Ukraine coach Mykhailo Fomenko says he will quit after his team&#39;s last group game against Poland at Euro 2016 on Tuesday. 
 
Ukraine have no chance of reaching the knockout stages after defeats to Germany and Northern Ireland in Group C. 
 
&ldquo;What sense does it make to continue after failing with the task that was set for the tournament?&rdquo; Fomenko told Ukraine&#39;s national TV channel &ldquo;Football&rdquo;. 
 
&ldquo;I did not feel the united team that clinched the spot at the Euros finals. I paid attention to this during warm-up games against Cyprus and Wales. Everyone saw what was going on at the end of the Ukrainian championship. This situation affected the team&rsquo;s psychology.&rdquo; 
 
Ukraine&#39;s preparations for the tournament suffered a setback after an unseemly row between two of their high-profile players. Shakhtar midfielder Taras Stepanenko and Dynamo Kiev&#39;s Andriy Yarmolenko were involved in a spat during a league game. 
 
&quot;I would like peace and friendship to prevail inside our team,&quot; Fomenko said. &quot;As a man, I am used to being responsible for my actions. I admit my fault. I did it all wrong in that situation.&quot; 
 
Former striker and assistant coach Andriy Shevchenko has been rumoured to be a possible successor. 
 
&ldquo;Why not? He has experience in football, finished coaching courses and has got his PRO-diploma,&quot; Fomenko said. &quot;God bless him to be as good a coach as he was a player.&rdquo; 
 
(Reuters)

Assistant coach, Andriy Shevchenko, has been rumoured to be a possible successor

Ukraine coach Mykhailo Fomenko says he will quit after his team's last group game against Poland at Euro 2016 on Tuesday. Ukraine have no chance of reaching the knockout stages after defeats to Germany and Northern Ireland in Group C. “What sense does it make to continue after failing with the task that was set for the tournament?” Fomenko told Ukraine's national TV channel “Football”. “I did not feel the united team that clinched the spot at the Euros finals. I paid attention to this during warm-up games against Cyprus and Wales. Everyone saw what was going on at the end of the Ukrainian championship. This situation affected the team’s psychology.” Ukraine's preparations for the tournament suffered a setback after an unseemly row between two of their high-profile players. Shakhtar midfielder Taras Stepanenko and Dynamo Kiev's Andriy Yarmolenko were involved in a spat during a league game. "I would like peace and friendship to prevail inside our team," Fomenko said. "As a man, I am used to being responsible for my actions. I admit my fault. I did it all wrong in that situation." Former striker and assistant coach Andriy Shevchenko has been rumoured to be a possible successor. “Why not? He has experience in football, finished coaching courses and has got his PRO-diploma," Fomenko said. "God bless him to be as good a coach as he was a player.” (Reuters)

Ukraine coach Fomenko to quit

Germany&#39;s defence will be put to the test in their opening Euro 2016 group match against Ukraine in Lille on Sunday with major questions still to be answered about the world champions&#39; new-look rearguard. 
 
Coach Joachim Loew&#39;s team will be without key central defender Mats Hummels, still recovering from a muscle injury, as they kick off their Group C campaign. 
 
Hummels&#39; replacement Antonio Ruediger was ruled out with torn cruciate knee ligaments this week. 
 
Holding midfielder and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, still working on his comeback from injury, is also absent, further complicating Loew&#39;s defensive conundrum. 
 
Benedikt Hoewedes and Jerome Boateng are the two likely central defenders, but both had a long injury break late in the season and are in desperate need of match practice. 
 
Jonathan Tah, the 20-year-old who was only called up this week following Ruediger&#39;s injury, is expected to be on the bench. 
 
Toni Kroos, who will shoulder the biggest responsibility of connecting Germany&#39;s defensive and attacking game, is brimming with confidence following his Champions League win with Real Madrid. 
 
Assistant coach Thomas Schneider sounded confident on Friday that the team would quickly find their cohesion at the back. 
 
&quot;In the last few matches we thought a lot about our defensive operation and we came up with a few things, including for defensive set pieces,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;We have worked on that in training and everyone knows their job&quot;. 
 
