It's not every hotel that can boast a facade designed, it's rumoured, by Michelangelo. But then not every city is packed with the work of Michelango and other Renaissance greats who have attracted visitors to Florence for hundreds of years.

Brits on the Grand Tour usually opted for Fiesole, high above the city, still packed with fabulous villas including the 15th century monastery which evolved into the Villa San Michele. This lovely old property is a flagship of the Orient Express group and one of the most beloved hotels in the Florence area.

The fact that the villa looks down on Florence's Duomo and is far from the city's madding crowds is one of its great appeals. There is utter peace here in the vaulted lounges, exquisite Loggia restaurant open to the hills and city view and beautiful semi-formal Italian garden.

The best rooms are, in fact, those hidden high above the garden in a modern extension which feels thoroughly Renaissance on the inside. Tiled floors, dark furniture and huge marble bathrooms are cool, comfortable and gracious - this is five-star luxury without the bling. The garden suites have private terraces overlooking the wisteria-clad wall of the old monastery, and a magnificent flower-ringed lawn.

Dining in the Loggia is a special summer pleasure, and one of the reasons the hotel opens only from April to October. But perhaps its best secret weapon is the concierge who makes it possible to enjoy Florence without tears.

Anyone who's queued hours for the Uffizi or Accademia will appreciate a hotel which can make online bookings.

Tickets can also be arranged for visits to the slick new Gucci Museum and rather more fascinating archives of Ferragamo.

Florence is a shopping magnet, thanks to its legions of artisans, and the Villa San Michele opens secret doors to the leather school where some of Italy's most covetable handbags are designed, and the master shoemaker Daniel Day-Lewis gave up the movies to apprentice for a year.

Not to mention the silk mill which once wove for the Medicis, and still uses an ancient foot-loom designed by Leonardo.

Rates: £160-£425

TEL: 0121 200 0600

Source: http://www.thejc.com/travel/hotel-week/67191/villa-san-michele-florence-italy

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• Puyol still hopeful of reaching 100 caps for Spain
• 'I want to retire on the pitch, not on the operating table'

The Barcelona captain Carles Puyol is still hoping to reach 100 appearances for Spain despite acknowledging he is almost certain to miss this summer's European Championship due to a knee problem.

Barça announced on Tuesday that Puyol will undergo an arthroscopy on 12 May after feeling discomfort in his right knee following Saturday's 4-0 defeat of Espanyol and that is set to sideline the defender for around six weeks.

That means the 34-year-old is definitely out of Barça's final Primera Division game at Real Betis at the weekend and he will also miss coach Pep Guardiola's last game in charge – the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao on 25 May.

His participation at Euro 2012 is extremely doubtful with Spain opening their campaign against Italy on 10 June before going on to play the Republic of Ireland and Croatia in Group C.

Puyol said: "My plan right now is only to undergo the operation and recover as soon as possible. I'm sure that things are going to turn out well and very soon I will be back playing again.

"I don't know if it was my last European Championship but I do know that I want to retire on the pitch and not on the operating table.

"I'm only thinking about recovering and returning to 100%. If then I can return to play with the national team I would love to reach that number [100 caps].

"I would love to [go to the Euros] but it looks very difficult. I have to wait and see what the doctors find, but I think that it's impossible. There will be players in better condition than me to play.

"Those who are best are the ones who have to go. It would be unfair on the other players. In Spain there are good centre-backs and we don't have to worry about anything."

On the prospect of missing both the Copa del Rey final and Euro 2012, Puyol said: "It's frustrating to miss these two competitions. The cup final is the nicest game of the year because of the atmosphere. If this had happened when I was younger it would've been worse but I see things in a different way now I'm 34. I hope to help from off the pitch and enjoy this final."

Del Bosque will announce his provisional squad for Euro 2012 on 15 May which will then be whittled down when the final 23-man party is confirmed on 27 May.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/09/barclona-carles-puyol-spain

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WILLEMSTAD--International investigators will look into the actions of Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) president-director Emsley Tromp, the Supervisory Board decided during its meeting in Willemstad, on Saturday.

