Google's forays beyond the search box

The Internet giant has in recent years ventured further afield from its roots in online search and advertising, and is now a heavy hitter in industries such as mobile electronics and video-streaming.

The following are some of the newer businesses Google has ventured into or dabbled in past years.

Mobile software

Google's Android operating system, which evolved from a company-led initiative known as the Open Handset Alliance, is now the world's most popular smartphone software and is increasingly adopted for tablets as well.

Developed in-house by software engineer Andy Rubin, the software was designed to present an alternative to then-dominant systems such as Apple Inc's iOS and the Blackberry, and spearhead Google's drive into a then nascent field of mobile advertising.

Android allowed Samsung Electronics to leapfrog Apple in global market share, enabled new entrants such as Amazon.com Inc, and helped erode Blackberry's market position. It is now installed on an estimated three-quarters of the world's smartphones.

In 2012, Google also raised eyebrows by paying over $12 billion for Motorola Mobility - still its largest single acquisition - gaining an instant presence in the booming smartphone and tablet business.

Efforts to catapult Motorola back into the top ranks of mobile phone makers are continuing, but the Apple-Samsung stranglehold has been hard to break. The much-hyped, customizable "Moto X" launched last year has so far failed to win it significant market share.

Robots

In December, news emerged that Google had acquired Boston Dynamics, a privately held company best known for building futuristic robots, often co-developed or funded by the US military.

The purchase was the latest in a string of acquisitions by Google's secretive robotics division, now led by Rubin. The company has been tight-lipped about its plans in this field, though many media reports linked it to efforts to develop factory robots.

Glass and wearable computing

Google Glass, the "smart" eyeglasses developed by the company's famously secretive "X" labs, went on sale last year to select developers. The device, which projects a small screen in the corner of a wearer's eye, is expected to become a major catalyst for what many believe to be the next big trend in mobile, wearable computing devices.

Developers are now crafting apps to try and position themselves if the device, which can be voice- or motion-activated, proves popular with consumers. The company has not set a time frame for an eventual consumer launch.

Self-driving cars

Another brainchild of the "X" labs, Google began road-testing self-driven cars on Californian highways about two years ago.

Co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page conceived of the futuristic concept, driven in part by a desire to try and eliminate human error and consequently reduce the incidence of accidents on the road, while improving the efficiency of roadways and travel in general.

The concept spurred attention-grabbing headlines two years ago and automakers from General Motors Co to Toyota Motor Corp have since publicized their own intentions to research and develop an automatically propelled vehicle.

High-speed Internet service

Spurred by a desire to wield greater control of the Internet ecosystem, beyond just dominating search and advertising, the company has begun offering ultra-fast Internet service in several cities and free WiFi for chains like Starbucks.

Google says it is following through on a vision of universal Internet access, in hopes of improving living standards. To that end, it is experimenting with a system of using hot-air balloons to provide satellite Internet access in inhospitable or inaccessible regions of the world, including Africa.

Nest and the consumer business

The $3.2 billion acquisition of the 300-employee company started by Tony Faddell, the so-called godfather of the iPod, is expected to propel Google as a consumer brand deeper into the home. The company also acquires a team widely respected for its design and software engineering talent, potentially of benefit to Google's other forays into the consumer business, which run the gamut from YouTube to gmail and social network Google+.

Retail and commerce
The company offers an electronic payments and stored-value system called Google Wallet, which hasn't yet gained much traction with either retailers or consumers. It is also trying out same-day goods delivery in several cities, taking a page from the broader retail industry, which is now hoping it will galvanise sales.

The Internet giant has in recent years ventured further afield from its roots in online search and advertising, and is now a heavy hitter in industries such as mobile electronics and video-streaming.

The following are some of the newer businesses Google has ventured into or dabbled in past years.

Mobile software

Google's Android operating system, which evolved from a company-led initiative known as the Open Handset Alliance, is now the world's most popular smartphone software and is increasingly adopted for tablets as well.

Developed in-house by software engineer Andy Rubin, the software was designed to present an alternative to then-dominant systems such as Apple Inc's iOS and the Blackberry, and spearhead Google's drive into a then nascent field of mobile advertising.

Android allowed Samsung Electronics to leapfrog Apple in global market share, enabled new entrants such as Amazon.com Inc, and helped erode Blackberry's market position. It is now installed on an estimated three-quarters of the world's smartphones.

In 2012, Google also raised eyebrows by paying over $12 billion for Motorola Mobility - still its largest single acquisition - gaining an instant presence in the booming smartphone and tablet business.

Efforts to catapult Motorola back into the top ranks of mobile phone makers are continuing, but the Apple-Samsung stranglehold has been hard to break. The much-hyped, customizable "Moto X" launched last year has so far failed to win it significant market share.

Robots

In December, news emerged that Google had acquired Boston Dynamics, a privately held company best known for building futuristic robots, often co-developed or funded by the US military.

The purchase was the latest in a string of acquisitions by Google's secretive robotics division, now led by Rubin. The company has been tight-lipped about its plans in this field, though many media reports linked it to efforts to develop factory robots.

Glass and wearable computing

Google Glass, the "smart" eyeglasses developed by the company's famously secretive "X" labs, went on sale last year to select developers. The device, which projects a small screen in the corner of a wearer's eye, is expected to become a major catalyst for what many believe to be the next big trend in mobile, wearable computing devices.

Developers are now crafting apps to try and position themselves if the device, which can be voice- or motion-activated, proves popular with consumers. The company has not set a time frame for an eventual consumer launch.

Self-driving cars

Another brainchild of the "X" labs, Google began road-testing self-driven cars on Californian highways about two years ago.

Co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page conceived of the futuristic concept, driven in part by a desire to try and eliminate human error and consequently reduce the incidence of accidents on the road, while improving the efficiency of roadways and travel in general.

The concept spurred attention-grabbing headlines two years ago and automakers from General Motors Co to Toyota Motor Corp have since publicized their own intentions to research and develop an automatically propelled vehicle.

High-speed Internet service

Spurred by a desire to wield greater control of the Internet ecosystem, beyond just dominating search and advertising, the company has begun offering ultra-fast Internet service in several cities and free WiFi for chains like Starbucks.

Google says it is following through on a vision of universal Internet access, in hopes of improving living standards. To that end, it is experimenting with a system of using hot-air balloons to provide satellite Internet access in inhospitable or inaccessible regions of the world, including Africa.

Nest and the consumer business

The $3.2 billion acquisition of the 300-employee company started by Tony Faddell, the so-called godfather of the iPod, is expected to propel Google as a consumer brand deeper into the home. The company also acquires a team widely respected for its design and software engineering talent, potentially of benefit to Google's other forays into the consumer business, which run the gamut from YouTube to gmail and social network Google+.

Retail and commerce
The company offers an electronic payments and stored-value system called Google Wallet, which hasn't yet gained much traction with either retailers or consumers. It is also trying out same-day goods delivery in several cities, taking a page from the broader retail industry, which is now hoping it will galvanise sales.

