Monday 27 May 2013
Napoli president announce Rafa Benitez as their new manager as Chelsea time comes to an end
Rafa Benitez has been announced as the new coach of Napoli on a two year contract.
The 53-year-old Spaniard met club president Aurelio de Laurentiis in London who confirmed via Twitter: 'Rafa Benitez is the new coach of Napoli. A man of great international experience. A leader.'
Colourful film producer De Laurentiis revealed a deal was in place on Friday but had to backtrack while Benitez completed his commitments as Chelsea interim manager.
That entailed Benitez taking charge of Chelsea for the last time in the friendly 5-3 defeat to Manchester City in New York’s Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Napoli later released an official statement saying: 'Rafa Benitez is the new coach of Napoli. An agreement was signed in London. Napoli are happy to welcome a coach so prestigious to our own family. A welcome also to his collaborators.'
Napoli were impressed by Benitez after he battled against fan hate campaigns and speculation over Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge to win the Europa League trophy and take Chelsea to third place in the Premier League.
Woman jailed for six months after boyfriend caught her sleeping with his 16-year old son.
A woman whose boyfriend caught her sleeping with his 16-year-old son after he set up a camera to film ghosts has been jailed for six months and ordered to attend a sexual rehab clinic in Tasmania.
The boyfriend, who had set up a video camera to try and catch ghosts in his haunted home in Australia, returned home to find his partner of 11 years had seduced his teenage boy last October.
He demanded the truth and phoned police to report their lewd betrayal - as the age of sexual consent is 17 in the Australian state.
After pleading guilty to seven counts of unlawful sex with a young person aged under 17, the 28-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for 12 months today at Hobart Supreme Court, with six months suspended.
Justice David Porter said: 'You are the one who must bear full responsibility for what happened.
'Although the relationship that commenced was more opportunistic than predatory, that cannot truly be said of your conduct later on.
'You actions call for a lengthy sentence but there is sufficient prospect of rehabilitation.'
Crown Prosecutor Jackie Hartnett revealed the woman had gone to the youngster's room to discuss his driving lessons.
The pair previously had a tense relationship, but soon after tickling led to kissing and then to intercourse, the court heard.
The woman's partner had set up a video camera in a bid to capture evidence of paranormal activity, but left for work forgetting to turn it off.
While reviewing the footage, he saw his son and the woman kissing and having sexual contact.
He confronted his partner who downplayed the actions but his son confessed that they had had sex on numerous occasions.
The court heard the woman had continued her attempts to groom the boy by messaging him on Facebook under a false name.
The woman has an 18-month-old son with her partner and has already become dejected and depressed following her short stint in jail, her defence lawyer said.
Justice Porter said he accepted the woman's early plea of guilty but condemned her decisions to continue the affair.
The woman insisted she did not know the age of consent in Tasmania was 17.
Crying Neymar bids emotional farewell to Santos ahead of Barcelona switch
Neymar shed a few tears as he took the field for Santos for the last time ahead of his move to Barcelona.
The Brazil star will move to the Catalan giants in the summer on a five-year deal but was emotional as he bade goodbye during the 0-0 draw with Flamengo.
He released a statement on Saturday night on Instagram, which explained how he would never forget the fans of Santos and had the club in his heart.
Neymar wrote: 'I want to thank the fans of Santos for these incredible nine years. My feeling for the club and the fans will never change. It is eternal!
'Only a club like Santos FC could give me everything I have experienced on and off the field. I thank the wonderful fans who supported me even in the most difficult moments.
'Titles, goals, dribbling, celebrations and songs that fans created for me will be forever in my heart...'
Sunday night, against Flamengo, was the last chance he had to say goodbye to the fans.
'I made sure I could play the match tomorrow in Brasilia,' he said. 'I want to have the opportunity to once again take the field and hear the crowd scream my name ...
'It is a strange time for me, sad (farewell) and happy (new challenge). May God bless me in my choices ... And I'm always a Santos fan!'
In a statement, Santos said they had made every effort to keep hold of the player.
It read: 'The management committee of Santos FC announces that it has received notification from the athlete Neymar Jr advising that he has decided to accept the proposal of Barcelona. The transfer of playmaker to the Spanish team will be sealed in the coming days.
