Ex-Footballer Ronaldo Coming To Study In UK

Former Brazilian international footballer Ronaldo is moving to the UK to study advertising.

The 36-year-old, full name Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, is expected to arrive in March, and could stay in Britain for two years or more.

The striker, who played for Brazil in 98 international matches, scoring 62 goals, already has his own marketing agency called 9ine.

Ronaldo, who retired from football in February 2011, told Brazil's Meio e Mensagem newspaper: "I feel a great need to become a student.

"I've learned a lot, travelling, living abroad, just in the school of life."

Ronaldo in his playing days

His company teamed up with marketing communications firm WPP in Brazil, and its UK branch is expected to work with the player on his arrival in Britain.

Ronaldo, who suffered a number of injuries during his football career, gave up the sport as he was experiencing ongoing pain and problems with his thyroid gland.

He added: "Eighteen years have passed and I've hardly studied, but I have to immerse myself in something. I'll ask questions all the time - just like a striker."

In 2007, Ronaldo was named one of the best players of all time by France Football and was named in the Fifa 100 - a list of the greatest footballers compiled by fellow Brazilian Pele.

But in April 2008 it emerged that he had taken three transvestite prostitutes back to his room after visiting a nightclub in Rio de Janeiro.

Ronaldo's engagement to Maria Beatriz Antony was cancelled in the wake of the scandal. But it later resumed and she went on to give birth to their first daughter December 24 that year.

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Astronaut Tweets Photos From Space Station

A Canadian astronaut has tweeted a series of photos while orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station.

Commander Chris Hadfield posted photos from around the world and on board the structure.

As word spread of his amazing photos, his Twitter follower count shot skyward.

On Sunday night Cmdr Hadfield had more than 89,000 followers on his @Cmdr_Hadfield account.

The astronaut described looking at Earth as a work of art, describing part of Italy as a diamond and confessed to being enthralled by swirling patterns in the seas.

"So much of the world's beauty is simply art itself," he tweeted.

Cmdr Hadfield tweeted a photo of William Shatner holding his likeness

A former Canadian Air Force fighter pilot, he arrived at the ISS on December 21 aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.

Cmdr Hadfield has flown into orbit twice before on the space shuttle, as a mission specialist aboard STS-74 and STS-100, and was the first Canadian to walk in space.

He has informed his Twitter followers of a number of differences between Earth and his temporary home - hinting that it is a good place for heavy snorers.

"In space we snore much less - with no weight on sinuses and airways it makes for a quieter night. Many subtle changes up here," he tweeted.

The ISS orbits the Earth every 92 minutes at a speed of 8km a second.

The astronaut said his red shirt attracted lots of Twitter traffic

He explained that the ISS is being used as a "testbed" for interplanetary travel, and water recycling and high temperature experiments are being undertaken in weightlessness.

The Canadian also kept sci-fi fans happy by tweeting a photo of himself being held by Star Trek's Captain Kirk, played by actor William Shatner.

Cmdr Hadfield is being kept informed of events on Earth while orbiting.

On Sunday night he tweeted another photo, in support of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, after a players' strike was resolved.

He wrote in the caption: "With the lockout finally ending and a 50-game NHL season about to begin, I am ready to cheer from orbit. Go Leafs!"

Cmdr Hadfield was emailed from a Canadian Sunday political television show, CTV Question Period, asking why he was tweeting the mission.

He replied: "Because this is too good and wondrous an experience not to share. Twitter lets everyone see and experience it as I am, real-time. Great to have so many people aboard!

"The response is a clear indication of how people actually feel about exploration and opportunity, when the barriers of jargon and delay are removed."

He was asked about the change of going into space. He replied: "It takes several days for the human body to adapt to as bizarre a new condition as weightlessness, with nausea, change in digestion, fluid shift from legs to head causing congestion and facial swelling.

"And the complete change of balance versus vision. But I'm through that - I'm a Spaceling now."

A keen techno fan, Cmdr Hadfield was also asked if he would try Google Hangout from space.

He replied: "Sure, though you can't hang in space. Everything floats!"

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Costa Concordia: 'Stupid' Tourists Rescued

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Coastguards have criticised five German cruise ship passengers who hired an inflatable boat to get a close-up look at the wrecked Costa Concordia liner.

