What to do while in Ukraine

Ukraine's football supremo expressed shock over the resignation of Oleg Blokhin as national manager but said agreement had been reached for him to take charge of the squad for the next two World Cup qualifiers. Dynamo Kiev last week appointed the former Soviet striker as their coach, ending his tenure at the national team which he oversaw during their campaign at Euro 2012 that Ukraine co-hosted this summer. "The news that Oleg Blokhin was taking over at Dynamo Kiev and leaving the national team was unexpected and shocked us," Ukraine's football federation president Anatoliy Konkov told reporters. "All our efforts were aimed at creating the best conditions for the national side. And this development surprised and upset us." Konkov said he had agreed with the manager that Blokhin would take charge of Ukraine in their next World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Montenegro in October and it was premature to talk about a successor. The departure...

Topless parade of activists on the Muslim Quarter of Paris began opening of the central headquarters of the international women's movement FEMEN. Naked female body in combination with antipatriarhal and feminist calls caused some resentment among the male population of the famous district number 18 in Paris. M embers of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen have paraded topless through Paris to celebrate the opening of what they describe as their new "training camp" in the French capital.   The group says on its website [femen.org] that the camp will serve as its new European headquarters, where activists will be trained "to work in high-risk environments." The organization says it plans to open offices in New York, Montreal, and Sao Paulo. The Femen group, established in 2008, is known for its topless demonstrations in different parts of Europe, including at the London Olympics and the Euro 2012 soccer tournament in Poland.

Tottenham Hotspur are planning a swoop for Dynamo Kiev's Ukrainian international midfielder Denys Harmash, according to reports in Russia. Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas watched Harmash play a key role in Ukraine's 1-1 draw against England at Wembley earlier this month, and is said to see the 22-year-old as a cheaper alternative to previous midfield target Joao Moutinho. "I watched England's match against Ukraine at Wembley with Villas-Boas," football agent Sandor Varga told Russian newspaper Izvestiya this week. "He was very impressed with Denys Harmash. "Tottenham are looking for a central midfielder, but couldn't reach agreement with Villas-Boas' favoured candidate, his compatriate Joao Moutinho. "Harmash represents a brilliant alternative to the Porto midfielder," Varga added. The Dynamo Kiev player has eight caps for his country, and impressed at Wembley alongside his more experienced counterpart Anatoly Tymoshchuk ...

What the iPhone 5 needs to compete against: Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen size: 4.8 inch Processor: 1.4 Ghz quad-core Memory size: Up  to 62gb (+64gb with card) Operating system: Android Ice Cream Sandwich Camera: Eight megapixel Weight: 133grams Dimensions: Height - 136mm Width - 70mm Depth - 8.5mm Battery: 2100mAh Nokia Lumia 920 Screen size: 4.5 inch Processor: 1.5Ghz dual-core Memory size: 32GB (non-expandable) Operating system: Windows Phone 7.8 Camera: Eight megapixel Weight: 185grams Dimensions: Height - 130mm Width - 71mm Depth - 11mm Battery: 1800mAh iPhone 4S Screen size: 3.5 inch Processor: 800 MHz dual-core Memory size: Up to 64gb (non-expandable) Operating system: iOS Camera: Eight megapixel Weight: 140grams Dimensions: Height - 115mm Width - 58mm Depth - 9mm Battery: 1432mAh The iPhone 5 is expected to be the biggest selling in Apple’s history, with an estimated 8m set to be sold. Sales of the new iPhone...

Bayern Munich has collected the biggest single share of 3.1 million ($4 million) from UEFA's 100 million ($128 million) fund to compensate clubs for releasing players to the 2012 European Championship. UEFA pleased clubs this year by almost doubling their previously agreed cut of Euro 2012 income, with a 575 teams receiving payments from UEFA for sending players to the tournament in Poland and Ukraine or releasing them for qualifying matches for the tournament. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge , Bayern's chief executive and European Club Association chairman, said Tuesday he hopes his recent improved relations with FIFA President Sepp Blatter can help clubs worldwide also get an increase on their promised $70 million slice of 2014 World Cup revenue. "We have very good and fair relations to UEFA and I hope that it will be possible with FIFA as well,'' Rummenigge told The Associated Press in an interview. Rummenigge said he and Blatter - who have traded public ba...

A movie  attacking Islam’s prophet Muhammad sparked assaults on US diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt on Tuesday. A Libyan security official reported an American was shot to death as protesters burned the US Consulate in Benghazi, and in Cairo, protesters scaled the walls of the US Embassy walls and replaced an American flag with an Islamic banner. These were the first such assaults on US diplomatic facilities in either country, at a time when both Libya and Egypt are struggling to overcome the turmoil following the ouster of their longtime leaders, Moammar Gadhafi and Hosni Mubarak in uprisings last year. The protests in both countries were sparked by outrage over a video being promoted by an extreme anti-Muslim Egyptian Christian campaigner in the United States. Sam Bacile, the writer, director and producer of the movie that he says showcases his view of Islam as a hateful religion, was funded by $5 million from about 100 Jewish donors who he declined to identify, ...

Ukraine manager Oleg Blokhin has called upon his younger players to step up and fill the gap left by retired striker Andriy Shevchenko, starting against England at Wembley on Tuesday night.  The Zhovto-Blakytni have not played a competitive fixture since they were beaten 1-0 by the Three Lions in their final group game at Euro 2012.  Marko Devic scored a legitimate goal during that match, when his shot was cleared by John Terry from behind the goal line, and Blokhin admits that the referee's decision not to award it still "hurts" his team.  "The referee made a big mistake when our goal was ruled out and it still hurts us," said Blokhin. "If we could have beaten England I'm sure we would have become stronger and stronger with every game.  "But that's history and we have to look forward. And we must do that without the help of Shevchenko. He was a born leader and we will need some time to re-adjust to playing without him.  "I have said...

The years leading up to any major championship bolster the building sector and provide plenty of opportunity to related businesses. Poland was no exception as it prepared for the recently held European Football Championships. Anna Mitchell hears from one of Poland's leading integrators on opportunities after the event. Ukraine and Poland recently became the focus of the sporting world’s attention when the countries co-hosted the 2012 UEFA European Football Championships. Matches were played in four stadiums in Poland, each one opened or overhauled and reopened in the last two years. The stadiums - and supporting infrastructure including airports, train stations and hotels - have had a massive impact on the country’s building and technology industries. But what happens when the crowds depart? Can the country continue to support the inflated infrastructure. Trias SA, a leading Polish integrator, equipped two of the four stadiums built for Euro 2012.