Ronaldinho Loses $750,000 Coke Deal For Drinking Pepsi!

July 12, 2012

By NR Staff

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Ronaldinho

Uh.. so sad for the superstar:
All soccer superstar Ronaldinho wanted to do was quench his thirst when he sipped from a can of Pepsi during a press conference. But that seemingly innocuous gesture revived a longstanding feud between soft drink giants Coco Cola and Pepsi.
According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Atlanta-based Coke reacted to Ronaldinho’s two-timing by yanking the Brazilian star’s lucrative $750,000 sponsorship. That’ll teach him to be faithful.
“The fact that the player has appeared with a can of Pepsi was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Coca-Cola marketing chief Marcelo Pontes told the newspaper. “The sponsorship had become embarrassing.”
The press conference was held to promote his new team, Atletico Mineiro, of which Pepsi is a sponsor. Coke’s $750,000 sponsorship deal with Ronaldinho was scheduled to run through 2014.

Olympic military security ranks swell further in London

Olympics

The British government has put a further 3,500 military personnel on standby for the 2012 Olympics, bringing the total to around 17,000. A security contractor's inability to deliver what it promised prompted the move.

Home Secretary Theresa May came under fire in parliament on Thursday after announcing that another 3,500 troops would be put on standby to make sure that security services were equipped for the Olympic Games. Roughly 13,500 military personnel had already been mobilized.
"I can confirm to the House that there remains no specific security threat to the Games and the threat level remains unchanged," May said. "And let me reiterate that there is no question of Olympic security being compromised."
A private security contractor, G4S, had been hired to provide in excess of 10,000 security guards for the Games, but it issued a statement calling the Olympic deployment "unprecedented and very complex" and saying it had encountered delays when processing applicants. May told parliamentarians in Westminster that the "absolute gap in numbers was only crystallized" one day earlier.
An opposition Labour party MP with internal security responsibilities, Keith Vaz, was highly critical of May and G4S alike.
"G4S has let the country down and we have literally had to send in the troops," Vaz said, also asking whether the group would now face financial penalties for the apparent shortfall.
The Olympic opening ceremony takes place in London on July 27. The British government has been trying to provide satisfactory levels of security, especially for visiting dignitaries and potential terror targets, without spoiling the atmosphere of the event.
It is the country's largest peacetime security operation ever, with some 23,700 security staff earmarked to protect the various events. The 17,000 military personnel now on standby contrasts with the roughly 9,500 British troops currently serving in Afghanistan.
A parliamentary committee for intelligence and security affairs on Thursday submitted a report saying that the Games had put "unprecedented pressure" on the country's spy agencies. The committee said security agencies had been forced to freeze holidays and non-essential staff moves, while also increasing working hours for staff.
"All these [measures] increase capacity to deal with the greater flows of intelligence, but they have been described to us as 'having quite a significant impact' and being 'very difficult for some people'," the report said.
The Olympic Village opens its doors on Monday.
msh/sej (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Afghans in Kabul protest woman's execution

Demonstrators march for gender rights and against shooting carried out in Parwan last week and captured in video clip. Last Modified: 11 Jul 2012 19:27

Women activists march in Kabul with banners to protest the recent public execution of a young woman [Reuters]