These investigators will also determine if Tromp should go on paid vacation while they conduct the probe. Unconfirmed reports state that a Belgian entity is being eyed for the job.

As reported, no final approval was given for the minutes of earlier CBCS management meetings, in which the contested bond loan with a repurchase facility of US $150 million for the St. Maarten Harbour Corporation was mentioned. Further study is needed of said bond loan, as well as of an earlier NAf. 300-million bond loan for Curaçao's utility company Aqualectra, to see if they violate the Central Bank's investment policy.

The three Curaçao board members are not happy with the role of the court-appointed, seventh member Robert Pietersz, because they believe he is leaning towards the three board members of St. Maarten, even though he was born in Curaçao and worked there most of his life before moving to Aruba.

Curaçao coalition party "Pueblo Soberano" (PS) staged a protest at the Central Bank, during the meeting against the St. Maarten bond issue and demanded that the repurchase facility be reversed. The entrance to the complex was blocked at a certain moment, but cleared at the insistence of PS leader Helmin Wiels and the police.

The PS leader didn't have a good word to say about what he called tax money from Curaçao being used on behalf of St. Maarten. "The people on St. Maarten don't pay import tax. If we want to import a car on Curaçao, we pay 26 per cent import duties plus 6 per cent sales tax. So, if the car costs 30,000 you have to pay 40,000, because you lose 10,000 in taxes."

"Furthermore, people on St. Maarten don't pay excise on alcohol; that's why they have so many alcoholics. They don't pay land tax. On Curaçao, we even have to pay tax to use the lavatory."

Asked after the meeting about the fact that no decision was taken to halt the bond issue for St. Maarten, Wiels said this did not mean the battle was over. "We will continue to fight and apply pressure until this deal is off the table," he warned

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/27337-probe-into-functioning-of-tromp-at-central-bank-.html

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~Election now likely~

THE HAGUE--Austerity talks between the minority coalition consisting of People's Party for Freedom and Democracy VVD, Christian Democrat CDA and Party for Freedom VVD collapsed Saturday afternoon, when PVV leader Geert Wilders walked out. New elections are now very likely, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters.

In a news conference shortly after Wilders left the negotiations, both Prime Minister Mark Rutte and CDA leader Maxime Verhagen blamed the collapse on the PVV leader.

"At the last moment, the PVV was shocked about the impact of the consequences of previously made agreements," Rutte said.

Verhagen said all hopes of an agreement had been dashed. The PVV leader has "left 16 million Dutch people in the lurch," he said.

The Telegraaf newspaper reported that Wilders felt he had to withdraw from the negotiations after discussing the austerity measures with other PVV officials.

The talks between the coalition and its alliance partner resumed on Saturday to assess the results of a financial analysis of the austerity measures.

In a brief statement, Wilders said he could not accept that pensioners would have to pay for "useless" demands from the European Union. Agreeing with the measures is "not in the interest of our PVV voters," he said.

Labour PvdA leader Diederik Samsom said new elections were now inevitable. "Everyone will have to share in the consequences of the crisis," he said.

However, if there would be an election, it would unlikely to take place before September. This means the minority government would continue in a caretaker function until then, but would be unable to take significant steps to revitalise the economy without parliamentary approval.

In particular, it is unclear what the implications would be for the 2013 budget, on which the coalition alliance had spent the past seven weeks working towards. The budget is always presented on the third Tuesday in September.

An opinion poll published Sunday showed The Netherlands remains highly fragmented politically, suggesting that it could prove difficult to form a new coalition quickly and that Wilders' chances of forming a new government were slim.

The Maurice de Hond poll, conducted after the budget talks collapsed, showed that no single party would obtain a majority if elections were held now, although Rutte's VVD Party has strengthened its lead, followed closely by two leftist parties.

The poll also showed that a majority favour smaller budget cuts than those stipulated by the European Union, a further sign that the notoriously frugal Dutch are suffering from "bailout fatigue" and resent the high cost of rescuing profligate peripheral euro zone countries.

"Voters from different parties share the same view; disgust or disappointment over the political action and the political parties," De Hond said in a statement, adding that two thirds of those polled agreed with the statement: "I'm tired of all the party politics."

