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Watching the guards
03/15 | 23:29 GMT
©AFP / Pornchai Kittiwongsakul
A red-shirted supporter of deposed Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra uses small binoculars to look at the soldiers guarding a military baracks during an anti-government protest in Bangkok.
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Beckham injury not World Cup blow-out for England
03/16 | 04:48 GMT
©AFP / Damien Meyer
AC Milan's David Beckham lays on the pitch during the Italian Serie A football match AC Milan against Chievo, on March 14, at San Siro Stadium in Milan. Beckham's ruptured Achilles may mean the 'end of the world' for him but it is by no means the end of England's dreams of World Cup triumph in South Africa later this year.
©AFP / Damien Meyer
David Beckham's ruptured Achilles may mean the 'end of the world' for him
LONDON (AFP) - David Beckham's ruptured Achilles may mean the 'end of the world' for him but it is by no means the end of England's dreams of World Cup triumph in South Africa later this year.
When Beckham was at Manchester United and at the peak of his football powers, Old Trafford great George Best delivered a damning assessment of the midfielder's ability.
"He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals," the late Best said. "Apart from that he's all right."
Best's comments were widely dismissed as the words of an embittered former player yet they highlighted how the hype surrounding Beckham has often exceeded his deeds on the pitch.
No-one can dispute the 34-year-old Beckham's efforts in trying to become the first England player to appear in four World Cups.
He joined Italian giants AC Milan on loan from MLS side LA Galaxy in a bid to maintain match fitness in the run-up to the June start of the tournament.
©AFP/File / Odd Andersen
George Best's comments about Backham were widely dismissed as the words of an embittered former player
Indeed it was while playing for Milan on Sunday that Beckham suffered the injury that ended his hopes of playing in South Africa.
But it is not as if Beckham's three previous appearances did much to end England's wait for a second World Cup title, which has been going on since the late Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley back in 1966.
In 1998, Beckham was sent-off for a petulant kick at Diego Simeone during England's quarter-final loss to Argentina, with many fans blaming his reckless act for the defeat.
Four years later there were those who highlighted the way he jumped out of a tackle in the build-up to a goal scored by Brazil as being a key moment in another England quarter-final loss, this time against a 10-man Brazil side.
The 2006 World Cup in Germany saw Beckham turn in some solid displays yet nowhere near the calibre of those produced by France's Zinedine Zidane or Italy's Fabio Cannavaro in inspiring their sides to World Cup glory.
For all that England manager Fabio Capello has spoken warmly about Beckham's ability and positive influence on the rest of the squad, the former captain has largely been reduced to a substitute role during the Italian's time in charge.
©AFP/File / Ian Kington
Beckham's ruptured Achilles may mean the 'end of the world' for him
His free-kick ability remains intact but it is a long time since Beckham had a major influence upon a major match.
It may seem harsh on Beckham, but few sides have won Word Cups on the basis of an ageing (he will be 35 when the World Cup starts) dead ball specialist.
On the other hand, were England to lose star striker Wayne Rooney in the run-up, that would all but scupper their World Cup hopes.
Much of the publicity that surrounds Beckham is not of the player's making.
But his global celebrity, which seems to be something his wife, the former pop star Victoria Adams, enjoys more than her husband, has frequently proved an unwanted distraction to England, notably at the 2006 World Cup where the antics of the WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends) of players captivated the press.
Beckham's absence may also embolden his rivals for the right hand side midfield berth, with the likes of the much quicker Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips no longer having to look over their shoulder.
England have not won a World Cup with Beckham, a player who has given loyal service during a 115 cap career, 58 as captain, that has yielded 17 goals.
They may win one without him but, either way, the days when England's fortunes were dependent upon Beckham have passed.
Football
Beckham injury not World Cup blow-out for ...Tim Burton honoured, Marion Cotillard hurt at French awards
03/15 | 17:10 GMT
©AFP / Martin Bureau
US film director Tim Burton poses with his decoration after being awarded Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters, in Paris. France bestowed top artistic honours to Tim Burton and Marion Cotillard on Monday -- but while the US director called it his "greatest" laurel yet, the Oscar-winning actress winced when Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand jabbed the pin through her blouse.
©AFP / Martin Bureau
US film director Tim Burton
PARIS (AFP) - France bestowed top artistic honours to Tim Burton and Marion Cotillard on Monday -- but while the US director called it his "greatest" laurel yet, the Oscar-winning actress winced when Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand jabbed the pin through her blouse.
"This is the greatest honour I've ever received," said Burton, whose live-action 3-D version of "Alice in Wonderland" comes out in cinemas in France next week.
"Fredo is also in Wonderland this morning!" said Mitterrand, as he handed the film-maker the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres for creating a "film universe so personal, distinctive and poetic that it fascinates ceaselessly."
But Cotillard, whose international career kicked off after a role in Burton's "Big Fish", almost fell off her silver stilletos when the minister clumsily stuck the pin through her light pink blouse.
