Chelsea 0-1 Man Utd

Rooney (left) directs an angled shot into the Chelsea goal to put Man Utd ahead
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Stamford Bridge

Manchester United took a firm grip on the Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea as Wayne Rooney's winner gave them a crucial first-leg advantage at Stamford Bridge.

Rooney rounded off a fine move involving Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs after 24 minutes to put United in the ascendancy as they battle with Chelsea to face Inter Milan or Schalke 04 in the semi-final.

After being hit with an Football Association charge for swearing into the camera after scoring in United's win at West Ham United on Saturday, Rooney was all smiles as he delivered the away goal his manager Sir Alex Ferguson had demanded ahead of the all-Premier League confrontation.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti paired Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres in attack - but it was another fruitless and frustrating night for the Spaniard as his goal drought goes on since his £50m British record transfer from Lverpool.

Drogba struck a post and Patrice Evra cleared off the line from Frank Lampard in first-half injury time, while Chelsea and their supporters were infuriated when two penalty claims were rejected by Spanish referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco in the dying seconds.

Ancelotti blasts ref's penalty denial

Ramires tumbled under challenge from Evra while Torres went down as he tangled with Antonio Valencia. Chelsea's demands went unanswered - and Torres saw insult added to his injury when he was booked for diving.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who had Rio Ferdinand available for the first time since February, was elated at the final whistle as all his pre-match demands were fulfilled in the fight to face Inter Milan or Schalke 04 in the last four.

And victory will have tasted sweet for Ferdinand after he was taunted by Chelsea's fans following Fabio Capello's decision to reinstate John Terry to the England captaincy in place of the Manchester United defender.

United were industrious and well-organised, with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar presenting a formidable barrier with a performance that once again suggested his decision to retire at the end of the season may be premature.

He was outstanding throughout and distinguished himself with one late save from a Torres header that demonstrated his enduring powers of athleticism.

Chelsea now face a huge task at Old Trafford to rescue the tie and keep their main hope of silverware alive this season, as well as easing pressure on Ancelotti.

Ancelotti had pinned much of his hopes on the pairing of Drogba and Torres, but they were kept at bay until a late flurry of first-half activity finally unsettled United's defence.

Torres made an energetic start and Drogba forced a fine fingertip save from Van der Sar with a rising drive from the angle as Chelsea attempted to apply early pressure.

It was United, however, who took the lead with a superbly constructed goal after 24 minutes as they delivered the away goal Ferguson had insisted upon in the build-up to the tie.

Carrick, whose range and accuracy of passing was a feature of United's play, found Giggs with a raking ball and when the veteran displayed superb touch and control to find Rooney, he scored with a low finish past Petr Cech.

Chelsea offered their increasingly frustrated supporters some hope seconds before half-time when United somehow survived a desperate scramble. Torres failed to apply a touch to Drogba's effort and when Lampard looked certain to score from the rebound Evra made a desperate, and decisive, block.

Tie is not over - Ferguson

Drogba was trying manfully to spark life into Chelsea and he fashioned a chance for Ramires that the Brazilian, arriving at pace in the area, could only divert wide of the target.

United suffered a blow when the unlucky Rafael was hurt in a touchline collision with Drogba and, despite his efforts to play on, was stretchered off and replaced by Nani.

As United held firm, with an ever-present menace on the counter-attack, Ancelotti made a double change with 20 minutes left, replacing Yuri Zhirkov and Drogba with Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka.

Torres almost broke the barren spell he has endured at Chelsea moments after the change with a fine looping header from Ramires' cross that was clawed away to safety by Van der Sar as Chelsea looked to build momentum.

Van der Sar had been a model of composure when Chelsea did pierce United's defence and his handling was secure once more when Lampard's free-kick found a way through the defensive wall.

United had anxious moments as they survived two penalty appeals - but their satisfaction at their night's work was evident as they celebrated with their supporters in a corner of Stamford Bridge at the final whistle.

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Champions League

Final Result Full Time 90:00+4:20 The referee blows his whistle to end the game. 90:00+3:16 Substitution Chris Smalling comes on in place of Ji-Sung Park. 90:00+2:40 Booking Fernando Torres is cautioned. 90:00+0:45 Fernando Torres concedes a free kick for a foul on Antonio Valencia. Antonio Valencia takes the direct free kick. 89:19 Nicolas Anelka takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 87:33 Nicolas Anelka has a header from deep inside the six-yard box and clears the crossbar. 84:49 Branislav Ivanovic takes a shot. Save by Edwin Van der Sar. 82:43 Antonio Valencia challenges Florent Malouda unfairly and gives away a free kick. Ashley Cole takes the free kick. 82:29 Foul by Dimitar Berbatov on Branislav Ivanovic, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by John Terry. 80:07 Rio Ferdinand challenges Florent Malouda unfairly and gives away a free kick. Shot on goal comes in from Frank Lampard from the free kick, save by Edwin Van der Sar. 79:13 Booking Edwin Van der Sar is cautioned by the ref for time wasting. 78:23 Antonio Valencia challenges Fernando Torres unfairly and gives away a free kick. The free kick is delivered right-footed by Frank Lampard from left wing. 77:53 Substitution Jose Bosingwa leaves the field to be replaced by Mikel. 77:27 Substitution Dimitar Berbatov is brought on as a substitute for Javier Hernandez. 76:46 Florent Malouda takes a shot. Rio Ferdinand gets a block in. 74:38 Patrice Evra fouled by Ramires, the ref awards a free kick. Patrice Evra restarts play with the free kick. 73:57 Fernando Torres takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 73:21 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Florent Malouda by Nemanja Vidic. Frank Lampard takes the free kick. 73:21 Booking Booking for Nemanja Vidic for unsporting behaviour. 70:01 Substitution Nicolas Anelka comes on in place of Didier Drogba. 69:37 Substitution Yury Zhirkov goes off and Florent Malouda comes on. 69:27 Effort from outside the box by Michael Essien goes wide right of the target. 67:12 Ryan Giggs takes the outswinging corner, clearance by John Terry. 66:45 Luis Nani delivers the ball. 65:48 Michael Essien gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Michael Carrick. Direct free kick taken by Nemanja Vidic. 65:48 Booking Michael Essien goes into the referee's book for unsporting behaviour. 64:55 Javier Hernandez is caught offside. Petr Cech restarts play with the free kick. 61:50 Ji-Sung Park fouled by Didier Drogba, the ref awards a free kick. Michael Carrick takes the free kick. 60:44 Ryan Giggs decides to take a short corner. 59:52 Ramires gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Patrice Evra. Patrice Evra takes the direct free kick. 59:52 Booking Ramires booked for unsporting behaviour. 56:48 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Ramires by Patrice Evra. Frank Lampard takes the direct free kick. 56:14 Didier Drogba produces a right-footed shot from close range which goes wide of the right-hand post. 55:47 Frank Lampard takes a inswinging corner from the left by-line to the near post, clearance by Javier Hernandez. 54:44 The assistant referee flags for offside against Javier Hernandez. Free kick taken by Petr Cech. 53:00 Patrice Evra challenges Didier Drogba unfairly and gives away a free kick. Didier Drogba takes the direct free kick. 52:24 Luis Nani takes a shot. Save made by Petr Cech. 50:30 Substitution (Man Utd) makes a substitution, with Luis Nani coming on for Rafael Da Silva. 49:34 Header by Ramires from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the target. 48:41 The ball is delivered by Ashley Cole. 45:30 Michael Essien fouled by Ji-Sung Park, the ref awards a free kick. Branislav Ivanovic takes the direct free kick. 45:01 The game restarts for the second half. Half Time 45:00+1:23 The half-time whistle blows. 45:00+0:24 Frank Lampard takes a shot. Rio Ferdinand gets a block in. 44:59 Frank Lampard takes a shot. Blocked by Patrice Evra. 44:07 Wayne Rooney takes a shot. Save by Petr Cech. 40:53 Centre by Wayne Rooney. 39:31 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Branislav Ivanovic by Ryan Giggs. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Didier Drogba, clearance made by Rio Ferdinand. 38:54 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Jose Bosingwa by Ji-Sung Park. Direct free kick taken by Jose Bosingwa. 35:13 Yury Zhirkov concedes a free kick for a foul on Javier Hernandez. Ryan Giggs restarts play with the free kick. 35:13 Booking Yury Zhirkov receives a caution for unsporting behaviour. 32:27 Michael Essien takes a shot. Michael Carrick gets a block in. 31:39 Yury Zhirkov takes a outswinging corner to the near post, clearance made by Javier Hernandez. 30:51 Fernando Torres takes a shot. 30:06 Antonio Valencia concedes a free kick for a foul on Ashley Cole. Direct free kick taken by Ashley Cole. 29:34 Didier Drogba challenges Nemanja Vidic unfairly and gives away a free kick. Edwin Van der Sar takes the direct free kick. 28:50 Ramires gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Patrice Evra. Patrice Evra takes the direct free kick. 26:59 Michael Carrick is penalised for a handball. Michael Essien takes the indirect free kick. 23:13 Assist by Ryan Giggs. 23:13 GOAL - Wayne Rooney:Chelsea 0 - 1 Man Utd Wayne Rooney gets on the score sheet with a goal from inside the box to the bottom right corner of the goal. Chelsea 0-1 Man Utd. 22:17 Ryan Giggs takes a outswinging corner from the left by-line played to the near post, clearance by Didier Drogba. 21:33 Ashley Cole challenges Antonio Valencia unfairly and gives away a free kick. Rio Ferdinand takes the direct free kick. 19:31 Yury Zhirkov concedes a free kick for a foul on Antonio Valencia. Ryan Giggs takes the direct free kick. 19:01 Corner from the right by-line taken by Frank Lampard, clearance by Rio Ferdinand. 18:50 Didier Drogba takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 18:24 Jose Bosingwa produces a cross. 18:07 Antonio Valencia gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Fernando Torres. Frank Lampard takes the free kick. 16:33 Free kick awarded for a foul by Ashley Cole on Antonio Valencia. Rio Ferdinand takes the direct free kick. 15:50 Corner taken by Ryan Giggs from the right by-line. 15:37 Ji-Sung Park takes a shot. Didier Drogba gets a block in. 14:57 Outswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Ryan Giggs. 14:18 Ji-Sung Park takes a shot. Blocked by John Terry. 13:56 Michael Essien concedes a free kick for a foul on Ryan Giggs. Wayne Rooney takes the free kick. 12:59 Unfair challenge on Michael Carrick by Didier Drogba results in a free kick. Rio Ferdinand restarts play with the free kick. 9:19 Fernando Torres concedes a free kick for a foul on Ji-Sung Park. Patrice Evra restarts play with the free kick. 8:14 Centre by Fernando Torres. 6:08 Fernando Torres takes a shot. Save made by Edwin Van der Sar. 4:58 Didier Drogba takes a shot from 35 yards and went wide of the right-hand post. 3:12 Foul by Fernando Torres on Rio Ferdinand, free kick awarded. Edwin Van der Sar takes the direct free kick. 0:33 Free kick awarded for a foul by Patrice Evra on Fernando Torres. Jose Bosingwa takes the free kick. 0:00 The match begins. Live text and data provided by The Press Association.

