Ibrahimovic confronts retirement comments

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he has no intention of leaving AC Milan any time soon.

The Swede made comments in October about growing old and losing his passion for the game but has retracted those statements as he sums up his plans going forward.

"It's not true that I no longer have the desire to play. I was misunderstood," Ibrahimovic told Aftonbladet.

"I meant that after 10 years [of football] you live differently compared to the past.

"I am fine at Milan and I have always felt good there."

Milan have clicked into gear following a slow start in Serie A and the striker insists his team-mates are eager to defend their title.

"We are always improving game after game and if we believe in ourselves then we can go far," he added.

"We are not favourites to win any competition, but we cannot be excluded from winning anything."

Milan sit third in Serie A and will play Fiorentina after the international break.

Light 'promising' in cancer fight

Light is a "promising" tool in the fight against cancer, say researchers in the US.

A study, published in Nature Medicine, showed how a drug could be created which sticks to tumours, but is then only activated when hit by specific waves of light.

It means a treatment can be highly targeted and not damage the surrounding tissue.

A cancer charity said the treatment showed early promise.

Currently, treatments for cancer can be separated into three categories: blasting it with radiation, surgically removing a tumour or using drugs to kill the cancerous cells. All have side effects and scientists are trying to come up with more precise therapies.

In this study, researchers at the National Cancer Institute, Maryland, used an antibody which targets proteins on the surface of cancerous cells.

They then attached a chemical, IR700, to the antibody. IR700 is activated when it is hit by near infrared light. This wavelength of light can penetrate several centimetres into the skin.

To test the antibody-chemical combination, researchers implanted tumours, squamous cell carcinoma, into the backs of mice. They were given the drug and exposed to near infrared light.

The study said: "Tumour volume was significantly reduced... compared to untreated control mice and survival was significantly prolonged.

"This selective killing minimises damage to normal cells."

The authors said the combination was "a promising therapeutic and diagnostic agent for the treatment of cancer".

"Although we observed no toxicity in our experiments, clinical translation of this method will require formal toxicity studies," they added.

Dr Laura McCallum, Cancer Research UK's science communications officer, said the research was promising.

"Using antibodies or photodynamic therapy to specifically target cancer cells have both been successful for treating some cancers, so combining the two together is certainly an exciting plan.

"But it's important to remember that this work was done in mice, so it's much too early to tell if it will work in people with cancer.

"This potential treatment has promise as scientists - including our own - are also looking at using antibodies to deliver other knockout punches, such as radiation, directly to cancer cells."

Australia Senate backs carbon tax

Australia's Senate has approved a controversial law on pollution, after years of bitter political wrangling.

The Clean Energy Act will force the country's 500 worst-polluting companies to pay a tax on their carbon emissions from 1 July next year.

The Senate vote is a victory for Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who had given strong backing to the plan.

Environmentalists have broadly backed the scheme, but there have been large public protests against it.

Opposition parties have argued that the tax would cause job losses and raise the cost of living, and they have promised to repeal the legislation if they win the next election, due in 2013.

'Victory for optimists'

The bill passed a vote in the lower house last month by just 74 votes to 72.

The Senate vote was also tight - 36 votes in favour, 32 against - with the government relying on the support of the Greens to get the bill passed.

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan said it was a "victory for the optimists".

The government has set the initial price per tonne of carbon at A$23 ($23.80; £14.80), much higher than other similar schemes such as in the EU where the price is between $8.70 and $12.60 a tonne.

The country's mining firms, airlines, steel makers and energy firms are among those expected to be hardest hit by the tax.

Domestic fuel bills are expected to rise as companies pass on the costs to consumers.

But the government hopes that the legislation will force innovation in renewable energy supplies, and free Australia from its reliance on fossil fuels.

The country accounts for 1.5% of the world's emissions, but it is the developed world's highest emitter per head of population thanks to its relatively small population.

The country's politicians have been debating pollution-limiting legislation for years.