The group, including two children, had to be rescued after their tiny boat was swamped by waves, whipped up by storm force winds. All were suffering from the effects of the cold.

Officials said the party were holidaymakers from the Costa Magica, a cruise liner from the same Costa Cruises fleet as the ill-fated Concordia, which struck rocks last year leaving 32 people dead off the Italian island of Giglio.

The Germans had arrived at Civitavecchia and made their way to Porto Santo Stefano where they hired the boat so they could take a look at the stricken Concordia which is still lying on rocks just outside the entrance to Giglio harbour.

Although they managed to sail the 10 miles from Porto Santo Stefano without any problem, on the return leg the weather suddenly changed and the boat got into difficulties.

But it managed to stay afloat and they were picked up by a coastguard vessel which took them back to the mainland.

The Concordia continues to lie on its side off the Italian coast

Once on dry land, they were given hot drinks and wrapped in thermal blankets and after being given the all-clear by paramedics they were taken back to Civitavecchia where they resumed their cruise ship holiday.

A coastguard spokesman in Porto Santo Stefano said: ''It was a pretty stupid thing to do. They were lucky that it ended as it did - they could have quite easily sank.

"The strong wind created high waves and they were having trouble controlling their inflatable boat. They were all cold and wet but grateful for the fact we were on hand.

"They suffered no lasting effects but we did tell them not to try anything similar in the future.''

Since it crashed into the rocks last year, the Costa Concordia has turned into a macabre tourist attraction with hundreds of sightseers catching a ferry from Porto Santo Stefano to Giglio so they can look at the 300ft ship and take pictures before returning to the mainland.

The ship had just left Civitavecchia and was on a seven-day cruise with more than 4,000 passengers and crew on board when captain Francesco Schettino is said to have altered the course so he could carry out a sail-by salute of Giglio to show off to passengers and islanders.

He is now facing charges of multiple manslaughter as well as abandoning his ship while passengers and crew were still on board and needing to be rescued.

A trial is expected to start later this year and the operation to remove the vessel is not expected to be completed until the summer - 18 months after the disaster.

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

India Gang Rape: Five Appear In Delhi Court

An Indian court hearing the case of five men accused of gang-raping and murdering a 23-year-old student was cleared as chaotic scenes forced the hearing to be held behind closed doors.

The suspects were being presented for the first time since the attack which took place on a bus on December 16, sparking protests in India and abroad about violence against women.

But the court was closed after noisy protests from lawyers objecting to the suspects being given defence counsels, and a crush of local and foreign journalists straining to hear proceedings in the tiny room.

"People who have assembled and are present in the court not connected with the case have been asked to wait outside," magistrate Namrita Aggarwal said in a written order to reporters.

"It has become completely impossible for the courtroom proceedings to proceed."

Two of the accused, hiding their identity

The five men, aged 19 to 35 and mostly residents of Delhi slums, were later produced before the magistrate, police officers said outside the courtroom.

After the hearing, which lasted around 45 minutes, the case was referred to a fast-track court.

Earlier, several blue Delhi Police buses believed to be holding the men were seen driving into the Saket court complex in south Delhi.

The accused, who could face the death penalty if convicted, are charged with kidnap, robbery and conspiracy over the attack. A sixth accused, who is 17, is to be tried in a separate court for juveniles.

Though gang rapes are commonplace in India, the case has touched a nerve, leading to three weeks of sweeping introspection on India's attitudes to women, its often insensitive police force and dysfunctional justice system.

Protests have spread across India since the rape and murder of the woman

It normally takes months for the prosecution to assemble such a case, but the legal proceedings are getting under way barely a week after the victim died of her injuries in a Singapore hospital.

She had been out to watch a film with her boyfriend when they were lured onto a bus where the gang are accused of repeatedly raping and violating her with an iron bar, causing horrific internal damage.

The defendants have been named as Ram Singh, Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta.

Police pledged "maximum security" during the hearing at the court amid fears for the defendants' safety. A man was arrested last week as he allegedly tried to plant a crude bomb near the home of one of the men.

In the order clearing the court room on Monday, the magistrate said there was "apprehension" about the safety of the accused.

Outlining their case on Saturday, prosecutors said there was DNA evidence to tie the defendants to the crime scene, as well as testimony from the boyfriend who witnessed the assault.