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Medics urge emergency op shake-up

7 April 2011 Last updated at 06:14 GMT The RCS claim patients "frequently wait far too long for a space on an emergency operating list" A report from the Royal College of Surgeons says lives are being put at risk because some hospitals focus too much on waiting lists for routine surgery rather than on emergency operations.

It claims emergency patients account for up to half the NHS surgical workload in Wales and England, but that deaths rates and complications vary widely between hospitals

Local health boards are looking at centralised specialist centres. They say the RCS report endorses the plans.

The RCS has published a list of new standards to help hospitals in Wales and England "to get things right".

It says priority is often given to routine surgery in order to meet "arbitrary targets" and which delays vital surgery, resulting in "poor outcomes for patients".

Colin Ferguson, RCS director of professional affairs for Wales, said it is common in every branch of surgery to see patients with serious conditions given a lower priority than they deserve.

Continue reading the main story

Because perhaps patients are not managed as patients but rather to accommodate targets, that's why we are seeing these anomalies in the system”

End Quote Prof Ceri Phillips Health economist He claimed patients are often placed in inappropriate wards and frequently wait far too long for a space on an emergency operating list.

"These patients should be treated in centres that can offer the highest quality of care," he said.

"Sadly, this is currently often not the case."

The RCS say while detailed performance statistics are gathered for routine, pre-planned operations, there is currently little gathered on timeliness of emergency surgery.

Among its recommendations it calls for better monitoring of emergency patients, and dedicated wards and access to critical care.

Professor Ceri Phillips, health economist at Swansea University, said the report was warning that not properly managing emergency patients was actually increasing the cost to the NHS.

He said targets for emergency and A&E admissions puts pressure on other parts of the system.

"Because perhaps patients are not managed as patients but rather to accommodate targets, that's why we are seeing these anomalies in the system," he told BBC Radio Wales.

"What we probably need to think about, and it has been suggested, is that we see a clear demarcation between emergency surgical procedures and elective procedures.

"For example, it has been suggested that over the Christmas period, we do not plan any routine surgery because of the pressure on beds in hospital.

'Highly-equipped'

"Obviously this goes against some of the things we've been talking about in terms of waiting times, but it does mean patients with emergency needs can be dealt with in an appropriate and effective and efficient manner rather than an ad hoc basis."

Kate Watkins, acting director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, which represents local health boards, said it would be considering the recommendations to see what improvements they could make.

She said the report backs the argument that it was crucial to have fully staffed and equipped emergency facilities, which currently can't be safely provided in all hospitals across Wales because the expertise would be spread too thinly.

"That is why some health boards in Wales are looking to provide all emergency surgery in one central, highly-equipped and staffed centre of excellence, supported by very effective emergency transport," she said.

Wales' chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell said it is for NHS organisations to "ensure they have the appropriate skill mix of staff to meet fluctuating demand".

"Emergency departments aim to stabilise patients ready for surgery, usually at the same hospital, but where specialised surgery is required, we would expect patients to be transferred to the appropriate hospital to ensure they receive the best care," he said.

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Wikileaks founder appeal date set

6 April 2011 Last updated at 13:19 GMT Julian Assange denies allegations of sexual assault in Sweden Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's appeal against extradition from the UK to Sweden on sexual assault allegations is to begin on 12 July.

A two-day hearing has been listed at the High Court.

After February's ruling at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, Mr Assange said the extradition was due to a "European Arrest Warrant system run amok".

Lawyers for the 39-year-old, who denies the charges, argued the case breached his human rights.

He has been granted bail and is living at the home of journalist Vaughan Smith at Ellingham Hall, a 10-bedroom property set on 600 acres of land near Bungay on the Norfolk-Suffolk border.

'Adverse publicity'

Mr Assange has suggested the case was politically motivated because of Wikileaks' publication of sensitive material - including leaked US diplomatic cables - from governments and high-profile organisations that has made headlines worldwide.

He said he feared he could be handed over to the US authorities.

But in the ruling ordering the extradition, District Judge Howard Riddle said no evidence was provided to support that claim.

The judge also said he did not accept defence claims that that Mr Assange would not get a fair trial in Sweden or that the allegations against Mr Assange were not extraditable offences.

He did, however, find that there had been "considerable adverse publicity in Sweden for Mr Assange, in the popular press, the television and in parliament".

Mr Assange's legal team has indicated this issue would be central to their appeal against the decision.

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With Diggins back, Notre Dame could be team to beat next year

INDIANAPOLIS — The brightest star in this year's women's Final Four was Texas A&M senior Danielle Adams, whose power and presence were the tipping points in victories against Stanford and Notre Dame that brought the Aggies their first NCAA title.

By Michael Hickey, US Presswire

With Skylar Diggins returning next season, Notre Dame should again be a factor on the court in women's basketball.

By Michael Hickey, US Presswire

With Skylar Diggins returning next season, Notre Dame should again be a factor on the court in women's basketball.

But Adams will be playing in the WNBA next season. There was another supernova in Indianapolis who used the national stage to announce her presence, and she will be back to try for the title again — Notre Dame sophomore point guard Skylar Diggins.

Diggins' talents until this Final Four were largely unappreciated outside the Big East, where she was recognized as an all-conference player in arguably the toughest league in the country. But after she scored a career-best 28 points in the semifinals against two-time defending champion Connecticut, and added 23 in the 76-70 loss against A&M, the rest of the country was put on notice.

"She really stepped up her game in the NCAA tournament," said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw. "I think she came into this season as someone people were aware of and she gave herself a big shot of credibility."

Diggins is a South Bend, Ind., native who grew up revering all things Notre Dame. McGraw knew this was a player she could not afford to let leave home. Diggins was the 2009 Indiana high school player of the year and won a state championship her sophomore season.

That victory came at Conseco Fieldhouse, the same venue as the Final Four. Diggins was so inconsolable after Tuesday's loss that she began leaving the court before the horn sounded to seal A&M's 76-70 victory.

"After the buzzer, they're celebrating and things like that," she said. "I just wanted to get off for my team and get ready to talk to everybody and finish it out in our huddle."

McGraw said she thinks it will take Diggins some time to come to grips with the loss and put it in perspective.

"She's extremely hard on herself and she will spend the entire summer, I'm sure, thinking about this game," McGraw said. "And that's probably a good thing for us. You lose that game, and you just get motivated to come back and work a little bit harder and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Diggins might have lost a game, but she gained a huge fan in Texas A&M coach Gary Blair.

"She is an All-American in every way, and when you see a Skylar Diggins stay home and go to Notre Dame instead of going to Connecticut or Tennessee, it's very good for the game," he said.

The Maya Moore era has finally ended at UConn and Notre Dame loses only one starter off this year's team. The Irish could be the team to beat next year in the Big East, something McGraw welcomes as long as she has Diggins running the show.

"She had just a fabulous end to her season," McGraw said. "I think she really, really figured out how she could score and how she could lead us. I'm really looking forward to the next two years with her."

UConn vote:

One voter in the USA TODAY/ESPN women's coaches top 25 did not go with national champ Texas A&M. Instead the voter put Connecticut No. 1. That voter declined to make the vote public when reached by USA TODAY could reveal the name.

Under Women's Basketball Coaches Association rules, the final votes are kept anonymous. Coaches can reveal theirs if they desire. They also are not bound to vote for the NCAA tournment winner.

