From Thierry Henry to Didier Drogba: London's ten greatest Premier League imports

     

ame: Thierry Henry. Club: Arsenal (1999 – 2007 and 2012 (loan). A star of France's 1998 World Cup win, Henry’s club career was in limbo before he joined the Gunners in 1999. Despite an underwhelming six month spell on the wing at Juventus, Arsene Wenger was convinced the elegant forward could thrive in England and signed him for £10.5m. After failing to score for eight games - Henry went on to etch his name in Arsenal folklore as the club's greatest ever goalscorer, hitting 228 goals in 377 games for the Gunners. 'Titi' won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a host of individual awards

Clashes as anti-fascist and community groups protest against EDL march

                       

Muslim leaders and politicians in London's East End said they are "fed up" but "united" as they led a protest to counter a controversial march by the far-right English Defence League (EDL) being held on their doorstep.

Earlier today thousands of people gathered at the Altab Ali Park in Aldgate East, east London. They had walked past the closed roads and heavy uniformed police security lining the streets a stone's throw away from the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre (ELM).

The park is in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets, home to one of Britain's largest Muslim populations.

Messages in the mosque relayed after prayers said the numbers of Muslims at the park "were in small numbers" as many people had decided not come out. It assured them that it was a safe and peaceful rally watched by a large number of police and that they would be welcome to show that "we can not live with hatred".

At the same time the EDL, who had wanted to demonstrate in the heart of Tower Hamlets, began a restricted march under close watch by the police.

They lost a High Court battle over where they are allowed to demonstrate. The Metropolitan Police had allowed it to protest but with strict conditions that meant any march would be held at the outskirts of the borough and close to Tower Bridge.

Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman and John Biggs, a local Labour London Assembly member, were among the campaigners who listened to speeches at the Altab Ali park which is named after an Asian garment worker who was killed in a race attack in May 1978.

Mr Rahman admitted that he was "very fed up " with having to deal with these demonstrations saying: "We just want to get on with our normal lives."

He said: "We are celebrating peace and tranquility. We are not espousing violence. The people who want to talk about violence and inflict violence and hate on others can just go back to their nests and their holes.

"We are a united community and we are a diverse community. Young people are not coming out today because they are frightened."

Djokovic wins epic to reach final

                        
Novak Djokovic won an epic match against Stanislas Wawrinka for the second time this year to reach a fourth consecutive US Open final.

The pair played arguably the best match of the season at the Australian Open, which Djokovic eventually won 12-10 in the fifth set, and the latest edition was only slightly less dramatic.

Wawrinka twice led as he looked to follow up his win over defending champion Andy Murray with an even bigger scalp, but Djokovic is a master of coming through such matches and so it proved again.

The world number one was never at his best but he had more left in the tank in the fifth set and ground out a 2-6 7-6 (7/4) 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory after four hours and nine minutes.

Djokovic said: "These matches are what we live for, what we practise for.

"It was obvious that Stan played more aggressive, he played better tennis. I was trying to hang in there, trying to adjust. I had to run a lot, I wasn't playing as well as I wanted but all the credit to him for playing so well.

"I was so fortunate to play my best tennis when I needed to."

The first set was an absolute horror show from Djokovic, who dropped his serve three times in a row, throwing in four double faults.

Wawrinka, the man playing in his first grand slam semi-final, was far more composed than the one through to his 14th semi-final in a row.

Djokovic improved at the start of the second set but Wawrinka withstood the pressure in the fourth game, saving three break points, and then took his third chance to break in the next game when the Serb sent a forehand long.

Wawrinka was playing with the same authority he had against Murray, matching Djokovic in even the most brutal rallies and hitting both his one-handed backhand and forehand with tremendous zip.

Djokovic's mood was not improved when he received a warning from umpire Enric Molina for coaching, but he levelled at 4-4 when Wawrinka shanked a forehand.

The tie-break was high quality but Djokovic always had the edge, bringing up three set points and clinching it on the second with a cross-court forehand winner.