"The blood of the victim tallied with the stains found on the clothes of the accused," said Rajiv Mohan, part of the prosecution team.

There have been widespread calls for the attackers to be hanged, including from the victim's family.

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

EDL Leader Lennon Jailed For Passport Offence

The leader of the English Defence League has been jailed for 10 months for using someone else's passport to get into the United States.

Stephen Lennon, 30, pleaded guilty to possession of a false identity document with improper intention, contrary to the Identity Documents Act 2010, at Southwark Crown Court.

Lennon used a passport in the name of Andrew McMaster to board a Virgin Atlantic Flight from Heathrow to New York, but was caught out after his fingerprints were taken by customs officials.

The court heard that Lennon, who had previously been refused entry to the US, used his friend's passport to travel to the country in September.

He used a self check-in kiosk to board the Virgin Atlantic flight at Heathrow, and was allowed through when the document was checked in the bag drop area.

But when he arrived at New York's JFK Airport, customs officials who took his fingerprints realised he was not Mr McMaster.

Lennon was asked to attend a second interview but left the airport, entering the US illegally.

He stayed just one night and travelled back to the UK the following day using his own legitimate passport - which bears the name Paul Harris.

The court heard that is the name that appears on the EDL leader's passport, although he uses aliases.

The court heard that he was previously jailed for assault in 2005 and also has previous convictions for drugs offences and public order offences.

Sentencing the 30-year-old, Judge Alistair McCreath, told him: "I am going to sentence you under the name of Stephen Lennon, although I suspect that is not actually your true name, in the sense that it is not the name that appears on your passport.

"What you did went absolutely to the heart of the immigration controls that the United States are entitled to have.

"Had it been known in this country that you were proposing to leave under a false passport, you would not have been accepted on to the plane and you would not have been permitted to leave this country on a false passport.

"It's not in any sense trivial."

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police Pursuit Crash Leaves Teenage Girl Dead

A teenage girl has died in a crash involving a car being pursued by police in southeast London.

The 13-year-old was travelling with her mother, father and brother when their Volkswagen Polo and a Peugeot 308 being chased by a marked police car collided.

The girl was in the rear of the Polo and died at the scene from her injuries, Scotland Yard said. Her parents and brother were taken to hospital. Their injuries were not thought to be serious.

Debris lies beside the road

The crash happened just before 6.30pm on Sunday in Ilderton Road, between New Cross and South Bermondsey and close to Millwall Football Club's stadium.

The male driver of the Peugeot was arrested and taken into custody. A female passenger was taken to hospital suffering from minor injuries.

The Metropolitan Police said the police car involved had its blue lights and sirens on when the collision happened.

The crash happened in southeast London near Millwall Football Club

Commander Tony Eastaugh said: "An innocent family are now dealing with the tragic loss of a loved one.

"The Metropolitan Police has now begun a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this terrible incident. The thoughts of our staff and officers are with the family at this time."

Traffic police and officers from the Directorate of Professional Standards are now investigating, the force said.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has also been informed and an investigator was at the scene assessing the circumstances of the collision.

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mother Jailed For Murdering Son Over Koran

A mother has been jailed for life after beating her son to death for failing to learn the Koran by heart and then burning his body to hide the evidence.

Sara Ege, 33, collapsed as the sentence was delivered at Cardiff Crown Court and had to be helped, trembling and sobbing, from the dock.

Ege had been praised as a "brilliant mother" to seven-year-old Yaseen but was convicted of his murder by a jury at the same court last month.

The court heard she treated Yaseen like a "dog" and repeatedly beat him with a stick for failing to memorise religious texts quickly enough.

The schoolboy had suffered multiple injuries to his body and died in July 2010 from internal injuries caused by three months of punishing beatings.

Ege set fire to the family house to hide her actions and played the part of a parent mourning the tragic death of her son until it was discovered in a post-mortem that Yaseen had been dead before the blaze started.

Mr Justice Wyn Williams ordered her to serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars and said: "The violence that you perpetrated on your son was not confined to one day.

"I am satisfied that, over three months, you beat him on a number of occasions, often with a wooden pestle.