On Tuesday, Northern Arizona men's coach revealed he voted for Ohio State instead of Connecticut in the final poll. Men's coaches are not bound to vote for the tournament winner.

Contributing: Craig Bennett

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Tropic plunder: Rays fall to 0-5 with loss to Angels

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Dan Haren (FSY) added to the woes of the Tampa Bay Rays.

By Kim Klement, US Presswire

Angels starting pitcher Dan Haren allowed one run over 7 2/3 innings against the Rays.

By Kim Klement, US Presswire

Angels starting pitcher Dan Haren allowed one run over 7 2/3 innings against the Rays.

The winless Rays lost again Wednesday when Haren and the Los Angeles Angels shut down the AL East champions 5-1.

The Rays fell to 0-5 and for the fourth time finished with exactly one run and four hits.

"You can look at it two ways," Haren said. "You can look at it that, they're struggling, so you pounce on them. Or, the game of averages and they'll probably start hitting at some point. I know they're not swinging the bats well now, but I'm glad we got them at this time because we come back here in a couple weeks and they'll probably be a different team."

Rookie Jeremy Hellickson (FSY) (0-1) lost despite striking out 10 in 5 2-3 innings.

Tampa Bay designated hitter Manny Ramirez (FSY), who has one hit in 17 at-bats this season, was out of the starting lineup. He flied out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and will miss Thursday's game at the Chicago White Sox while tending to a personal matter.

"They've pitched better than us and they're hitting better than us right now," Ramirez said. "That's part of the game. Whoever plays better is the one that's going to win."

"How many games have we've played?" Ramirez added. "We've got plenty of time."

Johnny Damon (FSY) moved out of left field to replace Ramirez as the DH. Damon went 0 for 4 with a strikeout, and is 1 for 15 this year.

Haren (1-0) scattered four hits over 7 2-3 innings and struck out six. Relievers Kevin Jepsen (FSY) and Jordan Walden (FSY) completed the combined four-hitter.

"Maybe about three or four pitches he didn't hit what he wanted to," Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said. "I don't think it's a secret what Dan does, but he really does it well. He's got an uncanny ability to just repeat a delivery and repeat a pitch."

Alberto Callaspo (FSY) homered for Los Angeles. The third baseman had two RBIs in the Angels' 5-3 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.

B.J. Upton (FSY) homered for the second straight game, a solo shot during the fifth that pulled the Rays within 2-1.

Bobby Abreu (FSY) put the Angels up 1-0 with an RBI double in the first. Callaspo hit a solo home run in the fourth.

Los Angeles took a 3-1 lead on Jeff Mathis' (FSY) run-scoring double in the sixth. Mark Trumbo (FSY), who had his first career three-hit game, extended the Angels' advantage to 4-1 with an eighth-inning RBI single.

Torii Hunter (FSY) singled home a run in the ninth.

Tampa Bay will turn to ace David Price (FSY) in an attempt to stop its five-game skid on Thursday.

"Noboby in here is panicking," Price said. "We, obviously, need to win a game."

NOTES: Abreu has 525 career doubles, which is the same number as Hall of Famer Ted Williams. ... Angels INF Erick Aybar (FSY) underwent an MRI exam on his strained left oblique. It showed a slight strain, but Aybar is not expected to start in Friday's home opener. ... Upton is the only Tampa Bay player with a hit in all five games this season. ... Hellickson's previous strikeout high was seven, accomplished during a limited stint with Tampa Bay last year. .. Tampa Bay RHP Mike Ekstrom (FSY) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Durham. ... Abreu has reached base in 11 of his last 15 plate appearances.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Jamaican pride: Usain Bolt lives it up as the world's fastest man

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Usain Bolt leans into the grandstand at National Stadium, and his beseeching fans reach out for him, calling his name in the din of the madding crowd.

By Karen Fuchs, Special for USA TODAY

Usain Bolt greets the adoring crowd at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, last weekend during the boys' and girls' championships.

By Karen Fuchs, Special for USA TODAY

Usain Bolt greets the adoring crowd at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, last weekend during the boys' and girls' championships.

Bolt belongs to the world as fastest human in its history, but he belongs first to this island nation. Saturday night, at the climax of the four-day boys and girls championships — a 101-year-old high school track meet — 25,000 Jamaicans stake their full-throated claim.

Some stars shrink from such contact with commoners. Bolt adores the adoration. Cameras roll as rapt fans in the front rows strain to touch the hem of his garment, in this case black shirt, black pants and black ball cap.

Bolt competed three times in Champs, as it's called, and still holds two schoolboy records. He's broken plenty of others since, notably world records in the 100 (9.58 seconds) and 200 meters (19.19 seconds) in the world championships in 2009.

He won three gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Games, including the 4x100 relay. Here is his master plan to mine more gold: blow away the opposition in the 100 and 200 at the world championships in South Korea this summer and use that as a springboard to repeat as Olympic champion at those distances in London in 2012.

"If I can dominate at this world championship, then I'm going to have a psychological advantage going into the Olympics," he tells USA TODAY. "Everybody is going to be like, 'Oh, God, this kid is too good.' Then they're going to be worried, really worried."

Bolt, 24, smiles widely. Worries are for others. He figures he doesn't feel stress, only gives it. Warming up before his star-making triumphs in Beijing, he looked loose and his competitors tense.

"As long as I'm in good shape, you'll always see me smiling," he says. "If I'm not smiling so much, you know there is a little bit of a problem there."

Bolt's goal of psychological supremacy by winning widely at worlds is itself a mind game, as Alfred "Frano" Francis sees it. The start coordinator for Champs was chairman of the national youth athletics program in Bolt's youth.

"He is the total package, mentally and physically," Francis says. "There is a secret I know that I'll keep because I don't want his opponents to know. But I'll say it like this: He knows how to deal with psychological games, and he takes no hostage.

"When he goes out there, he is your friend. But when it comes down to competition, it is business, and it is his business. And that's how he goes about it."

Bolt's greatest rival these days is American Tyson Gay. They are cordial. "We talk," Bolt says, "but I wouldn't say we're friends."

Gay told London's Daily Mail last week that if both were healthy next summer, he expected to beat Bolt in London: "I am the second-fastest man in history, and getting to No. 1 is what keeps me going."

Gay beat Bolt in a 100-meter Diamond League race in Stockholm last summer, Bolt's first loss in two years. Critics, including some Jamaican fans, wondered if he was partying too much.

"Some people say that," Bolt says. "I determine my life. I don't care what people say about me."

Besides, as Bolt sees it, late-night dancing relaxes him.

"I don't have a view on his lifestyle," Gay told the Daily Mail. "I don't have that much rhythm. I don't do liquor."

Bolt says he drinks only Guinness and the occasional champagne, no hard liquor.

"Dancing is good physical activity," Francis says. "So don't think about partying and dancing as negative."

Bolt is training for half a dozen meets, beginning in Rome next month, before the world championships at the end of August. There were no world championships or Olympics in 2010.

"Last year was the year for me to breeze out and try to relax and not stress so much," Bolt says. "Every four years, I get a year like last year and I go enjoy myself. I lose one race, just one race. It's not anything important."

By Karen Fuchs, Puma AG

Usain Bolt is seemingly ubiquitous in Jamaica, sometimes training in the shadow of his own Puma billboard.

It is 6:30 a.m. Bolt drives one of his six cars, a black BMW, into the gravel lot next to the track at the University of the West Indies. This is where he works out most mornings, usually with only a coach and trainer and some friends to run and joke with.

Today is different. Camera crews from Japan and Britain are there. He lies facedown on a rubdown table next to the track, and the cameras zoom as a trainer bends his limbs and rubs in oils. Bolt preens for the cameras, a showman before sunrise.

He strolls onto the track and runs intervals, first shorter, then longer. As he pounds down the straightaway, his own image peers over his shoulder from a billboard for Puma, his German sponsor. He works out in Puma shirt, shorts and shoes, a walking billboard — no, a running one — for the Bolt Collection.

Just after 7, the sun peeks over the mountains surrounding the spartan track. Soon he strips off his shirt in the quickly rising heat. His body looks as if chiseled by a Caribbean Michelangelo, but it is not perfect.

He has scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that led to a series of injuries that stalled his early career. He keeps it in check now with intensive exercises to build his core muscles. On this morning, as he walks back to the starting line for another sprint, Bolt holds both hands behind him, on his lower back. "Probably because I felt a little pain," he'll say later.

Bolt lies flat on the track at one point as his trainer folds him into more pretzel shapes. As Bolt rises to run again, pebbles stick to the perspiration on his back like modern art.

At last he is done. Bolt breathes hard as he trades track shoes for yellow flip-flops. He variously talks on his cellphone or calls out to nearby friends as he is stretched and rubbed one last time. Most of the cameras have enough footage by now. "Why aren't you taking any pictures?" he asks with a laugh.

At 8, he climbs back into his BMW with three pals and squeals out of the parking lot, kicking up gravel and dust. Yes, Bolt even drives fast.

"I was just putting on a show for the cameras," he'll say later.

Bolt sees himself as more than mere athlete. He is a performer on the world stage.

"When people come to watch you, yeah, they want to see you compete, but they want to see something different, I think," he says. "And that's why I love people come to see me, because I make them enjoy watching me."

It's an interesting way to look at it — he makes people enjoy.

