SWINDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 07: Alan Connell of Swindon Town (R) celebrates with team mates as he scores their first goal during the FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser Third Round match between Swindon Town and Wigan Athletic at the County Ground on January 7, 2012 in Swindon, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** 136532242.jpg
SWINDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 07: Alan Connell of Swindon Town (R) celebrates with team mates as he scores their first goal during the FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser Third Round match between Swindon TownShow more

Di Canio's greatest moment as Swindon knock Wigan out of FA Cup



Swindon Town caused the biggest upset of the day as the side from League Two, the fourth tier, came from behind to beat Premier League Wigan Athletic 2-1 in their FA Cup third round tie at the County Ground.

And Paolo Di Canio, the Robins manager, wants the club's hierarchy to honour his players' victory.

Goals from Alan Connell and Paul Benson earned the win - and Swindon's first progression to the fourth round in 16 years - after Callum McManaman had handed visiting Wigan a 34th-minute lead.

Di Canio, the former Premier League star, revealed after the match that his squad's intense self-belief had exceeded even his own at half time, when Swindon were level at 1-1.

The Italian, who won Serie A, the Uefa Cup and the Scottish Premier League as a player, also branded the victory over Roberto Martinez's side as the greatest moment of his career.

"My lads today deserve something from the club - to do something and put their names in the stadium," he said.

"Normally you do this when you win something important, but I don't want a big statue. Maybe just a small plaque with all their names because they did something special. [At half time] I said to them 'once we go forward, attack because otherwise it is difficult to get what you want today, let the dream come true'. And today they did show the dream can come true. "

Stevenage maintained their reputation as giant killers as they beat Championship side Reading 1-0 at the Madejski Stadium. The side from League One, the third tier, knocked Newcastle United out of the cup in the third round last season.

Bolton Wanderers escaped embarrassment as David Wheater's header saw them salvage a replay against League Two Macclesfield as they drew 2-2 at Moss Rose.

Heidar Helguson's 89th minute equaliser earned a replay for QPR as they drew 1-1 against MK Dons.

Swansea City and Stoke City both came from behind, winning 4-2 at Championship side Barnsley and 3-1 at League Two's Gillingham respectively.

Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows

Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.

Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.

The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.

After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.

The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.

The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.

But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.

It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

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Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

The specs

Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre

Power: 325hp

Torque: 500Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh189,700

On sale: now

The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.

Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

Squads

India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur

West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph


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