Stephanie Rice, Queensland Cricket, Brisbane Lions Helps 5-year-old Zachary Archer

Australian Olympian swimmer Stephanie Rice is leading from the front for a noble cause. She is leading to help 5-year-old Zachary Archer who becomes the first Australian to receive cutting-edge cord-blood therapy in a US trial.

Five-year-old schoolboy Zachary Archer, who had suffered a stroke aged four months will travel to North Carolina’s Duke University in September for the ground-breaking treatment.

If successful, the cord-blood therapy will reduce muscle spasticity in Zachary’s right side caused by cerebral palsy and ease epileptic seizures.

Rice has donated a signed Australian tracksuit as the Archer family muster items to be pitched at a fundraiser for Zachary. Organisations such as Queensland Cricket and the Brisbane Lions, along with a variety of local businesses, including Stefan Hair and Westfield, have contributed to the school disco fundraiser at StDympna’s Primary School in Aspley on September 3.

But the medical treatment is expensive, with the Archer family not expecting to see any change from $40,000.
To donate, phone Mr Archer on 0403698866.

Image Courtesy: Northside-chronicle.whereilive.com.au

Eric Tindill- Oldest "All Black" and Test Cricketer Dies at 99!

Oldest "All Black" and Surviving Test Cricketer Eric Tindill Dies at 99

New Zealand All Blacks Piri Weepu and Molly Tindill with former New Zealand All Black and Test Cricketer Eric Tindill in his 99th birthday at his home on December 18, 2009 in Wellington, New Zealand

Eric Tindill- who has the unique status to represent New Zealand in both Cricket and Rugby as a player and referee (Rugby) and Umpire (Cricket) died on Sunday in Wellington Hospital. He was 99 years 226 days.

At 99 years, he was the longest living Test Cricketer and oldest Rugby international.

A left-handed batsman and wicketkeeper, Eric Tindill played five cricket Tests for New Zealand between 1937 and 1947. He also represented the All Blacks rugby team 17 times between 1935 and 1938, making his only Test appearance in a 13-0 loss to England in 1936.

He was referee in two rugby Tests between the All Blacks and British and Irish Lions in 1950 and New Zealand's second Test against Australia in 1955. He then umpired New Zealand's cricket Test against England at Christchurch in the summer of 1958-59.

Although George Dickinson, Curly Page, Charlie Oliver, Jeff Wilson and Brian McKechnie also represented New Zealand in both rugby and cricket, Tindill was the only player to play Tests in both the sports.

May His Soul Rest in Peace!

News Courtesy: The Canadian Associated Press
Image Courtesy: Zimbio.com

Flamengo Goalkeeper Bruno Souza Arrested For Murder Of Ex-Girlfriend Eliza Samudio

Flamengo Goalkeeper Bruno Souza

Eliza Samudio

Eliza Samudio also said to had an affair with Cristiano Ronaldo

25-year-old Brazilian Bruno Souza, a star goalkeeper and captain of Brazil's championship-winning club Flamengo is now under arrest for plotting the murder of his former mistress, a porn actress also rumoured to have had a brief affair with Cristiano Ronaldo- Eliza Samudio.

Bruno Souza met Eliza Samudio at a teammate's party last year and got her pregnant the first night they spent together, police said. But he became enraged when she insisted on keeping the baby.

After the baby was born (now four months old) and Eliza tried to prove Bruno was the father of the child, Bruno hired a former police detective, Luiz Aparecido Santos, to kidnap, beat and murder her, investigators said. One of Souza's cousins, who allegedly took part in the abduction, said in a deposition that Santos committed ''barbaric tortures'' of Samudio while loud music blared to cover her screams, the newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo said. When Samudio begged Santos to stop, saying she couldn't bear it any more, he allegedly replied, "You are not going to bear it any more. You are going to die."

Police said Santos strangled Samudio, cut up her body and fed some of the parts to Rottweiler dogs at the home. The other parts were buried in concrete, they said.

Police have said Samudio is the mother of a 4-month-old boy from a relationship with Souza. The boy is being cared for by Samudio's parents.

Tennis Champion Martina Navratilova has Breast Cancer

Martina Navratilova has Breast Cancer



The AP is reporting that nine-time Wimbledon women's champion Martina Navratilova has already undergone a lumpectomy for a lump found on a routine mammogram in January 2010. Her prognosis is reported to be excellent.

