David Moyes: Manchester United manager sacked by club

Manchester United manager David Moyes has been sacked, only 10 months after succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson.

His dismissal was announced shortly after 0830 BST, following a meeting with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward at the club's training ground.  Moyes, 50, was chosen by Ferguson to succeed him when he retired after 26 years in charge last summer.

United said player-coach Ryan Giggs will take charge "until a permanent appointment can be made".

His first match as interim boss will be the home game against Norwich on Saturday.

The BBC understands coaches Steve Round and Jimmy Lumsden have also left their posts, but goalkeeping coach Chris Woods and first-team coach Phil Neville will remain with the club for the rest of the season.

United refused to comment on newspaper reports  on Monday that Moyes, who left Everton to sign a six-year deal with the Premier League champions, would be sacked before the end of the season.  However those reports prompted club officials to hold talks with Moyes late on Monday in a move designed to prevent a drawn-out dismissal process.

And in a short statement on Tuesday, the club said Moyes had departed, adding that it "would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role".

Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal, Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp, Atletico Madrid's manager Diego Simeone and Paris St-Germain's Laurent Blanc have already been tipped as possible successors.

However, Klopp has ruled himself out of the job, the 46-year-old telling The Guardian:  "Man Utd is a great club and I feel very familiar with their wonderful fans. But my commitment to Borussia Dortmund and the people is not breakable."

Former Manchester United and England striker Michael Owen said on Twitter:  "Huge news at Old Trafford but with the summer looming and a huge transfer kitty available, United had to be 100% Moyes was the right man. Evidently they didn't have the confidence in him in which case makes the timing absolutely right. Now the big question is who's next?"

The Daily Telegraph suggest United will make discreet moves to see if Pep Guardiola can be persuaded  to leave Bayern Munich.

Giggs is thought unlikely to be given the role on a permanent basis at this stage.

"I definitely think Ryan will be a manager. Whether he gets it full-time at a club like Manchester United is a big ask," said former United captain Bryan Robson.

United, who lie seventh in the table with four games remaining, are guaranteed to record their lowest points tally in the Premier League having struggled at Old Trafford in particular this season.

Under Moyes, they have lost six league games at home, been beaten in the FA Cup by Swansea at Old Trafford and were unable to prevent Sunderland defeating them in the Capital One Cup semi-finals.

In March, some supporters chartered a plane to fly overhead during their Premier League game against Aston Villa trailing a banner with the words "Wrong One - Moyes Out", a reference to the banner at Old Trafford that proclaimed Moyes to be the "Chosen One".  The Red Devils will miss out on Champions League football for the first time since 1995 and are in danger of missing out on European competition altogether for the first time since 1990.

United reached the last eight of the Champions League before being knocked out by Bayern Munich and Moyes argued that their best displays had been in the competition.

But the Scot has been dogged by claims he has fallen out with members of his squad.

When midfielder Anderson joined Serie A side Fiorentina on loan in January, he was quoted as saying other United players "wanted out"  although he later denied it.

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William and Catherine were greeted by cheering crowds outside St Andrew's Cathedral in the city centre

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have marked Easter Sunday by attending a church service in Sydney.

William and Catherine were greeted by cheering crowds outside St Andrew's Cathedral in the city centre.

While at the cathedral, they signed the First Fleet Bible, which was brought to Australia in 1788 and bears the names of other members of the royal family.

The private service was also attended by Australian prime minister Tony Abbott.

Archbishop of Sydney the Most Reverend Dr Glenn Davies and Dean of Sydney the Very Reverend Phillip Jensen met William and Catherine on the cathedral steps before the service began.

The bible had previously been signed by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh as well as the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales in 1983 on their visit to Australia with an infant William.

William and Catherine also signed the prayer book of the First Fleet - the 11 ships that carried Europeans to Australia in the 1780s.

The Archbishop of Sydney and Dean of Sydney met William and Catherine outside the cathedral

Huge crowds were in Sydney to see the couple

William and Catherine both signed the First Fleet Bible

Several members of the royal family have previously signed the bible

Catherine spent time talking to other children who had gathered outside

Catherine wore a dove grey Alexander McQueen coat and Jane Taylor hat for the service, while her husband wore a suit.

After the service, they spent time speaking to members of the cathedral choir and children who had gathered nearby to see the royal couple.

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Sweepers go to Jokowi over late payment

As many as 12 contracted sanitation workers visited Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at his official residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta, complaining that they had not been paid for three months.

Jokowi said after the 10-minute meeting that he was unaware of the issue and would coordinate with the Sanitation Agency head.

“They are hired by private companies. The city budget endorsement is delayed, so their salary is also late as the company has not been paid. I will check it,” he said, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

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Marc Marquez took pole position for the Grand Prix of the Americas

Marc Marquez took pole position for the Grand Prix of the Americas after dominating qualifying on Saturday at the site of his first career MotoGP victory.

Marquez grabbed his first win at the Circuit of the Americas last season on his way to winning the world championship in his rookie campaign.

The Spaniard picked up right where he left off, his Honda easily outpacing the field in practice and qualifying for Sunday's race as he posted the fastest laps each time out.

Marquez turned in his fastest time on his final lap of seven at 2 minutes, 2.773 seconds. Teammate and countryman Dani Pedrosa was second at .289 seconds behind.

"I feel so good on the bike, (but) tomorrow is the most important," Marquez said.

Honda owns the front of the starting grid. German Stefan Bradl of LCR Honda will start third. Bradl briefly led the opener in Qatar last month before crashing out in the ninth lap.

Marquez's Texas victory a year ago launched a brilliant rookie season in MotoGP, as he won seven times and finished on the podium 17 times overall in winning the world championship. His pole position and victory here at age 20 made him the youngest pole sitter and winner in the history of MotoGP.

Even a broken leg in the off-season hardly seems to have slowed him down.

Marquez was injured in a training accident, but recovered in time to win in Qatar, outdueling former world champion Valentino Rossi through a thrilling finish. It was a physical struggle, however, and Marquez acknowledged he took painkillers to numb his aching leg.

Judging by his pace this week, that discomfort seems behind him now. Marquez said this week the leg has felt stronger every day.

"I drove without painkillers this week (but) tomorrow I will take painkillers before the race. Just in case," he said.

Marquez said he expects Pedrosa, who finished second here last year, to be his main challenger. Pedrosa started in the No. 2 spot in 2013 and slipped ahead of Marquez in the elevated first turn and led for 12 laps.

"Today we did good in qualifying. We got the front row which is important on this track. The first turn is so tight," Pedrosa said.

The rest of the field seemed resigned to concede the race to the Honda riders on a track that seems tailor-made to their engines with its fast straights and acceleration out of the hairpin turns. Other riders on the grid have struggled to explain how they can possibly keep up.

"It looks like the Hondas are strong here but behind me are the four Yamahas," Bradl said. "If you make one mistake here. ... Physically, it's a long race track."

Marquez said he'll take any advantage he can get. There will be plenty of other tracks that will favor his opponents.

"We will arrive on another track and they will be better than us," Marquez said. "For now, we will use that advantage."

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