Ronaldo wira Real

RONALDO tampil cemerlang untuk membantu Real membelasah Ajax 4-1 awal pagi semalam.

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AMSTERDAM - Cristiano Ronaldo meledakkan hatrik untuk membantu Real Madrid membelasah Ajax Amsterdam 4-1 pada aksi kedua Kumpulan D kempen Liga Juara-Juara awal pagi semalam.

Kemenangan di Arena Amsterdam itu turut melebarkan rekod kemenangan pasukan gergasi Liga Sepanyol itu selepas skuad kendalian José Mourinho menewas- kan Manchester City 3-2 pada aksi pertama dua minggu lalu.

Satu lagi jaringan Real diperoleh mene- rusi Karim Benzema manakala Niklas Moisander menyumbat gol tunggal Ajax. 

Mourinho berkata, kejayaan yang ditempa anak-anak buahnya itu mengukuhkan lagi perancangan pasukan untuk mencapai objektif utama, sekali gus menaikkan keyakinan para pemain. 

"Real sudah kembali. Ini merupakan pencapaian cemerlang kami musim ini. Kami memenangi tiga atau empat perla- wanan secara berturut-turut.

"Kami perlu meneruskannya. kami tidak akan menang kesemua perlawanan tetapi apabila kualiti seseorang pemain mampu diterjemahkan dalam bentuk keputusan, ia sesuatu yang normal," ujarnya.

Sementara itu, jurulatih Ajax, Frank de Noer berkata: "Pemain boleh memberi penghormatan (untuk Real) tetapi kita perlu mengekalkan corak tersendiri. Apa yang saya lihat, kami terlalu menghormati mereka."

Jumlah jaringan mungkin terlalu besar, namun prestasi yang dipamerkan Kenneth Vermeer ketika mempertahankan ga- wang Ajax harus diberi pujian.

Beraksi di hadapan 50,000 penonton, Real lebih pantas menguasai perlawanan, sekali gus meraih sepakan sudut seawal minit ke-10, namun mereka gagal menyem- purnakan setiap peluang yang diperoleh. - AFP

Thu jadi jutawan kerana eksport rambut manusia ke luar negara

DUA wanita bekerja di sebuah bengkel yang mengumpulkan rambut manusia di Kampung Binh An pada 15 Jun lalu. - AFP

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BINH AN, Vietnam - Seorang penduduk kampung di sini, Do Van Thu menjadi kaya selepas dia menjual rambut manusia.

Thu menjadi jutawan dalam tempoh 13 tahun selepas dia memulakan perniagaan menjual rambut manusia sehingga dieksport ke luar negara.

"Pada setiap tahun, keluarga saya mengeksport 50 tan hingga 60 tan rambut ke China.

"Kami membeli rambut di seluruh Vietnam termasuk dari Laos dan Kemboja," katanya yang berusia 50 tahun.

Permintaan untuk mendapatkan rambut itu telah meningkat sejak sepuluh tahun lalu terutamanya daripada golongan wanita muda.

Thu mempunyai sebuah bengkel yang digunakan untuk membersih dan mengumpulkan rambut itu di sini sekali gus memberi peluang pekerjaan kepada penduduk kampung.

"Setiap pekerja saya memperoleh pendapatan AS$140 (RM427) sebulan," katanya.

Jumlah itu tiga kali ganda daripada purata pendapatan penduduk luar bandar di negara ini.
Menurut seorang penduduk kampung ini, Nguyen Van Tam, harga rambut itu adalah antara AS$45 (RM137) hingga AS$250 (RM763) bagi setiap satu kilogram.

Menurutnya, harga tersebut adalah bergantung kepada kualiti rambut. - AFP

Spesies baharu dinosaur diberi nama

REUTERS GAMBAR menunjukkan bentuk kepala spesies baharu dinosaur yang diberi nama Pegomastax africanus.

WASHINGTON - Seorang pengkaji haiwan purba, Paul Sereno mengenal pasti identiti satu spesies baharu dinosaur yang mempunyai badan seperti landak. 

Sereno membuat kajian tentang identiti dinosaur yang mempunyai gigi taring dan paruh seperti burung kakak tua itu selepas melihat spesimen haiwan berkenaan pada 1983 di Universiti Harvard, Amerika Syarikat.

Spesimen haiwan itu ditemui pada serpihan seketul batu di Afrika Selatan pada 1960-an.