Ronaldo wins World Player of the Year for second time

Cristiano Ronaldo was overcome with emotion after being voted the world's best player for 2013 on Monday, ending his great rival Lionel Messi's dominance of the award.

Although he failed to win any major titles with Real Madrid last season, Ronaldo was rewarded for his immense goal-scoring prowess as he swept aside Messi, winner for the last four years, and Frenchman Franck Ribery.

"Thank you to everyone, my team mates, the national team and my family, to everyone here," the Portugal and Real Madrid forward said, choking with emotion after accepting the trophy.

"I can't speak," added Ronaldo, runner-up for three of the last four years, before breaking down.

Jupp Heynckes, now retired, was named coach of the year for the first time after leading Bayern Munich to an unprecedented Bundesliga, Cup and Champions League treble, a fitting end to a 48-year career as player and coach.

The Afghanistan Football Federation and fiery Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic were among other award winners.

Afghanistan was given the Fair Play award after staging its first home game for 10 years, a friendly against Pakistan.

Ibrahimovic won the Ferenc Puskas award for the best goal of the year, although his stunning overhead kick from near the touchline in a friendly against England was scored in 2012 and missed the deadline for last year's ceremony.

SURPRISINGLY MILD
The volatile Swede, who in November said that he did not need the Ballon d'Or to know he was the best, was surprisingly mild in his acceptance speech, limiting himself to thanking the audience and wishing good luck to the contenders.

The ceremony, hosted by former Netherlands international Ruud Gullit and Brazilian presenter Fernanda Lima, took nearly 90 minutes, interrupted by banal interludes featuring personalities from 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil.

Brazil forward Neymar, among those to be hauled on stage, was clearly embarrassed when asked to say who he would like his team to meet in the World Cup final.

"We don't care, we will meet anybody. There are so many other great teams there, as long as we are in the final I don't mind," he said timidly.Voting was in the hands of the 209 national team coaches and captains, plus 173 selected journalists, and Fifa was at pains to point out that the process was transparent, especially after the original deadline was extended by two weeks due to a poor turnout.

Fifa spokesman Walter De Gregorio said the deadline extension, from November 15 to November 29, had not affected the outcome which was independently audited by accounting firm Price WaterhouseCoopers (PWC).

"The ranking of the final three at the end of November is exactly the same as the ranking in mid-November," De Gregorio told reporters. "The only difference is that we had more votes."

The poll for both player and coach of the year leaned heavily towards Europe.

Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was the only African player to make either of the original shortlists of 23 players and 10 coaches and there were no representatives from Asia or Concacaf.

Brazil's Luiz Felipe Scolari was the only South American coach to be considered. Stephen Keshi, who won the African Nations Cup with Nigeria, and Safet Susic, who led Bosnia to their first World Cup, were among those to be overlooked.

Pakistan honours teenage bomb hero with bravery award

Pakistani army personnel salute after placing flowers on the grave of student Aitzaz Hassan in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday.

A Pakistani teenager who sacrificed his life to stop a suicide bomber, saving the lives of hundreds of students, has been handed the country’s highest award for bravery.
Aitzaz Hassan, 15, a student in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has become a national hero after tackling the bomber who came to attack his school on Monday, with hundreds of students inside.
Hassan died in hospital after the bomber blew himself up at the school gates. No one else was wounded or killed in the incident.
The office of Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif said it had advised the president, Mamnoon Hussain, ‘to approve the conferment of Sitara-e-Shujjat (star of bravery) to Shaheed (martyred) Aitzaz Hassan.

Del Potro overpowers Tomic in Sydney final

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina holds up the winners trophy after defeating Australia's Bernard Tomic in the men's singles final at the APIA Sydney International Tennis Tournament here Saturday.

Juan Martin del Potro bludgeoned Bernard Tomic with his powerful forehand to win a lopsided Sydney International final Saturday.

The Argentine world number five took just 53 minutes to master the Australian defending champion 6-3, 6-1.

It was del Potro's 18th career title and he became the first Argentine to win in Sydney since David Nalbandian in 2009.

It was the ideal lead in to Monday's Australian Open for del Potro, who plays a qualifier in the first round and is seeded to face world number one Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.

"Finals are never easy, but I was surprised at my level of play tonight. I think I played great," del Potro said.

"My forehand was perfect. I made a lot of winners, many aces, good slices."

The big Argentine served eight aces and broke Tomic's serve four times for a comprehensive win.

"To start the year in this way it's very positive looking forward for the rest of the season. I need to keep working in the same conditions and the same way.

"Now it's the hardest tournament for us, and I will see if I can go further than last year (third round) in Melbourne.

Microsoft, Nokia pin hopes on new Lumia

Nokia and Microsoft Corp will take the wraps off the struggling European company's most powerful smartphone on Wednesday, in what may be their last major shot at winning back a market lost to Apple, Samsung and Google.

Nokia and Microsoft Corp will take the wraps off the struggling European company's most powerful smartphone on Wednesday, in what may be their last major shot at winning back a market lost to Apple, Samsung and Google.

The world's largest software maker and the Finnish company that once dominated the cellphone market will showcase the device in New York on Wednesday morning and demo it for industry insiders about the same time in Helsinki.

Microsoft and Nokia hope the new Lumia will become a potent weapon in an escalating global mobile industry war.

Google's Motorola Mobility intends to show off its latest smartphone on Wednesday, Amazon.com Inc will unwrap new Kindle Fire tablets the day after, and Apple is expected to unveil the latest version of its seminal iPhone on September 12. Samsung Electronics says it will sell its own Windows phone as early as next month.

The Lumia 920 and smaller Lumia 820 will run on the latest Windows Phone operating software, which Microsoft hopes will rival Apple's iOS and Google's Android to become a third mobile platform. If the new phones do not appeal to consumers, it could spell the end for loss-making Nokia and deal a serious blow to Microsoft's attempts to regain its footing in the market.

Leaked pictures of the two models show a similar look to Nokia's previous Windows phones, but analysts say these alone will not be enough to turn the corner.

"There have to be more devices, and their features have to stand out more. There has to be a 'wow' device," said Hannu Rauhala, analyst at Pohjola Bank, who cut his recommendation on Nokia's shares to "reduce" on Tuesday.

The stakes are high for both Nokia and Microsoft.

The Finnish handset maker has logged more than 3 billion euros ($3.8 billion) in operating losses in the past 18 months, forcing it to cut 10,000 jobs and pursue asset sales.

Its share of the global smartphone market has plunged to less than 10 percent from 50 percent during its heyday, before the iPhone was launched in 2007.

Windows phones have only captured 3.7 percent of the global smartphone market, according to Strategy Analytics. Android phones have 68 percent, while Apple has 17 percent.

For Microsoft, successful Lumia sales could convince more handset makers and carriers to support its Windows Phone 8 software, which promises faster performance and a customizable start screen.

