| 2 teenagers to play against football stars in Spain
SINGAPORE: Two Singapore teenagers came up tops in a football tournament organised by Adidas and won themselves a chance to play against football stars like David Beckham, Michael Ballack and Lionel Messi. In all, 80 young boys vied for the prize in the 3-hour-long football match, under the watchful eyes of famous judges like Lim Tong Hai and former Lions' captain Terry Pathmanathan. The two 16-year-old teenagers emerged victorious in the competition and will be heading to Spain to pit their skills against some of the best in the football world. Aslam Ismail Yaakop, Winner, Predator vs F50 Finals, said: "I'm looking forward to it because this will be my first time travelling overseas and I'm proud to represent Adidas for Singapore. I feel very happy because I didn't expect to win this competition." - CNA/so .
£50m swoop for Red Ronaldo
SPECULATION in Spain over Real Madrid's desperation to sign Cristiano Ronaldo has reached fever pitch after the Man United star's Champions League heroics. Sports daily AS claims secret talks have taken place in London between Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, and Madrid official Franco Baldini. Baldini is said to have been told that the 22-year-old would jump at a move, and Madrid president Ramón Calderón is prepared to offer a staggering £50m. .
EU Raises Threat of Action Against Spain
European Union regulators stepped up their threat of legal action against Spain on Wednesday, formally requesting Madrid to withdraw key conditions on E.On AG's euro37 billion (US$48 billion) bid to buy Spain's biggest electricity company Endesa SA. The European Commission said it asked Spain to reply by March 16 or face a possible legal battle at the EU's high court in Luxembourg. Spain's Socialist government has attempted to block the German company's bid for Endesa, preferring a competing bid from Spain's Gas Natural SA, arguing it is in the national interest to have Endesa remain in Spanish hands. EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said the Commission had started a "second stage" of infringement proceedings, warning that if there was no "satisfactory reply" within seven working days it may decide to refer Spanish authorities to the EU's high court.
Lufthansa 2007 Profit to Rise on Traffic, Disposal (Update5)
March 8 (Bloomberg) -- Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe's second-biggest airline, said earnings will rise this year on growth in air travel and a 500 million-euro ($658 million) gain from the sale of its half of tourism operator Thomas Cook. ``Revenues are growing and we have a firm grip on costs,'' Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Mayrhuber said at a press conference in Frankfurt today. ``At the latest next year, we intend to lift our operating profit above the 1 billion-euro threshold.'' Lufthansa has added seating this year to challenge larger competitor Air France-KLM Group and discount carriers such as Ryanair Holdings Plc. The airline has compensated for more expensive fuel through ticket surcharges that are higher than at competitors. Lufthansa, which reported some preliminary full- year figures on Feb.
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