Fifty seven per cent of respondents agreed with The Netherlands cutting less than the European Union wants. Supporters of the populist PVV and of Socialist Party (SP) were particularly set against cuts.

The poll showed the Dutch were most strongly opposed to spending cuts that would have a direct impact on standards of living; 56 per cent of respondents opposed the introduction of a new, modest prescription charge, and 47 per cent opposed an increase in value added tax.

The cabinet is set to meet today, Monday to discuss what it should do next to agree on a budget and whether to resign. The Queen could accept its resignation, paving the way for elections, or ask the Prime Minister to form a new coalition.

If elections were called, the VVD would win 33 seats in the 150-seat Second Chamber of Parliament, up from 31 now, the poll showed, followed by the euro-sceptic SP with 30 seats and the pro-Europe PvdA with 24 seats.

Rutte's coalition partner CDA and the PVV, until Saturday his main allies, have both slipped in the polls and would win 11 and 19 seats respectively.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/27302-austerity-talks-collapse-after-pvv-walks-out-.html

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• Sprinter aims to 'repay trust' after drug ban overturned
• Chambers fastest British 100m runner but yet to qualify

Dwain Chambers admits he is braced for a backlash from the British public if he takes part at this summer's Olympics and has issued a plea for forgiveness before his controversial return.

The sprinter will be allowed to compete at the Games as long as he meets the qualification standard after the court of arbitration for sport overturned the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for drugs cheats.

It means Chambers, who tested positive for tetrahydrogestrinone in 2003 and served a two-year ban, is likely to make Team GB because he is the country's fastest 100m runner at present, although he knows his appearance will not go down well with many people.

"I have made a mistake, a massive mistake, and all I want is another chance to do the best for my country," he told the Telegraph. "To run in my home Olympics? I would say it was a dream come true but it's not. Because I didn't even bother dreaming. I thought I would be sitting at home watching.

"Now the reality is if I qualify I will be there. That is something I will cherish, it would be an honour and I want to make sure I do it with pride and enjoy it. But I know it won't please everybody.

"There will be a lot of things said and a lot of comments. I don't expect an easy ride. People feel very strongly that, if you are selected for your country, you should never jeopardise that. And I did. I realise that and the only way I can repay their trust now is by going out there and running to the best of my ability."

Chambers will line up against Usain Bolt at his first high-profile grand prix fixture in almost a decade later this month. He will be competing in a world-class field of sub-10second sprinters on 25 May at the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting in the Czech Republic.

Chambers, who joined Bolt's training camp in Jamaica in 2006, is currently back in Kingston training with the former world record-holder Asafa Powell under his coach Stephen Francis at the Maximising Velocity and Power (MVP) club.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/may/08/dwain-chambers-olympics

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Mashreq, one of the UAE’s leading financial institutions announced that its ‘Business Banking’ solely dedicated to cater to the SME segment launched upgraded Trade & Working Capital facility for Small Business Segment. The new upgrade of the product is a partially secured facility offered to customers to meet their working capital requirement and for import/export of goods and or services. The facility can be tailored as per the needs to the clients and has no limits in terms of size. 

read more

Source: http://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/mashreq-business-trade-424079

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• Players and officials suspended after being found guilty
• Criminal trial still in progress

Turkey's football disciplinary committee left leading clubs unpunished over match-fixing allegations on Monday, instead imposing bans of between one and three years on 10 players and officials in a move that will be closely scrutinised by Uefa.

The Gaziantepspor midfielder Ibrahim Akin, who was with Buyuksehir Belediye Spor at the time the offences were committed, was banned for three years and Ankaragucu's goalkeeper Serdar Kulbilge was given a two-year ban.

The decision was taken while a criminal trial, involving 93 defendants including the chairman of the champions Fenerbahce, is still underway.

Shares in Fenerbahce, Turkey's richest club, rose by 10% after the announcement by the Turkish Football Federation, although the club's chairman, Aziz Yildirim, is currently in jail pending a verdict. The disciplinary board said there was no punishment for Yildirim himself, while three other Fenerbahce executives were banned from football for one to three years.