Ukraine, while outsiders, are certain to test the Germans&#39; new-look defence with quick wingers Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka capable of inflicting severe damage. 
 
It will be up to Loew&#39;s full backs to neutralise that threat but they must also break down a steely Ukraine defence. 
 
The Germans, eyeing their fourth Euro triumph but first since 1996, have never lost an opening match at the European Championship, and are aware a slip-up could prove costly. 
 
&quot;The first game is extremely important and it will determine our run in this tournament,&quot; attacking midfielder Julian Draxler said. 
 
Ukraine managed to keep six clean sheets in 10 qualifiers with coach Mykhailo Fomenko having taken over after the co-hosts&#39; disappointing Euro 2012 campaign. 
 
They then came out on top against Slovenia in a playoff last year, with the 67-year-old having moulded them into an efficient unit.

Joachim Loew's men are without key central defender Mats Hummels

Germany's defence will be put to the test in their opening Euro 2016 group match against Ukraine in Lille on Sunday with major questions still to be answered about the world champions' new-look rearguard. Coach Joachim Loew's team will be without key central defender Mats Hummels, still recovering from a muscle injury, as they kick off their Group C campaign. Hummels' replacement Antonio Ruediger was ruled out with torn cruciate knee ligaments this week. Holding midfielder and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, still working on his comeback from injury, is also absent, further complicating Loew's defensive conundrum. Benedikt Hoewedes and Jerome Boateng are the two likely central defenders, but both had a long injury break late in the season and are in desperate need of match practice. Jonathan Tah, the 20-year-old who was only called up this week following Ruediger's injury, is expected to be on the bench. Toni Kroos, who will shoulder the biggest responsibility of connecting Germany's defensive and attacking game, is brimming with confidence following his Champions League win with Real Madrid. Assistant coach Thomas Schneider sounded confident on Friday that the team would quickly find their cohesion at the back. "In the last few matches we thought a lot about our defensive operation and we came up with a few things, including for defensive set pieces," he said. "We have worked on that in training and everyone knows their job". Ukraine, while outsiders, are certain to test the Germans' new-look defence with quick wingers Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka capable of inflicting severe damage. It will be up to Loew's full backs to neutralise that threat but they must also break down a steely Ukraine defence. The Germans, eyeing their fourth Euro triumph but first since 1996, have never lost an opening match at the European Championship, and are aware a slip-up could prove costly. "The first game is extremely important and it will determine our run in this tournament," attacking midfielder Julian Draxler said. Ukraine managed to keep six clean sheets in 10 qualifiers with coach Mykhailo Fomenko having taken over after the co-hosts' disappointing Euro 2012 campaign. They then came out on top against Slovenia in a playoff last year, with the 67-year-old having moulded them into an efficient unit.

Ukraine speed to test new-look Germany defence

The yellow M-shaped logo, long noisy queues, children with balloons in their hands: at first glance it seems McDonald&#39;s has reopened its doors in separatist hub Lugansk in Eastern Ukraine. 
 
But in fact this is only a replica after the building where the US fast food chain once had its restaurant was taken over by rebels and now local entrepreneurs have opened their own cafe, with just a few tweaks. 
 
Its facade has been modified and now reads &quot;Burger&quot;, the name of the new restaurant, and it is decked out with a flag of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People&#39;s Republic. 
 
Inside hungry diners cannot tuck into the world-famous &quot;Big Mac&quot;, but they can enjoy a very similar &quot;Big Mag&quot; burger. 
 
&quot;That&#39;s how it goes here: department stores and cafes are taken over by the authorities, they only change the name slightly,&quot; said 18-year-old student Nikita, who refused to give his surname due to security fears, enjoying a meal with four friends. 
 
&quot;They can&#39;t invent anything new.&quot; 
 
Nikita and his classmates have been visiting the &quot;Burger&quot; restaurant regularly since it was reopened two months ago. 
 
The students say they used to come to the McDonald&#39;s before the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists tore through this industrial region, claiming some 9,500 live since April 2014. 
 