©AFPTV
VIDEO: Tim Burton honoured, Marion Cotillard hurt at French awards. Duration: 01:00
Mitterrand, who swiftly offered an arm to keep her steady, paid homage to her "charm so French."
Cotillard won international fame in 2008 when she took the Academy Award for best actress for herdepiction of Edith Piaf in "La Mome".
Burton, who will chair the Cannes film festival jury this year, said: "From the beginning of my career, I've always felt a very special place here in my heart for France."
"I always felt the French were looking for the poetry, looking for the meaning, looking for the things that I was trying to do. That's something that doesn't really happen in America."
Entertainment
Tim Burton honoured, Marion Cotillard hurt at French ...Siddique, Rahim delay England victory
03/15 | 11:26 GMT
©AFP / Munir Uz Zaman
England captain Alastair Cook (L) celebrates the dismissal of Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal (unseen) with teammate Graeme Swann (R). Bangladesh faced a stiff task of saving the opening Test against England despite a fighting half-century from Junaid Siddique on Monday.
©AFP / Munir Uz Zaman
Swann (R) gave England their first breakthrough of the morning
CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (AFP) - Bangladesh faced a stiff task of saving the opening Test against England despite a fighting half-century from Junaid Siddique on Monday.
Left-handed Siddique made an unbeaten 68 as Bangladesh struggled to reach 191-5 in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day, chasing an improbable 513-run target.
Paceman Tim Bresnan (2-45) and off-spinner Graeme Swann (2-61) reduced Bangladesh to 110-5 in the afternoon, but Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim (47 not out) denied the tourists further success.
©AFP / Munir Uz Zaman
Tamim, top-scorer in the first innings with 86, contributed only 14 this time
Siddique was involved in two defiant stands, adding 54 for the third wicket with Aftab Ahmed (26) and 81 for the unbroken sixth with Rahim. He reached his sixth Test half-century when he lofted Swann over mid-off for a four.
Bangladesh lost three wickets in the afternoon session in the space of 11 runs, including that of skipper Shakib Al Hasan to a dubious decision.
Bresnan had Ahmed caught behind and then bowled Mohammad Mahmudullah for five in a superb spell to put pressure on the hosts.
Swann removed Shakib, who was given out leg-before while attempting to sweep. TV replays, however, suggested the ball came off the gloves. The England spinner has so far taken seven wickets, including five in the first innings.
Tamim Iqbal, top-scorer in the first innings with 86, contributed only 14 this time before being bowled in Swann's second over in the first session.
©AFP / Munir Uz Zaman
Bangladesh lost three wickets in the afternoon session in the space of 11 runs
Imrul Kayes fell in the last over of the morning session, caught by wicket-keeper Matt Prior off debutant paceman Steven Finn after making 23 with four boundaries.
England batted for 50 minutes in the morning, adding 78 runs to their overnight total of 131-5 before declaring their second innings closed at 209-7.
Left-arm spinner Shakib bagged both the wickets, removing Prior (seven) and Swann (32) to finish with 4-62.
Swann hit three fours in his brisk 25-ball knock, while Ian Bell cracked one six and four boundaries in a 55-ball 39 not out. They put on 65 for the eighth wicket.
Bangladesh were bowled out for 296 in their first innings in reply to England's mammoth 599-6 declared.
Cricket
Siddique, Rahim delay England ...Jailhouse rocks for Philippine Internet dance sensations
03/16 | 03:48 GMT
©AFP/File / Ted Aljibe
Inmates form a human peace sign after a performance of pop icon Michael Jackson's dance routine during a press preview at Cebu City provincial jail. Dressed in tangerine jump suits, the roughly 1,500 convicted murderers, rapists and other inmates perform a series of Michael Jackson-inspired dances that have helped boost their morale while also making them Internet sensations.
©AFP/File / Ted Aljibe
Dozens of different dances from the Cebu jail inmates have been posted on the web
CEBU, Philippines (AFP) - From the moment teenager Egan Torrecampo and his fellow prisoners step out of their crowded cells, the maximum-security Philippine jailhouse rocks.
Dressed in tangerine jump suits, the roughly 1,500 convicted murderers, rapists and other inmates perform a series of Michael Jackson-inspired dances that have helped boost their morale while also making them Internet sensations.
"When we are dancing we tend to forget why we were here in the first place," 19-year-old Torrecampo, the flamboyant lead dancer of the jailhouse troupe, told AFP after a recent courtyard performance.
Torrecampo, an openly gay former call centre employee, was sentenced in 2008 to six years in jail for attempted murder after stabbing his 69-year-old American boyfriend.
His enforced move to the jail in Cebu, the Philippines' second biggest city, earned him a slot in a team that had improbably rocketed to global fame the previous year.
The Internet phenomenon began when footage of the prisoners performing the zombie dance from Jackson's "Thriller" music video was posted on the video-sharing website YouTube.
It quickly became one of the most watched clips on the Internet and has now registered nearly 40 million hits.