"That's why I classify myself as a performer," he says. "I perform for the people. And when I win, I do crazy things, so enjoy it."

He is famous for his dance moves and poses after his golds in Beijing. The one where he bends back and appears to hold a quiver in a bow, often called the lightning bolt, comes from To Di World, a Jamaican dance move.

"I put my little spin on it and made it my own," he says.

He's not settled on any dance moves for London: "I work with what is hot at the moment."

Bolt has always tested clean, but he sets records in a cynical age, when greatness on a grand scale often seems suspect.

"It's not fair, but I understand," he says. "I definitely understand why people judge. Why people want to say, 'That can't be real.' "

Bolt thinks world doping authorities are doing a good job and that track "will get cleaner over time," leading fans gradually to accept greatness again.

"People will doubt me and say a lot of things," he says, "but I know within myself that I am doing it straight."

Bolt lives with his brother Saddiki in a condo in Kingston, about 75 miles from Trelawny, the parish in northwestern Jamaica where they grew up with sister Sherine. Today, the Usain Bolt Foundation contributes to the welfare of Jamaica's children, including funds for renovation of a Trelawny health center last year.

Bolt's parents, Wellesley and Jennifer, run a rural grocery there. He talked to them the other day, and they asked him to settle an argument over whose genes should get credit for their prodigy — Mom's or Dad's.

"I tell my dad, 'Give up, it's not you,' " Bolt says. " 'I got my talents from my mom, and I got my heart from you. So it's a good combination.' "

He can thank his parents for this: He is 6-5, 207 pounds, unusually tall for a sprinter. He runs the 100 in 40 or 41 strides, four or five fewer than competitors who are, say, 5-11 — Gay's height.

Bolt credits his father for one thing. "My dad was really strict on us," he says. "We had to stay in the yard. So if we went anywhere and we heard him coming, we had to run back to the house. … I was born fast."

His cricket coach noticed his speed as a boy and suggested track. At 15, he won a gold medal at 200 meters in the World Junior Championships, which happened to be in Kingston that year.

"I've never been so nervous in my life," he says. "I think that is what made me so good at what I do now, being relaxed. If I can win in Jamaica, there's no way I can't win in London."

Billions of people have been born since the dawn of time. Bolt is the fastest on record.

"I think about that sometimes," he says. "I sit down, and it just comes to me."

His playful grin and buttery baritone make this sound more charming than boastful. Bolt laughs a lot. The way he figures it, the best way to remain the world's fastest human is to balance hard work on the track with all manner of fun off of it.

And so he drinks his Guinness, dances to all hours, plays dominoes and video games with his friends — and says he'll wait, say, 15 years to marry.

"You have to have fun, man," he says. "You definitely enjoy your life. You don't want to look back at 35 and say, 'Oh, God, I missed out.' And that's what is going to happen to a lot of these guys in London. That's why they get into so much trouble."

Here he is speaking of British soccer players who, to Bolt's taste, get married too young and then find themselves caught in what he figures are inevitable infidelities. Bolt mentions Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, who married at 22 in 2008 and recently found himself pilloried in Fleet Street tabloids over alleged extramarital relations.

"You're the biggest thing in London and you're married at 20. Why?" Bolt says. "Live your life out and have some fun. You can't do that when you're married. It doesn't look good. … They're young. Let them enjoy themselves. Let them make mistakes from now so that when they get married, no problems.

"I'm glad Jamaicans are not like that. We don't have to worry about peer pressure, 'Oh, you need to get married.' We understand the culture. We enjoy life. … Find a nice girl, get married in your high 30s, get some kids and be happy.

"A lot of people say get married before kids, but it's not like that in Jamaica, either. You can have kids and then married."

Though marriage is far off, London gets nearer by the day. Bolt thinks it is possible he can win there and go below 9.5 in the 100 and 19 in the 200. He turns 25 this summer, 26 next. "My coach says my peak will be 26," he says.

"I think if I go to the Olympics and do something extraordinary — like, say, a 9.4 or an 18 — that would make my career. … So my focus should be, yes, on the world championships coming up. But London is going to be what makes you or breaks you."

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Rangers beat Felix and the Mariners to stay undefeated

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mitch Moreland (FSY) delivered the tiebreaking double for the still undefeated Texas Rangers off Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez (FSY). The young first baseman then earned a dinner from new teammate Adrian Beltre (FSY) for his work with the glove.

2nd Ld-Writethru

Eds: Rangers 7, Mariners 3. New approach.

By Matthew Emmons, US Presswire

David Murphy celebrates after scoring the go ahead run with manager Ron Washington in the seventh inning.

By Matthew Emmons, US Presswire

David Murphy celebrates after scoring the go ahead run with manager Ron Washington in the seventh inning.

Moreland put the Rangers ahead to stay with his RBI double into the right-field corner in the seventh. He then started the next inning with an incredible snag of Beltre's bounced throw after the Gold Glove third baseman made an equally impressive stop in the Rangers' 7-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

"It was OK. He made a better play than I did because it was a tough hop I threw over there, a little two-seamer low. He picked it very nice," said Beltre, who snagged Milton Bradley's (FSY) hard high chopper near the line. "Every time he does that I owe him a dinner. Hopefully he can save me a lot of errors."

So far this season, the AL champion Rangers are flawless.

They wrapped up their season-opening homestand with their first 6-0 start since 1996, when they set a team record by winning their first seven games. Texas has a day off Thursday before starting its first road trip of the season Friday in Baltimore.

"Everybody's talking about homers, but pitching and defense got us where we needed to be, got us six big wins," designated hitter Michael Young (FSY) said.

Moreland's go-ahead hit in the seventh inning, which he pulled down the line into the right-field corner, made a winner of C.J. Wilson (FSY) (1-0). Arthur Rhodes (FSY), the 41-year-old lefty, needed only four pitches to get through the 3-4-5 batters in the Seattle lineup in the eighth.

Hernandez (1-1) allowed four runs, two unearned, in seven innings. He struck out six and walked three.

"It was the wind first, I couldn't get my balance. But after that I felt good. All the pitchers were working," Hernandez said. "I know they're gonna swing anyway, so I just have to make good pitches. It was pretty good today, I got seven innings."

A pair of errors by newly converted second baseman Jack Wilson (FSY) led to the Mariners' troubles.

After pitching a complete game on opening day, Hernandez started against Texas with a 10-pitch walk to Ian Kinsler (FSY). The right-hander also walked AL MVP Josh Hamilton (FSY) in the first without giving up a run.

But in the second, Hernandez allowed consecutive one-out singles and a walk to the bottom three hitters in the Texas lineup to load the bases. Wilson then made consecutive errors on what could have been ending-inning double plays.

Kinsler hit a grounder to third baseman Chone Figgins (FSY), whose throw to second was bobbled by Wilson without getting an out when a run scored. The next play was a grounder to shortstop Brendan Ryan (FSY), and Wilson got the forceout but threw wide of first after Kinsler slid in hard. Wilson was knocked to the ground and two runs scored on the errant throw.

Luis Rodriguez (FSY) replaced Wilson at second base to start the bottom of the third.

"(Wilson) was a little hazy after that play at second base," manager Eric Wedge said. "He was having trouble getting it back to we had to take him out."

Known for making stellar plays at shortstop, Wilson had only played that position during 10 years in the majors until being shifted to second base this season. Ryan took over as the starting shortstop.

C.J. Wilson gave up two earned runs and six hits over seven innings. The crafty left-hander was a 15-game winner last season when he made the transition from reliever to starter.

"I thought he matched (Hernandez) pitch for pitch," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He held his composure and got us through seven innings. ... Fortunatley we were able to come back and get some runs, and get the win. He deserved it."

The Rangers broke it open in the bottom half of the eighth with three runs, two on a double by Nelson Cruz (FSY) off Brandon League (FSY).

After playing their first six games on the road, the Mariners (2-4) have a day off Thursday before their home opener against Cleveland, Wedge's old team.

During pregame festivities Friday in Seattle, Hernandez will be presented his Cy Young Award he won last season when he was 13-12 with a league-best 2.27 ERA.

Rodriguez had a leadoff double in the fifth and scored on a grounder. Bradley led off the sixth with a double and scored on a single by Jack Cust (FSY).

NOTES: The Rangers are the first team since 2003 to win at least six consecutive games to open a season. That year, Kansas City started 9-0 and San Francisco was 7-0. ... Mariners C Adam Moore (FSY) left the game in the eighth after hurting his right knee when retrieving a bounced pitched that he blocked and had just retrieved. He will have an MRI on Thursday. ... Beltre, who is hitting only .125 (3 for 24), snapped an 0-for-14 slump since his grand slam Saturday when a bad-hop single in the third. ... After the day off Thursday, the Mariners are scheduled to play 17 consecutive days. ... C.J. Wilson's career record is now 28-28.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Lopresti: Tiger can still catch Jack, but it won't be easy

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Time for the Masters. But we'll get to Tiger Woods in a moment. First, the bad news from Augusta National.

By Michael Madrid, USA TODAY

Tiger Woods still believes he will surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors, but there are many more doubters than there used to be.

By Michael Madrid, USA TODAY

Tiger Woods still believes he will surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors, but there are many more doubters than there used to be.

