Geneva  - Following opening events dominated by boycotts, walkouts and a divisive speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the United Nations conference against racism began its second day Tuesday, trying to refocus on the core issues.

Government officials and diplomats from various countries continued the delivery of their statements on progress accomplished since the first racism conference in 2001 in Durban, South Africa.

Geneva - The United Nations Durban Review Conference on racism began Monday in Geneva amid controversy and the notable absence of several Western states.

The United States, Germany, Canada, Italy, New Zealand and other countries have boycotted the conference saying the draft declaration prepared was unacceptable as it included vague attempts to limit free speech regarding criticism of religion, and concern that Israel might be singled out.

Nyon, Switzerland  - Macedonian football club FK Podeba was banned for eight years from European events

Lausanne, Switzerland  - Abdel Mohamed Halim of Sudan, a former African football supremo and International Olympic Committee member, the IOC said on Friday. He was 99 years old.

Halim was an IOC member 1968-1982 and later an honorary member of the Olympic body.

He made a big contribution to African football as founding member of the continent's football federation in 1957, organizer of the first African Nations Cup the same year in his native Sudan, and African football supremo 1987-1988.

Lausanne, Switzerland  - The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday cancelled a fine of 10,000 dollars imposed on Peru striker Claudio Pizarro by his nation's football federation (PFF) for allegedly misbehaving after a 2007 match with Brazil.

The CAS said in a statement that "the facts put forward by the PFF in relation to Pizarro were not supported by concrete evidence" and added that "the incidents reported by the PFF were not dealt with either in the PFF regulations, or in the FIFA regulations."

Zurich  - Blood doping in Austria, and elsewhere, was an open secret in the cycling community, the former advisor of ex-Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich said in an interview published on Thursday.

Speaking in the wake of allegations that a Vienna blood bank was part of a doping scheme in Austria, Rudy Pevenage told Swiss daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ) that "many in cycling knew three years ago that there was a nest in Vienna."