to thwart the attack by throwing themselves on the bomber who had slipped into the crowd, The Associated Press reports.

The bomber detonated his explosives vest, and killed an additional nine people, including three police officers and four civilians, an Interior Ministry official told CNN.

These two Iraqi martyrs gave their lives so that others might live, according to a statement issued by the U.S. military, the AP reports.

Also on Sunday, gunmen shot to death a Shiite tribal sheik active in an effort to counter militias in his northeastern Baghdad neighborhood, Iraqi officials said.

Ismaiel Abbas was killed instantly when gunmen in two cars attacked him near his home in the Shaab Shiite neighborhood at 8 a.m., an Interior Ministry official said.

Witnesses told investigators the gunmen were Shiite militia, but police are still investigating, the official said.

Sheik Abbas was part of an effort to form an armed group to combat militias in his neighborhood, the official said.

A third attack Sunday involved a parked bomb which killed four, including a police officer, in northeast Baghdad Sunday afternoon, the Interior Ministry official said.

Eleven others were wounded when the bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol on a crowded street in the Qahira neighborhood.

In the Nahda commercial area in central Baghdad, one civilian was killed and four others wounded when another car bomb exploded about 2:30 p.m. local time.

An Interior Ministry official said that the explosion was followed by four mortar rounds attacks in the same area and damaged 15 civilian cars, but there were no other causalities.
found here.

Ahonen achieves Four Hills history

BISCHOFSHOFEN, Austria (AP) — Janne Ahonen became the first ski jumper to win the prestigious Four Hills tournament for a fifth time Sunday.

The 30-year-old Finn won the final stop under difficult circumstances due to rain with jumps of 126 and 136 meters, earning him 251.6 points in the World Cup event.

This means a lot to me, Ahonen said. But it will be easier to understand what it really means after a couple of years.

His main competitor Thomas Morgenstern finished third with 242.7 points, and Gregor Schlierenzauer, who was third in the standings, failed to qualify for the second leg.

Ahonen also won the Four Hills tournament in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2006 when he shared victory with Jakub Janda of the Czech Republic.

Jens Weissflog of Germany is the only ski jumper with four tournament wins, in 1984, 1985, 1991, and 1996. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

found here.

Benitez defiant as Liverpool held

LONDON, England — Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez poured scorn on reports that he fears being sacked after his side had scrambled to a 1-1 FA Cup draw at third-flight Luton on Sunday.

It is being claimed that the Spaniard was convinced owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks were planning to replace him because they had not backed him or given him enough money to spend in the January transfer window.

Speaking after the unimpressive third round draw, Benitez said: That is not true. I love the club, I love the fans. I’m really happy here and I want to stay for a long time.

Asked if he was sure he would be in charge at Anfield next season, he added on Sky Sports 1: I think so.

Benitez would certainly have been unhappy with the performance of his players in a game which cash-strapped Luton dominated for long periods.

But they failed to take their opportunities and when England international Peter Crouch scored in the 72nd minute after a series of blunders in the home defense, it looked as if Liverpool would escape with a fortunate win.

But an own goal by Liverpool’s John Arne Riise three minutes later completed an uncomfortable afternoon for Benitez.

Norwegian international Riise turned a cross from Drew Talbot past his own goalkeeper and left his side facing an uncomfortable final quarter of an hour at Kenilworth Road to earn a replay at Anfield. E-mail to a friend

found here.

Palestinian sources: 3 dead in attacks

JERUSALEM (CNN) — Two women were killed Sunday from shelling in central Gaza near al-Breij, Palestinian security sources said.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was checking the report, a spokeswoman said.

No other details were immediately available.

In the same area, five Israeli soldiers were wounded in two separate incidents, when Palestinian militants fired anti-tank missiles at the troops, the IDF spokeswoman said.

There was no immediate response from Palestinian sources.

Earlier on Sunday, a 17-year-old Palestinian who belonged to Hamas died in an Israeli operation in central Gaza, Hamas security and Palestinian medical sources said.

The sources did not specify how the teen died.

On Saturday night, Israeli air strikes into northern Gaza killed two Palestinian militants and wounded seven others, Palestinian security sources said.

The air strikes targeted an area in Gaza from which mortars were fired into southern Israel, an Israeli Army spokesman said.

One air strike killed one militant and wounded four, while another air strike killed one and wounded three, the Palestinian sources said.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet Sunday that longer range missiles fired into Israel last week were an escalation in terror activity, but Israel has seen substantial results in hitting main terror operatives in Gaza.

The defense minister has ordered the security forces to step up the Israeli response that has been harsh in the past weeks and has had substantial results in hitting main terror operatives in Gaza, Olmert said. E-mail to a friend

found here.