Marcello Lippi, who led Italy to glory at the World Cup in 2006, has returned to his former post.
Marcello Lippi, who led Italy to glory at the World Cup in 2006, has returned to his former post.
Marcello Lippi, who led Italy to glory at the World Cup in 2006, has returned to his former post.
Marcello Lippi, who led Italy to glory at the World Cup in 2006, has returned to his former post.

Sport

Lippi will not pressure pair to return

Marcello Lippi insists he will not pressure Francesco Totti or Alessandro Nesta to return to the Italian national team.

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ROME // Returning Italy coach Marcello Lippi insists he will not pressure Francesco Totti or Alessandro Nesta to reverse their decisions to retire from the international team. Lippi, who led the Azzurri to World Cup glory in Germany in 2006 before stepping down, returned to the role last week after Roberto Donadoni lost his job following Italy's poor showing at Euro 2008.

The Roma captain Totti and AC Milan defender Nesta quit international football last year and many believe Italy would be better equipped if the pair returned for the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign. "I am totally convinced that you must respect peoples' decisions, in this case two great champions who have given everything for the national side," Lippi said in first press conference since his reappointment.

"It is not right (to pressure them), they've made a decision we must respect." However, Lippi did the leave the door open for the pair if they changed their minds independently. Totti was injured and in any case would have missed Italy's lacklustre run to last month's Euro 2008 quarter-finals where they lost on penalties to eventual winners Spain. But Nesta would almost certainly have been in the team after captain Fabio Cannavaro was ruled out of the tournament with injury just before it started.

Lippi refused to answer questions about the Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero, who is evaluating his international future after being a bit part player at the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland. The Defender Christian Panucci, 35, fell out with Lippi and did not play in their victorious World Cup campaign in 2006. He was an ever-present under Donadoni at Euro 2008 and Lippi said no player was ruled out. "All players from 18-40 years-old enter my plans," he said. I am here to continue a winning streak. I have the will to rediscover the great feeling from the World Cup. I restart with the squad I left, integrating other players, hopefully youngsters."

Lippi's first match back will be a friendly against Austria in Nice on Aug 20 before their World Cup qualifying campaign begins in Cyprus on Sept 6. *Reuters

How tumultuous protests grew
  • A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
  • Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved 
  • Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
  • At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
  • Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars 
  • Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
  • An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital 
Country-size land deals

US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:

Louisiana Purchase

If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.

Florida Purchase Treaty

The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty. 

Alaska purchase

America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of  Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".

The Philippines

At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million. 

US Virgin Islands

It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.

Gwadar

The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees. 

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