But they complain about the significantly increased prices in the place since it reopened under the new management. 
 
&quot;Now we can afford only two portions of French fries. It has become too expensive here, although initially this place was designed for students,&quot; Nikita laments adding that a serving of fries costs some 90 rubles (about one euro). 
 
The US firm, which in 2014 closed all its restaurants in the rebel-controlled areas, said in a statement that they &quot;have nothing to do with business activities in the premises of McDonald&#39;s&quot; in the rebel strongholds of Lugansk and Donetsk. 
 
The company has complained to the Ukrainian government about the &quot;illegal seizure of the premises&quot; in the conflict zone. 
 
But local customers say they find the food being served now similar enough to original. 
 
Dan Bertsch, an American from Virginia in his fifties who arrived in Lugansk three years before the start of the conflict to marry a local woman, is among them. 
 
&quot;In America I do not eat a lot in McDonald&#39;s but in Lugansk I think it is nourishing to have a hamburger,&quot; said Bertsch, who wore a t-shirt with the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t have a lot of food choices in Lugansk because of war.&quot; 
 
Anti-US rhetoric 
 
The manager of &quot;Burger&quot;, 25-year-old Sergei, who gave only his first name, said the higher prices are down to difficulties in getting food delivered to the conflict-wracked region, but he insisted quality has gone up. 
 
&quot;Although there are similarities in our ingredients, we are not McDonald&#39;s,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;There is a difference in the quality of ingredients, ours are better. We bring them frozen from Finland via Russia.&quot; 
 
In Donetsk, another rebel stronghold in eastern Ukraine, two other former McDonald&#39;s opened their doors under the named &quot;DonMak&quot; in early July. 
 
Similar to the one in Lugansk, they are located in the former premises of the US chain and offer the same kind of products. 
 
Their opening was a sensation in the de facto capital of the pro-Russian separatists, despite the rebel leadership frequently slamming the United States as an enemy as it emphasises cultural ties with Russia. 
 
Within a few days people were already lining up in queues for over an hour outside the fast-food restaurant in anticipation of their Coke, burger or fries. 
 
Housewife Elena waited 40 minutes in the crowded establishment to place an order for her son. 
 
&quot;Before they opened this place, I always wondered where to go with my child. Now we can celebrate his birthday here,&quot; the 24-year-old said. 
 
The fact the restaurant had opened even though rebels denounce any presence of Western influence in the area under their control does not seem to bother the young woman. 
 
&quot;It might be worth opening something Russian-style,&quot; she laughed, as she waited for her burger. 
 
(AFP)

The new restaurant called 'Burger' has come in place of the original McDonald's after it was taken over by rebels

