INTERNATIONAL: Novo endereço na internet

A União Europeia vai ter uma nova morada para as suas páginas da internet, com a terminação «.eu». O novo endereço estará operacional a partir de 7 de Dezembro, anunciou a Comissão Europeia hoje em Bruxelas.

O domínio «eu» (iniciais de European Union) fica, assim, ao mesmo nível dos já conhecidos «.com» ou «.pt» (Portugal), permitindo às empresas, organismos públicos e cidadãos escolherem um nome Internet pan-europeu para as suas páginas «web» e endereços de correio electrónico.

Um período de arranque de quatro meses permitirá aos detentores de direitos prioritários - inclusivamente empresas - apresentarem pedidos de registo de nomes de domínios, desde que estejam estabelecidos na União Europeia.

A partir de 7 de Abril de 2006, o registo abrirá as suas portas aos pedidos do público.

In Expresso, 1Dez05

PORTUGAL: Perseguição acaba a tiro

Terça-feira, 21h00. Estrada das Neves, em Alcabideche, Cascais. Cinco jovens negros obrigam uma mulher, sob ameaça de um revólver, a entregar-lhe o Volkswagen Golf que conduzia. Nas duas horas que se seguiram, esta viatura foi usada em quatro assaltos a restaurantes.

PSP, GNR e Polícia Judiciária mobilizaram dezenas de efectivos a fim de travarem os assaltantes – que só foram detidos graças a uma barragem policial montada à saída da A5, na zona de Linda-a-Velha. Os cinco suspeitos, com idades compreendidas entre os 17 e os 21 anos, tinham já um vasto cadastro policial. Ontem, com um Volkswagen Golf cinzento nas mãos, lançaram-se numa vaga de assaltos. A primeira paragem foi às 22h40, no restaurante Arcos da Vila, em Vila Fria, Porto Salvo. Em apenas três minutos, a caixa registadora com 400 euros foi arrancada. Um casal que jantava calmamente ficou sem os telemóveis. Dez minutos depois, o alvo foi o restaurante Satélite dos Bifes, em Linda-a-Velha. Com a réplica de um revólver, dois membros do gang voltam a arrancar a caixa registadora. Por esta altura, já a PSP, GNR e a PJ estavam no rasto do grupo. Os cinco assaltantes ainda tiveram tempo para atacar o McDonalds, no Cacém, e a pizzaria Pizza na Brasa, em Sassoeiros, depois das 23h00. Às 23h20, um carro-patrulha da PSP consegue localizar o gang, na Avenida Copacabana, em Oeiras. A perseguição começa aí e prosseguiu, sempre em alta velocidade, em direcção à auto-estrada entre Lisboa e Cascais (A5). O gang conseguiu furar a primeira barreira policial, montada na Avenida do Rio de Janeiro, em Oeiras, chegando mesmo a arremessar uma das caixas registadoras contra a PSP. Já na A5, no sentido Cascais-Lisboa, o gang abalroou duas viaturas civis e escapou em direcção a Linda-a-Velha. Aqui, uma segunda barreira policial consegue, finalmente, travar a viatura em fuga. Os suspeitos saíram do carro. Há tiros de intimidação disparados por agentes da PSP e militares da GNR – e eles renderam-se.

POLÍCIAS JUNTAS CONTRA O GANG

Há meses que os cinco elementos deste gang andavam com as autoridades policiais atrás. E não eram só a PSP e a GNR que os tinham referenciados. Ao que apurou o CM, a Direcção Central de Combate ao Banditismo da Polícia Judiciária andava a reunir provas contra o gang, suspeito da prática de outros assaltos à mão armada, nas comarcas de Lisboa, Cascais e Sintra. Oriundos do Bairro do Pombal, em Oeiras, de São Marcos, no Cacém, e do Bairro 6 de Maio, na Venda Nova, Amadora, os cinco jovens começaram, ainda crianças, no mundo do crime. Apesar de ainda não terem cumprido penas de prisão efectivas, todos passaram já por colégios de reinserção social.

NOITE DE TERROR APREENSÕES

Para além do automóvel usado nos crimes, foi apreendido ao gang um revólver, oito telemóveis, 1370 euros, quatro pares de luvas, três caixas registadoras e duas malas de mulher.

CONDUÇÃO

Na fuga desenfreada às autoridades, os assaltantes puseram em perigo vários condutores. Além de terem passado sinais vermelhos, fizeram várias ultrapassagens irregulares.

