Selected quotes from Swiss Gianni Infantino's first news conference after the former UEFA general secretary was elected president of scandal-hit world soccer's governing body FIFA on Friday:
For many, he is the Dhirubhai Ambani of Kerala. For others, he is the most influential Indian in West Asia. M A Yusuff is back in the spotlight after the controversy surrounding the UAE's reported offer of a Rs 7 billion aid package for flood-hit Kerala.
Earlier on Wednesday, Czech Karolina Pliskova was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a viral illness.
As the 25-year-old, who has refugee status in Australia, got off a plane in Bangkok on November 27, Thai immigration police were waiting to arrest him based on an Interpol "red notice" from Bahrain.
Al Hilal striker Nasser Al Shamrani said it was a normal reaction to spit at Western Sydney Wanderers defender Matthew Spiranovic at the end of the AFC Champions League final earlier this month after claiming to be verbally abused by the Australian.
'If Islamic State were to get entrenched in Bangladesh and Myanmar it will have disastrous implications for India as both countries border India's northeast, a restive and volatile region,' says Rajeev Sharma.
This is for the first time that the US has slammed sanctions against an ISIS leader in India.
While six of the 14 suspects were picked up on Friday from Karnataka, four are from Hyderabad and two each from Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh.
Indians are the biggest non-Arab investors in Dubai's real estate market.
Modi is the first foreign leader to be invited to the palace by the Crown Prince, who appreciated the role played by Indian workers in the development of UAE as a modern nation, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
Banned European soccer boss president Michel Platini has withdrawn his candidacy from the race for the presidency of soccer's scandal-plagued governing body FIFA, he told French sports daily L'Equipe on Thursday.
He was seen as one of former PM Rao's trusted aides and advisers.
Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa inaugurated the refurbished Cooperage stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday and said hosting the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 will boost development of the game in the country. The refurbishing of Cooperage was done under FIFA's 'Win in India, With India' project.
Banned UEFA president Michel Platini said he hoped to clear his name in time for the 2016 European Championship soccer tournament in June after attending a hearing on Monday to appeal against his suspension.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The recently busted pan-India terror module was in "constant touch" with people perceived to be close to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the feared leader of the Islamic State, receiving instructions for carrying out explosions at important places ahead of the Republic day.
The event witnessed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the Bahraini capital.
All the 14 were being produced in local courts for a transit remand to Delhi where they would be questioned extensively by the NIA.
Gianni Infantino's bid for the FIFA presidency with the aim of leading the world football body out of the worst graft scandal in its history was boosted on Friday when the Swiss lawyer won "overwhelming" backing from Europe's football associations.
London has become the world's most expensive city to live and work, overtaking Asian hotspot Hong Kong, according to study by real estate adviser, Savills.
Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter and European soccer chief Michel Platini have lost their appeals against provisional 90-days bans by the global soccer body's ethics committee, FIFA said on Wednesday.
"A clean break from the past is essential for FIFA to climb out of the toxic pit which continues to produce serious accusations of corrupt behaviour on almost a daily basis," FIFPro said in a statement.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
The work order for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project 'Statue of Unity' - the world's tallest statue of India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was issued by the Gujarat government on Monday, to leading engineering company Larsen and Toubro (L&T).
The victory celebration over, new FIFA president Gianni Infantino's first major decision in charge of the troubled world football organisation will be to appoint a secretary general, effectively a chief executive, to run day-to-day operations.
Almost 80 per cent of Indian prisoners in the UAE are eligible for relocation to Indian jails but only 10 per cent wish to serve the remainder of their sentence back home, citing reasons like better facilities.
Running highlights from FIFA's congress. World soccer's governing body has voted on a series of reforms and will elect a new president later on Friday (all times GMT): 13.30 The voting process is proving a long, drawn out affair. After an hour's voting, we have crawled to L for Latvia with little to get excited about apart from the brief appearance of Davor Suker, Golden Boot winner as the top scorer at the 1998 World Cup, as he cast Croatia's vote. Time then for a reminder that for a candidate to be elected in the first round, he must obtain at least 138 votes, two-thirds of the 207 votes cast. If this does not happen, a second round is held. This time, a simple majority -- 104 votes, which represents more than 50 percent of the votes -- is sufficient for a candidate to be elected. If no candidate gets that majority, the one with fewest votes will be eliminated and a new round will be held. This continues until one candidate obtains a majority. 12.45. Having begun his speech by promising to "die with my boots on", Sexwale ends it by withdrawing from the race, "I have got a surprise for you. My campaign ends today and I suspend my participation. With only four people it is your problem now." Markus Kattner, FIFA general secretary then reminds delegates of the voting procedure, reminding them not to photograph their ballot papers.
Nearly $1 million in funds from soccer's global governing body FIFA may have gone missing from Guatemala's soccer federation last year, according to sources and an internal audit seen by Reuters.
FIFA presidential candidate Jerome Champagne said that as head of soccer's governing body he would seek to move the 2022 Qatar World Cup from November-December to late European spring - a step that would please European associations by averting disruption of their season.
Prime minister-elect Narendra Modi's first official visit as head of government will likely be to Dhaka, where he is expected to sign the much-awaited Teesta water-sharing agreement with Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina.
FIFA has approved five candidates for its February presidential election amid the worst crisis in its history, after barring Liberia's Musa Bility on integrity grounds and leaving out UEFA chief Michel Platini while he remains under suspension.
It's time you added these places to your bucket list.
During his visit, first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years, Modi will seek to enhance cooperation in energy and trade and reach out to investors to hardsell India as an attractive business destination.
One warm sunny day, Abhilasha Ojha stumbles upon the soul of Bahrain.
Images from Saturday's proceedings at the World Athletics Championships in Doha.
Harold Mayne-Nicholls, who led the teams which inspected bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, has been banned from all football for seven years.
Rahejas plan to incorporate such apartments in their project Ayana in Gurgaon
'Alas, the Congress party offers no suggestions as to how to unscramble the omlette it cooked during 2004-2014 on which the Modi government may have since lavishly spread some tomato ketchup,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'I am seeking the presidency of FIFA because I believe it is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport' 'The world game deserves a world-class governing body -- an International Federation that is a service organisation and a model of ethics, transparency and good governance'
World soccer's governing body FIFA will proceed with an election to pick a new president on Friday to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter and vote on a set of reforms aimed at restoring its credibility after the worst graft scandal in its history.
