Wednesday, March 31, 2010

"I am not happy in Italian football," says Mourinho

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho says he is "not happy in Italian football.''

Jose Mourinho

GettyImages

Jose Mourinho: Courting controversy again.

The former Chelsea coach's remarks could fuel speculation that he wants to return to the Premier League. Mourinho's time in Italy has been characterised by an uneasy relationship with the game's authorities and the media.

His Inter side have been leading Serie A all season but were beaten 2-1 by AS Roma at the weekend, a result that cut their lead to just one point.

Inter face CSKA Moscow in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday night - the competition many believe he has been brought to Inter to win. His side defeated his former club Chelsea in the last round.

The Portuguese told Sky Sports: "I always speak in a very honest way and if I do it about Serie A I will be suspended. My situation is clear. I am very happy at Inter, I am not happy in Italian football.''

When asked to give a reason, he added: "Because I don't like it and they don't like me. Simple.''
ESPN SOCCERNET

Monday, March 22, 2010

Cyprus bishops' tombs vandalised


Cyprus police have arrested a Romanian man suspected of vandalising the tombs of three archbishops in a cemetery in the capital city of Nicosia.

The 34-year old man confessed to removing the marble slabs covering the graves of the churchmen, police said.

The remains of two of the bishops first appeared to have been stolen, but the bones of one of them were in fact buried elsewhere years ago, police say.

The suspect denies removing any human remains from the tombs.

He was arrested after throwing a bag of human excrement at police officers at a Nicosia police station Sunday.

The graves of the men, who led the island's Greek Orthodox church in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were discovered to have been tampered with after police officers responded to a pre-dawn fire at a Nicosia church.
Cyprus map

An investigation showed that the remains of Kyrillos II were reburied decades ago in his birth village of Prodromos, 80 km south of Nicosia, police say.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the remains of Sofronios III were stolen or reburied by the church elsewhere, police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos was quoted as saying by AP news agency.

The remains of Kyrillos III were left undisturbed.

The suspect had "issues with the church and holy ground", Nicosia police chief Kypros Michaelides was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The 34-year-old Romanian faces charges of religious sacrilege, trespassing and causing malicious damage at grave sites.

The desecration comes less than two weeks after three men were held over the theft of the corpse of a former Cyprus President, Tassos Papadopoulos.

His corpse was stolen three months ago, but recovered after a tip-off.

BBC NEWS

Saturday, March 13, 2010

German Bishop Says Pope 'Dismayed' at Clerical Sex Abuse Scandal


Germany's top bishop briefed Pope Benedict XVI on the spiraling cases of clerical sex abuse in the pontiff's native Germany on Friday and said the pope encouraged him to pursue the truth and assist the victims.

The head of Germany's bishops, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch apologized to victims of child abuse by priests today following a meeting with Pope Benedict at the Vatican. He said the pope encouraged him and the church in Germany to tackle the problem.

Archbishop Zollitsch said the church in his country is taking steps to counsel victims and investigate abuse allegations. He added that the pope was greatly dismayed as he was being briefed on the sex abuse scandal in his native Germany.

At least 170 former students from Catholic schools in Germany have come forward recently with claims of physical and sexual abuse, including claims from an all-boys choir once led by the pope's brother.

Archbishop Zollitsch apologized to German victims and pledged to cooperate with prosecutors.

Zollitsch says the Church in Germany wants to unveil the truth and wants an honest clearing up of this and he says even if cases are discovered that date back to tens of years ago, the victims have the right to know.

At least 19 of Germany's 27 dioceses have been affected by the scandal which follows similar cases in Ireland, The Netherlands and Austria. Vatican expert Marco Politi said the recent cases have brought the sexual abuse scandals much closer to the Vatican and to Pope Benedict himself.

"The atmosphere in the Vatican is of great nervousness, anxiety because these last facts, which happened in Germany and in Europe, are devastating," he said.

The latest sex abuse scandals have also renewed debate on priestly celibacy but Pope Benedict said Friday it is a "holy value". He told an international theological conference at a Vatican university that celibacy is an expression of the gift of oneself to God and to others.

VOANews

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Scientists to review climate body

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the world's science academies to review work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Work will be co-ordinated by the Inter-Academy Council, which brings together bodies such as the UK's Royal Society.

The IPCC has been under pressure over errors in its last major assessment of climate science in 2007.