The ruling, which came in the run-up to the final games of the season, was a key step in resolving an investigation which has cast a dark shadow over Turkish football.

However, the outcome of the federation's investigation will be closely analysed by Uefa amid previous expectations that clubs could face relegation or exclusion from Europe over the allegations.

Fenerbahce, who were barred from the Champions League this season due to its alleged involvement in the scandal, dropped a court case last week against Uefa and the Turkish federation over its exclusion from the tournament.

Fenerbahce will host their city rivals Galatasaray on Saturday in a match which will determine this year's champions. Galatasaray are currently leaders in the league play-offs on 47 points, ahead of Fenerbahce on 46.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/07/turkish-federation-match-fixing

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NBA champion Dallas Mavericks are swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder; the LA Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies could go to a game 7; and the New York Knicks finally win a playoff game

An awful lot almost happened in the NBA playoffs this weekend and while only one team was officially eliminated, an inordinate amount of others were pushed to the brink. Even though very few teams that are one loss away from elimination seem equipped to pull off an upset, it's impossible to rule out anything in a universe where the defending champions were swept, the Los Angeles Clippers are up in a series, and the New York Knicks have actually won a playoff game.

1. The Dallas Mavericks are done

The previous year's last team standing was the first team to fall. Maybe Lamar Odom would have made a difference? In defense of the Dallas Mavericks, they may have given us the best played four game first round sweep in NBA playoffs history. They lost their first two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, on the road, by a combined four points. Although they lost handily in game three, the Mavericks built up on a thirteen point lead against the Thunder on Saturday night. Then James Harden happened. When the carnage was over, Oklahoma prematurely ended Dallas's quest for back-to-back championships with a 103-97 victory.

Blame it on Metta World Peace? Did the Artest Formerly Known as Ron's flagrant elbowing inspire Harden to silence doubters who believed his concussion would affect his playoff performance? Who knows, but in an offense that usually revolves around Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Harden proved why sometimes that key sixth man can actually be the third most dangerous offensive weapon as he almost single-handedly wiped out the Mavericks' double-digit lead. Not to get all mercurial here, but when Harden is playing at his best, the Thunder are very, very frightening.

The Mavericks' surprisingly brief playoff life raises questions about their offseason. Will the Mavericks land the perennially almost traded Dwight Howard, or the potentially well-suited Deron Williams? Could controversial owner Mark Cuban woo prodigal son point guard Steve Nash back to the team? One thing is for certain: Cuban will not rest after this disappointing playoffs finish, he's too much of a mav...

Well, you know.

2. The New York Knicks won a playoff game. No seriously.

Facing elimination, the New York Knicks, bolstered by the surprise return of fire-extinguishing fighting forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who contributed a late-game tiebreaking three pointer, defeated the Miami Heat 89-87 Sunday afternoon. Ultimately, this might just be a bump on the Miami Heat's seemingly easy road to the next round, but this is a huge event for New York basketball considering it's the first time the Knicks have won a playoff game since 2001. Yes, it's been eleven years, two presidential elections and roughly 37 unfunny high-concept Adam Sandler vehicles since the last time the Knicks had a postseason win. So, let the confetti fall in Madison Square Garden, this is the most fun they've had since they retired Billy Joel's number.

Even if the Heat seem to be in full control of the series, they cannot afford to take this loss lightly. Losing one game is one thing but a game five loss could raise old doubts about the team's ability to close out opponents. Critics like ESPN's Skip Bayless would be all over the team if the LeBron James' "Quest for Change for a Dollar" tour remained stalled in New York for longer than expected.

It's not all good news for the New York Knicks, because Stoudemire, determined to return to the lineup after the self-inflected injury that made him a nationwide punchline, tempted the Basketball Gods who apparently demand a replacement sacrifice from the Knickerbockers. It was poor Baron Davis who ended up paying the price as he dislocated his knee late in the game, an injury that could be career-ending. So, the Knicks have a need for a point guard for a suddenly necessary Game 5. This may speed up the return of a certain injured international sensation with a knack for being in the middle of inexplicable win streaks. All he does is Lin, in fact.