Former Prime Minster Kevin Rudd swept to power in 2007 after making the carbon tax central to his election campaign.

But his plans were bogged down in political infighting and public support evaporated.

Analysts have blamed his inability to get the law passed for his eventual ousting by Gillard.

Sarkozy called Israeli PM 'liar'

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "liar" in remarks to US President Barack Obama overheard by journalists.

"I can't see him anymore, he's a liar," Sarkozy said in French.

"You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day," Obama replied.

The exchange at the G20 summit was quoted by a French website, Arret sur Images, and confirmed by other media.

The remarks - during a private conversation - were overheard by a few journalists last week but were not initially reported, the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says.

For several days there was media silence in France about the exchange - a decision had been taken not to embarrass the French president, our correspondent says.

A correspondent for Le Monde newspaper referred to the conversation without the quotes.

But Israeli newspapers have reported it in full.

It is said Mr Obama was taking Mr Sarkozy to task for voting in favour of the Palestinian bid for full membership of the UN cultural organisation, Unesco, a bid that was approved despite American opposition.

Jackson's doctor found guilty

After nearly six weeks of testimony and 10 hours of deliberation, the jury in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's personal physician Dr Conrad Murray has reached a verdict: Guilty.

With that judgment, the 12 jurors unanimously agreed that Murray was solely responsible for causing Jackson's death by administering a deadly dose of the powerful sedative Propofol to the King of Pop.

Jackson, who complained of insomnia in his final months, used the sedative as a sleeping agent, even though Propofol is only meant for surgical operations.

Jackson's parents Joe and Katherine and many of Michael's siblings (but not his three children) were on hand to observe the verdict.

"I'm shaking uncontrollably," La Toya Jackson tweeted on her way to the Los Angeles courthouse. "Michael's spirit will be with us in the court room and he will make sure the right verdict is made."

When the guilty verdict was read, a brief gasp of approval could be heard in the courtroom, but the court quickly regained order. Outside, hundreds of Jackson fans celebrated the guilty verdict

After the verdict, having been found guilty of a felony, Murray's bail was denied and the doctor was remanded into custody until his sentencing.

Then, the moment Jackson fans had been waiting for: Dr Murray in handcuffs, being led out of the courtroom.

Judge Michael Pastor will next decide Murray's fate on Tuesday, November 29th:

The doctor faces a sentence of probation, a revoked medical license, and potentially four years in prison.

Anyone who watched the trial on a daily basis knew that a guilty verdict was essentially a foregone conclusion.

The prosecution called witness after witness that painted a damning case against the doctor: Jackson bodyguards testified about how Murray acted improperly when trying to resuscitate the singer, how the doc failed to call paramedics in a timely matter, and Murray attempted to hide medical evidence in the hours after Jackson's death.

Paramedics corroborated much of that testimony, and the Los Angeles coroner and medical experts who specialized in sedatives also told the court that an overdose of Propofol was what caused Jackson to suffer cardiac arrest.

Three of Murray's girlfriends said on the stand that the doctor had called them the night Jackson died, which suggested that he wasn't paying attention to his world famous patient.

Even Murray's own interview with police investigators helped cement the case against him.

Murray's defence, meanwhile, responded with a strategy that suggested a suicidal Jackson administered the fatal dose of Propofol to himself, even though there was no evidence of Jackson's fingerprints on the sedative's vials. They also tried to imply evidence tampering and that other doctors were to blame for Jackson's drug addiction.

In a Hail Mary move, the defense called some of the patients who loved and respected Murray to the stand in an attempt to humanize him to the jury, but by that point the burden of guilt had already weighed heavily against the defense.

Murray had an opportunity to call himself as a defence witness and explain what happened the night of June 25, 2009, but he declined.

Finally, over two years after the death of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop's family and fans finally have some closure. "Justice. Justice was served.