The yellow M-shaped logo, long noisy queues, children with balloons in their hands: at first glance it seems McDonald's has reopened its doors in separatist hub Lugansk in Eastern Ukraine. But in fact this is only a replica after the building where the US fast food chain once had its restaurant was taken over by rebels and now local entrepreneurs have opened their own cafe, with just a few tweaks. Its facade has been modified and now reads "Burger", the name of the new restaurant, and it is decked out with a flag of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic. Inside hungry diners cannot tuck into the world-famous "Big Mac", but they can enjoy a very similar "Big Mag" burger. "That's how it goes here: department stores and cafes are taken over by the authorities, they only change the name slightly," said 18-year-old student Nikita, who refused to give his surname due to security fears, enjoying a meal with four friends. "They can't invent anything new." Nikita and his classmates have been visiting the "Burger" restaurant regularly since it was reopened two months ago. The students say they used to come to the McDonald's before the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists tore through this industrial region, claiming some 9,500 live since April 2014. But they complain about the significantly increased prices in the place since it reopened under the new management. "Now we can afford only two portions of French fries. It has become too expensive here, although initially this place was designed for students," Nikita laments adding that a serving of fries costs some 90 rubles (about one euro). The US firm, which in 2014 closed all its restaurants in the rebel-controlled areas, said in a statement that they "have nothing to do with business activities in the premises of McDonald's" in the rebel strongholds of Lugansk and Donetsk. The company has complained to the Ukrainian government about the "illegal seizure of the premises" in the conflict zone. But local customers say they find the food being served now similar enough to original. Dan Bertsch, an American from Virginia in his fifties who arrived in Lugansk three years before the start of the conflict to marry a local woman, is among them. "In America I do not eat a lot in McDonald's but in Lugansk I think it is nourishing to have a hamburger," said Bertsch, who wore a t-shirt with the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We don't have a lot of food choices in Lugansk because of war." Anti-US rhetoric The manager of "Burger", 25-year-old Sergei, who gave only his first name, said the higher prices are down to difficulties in getting food delivered to the conflict-wracked region, but he insisted quality has gone up. "Although there are similarities in our ingredients, we are not McDonald's," he said. "There is a difference in the quality of ingredients, ours are better. We bring them frozen from Finland via Russia." In Donetsk, another rebel stronghold in eastern Ukraine, two other former McDonald's opened their doors under the named "DonMak" in early July. Similar to the one in Lugansk, they are located in the former premises of the US chain and offer the same kind of products. Their opening was a sensation in the de facto capital of the pro-Russian separatists, despite the rebel leadership frequently slamming the United States as an enemy as it emphasises cultural ties with Russia. Within a few days people were already lining up in queues for over an hour outside the fast-food restaurant in anticipation of their Coke, burger or fries. Housewife Elena waited 40 minutes in the crowded establishment to place an order for her son. "Before they opened this place, I always wondered where to go with my child. Now we can celebrate his birthday here," the 24-year-old said. The fact the restaurant had opened even though rebels denounce any presence of Western influence in the area under their control does not seem to bother the young woman. "It might be worth opening something Russian-style," she laughed, as she waited for her burger. (AFP)

Ersatz McDonald's becomes hit in rebel East Ukraine

Some 2.5 million people are still becoming infected with HIV every year even as drugs have slashed the death rate and virus-carriers live longer than ever, a global AIDS study said today. 
 
New infections have plateaued for the past 10 years after a steep dip from the peak rate of 3.3 million in 1997, said the authors of a comprehensive analysis in The Lancet HIV journal. 
 
It was published to coincide with the International AIDS conference underway in Durban, South Africa to assess progress in stemming an outbreak that has killed more than 30 million people since the 1980s. 
 
The report paints &quot;a worrying picture of slow progress in reducing new HIV infections,&quot; according to lead author Haidong Wang from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, Seattle. 
 
This could be worsened by &quot;stagnating&quot; funding for HIV/AIDS programmes and medicines. 
 
&quot;Therefore, a massive scale-up of efforts from governments and international agencies will be required to meet the estimated $36 billion (33 billion euros) needed every year to realise the goal of ending AIDS by 2030,&quot; IHME director Christopher Murray said in a statement. 
 
Over the past 15 years, countries have contributed $110 billion in &quot;development assistance&quot; for HIV/AIDS programmes. 
 
Today, there are some 38.8 million people living with the AIDS-causing virus, a steady increase from 28 million in 2000 thanks to the advent in 1996 of life-prolonging antiretroviral therapy (ART). 
 
Annual AIDS deaths have declined from a peak of 1.8 million in 2005 to 1.2 million in 2015. 
 
There is no AIDS cure or vaccine. 
 
ART cocktails suppress the virus, enabling people to live long lives, though the drugs are expensive and can have side effects. 
 
 
Dramatic change required 
 
Use of antiretrovirals, for long the preserve of the rich, grew from 6.4 percent of infected men in 2005 to 38.6 percent ten years later, and from 3.3 percent to 42.4 percent for women over the same period, the study found. 
 
Another factor that has helped cut the death rate was education and medicines to prevent infected women passing the virus onto their unborn children, said the report. 
 
The study saw researchers collate HIV data recorded from 1980 to 2015 for 195 countries. 
 
In spite of advances, most countries are still far from achieving the UNAIDS goal of ensuring that by 2020, 90 percent of infected people will know their status, and 90 percent of those will receive ART. 
 
In 2015, 41 percent of HIV-infected people received ART, said the report. 
 