The lump was discovered in January, and a biopsy in February was performed. The cancer is known as ductal cancer in situ, or DCIS. The survival rate for this type of cancer is 98%. She will undergo radiation therapy next month.

Darren Sutherland Found Dead in London

Darren Sutherland, the Irish Olympic boxer was found dead at his London home yesterday.

The 27-year-old middleweight, who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing, was discovered hanged in his apartment by his manager Frank Maloney. The Metropolitan Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

"It is an absolute tragedy," McGuigan, a former world champion, said. "I would describe Darren as a phenomenal talent. I believe he would have become a world champion in the professional ranks one day."

Sutherland had won the first four fights of his professional career and Terry Edwards, the former Great Britain head coach, said that boxing has lost one of its best prospects.

News Courtesy: www.timesonline.co.uk

Iraqi Goalkeeper from Sinjar Killed during Victory Celebration

Two teams of Iraq representing the Shiite villages of Sinjar and Enana, near Hilla, which is south of Baghdad, played a close-fought match on Saturday, with Sinjar winning, 2-1. During celebrations, an off-duty police officer Jawad Kadham, 28, started firing his service pistol into the air but lost control of it, the police said. A bullet struck the Sinjar goalie, an 18-year-old high school senior named Mohammed Amin, in the head, killing him instantly. There was no indication the goalie was shot intentionally; Jawad Kadham was a Sinjar fan.

News Courtesy: Nytimes.com

Jermain Defoe and Chantelle Houghton Break-Up

Chantelle Houghton has ended her relationship with Spurs striker Jermain Defoe.

The Celebrity Big Brother star, 25, is thought to have dumped him over the phone - just days after they returned from a romantic trip to Dubai.

‘He’s a difficult guy to trust. She was always worrying what he was up to,’ a pal tells the News Of The World.

‘Chantelle has never really been sure about Jermain. He has a string of girl ‘friends’ and is always on the phone. Most genuinely are his friends. But Chantelle just wants a quiet life.’

Jermain, 24, previously dated glamour model Danielle Lloyd, 25, and was engaged to Charlotte Mears, 22.

News Courtesy: www.nowmagazine.co.uk

Sri Lankan Cricket Team Attacked by Gunmen in Lahore

The bus of Sri Lankan Cricket team were attacked by gunmen today in Lahore, when they were way to the Gadaffi Stadium. At least 4 persons were killed, according to witnesses and cricket officials. Sri Lankan media said four of their players received injuries in the attack - Sangakara, Mendis, Samaraweera and Tharanga.

A witness told Reuters he believed two police commandos were killed along with a regular policeman and a traffic warden. Shopkeeper Ahmed Ali said the two police commandos had been driving behind the team bus when they were hit.

"It was a very heavy firing and I heard at least two explosions at the time," said a Reuters witness who had been on his way to cover the test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

City police chief Haji Habibur Rehman said:"It was a terrorist attack and the terrorists used rocket launchers, hand grenades and other weapons."

The attackers had managed to flee, he added.

The test match has been cancelled, officials said.

News Source: Reuters, http://news.sky.com/

Spanish Model Elen Rives Dumps England Football Star Frank Lampard

THE CAUSE : Frnak Lampard with a Blonde in a Pub KISSING

THE EFFECT: A lone Elen Rives stepping out for a shopping spree at Harrods

Spanish model Elen Rives has reportedly dumped her footballer fiance Frank Lampard.

The couple, who have been together since 2002 and two children together, are said to have split up after a holiday in Florida.

A source told the News of the World: “It’s the saddest thing Elen’s ever had to do, but the love has gone.

“She was the one who ended it and she’s the one who’s moving out."

A spokesperson for Lampard confirmed the news saying: “Frank and Elen have separated. No one else is involved - they have simply grown apart. This is private matter and they won’t be making any further comment.”

Previoulsy a speculation was around the corner that the couple has drifted apart and suffered an additional strain in the aftermath of the death of Lampard’s mother, Pat. She died suddenly and tragically from pneumonia in April 2008. Since her death, Lampard has been paying tribute to her in his goal celebration by looking upward and pointing to the sky. An unnamed friend spoke about this possibility.

“Frank’s mum Pat was at the centre of the family and he spoke to her several times a day. He has struggled to cope with life without her."