3. There are a lot, a LOT, of teams close to elimination

Technically, the New York Knicks remain on the brink of elimination but let's give them a pass for their fanbase's sake. After all, there's an awful lot of other teams to get to, starting with, most surprisingly, the number one seed in the East which may be one game away from being eliminated by the number eight seed. On Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers took a 3-1 series lead on the top seeded Chicago Bulls after an 89-82 win at home.

Even if the Bulls do fall to the 76ers, they have little to be embarrassed about considering that the team lost MVP Derrick Rose during the first game and then Joakim Noah after the third game. The (fully healthy) Philadelphia 76ers aren't really a typical eighth seed either, they are a solid team that played at a very high level for the first half of the season before limping into the playoffs . Although, they are not enough to give an asterisk, or footnote, to the eventual Finals winner (assuming the Bulls don't make an improbable run), it's difficult to argue that the Bulls' injuries haven't dramatically altered the entire course of the playoffs. If injuries do end up defining this postseason, this would be a fitting end to a condensed NBA Season that has at times been a medical drama with occasional basketball interludes.

Give the Orlando Magic credit. Not only did they take the first game of their series against the Indiana Pacers without star center Dwight Howard, yet another significant injury victim, they also came back after falling down 19 points to force Saturday's Game Four into overtime. Still, moral victories don't count in the standings, and Howard's replacement Glen Davis's shot didn't fall in the last seconds of overtime. Indiana beat Orlando 101-99 and also now have a 3-1 series lead.

Friday night, the Boston Celtics had to go to overtime to beat an Atlanta Hawks team without Josh Smith and Al Horford, despite unsuspended point guard Rajon Rondo scoring a triple double during the game. Sunday night, the Boston Celtics, possibly disappointed after their underwhelming game three effort, demolished the Hawks in a 101-79 game that never even seemed that close. This easy win, which allowed head coach Doc Rivers to rest his starters, gave Boston, what else, a 3-1 series lead.

The Celtics' Western rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets 92-88 to take, and this keyboard's ctrl and v buttons are almost worn out after cutting and pasting this so many times, a 3-1 series lead. The Nuggets 99-84 victory Friday night now seems less like a turning point for the Nuggets, and more like Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were toying with them like a cat and an injured mouse.

While all of this was going on, the San Antonio Spurs concluded their de facto bye week by defeating the Utah Jazz 102-90 on Saturday, giving them a 3-0 series lead. Cheer up Utah, you're in position to do just as well as last year's champions this postseason.

4. Our chances for a long series lie with the Clippers and Grizzlies

The Knicks weren't the only team to break a long standing playoff win drought, as the Los Angeles Clippers took a razor-thin 87-86 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies to take a 2-1 series lead and win their first home playoff game in six years. The Clippers, who memorably came back against the Grizzlies after being down 27 points a week earlier, gave their fans a somewhat less-agreeable nail-biting conclusion this time around. After missing a downright Clipperian 17 free throws in the game, they won only after Rudy Gay missed a last second three pointer.

The first round of the NBA Playoffs isn't known for its thrilling matchups, but the sheer glut of 3-0 and 3-1 series leads so far this postseason have been disappointing to NBA fans seeking more dramatic matchups. Clippers/Grizzlies could be the exception. Not only are the two teams evenly matched, but two of the three games so far have had thrilling conclusions, although some of that may be due to a certain amount of late-game ineptitude. While the rest of these series seem close to decided, although certainly there are Bulls, Knicks and Hawks fans who would say otherwise, the Clippers/Grizzlies series remains a complete coin-flip. The greatest words in sports, the cliché goes, are "game seven", and this is the series that seems most likely to reach that point.

Note: This writer may be rooting for Grizzlies/Clippers to reach a game seven due to an in-retrospect unwise bet made last week.

5. Other things we've learned

• Boston Celtics guard Paul Pierce famously "Tebowed" after his game two win. During Sunday's Celtics game, writer Chuck Hogan tweeted: "After this performance, next time we see Tebow he's going to be Piercing". While speculating what exactly "Piercing" would entail, besides the obvious pun, Celtics radio color analyst Cedric Maxwell suggested that it would probably involve a wheelchair in some manner.