The picture varied vastly between countries and regions. 
 
In 2015, 1.8 million new HIV infections, some 75 percent, were in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by 212,500 (8.5 percent) in south Asia. 
 
&quot;The highest rates of infection were in southern Africa, with more than one percent of the population per year becoming infected in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland,&quot; said the report. 
 
In Europe, the highest rate of new infections was in Russia (57,340) and Ukraine (13,490). 
 
&quot;Global efforts have had less impact on the incidence of new infections than on HIV mortality,&quot; concluded the report. 
 
&quot;Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 will require a dramatic change in how HIV prevention is pursued.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

New infections have plateaued for the past 10 years after a steep dip from the peak rate of 3.3 million in 1997

Some 2.5 million people are still becoming infected with HIV every year even as drugs have slashed the death rate and virus-carriers live longer than ever, a global AIDS study said today. New infections have plateaued for the past 10 years after a steep dip from the peak rate of 3.3 million in 1997, said the authors of a comprehensive analysis in The Lancet HIV journal. It was published to coincide with the International AIDS conference underway in Durban, South Africa to assess progress in stemming an outbreak that has killed more than 30 million people since the 1980s. The report paints "a worrying picture of slow progress in reducing new HIV infections," according to lead author Haidong Wang from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, Seattle. This could be worsened by "stagnating" funding for HIV/AIDS programmes and medicines. "Therefore, a massive scale-up of efforts from governments and international agencies will be required to meet the estimated $36 billion (33 billion euros) needed every year to realise the goal of ending AIDS by 2030," IHME director Christopher Murray said in a statement. Over the past 15 years, countries have contributed $110 billion in "development assistance" for HIV/AIDS programmes. Today, there are some 38.8 million people living with the AIDS-causing virus, a steady increase from 28 million in 2000 thanks to the advent in 1996 of life-prolonging antiretroviral therapy (ART). Annual AIDS deaths have declined from a peak of 1.8 million in 2005 to 1.2 million in 2015. There is no AIDS cure or vaccine. ART cocktails suppress the virus, enabling people to live long lives, though the drugs are expensive and can have side effects. Dramatic change required Use of antiretrovirals, for long the preserve of the rich, grew from 6.4 percent of infected men in 2005 to 38.6 percent ten years later, and from 3.3 percent to 42.4 percent for women over the same period, the study found. Another factor that has helped cut the death rate was education and medicines to prevent infected women passing the virus onto their unborn children, said the report. The study saw researchers collate HIV data recorded from 1980 to 2015 for 195 countries. In spite of advances, most countries are still far from achieving the UNAIDS goal of ensuring that by 2020, 90 percent of infected people will know their status, and 90 percent of those will receive ART. In 2015, 41 percent of HIV-infected people received ART, said the report. The picture varied vastly between countries and regions. In 2015, 1.8 million new HIV infections, some 75 percent, were in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by 212,500 (8.5 percent) in south Asia. "The highest rates of infection were in southern Africa, with more than one percent of the population per year becoming infected in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland," said the report. In Europe, the highest rate of new infections was in Russia (57,340) and Ukraine (13,490). "Global efforts have had less impact on the incidence of new infections than on HIV mortality," concluded the report. "Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 will require a dramatic change in how HIV prevention is pursued." (AFP)

2.5 million people suffer from HIV every year

As football fans prepare for the climax of the Euro 2016 tournament in France, battle-hardened Ukrainian troops are playing their own tournament against locals near the front in the war-scarred east. 
 
&quot;After completing your watch at the front with a machinegun in your hands, standing knee-deep in mud in the trenches, you think about only about getting some sleep, not training,&quot; shared 37-year-old Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Demchenko, as exploding shells reverberated around him. 
 
But in spite of their exhausting missions, many of the fighters arrive to play straight from the battlefield. 
 
Some still had mud on their boots as they prepared to take to the slippery pitch in the government-held town of Kurakhove, a community of 20,000 mostly blue-collar workers about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front. 
 
The area around Kurakhove, just west of the pro-Russian rebels&#39; de facto capital Donetsk, has seen some of the conflict&#39;s bloodiest battles. 
 