'After refusing a offers of many millions for Neymar Jr since mid-2010, and implemented a career plan that allowed his historic stay in Brazil for several years, bucking the trend of Brazilian football to quickly sell its greatest talents, Santos FC finally agreed to sell.
'Every effort was made to keep him in Brazil as long as possible, even offering to renew the current contract, which ended in July 2014. At this time, however, it was not possible to compete with the terms offered from abroad, which affected the decision of the player to review his professional life.
'Due to the confidentiality agreement, and by mutual agreement, the terms of the transfer will not be disclosed by any of the parties.
A Barcelona statement read: 'FC Barcelona and Santos have agreed to terms for Neymar da Silva Santos Junior. The Brazilian forward will don the Blaugrana strip for the next five seasons. The 21-year old is one of the most promising footballers on the planet.'
Barcelona assistant boss Jordi Roura refused to be be drawn on the progress of Barcelona's chase on Friday, but acknowledged the talent of the player, who already has more than 30 international caps.
'Let things run their course,' he said. 'He's a spectacular player and any club would want him.'
Neymar is a superstar in Brazil, and his departure will be a big blow to fans of Santos, who had hoped he might stay until after next year's World Cup in the country.
With Neymar, who made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2009, Santos have enjoyed their greatest period of success since Pele was playing for the club, winning three straight Campeonato Paulista titles and the Copa do Brasil.
The crowning glory came in 2011 when the club won the Copa Libertadores for the first time since 1963 and Neymar was named the South American Footballer of the Year as well as winning the Puskas Award for the world's best goal.
The statement from Santos concluded: 'More than an idol, Neymar Jr became a myth not only for Santos, but for Brazilians and football fans around the world.
'The club says goodbye for now to its playmaker, wishing you much success in your new journey, certain that the Vila Belmiro (stadium) will continue being your second home.'
1992: February 5 - Born in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil.2003: Joins Santos' youth academy.2006: Travels to Spain to trial at Real Madrid but opts to remain at Santos.2009: March - Makes his Santos debut at the age of 17 before scoring his first senior goal a week later.2010: April 15 - Scores five goals as Santos beat Guarani 8-1.May - Voted best player in the Campeonato Paulista as Santos win the title.July - Santos director of football Pedro Luiz Nunes says the club rejected a £12million offer from West Ham. Neymar also denies he has agreed a deal with Chelsea.August 10 - Scores on his Brazil debut in a 2-0 friendly win against the United States.December 30 - Third in the voting for the South American Footballer of the Year after he scores 42 goals in 60 games.2011: June - Scores as Santos win the Copa Libertadores for the first time since 1963 - when Pele was at the club.November - Signs a new deal at Santos to remain until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.December - Nominated for FIFA's Ballon d'Or and wins the Puskas Award for his goal against Flamengo.Wins Bronze Ball at the FIFA Club Word Cup as Santos lose final to Barcelona 4-0.December 30 - Named the South American Footballer of the Year.2012: February 5 - Scores his 100th senior professional goal on his 20th birthday against Palmeiras.May - Scores a double in both legs of the Campeonato final against Guarani as Santos win title 7-2 on aggregate.June - Top scorer in the Copa Libertadores but Santos lose semi-final to Corinthians.December - Named South American Footballer of the Year for a second time while he also wins the Golden Ball as the best player in the Brazilian National Championship. Denies he has a deal with Barcelona.2013: March 18 - Says it was his dream to play in Europe.April 25 - His father and agent, Neymar da Silva Sr, says Neymar will leave Santos before the 2014 World Cup.May 25 - Santos announce they have accepted two bids for the striker, thought to be from Real Madrid and Barcelona.May 26 - Neymar and Barcelona confirm he has chosen to join the Spanish champions.
Arsene Wenger On the 'New Nasri' race
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed interest in Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier and that he is ready to bid £8m for the 'new Nasri' after admitting interest in Grenier.
The 22-year-old has been likened to Samir Nasri in his style, and is rated at around £8million by his club.
Grenier, who scored on Sunday night against Rennes in front of Arsenal scouts, came close to quitting the Stade Gerland last summer.