Dia memberi nama dinosaur itu Pegomastax africanus yang bermaksud rahang tebal dari Afrika dan ia hidup antara 100 juta hingga 200 juta tahun lalu.

"Saya menggambarkan dinosaur itu sebagai seekor burung, puntianak dan landak," katanya yang merupakan pakar dinosaur di Universiti Chicago.

Penemuan tersebut dilaporkan kelmarin dalam jurnal ZooKeys di internet.

Panjang dinosaur itu kurang 61 sentimeter (sm) dan ia memakan tumbuh-tumbuhan.

Sereno berkata, dinosaur itu mempunyai berat seperti seekor kucing yang dipelihara di rumah manakala ketinggian haiwan tersebut kurang 30sm. - Agensi

JT’s £800k legal bill

GUILTY ... John Terry at Wembley yesterday

JOHN TERRY faces a mega £800,000 bill over the Anton Ferdinand race row.

And Chelsea will not pay a penny of it.

JT was “disappointed” after the FA yesterday found him guilty of racially abusing the QPR defender.

He copped a four-game ban and an FA record £220,000 fine.

But that is only a fraction of the sum Chelsea’s captain spent fighting his case.

Terry, 31, has run up legal fees estimated at £750,000 battling his criminal and FA charges.
He hopes to recoup around £400,000 from the court case, where he was found not guilty.

But the ex-England skipper is now liable to pay the costs of the FA hearing, too, said to be at least £200,000.
That brings his total bill to a whopping £770,000.

But if Terry decides to continue his fight and appeal against the FA’s punishment, his legal bill will rise even further.
A statement issued on his behalf said: “Mr Terry is disappointed that the FA commission has reached a different conclusion to the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law.

“He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal.”

Terry has 14 days from receiving the FA commission’s written report to decide what to do next.
His fine and ban will be suspended until any appeal is heard, the 14 days expire or Terry announces he will not appeal.

But if the Blues defender does appeal and loses, the FA’s punishment could be increased.
Terry announced on Sunday he was quitting international football, claiming the FA had made his position in the England team untenable by continuing to persue the charge against him.

Westminster Magistrates cleared him in July of racially abusing Ferdinand, 27, after Chelsea’s Premier League clash at QPR last October.

Terry admitted in court using obscene words towards Ferdinand — but not as a racist insult.
A club statement last night said: “Chelsea Football Club notes and respects today’s decision.

“We also recognise that John has the right to appeal that decision.

“It is therefore inappropriate for us to comment further on the matter at this time.”

Stunning images of hated wasps sure are the bee’s knees...

Buzz-t side ... even the unloved wasp looks pretty in this picture

Caters News Agency

 

 

THEY might be one of the world's most hated insects but as these images show even wasps can look good — with the right lighting.

These remarkable pictures show them in a completely different way, revealing a more tranquil and beautiful side.
Photographer Irina Kozorog enticed the insects using sweet foods such as raspberries to lure them into her shots.
And the 35-year-old, from Moscow, got stung three times as she waited for the wasps to come for her treats. 

The mum of two admitted she did not like wasps before taking the pictures and said: “I usually prefer to photograph ants but this year I decided to try and make friends with the wasps too. 

“The wasps are actually much smarter than I thought they were. 

Winging it ... insects flies into shot

Caters News Agency 

 

“I had to wait up to half an hour each time for one to come over but it was well worth the wait. 

“As with all other animals, wasps like you to talk to them. They like a calm voice and don’t like quick movements. 

“Their behaviour seemed to depend on the weather. The better the weather, the friendlier the wasps were. 

“While I was taking these pictures I was stung three times but it was always my fault. They would never sting without a reason. 

“I just kept in mind that I was on their territory and I was a guest there.” 

Close-up ... snapper got full-on shots of wasps

Caters News Agency

Chelsea 6 Wolves 0

JOHN TERRY found some welcome relief from his troubles as he provided the biggest shock of the night.

Just hours after another tortuous grilling from the FA’s disciplinary commission, the former England skipper was a surprise selection to lead Chelsea out against Wolves. 

Terry had only left the Wembley hearing into his alleged racist abuse of Anton Ferdinand in the early afternoon following five hours of questioning and legal wrangling. 

And no one had expected the 31-year-old defender to be on duty after such a draining battle to save his reputation.
But the football pitch is Terry’s only safe haven right now and with a potential lengthy ban looming he clearly wants to take full advantage of every opportunity to play. 