The world number one was certainly the favourite to go on and win and it was Wawrinka's turn to fall foul of Molina after he whacked a ball angrily into the crowd.

The cause of his frustration was a Djokovic break point in the opening game of the third set, but the Swiss saved it with an excellent serve.

Both men then proceeded to hold serve comfortably as the intensity of the match lulled, until Djokovic inexplicably played a terrible game to be broken to love and lose the set.

This was a new position for Wawrinka, who has not beaten Djokovic since 2006, but Wawrinka was under pressure straight away at the start of the fourth set and a double fault handed his opponent a 2-0 lead.

In the next game he earned a point penalty for smashing his racket, bouncing it hard on the ground and then snapping it over his knee just to be sure.

Soon after, Wawrinka left the court for a medical timeout after appearing to complain to the trainer of a problem with his left thigh or groin.

Djokovic held on to his advantage to level the match once more and Wawrinka was beginning to look understandably tired, but the Swiss held on to his serve to lead 2-1 in the decider after a quite remarkable game that lasted 21 minutes.

There were 12 deuces, five break points and some stunning shots, none better than the backhand down the line Wawrinka produced to save the fourth break point.

Both players whipped the crowd into a frenzy before Wawrinka eventually sealed it, but any thoughts that it could be a crucial moment were quickly dispelled as Djokovic held comfortably and then finally broke serve to lead 3-2.

There was no back for Wawrinka, and Djokovic clinched the victory with an ace.

Tokyo will host 2020 Olympic Games

                    
Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games following a vote in Buenos Aires, the International Olympic Committee has announced

The Japanese city beat rival bids from the Spanish capital Madrid, which was eliminated first, and Istanbul in Turkey.

The decision was made by the 100-plus committee members meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, billed itself as the safe and reliable choice at a time of global political and economic uncertainty.

"Tokyo can be trusted to be the safe pair of hands and much more," bid leader and IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda said in the final presentation. "Our case today is simple. Vote for Tokyo and you vote for guaranteed delivery. ... Tokyo is the right partner at the right time."

Tokyo had been on the defensive in the final days of the campaign because of mounting concerns over the leak of radioactive water from the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

In the final presentation before the vote, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe gave the IOC assurances that the Fukushima leak was not a threat to Tokyo and took personal responsibility for keeping the Games safe. "Let me assure you the situation is under control," Mr Abe said. "It has never done and will never do any damage to Tokyo."

Mr Abe gave further assurances when pressed on the issue by Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg. "It poses no problem whatsoever," Mr Abe said in Japanese, adding that the contamination was limited to a small area and had been "completely blocked". "There are no health-related problems until now, nor will there be in the future," he said. "I make the statement to you in the most emphatic and unequivocal way."

Tokyo Electric Power, Fukushima's operator, has acknowledged that tons of radioactive water have been seeping into the Pacific from the plant for more than two years after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami led to meltdowns at three of its reactors. Recent leaks from tanks storing radioactive water used to cool the reactors have added to fears that the amount of contaminated water is getting out of hand.

Even though it was only 5am in Tokyo, a gathering of 1,200 dignitaries and Olympic athletes crammed into a convention hall to celebrate the news. Cheers of "Banzai" filled the hall when the announcement was made that Tokyo had won.

Joe Murphy: David Cameron’s plan has been derailed by Putin’s power play

             
The Russian president took his revenge on Britain’s PM by using the G20 summit to expose divisions on Syria

In his worst nightmares, David Cameron could not have imagined he would end this week redefined as leader of a “small island no one pays any attention to”. Yet, thanks to the brutal wit of one of Vladimir Putin’s aides, that is the tag he carries home on his chartered jet from St Petersburg tonight.

The big drama of the G20 summit was, of course, the dramatic showdown between Putin and Barack Obama over military action in Syria. But between the powerplays of the Big Two was a delicious sub-plot of how Putin exacted payback for the way Cameron isolated him at the G8 talks in Northern Ireland three months ago.

