Former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique was appointed Spain's new head coach on Monday after previous incumbent Julen Lopetegui was sacked on the eve of the World Cup in what turned out to be a disappointing campaign.
"Luis Enrique's appointment as coach for the next two years was approved unanimously," Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation, told reporters.
Enrique, 48, will have the tough task of reviving a national team deflated after three consecutive failures at major tournaments, the latest their World Cup loss to hosts Russia - ranked 70th in the world - on penalties in the last-16.
Before that, Spain were humiliated at the hands of the Netherlands in 2014 and beaten by Italy at Euro 2016, their 2008-2012 winning streak but a distant memory.
Enrique will be taking over from Lopetegui, who was fired by Rubiales when he announced he had signed to take over at Real Madrid.
The national team's then sporting director Fernando Hierro stepped in hastily to replace him and led Spain to the last 16, before stepping down after the tournament.
Changing the manager two days before Spain's opening game did not likely benefit the side's chances.
Enrique will also be taking over a team without captain Andres Iniesta, who has retired from international football.
He faces the same two-pronged brief that Lopetegui was tasked with two years ago: to restore confidence and to bring through the younger generation.
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Of the starting XI against Russia, only Marco Asensio will be younger than 30 by the time the next World Cup comes around. Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, David Silva, Diego Costa and Sergio Busquets will all be 33 or older.
It means those left from the triple triumph of Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 will either be gone or down to the last few and that could pave the way for an evolution of style.
Enrique was Barcelona manager for three years from May 2014, leading the Catalan giants to the treble of Primera Liga, Copa del Rey and Uefa Champions League titles in his first campaign at the helm.
He will be aided by Jose Francisco Molina, 47, a former goalkeeper at Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna who played nine times for Spain and was named as sporting director.
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Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
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Everton 4
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Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
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Rating: 4/5
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
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