However, he seized on injuries to key men - including former Gunners target Yoann Gourcuff - to make 27 appearances, notching seven goals and providing eight assists.
And now the France Under 21 star could be set to earn a move to the Premier League.
Wenger told French programme Telefoot: 'We are following him. His intelligence of play pleases me. He has interesting qualities. He reminds me of Nasri.'
EXCLUSIVE: Mourinho Back to Chealsea
Mourinho spotted in London at favourite Chelsea Harbour haunt with Special One in town for Wembley jaunt
Jose Mourinho appeared to be back in London on Monday morning and was spotted by some eagle-eyed Chelsea supporters.
The Portuguese manager was seen at 9.30am in Imperial Wharf, Chelsea Harbour, walking along the riverbank with two other men - less than one mile away from Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea fan Laith Al-Hashimi, with parents Sarra and Kussay, was having coffee on their balcony when they spotted him.
The manager went to Wembley to watch the Play-off Final between Crystal Palace and Watford, presumably to watch Chelsea youngster Nathaniel Chalobah, who plays for the Hornets on loan.
Along with AC Milan, Inter, Everton, Valencia, Juventus and LA Galaxy and Madrid, Chelsea will participate in the Guinness International Champions Cup.
The Sun Life Stadium in Miami will feature two double-headers, the first of which is on July 27.
The fixtures are yet to be arranged to Mourinho could dodge his old charges if he is lucky.
Chelsea played a pair of post-season friendlies against Premier League opponents Man City in St Louis and New York last week.
Both were high-scoring and entertaining affairs, which the Blues lost 4-3 and 5-3 respectively.
David Luiz said he was excited about the arrival of the Special One. He said: ‘Everyone in football knows him. Many people say he’s great to work with.
'I follow football history and I know the history of Mourinho. He has huge credibility across the world and, of course, I’m excited when you are about to work with a very good coach.’
Demba Ba, like Luiz, did not play under Mourinho the first time the Portuguese was in charge at Chelsea but he, too, cannot wait for the experience to start.
‘I don’t know him but you see the way people talk about him, what he has achieved and the way he can turn a good player into a world-class player.
'If you work hard he helps you as your manager and gives you confidence. As a footballer that’s one of the most important things to have — confidence from everybody around you, and especially the manager. I guess he is one of those who can do this.’
Until our leaders admit the true nature of Islamic extremism, we will never defeat it
Ever since the spectre of Islamic terrorism in the West first manifested itself, Britain has had its head stuck firmly in the sand.
After both 9/11 and the 7/7 London transport bombings, the Labour government promised to take measures to defend the country against further such attacks.
It defined the problem, however, merely as terrorism, failing to understand that the real issue was the extremist ideas which led to such violence.
Accordingly, it poured money into Muslim community groups, many of which turned out to be dangerously extreme.
When David Cameron came to power, his Government raised hopes of a more realistic approach when it pledged to counter extremist ideas rather than just violence.
This approach, too, has failed. The Government still has no coherent strategy for countering Islamist radicalisation.
Following last week’s barbaric slaughter of Drummer Rigby on the streets of Woolwich by two Islamic fanatics, the Prime Minister has announced that he will head a new Tackling Extremism and Radicalisation Task Force.
And the Home Secretary has said she will look at widening the banning of radical groups preaching hate.
But at the heart of these promises remains a crucial gap. That is the need to define just what kind of extremism we are up against.
The Government has been extraordinarily reluctant to do this — because it refuses to face the blindingly obvious fact that this extremism is religious in nature.
It arises from an interpretation of Islam which takes the words of the Koran literally as a command to kill unbelievers in a jihad, or holy war, in order to impose strict Islamic tenets on the rest of the world.
Of course, millions of Muslims in Britain and elsewhere totally reject this interpretation of their religion.
Most British Muslims want to live peacefully and enjoy the benefits of Western culture. They undoubtedly utterly deplore the notion that the kind of carnage that occurred in Woolwich should take place in Britain.
Betrayal
And let’s not forget that, worldwide, most victims of the jihad are themselves Muslims whom the extremists judge to be polluted by Western ideas.
Nevertheless, this fundamentalist interpretation of the Koran is what is being spouted by hate preachers in Britain and on the internet, and is steadily radicalising thousands of young British Muslims.