Wind back to the scene on the shores of Lough Erne in June, another gathering overshadowed by divisions over how to tackle Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. Then, as now, the host used a dinner to put the squeeze on his rival.

Cameron, the G8 summit chair, was pursuing his own initiative to drive Assad to the negotiating table. The Prime Minister’s view is that a political settlement is possible if Assad is put under enough pressure, both military and political.

But from the very start Putin, Assad’s key ally, caused havoc, memorably branding Syrian rebels as bloody extremists who “kill their enemies and eat their organs”.

Then, as now, a dinner was the fulcrum of the summit. Cameron created a convivial atmosphere, with a relaxed dress code, a roaring fire and pints of Guinness to wash down Kettyle beef and apple crumble drenched in whiskey custard. If the mood music was relaxed, the politics were hard-nosed: Putin was outnumbered, and persuaded to agree to urge Assad to send representatives to new talks — which was then spun by No 10 as an agreement designed to ease Assad from power.

Last night’s dinner of caviar, blini and venison at the Peterhof Palace was another masterclass in summit machinations, which lasted between four and five hours. This time, however, it was not Putin but Obama who was being squeezed as leaders took their places in Peter the Great’s sumptuous palace.

Ever the showman, Putin fashioned an evening to express pride in his home town. He decided to resurrect a dying tradition of a summit cultural event, rarely held nowadays. In this case it was a “musical fountain show” featuring Russian dance, fireworks and lights immediately after dinner in the palace gardens and lasted a full hour. “I will count the heads that are lolling by the end of it,” said one hardened summiteer, grimacing at the prospect. Flattering his guests, Putin’s show included images of Tower Bridge and other icons.

Syria was explicitly off the formal G20 agenda, in keeping with the group’s origins as a summit of finance ministers. Officially, it was due only to be discussed in the margins, via bilaterals where like-minded allies can control what emerges. But at the very last minute Putin changed the rules, announcing a discussion between them all over the dinner table. Addressing the opening session, he said several participants had asked for time to discuss “very acute topics of international politics, in particular the situation around Syria”. He added: “I suggest we do this during dinner.”

Up, up and away! Virgin's SS2 spacecraft reaches the STRATOSPHERE - as carrier confirms that first commercial space flights are on track for next year

    

Space tourism is small step closer for mankind after Virgin Galactic carried out its second powered test flight to break the sound barrier and climb higher than ever before.

Its manned spacecraft has become the highest commercial winged vehicle to ever fly and it flexed its shuttlecock-inspired 'feather system' for the first time, which is used for safely re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.

A giant jet-powered cargo aircraft called WhiteKnightTwo carried the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) to an altitude of 46,000 feet above the Mojave desert before the spacecraft pilots started the rocket motor, which propelled the SS2 to 69,000 feet above the Earth's surface.

They only burned the rocket engine for 20 seconds, but the spacecraft reached a top speed of Mach 1.43.

While the speed of the test was impressive, the scientists were mostly interested in how the craft's re-entry system functioned.

Rooney out, Welbeck out... and now Sturridge OUT! England face striker crisis as injury forces star to miss Ukraine clash

                          

Daniel Sturridge has been ruled out of England's World Cup qualifier with Ukraine in Kiev on Tuesday.

Sturridge missed Friday night's win over Moldova at Wembley after aggravating a thigh injury in Liverpool's triumph over Manchester United last weekend.

It had been hoped the striker would have recovered sufficiently for him to report back for duty this evening.

However, the Football Association has confirmed that will not happen.

'The FA can confirm that Daniel Sturridge will not return to the England squad ahead of the World Cup qualifier with Ukraine on Tuesday," said the FA in a statement.

'Club England medical staff have been in constant contact with their counterparts at Liverpool football club since he returned there on Thursday, his injury has not progressed as had been hoped and it is now clear that Sturridge will not be fit for the match in Kiev on Tuesday evening.'

It has been confirmed there will be no replacement.

'No additions will be made to Roy Hodgson's squad of 23 players who travel to Ukraine on Sunday evening,' added the statement.