We regret to report the demise of one of the trees flanking Magnolia Lane, victim to a wind storm that blew through the other night during tournament week — which, of course, is strictly against Masters policy. A botanical footnote elsewhere, but a major development inside these gates.

"I was surprised it wasn't replaced in the first half hour," said Phil Mickelson, who has been around here long enough to understand how things work. "I guess it has 60 magnolia trees now instead of 61."

Matter of fact, Masters chairman Billy Payne did mention Wednesday that something would be done, but he wasn't sure what yet, since "150-year-old magnolias are in short supply for transplanting."

It's the Masters, where any blip of a change makes noise, including a falling tree.

For instance, the place is going high-tech.

An online lottery for actual tournament badges will begin next year, which will be like signing up every mosquito in Georgia for admission to a picnic. There'll be a gazillion entries. "Not a real good chance," Payne said of any one individual's odds. "But it's a chance."

And there's a video game out featuring Woods and the Augusta National course. Payne tried it with his 12-year-old grandson. "I quit after nine holes. I told him my back was hurting," he said. "He was up seven in our match play."

Speaking of progress, or more precisely the lack thereof, Woods' haul of major championships remains at 14, just where it was nearly three years ago. He's as plugged as an 8-iron shot into a wet bunker.

It's a pertinent number this week for a couple of reasons:

A. The Masters signals the beginning of another year in the ascent toward the peak of Mt. Nicklaus, and his 18 majors.

B. It is a reminder of how his karma has changed. Woods' majors total used to click upward like the meter on a speeding taxi.

His last click came at the 2008 U.S. Open, which gave him 14 at the age of 32. You might have noticed he's had a little trouble since then. The presumption was always that once his personal scandal cooled, his dominance would reheat. Golfdom still waits for the second part. He has not won anything since the fire hydrant.

Now he's 35 — Tiger Woods, 35? — and it is no longer a lock that he will just roll past Nicklaus. Once, it was not a matter of if, but when. Another dry year or two, and it won't be a matter of when, but if.

The smart money would still say yes. But you begin to wonder now how many more swing changes and coaching changes it might take.

"Absolutely I want to do it," Woods said at his Masters news conference about his Nicklaus-passing intentions. "That's what the benchmark and gold standard in this sport is, 18."

But will he?

"Mmm-hmm."

We'll take that as a yes.

The matter was taken to Nicklaus, who is otherwise engaged in reliving 25 years ago, when he charged to an immortal Masters victory at 46.

"I don't think too much about it, to be honest," he said. "Too busy doing other things.

"I've said many times that he's got a great work ethic and he's a very talented young man. And equipment will help extend his career beyond what it extended mine. I assume that he'll get his focus back on what he's doing and he will probably pass my record.

"But then the last part I always say about it is, he's still got to do it. If you look at what he's got to do, he's still got to win five more, and that's more than a career for anybody else playing."

For the record, Nicklaus won six majors after turning 35. If Woods can match that, he's there. But it won't be easy. It should never be as easy as it once looked it would be in the old days, back when Woods owned the world and 61 trees stood on Magnolia Lane.

Lopresti also writes for Gannett

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Leighton back, but Flyers say Bobrovsky will be playoff goalie

The man who carried the Philadelphia Flyers into the Stanley Cup Final is back with the team after three months in the minors.

By Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

Goaltender Michael Leighton lifted the Flyers into the Stanley Cup Final last season but spent most of this season injured or in the minors.

By Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

Goaltender Michael Leighton lifted the Flyers into the Stanley Cup Final last season but spent most of this season injured or in the minors.

But even though the Flyers recalled goalie Michael Leighton Wednesday after he cleared re-entry waivers, coach Peter Laviolette said that rookie Sergei Bobrovsky will be the starter when the playoffs open next week.

"Our playoff starters are set," Laviolette told the (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post. "In Game One, Bob's going to start and Boosh (Brian Boucher) will back up. They've been great all year. They've been terrific."

Leighton had replaced an injured Boucher in the second round last season and helped the Flyers rebound from a 3-0 deficit against the Boston Bruins and reach the championship round for the first time since 1997. They lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.

But his 2010-11 season was derailed by a back injury, during which time Bobrovsky emerged as a rookie of the year candidate. When Leighton returned from surgery in December, he played one game and was sent to the Adirondack Phantoms in January.

Leighton went 14-12-1 there with five shutouts, including during in his last two appearances. He'll join a team that has two wins in its last nine games and hasn't won two in a row since March 8 and 10.

"I think our goaltending, in terms of depth, is better today than it was yesterday at this time," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said in a conference call.

Bobrovsky, who has has played most of the games during the recent slide and has played well, expect for being pulled against the Washington Capitals on March 22 and giving up four goals to the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night. Boucher lost both of his starts.

"We're lucky to have three good goalies," Flyers forward Claude Giroux said. "Leights was good for us last year. Without (Bobrovsky or Boucher), we wouldn't be in the position we're in now."

That position isn't as strong as it was. The Flyers have fallen out of first in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are one point back in the Atlantic Division race.

The Flyers close with games Friday and Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, a team they could face in the first round, and the New York Islanders. Giroux said the Flyers have to get back to the way they were playing early in the season.

"Maybe, it's a good thing that we're not playing well," he said. "Maybe it's going to be a wakeup call and guys are going to play better."

Giroux said finishing first overall in the East, gaining home-ice advantage in the first three rounds, remains the Flyers' goal.

"Any time you start a series at home, you feel more confident in front of your fans and they get you a little more motivated," he said. "I think the next few games are going to be huge for us."

Contributing: Chuck Gormley, (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post

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Woods' pursuit of Nicklaus' majors record again hot topic

AUGUSTA, Ga. — As a lanky lad, Tiger Woods taped to his bedroom wall a page of records held by Jack Nicklaus. Listed right above his bed was every milestone of the Golden Bear's career, providing a nightly reminder of where Woods, even then, wanted to wind up.

By Michael Madrid, USA TODAY

Tiger Woods, who has not won a major since June 2008, tees off at this week's Masters looking for his 15th major title. Some believe Woods will not be able to break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.

By Michael Madrid, USA TODAY

Tiger Woods, who has not won a major since June 2008, tees off at this week's Masters looking for his 15th major title. Some believe Woods will not be able to break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.

Twenty-five years ago, Woods updated his charts to add Nicklaus' magical victory in the 1986 Masters at 46, when his back-nine charge shook the golf world and Augusta National's pine trees and gave him his record 18th and final major title. At the time, the numeral appeared unreachable for aspiring golfers, a remote destination that was an astounding seven major titles clear of Walter Hagen, the only other professional to reach double digits in major championship victories.

Undeterred, Woods dreamed big.

"It has always been my goal to pass Jack," says Woods, who has won 14 majors. "From well before I turned pro, that's what I've had my eyes set on in terms of golf. … I absolutely want to do it. The benchmark and gold standard in this sport is 18."

Asked Tuesday if he was ready to win this week's Masters — where he tees off in today's first round ranked No. 7 in the world, his lowest ranking since 1997 — Woods smiles.

"Mm-hmm."

Asked if we've seen the best of Woods, he smiles.

"No."

Many aren't so sure.

The former world No. 1's unrelenting march toward the record stalled three years ago following knee surgery and has remained in neutral since a car accident in 2009. Once, not too long ago, the scales were tilted heavily in favor of those who thought his journey to surpass Nicklaus was a foregone conclusion. Now, however, 19th hole debates around the world are more balanced as a growing number of people have begun to question Woods' game and his chances to topple Nicklaus.

"Can he pass Jack? That's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy says. "I don't know. He certainly looked like he was going to run right past him. We'll see. But if Tiger wins this week — and Tiger definitely can win this week — all of the (media) will say he's back, and that if he's back, he'll pass Jack."

Others disagree. Former touring pro and current Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee says Woods will not catch Nicklaus.

"Ahhhhh, no, I don't think Tiger will catch Jack and pass him," Chamblee says. "He has suffered physical and psychological injury, and he has to win five more to pass Jack. And Tiger is not the player he was before, not by a long shot."

Woods wasted little time in taking the first step of his journey by winning the 1997 Masters in his maiden major as a pro, an astounding 12-shot triumph. He added a second major two years later, then went on a stunning run where he captured six of the next nine and established an aura of invincibility much the same way Nicklaus had. Two years later he started another streak, and after winning five of 12 majors, no one stood between Woods and Nicklaus.

In 2008, in just his 46th start in a major as a pro, Woods won No. 14, on a broken leg, no less, in the U.S. Open. Frank Nobilo, a former touring pro and current Golf Channel analyst, equated Woods to the man of steel.

"It was like he was Superman. It just didn't seem real," Nobilo says. "It wasn't a matter of if he would pass Jack, but when he would pass Jack. But now, the question has changed. It's not a matter of when he will pass Jack, but if he will pass Jack."

While his peers couldn't temper Woods, kryptonite, in the form of a late-night car crash on Thanksgiving 2009, altered his compass on and off the course. His world began capsizing into a torrent of scandalous revelations of infidelity that cost him millions of dollars in endorsements, tarnished his image and led to a divorce from Elin Nordegren. Before his one-car accident, Woods won seven times around the world in 2009, including his 71st victory on the PGA Tour. In 2010, Woods ended the year without a victory for the first time since, he guesses, he was 6. He hasn't won in 2011 in five worldwide events, and 10 majors have passed since Woods last won one, which ties the longest winless stretch in majors in his career (he missed two due to injury).