TRIBUNAL

O interrogatório aos detidos começou ontem à tarde, no Tribunal de Cascais. Mas a complexidade do caso obrigou ao adiamento do interrogatório para hoje de amanhã.

In Correio da Manha 24Nov2005

INTERNATIONAL:Police: 54 guns found in teen's home

LITITZ, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Police said Thursday they found 54 firearms and ammunition at the Pennsylvania home of Daniel Ludwig, the 18-year-old accused of killing his girlfriend's parents.

According to a two-page "inventory return" filed Thursday in Lancaster County Court, the search happened Sunday, hours after Michael and Cathryn Borden were found dead in their home.

Listed among the firearms were rifles and handguns. Ludwig lived with his parents in Lititz. His father is a hunter. On the home page of David Ludwig's personal Web site is a link to photos showing him disemboweling a deer.

Police said Ludwig, 18, shot the Bordens to death and fled with their 14-year-old daughter, Kara. The killings apparently happened after an argument over the girl staying out all night with Ludwig, police said.

Ludwig was captured a day later after a high-speed chase in Indiana, nearly 600 miles away. (See map of teens' trail)

In his company was the girl, whom police are treating as a kidnapping victim in the case.

Ludwig is being held without bail in Lancaster County Prison, awaiting a pre-trial hearing next Wednesday. He is charged with two counts of homicide, one count of kidnapping and one count of reckless endangerment.

If convicted, he could face life in prison. The prosecutor in the case said he's still trying to decide whether to pursue the death penalty. (Full story)

The girl has not been charged, and police continue to investigate whether she was kidnapped or willingly accompanied Ludwig.

In CNN.com 17Nov2005

SPORTS : New Zealand handed 2011 World Cup

New Zealand will host the 2011 Rugby World Cup after beating Japan and South Africa in an International Rugby Board secret ballot in Dublin.

South Africa were the first to be eliminated, and New Zealand then beat Japan in the second round of voting.

"Winning the right to host 2011 is an enormous honour and privilege but also an enormous responsibility," said NZ rugby spokesman Jock Hobbs.

New Zealand hosted - and won - the first World Cup in 1987.

South Africa did the same in 1995, while Japan were hoping to host the event for the first time.

"I want to acknowledge Japan and South Africa," Hobbs added. "It was a very tough day so we feel their disappointment.

"We thank the IRB councillors and we won't let them down. It's a proud day to be a Kiwi."

New Zealand lost the right host the event with Australia in 2003 after a row with the IRB over stadium sponsorship.

The Kiwis, reportedly way behind the other two in the betting going into the vote, based the bid on the impact New Zealand has made on the world stage while emphasising the popularity of rugby union in the country.

International Rugby Board chairman, Syd Millar, said: "I would like to congratulate New Zealand, a great rugby nation.

"We received three excellent tenders of the highest quality. Any one of the three could have hosted a successful tournament."

Asked about the decision to go for one of the traditional rugby union countries over Japan, Millar told Five Live: "Japan have learnt a lot about themselves and bidding and I think they'll be strong contenders next time."

Japanese Rugby Football Union president, Yoshiro Mori, expressed disappointment over his nation's unsuccessful bid.

"Many people supported our goal of making rugby global," said Mori.

"We did not receive the exact vote but we think that a lot of sympathy was with New Zealand because they weren't able to host the World Cup in 2003.

"All the boys in the meeting were saying that we have to make rugby global, so why do we have to wait for another five or 10 years to make this happen?"

The South African bid, led by former captain Francois Pienaar, was rejected after the first round of voting by IRB members.

Nveleli Ncula, deputy chief executive officer for South African Rugby Football Union said: "We thought we'd done our homework, this has come as a complete shock.

"We thought we'd prepared for every eventuality, we did a very very good job.

"We had the support of the government, and we had very positive responses from the unions but in a secret ballot anything can happen."

In BBC Sport 17Nov2005

SPORTS : Eddie Guerrero(WWE) passes away

Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room in Minneapolis this morning at the age of 38. The only details available is that Guerrero came in yesterday for tonight's scheduled television tapings at the Target Center where he was scheduled in the main event. He was staying at the Marriott City Center hotel in downtown Minneapolis. He had an early wake-up call shortly after 7 a.m. that he didn't answer. Chavo Guerrero, who he was traveling with, called the room and again got no answer. When knocks on his hotel room door went unanswered, security got the door open and Eddie was found dead in the bathroom. The belief at this time is he suffered a heart attack while brushing his teeth. Many have noted the coincidence both of Guerrero passing away in a hotel room, similar to Brian Pillman, in 1997, in nearby Bloomington. Guerrero was one of the best wrestlers of this generation and immensely popular within the industry.