Following last night's game Hodgson admitted he had little hope of Sturridge recovering, although he was refusing to give up hope given how badly stretched his attacking options are.

Wayne Rooney had already been ruled out with a nasty head wound and Manchester United team-mate Danny Welbeck - who scored twice against Moldova - will also miss the trip after picking up a harsh booking, which means he is suspended.

In addition, Jermain Defoe is lacking match practice after failing to make a Premier League start for Tottenham this season.

Is Facebook bad for your child's health? Teenagers are more likely to smoke and drink if they see pictures of friends partying on the site

            

Using Facebook could make teenagers more likely to drink and smoke, a new report suggests.

Teenagers who see friends smoking and drinking alcohol in photographs posted on Facebook are more likely to smoke and drink themselves, according to the report.

‘Our study shows that adolescents can be influenced by their friends’ online pictures to smoke or drink alcohol,’ said Dr Thomas Valente, professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California and the study’s principal investigator.

‘To our knowledge, this is the first study to apply social network analysis methods to examine how teenagers’ activities on online social networking sites influence their smoking and alcohol use.’

Dr Valente and his team surveyed 1,563 15 and 16-year-old students about their online and offline friendship networks, the frequency of their social media use, their smoking, and their alcohol consumption. 

The researchers found that the size of a student’s online network of friends was not significantly associated with risky behaviour.

A daily glass of milk during pregnancy makes your children taller - even when they are teenagers

   

Children born to women who drink milk during pregnancy are more likely to be tall when they are teenagers, new research shows.

A team of scientists who tracked babies born in the late eighties found their height during adolescence was directly related to how much milk their mothers consumed when they were in the womb.

Although maternal milk intake has long been thought to promote growth in newborn babies, the latest research suggests the benefits last well into early adulthood.

Nutrition experts from Iceland, Denmark and the U.S. wanted to see if the benefits seen in the early stages of life from milk were extended into later years.

They tracked babies born to 809 women in Denmark in 1988 and 1989, after monitoring how much milk the women had consumed during the pregnancy.

The babies were measured for weight and birth length and tthen followed up again almost 20 years later.

The results, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, show teenagers of both sexes were generally taller if their mothers had drunk more than 150 millilitres - roughly a quarter of a pint of milk - a day during the pregnancy, compared to children born to women who drank less than that amount.

Twins who were joined at the spine are successfully separated after a pioneering - and incredibly risky - 18-hour operation

                       
Nigerian twins Hassana (left) and Hussaina (right) Badaru were separated during an 18 hour operation in New Delhi. They are pictured after the operation with their parents, Badaru Mannir and Malama Badariyya Badaru

Conjoined twins who shared spinal cords have successfully been separated during a gruelling eighteen-hour operation.

The operation on one-year-old Nigerian sisters Hussaina and Hassana Badaru involved 40 doctors, and is only the fourth such separation to be carried out in the world.

The pair, who were born with a condition called pygopagus in Kano, Nigeria, were joined at the hip and had spinal cord fusion, while also sharing a lower gastrointestinal passage and genitalia.

Specialist surgeons at BLK Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi, India, conducted the separation on August 12.

They carried out two procedures - one to divide the twins, and one reconstructive operation.

The procedures - which cost an estimated £64,000 and were paid for by a Nigerian philanthropist - were so risky that doctors were forced to conduct practice runs on dummies before attempting it for real.

Wales winger Bale confronted by pitch invaders during World Cup qualifier

          

Now he's the most expensive player on the planet, Gareth Bale has got to get used to fervent fans.

But the £86 million Real Madrid star looked a little taken aback when two supporters got a little too close for comfort during a half-time warm-up in Macedonia.

The Wales winger was warming up on the pitch with fellow substitute Adam Matthews when they were confronted by two fans.

Celtic midfielder Matthews stepped in to give Bale protection before security staff hurriedly hustled the man away, and Bale did his best to laugh off the incident.

But it was still an alarming reminder for the 24-year-old of the sort of superstar attention that will follow him around since his world record move from Spurs.