Heading into his 17th Masters, more people have started thinking the Tiger has been tamed. This collection cite as his major hurdles Woods' age (35), surgeries to his right knee (4), swing changes (he's on his fourth reconstruction) and one shattered aura of invincibility. An expanding depth of talent, including a renaissance of gifted youngsters who haven't lived long enough to have fallen victim to Woods' ability to crush players and their psyches, fuels their side of the debate, too.

Five-time PGA Tour winner Scott Verplank told reporters last year that players were no longer that worried about Woods. Rory McIlroy, who at 21 already has four top-10s in majors the past two seasons, wrote in an essay for Sports Illustrated earlier this year that he wasn't sure Woods would ever dominate again.

"A big part of what he did in the past was built on things no one had ever done," Chamblee says. "And that was to drive it 9 miles with accuracy, dazzle people around the greens and putt as well as anyone. He intimidated the heck out of people. And he doesn't have that anymore.

"Even a superstar loses his game in increments. And when Y.E. Yang beat him in the 2009 PGA Championship, it was a Roger Bannister moment where the rest of the world realized Woods can be beaten when he has a lead in the final round of a major.

Woods still has plenty of people on his side in this deliberation, including Nicklaus. Among the reasons they cite include Woods' desire, commitment, unwavering fire to topple Nicklaus, athleticism, his ability to rebound, his new swing and the old Woods that simply can't be ignored.

"He's got a great work ethic and he's a very talented young man," Nicklaus said this week. "And equipment will help extend his career beyond what it extended mine. I assume that he'll get his focus back on what he's doing, and he will probably pass my record.

"But he's still got to do it. If you look at what he's got to do, he's still got to win five more, and that's more than a career for anybody else playing."

Zach Johnson, who held Woods off down the stretch to win the 2007 Masters, isn't dismissing Woods, either.

"People who say Tiger is done just don't know what they are talking about," Johnson says. "People talk about his slump. Well, there is a slump, but maybe it's a tropical storm instead of a Hurricane 5. The guy was the best golfer in the world nearly every day since 1997. So come on.

"Jack's Jack, and Tiger isn't there yet, but he'll get there."

He'll do so with a new swing. The change has Woods more centered over the ball throughout the swing, which in turn puts less stress on his body, which in turn could prolong the back nine of his career.

Woods is working with Sean Foley, 36, his third swing coach since turning pro. The two began their relationship at last year's PGA Championship in August. Foley, a Canadian who draws on a mix of life experiences, philosophy, geometry, physics and biomechanics in his instruction, says Woods conceptually understood the new swing a long time ago.

"He realized it made sense, because, in the end, it's just mathematics," says Foley, who counts Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair, Justin Rose and Stephen Ames among his students. "When the ball is in the air flying a certain way, that's just the end of an equation. If you look at his swings with (former swing coaches) Hank (Haney) and Butch (Harmon) and when he was a kid, there are still a lot of good pieces in those swings. All we are doing is trying to minimize variables and minimize unnecessary movements. His speed and power are still there, the flexibility is still there, his ability to transfer power is still there."

Foley, however, says he doesn't like to project into the future, so he won't take a stand on whether his pupil will pass Nicklaus.

"So, since he's been 8, he's dominated every level of golf he's played," Foley says. "Tiger is the greatest player of all time whether I coach him or not. I'm sure he's going to get to whatever he was going to get to."

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Is Tiger Woods set to pounce or is he a false favorite?

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There is something schizophrenic about our feelings for Tiger Woods.

At a time when fellow golfer Ian Poulter predicts Woods won't finish in the top five at the Masters and a European travel agency offers to refund all expenses if he does win, we still find several betting sites listing the 14-time major winner, who has not won a tournament in over a year, as either first or second choice.

Tee times and pairings

Phil Mickelson brings his game and confidence to Augusta

Our eyes tell us that this is not the same Woods who dominated the game and struck fear into the hearts of his opponents.

But our minds tell us that he is always one round away from coming back and wreaking vengeance on all those who doubted him.

If you are going to shoot the king, you better kill the king.

When asked about Poulter's assessment that his game wasn't in title-winning shape, Woods smiled and said "Poulter's always right, isn't he?"

Even Poulter said "you can never rule him out" and that if the putts start dropping "then you will see the Tiger of old come out."

In an ESPN interview yesterday, Woods said the goal is still winning and he believes that he'll win each time he tees it up.

That used to be good enough for most of us. Now?

So, what are you expecting from Woods this week?

While we wait to see if the putts will drop, here is some good work by some good people that we might have missed while sleeping or pondering what is at stake for the NFL as everyone goes to court.

Ron Shandler has a fantasy baseball chat starting at 11 a.m.

As Texas A&M is crowned, columnist Christine Brennan believes that parity is good for women's basketball.

UConn men get all the votes. Except the one for Ohio State.

Kentucky's John Calipari gets tournament bonus, can make rent this month.

Even though the rules said they earned it, ESPN pundit Rob Parker says Butler didn't deserve a title shot.

We may not have liked the men's title game but we watched.

Here are some 2012 preseason college rankings. Too soon?

It is official. Bubba Day has coolest name in college basketball.

Jack Nicklaus still loves breaking bread with other champions.

Barry Bonds glad to hear judge say let's not go to the videotape.

Derek Jeter is spending $15,000 a month so he can sleep.

From SI.com's Hot Clicks to Complex.com you get a guide to Jerry Seinfeld's sneaker collection.

How fast can you read our cover on Usain Bolt? Want to read it again?

Beaten Giants fan takes a turn for the worse.

Jimmie Johnson to NASCAR: I could not be more sorry.

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IOC adds five events for 2014 Winter Games

LONDON — The IOC approved the inclusion of women's ski jumping and four other new events for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

By Daniel Sannum Lauten, AFP/Getty Images

Slovenia's Robert Kranjec competes in the large hill ski jump at the Nordic world championships in Oslo last month. Women will be ski jumping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

By Daniel Sannum Lauten, AFP/Getty Images

Slovenia's Robert Kranjec competes in the large hill ski jump at the Nordic world championships in Oslo last month. Women will be ski jumping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

The International Olympic Committee executive board also approved ski halfpipe, mixed relay in biathlon and team events in luge and figure skating on Wednesday.

Proposals for inclusion of slopestyle events in snowboard and freestyle skiing and a team Alpine skiing event were put on hold for further review, the IOC said.

The IOC twice rejected women's ski jumping for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, saying the sport lacked enough elite competitors. Women jumpers took their case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, but failed to overturn the IOC decision.

The women seemingly sealed their case at the Nordic world championships in Oslo in March, when competitors jumped in heavy fog and strong wind. IOC board member Gerhard Heiberg of Norway said he was impressed by the level of competition and would recommend the event's inclusion to IOC President Jacques Rogge.

Ski jumping and Nordic combined, which features ski jumping and cross-country skiing, had been the only Winter Olympic events open only to men.

The IOC said in October that it "looked favorably" on all the proposed events but postponed a ruling until after the various world championships this winter.

Officials said Wednesday more time was needed to study the technical aspects of the slopestyle and Alpine team events, but they could still be added to the Sochi program.

In slopestyle, athletes do tricks while going down the mountain and through "features" — rails, big jumps and bumps. American snowboard star Shaun White, who won halfpipe gold in Vancouver, has said he would like to add slopestyle to his schedule if it's approved for Sochi.

Ski slopestyle is similar to the snowboard version.

In ski halfpipe, skiers score points for performing tricks and jumps on the same course used for the snowboard halfpipe.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Portugal seeks bail-out from EU

6 April 2011 Last updated at 21:28 GMT Jose Socrates: "We have reached the moment where the country is at too much risk"

Portugal's caretaker Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said that he has asked the European Union for financial assistance.

Mr Socrates said the country was "at too much risk that it shouldn't be exposed to".

The government has long resisted asking for aid but last week admitted that it had missed its 2010 budget deficit target.

Portugal follows Greece and the Irish Republic in seeking a bail-out.

"I always said asking for foreign aid would be the final way to go but we have reached the moment," Mr Socrates said.

"Above all, it's in the national interest."

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that Portugal's request would be processed "in the swiftest possible manner, according to the rules applicable".

He also reaffirmed his "confidence in Portugal's capacity to overcome the present difficulties, with the solidarity of its partners".

Borrowing costs

Mr Socrates did not say how much aid Portugal would ask for. Negotiations will now be underway and the BBC's business editor Robert Peston said rescue loans could amount to as much as 80bn euros ($115bn; £70bn).

Mr Socrates was speaking after Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said it was necessary to resort to financial aid from the EU.

Continue reading the main story Matthew Price Europe correspondent, BBC News

First Greece, then Ireland, now Portugal. But unlike the previous two bail-outs, this one does not seem to have provoked panic - either in the corridors of power here, nor on the markets.

The EU's top economic official Olli Rehn called the Portugese decision a "responsible move". The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso - himself Portugese - said the request would be processed as quickly as possible.

A team could be dispatched to Portugal in the coming days.

EU finance ministers hold a scheduled meeting in Hungary at the end of the week. Portugal will be top of the agenda.

The European Commission and the European Central Bank are both expected to be involved in the bail-out funding. The International Monetary Fund says it stands ready to help as well.