It wasn't enough time though. Michael was with us," Jermaine Jackson told HLN as he exited the courthouse. "I'm just happy it's over with. Nothing will bring [Michael] back, but I'm happy [Murray] was found guilty," sister Rebbie told reporters. La Toya added,

"Thank you America, thank all the fans, thank the prosecuting team, everyone was great.

Michael was in that courtroom, that's why victory was served."

In a statement to TMZ, Michael Jackson's parents Joe and Katherine said, "We have been waiting for this moment for a very long time and we couldn't hold back tears of joy in the courtroom. Even though nothing can bring back our son, justice has finally been served!"

Eid-ul-Azha celebrated

The Muslims across the country celebrated Eid-ul-Azha, the festival of sacrifice, on Monday with due religious fervour and solemnity.

The day's programme began with offering Eid prayers by millions of Muslims at mosques and eidgahs throughout the country seeking peace and prosperity for the nation.

The prayers were followed by sacrificing animals.

To commemorate Hazrat Ibrahim's (AS) devotion to almighty Allah as illustrated by his readiness to give up his dearest son Hazrat Ismail (AS), well-off Muslims sacrifice animals and share the sacrificial meat with their relatives, neighbours and poor people.

Eid-ul-Azha does not simply commemorate the unique sacrifice made by them, it also testifies eloquently to the way in which both father and son cheerfully offered to suffer any self-sacrifice, however painful or difficult it might be, in order to obey the command of Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.

The main Eid congregation of the country was held at the National Eidgah at 8:30am Monday, attended by President Zillur Rahman among others. Separate arrangements were made at the Eidgah for women, diplomats and their wives.

Besides, five more Eid congregations were held at the Baitul Mokarram National Mosque at 7:00am, 8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am and 10:45am.

Eid congregations were also hold at different mosques and eidgahs in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, with the biggest congregation at historic Sholakia Maidan in Kishoreganj.

Important public buildings, thoroughfares and road islands of the capital have been decorated with national flags and banners inscribed with 'Eid Mubarak.' Major government buildings have also been illuminated.

The public holiday for Eid-ul-Azha has begun on Sunday. Newspaper offices will remain closed for three days from Sunday.

The president, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sunday gave separate messages, greeting the countrymen on this occasion.

The state-run Bangladesh Betar and BTV and private television and radio channels are airing special programmes on the occasion. The national dailies also brought out special supplements on Sunday highlighting the significance of the festival.

Special meals were served at jails, orphanages, vagrant centres and dormitories on the day.

Additional contingents of law enforcers have been deployed at different strategic points to ensure safe celebration of the festival.

Although the word Eid in Arabic means 'joy,' Eid-ul-Azha is certainly not an occasion for unbridled fun and frolic, not an opportunity for immoderate gluttony.

It is a solemn, sacred festival which enables a person to enjoy, in the right spirit of Islam, through Azha, sacrifice and surrender, resignation and renunciation, selflessness and total submission to the Will of God.

Eid-ul-Azha, the largest religion festival of Muslims, brings for the Muslims divine blessing, an occasion not only to enjoy but also to receive Allah's Mercy and reward through sacrifice and benevolence, patience and constancy.

Miss Venezuela crowned Miss World

A human resources graduate from Venezuela, whose ambition is to work with children, was crowned Miss World 2011 at a glittering beauty pageant in London on Sunday.

Ivian Sarcos, 21, took the ultimate beauty accolade at Earls Court in London, the city where the first Miss World was staged in 1951.

Outside the venue, a small feminist demonstration took place, protesting at what they said was an "appalling offence against women's equality."

The beauty contest was broadcast live to more than 150 countries and was watched by a billion viewers, organisers said.

Sarcos, who currently works for a broadcasting company, said her future ambition was to work with non-governmental organisations and children, according to the Miss World web site.

She has already created her own foundation to help youngsters.

Her hobbies include volleyball, mountaineering and trekking.

One of 13 children, Sarcos said her proudest moment was "when I did my Communion."

Next year's Miss World will be held in China's Inner Mongolia.

