Switzerland

German clubs given tough challenges in UEFA Cup

AC Milan LogoNyon, Switzerland - Werder Bremen will face seven-time European champions AC Milan in the UEFA Cup's round of 32 following the draw made in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday.

Holders Zenit St Petersburg also face German opposition in the form of VfB Stuttgart while SV Hamburg have been pitted against Dutch side NEC Nijmegen and VfL Wolfsburg take on Paris St Germain.

Big-spending Manchester City will expect to progress at the expense of FC Copenhagen but Aston Villa face a challenging task against CSKA Moscow. Tottenham Hotspur will also need to be at their best if they want to overcome Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.

United up against Inter, Real Madrid face Liverpool

Inter Milan LogoNyon, Switzerland - Defending champions Manchester United will face Inter Milan in one of three English-Italian duels in the European Champions League round of
16 drawn Friday by the ruling body UEFA.

Last year's beaten finalists Chelsea take Juventus, now managed by former Blues boss Claudio Ranieri, and Arsenal play Roma in the other duel between the Serie A and Premier League in the first knockout stage.

The fourth English club, Liverpool, were also given a difficult opponent in record winners Real Madrid at the draw made at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

IOC opens bid process for 2014 Youth Olympics

IOC opens bid process for 2014 Youth Olympics Lausanne, Switzerland - The bidding process for the 2014 Youth Olympics opened on Friday, the International Olympic Committee said.

The IOC said in a statement that interested cities have February 9, 2009, to formally bid for the event bringing together around 3,500 athletes aged 14-18 in the Olympic summer sports.

Bid files have to be submitted by July 2009, a shortlist will be set up in October and the host city elected by the IOC in February 2010.

Delegations arrive for second day of Russia-Georgia talks

Delegations arrive for second day of Russia-Georgia talks Geneva - Officials from Russia and Georgia arrived along with mediators Thursday morning at the United Nations office in Geneva for their final day of talks before the end of the year.

This third round of meetings started the day before.

The sides to the talks - including the United States, European Union, UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - are expected to announce any progress in the afternoon.

Also attending the talks were officials from the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

UN: Cholera has killed over 1,100 in Zimbabwe

UN: Cholera has killed over 1,100 in Zimbabwe Geneva - At least 1,111 people have died of cholera in Zimbabwe, the United Nations said Thursday, noting that 20,581 suspected cases have been reported.

The statistics from the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are generally viewed as the minimum number of deaths, and the actual toll may be higher.

Also, the case fatality rate has again increased, standing now at 5.4 per cent, far above the generally accepted rate of less than 1 per cent during a cholera outbreak.

Russia, Georgia delegations in Geneva for third round of talks

UN LogoGeneva - The Russian and Georgian delegations arrived Wednesday afternoon at the United Nations office in Geneva to begin their third round of talks since they went to war in the summer.

The talks are expected to focus on refugees, displaced people and security in the region.

Also expected to attend the meetings are representatives from the United States, European Union, UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Pages