©AFP/File / Ted Aljibe
Series of Michael Jackson-inspired dances have helped boost morale of convicted murderers, rapists and other inmates
Dozens of different dances from the inmates have since been posted on the web, many of which have also gone viral and been watched by millions.
These include the Village People's "Y.M.C.A.", the rapper MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This", Queen's "Radio Gaga", and even the Gregorian Chants in the middle of a Catholic mass celebrated on the prison yard.
Their latest brought them heavyweight recognition as Jackson's choreographer travelled to the jail in January to train them to dance for the King of Pop's "They Don't Care About Us" song, which was used to promote his posthumous DVD.
"We are ordinary people. At first we could not believe that we would be visited by an extraordinary person who teaches Hollywood stars to dance," Torrecampo said of Travis Payne, Jackson's choreographer.
The "Don't Care About Us" clip has scored 4.4 million hits on YouTube in less than three months.
A former security consultant at the jail, Byron Garcia, came up with the idea in 2006 of using dance as a way to rehabilitate the prisoners and give them a break from the daily grind of life behind bars.
©AFP/File / Ted Aljibe
Orange prison-style T-shirts promoting the dancers are for sale at the jail for 170 pesos ($3.7)
"Rehabilitation has to be anchored on bringing out the best in men instead of the worst of men," Garcia wrote on his personal website.
"If we make jails a living hell for these inmates, then we might just be turning out devils once they are released!"
There has been some controversy over allegations that the inmates have been forced into dancing, and that they have become a tourist attraction with visitors paying to watch their performances.
Orange prison-style T-shirts promoting the dancers are for sale at the jail for 170 pesos (3.7 dollars).
The tourist shows were suspended recently as the governor of Cebu province, Gwendolyn Garcia, who is the sister of Byron, apparently sought to quash rumours that her family was profiting from the dancing venture.
"I think you are all aware of the intrigues, the innuendos, the whispers, unfairly or unjustly accusing certain personalities of benefiting from such fame," she told local reporters last month.
"In order to put a stop to all of this, I issued a memorandum reminding one and all that all activities that have been going on must be cleared with the office of the governor, namely myself."
Nevertheless, the inmates were brought out for an AFP team on a recent visit, and prison warden Lito Gabuya insisted the dancing was all voluntary.
"They are proud of it," Gabuya told AFP. "Almost all inmates dance, except those who are sick or elderly."
For Torrecampo, dancing has given him hope that he may have a meaningful career after he is released.
"I want to become a choreographer -- maybe even a film star," he said.
Lifestyle
Jailhouse rocks for Philippine Internet dance ...China star Zhang takes blame in 'Donationgate'
03/16 | 04:40 GMT
©AFP/File / Anne-Christine Poujoulat
Chinese film starlet Zhang Ziyi has taken the blame for an earthquake donation scandal in her first comments on a flap that sparked a firestorm of Internet criticism and questions about her honesty. "Donationgate," as China's state media dubbed the row, surfaced in January when a popular Chinese website said Zhang had given only 840,000 yuan ($124,000) of a promised one million yuan.
©AFP/File / Anne-Christine Poujoulat
"Donationgate" is not the first time when Zhang Ziyi has come under attack in China
BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese film starlet Zhang Ziyi has taken the blame for an earthquake donation scandal in her first comments on a flap that sparked a firestorm of Internet criticism and questions about her honesty.
Fighting back tears, Zhang told the China Daily in an interview published Tuesday that she failed to follow up with her staff after telling them to transfer money she had promised to victims of China's huge May 2008 earthquake.
"I take the main responsibility for the lapse and causing my staff to mix it up," said the 31-year-old Zhang, the star of films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Memoirs of a Geisha".
"Donationgate," as China's state media dubbed the row, surfaced in January when a popular Chinese website said Zhang had given only 840,000 yuan (124,000 dollars) of a promised one million yuan. The donations were eventually made.
The 8.0-magnitude quake devastated parts of southwestern China, leaving at least 87,000 people dead or missing.
Zhang has long been a lightning rod for criticism in her home country, but came under intense fire on the Chinese Internet and media over the donations.
Even normally staid state television, whose typical fare consists of reports praising government leadership, ran a talk-show segment implying Zhang had not come clean.
In the interview, Zhang also denied widespread allegations of missing funds in a foundation she set up for quake victims, saying: "We have never done anything illegal."
Zhang said she had remained mum on the issue up until now on the advice of lawyers, but admitted the attacks on her character had taken a toll.
"Of course there were moments when I felt bad," she said.
"I wanted to do something good, but we had our problems, such as my lack of experience, my failure to disclose to the public, my limited knowledge about philanthropy and other reasons."
Zhang has come under attack before in China, where fans often savage entertainment stars online for actions deemed shameful to the country.
She has been criticised for having a foreign boyfriend -- Israeli billionaire Vivi Nevo -- and for playing a Japanese woman in "Geisha".
In 2008, actress Gong Li's decision to become a Singapore citizen sparked a similar outcry, with many branding her a traitor.