Earlier, the government raised about 1bn euros after tapping the financial markets in order to repay loans, but will have to pay a higher interest rate to lenders.

Portugal's cost of borrowing has risen sharply since the minority Socialist government resigned last month after its proposed tougher austerity measures were defeated in parliament.

Since then several rating agencies have downgraded the country's debt.

An informal meeting of European finance ministers had already been scheduled for Thursday in Budapest. Portugal was not originally on the agenda but is expected to be discussed.

The UK Treasury Minister Mark Hoban will attend. A source at the Treasury said that the bilateral loan the UK offered to the Irish Republic was "very much a special case" and a similar offer is "not on the table" for Portugal.

Jan Randolph, head of sovereign risk at IHS Global Insight, told the BBC that Portugal might organise "some sort of bridging loan" in the short term.

But he added: "The real big loan over several years will require a medium-term plan and I don't think that can be agreed until the new government comes into place."

Elections are likely to take place in a few months' time.

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Tomlinson stance 'almost defiant'

6 April 2011 Last updated at 16:34 GMT Pc Simon Harwood is giving evidence for a third day The police officer who pushed Ian Tomlinson minutes before he died at the G20 protests in London said he was "almost inviting a confrontation".

Pc Simon Harwood stood by his statement in which he said Mr Tomlinson's posture was "almost defiant".

The jury at the inquest into his death was again shown footage of Pc Harwood shoving the 47-year-old as he walked away from a police line.

The Tomlinsons' lawyer accused the officer of lying and talking "rubbish".

Giving evidence for the third day, Pc Harwood said he had not expected the newspaper seller to fall over and he had not helped him while he lay on the ground because it was not part of his training.

When asked later by his lawyer if he had intended to hurt Mr Tomlinson, he appeared to wipe tears from his eyes as he replied "not at all, no."

Pc Harwood, part of the Metropolitan Police's specialist Territorial Support Group (TSG), was caught on film pushing the newspaper seller to the ground in Cornhill, central London, on 1 April 2009. Mr Tomlinson got back to his feet but collapsed and died minutes later.

'Absurd'

Matthew Ryder QC, for the Tomlinson family, said Pc Harwood was denying events clearly visible on the video.

He asked Pc Harwood: "Do you agree he had his back to you? We're all here in this room looking at the video."

Mr Tomlinson was filmed moments before he died on 1 April 2009

Pc Harwood replied: "No."

Mr Ryder said: "You're lying Pc Harwood, I suggest, and you know it."

To that, Pc Harwood said: "No. I'm just trying to help."

The officer maintained that "from his angle" it had appeared Mr Tomlinson had not been moving away, which Mr Ryder said was "rubbish" and "absurd".

Members of Mr Tomlinson's family walked out in tears after hearing the policeman's denials.

Pc Harwood has already apologised to the Tomlinson family for "any way" he may be responsible for the death.

He has admitted Mr Tomlinson was no threat to him or his colleagues before he hit him with a baton and pushed him.

'Gesture'

Mr Tomlinson, who was not a demonstrator and had been selling newspapers in nearby Fish Street Hill, was on his way home when he encountered the protests.

On Wednesday, the officer was challenged over claims in his statement from 2009 that the father-of-nine had been inviting the confrontation and his push had been just a "gesture".

"He (Mr Tomlinson) just looked as if he was going to stay where he was whatever and was almost inviting physical confrontation in terms of being moved on," the statement said.

Mr Ryder asked: "Is that true, Pc Harwood?"

The officer replied: "Yes".

In another part of his statement, he said: "His (Mr Tomlinson) posture was almost defiant. His hands remained in his pockets, he did not move away, and he looked at the police officers approaching him as if he was simply intent on remaining where he was."

Pc Harwood, who is suspended from the force on full pay, has been told he will not face any criminal prosecutions over what happened - but he is still facing a Met Police misconduct hearing, due to take place after the inquest.

The inquest, which is sitting at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in Fleet Street, is examining the actions of police, the pathologist and independent investigators.

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Man held in Ronan Kerr inquiry

6 April 2011 Last updated at 17:47 GMT Forensics officers examined a garage where arms were found in Coalisland, County Tyrone Police in Northern Ireland investigating the murder of Constable Ronan Kerr have arrested a man in Scotland over a significant arms find.

Mr Kerr, 25, was killed when a car bomb exploded in Omagh on Saturday.

Police have said the arrest is linked to a weapons find in the Coalisland area of east Tyrone.

The weapons included four rifles, detonators, component parts for rocket launchers, incendiary bombs and explosives, possibly Semtex.

Speaking at a news conference at police headquarters in Belfast, Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris said the man was arrested in Renton, West Dunbartonshire, and brought back to Northern Ireland.

He said the weapons were found on Tuesday night inside stolen cars in a garage at Mountjoy Road in Coalisland.

Continue reading the main story Vincent Kearney BBC NI home affairs correspondent

Police have confirmed that the arms found in Coalisland will be forensically examined to establish whether there is a direct link to the Ronan Kerr murder or to the wider activities of dissident republicans.

It has been a significant length of time since the police have uncovered an arms haul of this quantity and variety.

If it turns out that the explosives found were Semtex it will raise questions about whether dissidents have a new supply line or have access to explosives which formerly belonged to the Provisional IRA.

"Everyone in Northern Ireland is very much safer today because these munitions have been taken out of circulation," he said.

ACC Harris said the find was "the most significant in recent years".

The arms found were:

• Four Kalashnikov rifles

• Six loaded ammunition magazines

• Timer power units

• Detonators

• Incendiary bombs

• Components for rocket launchers and other explosive devices

• Quantity of explosives, possibly Semtex

Police said the items were being "fast-tracked for forensic examination" and formed one line of inquiry in the Ronan Kerr murder investigation.

"A man has been arrested in Dunbartonshire in Scotland in connection with the find of weapons at Coalisland," ACC Harris said.

"This 26-year-old suspect is being brought back to Northern Ireland for questioning. Colleagues from Strathclyde Police assisted PSNI detectives in the arrest operation.

"The seizure was made in a garage unit on the Mountjoy Road. Inside the unit, police officers uncovered a number of stolen vehicles and inside those vehicles, a significant amount of arms and munitions," he said.

Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris announced details at a press conference

"This investigation into Ronan's murder will continue in the coming days and weeks with the same determination and professionalism which resulted in last night's discovery."

Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton from Strathclyde Police said a search had been carried out in connection with the arrest in Renton, but nothing had been found.

"I would like to reassure people in West Dunbartonshire and across the Strathclyde Police area that there is nothing to suggest there is any increased threat to people here in connection with this arrest," he said.

Anne Murphy lives near to where the explosives were found in County Tyrone and said there had been a major police operation.

"It really took off about six o'clock on Tuesday evening," she said.

"I've never seen anything like it before, in the amount of resources that have been in the area.

"There have been jeeps, there have been mini-buses, large vans, with possibly forensic vehicles included.

"They've been here continuously, manning the place. The area's been blocked off."

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We won't take risks with NHS - PM

6 April 2011 Last updated at 11:48 GMT By Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News The NHS is under going a major revamp The government will not take risks with the NHS in England, Prime Minister David Cameron says.

But at the launch of a new push to convince critics that the reforms are right, he said sticking with the status quo was not an option.

The prime minister was joined by his deputy Nick Clegg and Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to try to present a united front amid widespread criticism.

Labour has branded the move a "PR stunt".

Speaking at a hospital in Surrey, Mr Cameron said change was necessary because of rising demands on the health service from factors such as the ageing population.

He added: "I'm in politics not to take risks with the NHS but to safeguard and improve the NHS for today and future generations.

"If we want to keep the NHS free at the point of use we have to make it more efficient - sticking with the status quo is not going to work."

Greater freedoms

He said there would be a series of events over the next two months where ministers would be meeting with the public and those working in the NHS to explain the reforms and to see if improvements could be made.

But he insisted there was support for the basic principles - putting patients and GPs in charge, reducing bureancracy and giving greater freedoms to hospitals.

Continue reading the main story Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News

After weeks - make that months of criticism - the government is facing a tricky balancing act.

Most people agree the NHS cannot stand still - the ageing population, rising cost of drugs and lifestyle factors like obesity means costs are outstripping the rise in funding the health service is getting.

And so the government is fully committed to the basic principles of the reform programme - GPs holding the purse strings and greater competition. There will be no U-turn.

But at the same time ministers recognise they have a job to do to convince the NHS and wider public that the changes they are making are the right ones.

That is going to require reassurance, clarification and perhaps, hardest of all, compromise.

The government has also enlisted Professor Steve Field, the former chairman of the Royal College of GPs, to head a panel of experts - called the NHS Future Forum - which will take a leading role in the "listening exercise".

Under the government's overhaul of the NHS, GPs are to be given control of much of the budget - allowing two tiers of management to be scrapped.

The NHS is also to be opened up to greater competition.

The government took the step of launching the "listening exercise" after Mr Lansley accepted in the House of Commons on Monday that there were concerns.

He told MPs he wanted to use a natural pause in the parliamentary timetable before the bill underpining the changes returns in late Spring to engage with people.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Lansley said the two-month exercise was a "genuine opportunity to shape the future of the health service".