Bale was named among the substitutes for the World Cup qualifier in Skopje amid concerns over his fitness and he failed to appear as Wales went down to a 2-1 defeat .

Northern Ireland 2 Portugal 4: You're just a cheap Gareth Bale! Irish fans taunt Ronaldo but Real's second-most expensive star has last laugh

                

Cristiano Ronaldo went past Eusebio in Portugal’s all-time scoring charts at Windsor Park and did it in a manner befitting the great master.

The Real Madrid forward cut a frustrated figure before a stunning 15-minute hat-trick took him two beyond Eusebio’s 41-goal tally and into second behind Pauleta. 

Five more goals and top place will be his.

The qualifier ended with Portugal down to 10 men and Northern Ireland nine. Bruno Alves volleyed Portugal ahead, but Michael O’Neill’s side hit back with a 36th-minute Gareth McAuley header and a goal from Jamie Ward after half-time.

Ronaldo’s was booked for dissent over Helder Postiga’s straight red card for a butt on McAuley. But Chris Brunt picked up a second yellow, and Ronaldo powered home Joao Moutinho’s 68th-minute corner, then added another header nine minutes later. 

Kyle Lafferty saw red for a reckless challenge in the 80th minute, and three minutes later Ronaldo struck with a free-kick. O’Neill was critical of Lafferty and said MK Dons right back Lee Hodson had done a good job on Ronaldo. ‘It is the sign of a world-class player that he still managed to punish us so severely,’ he said. ‘Kyle’s challenge was ridiculous. He has let down his team-mates.’

Incredibly, Ronaldo was ‘barely 50 per cent’ fit. ‘He was feeling a knee injury and nearly didn’t play,’ said a Portugal insider.

Injuries to Aaron Hughes, Craig Cathcart and Ryan McGivern, as well as Daniel Lafferty's suspension, had left Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill with limited options at full-back but even so his selection was a huge gamble.

MK Dons right-back Lee Hodson was handed the toughest task of his career in marking Ronaldo, while Brunt - a laconic attacking midfielder by trade - was installed on the other side of the back four.

Ronaldo's early touches were roundly booed by the crowd, though it was hard not to admire a wonderful piece of trickery that saw him nutmeg fellow captain Steven Davis.

The Windsor Park faithful had come prepared, though, and quickly broke into a mischievous chorus of "You're just a cheap Gareth Bale".

The first attempt on goal took 16 minutes, Alves heading Joao Moutinho's free-kick just wide.

The same pairing combined to better effect five minutes later, Moutinho's corner cleared to the edge of the area and Alves sending a soft cushioned volley through the crowd of bodies and into the bottom corner.

The goal sucked some of the intensity out of the game, with Portugal slowing the pace noticeably.

'Nervous' Fellaini believes Manchester United are ready to retain the title despite lack of new arrivals at Old Trafford

                 

Marouane Fellaini was 'nervous' as transfer deadline day arrived but insists he has joined a Manchester United team that is set up to retain the Barclays Premier League title.

The 25-year-old Belgian midfielder's move from Everton to be reunited with former Goodison Park boss David Moyes was completed late on Monday night.

United's new manager had been linked with several players including Toffees left-back Leighton Baines, Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera and Real Madrid's Fabio Coentrao, but his summer-long efforts ended with Fellaini being his only high-profile recruit.

Ready to win: Fellaini thinks this Manchester United team is ready to retain the title

The scarcity of signings provided much of the post-match debate following United's 1-0 defeat at Liverpool last Sunday but Fellaini, who had Old Trafford on his mind before United made their decisive move, is confident of achieving success with his new club.

After helping Belgium to a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Scotland at Hampden on Friday night, Fellaini turned his attention back to United.

'It is a big step for me,' he said. 'But I have played five years in England, I know the league and I know the players so I don't think I will have a problem with this move.

'Of course I look forward to it, I am playing with big players so I need to work hard for my place.

'To win a trophy with Manchester United and play a lot of games, that is important.

'I watched the game (against Liverpool) and in the second half the team played very well and had a lot of chances but couldn't score, but football is like this.