He will be back at Wembley today as his lawyers continue to plead his innocence but the Stamford Bridge supporters have already delivered their verdict on the man they call captain, leader, legend. 

“One England captain,” they chanted as soon as their hero appeared and Terry acknowledged their support with an appreciative gesture. 

As a contest, this one was as easy as Terry could ever have dared to hope for as Chelsea put the tie to bed while barely breaking sweat. 

They were ahead after just four minutes and never took their foot off the gas as poor Wolves were simply crushed in this Capital One Cup tie. 

It all started with Ronald Zubar’s foul on Victor Moses which allowed Juan Mata to send over a free-kick for an emphatic back post header by Gary Cahill. 

And with the visitors still trying to sort themselves out at the back, Chelsea doubled their lead inside eight minutes when keeper Dorus de Vries failed to hold Oriol Romeu’s low shot and Ryan Bertrand pounced on Lucas Piazon’s pull-back. 

It was shaping up to be a long night for Wolves boss Stale Solbakken, who had made 10 changes to the team which had won at 2-0 Peterborough at the weekend. 

The last time he had faced Chelsea was two years ago in the Champions League when he was boss of FC Copenhagen. 

BLUE IS THE COLOUR ... John Terry - who quit England on Sunday - warms up ahead of kick-off

 

Now he was trying to halt the European champions with his reserve team... and failing miserably.
Chelsea looked capable of scoring every time they crossed the halfway line and it came as no surprise when the impeccable Mata fired them even further ahead on 17 minutes. 

Swapping passes with first Ramires and then Fernando Torres, the little Spanish maestro waltzed through the mesmerised Wolves defence before lashing home his first goal of the season. 

It was like shooting fish in a barrel for Chelsea and they almost paid for taking things a bit too easily midway through the first-half. 

HEADS WE WIN ... Fernando Torres nods in No 5

 

David Davis’ ball allowed Slawomir Peszko to run right between Terry and Cahill and around keeper Ross Turnbull, but with the goal beckoning the Polish winger shot wide. 

It was as close as Wolves were going to get to a consolation all night and they were soon back deep in their own half desperately trying to keep the score respectable. 

Mata, all 5ft 7in of him, shaved the post with a free-kick and Torres fired across the face of goal after a poor first touch had forced him wide. 

Georg Margreitter almost sliced into his own net and Mata fizzed another free-kick perilously close on a night when Piazon, Moses and Cesar Azpilicueta all started their first game for the Blues. 

MINE ... John Terry gets stuck in to clear his lines

 

But any Wolves hopes that Chelsea might take things easy after the break were quickly dashed when Moses was brought down by De Vries and Romeu scored from the spot with 53 minutes gone.
Even Torres got in on the act with his first goal in five games, the striker heading in unchallenged from Mata’s 58th-minute corner. 

And Moses completed the rout from substitute Oscar’s cross. 

Chelsea started the season going for seven trophies and have already waved goodbye to the Community Shield and Super Cup. 

SIX AND OUT ... Victor Moses makes it 6-0

 

But at least their Capital One Cup hopes are still alive.

Roman £45m Falcao bid

HE'S RAD ... Chelsea are lining up a bid for Falcao

CHELSEA are plotting a £45million swoop for Colombian superstar Radamel Falcao.

Preliminary discussions have already taken place about a January move for the Atletico Madrid goal machine.
And Blues owner Roman Abramovich has given the green light to a formal bid after watching Falcao destroy his team in last month’s UEFA Super Cup.

The European champions now believe they cannot achieve their ambitions with Fernando Torres as their only front-line striker.

And they are already holding internal talks to work out the best way of being first in the queue for Falcao when the transfer window reopens in January.

A Chelsea source admitted: “The groundwork is already being done for Falcao.
“The owner wants everything in place now so a deal can be done before any other club can make a counter-offer.”

Falcao, 26, has scored an astonishing 115 goals in just three years in European football, including a Monaco hat-trick against Chelsea in the Super Cup.

Atletico paid £32million to sign him from Porto only last summer, but up to half of that fee is believed to have been provided by a third party investment fund which includes the player’s representative Jorge Mendes.

I’m a human hamster

'Tredalo' ... Chris Todd will cross Irish Sea on machine

Engineer ... smiling Chris

WACKY Chris Todd demonstrates how he can walk on water — in a giant hamster wheel.
The engineer, 35, plans to scrabble along like a rodent for TWO DAYS on a 66-mile trek across the Irish Sea from Wales to Ireland.