Greeks await new PM announcement

Greek leaders are due to agree the name of a new prime minister to lead a unity government until fresh polls are held.

The deal came after Prime Minister George Papandreou agreed to stand down.

It followed days of upheaval caused by his decision - now revoked - to hold a referendum on the EU bailout plan to tackle Greece's debt crisis.

The names of Lukas Papademos, a former deputy president of the European Central Bank, and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos have been floated.

The coalition is due to lead the country until elections, which could be held on 19 February, the finance ministry said.

Once the new leader is named, President Karolos Papoulias will invite parties to join the new government, according to a statement from the president's office issued on Sunday evening.

Papoulias announced the agreement after hosting talks between Papandreou and main opposition leader, Antonis Samaras.

Greece is beginning a new political era - the imminent end of George Papandreou's premiership and the start of a new coalition government. Papandreou has been prime minister of this country since 2009, he was the third member of his family to be in charge. It is the end of a long political dynasty as Greece waits to hear who will take charge of a country mired in perhaps the deepest crisis in its history.

The frontrunner to take over from George Papandreou is Lucas Papademos, the former governor of the National Bank of Greece and a former deputy at the European Central Bank. While he was at the national bank he negotiated Greece's transition from the drachma to the euro - he will be hoping that if he does take over that that will be a one-way street, that he will not face an inglorious exit of Greece from the eurozone.

Hazarika's body taken to Assam

The body of music maestro Bhupen Hazarika was flown to his home state of Assam from Mumbai on Monday.

The 86-year old singer who died in a Mumbai hospital on Saturday will be cremated tomorrow on the banks of the river Brahmaputra which had inspired a number of his compositions, our New Delhi correspondent Pallab Bhattacharya reports.

The body was taken by close family members of the legendary singer-composer from the Kolkilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai and the funeral will take place tomorrow at 1:00pm on the banks of Brahmaputra.

Assam government has taken all necessary arrangements in this regard.

The music doyen died of multiple-organ failure.

The demand for the cremation of Hazarika, one of the greatest cultural communicators of South Asia, on the Brahmaputra was first made by Assam’s influential students’ body All Assam Students Union and later backed by different quarters.

Meanwhile, thousands of people assembled at the statue of the balladeer in Assam’s capital city of Guwahati to pay their last respects to Hazarika.

The cremation of Hazarika on the banks of the Brahmaputra assumes significance as the imagery of rivers finds mention in many of his songs including “Ganga Aamaar Maa Padma Amaar Maa/Amaar Dui Chokehy Dui Jaler Dhara Meghna Jamuna” or “Oh Ganga Tumi Boicho Keno” or the Ganga, the Mekong, the Mississippi and the Volga which figure in his popular number “Charti Nodir Golpo Shono”.

Heart procedures linked to cognitive decline

In a new study of German heart patients, people who had invasive bypass surgery and those who underwent less-invasive stent placement showed declines in thinking and memory skills a few months after the procedures.

Doctors have long been concerned about cognitive decline in patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) because of blocked arteries, and indeed, memory deficits were more significant after those procedures than after stenting.

Still, the findings don’t prove it’s the procedures themselves that cause memory decline — it could just be that plaque build-up in blood vessels in both the heart and the brain is causing a variety of problems in the same patients.

‘These patients obviously all have atherosclerosis,’ said Dr. Mark Newman, who studies cognitive decline after cardiac surgery at the Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, North Carolina.

‘If you have atherosclerosis in your coronary vessels, you probably have it in other vessels in your body as well.’

Patients who are treated with CABG are often in a worse health state, with more build-up, than those who undergo stenting. It could be that ‘cognitive decline after these procedures more relates to the severity of the atherosclerosis than the procedure itself,’ Newman, who wasn’t involved in the new research, told Reuters Health. ‘I think that’s still a debate.’

Even so, it makes sense that when built-up cholesterol in heart vessels is nudged loose during surgery, it could travel to the brain and cause problems there, researchers said.