Mr Ban said the overall concept of man-made climate change was robust, and action to curb emissions badly needed.

The Inter-Academy Council will convene a panel of experts to conduct the review, and will be run independently of UN agencies.

One issue that was raised at the UN news conference was how independent the scientists on the Inter-Academy Council's review panel will be from the scientists who contributed work to the IPCC in the first place
Richard Black

Read Richard Black's reaction in Earth Watch

"Let me be clear - the threat posed by climate change is real," said Mr Ban, speaking at UN headquarters in New York.

"I have seen no credible evidence that challenges the main conclusions of [the IPCC's 2007] report."

Nevertheless, he said, there had been "a few errors" in the 3,000-page report (known as AR4), and there was a need "to ensure full transparency, accuracy and objectivity".

Inside and out

Robbert Dijkgraaf, the council's co-chair, said the review panel will be chosen so that it includes both inside knowledge of the IPCC and outside perspectives.

"The panel will look forward and will definitely not go over all the vast amount of data in climate science," he said.

REVIEW'S TERMS OF REFERENCE
Analyse the IPCC process, including links with other UN agencies
Review the use of non-peer reviewed sources, and quality control on data
Assess how procedures handle "the full range of scientific views"
Review how the IPCC communicates with the public and the media

"It will see what are the [IPCC's] procedures, and how can they be improved, so we can avoid certain types of errors."

But Roger Pielke Jr, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado who has recently criticised the IPCC over its assessment of the costs of climate-related disasters, said the terms of reference appeared to have some significant omissions.

"How will it deal with allegations of breakdowns in procedures in the AR4?", he asked.

"The terms of reference say nothing about looking at the AR4 procedures, but it would be difficult to do a serious evaluation without actually evaluating experience," he told BBC News.

"Should it ignore the AR4 issues, then it will risk being called a whitewash."

Prof Pielke also suggested the panel might look at apparent conflicts of interest within the IPCC's staff.

Lessons learned

The conflict of interest charge has been levelled against the IPCC's chair, Rajendra Pachauri, over his business interests.

But standing alongside Mr Ban, he welcomed the review.

"The IPCC stands firmly behind the rigour and reliability of its Fourth Assessment Report from 2007, but we recognise that we can improve," he said.

"We have listened and learned from our critics, and we intend to take every action we can to ensure that our reports are as robust as possible."

The review was demanded by world governments at last month's meeting of the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) Governing Council.

The Inter-Academy Council has been asked to finalise its conclusions by August, in time that its recommendations can be discussed and adopted at October's IPCC meeting.

Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

President Bachelet: Earthquake Unparalleled in Chilean History


Chilean President Michelle Bachelet says the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that shattered the central part of the country and displaced some 2 million people is an emergency "unparalleled in the history of Chile."

Security forces said Monday they have arrested dozens of people for violating curfew and looting around the southern city of Concepcion and Maule regions.

President Bachelet sent 10,000 soldiers to the earthquake region to restore order, and she announced an agreement with supermarket chains to distribute food free-of-charge.

Ms. Bachelet also promised deliveries of food, water and shelter for the thousands of people living on the streets.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (L) delivers a press conference at La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago on 28 Feb 2010, next to a member of the Emergency Committee, a day after a huge 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the country.
AFP
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (L) delivers a press conference at La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago on 28 Feb 2010, next to a member of the Emergency Committee, a day after a huge 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the country.

The president was reluctant to ask for international aid when the quake first hit, but appealed for assistance as the death toll rose to more than 700. Officials expect the number to rise as rescue workers continue to tear through the rubble.

Rescuers are still trying to reach people trapped in a toppled apartment building in Concepcion, the country's second-largest city. Searchers believe as many as 50 people may be trapped alive in the building.

Looters ransacked stores in Concepcion Sunday, stealing food and electrical appliances. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd of looters at one supermarket.

Saturday's early morning quake toppled buildings, overturned cars, damaged roads and bridges and brought down utility lines.

A tsunami triggered by the quake devastated some Chilean coastal towns and Robinson Crusoe Island, where the wave surged almost three kilometers into the town of San Juan Bautista.

The surge of water raced across the Pacific Ocean, prompting warnings and evacuations from Hawaii to Japan, but did little damage.

Argentina and other parts of South America also felt the earthquake.

The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 or more is classified as a "great" earthquake that can cause tremendous damage.
VOA News
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