Last week Samsung became the first to announce a smartphone running Windows Phone 8, at the IFA trade show in Berlin. But it was not able to provide the model to visitors at the show.

Ecosystem warriors

Apple's first iPhone revolutionized the mobile industry, popularizing the model of a third-party developer "ecosystem," today considered pivotal to the success of any operating system.

Part of the reason for the limited success of Windows phones is that they support only 100,000 or so apps, compared with about 500,000 or more for Android or iPhones.

There is also the interconnection between apps and content, typified by Apple's iTunes and iCloud, which share content across devices, that acts as a powerful disincentive to switch between vendors.

"Much has been made of Windows Phone emerging as 'the third ecosystem' in mobile. This is a huge task in itself, but Apple's and Google's entrenched positions where consumers have already invested heavily in apps and content makes switching platforms less attractive," said Ben Wood from mobile sector research firm CCS Insight.

The new phone software is similar to the Windows 8 desktop and tablet software to be released on October 26, making it easier for developers to write apps for both, and Microsoft hopes this will boost the platform's popularity.

But the Windows operating system is by no means universally popular in the PC market, so consumers will not necessarily come to the mobile phone equivalent with unalloyed goodwill.

"Consumer perceptions of the Windows brand have been shaped by PC usage. Although Windows 8 will help, there is still plenty of work required to overcome historical prejudices in the transition to mobile," said Wood.

The new Lumias could, however, benefit from the continuing decline in Research In Motion Ltd's BlackBerry, and also from a recent legal blow to the Android operating system.

A California jury decided last month that some of Samsung's hot-selling Android smartphones copied features of the iPhone, which may result in import bans and drive handset makers to put more resources into making Windows-based phones.

But for Nokia and Microsoft to exploit that window of opportunity, it must first find favor with consumers, who so far have shown little enthusiasm for smartphones with Windows software.

($1 = 0.7947 euros) 

Former Israeli PM Sharon dead: Army Radio

Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli general and prime minister who was in a coma for eight years after he had a stroke at the height of his power, died on Saturday aged 85, Israeli Army Radio said, quoting a relative of his family.
The hospital where Sharon was being treated called a media conference for about 0800 ET.

Toure wins African Footballer of Year for third time

Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure landed his third successive African Footballer of the Year award on Thursday to cap a memorable week.

The Manchester City player edged out Nigeria's John Obi Mikel and fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba to make it a hat-trick of wins, emulating Abedi Pele and Samuel Eto'o.

Just 24 hours after storming halfway down the pitch to score a goal in City's 6-0 demolition of West Ham United in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, a teary-eyed Toure was the toast of African football as he picked up the award at a gala ceremony in Lagos.

"I'm very proud and happy to be the winner today," Toure, dressed in traditional Nigerian robes, told the audience.

"I congratulate my brother Obi Mikel who deserved it as well. It's an unbelievable award for all those who helped me through my career a lot and those who supported me for a long time."

The Ivorian came top of a poll voted by Africa's national team coaches, who had Mikel second and Drogba third.

Toure's success came at the end of a bleak 12-month period for individual achievement by African footballers. Toure's official citation praised him for his role in helping the Ivorians to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil but the choice is more likely for his consistency at club level in England and the dominant role he plays at Manchester City.

Chelsea's Mikel was on the shortlist after helping Nigeria to the African Nations Cup title in February.

Toure joins an elite club following his hat-trick of wins.

Ghanaian Abedi Pele won three in a row between 1991-93 while Cameroonian Eto'o took the award from 2003-05.

Eto'o, who plays up front for Chelsea, also won it in 2010.

China mulls national pollution permit trading system

China will look into establishing a nation-wide trading system for pollution permits as part of efforts to use market mechanisms to help clean up its environment, the country's top environment official said.

In remarks published on the website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (www.mep.gov.cn) on Friday, minister Zhou Shengxian said China was working on new regulations for pollution permits and would also publish proposals for new pilot trading projects as soon as possible.

China has vowed to reverse the environmental consequences of three decades of breakneck industrial expansion and clean up its heavily polluted air, water and soil and is hoping to use the market to encourage firms to cut emissions.

Provinces pledged this week to meet targets set by the ministry to cut air pollution by 5 to 25 percent. The ministry said it was considering a system to evaluate progress.

Authorities regularly issue directives to try to tackle air pollution in major cities, but the effect has been limited with enforcement still lax and economic growth seen as the priority.

China already has more than 20 local trading platforms that allow industrial firms to buy and sell permits for pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, major constituents of smog and acid rain. But their impact has been limited, said Ma Zhong, the dean of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Renmin University.

"Emission trading in China is not strictly a market activity and it is more like paying for emitting. It is just a few regions running some test trading," he told Reuters.

Five cities and regions set up new pilot carbon trading platforms last year to encourage local enterprises to address soaring greenhouse gas emissions and two more will be launched in 2014. China aims to have a nationwide carbon emissions trading system later in the decade.

On Friday, the seven pilot carbon trading platforms signed an agreement with other environmental exchanges to look into trading not only carbon credits but also pollution, water and energy use permits.

Environment minister Zhou said China planned to cut major pollutants like sulphur dioxide and ammonium nitrate by 2 percent over 2014. Nitrogen oxides would be slashed by 5 percent.

China said late last year that it was struggling to meet environmental targets for the 2011-2015 period, with energy and carbon intensity targets still behind schedule.

Nitrogen oxide emissions, expected to fall 10 percent over the 2011-2015 period, actually rose 2.82 percent by the end of 2012. Zhou said the total amount was expected to have fallen by more than 3.5 percent last year.

Samsung unveils first Windows phone

Samsung Electronics became the first handset maker to announce a smartphone using Microsoft's latest mobile software, making its surprise, hurried announcement just days before the highly anticipated launch of Nokia's version.

Samsung Electronics became the first handset maker to announce a smartphone using Microsoft's latest mobile software, making its surprise, hurried announcement just days before the highly anticipated launch of Nokia's version.

The brief announcement on Wednesday at a Berlin electronics show comes amid expectations that smartphone makers may turn increasingly to Windows devices after a U.S. jury decided many of Samsung's Google Android-based phones infringed Apple Inc patents.

"It looks like a good phone, and seems like a pre-emptive announcement ahead of Nokia," said Sid Parakh, an analyst at investment firm McAdams Wright Ragen, of the Samsung phone.

"Microsoft or Windows never got their best teams, never got their best designs, just because Android was doing so well. With the change in the legal environment, there's a case to be made that Samsung will likely shift some of those resources to broaden out or diversify their own exposure."

Nokia, the ailing Finnish mobile firm, once the world's leading producer of phones but now struggling to reverse losses, is due to unveil its new Lumia line of smartphones using Windows Phone 8 in New York on September 5.