Prime Minister David Cameron says he is listening to the concerns over NHS reform

The move has come after the government has already said it would make some changes to the plans.

Amendments have been promised to stop private health companies "cherry-picking" the easiest cases, while competition on price will not be allowed, ministers have said.

It is thought likely that in the coming months the government will make clear that the April 2013 cut-off for GPs to take on the budget is not an absolute deadline.

Instead, GP consortia that are not ready will be given support by a national board, led by NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson.

Another measure being given serious consideration is the idea of inviting other experts to get involved in the consortia, something which has been proposed by the House of Commons' health committee.

The cross-party group of MPs said involving the likes of hospital doctors, public health chiefs and councillors would improve accountability and decision-making.

Nigel Edwards, of the NHS Confederation, which represents managers, welcomed the listening exercise, saying his members had concerns about the plans.

He said the pause in progress represented a "needed process of dialogue and communication with professionals, patients and the public".

British Medical Association leader Dr Hamish Meldrum said: "We see it as positive that the government is committed to listening. How serious it is about making real changes remains to be seen."

But shadow health secretary John Healey said he remained doubtful meaningful changes would be made, suggesting that the government had failed to listen during the official consultation and during debates in Parliament.

"The pause looks suspiciously like a PR stunt to quell the coalition of criticism."

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Ivory Coast: Gbagbo repels attack

6 April 2011 Last updated at 22:33 GMT Troops on both sides have deployed heavy weapons for the battle Troops backing the internationally recognised president of Ivory Coast have been rebuffed in attempts to oust the country's incumbent leader.

Alassane Ouattara's forces launched an assault on the home of Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to stand down as president.

After hours of fighting, Mr Ouattara's men pulled back in the face of heavy fire from within Mr Gbagbo's residence.

Mr Gbagbo insists he won November's run-off vote, but election officials found Mr Ouattara was the winner.

That result was certified by the UN, but Mr Gbagbo has refused to leave office.

Mr Gbagbo and his family are believed to be sheltering in the bunker of his residence, in an upmarket area of Abidjan, Ivory Coast's main city.

He says Mr Ouattara's troops want to kill him, while they say they have strict orders to capture him alive.

Speaking by phone to French radio and sounding defiant, Mr Gbagbo denied he was hiding in a bunker.

"I am in the residence - the residence of the president of the republic. When it rains, can't one take shelter inside one's house?"

Mr Gbagbo had earlier denied he was surrendering, saying he was only negotiating a truce.

In a separate development late on Wednesday, French helicopters carried out an operation to evacuate the Japanese ambassador, whose Abidjan home was besieged by mercenaries, a source close to the rescue operation told the AFP news agency.

Troops 'in the building'

Gun, rocket and mortar fire was reported around Mr Gbagbo's residence during Wednesday.

Carrying automatic weapons and approaching the compound in pickup trucks modified to carry heavy machine guns, Mr Ouattara's troops attempted to storm the residence to spring Mr Gbagbo from his hideaway.

Continue reading the main story Andrew Harding BBC News, Abidjan

A negotiated ending might have helped ease tensions in this bitterly divided country. After all, Mr Gbagbo won 46% of the vote in the recent election.

But he seems to have overplayed a weak hand, and so a more forceful denouement beckons, and with it the real risk of greater instability.

What will his militias do if Mr Gbagbo is killed, or dragged out and humiliated?

Civilians, still trapped in Abidjan, say there has been sporadic gunfire across the city, with pro-Gbagbo militias still on the streets, and Ouattara force's still "mopping up" opposition at several military installations.

The stench of dead bodies, littering the sides of the road, is a powerful reminder of the price this city has paid for the "restoration of democracy".

But they faced stiff resistance from inside the property's walls, where Mr Gbagbo's supporters were said to be dug in with mortars and rocket launchers.

After several hours of fighting the sounds of battle died away.

Local residents, Western officials and representatives of Mr Ouattara's forces conceded that Mr Gbagbo's men had held out.

"We retreated but we are preparing for a second assault," a spokesman for the fighters, Yves Doumbia, told the Associated Press new agency.

The BBC's John James, outside Abidjan, says a new standoff appears to be developing, with the anti-Gbagbo forces possibly regrouping for an overnight assault.

"There are still some mortars and tanks in the presidential compound - the offensive was suspended for a few hours," French news agency AFP quoted a French official in Abidjan as saying.

Earlier, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Mr Gbagbo's "intransigence" had led to the collapse of UN-brokered talks aimed at negotiating an orderly departure.

"The conditions set by President Ouattara are very clear: he demands that Laurent Gbagbo accepts his defeat and recognises the victory of the legitimately elected president," he told parliament.

"That's where we stand today, so sadly the arms have begun to talk again."

France - the former colonial power in Ivory Coast - has troops in the country alongside UN peacekeepers. They are attempting to maintain security around Abidjan under the terms of a UN Security Council resolution.

Mr Juppe said neither French nor UN troops were involved in the offensive against Mr Gbagbo.

Civilians under siege

As the two sides continue to battle for the presidency, concern is growing over the humanitarian situation in Ivory Coast.

Following two days of advances in Abidjan by pro-Ouattara forces the city's four million people remain mainly inside their homes.

Soldiers, ex-rebel fighters, militia groups and mercenaries are battling for control of the streets, says the our correspondent. The main banks have been closed for nearly two months and few people have the funds to stock up on food.

Continue reading the main story 28 November: Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and challenger Alassane Ouattara in election run-off2 December: Electoral commission announces that Ouattara has won3 December: Constitutional Council declaring Gbagbo the winner; UN says Ouattara was victor30 March: Pro-Ouattara forces enter the capital, Yamoussoukro4 April: UN launches air strikes on Gbagbo in main city, Abidjan5 April: Three generals negotiate Gbagbo's surrenderThe UN and the Red Cross have both voiced their concern for the civilians caught up in the fighting. The Red Cross has described the humanitarian situation as "worsening" and is beginning to distribute 12 tonnes of aid to those judged most in need.

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes to escape the violence, with the UN refugee agency reporting an increase in the number of Ivorians crossing the border into neighbouring Liberia.

The International Criminal Court says it is preparing to investigate reports of human rights abuses during the fighting.

Last November's election was intended to reunite Ivory Coast which split in two following a northern rebellion in 2002.

The electoral commission pronounced Mr Ouattara the victor, but Ivory Coast's Constitutional Council said Mr Gbagbo had won.

The US, the UN and the EU recognised Mr Ouattara as the winner, but both candidates had themselves sworn in as president and a stand-off ensued.

Skirmishes and battles between the rival forces have since taken place across Ivory Coast, culminating in Mr Ouattara's troops sweeping into Abidjan at the end of March.

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Portugal seeks bail-out from EU

6 April 2011 Last updated at 21:28 GMT Jose Socrates: "We have reached the moment where the country is at too much risk"

Portugal's caretaker Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said that he has asked the European Union for financial assistance.

Mr Socrates said the country was "at too much risk that it shouldn't be exposed to".

The government has long resisted asking for aid but last week admitted that it had missed its 2010 budget deficit target.

Portugal follows Greece and the Irish Republic in seeking a bail-out.

"I always said asking for foreign aid would be the final way to go but we have reached the moment," Mr Socrates said.

"Above all, it's in the national interest."

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that Portugal's request would be processed "in the swiftest possible manner, according to the rules applicable".

He also reaffirmed his "confidence in Portugal's capacity to overcome the present difficulties, with the solidarity of its partners".

Borrowing costs

Mr Socrates did not say how much aid Portugal would ask for. Negotiations will now be underway and the BBC's business editor Robert Peston said rescue loans could amount to as much as 80bn euros ($115bn; £70bn).

Mr Socrates was speaking after Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said it was necessary to resort to financial aid from the EU.

Continue reading the main story Matthew Price Europe correspondent, BBC News

First Greece, then Ireland, now Portugal. But unlike the previous two bail-outs, this one does not seem to have provoked panic - either in the corridors of power here, nor on the markets.

The EU's top economic official Olli Rehn called the Portugese decision a "responsible move". The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso - himself Portugese - said the request would be processed as quickly as possible.

A team could be dispatched to Portugal in the coming days.

EU finance ministers hold a scheduled meeting in Hungary at the end of the week. Portugal will be top of the agenda.

The European Commission and the European Central Bank are both expected to be involved in the bail-out funding. The International Monetary Fund says it stands ready to help as well.

Earlier, the government raised about 1bn euros after tapping the financial markets in order to repay loans, but will have to pay a higher interest rate to lenders.

Portugal's cost of borrowing has risen sharply since the minority Socialist government resigned last month after its proposed tougher austerity measures were defeated in parliament.

Since then several rating agencies have downgraded the country's debt.

An informal meeting of European finance ministers had already been scheduled for Thursday in Budapest. Portugal was not originally on the agenda but is expected to be discussed.

The UK Treasury Minister Mark Hoban will attend. A source at the Treasury said that the bilateral loan the UK offered to the Irish Republic was "very much a special case" and a similar offer is "not on the table" for Portugal.

Jan Randolph, head of sovereign risk at IHS Global Insight, told the BBC that Portugal might organise "some sort of bridging loan" in the short term.

But he added: "The real big loan over several years will require a medium-term plan and I don't think that can be agreed until the new government comes into place."

Elections are likely to take place in a few months' time.

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