Chris, of Bromham, Wilts, hopes to raise £20,000 for charity on his metal “Tredalo” which took him 11 months to make.

He is waiting for calm weather before setting off from Holyhead.
Chris said: “Imagine spending 48 hours on a stepping machine in the gym without getting any sleep.
“It is going to be one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.”

Wheel I never ... Chris has trial run on a lake

Jualan iPhone cecah lima juta unit

GAMBAR menunjukkan iPhone 5.

NEW YORK - Gergasi elektronik Amerika Syarikat (AS), menyatakan semalam bahawa jualan iPhone 5 mencecah lima juta unit selepas telefon pintar terbaharu itu dilancarkan pada hujung minggu lalu.

Apple dalam satu kenyataan berkata, sebahagian pelanggan terpaksa menunggu untuk memiliki gajet terbaharu tersebut ekoran jumlah permintaan kini melebihi bekalan.

"Permintaan untuk iPhone 5 menakjubkan dan kami sedang berusaha keras untuk membekalkan iPhone 5 kepada setiap pelanggan kami," kata Ketua Eksekutif Apple, Tim Cook.
Menurutnya, iPhone 5 mula dijual di AS, Australia dan beberapa negara lain pada Jumaat lalu.

Gajet pintar itu akan dijual di 22 buah negara pada Jumaat ini.
iPhone 5 dijual pada harga bermula daripada AS$199 (RM611) untuk model berkapasiti 16 gigabit (GB) hingga AS$399 (RM1,225) bagi versi 64GB di AS. - Agensi

'Sukar pertahan gelaran juara'

DI MATTEO mahu skuad kendaliannya menampilkan semangat juang tinggi bagi mengharungi kempen Liga Juara-Juara musim ini.

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LONDON - Pengurus Chelsea, Roberto Di Matteo sekali lagi mengingatkan anak-anak buahnya bahawa mereka tampil sebagai penyandang juara dalam kempen Liga Juara-Juara musim ini.

Di Matteo memberi amaran itu sebagai satu motivasi apabila The Blues memulakan misi mempertahan gelaran Eropah itu dengan menentang Juventus di Stamford Bridge awal pagi esok.

Chelsea kembali membuat perhitungan di pentas berprestij itu empat bulan selepas meraih kemenangan dramatik menerusi penentuan sepakan penalti ketika membenam Bayern Munich pada aksi final di Allianz Arena.

Ketika itu, Chelsea dibimbing sementara oleh Di Matteo yang mengambil alih tugas André Villas-Boas yang dipecat.

Ternyata, sentuhan Di Matteo membawa tuah buat The Blues apabila merangkul kejuaraan pertama kempen Eropah.

Biarpun pada awalnyatidak diletakkan harapan yang tinggi, namun Chelsea membuktikan betapa mereka berhak merangkul gelaran juara Eropah dengan bimbingan Di Matteo.

Kejayaan itu sudah cukup untuk meyakinkan pemilik Chelsea, Roman Ab- ramovich untuk melantik Di Matteo sebagai pengurus tetap The Blues musim ini.

Menjelang pertemuan menentang Juventus yang akan menjadi ujian sulung Chelsea dalam kempen Eropah musim ini, Di Matteo meramalkan anak-anak buahnya bakal menghadapi tugas berat di hadapan penyokong mereka sendiri.

"Setiap pasukan lawan pasti lebih bersemangat apabila menentang juara bertahan. Jadi, situasi itu akan menyukarkan lagi tugas kami musim ini.

"Saya sedar tiada pasukan meraih gelaran juara Eropah untuk dua musim berturut-turut dan saya tidak terkejut kerana ia memang satu tugas yang sukar.

"Untuk meraih kejuaraan buat kali kedua berturut-turut agak mustahil kerana ia (Liga Juara- Juara) merupakan saingan yang cukup kompetitif," jelas Di Mat- teo.

Sementara itu, penjaga gol berpengalaman Juventus, Gianluigi Buffon sudah bersedia untuk mengekang setiap asakan penggempur Chelsea yang dijangka diterajui Fernando Tor- res.

"Saya sudah tidak sabar mendengar lagu rasmi Liga Juara- Juara. Dalam beberapa tahun se- belum ini, saya hanya mendengar di televisyen.

"Kini kami sudah kembali (beraksi dalam Liga Juara-Juara). Saya dan rakan-rakan sepasukan sudah bersedia untuk bertemu Chelsea nanti," katanya. - AFP