Samsung's new phone called ATIV S -- tacked onto the end of a long news conference in Berlin that focused on other products -- may elevate expectations for the Lumia. Samsung's ATIV S Windows phone sports a high-end 4.8-inch display, Corning "Gorilla" glass, and an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, Microsoft posted on its official blog on Wednesday.

"Expectations for a 40 megapixel or possibly 20 megapixel camera model are running high. If Nokia does not unveil a monster camera handset next week, many will be disappointed," said Tero Kuittinen, analyst at mobile analytics firm Alekstra.

But "this leaves Nokia plenty of room to draw a clear contrast with its upcoming announcement."

Samsung's Windows-based smartphone, introduced on Wednesday, marks the first in a "big lineup of new hardware" from the South Korean company based on Microsoft's software, Microsoft executive Ben Rudolph said in a blog posting.

Analysts say the introduction of Samsung's Windows phone may be designed to assuage concerns that Microsoft will favor Nokia, whose Chief Executive Stephen Elop -- himself a former senior Microsoft executive -- has staked its future on the Windows platform.

"The fact Samsung was allowed to be the first to announce is Microsoft's backhanded way of letting other vendors know that Nokia is not getting special treatment," Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said.

But Jack Gold, an independent mobile consultant who runs J. Gold Associates, argued Samsung had signaled its commitment to Windows for a while, but Nokia will remain the primary driver of the new breed of Microsoft-powered devices.

"Samsung has crossed the start line first and set the bar for Nokia's launch," said Geoff Blaber, analyst at CCS Insight.

Stealing a march

Microsoft gave a preview of its Windows Phone 8 software in June, and promised the first phones would be on the market by the autumn.

Windows Phone 8 looks similar to, and is built on the same core code as Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system, but is not the same product. Windows 8, which will run on tablets and PCs, is scheduled to launch on October 26.

Samsung said the ATIV phone would hit stores in the October-November period but did not give an exact start date.

On Wednesday, the Korean corporation also showed off a slew of tablets using Windows 8 software and the second generation of its popular Google Android-based Galaxy Note phone-cum-tablet "phablet" in downtown Berlin.

Samsung has sold some 10 million of its original Galaxy Note devices, creating a new product category which has smaller screen than tablets, but bigger than smartphones.

"I am pretty confident it will even outsell its predecessor," said JK Shin, Samsung's chief of mobile business.

Samsung hopes the new device will take the focus away from its loss of the court case. Apple is now seeking speedy bans on the sale of eight Samsung phones, moving swiftly to turn legal victory into tangible business gain.

Samsung hopes the phablet upgrade will lift any post-Apple gloom. The new version of the Note features a thinner and slightly bigger 5.5-inch screen, quad-core processor, the latest version of the Android operating system called Jellybean, and improved stylus function.

"There won't be huge innovative changes in design, but the Note 2 will feature quite a few improvements and enable Samsung to carry on its strong sales momentum in the category," said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. "With the launch, Samsung will also be trying to turn around downbeat sentiment after the U.S. legal defeat."

Apple did not include the Note and other newly unveiled Samsung products in its original lawsuit. But the company and its lawyers are expected by many legal experts to try and use last week's legal victory to go after future gadgets, especially because the jury found infringing features in Samsung phones such as pinch-and-zoom and bounce-back -- common in Android. 

Thousands for Mars!

A mission to put humans on Mars that drew 200,000 applicants has selected more than a thousand candidates who will now be tested to come up with a final list of 24 would-be Mars-dwellers.

Mars One was set up in 2011 by two Dutch men with the goal of establishing permanent human life on Mars in 2025.

They hope the project will be funded by investors and the rights from the documentary-cum-reality TV broadcasting of the tests, training and final selection.

The 1,058 candidates who got through to the first round came from all over the world. By far the largest number - 297 - are American, followed by 75 Canadians and 62 Indians.

They must now undergo rigorous tests, including simulations of life on Mars and coping with isolation, co-founder Bas Lansdorp said.

"The challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously," Lansdorp said.

iphone 5 sales top 2bln in China

Apple says it tops the milestone just one week into launch in China market.

Apple Inc sold more than 2 million of its new iPhone 5 in China during the three days after its launch there on Friday, marking China's best-selling iPhone rollout ever, the company said late on Sunday.

"Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a statement.

Apple's latest iPhone, which offers a larger 4-inch screen and 4G capability, was launched in the United States and 30 other countries in September, when the company sold more than 5 million of the devices in the first three days.

The device's highly anticipated release in China, Apple's second-biggest market, failed to stop the recent share slide of the world's most valuable technology company, and analysts said Apple's longer-term China hopes may hinge on a partnership with China Mobile Ltd, the country's top telecoms carrier.

2022 World Cup will not be in summer, says Valcke

The 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar will not be played in the summer months, Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke said on Wednesday.

"The dates of the World Cup will not be in June or July. I think it will be played between November 15 and January 15 the latest," he told France Inter Radio.

"If you play between November 15 and, let's say, the end of December, it's the time when the weather is the most favourable," Valcke added.

"You play with a temperature equivalent to that of a rather hot spring in Europe, you play with a temperature of 25 degrees (Celsius), which is perfect to play football."

In October, Fifa delayed making a decision on whether to play the tournament in the winter saying it was setting up a consultation process to decide when the finals should be held.

At the time, soccer's world governing body announced it would reach a conclusion sometime after this year's World Cup in Brazil.

Valcke's surprise announcement on Wednesday comes more than three years after Qatar was originally awarded the tournament in December 2010.

The average temperature in the summer months in Qatar can be around 35C (95 Fahrenheit) and 45C (113F).

Record freeze extends to eastern US, 9 dead

A deadly blast of arctic air shattered decades-old temperature records as it enveloped the eastern United States on Tuesday, snarling air, road and rail travel, driving energy prices higher and overwhelming shelters for homeless people.