The competition is intended to relieve tension and bring a sense of normality to the frontline of the 26-month war that has claimed nearly 9,500 lives. 
 
The teams facing the soldiers are made up of local athletes who support the pro-EU revolution that shattered Ukraine`s ties with Russia and set it on a collision course with its eastern neighbour in February 2014. 
 
&quot;Our tactical level of play is much poorer than that of the professional athletes. But our motivation is higher,&quot; Demchenko said with a smile.Members of Ukraine`s 10th assault brigade have had no access to television or radio since being dispatched to the area, a couldron of violence that several ceasefires have failed to quench. 
 
But despite their isolation, the soldiers are keenly aware of developments in France, and their own team&#39;s humiliation. 
 
&#39;And football distracts us from the war&#39; 
 
Ukraine had the dubious honour of being the first to be knocked out after losing all their matches without scoring a goal. 
 
Many of the forces have switched their allegiance to Iceland, the minnows that shocked the world by beating England and getting to the quarterfinals before being drubbed by the hosts Sunday. 
 
&quot;They are close to us in spirit,&quot; Demchenko said. &quot;You can see that the Icelandic footballers are real fighters.&quot;A number of players on one of the teams of local civilians admitted they are actually rooting for the soldiers in the tournament that has been timed to coincide with Euro 2016. 
 
Dressed in a green kit, Kurakhove team member Grygoriy, 27, said that winning is not important. 
 
&quot;Everyone feels the impact of this war, and with us being so close to the front, we feel it especially hard,&quot; Grygoriy said as a steady drizzle mixed with the sweat on his face. 
 
&quot;And football distracts us from the war.&quot; 
 
A soldier dressed in a traditional Ukrainian broidered shirt who identifies himself by the `nom de guerre` Uragan (Hurricane) agreed. 
 
&quot;Victory is not important here,&quot; he said. &quot;The locals just have to have a chance to get their minds off the war and the horrible conditions in which they live in.&quot; 
 
The contest of 17 teams ultimately ended with victory for one of the local sides, which received strong support from Lyubov, a pensioner who lives in an apartment block overlooking the school yard in which games are played. 
 
Standing on the balcony, Lyubov said: &quot;It is much better to kick around a ball than to fight.&quot; 
 
&quot;I wish there were more matches like this.&quot; 
 
Ukranian fighter Demchenko said he would even be prepared to play pro-Russian insurgents from nearby Donetsk, raising the prospect of an encounter reminiscent of when English troops downed their weapons to play football with German soldiers in the trenches during World War I. 
 
&quot;Why not? They are guys just like us,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;A match like that would be a much better way to resolve this conflict.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The competition with locals is intended to bring a sense of normality to the frontline of the 26-month war that claimed nearly 9,500 lives

