ALAN CULLISON, COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON AND STEPHEN FIDLER
The U.S. and Europe moved to toughen sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis amid signs that some countries could go even further and send weapons to Kiev—ratcheting up the pressure on pro-Russia rebels a day ahead of peace talks.
At a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Wales, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressed what he called “careful optimism” that a cease-fire would be agreed to Friday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk—in part because Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed it himself.
But it wasn’t clear whether the Russian and Ukrainian proposals were compatible; Putin’s plan calls for Ukraine to pull back its forces and leave the rebels in control of some territory.
Western officials were skeptical of Moscow’s intentions. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said past cease-fires had “just been a smokescreen” to hide continuing destabilization by Moscow of Ukraine.
NATO officials also said that Russia has “several thousand” combat troops in Ukraine using hundreds of tanks and combat vehicles. In addition, the Pentagon said the Russian troops along Ukraine’s border now represent the most capable force Moscow has deployed to the area since the crisis began.
President Barack Obama met at the NATO summit with the leaders of Ukraine, U.K., Italy, Germany and France, and all agreed that additional costs should be imposed on Russia for its continued support of separatists in Ukraine, according to the White House.
“Russia must continue to face costs for its own escalation,” Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said. “If Russia escalates, we stand prepared to escalate our pressure.”
A Pro-Russian separatist holds a destroyed weapon on a road in the village of...Read More
Traders driven weary by the ups and downs of Russia’s conflict with Ukraineare pulling out of the ruble bond market, sending volumes to a four-year low.
Secondary-market bond trading on the Moscow Exchange slid 34 percent in the first eight months of the year to 5.8 trillion rubles ($157 billion), the lowest level since 2010, according to data on the bourse’s website. The government’s ruble-denominated notes lost 14 percent in dollar-terms this year, the worst performance among 31 nations in the Bloomberg Emerging Market Local Sovereign Index, which gained 6.1 percent.
“Investors are very tired of the market behavior because they take a position and then there is one headline and a big move down,” Sergey Volkov, a fixed-income trader at Russian Standard Bank ZAO in Moscow, said by phone yesterday. “It has been a very hard market this year.”
The fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists has sent the nation’s bonds tumbling as U.S. and European sanctions propel the economy toward a recession. The drop in volumes comes a year after foreign investors gained direct access to the market, stoking a 22 percent jump in turnover, as part of President Vladimir Putin’s plans to make Moscow a global financial hub.
Sales Slump
Bond sales by Russian issuers have tumbled as the crisis in Ukraine drove up borrowing costs, with domestic sales of debt plunging 61 percent to $14.3 billion in 2014 compared with the same period in 2013, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
The yield on the government’s local-currency bonds due in February 2027 jumped 1.61 percentage points this year as Putin’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in March prompted the U.S. and European Union to impose sanctions on individuals and companies. Bonds also came under pressure as the central bank, seeking to shore up the ruble, increased its key policy ratethree times by a total of 250 basis points.
“The fluid market situation and the rise in interest rates during the first half of 2014 led to a drop in the volume of borrowing in the debt market,” the Moscow Exchange said in a statement yesterday. “As a result of that the volume of bond trading dropped.”
The collapse upended a market that last year saw volumes in domestic bonds, known as OFZs, reach a record 12.7 trillion rubles. Foreign investors were drawn by simplified settlement and tax procedures as Euroclear Bank SA and Clearstream International SA began exchange-based operations.
New Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has been granted a work permit and is now set to begin his Premier League career, BBC Sport has confirmed.
The 24-year-old joined the Red Devils from Sporting Lisbon for a reported £16 million in mid-August, however an issue with his visa prevented him from making an immediate start with his new club. Reports suggested that a pending court case in his native Argentina, arising from an argument with a neighbour, had delayed the process.
Rojo’s lawyer confirmed that an indictment had indeed been served on the Argentina international, but that they were hoping to settle the matter out of court. But the lawyer also claimed that even if Rojo went to trial and was found guilty, he would most likely be served with a community work order, which would not necessarily need to be completed in Argentina.
Following negotiations between Rojo’s legal team and the UK Border Agency, the player has finally been granted a working visa.
Rojo, who completed the full 90 minutes of Argentina’s impressive 4-2 friendly victory over Germany in Düsseldorf this week, could now make his United debut against Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford on 14th September.