News Source: www.dailystar.co.uk

Michael Chopra Breaks-Up with Heather Swan

Footballer Michael Chopra has split with his wife of seven months after she dumped him on Facebook.

Heather Swan, 24, is said to have let her husband know their marriage was over by changing her status to single on the social networking site.

The former couple are now locked in a bitter war of words and the Sunderland striker, who earns £30,000 a week, has updated his own page with the words: "Heather will have a new number tomorrow, ha ha," after cancelling her mobile phone contract.

"Things have been simmering ever since Michael went on loan to Cardiff. It's all pretty childish," a source is quoted as telling the Daily Mirror.

Chopra and Swan, who share one-year-old son Sebastian together, have had a stormy relationship and first separated just four weeks after their marriage.

Michael Phelps "Sorry" For His Marijuana Pipe Photo

Career Ending Picture : Michael Phelps inhales from bong

Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps has apologized for his "regrettable" behavior after photographs surfaced of the athlete using a glass pipe associated with cannabis use.


British newspaper the News of the World published a shot of the gold medal-winning athlete holding the pipe - more commonly referred to as a bong - to his lips at a party in South Carolina that took place in November.

The publication alleges that Phelps was at a house visiting his secret girlfriend, student Jordan Matthews - and left partygoers shocked with his behavior.

In a statement released on Sunday, Phelps says, "I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment.

"I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me.

"For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public, it will not happen again."

News Courtesy: http://www.kjrh.com/
Image Courtesys: http://wcco.com/ and "News of the World"

England's Rugby Player Matt Stevens Fails Drug Test

England's South African born Matt Stevens has been provisionally suspended from all competition after testing positive for a recreational drug, the RFU said on Tuesday.

The Bath player, who failed a doping test after a Heineken Cup match in December, had been due to fly to Portugal with the England team on Sunday as they prepare for this season's Six Nations Championship.

"The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has been made aware by European Rugby Cup (Ltd) of the positive doping test given by Matt Stevens following the Heineken Cup match against Glasgow Warriors in December 2008," the statement said.

The 26-year-old Stevens, who has been removed from England's Elite Player Squad, admitted in a television interview that he was attending counselling sessions.

"I was tested for a prohibited substance but it's not performance enhancing, so you can take what you want from that," an emotional Stevens told Sky Sports News.

News Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/rugbyNews

Cricket: Morne Morkel Racially Abused by Australian Crowd

A member of the crowd at Hobart's Bellerive Oval was charged with abusing a white South African player during the Australia against South Africa one-day-international.

A Cricket Australia spokesman said a person in the crowd allegedly racially abused Morne Morkel during the Australian innings yesterday morning.

Morkel, 12th man in yesterday's one day international match, did not clearly hear the insult, but a spokesman for the South African team said the remark was "fairly unpleasant".

Cricket Australia said last night it had contacted the South African team and the nation's cricket authorities over the issue.

A policeman at the ground overheard the abuse and interviewed the alleged offender, who was last night charged with racial vilification. The incident, which took the polish off Australia's dramatic five-run victory yesterday, follows a string of racial controversies in cricket.


News Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
Image Source: Neil Richardson of http://www.examiner.com.au/

Cristiano Ronaldo Unharmed - His Ferrari Wrecked

Picture of Cristiano Ronaldo's Wrecked Ferrari
Cristiano Ronaldo Wrecked His Ferrari in a Tunnel

Manchester United Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly wrecked his Ferrari sports car in a tunnel near Manchester Airport around 10:20am local time while on his way to practice with his team.

According to the Greater Manchester Police, “Officers attended and discovered a Ferrari had collided with a barrier. No one is believed to have been injured.”

Cristiano Ronaldo walked away from the crash unharmed, but his car was totally smashed.

Image Courtesy: www.celebrity-gossip.net

Englishman Ian Wellworth Arrested For Murder Attempt Against Diego Maradona

According to reports from the Argentine press, an Englishman was arrested on the day when Diego Armando Maradona made his official debut as the coach of Argentina against Scotland after the Englishman was planning to kill the legend.

The Englishman was identified as Ian Wellworth, a 43-year-old, who was detained when found in the possession of a machete.

It has been claimed that he was hoping to enact revenge on Maradona for his controversial "Hand of God" goal against England back in the 1986 World Cup.

