Ali Karimi starred as Iran’s Piroozi kicked off their AFC Champions League campaign with an impressive 3-1 win over United Arab Emirates outfit Sharjah in Group B on Tuesday.

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Karimi opened the scoring midway through the first half before playing his part as Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht and Hadi Norouzi netted in six first half minutes to give the home side control of the contest.

Sharjah, who qualified for the group stage with a play-off victory over India’s Dempo, pulled a goal back through Mishal Wahab at the start of the second half, but Piroozi had done more than enough in the first half to delight the home fans at the Azadi Stadium.

Also in Group B are Al Gharafa, of Qatar, and Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab.

Karimi, a former winner of the AFC Asian Player of the Year Award, gave the Iranian champions the lead in the 27th minute when he fired low into the corner from 12 yards out as the Sharjah defence struggled to clear the ball.

Just three minutes later, Piroozi made it 2-0 when the Sharjah backline was found wanting once more.

On this occasion, Karimi used the attention afforded to him by the Sharjah defence to allow the ball to run through his legs and into the path of Iran international Alireza Vahedi Nikhbakht, who shot into the bottom corner.

Two minutes later, Piroozi had put the result beyond any doubt with Karimi again underlining why he remains one of Asian football’s foremost talents.

His diagonal, defence-splitting pass set the goal-scoring move in motion as Hadi Norouzi rose at the near post, beating two defenders to the ball and headed beyond Ahmed Rasheed.

Sharjah came out for the second half with little to fight for but pride and, nine minutes after the restart, they did at least salvage a consolation goal.

Wahab sent in a free kick from the left, which was missed by teammate Salem Saif as he leapt to meet the cross. However, Piroozi goalkeeper Mehdi Vaezi misread the flight of the ball allowing Wahab’s effort to cross the line.

However, despite that momentary lapse, Piroozi took all three points to make the perfect start to their 2009 campaign.

WASHINGTON – Just days after the nation honored the 200th anniversary of his birth, 65 historians ranked Abraham Lincoln as the nation's best president.Former President George W. Bush, who left office last month, was ranked 36th , according to a survey conducted by the cable channel C-SPAN.Bush scored lowest in international relations, where he was ranked 41st, and in economic management, where he was ranked 40th. His highest ranking, 24th, was in the category of pursuing equal justice for all. He was ranked 25th in crisis leadership and vision and agenda setting.In contrast, Lincoln was ranked in the top three in each of the 10 categories evaluated by participants.In C-SPAN's only other ranking of presidents, in 2000, former President Bill Clinton jumped six spots from No. 21 to 15. Other recent presidents moved positions as well: Ronald Reagan advanced from No. 11 to ۱۰

 , George H.W. Bush rose from ۲۰.  to 18 and Jimmy Carter fell from No. 22 to 25.

On the day that Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, elderly Daisy Williams nee Fuller is on her deathbed in a New Orleans hospital. At her side is her adult daughter, Caroline. Daisy asks Caroline to read to her aloud the diary of Daisy's lifelong friend, Benjamin Button. Benjamin's diary recounts his entire extraordinary life, the primary unusual aspect of which was his aging backwards, being born an old man who was diagnosed with several aged diseases at birth and thus given little chance of survival, but who does survive and gets younger with time. Abandoned by his biological father, Thomas Button, after Benjamin's biological mother died in childbirth, Benjamin was raised by Queenie, a black woman and caregiver at a seniors home. Daisy's grandmother was a resident at that home, which is where she first met Benjamin. Although separated through the years, Daisy and Benjamin remain in contact throughout their lives, reconnecting in their forties when in age they finally match up. Some of the revelations in Benjamin's diary are difficult for Caroline to read, especially as it relates to the time past this reconnection between Benjamin and Daisy, when Daisy gets older and Benjamin grows younger into his childhood years

CANBERRA (Reuters) – An Australian navy submarine skipper who suggested female sailors wear bikinis to help reverse a recruitment crisis has been criticised by lawmakers but supported by superiors, local media said on Thursday.