Scores of men and women have taken to the streets of Kabul to protest the recent public slaying of an Afghan woman whose gruesome, execution-style killing was captured on video. The crowd of demonstrators carried large white sheets on Wednesday that said "International community: Where is the protection and justice for Afghan women?" They marched from the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs to a traffic circle near a UN compound, and some shouted: "Death to those who did this act!" "We want the government to take action on behalf of these women ... who are victims of violence and who are being killed," said Zuhra Alamyar, a woman activist who was at the Kabul rally. "We want the government to take serious action and stop them." The video footage, which surfaced recently, shows the woman being shot multiple times about 10 days ago in Parwan province, north of the Afghan capital. The gunman was encouraged by people who stood nearby, smiling and cheering. Police in Parwan said the Taliban were behind the killing, but the group have denied they ordered or carried out the slaying. Process of reform The death of the woman, who was said to be in her 20s, set off a storm of condemnation. President Hamid Karzai, the US embassy, the top NATO military commander in Afghanistan and activist groups all denounced the killing. It was a reminder that girls and women still suffer shocking abuse in Afghanistan, but the protest also indicated that people's views on women's rights there could be slowly changing. Wazhma Frogh, executive director of the Research Institute for Women, Peace and Security, told Al Jazeera that organisers counted more than 300 people at the rally, of whom at least 85 were men. Frogh said she travelled to Parwan, where the execution took place, and saw women experiencing a renewed sense of fear. "But this event was nothing new for us," Frogh said. "When we first saw the reports, we flashed back to the stoning of a couple in Kunduz last year and the stoning of a woman in 1998." "The truth is though, every day we are under threat. If we stay at home we are under threat. If we go to school we are under threat." Despite guaranteed rights and progressive new laws, the UN Development Programme still ranks Afghanistan as one of the world's worst countries when it comes to equal rights for women. Afghan advocates say attitudes have subtly shifted over the years, in part thanks to the dozens of women's groups that have sprung up. 'Face justice' Still, ending abuse of women is a huge challenge in a patriarchal society where traditional practices include child marriage, giving girls away to settle debts or pay for their relatives' crimes and honour killings in which girls seen as disgracing their families are murdered by relatives. Women activists worry that gains made in recent years could erode as the international presence in Afghanistan wanes and the government seeks to negotiate a settlement with the Taliban fighters. During the Taliban regime, women were banned from working and going to school, or even leaving home without a male relative. In public, all women were forced to wear a head-to-toe burqa veil, which covers even the face with a mesh panel. The video surfaced just before donor nations met over the weekend in Tokyo and pledged $16bn in aid for Afghanistan. The donors expressed strong concerns over how the money would be handled and also called on Kabul to improve human rights, especially women's rights. "We want from the government to follow the killing of the women in Afghanistan and hand over those responsible to face justice," said Afghan activist Sima Samar from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Security personnel killed in Pakistan raid

Eight police and prison staff shot dead after gunmen storm a building in the eastern city of Lahore. Last Modified: 12 Jul 2012 04:00

Gunmen have shot dead eight Pakistani police and prison staff, and wounded nine others after storming a building in the eastern city of Lahore where they were sleeping, police said. Thursday's raid was the second attack in three days on security personnel in the province of Punjab, raising fears of a fresh wave of violence in the political heartland of Pakistan away from the northwest where a Taliban insurgency is based. The attackers arrived on motorbikes and targeted a building in the densely populated area of Ichra, where up to 35 police and prison staff were living, mostly officers from the troubled northwest who were in Lahore for training. "The gunmen came early in the morning, entered the building and opened fire," Lahore police chief Aslam Tareen told the AFP news agency. "Eight were martyred and nine others are wounded". The gunmen fled and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Pakistan is battling an insurgency in its northwest tribal region, but attacks in Punjab and Lahore - the country's political heartland - have been rare in recent months. But on Monday, gunmen shot dead seven security personnel at an army camp less than 150km southeast of Islamabad, again arriving by motorbike, opening fire and then fleeing. One senior security official told AFP it was "highly likely" that the attackers belonged to a banned organisation in league with the Taliban.

Source: Agencies

Japan-China row over islands flares

Spat comes ahead of ASEAN summit where China's similar wrangles with Vietnam and Philippines is likely to be discussed. Last Modified: 12 Jul 2012 03:05

It is the third time recently that China has clashed with its neighbours over disputed territory [Reuters]