At least nine deaths have been reported across the country connected with the polar air mass that swept over North America during the past few days. Authorities have put about half of the United States under a wind chill warning or cold weather advisory.Temperatures were expected to be 25 degrees to 35 degrees Fahrenheit (14 to 19 degrees Celsius) below normal from the Midwest to the Southeast, the National Weather Service said.
PJM Interconnection, the agency that oversees the electric grid supplying the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest, said electricity suppliers were struggling to keep up with surging demand as the cold forced some power plants to shut.
"This particular cold is far-reaching, and most of our neighbors are experiencing the extreme conditions we are," said Michael Kormos, executive vice president for operations at PJM Interconnection.
Oil refiners were also hit, with Marathon Petroleum Corp and Exxon Mobil Corp both experiencing cold-related outages.
In Oklahoma, a depleted supply of propane due to extreme weather led Governor Mary Fallin to declare a state of emergency, waiving licensing requirements for out-of-state transportation companies to allow them to bring in propane.
Homeless shelters and public buildings took in people who were freezing outside.
Daniel Dashner, a 33-year-old homeless man who typically sleeps under a bridge on Milwaukee's south side, said he opted to seek a spot at a shelter on Monday night.
"Usually if I have four or five blankets, I can stay pretty warm, but when that wind is blowing, I don't care how many blankets I have, the wind blows right through me," he said, as temperatures dropped to minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 21 degrees Celsius).
The extreme cold won't last much longer, according to AccuWeather.com. The frigid air and "polar vortex" that affected about 240 million people in the United States and southern Canada will depart during the second half of this week, and a far-reaching January thaw will begin, according to AccuWeather.com.
COLD'S BROAD REACH
Major U.S. cities were in the grip of temperatures well below freezing, with Chicago seeing 2 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 17 C), Detroit 0 F (minus 18 C), Pittsburgh 5 F (minus 15 C), Washington 19 (minus 7 C) and Boston 15 F (minus 9 C).
New York's Central Park recorded the lowest temperature for the date, 4 Fahrenheit (minus 16 C), rising to 9 F (minus 13 C) on Tuesday afternoon with wind chills making it feel much colder, meteorologists said.
At New York's Bowery Mission homeless shelter, the 80-bed dormitory was full on Monday night and 179 other people slept in the chapel and cafeteria, officials said.
Schools in Minneapolis and Chicago were closed for a second day on Tuesday, although Chicago plans to reopen schools on Wednesday. Cleveland remained below freezing after temperatures fell to minus 11 F (minus 24 C) on Monday, breaking a 130-year-old record.
Impassable snow and ice halted three Chicago-bound Amtrak trains on Monday, stranding more than 500 passengers overnight in northwestern Illinois.
In the normally mild south, Atlanta recorded its coldest weather on this date in 44 years, as the temperature dropped to 6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 14 degrees Celsius), while temperatures in northern Florida also briefly dropped below freezing, though the state's citrus crop was unharmed, according to a major growers' group.
Among the deaths reported was a 51-year-old homeless man in Columbus, Georgia, whose body was found in an empty lot after spending the night outdoors.
Two men died in Westerport, Massachusetts, while duck hunting on Tuesday when their boat capsized, dropping them into a frigid river, officials said. A third man was rescued.
A large avalanche in backcountry outside the Colorado ski resort area of Vail killed one person on Tuesday and caught up three others who survived and were being rescued, officials said. Avalanche danger in the area was rated as "considerable" due to high winds and recent heavy snows, said Spencer Logan, forecaster with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Four cold and storm-related deaths were reported around Chicago and an elderly woman was found dead outside her Indianapolis home early Monday.
AIRLINES STRUGGLE
The cold snap could cost the US economy up to $5 billion, when lost productivity and lost retail sales are accounted for, estimated Evan Gold, senior vice president at Planalytics, which tracks weather for businesses. He said about 200 million people in major cities might face "bill shock" for heating.
The deep freeze disrupted commutes on Tuesday, with icy or closed roads and flight delays. Some 2,380 U.S. flights were canceled and 2,912 delayed, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks airline activity. Airlines scrambled to catch up a day after the cold froze fuel supplies, leading to flight cancellations, many at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Hardest hit were travelers who had booked trips on JetBlue Airways Corp, which on Monday halted its flights at New York's three major airports and Boston Logan International Airport overnight. Flights had resumed by midday on Tuesday.
Tuesday proved too cold even for some polar bears. At Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, a 14-year-old female polar bear named Anana mostly remained in her indoor enclosure, where temperatures are 40 F (4 C), said zoo spokeswoman Sharon Dewar.
She said that in their native environment, polar bears build up a layer of fat to help them through the Arctic winter of long periods of sub-zero temperatures. In Chicago, however, she said "we don't create that fat layer in zoo animals because that would normally not be something they would be comfortable with."

McAfee is happy his name is off software

John McAfee, the flamboyant millionaire who founded a pioneering anti-virus software company that Intel Corp bought for $7.7 billion, says he is glad that the chipmaker plans to drop his name from its products.

Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich announced the decision to abandon the McAfee name late on Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, saying the company plans to adopt the "Intel Security" brand.

"I've been begging them to drop the brand or fix the product," McAfee said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. He did not speculate on a reason for the move, which was not completely unexpected.

Last June, McAfee appeared in a profanity-laced video attacking the quality of the software produced by the company, which he founded in the late 1980s. He said he frequently gets emails from customers who complain that it degrades the performance of their computers and is difficult to remove.

Intel has repeatedly said the attacks on the quality of its software are "ludicrous" and without merit.

Its chief technology officer, Michael Fey, said on Tuesday that the company was not concerned about the video, partly because customers knew that John McAfee had not worked for the company in some 20 years.

"Everybody realized the man was trying to get a laugh or make a joke. It is far from something that most buyers took seriously," he said. "We didn't really feel much pressure."

Still, he said, it would be a relief to be able to ignore John McAfee's antics once Intel stopped using his name.

"As an employee I am happy to stop having to answer that," Fey said.

Questions about Intel's plans for keeping the McAfee brand first surfaced in late 2012, when John McAfee, to much publicity, left the Central American nation of Belize after police sought to question him about the murder of a neighbor. He said he was framed for a murder he did not commit.

John McAfee fled to the United States in December 2012 and is developing technology dubbed D-Central that he says will help keep Internet communications safe from government snooping.

Then in his video attacking the software, the millionaire fires a gun into a computer. He was undressed and pawed by a group of young women.

McAfee said he did it all to mock the media's unfair portrayal of him as unhinged.

"I am who I am. I'm sorry I live on the edge and enjoy life and don't care what people think of me," he said on Tuesday, when asked how he felt about Intel dumping his name. "I'm sorry that the software has my name."

Brazil's World Cup work has begun too late: Blatter

Fifa president Sepp Blatter cannot remember a World Cup host nation falling as far behind with their preparations as Brazil have, he said in an interview.

"Brazil has just found out what it means and has started work much too late," he told the Lausanne-based newspaper 24 Heures.

"No country has been so far behind in preparations since I have been at Fifa even though it is the only host nation which has had so much time, seven years, in which to prepare."

Blatter has experience of nine World Cups, dating back to Argentina in 1978. He joined soccer's ruling body as a development officer in 1975 before becoming secretary general and then taking over as president in 1998.

Six of the 12 stadiums in Brazil missed the final deadline of December 31 which Fifa set for them to be completed and put at the disposal of organisers.

They are the venues in Sao Paulo, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Cuiaba, Natal and Manaus.

Many infrastructure and transport projects have been shelved or scaled back and organisers are still debating how to provide extra flights for the thousands of travelling supporters.

Brazil were elected unopposed as hosts in 2007 under the old rotation system which awarded the finals to South America.

ONLY CANDIDATE

The other nine South American countries had agreed to support Brazil as the only candidate in 2003, in effect giving them an additional four years to get ready.

Blatter also said he was resigned to further protests such as those that took place during last year's Confederations Cup.

"I am an optimist, not a pessimist. I am therefore not worried," he explained. "But we do know there will be protests again.