"His injuries must have caused him a good deal of pain. In my judgment Yaseen was subjected to prolonged cruelty."

The judge accepted the defence's argument that India-born Ege was "a devoted and loving mother" who suffered from depression and domestic violence.

Ege accused her husband Yousef Ege, 38, who stood trial with his wife, of being a violent bully who beat her and was their son's real killer.

But he was cleared of causing or allowing his son's death at home in Pontcanna, Cardiff, South Wales, by failing to act to prevent it.

Ege was found guilty both of murder and of a charge of perverting the course of justice.

Following her conviction DC Kim Roche from South Wales Police said: "Throughout this investigation we have heard many tributes to Yaseen.

"Quiet, hard-working, bright, well-behaved, obedient, respectful, polite, smiley - are just some of the words used to describe Yaseen by those who knew him.

"It is a tragedy that such a promising young life was taken away in such disturbing circumstances and that those who knew him will not have the opportunity to see him grow up to become a young man."

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cameron And Clegg Reboot The Coalition

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have pledged their commitment to ensuring the coalition lasts until 2015 as they unveiled a string of new policy plans.

The leaders appeared at a press conference together to review the Government's progress in a re-run of their notorious Rose Garden double act in 2010.

Setting out their priorities for the next two-and-a-half years, they stressed their even stronger "sense of shared purpose" as they look ahead.

Key policies to be announced in the coming weeks as they aim to show the coalition still has momentum include action on childcare and state pensions.

There will also be moves on infrastructure investment to help boost the economy and plans on how to fund care costs for the elderly.

The review, which aides insisted was not a relaunch, is aimed at showing the Government is doing more than just tackling the deficit.

It came on the day much-criticised child benefit cuts started to bite, with the handout axed for top earners and tapered for those on £50,000-£60,000-a-year.

Mr Cameron declared that he and his deputy are "completely united on the big issues" and that it was "full steam ahead" for the Government right until 2015.

"This coalition was not and is not some short-term arrangement," he said. "It is a serious five-year commitment to give our country the strong, stable and determined leadership that we need for the long-term."

David Cameron and Nick Clegg in the Rose Garden in 2010

He claimed that he and Mr Clegg were even more united on the central policy areas than they had been in 2010 because of the huge challenges facing Britain.

"The road ahead won't be easy. There have always been issues on which we disagree and doubtless there will be more in the months ahead but the key point is not whether you have disagreements, it is how you handle them," he said.

The Prime Minister tried to dismiss talk of a political marriage but insisted the two leaders were still working to a five-year plan and would not "divorce".

"This is a government, not a relationship. To me, it's not a marriage. It is, if you like, a Ronseal deal - it does what it says on the tin," he said.

"We said we would come together, we would form a government, we would tackle these big problems and get on with it in a mature and sensible way and that is exactly what we've done."

Mr Clegg jokingly added: "Ronseal deal, you could call it the unvarnished truth." He continued: "We are committed to doing what we said - providing stable government for this country for five years."

The Lib Dem leader admitted that the Lib Dems had been attacked from both sides of the political spectrum for its role in the coalition.

But he argued that the Government would ultimately be remembered for major reforms to welfare, education and the tax system instead of for the drastic spending cuts.

David Cameron suggested he would support TV debates for 2015

The 46-page document called The Coalition: Together In The National Interest summarises the Government's achievements to date as well as setting our new plans.

Details of the policy pledges are still being thrashed out and proper announcements are expected to be rolled out in the coming months at the rate of almost one a week.

One of the first is expected to focus on extra help for families struggling to meet childcare costs.

Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg are said to be considering a scheme that would allow families to claim up to £2,000 per child every year from their tax bills to cover the cost of childminders and nurseries.

It could mean working parents becoming entitled to claim a flat-rate tax allowance to help cover the costly bills in a move that would replace the £700m voucher and allowances scheme.

Further reforms due to be unveiled before the Budget in March include:

:: more help for families who cannot raise a deposit for a mortgage;

:: measures to limit state powers and extend personal freedoms;

:: "big new steps" on issues including pensions and "capping the potentially huge cost" of social care.

:: consulting on how to get private investment into motorways and trunk roads.

:: extending the HS2 high-speed rail line from Birmingham to the north of England.