A new diplomatic row has flared between Japan and China over a remote chain of islands, after Beijing moved to assert an "indisputable sovereignty" over the uninhabited territories. Three Chinese patrol boats approached the islands claimed by Japan in the East China Sea on Wednesday morning, prompting Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba to formally complain to his Chinese counterpart during talks in Cambodia. Gemba "strongly lodged a protest with the Chinese government with respect to the incident which took place this morning," a foreign ministry spokeswoman told the AFP news agency in Phnom Penh. The crews of the vessels, which have since left the islands' immediate vicinity, initially rebuffed Japanese orders to leave. "We are conducting official duty in Chinese waters. Do not interfere. Leave China's territorial waters," the crews said, according to the Japanese coastguard. The Chinese ambassador in Tokyo was summoned over the alleged violation, but the Chinese foreign ministry said it did "not accept Japanese representations over this". Responding to Japan's complaints, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi countered to Gemba that the islands - known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese - "have always been China's territory since ancient times, over which China has indisputable sovereignty". 'Indisputable sovereignty' The move came ahead of a summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) due to start in Cambodia on Thursday. While the issue is not on the formal agenda for the ASEAN summit, it was raised informally by members and discussed during a separate ASEAN-China dialogue on Wednesday. A joint statement to be issued by ASEAN foreign ministers was also held up as countries wrangled over whether to include a reference to recent spats over the resource-rich area pitting China against Vietnam and the Philippines. "ASEAN foreign ministers are having an emergency meeting to resolve the wording on the South China Sea in the joint statement," one Asian diplomat told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity on Wednesday. The islands lie in rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain valuable mineral reserves. Tokyo recognises a private Japanese family as their owner and the city government has said it plans to buy them. It is the third time recently that China has clashed with its immediate neighbours over disputed territory and the row threatens to overshadow attempts to smooth regional relations at the security summit in Cambodia. Asked about the incident, Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario told reporters: "It looks like they (China) are becoming more aggressive every day." The latest increase in friction had "surprised everybody", he said. Condemnation The 10 members of Southeast Asian regional body ASEAN have been trying to agree a long-stalled "code of conduct" for the disputed South China Sea, home to vital shipping lanes, to help settle overlapping claims. The Philippines is leading a push for ASEAN to unite and draw up a code based on a UN law on maritime boundaries that would delineate the areas belonging to each country. Beijing is unlikely to accept this, however. Manila also wants ASEAN to condemn a standoff last month between Philippine and Chinese ships over Scarborough Shoal, an outcrop in the South China Sea. This came as Beijing invited bids for exploration of oil blocks in waters claimed by Vietnam, which sparked protests on the streets of Hanoi. China's assertiveness in the resource-rich South China Sea is seen by analysts as pushing anxious neighbouring countries closer to the United States. The islands at the centre of Wednesday's dispute triggered a diplomatic crisis in late 2010 when Japan arrested a Chinese trawlerman who rammed his vessel into two Japanese patrol boats. Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, earlier arrived in Cambodia to press for closer relations with ASEAN as part of Washington's strategy of "pivoting" towards Asia to challenge China's influence. A US official said on condition of anonymity that the friction between China and Japan would be discussed during a planned bilateral meeting between Clinton and Yang on Thursday.