"The last ones during the Confederations Cup in this same country had their roots in the social networks.

"There was no specific goal, or a genuine demand, but during the World Cup the protests will perhaps be more concrete, more organised," said Blatter.

"But football will be protected, I don't believe that Brazilians will attack the football directly. For them it's a religion."

The World Cup starts in June.

Polar freeze grips United States, disrupting travel, business

A blast of Arctic air gripped the vast middle of the United States on Monday with the coldest temperatures in two decades causing at least four deaths, forcing businesses and schools to close and canceling thousands of flights.

Shelters for the homeless were overflowing due to the severe cold described by some meteorologists as the "polar vortex" and dubbed by media as the "polar pig."
Temperatures were 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (11 to 22 degrees Celsius) below average in parts of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service.
It was colder in Brimson, Minnesota, where the mercury plunged to minus 40 Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) than in Arctic Bay, Canada, where it was minus 31F (minus 35C).
The U.S. cold snap outdid freezing weather in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where it was minus 8F (minus 22C), Mongolia at minus 10F (minus 23C) and Irkutsk, in Siberia, at minus 27F (minus 33C).
More than half the flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport were canceled as fuel supplies froze, leaving crews unable to fill aircraft tanks. The afternoon temperature in Chicago was minus 12F (minus 24C).
The polar vortex, the coldest air in the Northern hemisphere that hovers over the polar region in winter but can be pushed south, was moving toward the East Coast where temperatures were expected to fall into Tuesday.
The coldest temperatures in years and gusty winds were expected as far south as Brownsville, Texas, and central Florida, the National Weather Service said.
The Northeast saw unseasonably mild weather and rain, but authorities warned travelers to expect icy roads and sidewalks on Tuesday.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency, announcing that parts of the New York State Thruway in Western New York would be closed due to extreme winter weather conditions.
At least four weather-related deaths were reported, including a 48-year-old Chicago man who had a heart attack while shoveling snow on Sunday and an elderly woman who was found outside her Indianapolis home early Monday.
In oil fields from Texas to North Dakota and Canada, the severe cold threatened to disrupt traffic, strand wells and interrupt drilling and fracking operations.
It also disrupted grain and livestock shipments throughout the farm belt, curbed meat production at several packing plants and threatened to damage the dormant wheat crop.
In Cleveland, Ohio, where the temperature was minus 3F (minus 19C) and was forecast to drop to minus 6F (minus 21C) overnight, homeless shelters were operating at full capacity. Shelter operators had begun to open overflow facilities to accommodate more than 2,000 people who had come seeking warmth.
"There are also going to be people that won't go into the shelters," said Brian Davis, an organizer with Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. Frostbite can set in within minutes in such low temperatures, according to experts.
The National Weather Service issued warnings for life-threatening wind chills in western and central North Dakota, with temperatures as low as minus 60F (minus 51C).
TRAVEL SNARLED
Some 4,392 flights were canceled and 3,577 delayed, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks airline activity.
Many airlines could not allow their ground crews to remain outdoors for more than 15 minutes at a time. There were hundreds of cancellations by airlines including United, Southwest, and American.
"The fuel and glycol supplies are frozen at (Chicago O'Hare) and other airports in the Midwest and Northeast," said Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for American AirlinesGroup. "We are unable to pump fuel and or de-ice."
After five days of scrambling to catch up from storm delays, JetBlue said it would halt operations at three airports in the New York area and Boston Logan International Airport from 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) Monday until 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) on Tuesday to give crews time to rest.
The bitter cold combined with blowing snow was complicating rail traffic as well. Union Pacific, one of the largest railroads and a chief mover of grains, chemicals, coal and automotive parts, warned customers on Monday that the weather was causing delays up to 48 hours across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.
Following last week's storm that dumped up to 2 feet of snow on parts of New England, some shoppers opted for the comforts of home rather than venturing out.
Many people did not have the luxury of staying home.
In the western Chicago suburb of Geneva, Beth Anderson, 38, was shoveling the remains of Sunday's snow from her driveway before sunrise on Monday while warming up her pickup truck for the short drive to her job at a mall.
"I just wish I could get the day off too but it would take more than a bit of weather to close down the mall where I work," she said.

‘Snowden has more US-Israel secrets to expose’

Former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden has more secrets to reveal that relate to Israel, the journalist who first brought his leaks to the world's attention said on Monday.

Among allegations aired by Snowden last year were that the US National Security Agency and its British counterpart GCHQ had in 2009 targeted an email address listed as belonging to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and monitored emails of senior defence officials.

Israel played down the disclosures. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the matter examined and that "there are things that must not be done" between allies.

Glenn Greenwald, who as a writer for Britain's Guardian met face-to-face with the fugitive Snowden and has written or co-authored many of the newspaper's stories based on his material, was asked in an Israeli television interview whether the ex-contractor had more secrets to tell that related to Israel.

"Yes. I don't want to preview any stories that aren't yet published, but it is definitely the case that there are a huge number of very significant stories that are left to report," said the Brazil-based Greenwald, speaking to Channel Ten TV by video link.

"We have only had these documents for seven months, which, given their volume and complexity, is not a very long time. There definitely are stories left that involve the Middle East, that involve Israel. The reporting is going to continue at roughly the same pace that has been happening."

Last month, several Israeli cabinet members and lawmakers said news of US spying on Israel was an opportunity to press Washington to free jailed Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard.

Pollard, a former US Navy intelligence analyst, was sentenced to a life term in 1987 in the United States for spying for Israel. A succession of US presidents have spurned Israeli calls for his pardon.

In what appeared to be a bid to calm the clamour, Netanyahu said Israel constantly sought Pollard's release and did not need a "special occasion" to discuss his case with Washington.

Greenwald voiced understanding for the Pollard linkage.

"I think you are absolutely right to contrast the Jonathan Pollard case with revelations of American spying on their closest allies within the Israeli government, because it does underlie, underscore exactly the hypocrisy that lies at the centre of so much of what the US government does," he said

Australia crush England to seal 5-0 Ashes sweep

Australia obliterated England's batting in a shade over 31 overs to claim a thumping 281-run fifth Test victory with more than two days to spare and seal only the third 5-0 sweep in the long history of Ashes series on Sunday.

The triumph at a sunbaked Sydney Cricket Ground completed a remarkable turnaround for Australia, who were in disarray after being swept themselves in India and going down 3-0 in England to lose a third successive Ashes series last year.

A big clue to how Australia managed that turnaround came when paceman Mitchell Johnson was awarded the Compton-Miller medal as Man of the Series after taking 37 wickets at a shade under 14 apiece over the five Tests.

Johnson's ferocious pace again played an integral part in Australia's victory in Sydney but it was no one man show and his fellow quick Ryan Harris won Man of the Match honours after taking five for 25 as England were skittled for 166 on Sunday.

"It's very special after the roller-coaster ride, the ups and downs of 2013," said Australia captain Michael Clarke, who also played in the 2006-7 sweep but clearly not that of 1920-21.