Commander Tom Phillips, appointed to the Australian navy's HMAS Farncomb last year, also joked in a men's magazine interview that the submariner equivalent of the notorious "mile-high club" for people having sex in aircraft was the "going down club."

Asked by Ralph magazine "if female sailors all had to be hot and had to wear bikinis, would that help recruitment?," Phillips responded: "It would certainly get the right demographic of young men in. I'm not sure how feasible it is, however."

Australia's Minister for Defence Personnel Warren Snowden told the mass-selling Daily Telegraph that the comments were "utterly unacceptable," while conservative opposition lawmakers said the skipper should be sacked.

"If these comments are to be attributed to this newly appointed commander, I think it will go down as one of the shortest careers in naval history," MP Bob Baldwin said.

Australia's navy is suffering a recruitment crisis and had to stand down for two months over Christmas due to lack of available sailors. The navy last year said it had only enough sailors to man half its six-boat fleet of Collins-class submarines.

Real Admiral Davyd Thomas, the deputy navy commander, said Phillips had been asked a "flippant question," rejecting women's rights group accusations that the navy valued "bodies rather than brains."

"The commanding officer's response was not intended to be serious," Thomas said.

Cristiano Ronaldo collected his first FIFA World Player title while Marta claimed her third successive FIFA Women's World Player award at the 18th FIFA World Player Gala at the Zurich Opera House on Monday evening. Ronaldo had a remarkable year, in which he scored 31 goals for Manchester United in the Premier League and propelled his club not only to another league title but also to the UEFA Champions League crown. He performed creditably at international level at UEFA EURO 2008, although Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo reaped935  points in the vote in which the coaches and captains of 155 national teams took part. Argentina's Lionel Messi finished second 678 points and was trailed by Spain's Fernando Torres 203 Brazil's Kaká 183 and Spain's Xavi 155

Marta delivered an outstanding performance at the Women's Olympic Football Tournament in Beijing 2008, and equalled the record set by Birgit Prinz by claiming her third consecutive FIFA Women's World Player title. For the women's vote, 139 coaches and captains cast their vote and Marta won comfortably 1,002 points ahead of Germany's Birgit Prinz 328, Brazil's Cristiane 275, Germany's Nadine Angerer 198 and England's Kelly Smith 150

JERUSALEM – The U.N. Security Council called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, but an intense bombardment of missiles from Israeli jets and helicopters early Friday and a barrage of Hamas rockets indicated there may be no quick end to the fighting.

The Security Council resolution was approved Thursday night by a 14-0 vote, with the United States abstaining. The resolution "stresses the urgency of and calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected cease-fire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza."

Israel and Hamas were not parties to the council vote and it is now up to them to stop the fighting. But a Hamas spokesman said the Islamic militant group "is not interested" in the cease-fire because it was not consulted and the resolution did not meet its minimum demands.

Israel's top leaders were set Friday to discuss the cease-fire — or a possible expansion of the ground offensive.

"Israel has acted, is acting and will act only according to its own considerations, the security of its citizens and its right to self defense," Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in a statement from her office

David Beckham has made his debut as Italian giants AC Milan notched up a 4-3 victory against Hamburg SV of Germany in a penalty shoot-out.

The former England captain was given a standing ovation before the exhibition match and replaced by Frenchman Mathieu Flamini at halftime due to the lack of match fitness on Tuesday night.

"Felt just like when I was at (Manchester) United, they had families here sitting with the kids and it brings back memories," Beckham said.

"It was exciting for me. Penalties aren't the best way to win a game, but I'm glad that we won. AC Milan works very hard and I love working hard," the 33-year-old star added.

Beckham could have scored a goal on a free kick in the 39th minute, but the ball was headed away by the Hamburg wall.

Carlo Ancelotti's men took the lead when Brazil's Ronaldinho converted a penalty after 62 minutes, but five minutes later Collin Benjamin managed to net the equalizer from close range to end the match 1-1 before the final whistle.

Beckham is on a three-month loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy and will return to the US at the end of March to prepare for the start of Major League Soccer