Now the Prime Minister says he will crack down on such extremism. Yet after the Woolwich atrocity, he claimed it was ‘a betrayal of Islam’ and that ‘there is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act’.
The London Mayor Boris Johnson went even further, claiming: ‘It is completely wrong to blame this killing on the religion of Islam’ and that the cause was simply the killers’ ‘warped and deluded mindset’.
Yet the video footage of the killers — who had shouted ‘Allahu Akhbar’ when butchering Drummer Rigby — records one of them citing verses in the Koran exhorting the faithful to fight and kill unbelievers, and declaring: ‘We swear by Almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.’
Frankly, these comments by the Prime Minister and London Mayor were as absurd as saying the medieval Inquisition, for example, had nothing to do with the Catholic Church, but was just the product of a few warped and deluded individuals.
Power
Their comments were also deeply troubling. For if politicians refuse to acknowledge the true nature of this extremism, they will never counter it effectively.
But then, government officials have always refused to admit that this is a religious war. They simply don’t understand the power of religious fanaticism.
Of course, there are fanatics in all religions. Within both Judaism and Christianity, there are deep divisions between ultras, liberals and those in between.
In medieval times, moreover, Christianity used its interpretation of the Bible also to kill ‘unbelievers’, because early Christians believed they had a divine duty to make the world conform to their religion at all costs. That stopped when the Reformation ushered the Church into modernity, and today no Christian wants to use violence to convert others to their faith.
The problem with the extremist teachings of Islam is that the religion has never had a similar ‘reformation’.
Certainly, there are enlightened Muslims in Britain who would dearly love their religion to be reformed.
But they have the rug pulled from under their feet by the Government’s flat denial of the religious nature of this terrible problem.
Some people instead ascribe the actions of the Woolwich killers to factors such as thuggish gang membership, drug abuse or family breakdown. But it is precisely such lost souls who are vulnerable to Islamist fanatics and who provide them with father figures, a sense of belonging and a cause which gives apparent meaning to their lives.
Many people find it incomprehensible that such fanatics remain free to peddle their poison. Partly, this is because the Security Service likes to gather intelligence through their actions. But it is also because of a failure to understand what amounts to a continuum of extremism.
There are too many British Muslims who, while abhorring violence at home, nevertheless support the killing abroad of British or American forces or Israelis, regard unbelievers as less than fully human, and homosexuals or apostates as deserving the death penalty.
Such bigotry creates the poisonous sea in which dehumanisation and religious violence swim.
To the failure to understand all this must be added the widespread terror of being thought ‘Islamophobic’ or ‘racist’.
It is quite astonishing that universities mostly refuse to crack down on extremist speakers and radicalisation on campus — despite at least four former presidents of Islamic student societies having faced terrorist charges.
In a devastating account published at the weekend, Professor Michael Burleigh, who advised the Government on revising its counter-radicalisation strategy, described how this process descended into a ‘sad shambles’. He related how the Federation of Islamic Student Societies (FOSIS) had created a sexually segregated environment in which young people were being systematically indoctrinated in anti-Jew, anti-homosexual and anti-Western hatred by Islamist speakers on campus.
But although the Government condemned FOSIS for its failure to ‘fully challenge terrorist and extremist ideology’, with the Home Secretary even ordering that civil servants withdraw from its graduate recruitment fair, the Faith and Communities Minister, Baroness Warsi, actually endorsed it by attending one of its events at the House of Lords.
Lethal
Nor has the Government done anything to stop extremist preachers targeting and converting criminals in British jails at a deeply alarming rate.
On top of all this official incoherence is the paralysis caused by the excesses of the ‘human rights’ culture.
Thus the Home Secretary is facing a monumental battle to get through Parliament a Communications Bill that would give police and security services access to records of individuals’ internet use.
It is said that some of these extremist preachers exploit loopholes in the law. If so, then the law should be changed.
But we all know what would befall any such attempt. It would be all but drowned out by shrieks that we were ‘doing the terrorists’ job for them’ by ‘undermining our own hard-won liberties’.
Well, it’s time to face down such claims as vacuous and lethal nonsense.
The people threatening our liberties are Islamic radicals determined to destroy our way of life.