"It's been a lot of work to get us where we are today. I said to the bowlers at the start of the series that I thought they were the best attack in the world and I think they've shown that in five Test matches."

Johnson's revival was even more remarkable than that achieved by Australia, turning him from a figure of ridicule for England's travelling Barmy Army into a bowler who struck fear into the touring batsmen.

It was his intervention after tea on Sunday that turned what had been a stately progression to victory into another humiliating rout for the tourists.

After finally dismissing Chris Rogers for 119 and bowling Australia out for 276, England stumbled to the break on 87 for three chasing a highly improbable 448 for victory.

A fifth thumping victory had always looked on the cards after Australia's pace attack tore through England's top order in the first hour of day two.

A more spectacular collapse in 11 balls after the second interval on day three made it certain with Johnson dismissing opener Michael Carberry for 43 and Gary Ballance three balls later in the first over.

"Mitchell's bowled a couple of spells in this series that are without doubt as good a spells as I've seen in my career," said Clarke.

"And I've been lucky enough to play with Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Shane Warne."

Spinner Nathan Lyon took over for the next over and he dismissed Jonny Bairstow (zero) and Scott Borthwick (four) to reduce the tourists to 95-7 in a matter of minutes.

With England's top order having failed yet again, Ben Stokes (32) and Stuart Broad (42) provided their country's stiffest resistance down the order but they could only delay the inevitable.

COUP DE GRACE

Harris bowled them both before performing the coup de grace on debutant Boyd Rankin and the SCG, bathed in pink in honour of Glenn McGrath's breast cancer charity, rose to hail the Australia team.

"I think today's batting was a culmination of being under the kosh for four and a half games," said England captain Alastair Cook.

"Credit to Australia, I can't even count on how many sessions we won in the series. That's a pretty daunting stat to take but a very realistic statistic."

Australia had already reclaimed the coveted urn after winning the Brisbane Test by 381 runs, the Adelaide match by 218 runs, in Perth by 150 runs and taking an eight-wicket triumph in Melbourne.

For a dispirited England, their triumphs in India in 2012 and in Australia in 2010-11 will appear a distant memory and they face an immediate future of recrimination and rebuilding.

Aside from criticisms of his captaincy, Cook's miserable series was a reflection of that of a vaunted batting line-up which simply failed to fire in the face of sustained pressure from the Australians.

The England skipper's seven runs on Sunday gave him 246 at an average of 24.6 for the series, a paltry return compared to the 766 runs at 127 he accumulated on his last trip to Australia in 2010-11 when he returned home a 3-1 winner.

England's other top batsmen did not fare much better with Jonathan Trott returning home after the defeat in the opening Test to deal with stress-related issues and Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen failing to live up to their billing.

The England bowlers have little more to crow about and one of the many statistics being bandied about to illustrate Australia's supremacy in the series will embarrass them.

While Australia took all 100 wickets in a five-Test Ashes series for the first time, England failed to dismiss their opponent's number 11 batsman, Lyon, even once.

"It's tough knowing you've played your five matches and lost them all badly," Cook added. "We just weren't good enough to turn it around."

Nadal beats Monfils to win Qatar title

Rafa Nadal began his year in perfect fashion with a three-set victory over Frenchman Gael Monfils in the Qatar Open in Doha on Saturday as he warms up for this month's Australian Open.

Spain's world number one put down an ominous marker for the year's first Grand Slam by claiming his 61st career title with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2 win over flamboyant Monfils in the desert city.

The triumph took Nadal past American Andre Agassi into eighth spot on the all-time list of ATP Tour title winners and helped him extend his lead at the top of the world rankings over Novak Djokovic who opted not to play this week.

"Every victory is important and the title today means a lot to me. It is the first time in my career that I am able to start the season with a victory. That's always important," Nadal said after adding Qatar to his long list of successful venues.

Monfils's two career wins over Nadal were in Doha in 2009 and 2012 but, apart from the second set, he was outmuscled by the Spaniard who moved smoothly on the hard court and was far too rugged.

"Rafa put pressure on me from the first point," said Monfils. "He was very aggressive from the first game and it was tougher for me to adjust."

Nadal is now one title behind Argentine Guillermo Vilas and closing in on the 64 of Sweden's Bjorn Borg and American Pete Sampras, who are joint fifth on the all-time list.

US braces for record lows in big freeze

A taxi cab drives into a pile of snow on East End Ave near E 86th St after an overnight storm dropped up to 7 inches of snow in New York City.

Authorities urged Americans to stay indoors and stock up on food after a fierce winter storm killed 11 people and forecasters said the Arctic blast could bring record low temperatures.

There was no sign of respite Saturday from the brutal chill that has struck since the start of 2014 in parts of the northeastern United States and Canada, prompting New York and New Jersey to declare a state of emergency.

Following heavy snowfall Thursday, one of the coldest Arctic outbreaks in the past two decades is set to plunge America's Midwest close to record cold conditions.

Chicago could on Monday see some of its most bracing weather ever, with temperatures hovering around minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), weather analysts said.

Gusty winds could bring what forecasters at the National Weather Service called "very dangerous levels" of wind chill.

"Incredibly, it may feel as cold as -50 to -60 (Fahrenheit) on Sunday night over sections of the north-central states with the frigid air remaining in place into early next week," it said.

In such conditions, exposed skin would suffer frostbite in as little as five minutes, forecasters cautioned.

Authorities have urged people in the worst-hit areas to spend the first weekend of the new year at home for their own safety and to allow rescue and clean-up teams to get to work as quickly as possible.

"Chicagoans are a hearty bunch," said Matt Smith, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.

"But when temperatures get as cold as they are predicted, you want to start thinking out things in advance," the Chicago Tribune quoted him as saying, adding that the department had advised people stay indoors and ensure they have medical supplies and food.

In Minnesota, Governor Mark Dayton has already announced schools will be closed Monday "to protect all our children from the dangerously cold temperatures."

The storm has been the first big test for New York City's new Mayor Bill de Blasio, who only took up his job Wednesday.

‘Eternal’ Eusebio dies at 71

A file photo taken on November 4, 2011 shows Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo receiving the ‘Golden Boot 2011’ award from Eusebio (L) in Madrid.