Source: Agencies

Congo's M23 rebels threaten to take Goma

Threats come as UN increases peacekeeping force to support the Congolese army's battle in the North Kivu province. Last Modified: 11 Jul 2012 21:56 inShare
The rebels fighting the Democratic Republic of Congo's government troops in the east of the country say they will capture Goma if government forces fail to protect civilians, according to a statement released by the rebel group. The announcement on Wednesday came as the rebel group, known as the M23 movement, unveiled their political leadership just as the United Nations said it would be sending more peacekeepers to help protect cities as fighting and instability spreads across the province. Bishop Jean Marie Runiga, the M23 political leader, said the rebels were dissatisfied by recent events in Goma, the North Kivu provincial capital, where on Tuesday mobs targetted ethnic Tutsi individuals from neighbouring Rwanda. "When we see civilians communities regardless whether they are Tutsis, whether Warenga, whether Washi ... If we see they are being mistreated and the government has failed to safeguard them and MONUSCO has failed to protect them; we shall capture Goma, that is the truth because our role is to protect the civilian communities," Runiga said. Al Jazeera's Peter Greste, reporting from Goma, said in the absence of a clear military objective, it was difficult to assess the risk to the provincial capital. "It is not really clear what M23 is hoping to achieve," our correspondent said. "Their statements are vague, and it is difficult to assess how determined they are to attack Goma. "They are up against MONUSCO and possibly some resistance from Congolese army, [but] it would be a risky venture." Allegations "Number one, whatever has been signed in agreement must stand. Number two, the problems in Congo ... there are issues of democracy, there are issues of human rights ... activists are not allowed to work as they are supposed to. We have a problem; the population is neglected. They don't eat. That is a big problem."  - Jean Marie Runiga, M23 political leader Authorities in DR Congo on Tuesday accused neighbouring Rwanda of "invading" its volatile eastern borderlands, portraying the advancing rebel insurgency as a Rwandan military operation. The Rwandan government has consistently denied allegations by Congolese officials and United Nations investigators that it is fomenting and supporting the Tutsi-dominated M23 rebel movement in mineral-rich North Kivu province. Runiga said issues of governance and human rights must be addressed for peace to prevail in the country. "Number one, whatever has been signed in agreement must stand. Number two, the problems in Congo ... There are issues of democracy, there are issues of human rights, issues affecting journalists; others have been killed, others have been locked up, activists are not allowed to work as they are supposed to. We have a problem; the population is neglected. They don't eat. That is a big problem," Runiga said. The rebels, described by UN officials as well-equipped and growing in number, drove back the Congolese army in a determined offensive over the last few days, forcing UN peacekeepers to withdraw into isolated operating bases in the hilly countryside. This has opened the way for a possible advance by M23 on the North Kivu provincial capital Goma, where UN forces have reinforced their positions to block any attempted rebel assault. UN armoured vehicles were guarding major crossroads of the city and also patrolled the outskirts. Human cost The latest fighting In North Kivu has once again displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and raised tensions between uneasy neighbours Congo and Rwanda in the Great Lakes region at the heart of Africa. The rebel successes have also embarrassed the army and government of Congo's President Joseph Kabila. The M23 rebels, who include mutineers from the Congo army, take their name from a March 2009 peace deal that ended a previous Tutsi-led rebellion in North Kivu. Like the 2004-2009 rebellion, the current mutiny has its roots in ethnic and political wounds dating back to Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Later invasions of Congo by Rwandan forces and Kigali's backing of Congolese rebels fuelled two successive wars that killed several million people. Rebel commanders and MONUSCO said have rebels since pulled back from some of the seized positions. A witness told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday that M23 fighters continued to occupy a military base in Rumangabo, just 40km north of Goma. The official said MONUSCO was helping the Congolese army reinforce the road from Rutshuru to Goma to prevent further advances by M23 and ensure government soldiers were able to return to their positions to help protect of civilians. The exact death toll from the recent fighting is yet unknown.
MONUSCO prepares for M23 advance UN Peacekeeping troops wait for the M23 rebel advance in positions around Kibumba to the north of Goma. The UN has moved artillery and armored vehicles into position to help defend the city.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

In pictures: Spanish protests

11 July 2012 Last updated at 15:07 GMT

On Wednesday thousands of supporters joined the miners to march through Madrid

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On Wednesday thousands of supporters joined the miners to march through Madrid

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Coal miners from northern Spain reached the capital Madrid on Tuesday night - 19 days after starting the Marche Negra (Black March) protest on 22 June. They are rallying against government proposals to slash subsidies as part of austerity measures.

On Wednesday thousands of supporters joined the miners to march through Madrid

Some of the protesters clashed with riot police after joining the march. A number of people were reportedly arrested. 

Anger within Spain's northern mining community erupted in May when the government announced its plans to cut funding for the industry.

Since 1 June, some 8,000 miners have been on strike. Some took to barricading major motorways in the north with piles of burning tyres.

 In the Leon region, one of the heartlands of coal mining in Spain, a number of peaceful street marches have been staged.

Homemade rocket launchers became a symbol of the miners strike as clashes with police escalated in June.

 

Some miners took their entire families to join the protest march. This demonstrator walks in Mieres in front of graffiti reading: "Get organised and fight against the system".

 Meanwhile, burning barricades continued to blaze in the north. This photograph was taken in Pola de Lena, near Oviedo.

Women miners and the wives and female relatives of other miners created a roadblock outside one mine in Caborana.

Last week, as the March Negra continued, clashes went on in areas such as Aller, where miners at the Pozo Santiago mine fired rockets at security forces.

At times police have struggled to repel protesters firing missiles, despite using tear gas and rubber bullets, and have been forced to retreat.

Unions say Spanish government plans to cut mining subsidies from 301m euros to 111m euros will leave thousands jobless.