The review comes after Mr Cameron insisted at the weekend that the partnership had a "full tank of gas" and indicated he wanted to stay Prime Minister until 2020.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman described the review as a "stock-take" and said it did not supersede the 2010 coalition agreement document.

Several senior ministers, as well as officials and other aides, were involved in putting together the review and it was presented to Cabinet for the first time on Monday morning.

:: David Cameron said he would support the continuation of televised general election debates between the party leaders.

"I'm in favour of them, I think they are good and I think we should go on having them, and I will play my part in trying to make that happen," he said.

Mr Clegg added: "I'm a firm believer in the TV debates."

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alan Greaves Murder: Police Issue CCTV

Police have released CCTV footage of two people they want to question in connection with the murder of church organist Alan Greaves.

The 68-year-old was badly beaten as he walked to midnight mass at St Saviour's Church in High Green, Sheffield, on Christmas Eve.

South Yorkshire Police hope the footage, which shows two men near the scene of the murder, will jog someone's memory and lead to information that will help with their investigation.

Detective Inspector Matt Fenwick appealed for the pair to come forward and said he thought they could assist significantly.

He told a news conference in Rotherham: "I am absolutely convinced that someone out there will know who these two are, a mum, a dad, brother, sister, another family member or friend.

"Alan Greaves deserves your help. Alan Greaves' family deserves your help. Please make that call."

DI Fenwick also appealed to anyone living in the High Green area who had found anything in their garden that did not belong there to contact police.

"I am convinced that a weapon was used in this attack. I still have not established a motive for the attack," he said.

"Alan retains all his property, nothing is missing, and my enquiry remains open in relation to identifying a possible motive for the attack."

DI Fenwick described Mr Greaves as "well loved and respected by all who knew him" and said there was nothing in the victim's background to suggest a motive.

More than 50 police officers are working on the murder inquiry, he added.

The father-of-four died in hospital three days after suffering serious head injuries during the attack.

Two men were arrested on December 29 in connection with the murder. They were both released on bail.

:: Anyone with information is urged to call the incident room on 01709 443723.

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taxi Murder: Man Jailed For 'Savage' Stabbing

A Birmingham man who murdered the mother of his three children in a "savage and prolonged" knife attack in the back of a taxi has been jailed.

Junior Mohammed Oakes, who killed Natasha Trevis five days after a social worker "let slip" that she had aborted a fourth child, was ordered to serve at least 22 years before being considered for parole.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Oakes, 28, stabbed his victim 26 times in the head, face, neck, chest, back and legs last August.

Natasha Trevis died in the "savage" attack in August last year

Oakes had been due stand trial for the murder of 22-year-old Ms Trevis, but pleaded guilty to the charge before a jury was sworn in.

Sentencing Oakes, Judge William Davis QC described the killing as an "act of savagery" which had robbed three children under the age of four of their mother.

The judge said of the killing, which was witnessed by the taxi's driver and other members of the public: "All of (your children) will grow up knowing that their father killed their mother.

"She was a good young mother, a mother to three young children aged three, two and one."

Judge Davis told Oakes: "By your savage attack on her, you have taken her away from both her children and indeed her mother.

"I described the attack as savage because you inflicted 26 separate wounds with a knife - many of them required severe force, and many of them were inflicted from behind.

"This young woman was either turning her back on you or trying to escape. She did escape from the taxi but you chased her and continued the attack even as she tried desperately to save herself."

Officers at the scene of the stabbing in Brimingham

Opening the facts of the case, prosecutor David Matthew said the murder was committed on the morning of Oakes's 28th birthday as the taxi headed towards the victim's mother's home.

Before sentence was passed, the court heard that Oakes made a comment while on remand claiming to have "killed his missus because she had killed one of their kids".

Oakes, who is illiterate and has a record of domestic violence, was cautioned for assaulting a previous girlfriend when he was 19.

He was also cautioned by police in 2004 for possessing a bladed article, as well as being convicted in 2006 of assaulting the new partner of his father's ex-girlfriend.

Ms Trevis met Oakes when she was about 18, and the couple lived at flats in Weoley Castle and Five Ways, Birmingham.

Mr Matthew said social services were involved with the couple and Oakes was no longer residing at the family home by the time of the murder on August 7.

23.38 | 0 komentar | Read More