'It will be tough, every year is tough for the big teams but I think Manchester United has the quality to win the championship so I look forward to this.'

Fellaini, set to make his United debut against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford next Saturday, recalled a 'great week' for him which ended with Belgium taking a massive step towards the World Cup finals in Brazil next summer.

'When I started the campaign with Everton I looked forward to the transfer so in the end I was happy,' he said.

REVEALED: Who's pulling the purse strings at your club? The club-by-club to those really in charge in the Premier League

                                    

After Manchester United's farcical transfer window, which saw the Old Trafford side reportedly bid for no less than nine midfield players - and recruit just one - Marouane Fellaini - Damien Comolli has led calls for United to appoint a director of football to ease the pressure on manager David Moyes and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. 

Comolli told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘If there was a club in need of a director of football to ease the process for both individuals it was Manchester United. David [Moyes] only joined on 1 July which was quite late.

'The issue for Manchester United is that the two most important people at the club in Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill left their positions and new people came in for their first transfer window.

‘For some reason the club weren’t prepared or they didn’t think it would be that difficult and they ended up in a difficult situation.’

The director of football model has long been popular on the continent, but English football has remained suspicious, anxious that it can compromise the power and responsibility of the manager. 

But increasingly, Premier League clubs are beginning to buy into the two-tiered structure, and the model is implemented in some fashion by at least 10 top-flight clubs. 

Indeed, the most coherent approaches to the transfer market this summer appear to have come from the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City, with a perfectly balanced and harmonious relationship between a Director of Football, the manager and the money-men.

Bolt finishes season with Diamond League win

           

The athletics season comes to close with Moscow's world championships star Usain Bolt claiming another victory in 100m

Jamaican track star Usain Bolt wrapped up another gold-laden year at the season-ending Diamond League meet on Friday with victory in 9.80sec in the 100m.

Fresh from winning treble sprint gold at last month's world championships in Moscow, the 27-year-old led four others through the line in sub-10sec times.

American Michael Rodgers claimed second in a season's best of 9.90sec, with Jamaica's Nesta Carter nipping world silver medallist Justin Gatlin for third after both were clocked at 9.94, Bolt's training partner Kemar Bailey-Cole timing 9.98sec.

"It's my last race of the season, the time's close to my season's best (of 9.77sec), I'm happy," said Bolt.

"This was close to the 'Usain Bolt fashion', not only because this was the last race of the season but also because of the crowd.

"That was amazing this evening and gave me energy.

"My reaction time in the starting blocks was for sure the worst of this year but I felt very relaxed and enjoyed the race."

Rodgers, who served a nine-month doping ban until March 2012 but could only finish sixth in Moscow, added: "It's my season's best and only five-hundredths off my personal best even though I completely missed my start.

"I've had injuries and then totally missed my world championships but I feel in good shape for the moment, a little late this season but it gives me a lot of hope for next year."

Out of the blocks in lane five just slower than Gatlin outside him, Bolt kept his head and shoulders low as he drove into the opening metres.

His trademark transition phase then showed at the 50 metre mark, Bolt pushing his huge frame into top gear, head coming up and going for broke.

He quickly moved past Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic champion and 2005 double world sprint champion who bounced back from a four-year doping ban to claim Olympic bronze in London and then silver in Moscow, on his right.

Bolt cast a brief glance cast across the field as Rodgers produced a great final 30 metres to get second from lane eight but he still finished .10sec ahead of his rivals.

Once again, Bolt's drawcard status was on show at the Roi Baudouin Stadium in the Belgian capital, the vociferous crowd on their feet as the sprinters were introduced.

As the starter called them to the blocks, Bolt put a finger to his lips to hush the crowd, briefly crossing himself and looking skywards as the television zoomed in and his picture was broadcast on the big stadium screen.

The rest was academic for the man who has now accumulated six Olympic golds and eight world gold medals, dominating the world of sprinting since taking the Beijing Olympics by storm in 2008.