It is those who refuse to acknowledge the true nature of this threat who are doing the terrorists’ job for them.
And unless Britain finally wakes up from its self-destructive torpor, all who love civilised values — Muslim and non-Muslim alike — will be the losers.
Passengers packed into sweltering carriages, overflowing toilets, clueless staff and police called to quell a mutiny: My Bank Holiday nightmare on Britain's Third World railways which cost £125 a ticket for a 10-hour journey
Friday evening and Kings Cross station was bedlam at the start of the Bank Holiday weekend — but it was a happy kind of bedlam.
The working week was over and expectations were riding high as families, students, elderly couples, children of all ages and hundreds of tourists waited to learn from which platform the 7pm London to Edinburgh train would leave.
Even the weather forecast was half-decent.
We were a group of four and had reserved seats in carriage C several weeks in advance. We paid £125 each for a return ticket.
Nearly eight hours later, on a trip that should have taken three hours and 40 minutes, we had still not reached our final destination — though we had long reached the end of our tether.
It was a journey that tested many of our fellow passengers to the limit; a frightening experience for some and confirmation that in so many areas of life Britain is nothing more than a Third World country run by overpaid incompetents accountable to no one.
Hundreds of us put up with it because, as a nation, we are still good in adversity. Perhaps the increasingly overused wartime slogan, Keep Calm And Carry On, has subliminally persuaded us that the shambles of day-to-day living in this country is a perfectly normal state of affairs and will never change. So why fight it?
But many of us who were stranded on the Nightmare Express might beg to differ. As one pensioner said to me at one point as the lights went out and the temperature rose higher and higher in our hermetically sealed carriage: ‘You can bet your life that if a member of the Cabinet were on this train, heads would roll.
As it is, we’ll be fobbed off with excuses and the promise of a refund — then the same thing will happen all over again in a few weeks’ time.
When we boarded our train, it did dawn on me that it was dangerously overcrowded. One of the guards on the platform practically pushed passengers on to the train, shouting: ‘Move right down the corridors, we need to get this train off.’ People did as they were told, taking their cases with them because there was no room in the racks near the doors.
Every inch of space was occupied. It took us 40 minutes just to get to our seats, and yet the hapless ‘train manager’ still had the audacity to ask passengers to ‘keep the aisles clear for your safety and comfort’.
He never dared move through the train to inspect tickets. He would have been lynched a hundred times over if he had.
Apart from the general sense that we were all jammed into a giant sardine can hurtling through the countryside, the journey progressed without incident for the first 30 minutes.
Then, shortly before Newark in the East Midlands, the disembodied voice announced that there was a problem with a section of the northbound track, and that our train was in a queue to use the southbound track for a mile or so — while, hopefully, going in a northern direction.
While we conjured visions of travelling all the way back to London, those with connections to meet at York resigned themselves to a very long evening — or even an expensive night in a hotel. In the end, the to-ing and fro-ing caused a delay of two hours, during which the passengers around us became increasingly frazzled.
We were seated near a group of South Africans, who were preparing to run in the Edinburgh Marathon on behalf of the cancer charity Macmillan Caring Locally.
One of them said he had never seen such an overcrowded train, and asked me if there was a limit to the number of people allowed on board.
Shortly after Newcastle, the train slowed down and then, as we approached Berwick-Upon-Tweed, which was our stop, it came to a complete halt.
And remained stationary for a further 90 minutes.
The gormless guard had been replaced at Newcastle by a woman who said the train had stopped because someone had pulled the passenger alarm.
This might have been true, but the real reason was that the train before us — the 6pm London to Edinburgh service — had broken down in the station and all its passengers had been told to disembark.
Unsurprisingly, late on a Friday, when most of us are desperate for the week to end, tensions were running high, not least because the station staff refused to open up the First Class lounge so the elderly or frail could shelter from the cold. The police were called.
I know this because my wife, who had driven up from London earlier in the day, was waiting at Berwick for us to arrive.
She said the scene was more chaotic than anything she had ever seen in India, whose railways are famous for their lunatic overcrowding.
Our guard finally told us about the broken-down train ahead of us. She said that ‘fault finding’ was ‘ongoing’, but she had no idea when we might be on the move.