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Raring to go: Captain Wayne Rooney steps up preparations for next week's opening Euro 2016 qualifier
BY JIM VAN WUK – 05 SEPTEMBER 2014
Captain Wayne Rooney admits the hard work for England starts again now as they step up preparations for next week's opening Euro 2016 qualifier in Switzerland.
Roy Hodgson's young side – with five of the starting XI under 22 – laboured through a 1-0 victory over Norway at a half-empty Wembley on Wednesday night as England began life after their World Cup disaster.
Much was made of the lacklustre performance, which only generated two shots on target, one being Rooney's 68th minute penalty.
However, the Manchester United forward, who took the armband for the first time following Steven Gerrard's international retirement, wants focus to quickly turn to the Group E clash in Basel on Monday night.
"It was important to get the victory, but now we have to move on from here," said Rooney.
"We know we have to be better against the Swiss if we are going to get the victory there.
"We will work hard now and be ready, hopefully we can come back with a victory."
The friendly against Norway attracted a record low attendance of 40,181, the smallest number to watch an England match at Wembley since it was re-built.
Rooney accepts starting out on the new journey just some 10 weeks on from exiting in Brazil at the group stage was always going to be a difficult step on and off the field.
"We are grateful for the fans who were at Wembley to support us," added Rooney.
"We understand that after the World Cup, it is difficult for everyone, the players and the fans, so we have to make sure we do well in the Euro 2016 qualification campaign to make those fans believe again and hopefully we can do that on Monday night."
Additionally, United's capture of ex-Real Madrid man Angel di Maria, is going to provide a lethal combination on the field. His tendency to spot a pass and provide a scintillating through ball—with a potential £200 million attack in front of him ready to convert the chances—is sure to get United fans eager for their coming fixtures.Probably the biggest—and most surprising—transfer deal of the window was the arrival of RadamelFalcao at Manchester United on a season-long loan. Admittedly, the deal wasn't announced until a few hours after the deadline, but regardless, Louis van Gaal has gotten himself a man that will make all the difference.
With an attack consisting of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie,Falcao will provide additional firepower to an already lethal strike-force. His goals-to-appearances record across his career is phenomenal. The 28-year-old has scored 64 goals in 90 games, per WhoScored.com, for Atletico Madrid and Monaco.
Despite calls that the Colombian is not the answer to the pressing issues surrounding Old Trafford—and that buying further defenders or central midfielders may have been more pertinent—it is undeniable that his goalscoring talents will win them games. He is often capable of a single piece of genius that makes his opponents look silly.
Some point to the selection headaches and formation problems that it leaves Van Gaal with. The Guardian's Daniel Taylor wondered "if United have jumbled priorities, given the imbalance it leaves Van Gaal, with a pick of superstars up front but a defence that will always encourage opponents."
It is a common question on fans' and critics' lips alike: How will VanGaal fit all his attacking options on the field at once, and if he doesn't, who will get the axe? Reds' striker Van Persie told FOX Sports NL (h/t BBC Sport) that everyone will have to fight for their place, including new signing Falcao: "At a top club you should always go for the best, which also fits my philosophy. Falcao must fight for his place, as I also have to."
Jon Super/Associated Press
In fairness, a problem with picking which superstars to start in your XI is not a bad situation to be in for Van Gaal. As we have seen countless times, he is not afraid to go against the grain and cause controversy. In other words, he would not hesitate to drop players if he had to—perhaps even club, and new England, captain Wayne Rooney.
The defensive deficiencies have told in United's opening fixtures this season, however, slowly but surely Van Gaal is starting to get his side together—and rest assured, it is one to be feared. With Marcos Rojo picking up his work permit on Thursday afternoon, confirming he will be available to start against QPR, as per the club's official Twitter account—and both Rafael and Luke Shaw on their way back from injury—Van Gaal will have options once more.
We have heard a lot about the Dutchman's plan to build slowly, taking time to form his United side into challengers at the elite level once again. That said, it is unreasonable to suggest that the Red Devils can challenge for the Premier League title in 2014/15—but stranger things have happened. With an attacking line-up to rival the best of them, perhaps Falcao and company can fire their new boss to glory, after all.
A brilliant performance from Angel Di Maria spurred Argentina to a crushing 4-2 friendly win over world champions Germany on Wednesday in an entertaining rematch of July’s World Cup final.
Despite the absence of injured captain Lionel Messi, Argentina ran circles around the World Cup winners on their home turf in the first match for both teams since Germany’s 1-0 extra-time victory in the final in Brazil.
So impressive was the performance of the Argentine winger, who had missed the final through injury, in the Duesseldorf arena that even many of the German fans applauded his performance when he was replaced late in the match.