EU urges 'strong response' to Syria attack

Ministers point finger for alleged chemical weapons use at Assad's regime, but stop short of endorsing military action Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, has said that "a clear and strong response" must be delivered on the use of chemical weapon weapons in Syria, but has urged those advocating military strikes to wait for a UN inspectors' report. Speaking in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on Saturday, Ashton said that the EU's 28 governments agreed that available information showed strong evidence that the Syrian government was responsible for an alleged chemical weapons attack on civilians on August 21 that killed hundreds. "[The Syrian government] is the only one that possesses chemical weapons agents and the means of their delivery in a sufficient quantity," Ashton told reporters as she read out a joint statement prepared by the ministers. The ministers agreed, she said, that the world "cannot remain idle" and said a clear and strong response was needed to prevent any future use of chemical weapons in Syria. The ministers stopped short, however, of explicitly supporting military action against Syria, as proposed by the United States, France and others. US Secretary of State John Kerry, in Vilnius trying to make the US administration's case for a strike, thanked the EU for a "strong statement about the need for accountability". Kerry said he would share his counterparts' concern with US officials. President Barack Obama has asked the US Congress to approve the use of force. A final vote in the US Senate is expected at the end of the coming week. A US House of Representatives vote is likely the week of September 16. Ashton said EU ministers welcomed French President Francois Hollande's commitment to wait for a report by United Nations inspectors on the August 21 attack before taking any action. "The EU underscores [...] the need to move forward with addressing the Syrian crisis through the UN process," she said. The US says that 1,429 people were killed in the August 21 attack, while aid agencies have confirmed at least 355 deaths, with thousands more wounded.

The gadget that makes sure your phone is ALWAYS charged: Light-powered screen could mean mobiles never run out of battery

               

There is already technology that will can save your phone's location if its battery dies or can send text messages after the power has gone, but what if you could buy a phone that never lost power again because it was permanently on charge? 

It sounds too good to be true but that's the idea behind a revolutionary technology called Wysips that converts energy from both artificial light and sunshine into electricity that can be used to keep your mobile alive. 

It uses light-collecting crystals that can be fitted beneath or on top of the screens of phones, tablets and even smartwatches, and early prototypes have been able to convert 10 minutes of light exposure into four minutes of extra battery life

French manufacturer SunPartner Group is working on extending this conversion rate and has now signed a deal that will see the technology used in future handsets.

SunPartner specialises in solar NETs (New Energy Technologies) and Wysips stands for What You See Is Photovoltaic Surface. 

Photovoltaic technology converts solar radiation into electricity and semiconductors.

'One small step towards a brighter future for all': Kirobo goes down in history by becoming the first robot to talk in space

      

The 13-inch tall Japanese humanoid has been aboard the International Space Station since 10 August and made the broadcast via video link. 

It said: 'On August 21, 2013, a robot took one small step towards a brighter future for all. Good morning to everyone on Earth. This is Kirobo. I am the world's first talking robot astronaut. Nice to meet you.'

A robot astronaut called Kirobo, pictured, has made world history by becoming the first robot ever to speak in space. It said: 'On August 21, 2013, a robot took one small step towards a brighter future for all. Good morning to everyone on Earth. This is Kirobo. I am the world's first talking robot astronaut. Nice to meet you

Kirobo continued that a backup crew member called Mirata was providing support on Earth before adding: 'Mirata, please stand by, I will now send a photo to Earth.'

Mirata is a similar make and model counterpart robot for Kirobo, based at Tokyo's Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology. 

Kirobo is 34 centimetres tall (13 inches) and weighs about 1kg (2.2lbs

Syria strike debate overshadows G20 summit

               

World leaders meet in St Petersburg amid sharp differences over possible US military action against Damascus.

World leaders from G20 are meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, amid sharp differences over possible US military action against Syria, in response to what the US administration calls a deadly chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government.

Thursday's summit came hours after a US Senate panel voted to give President Barack Obama authority to use military force against Syria - the first time lawmakers in that country have voted to allow military action since the October 2002 votes authorising the invasion of Iraq.