As she finished her announcement, my daughter told me there was a distressed young man slumped on the floor by one of the doors. I went to see him and helped him to his feet.
He explained that he suffered from claustrophobia — then, suddenly, he began pounding the window of the door with his fist and shouting: ‘I need fresh air NOW!’
I told him to walk with me to the guard’s carriage at the other end of the train, where I knew there was a small window that could be opened.
On the way, we passed crying babies, despairing old people with vacant eyes, lavatories blocked in such a way that urine was seeping under the doors, and everywhere there was anger and bewilderment.
When we got to the buffet car, I asked for some water for the man I was accompanying. There was none.
As we entered the First Class carriages, a member of the train staff had the gall to ask if we had First Class tickets.
When we reached the little window at the back of the train, the young man gulped the air like a dog trapped in a baking car.
Then the lights went out again. This, the guard eventually explained, was because it had been decided that our train would couple up to the broken down one in front and attempt to shunt it past Berwick station into a siding, and reverse back into the station.
Then all those leaving the train could do so, and those waiting on the platform at Berwick could continue their journey aboard our train — if only they could fit on.
Not once did any member of staff walk up and down the train to see if any passengers needed help. I came across a pregnant woman who told me she was expecting a baby in less than five weeks.
She was struggling in the heat, and her mobile phone battery was dead. I told my daughter’s boyfriend to sit with her and offer her his phone. Increasingly, the place began to feel like a relief centre in a war zone. We pulled into Berwick at 2.40am.
Those going on to Edinburgh eventually arrived at 3.39am, which means passengers who were on the 6pm from London had been travelling for nearly ten hours. Some Bank Holiday.
‘We are sorry for any inconvenience that may have been caused,’ was the last thing I heard our guard say, still reading from a script and still with an inflection that suggested she wanted us to feel sorry for the stress she was under.
The next morning, I was reading about the Government’s plans for the High Speed Rail link from London to Manchester. If ever there was a case of running before you can walk, this is it.
Our public transport is a disgrace. The East Coast Line, which is now State-owned and will remain so until at least 2017, is particularly dreadful.
Passengers are treated like fodder; no one takes responsibility for abject failure and not even the ‘duty spokesman’ knew the answer to most of my questions.
I wanted to know if there is ever a cut-off point on the number of people allowed to board a train. ‘I don’t have information about that,’ he said. Is there always water on board in case of emergencies? ‘There is sometimes in the guard’s carriage, I think.’
I told him I wanted the East Coast line to issue a statement. Which it did: ‘We would like to apologise to customers for the disruption on Friday evening.’
So that’s all right then.
Truth of the matter:Ghanian actress Nadia Buari and Nollywood bad boy Jim Iyke have confirmed that they are dating.
Jim Iyke Should Speak The Truth On His Relationship With Nadia Buari
Ghanian actress Nadia Buari and Nollywood bad boy Jim Iyke have confirmed that they are dating. The two took to twitter to profess their love.
Nadia tweeted: “There comes a point in ur life wen u realise who really matters, who never did and who always will. I named him Skittles, he calls me space.”
Shortly after, Jim Iyke followed with this tweet: “She calls me Skittles. I named her space, D gift of laughter, companionship n trust is incomparable. BFF. Love is a f***ink beautiful thang!”
The two have been seen together several times after Jim Iyke’s spat with his ex-fiance Keturah Hamilton. They were also spotted together at that Ghana Music Awards.
Evangelist Eucharia Anunobi's Birthday Message
The pretty actress turned evangelist turned 48 25th Of May, 2013.
And to celebrate, she posted this birthday message on her Facebook page:
I thank God for the privilege of another birthday and am most especially humbled to be a worker in the vineyard of the Most High God.
I want to use this opportunity to ask my fellow Nigerians to let peace reign by embracing the watch words: LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF and BE THY BROTHERS KEEPER.
All the killings and fighting is only a ploy of the devil to waste our man-power and to hinder our nation from progressive development.
Let’s live in peace in the beauty of our multiplicity.
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!!!!!!
LONG LIVE NIGERIANS!!!!!!
LONG LIVE Evangelist Eucharia Anunobi and Happy Birthday To Me!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)