Germany coach Joachim Loew put only four of the starting 11 that won Germany’s fourth World Cup on the pitch in the warm-up match for their Euro 2016 campaign that starts on Sunday against Scotland.
Captain Philipp Lahm, striker Miroslav Klose and defender Per Mertesacker, who all retired following the World Cup triumph, were hailed by the sell-out crowd of 51,132 while several other key players were missing through injury.
The inexperienced Germany defence could not contain new Manchester United signing Di Maria in the first half but also left lots of open space for lightening counter-attacks by moving deep into Argentina’s territory.
PINPOINT LOB
Di Maria set up the first goal in the 21st minute with a pinpoint lob to the penalty spot where Sergio Aguero slipped away from his marker and beat Manuel Neuer with an unstoppable volley from point-blank range.
Nineteen minutes later Di Maria broke free on the right near the goal line where he lofted a cross back to Erik Lamela, standing in for the injured Lionel Messi, who smashed a fine volley past a frustrated-looking Neuer.
Central defender Federico Fernandez headed the third two minutes after the intermission from Di Maria’s free kick before the winger made it 4-0 with a superb chip in the 50th minute.
“Di Maria is one of the best four or five players in the world and so his performance didn’t surprise me,” said Argentina’s new coach Gerardo Martino, adding he could have possibly made a difference had he been on the pitch in July.
“His absence there was noticeable,” Martino told a news conference looking back to the World Cup final.
But Loew later told reporters he did not think Di Maria would have made a difference in the final.
“We would have beaten them on July 13 even if Di Maria had been playing,” Loew said, a statement that prompted some German reporters to applaud. “He couldn’t have beaten us on that day.”
Germany came into the match still aglow over their World Cup win in Brazil but were facing a rout when they fell behind 4-0.
Andre Schuerrle finally gave the big home crowdsomething to cheer when got one back for Germany in the 52nd minute, tapping in after a scramble in front of Sergio Romero’s goal and World Cup hero Mario Goetze made it 4-2 in the 78th minute.
Germany had plenty of chances themselves, especially in the first half, but were wasteful in front of goal.
Forward Mario Gomez, who missed the World Cup due to injury, reminded German fans of another reason he may have been left at home as he wasted three chances in the first half and was jeered at halftime before being replaced early in the second.
“It was a long time with injuries for me but it’s great to be here,” Gomez told reporters. “Argentina are a great team and against teams like that you can’t afford to rest for even a second.”
England's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the international friendly soccer match between England and Norway (Source: AP)
SUMMARY
For the first time in the history of the new Wembley, the arena was less than half full for an England international.
The promise of the start of a brave new England was hardly given much impetus at an underpopulated Wembley despite Wayne Rooney beginning his captaincy with the winning penalty in a 1-0 victory over Norway on Wednesday.
For the first time in the seven-year history of the new Wembley, the arena was less than half full for an England international as 40,181 underwhelmed fans witnessed a familiar old diet of mostly turgid, uninspiring fare from Roy Hodgson’s World Cup failures, enlivened mainly by the sparky contribution of Raheem Sterling.
It was the Liverpool teenager’s constant buzzing and probing at the fringes of the Norwegian defence which finally undid the visitors after 68 fairly laborious minutes as he outfoxed and outpaced Omar Elabdellaoui, forcing the Olympiakos man into a rash challenge on the left edge of the box.
Relief seemed to shoot through Rooney, who had hitherto looked to be trying almost too hard in his newly-offered captaincy role, as he stepped up to smash the resultant penalty with some venom high past Orjan Haskjold Nyland for his 41st England goal.
Until then, his England, with its inexperienced pallor, a midfield yet to gel and still seemingly suffering from a post-Brazil hangover, could only huff and puff as they tried to blow away the world’s 53rd ranked team. Norway’s dogged starting line-up was typified by featuring just two players from the second tier of the English game.
For much of the time, it was painful to behold England, a reflection of some of the team’s hapless and winless struggles in Brazil in the first game since those indignities.
Rooney could, as usual, not be faulted for effort but this was not one of his inspirational nights and, indeed, England looked sharper once he was substituted after his goal and Arsenal’s new signing Danny Welbeck provided a lively cameo.
Reuters
Argentina's Angel Di Maria, right scores his side's fourth goal during the friendly soccer match between Germany and Argentina (Source: AP)
England's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the international friendly soccer match between England and Norway (Source: AP)