• JaVale McGee's mom is not amused.

• Lead into gold, squaring the circle, making notoriously attention-starved NBA official Joey Crawford likeable: At least one of these feats is possible.

• This blog is dedicated to the memory of the late Beastie Boy, and basketball fan, Adam "MCA" Yauch who passed away of cancer this week at the age of 47. Beyond his musical accomplishments, Yauch directed the high school basketball documentary "Gunnin' For That Number One Spot" which featured appearances by current Minnesota Timberwolves Michael Beasley and (funnily enough from a band name perspective) 2012 MVP candidate Kevin Love, nephew of Beach Boy Mike Love.

• In fact, one more tribute, to celebrate the upcoming relocation of the New Jersey Nets, I present the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn".

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/may/07/dallas-mavericks-new-york-knicks-clippers-grizzlies

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The diplomatic status of Jerusalem is a source of endless dispute and this week it was the official website for the London Olympics which found itself caught in the middle.

In its profile of participating countries, the site listed Jerusalem as capital of "Palestine", while Israel's capital city was left as a blank space.

"After the error was pointed out to them, they then switched it on the site on Monday morning so Jerusalem was listed as Israel 's capital and Palestine was listed without a capital," said Middle East commentator Tom Gross, who posted a snapshot of the original entry (above) on his own website.

By Wednesday, the webmasters had thought again and the capitals of all countries had been deleted.

Israel's Olympic committee, incidentally, was founded back in 1933 but was not recognised until 1952: its athletes were denied entry to the last London Games in the year of the country's birth, 1948.

Source: http://www.thejc.com/news/the-diary/67156/olympics-jerusalem-problem

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PHILIPSBURG--Having won a third case against Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC), President of the WIFOL Theophilus Thompson called on the company to "end this war" and "get people back to work" in the best interest of the economy and image of St. Maarten. He also called on government to take a more active role in the situation.

Thompson said the union would make first contact with SBRMC to re-establish dialogue that would hopefully result in re-employment of the workers.

He also expressed hope that SBRMC would not prolong the impasse via appeal or otherwise, but had those hopes dashed when attorney representing SBRMC Jairo Bloem indicated that the company would appeal the court's decision (see related story). The move did not surprise Thompson, considering "their attorney stated even before we went to court that they would take us to the Supreme Court if they had to."

In the meantime, Thompson said he could not tell the workers to go back on the job and expect the employer to take them back. Although the workers won the case, he said, the employer still has the right to keep the workers away from the premises. With an appeal pending, the workers can expect the status quo to remain in place.

"In light of everything that has happened over the last almost two years, I think the workers' rights have been restored. That is important for the workers and union representing workers in the service sector, and I think that this decision has far-reaching effects beyond the borders of Simpson Bay Resort," Thompson said.

"Workers in other establishments and companies can feel comfortable and the fear and suspense that has hung over them for the past months have now been taken away," he added, re-iterating his previous statements that the CLA between the workers and the resort had to be respected.

"In the verdict from the very first court case we won, the judge emphasized that the CLA had to be respected by the company. What was good about our CLA is that parties, present employer and owner (of Simpson Bay Resort) and union, agreed on a clause that states that the CLA, as long as it is valid, is binding, even upon successors," Thompson said.

"In this case," he continued, "you can hardly say there is a successor. The people who signed the CLA are the same people in management of the company and the same people executing orders to the employees. So it was confusing to us how they could claim they were not responsible for the employees anymore and the CLA was not respected by this 'new' company."

With regard to persons the resort has hired in the meantime to fill positions, Thompson explained that the resort, even when it operated as Pelican, had never been overstaffed based on the requirements of service. The permanent employees, he said, were never sufficient to meet the demand for service.

"That's why they always had, in agreement with the union, a minimum number of persons performing temporary service. So even if all workers go back, it will not create an over-employment situation. And they still have employment agencies providing them with labour," he said.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/26769-thompson-lets-end-this-war-and-get-people-back-to-work-.html

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