As football fans prepare for the climax of the Euro 2016 tournament in France, battle-hardened Ukrainian troops are playing their own tournament against locals near the front in the war-scarred east. "After completing your watch at the front with a machinegun in your hands, standing knee-deep in mud in the trenches, you think about only about getting some sleep, not training," shared 37-year-old Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Demchenko, as exploding shells reverberated around him. But in spite of their exhausting missions, many of the fighters arrive to play straight from the battlefield. Some still had mud on their boots as they prepared to take to the slippery pitch in the government-held town of Kurakhove, a community of 20,000 mostly blue-collar workers about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front. The area around Kurakhove, just west of the pro-Russian rebels' de facto capital Donetsk, has seen some of the conflict's bloodiest battles. The competition is intended to relieve tension and bring a sense of normality to the frontline of the 26-month war that has claimed nearly 9,500 lives. The teams facing the soldiers are made up of local athletes who support the pro-EU revolution that shattered Ukraine`s ties with Russia and set it on a collision course with its eastern neighbour in February 2014. "Our tactical level of play is much poorer than that of the professional athletes. But our motivation is higher," Demchenko said with a smile.Members of Ukraine`s 10th assault brigade have had no access to television or radio since being dispatched to the area, a couldron of violence that several ceasefires have failed to quench. But despite their isolation, the soldiers are keenly aware of developments in France, and their own team's humiliation. 'And football distracts us from the war' Ukraine had the dubious honour of being the first to be knocked out after losing all their matches without scoring a goal. Many of the forces have switched their allegiance to Iceland, the minnows that shocked the world by beating England and getting to the quarterfinals before being drubbed by the hosts Sunday. "They are close to us in spirit," Demchenko said. "You can see that the Icelandic footballers are real fighters."A number of players on one of the teams of local civilians admitted they are actually rooting for the soldiers in the tournament that has been timed to coincide with Euro 2016. Dressed in a green kit, Kurakhove team member Grygoriy, 27, said that winning is not important. "Everyone feels the impact of this war, and with us being so close to the front, we feel it especially hard," Grygoriy said as a steady drizzle mixed with the sweat on his face. "And football distracts us from the war." A soldier dressed in a traditional Ukrainian broidered shirt who identifies himself by the `nom de guerre` Uragan (Hurricane) agreed. "Victory is not important here," he said. "The locals just have to have a chance to get their minds off the war and the horrible conditions in which they live in." The contest of 17 teams ultimately ended with victory for one of the local sides, which received strong support from Lyubov, a pensioner who lives in an apartment block overlooking the school yard in which games are played. Standing on the balcony, Lyubov said: "It is much better to kick around a ball than to fight." "I wish there were more matches like this." Ukranian fighter Demchenko said he would even be prepared to play pro-Russian insurgents from nearby Donetsk, raising the prospect of an encounter reminiscent of when English troops downed their weapons to play football with German soldiers in the trenches during World War I. "Why not? They are guys just like us," he said. "A match like that would be a much better way to resolve this conflict." (AFP)

Soaking in Euro fever, Ukraine soldiers stage own frontline tournament

CHANGE PICTURE! IF THIS STORY IS VERIFIED, GET APPROPRIATE PIC,&nbsp;THEN PUBLISH 
 
According to reports in the Sri Lankan press, the&nbsp;Sri Lankan government has received the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to enter into a treaty with Ukraine to extradite criminals hiding in the Eastern European country.

President Maithripala Sirisena in his capacity as the Minister of Defense has presented the proposal to the cabinet for approval.

The ColomboPage News Desk reports that&nbsp;the Sri Lankan Co-Cabinet spokesman, Minister Gayantha Karunathilake, said the agreement &quot;will provide the opportunity to request the authorities in Ukraine to receive criminals who have engaged in illegal activities in this country and sought protection in Ukraine&quot;.

The treaty comes as&nbsp;the Sri Lankan government is attempting to arrest a fugitive envoy currently believed to be in Ukraine.

The government has sought arrest and deportation of Sri Lanka&#39;s former Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, who is a nephew of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, over several allegations including that the envoy supplied weapons to a terrorist group in Ukraine and is connected to the death of an embassy employee.

Comes as South Asian country's former Russian ambassador is wanted for abetting a Ukrainian terror group

CHANGE PICTURE! IF THIS STORY IS VERIFIED, GET APPROPRIATE PIC, THEN PUBLISH According to reports in the Sri Lankan press, the Sri Lankan government has received the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to enter into a treaty with Ukraine to extradite criminals hiding in the Eastern European country. President Maithripala Sirisena in his capacity as the Minister of Defense has presented the proposal to the cabinet for approval. The ColomboPage News Desk reports that the Sri Lankan Co-Cabinet spokesman, Minister Gayantha Karunathilake, said the agreement "will provide the opportunity to request the authorities in Ukraine to receive criminals who have engaged in illegal activities in this country and sought protection in Ukraine". The treaty comes as the Sri Lankan government is attempting to arrest a fugitive envoy currently believed to be in Ukraine. The government has sought arrest and deportation of Sri Lanka's former Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, who is a nephew of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, over several allegations including that the envoy supplied weapons to a terrorist group in Ukraine and is connected to the death of an embassy employee.

Sri Lanka enters treaty with Ukraine to extradite criminals hiding in the Eastern European country

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