Portuguese great Eusebio, top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, died on Sunday from a heart attack at the age of 71 with the small Iberian nation mourning him as an ‘eternal symbol’ of their football pride.
The death of the charismatic striker, who was idolised throughout the Portuguese-speaking world and considered one of the game’s greatest players was confirmed by former club Benfica and the Portuguese Football Federation.
‘Portugal is mourning. Eusebio, the King of Portugal’s 1966 team and the eternal symbol of the country, national team and Benfica passed away,’ the FPF said in a statement.
The Portuguese government declared three days of national mourning and many fans paid homage by visiting an iconic statue of him erected next to Benfica’s Luz stadium, leaving flowers, scarves and other tributes.
Eusebio, whose full name was Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, was European Footballer of the Year in 1965 but won global acclaim a year later at the World Cup in England, where his nine goals helped Portugal reach the semi-finals.
He earned 64 caps and scored 41 goals for Portugal, records that stood for almost two decades.
Nicknamed the ‘Black Panther’, Eusebio was a European Cup winner with Benfica in 1962 and played in three other finals, including the loss to Manchester United at Wembley in 1968.
Eusebio helped Benfica to 11 Portugues championships and later served as an ‘ambassador’ for the club. He scored more than 300 league goals for the Lisbon outfit.
‘The news caught us by surprise brutally, because there are men who should never go away,’ a Benfica statement read.
‘The life of Eusebio is the patrimony of everyone who loves football.’
As news of Eusebio’s death spread, tributes began pouring in from the football family.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on his Twitter page: ‘football has lost a legend but Eusebio’s place among the greats will never be taken away.’
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who overtook Eusebio last year to go to the top of the country’s list of top marksmen and trigger a debate on who is the best Portuguese player of all time, shared a picture of him and Eusebio on Twitter.

Author who works as a domestic help

Baby Halder

She has been on book tours to cities such as Paris, Frankfurt and Hong Kong, her books have been translated into 12 foreign languages — including French, German and Japanese. She is often invited to speak at literary festivals across the country, Hindustan Times reported.
Her new book is set to hit the stands later this month.
However, there is an intriguing twist in the tale of Baby Halder. This 39-year-old prolific writer does not like to be called an author.
‘I am a domestic help, not a writer,’ said Halder, who has two best-selling books to her credit and first shot to fame in 2006, with her work A Life Less Ordinary.
For the past 14 years, Halder has been working as a maid at the house of Prabodh Kumar in Gurgaon, where she lives in a temporary house on the terrace.
Kumar, 80, her employer, is not only her employer, but also her literary mentor and translator.
‘When she started working at my house, she had enormous interest in books. She would pick Bengali books from the bookshelf and avidly read them. As I interacted with her, I realised that she had a story that needed to be told,’ said Kumar, a retired professor of Anthropology.
Halder had a motherless childhood and an abusive father. Her step-mother married her off at the tender age of 13 years to a man twice her age. She was raped on her wedding night.
Fed up with her abusive husband, she boarded a train from Durgapur in West Bengal for Delhi, where she started working as a maid at a house. She, however, soon left the house after her employers started mistreating her. Soon, she found work at Prabodh Kumar’s house and life took a turn for the better.
One day, Kumar handed Halder a pen and asked her to write her story in her mother tongue, Bengali.
‘What she wrote had enormous depth. In fact, I showed it to my friends and they agreed with me,’ said Kumar, who has translated Halder’s books into Hindi.
In fact, her first book ‘Aalo Aandhari’ (Light and Darkness) was published in 2002 in Hindi. In 2006, it was published in English, titled ‘A Life Less Ordinary: A Memoir.’
In 2010, she published her second book ‘Eshast Rupantar’, — a sequel to her first book — the English translation of which is slated to be released next month. Her third book — the story of her progression from childhood to teenage — will be published by the end of this month.
Halder said she writes between cooking, sweeping and swabbing and it took her a year to finish each of her books. ‘I am not organised or disciplined as far as writing is concerned. I write anytime, anywhere,’ she added.
Halder has rubbed shoulder with many top writers at literary festivals and seminar across the world.
She is a fan of Arundhati Roy, Taslima Nasrin and Jhumpa Lahiri.  Nasrin’s ‘Amar Meyebela’ (My Girlhood) is her favourite book. ‘I have met her several times; she has always been very encouraging,’ said Halder.
 ‘They mostly discuss my life and my writing; but one question that everyone asks is why I continue as a domestic help,’ Halder said.
Halder has built a house in Kolkata with earnings from her books. ‘I need not work as a domestic help anymore, but I am not comfortable leaving my employer who is a father-like figure to me. But eventually I hope to move to Kolkata someday, which I think is the best place for people who want to write in Bengali,’ said Halder.
Her two children, Tapas, 20, and Piya 17 — who want to become a fashion designer — often complain about not being sent to a private English-medium school.
‘They do not understand that when they started going to school, I did not have enough money. Today, I would have certainly sent them to a private school,’ Halder added.
A voracious reader, Halder is looking forward to reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘The Lowland’ and ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’. ‘Many people say it is similar to my first book,’ Halder said.  
She has been closely following the Devyani Khobragade issue and feels that it was Sangeeta  Richard, the maid, and not her employer who is the victim in the case.
‘I appreciate the domestic help’s courage in taking on her powerful employer, who I believe shortchanged her in terms of salary. Unfortunately, there is no respect for physical labour in India. The rich and the powerful feel that they have a right to exploit their domestic help,’ she added.

Serena fires her way to victory, Federer sets up Hewitt showdown

Serena Williams laid down an imposing marker ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year by powering to a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka at the Brisbane International.

The American won the battle between the world's top two players to pick up her 58th career title.

In the men's draw, Roger Federer will be chasing a 19th win over home favourite Lleyton Hewitt when the two 32-year-olds renew their friendly rivalry in Sunday's final.

Both players needed three sets to reach the final with top seed Federer beating Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-7(3-7), 6-3 and Hewitt downing Japan's Kei Nishikori 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in stifling conditions.

The women's final lacked the intensity of Williams' victory over Maria Sharapova on Friday but lived up to its promise in a pulsating second set.

The world number one's serve was far more consistent than in her previous match and she did not face a break point in taking the first set.

She was gifted the only break in the seventh game when Azarenka blasted a forehand wide down the line.

The American then sealed the set with an ace and an early end to the match seemed likely when she broke the Belarusian in the first game of the second set, but instead it brought her opponent to life.

Azarenka broke Williams twice to take a 4-2 lead but lost her own serve to restore parity.

In the crucial 11th game, Williams hit a vicious backhand down the line to secure her third break of the set and then served out for victory.

Her second set efforts showed Azarenka is not far off from toppling Williams, who she split four matches with last year, and after the match said: "I hope to meet you in Melbourne."

Williams is also eyeing another meeting between the pair before they leave Australia.

"I hope we do play in Melbourne too because that would mean we'd be going the farthest," Williams said.

Conditions were far easier for the women finalists than for the first men's semi-final between Hewitt and Nishikori, where both players struggled as the temperature reached 42 degrees.

"When you just come off the court it feels like it's the worst you've played in," Hewitt said.

"It was a really heavy humidity feel out there. I was sweating just walking out to have my warm-up."

Federer was far from his best against Chardy, losing the second set in a tiebreak. However, crucially as his French opponent's serve fell apart in the third set, Federer swooped to set up a 27th meeting with Hewitt.

"Jeremy has a great serve and made it tough for me," said Federer, who has won 16 of his last 17 meetings with the Australian.

"It will be very different against Lleyton. He has the game to cause me a lot of problems."