The US and Russia, which is a key Syrian ally, remain at odds as Obama has tried to build his case for military action.

The US president has vowed to continue to try to persuade his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of the need for punitive strikes against President Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons when the two meet at the summit.

As Putin opened the summit, he spoke exclusively about the global economic crisis, which forms the primary agenda of the summit, stressing the need for co-ordinated international policy making in order to combat continuing volatility in economic markets.

He suggested that world leaders discuss the subject of Syria during an official dinner on Thursday night, so as not to take away from the summit's primary economic agenda.

Hazard hobbles out of Belgium training to hand Chelsea a fresh injury fear

                   

Eden Hazard has given Chelsea a major injury scare after hobbling out of Belgium's final training session before Friday night's World Cup qualifier against Scotland.

Belgium's Chelsea midfielder played down fears over a nagging achilles problem, claiming it was not an old injury that kept recurring and insisting he would be fit for the Hampden Park tie.

But he now looks like missing the game after wincing in discomfort, barely 20 minutes into the session, and leaving the Hampden pitch.

The worry for Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is that Hazard has been unable to shake off the injury and has been troubled by it throughout Belgium's week-long preparations.

If the attacking midfielder has aggravated it, in his efforts to prove his fitness to national coach Marc Wilmots, he may be in danger of having to sit out the resumption of Chelsea's Barclays Premier League programme

I'd die for Mourinho but Guardiola is a spineless coward - and Wenger made me feel like a little boy... Ibrahimovic gives his verdict on the superstar managers (and reveals how he almost joined City!)

                
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most talented, controversial and enigmatic footballers of his generation. Here, in excerpts from his extraordinary autobiography I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he declares his admiration for Jose Mourinho, his hatred of Pep Guardiola and the times he might have moved to English football.

Jose Mourinho is a big star. He’d been my manager at Inter. He’s nice. The first time he met my partner Helena, he whispered to her: ‘Helena, you have only one mission: feed Zlatan, let him sleep, keep him happy.’ That guy says whatever he wants. I like him. He’s the leader of his army. But he cares, too. He would text me all the time at Inter, wondering how I was doing. He’s the exact opposite of Pep Guardiola.

If Mourinho lights up a room, Guardiola draws the curtains. I guessed that Guardiola was trying to match up to him.

Mourinho would become a guy I was basically willing to die for.

Already during the 2008 European Championship I was told that Mourinho, my new manager at Inter Milan, was going to phone me, and I thought: ‘Has something happened?’

He just wanted to say: ‘It’ll be nice to work together, looking forward to meeting you’ — nothing remarkable, but he was speaking in Italian. I didn’t get it. Mourinho had never coached an Italian club. But he spoke the language better than me! He’d learned the language in three weeks, I couldn’t keep up. We switched to English, and then I could sense it: this guy cares. After the match against Spain I got a text message.

‘Well played,’ he wrote, and then gave me some advice and I stopped in my tracks. I’d never had that before. A text message from the coach! I’d been playing with the Swedish squad, which was nothing to do with him. Still, he got involved. I felt appreciated.

Sure, I understood he was sending those texts for a reason. He wanted my loyalty, but I liked him straight away. He works twice as hard as all the rest. Lives and breathes football 24/7. I’ve never met a manager with that kind of knowledge about the opposing sides. It was everything, right down to the third-choice goalkeeper’s shoe size.

It was a while before I met him. He’s elegant, he’s confident, but I was surprised. He looked small next to the players but I sensed it immediately: there was this vibe around him.

He got people to toe the line, and he went up to guys who thought they were untouchable and let them have it. He stood there, only coming up to their shoulder, and didn’t try to suck up to them. He got straight to the point: ‘From now on, you do it like this.’ Can you imagine! And everybody started to listen. They strained to take in every shade of meaning in what he was saying. Not that they were frightened of him. He was no Fabio Capello, who was a demon manager.

Mourinho created personal ties with the players with his text messages and his knowledge of our situations with wives and children, and he didn’t shout.