Wellworth, who resides in Middlesbrough, made a bet on the game, and had borrowed money, but lost everything because of the result, including his wife, who left him.

"I bet £500 that England would win the World Cup in Mexico, and I would have claimed five times the amount if successful," declared Wellworth.

News Courtesy: Goal.com

Wakefield's Challenge Cup final legend Don Fox Dies

Don Fox, who was assured a place in Rugby League folklore for missing a last-minute conversion in Wakefield's 11-10 defeat by Leeds in the 1968 Challenge Cup final, has died after a long illness, aged 72.

The former Featherstone, Wakefield and Great Britain player won the Lance Todd Trophy as man of the match despite fluffing his chance to convert Ken Hirst's try from in front of the posts.

Fox was one of three rugby-playing brothers from the pit village of Sharlston along with Peter – a former Featherstone, Bradford and Great Britain coach – and Neil, a former Test centre Neil who holds the world record of 6,220 points during his career with Wakefield, York, Bramley, Huddersfield and Bradford.

Nigel Wood, the Rugby Football League chief executive, said: "The entire game of Rugby League will mourn the loss of Don."

News and Image Courtsey: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyleague/

Ukraine's Lyudmyla Blonska (Heptathlon) Fails Drug Test

Ukraine's Lyudmyla Blonska, the heptathlon silver medallist, has failed a drugs test, the IOC said on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old's A sample tested positive for a banned substance, but the results of the B sample are still awaited.
A test conducted at 2am on Sunday has shown traces of the anabolic steroid Methytestosterone. Blonska is still waiting for the results of the B Sample.


Lyudmyla Blonska had already served a previous ban for testing positive in 2003 for stanozolol.

Blonska now faces a life ban for the latest offence.

Should Blonska be stripped of her medal, the silver would go to American Hyleas Fountain while Tatiana Chernova of Russia would get the bronze.

Beijing Olympics : Taiwan Baseball Player Chang Tai-shan Tested Positive

Taiwan Olympic baseball player Chang Tai-shan has tested positive for a banned substance in a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) check, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.

Taiwan were playing their opening Olympic game against the Netherlands on Wednesday morning and Chang was not part of the starting line-up.

The island's baseball association has applied to WADA to have Chang take another urine test, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.

The player may have taken a Chinese cold medication that contains a banned substance, an official with Taiwan's Olympic Committee told Reuters.

Rugby Player Ben Mullany And His Wife Killed On Honeymoon

THE rugby community in Gloucester is mourning the death of former player Ben Mullany, who was killed with his wife Catherine in Antigua.

The newlywed was fatally injured and his bride Catherine shot dead on the last day of their honeymoon on the paradise Caribbean island.

He was flown back to Britain to receive medical treatment after a bullet was lodged in the back of his head after what is believed to have been a bungled robbery on July 27.
He died on Sunday evening at a hospital in Swansea, South Wales.
Yesterday, his former club in Matson, paid tribute to Ben, 31, who they described as “a pleasure to know”.

Ben was a third-year physiotherapy student at the University of the West of England but it is understood he underwent some training at Hartpury College.

Scotland Yard detectives have flown out to help with the investigation which has rocked the island and devastated family and friends in their close-knit communities in South Wales.
Ben, from the village of Ystalyfera, married Catherine, a 31-year-old doctor, from Pontardawe, on July 12. It is thought there will be a joint funeral.

News Courtsey: Thisisgloucestershire.co.uk

Antonio Pettigrew Admits : IOC Strips Gold From USA's 2000 Sydney Relay Team

The International Olympic Committee stripped gold medals Saturday from the U.S. men's 1,600-meter relay team that competed at the 2000 Olympics in the aftermath of Antonio Pettigrew's admission that he was doping at the time.

The IOC executive board disqualified the entire team, the fourth gold and sixth overall medal stripped from that U.S. track contingent in the past eight months for doping.

Three gold and two bronze were previously removed after Marion Jones confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs.

Saturday's decision was almost a formality after Pettigrew gave up his gold medal in June. He admitted in court in May that he used EPO and human growth hormone from 1997 to 2003.

Five of Pettigrew's teammates also lose their medals: Michael Johnson and twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison ran in the final; Jerome Young and Angelo Taylor ran in the preliminaries.

News from AP.