World Cup 2018 & 2022: More bidding process corruption claims

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30264098

The House of Commons Culture Media and Sport select committee has published previously unseen material submitted to it by the Sunday Times newspaper.
It draws on claims by senior sources that officials connected to England's bid for the 2018 World Cup ran an intelligence-gathering operation against rival nations.
Russia and Qatar won the bids.
This submission by the Sunday Times outlines how England 2018 executives compiled a database of rumours and intelligence - gathered by private companies and, significantly, British embassies.

Israeli cricket umpire killed by ball

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30260842

Witnesses say a fast delivery by the bowler came off the batsman's bat, striking the wicket and then the man.
The incident comes just two days after Australian batsman Phillip Hughes died of a head injury caused by being struck by a ball at a match in Sydney.
Umpires in cricket, unlike some players, do not wear helmets but such incidents are extremely rare.
[...]
AFP news agency, quoting the Israeli Cricket Association, named the umpire as Hillel Oscar, 55, and described him as the former captain of the national cricket team.
There were conflicting reports about how he died, with some saying that he was hit in the face, others that he suffered a heart attack after being hit in the chest.

Drunk Pole who drove lorry wrong way jailed in UK

http://thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/188523,Drunk-Pole-who-drove-lorry-wrong-way-jailed-in-UK

Tomasz Kruchowski was over three times over the limit when he was detained by police officers on the Black Country Route in the West Midlands, earlier this week.

''They saw an HGV articulated lorry emerge the wrong way from a no entry side road and drive onto the route,'' recounted prosecuting barrister Valerie Hart at Walsall Magistrates Court.

''It was travelling westbound on the eastbound carriageway heading towards oncoming traffic.

''Officers were clearly perturbed by what they could see.''

The arrest was made at 2.30 am local time.

Russia tests 'satellite catcher'

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30097643

Russia may be testing a satellite capable of chasing down other orbiting spacecraft, observers say.
Such technology could be used for a wide variety of uses, including to repair malfunctioning spacecraft, but also to destroy or disable them.
The Kosmos 2499 satellite separated from the upper stage of its rocket two years ago and then chased it down.

Achtung! Germany named world's favorite country

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/11/18/germany-is-the-worlds-favorite-country-survey-says/19221047/

Yes, from being the world's pariah in the decades following Nazism and World War II, Germany is now the world's favorite country, according to the Anholt-Gfk Nations Brand Index, which measures the image of 50 leading nations.
The Teutonic powerhouse knocked the United States from its longtime perch at the top of the ratings, which measure "twenty-three different attributes that make up the six overall dimensions on which national image is based."
"Germany appears to have benefited not only from the sports prowess it displayed … at the FIFA World Cup championship, but also by solidifying its perceived leadership in Europe through a robust economy and steady political stewardship," said Simon Anholt, who created the index in 2005.