In Wrestling Observer 13Nov2005

INTERNATIONAL:Woman with phone glued to ear robs four banks

Proving once again that technology is getting more sophisticated while criminals remain as dumb as ever is a brazen woman who has robbed four Wachovia branches in Northern Virginia since October 12, each time entering the banks unmasked and chatting on her cellphone the entire time. Although police will not disclose the contents of the notes she has passed to tellers, we can infer that the Cellphone Bandit started out using the threat of a bomb or gun and then escalated to brandishing an actual firearm. Police are currently vetting through mobile calls made around the same times/locations as the heists, which may prove successful since at least one of the tellers heard the woman speaking a series of “okay”s. As to why someone might want to chat on the phone during a crime, University of Waterloo sociology professor Fred Desrosches theorized that “maybe because she’s a woman, she feels less secure physically, and by talking to somebody, it makes her feel secure…or, maybe she’s talking to her mother.” So yet another crime has occurred here, folks, an assault on the notion that women can’t be just as cold and depraved in their criminal activity as men.

In Engadget 12Nov2005

HI-TECH: Inflatable outdoor movie screen with DLP projector and DVD player


Speaking of discount projectors, check out this inflatable outdoor movie screen for sale at Sam’s Club. The SuperScreen LT is an inflatable screen with a 16:9 viewing area just over 10 feet diagonal. It takes less than five minutes to inflate via a built-in blower and includes a DLP projector and a portable DVD player. The SuperScreen LT bundle will cost you about $7,000.

In Luxist 28Oct2005

ECONOMY : Oil profits off the charts

Yesterday oil companies released their third quarter profits, and they were large. ExxonMobil earned a net income of $9.92 billion, which is the most any U.S. company has earned in a three-month period… ever. Royal Dutch Shell raked in a little over $9 billion itself, while BP earned $6.5 billion, ConocoPhillips $3.8 billion and ChevronTexaco $3.9 billion. Any hardships caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were offset by the record high price of crude oil, hitting $70/barrel at one point in the third quarter. USA Today reports that while consumer backlash is expected for such high profits during a time when most motorists are being pinched at the pump, the oil companies are stressing that their industry is cyclical and it wasn’t that long ago in 2001 when the combined quarterly profits of these companies totaled less than $10 billion. Aww… poor babies.

In Autoblog 28Oct2005

HI-TECH: Câmaras digitais de sete marcas com chip defeituoso

A Sony, Canon, Minolta, Ricoh, Fuji, Nikon e Olympus estão há já três anos a instalar nas suas câmaras digitais um chip defeituoso. De acordo com o Wall Street Journal, o referido componente, que converte a luz num sinal eléctrico, pode falhar quando exposto ao calor e humidade, provocando distorções ou a perda de cor nas imagens recolhidas.

Segundo o jornal, os fabricantes estão a par do problema, mas apenas se oferecem para solucioná-lo quando os clientes recorrem ao serviço técnico com uma avaria.

As marcas que instalam o chip defeituoso são alguns dos maiores distribuidores de câmaras de todo o mundo, pelo que o problema pode afectar milhões de unidades, refere o jornal.

A Sony, identificada como produtora do chip por outros fabricantes, deixou de produzir o componente em Março de 2004, porém muitos distribuidores podem ainda tê-lo em armazém.

A empresa japonesa, segundo o jornal, tem-se recusado a avançar com estimativas sobre o número de câmaras que poderão ter instalado o referido chip.

O diário económico norte-americano publica uma lista de alguns dos modelos defeituosos: Sony (Cyber-shot, Mavica, Clie), Minolta (modelos 7i, 7Hi, A1, Xi, Xt, x20, S414, F300), FujiFilm (gama FinePix), Canon (vários modelos Powershot, incluíndo câmaras de vídeo), Nikon (CoolPix SQ, 3100, 57000), Ricoh, e Olympus.

In Diario Digital 28Oct2005

SPORTS : SOCCER STAR FAILS DRUG TEST

PREMIERSHIP star Abel Xavier was last night facing a life ban after failing a drugs test.

The Middlesbrough and Portugal ace, 32, has already been suspended by world governing body Fifa.

He tested positive following a Uefa Cup game in Greece last month.

But the defender, whose previous clubs include Liverpool and Everton, will deny knowingly taking performance-boosting drugs.

He will claim he merely used an antiviral supplement bought from the US.

It is not yet known what banned substance was found in the routine test after the match on September 29.

Middlesbrough plan to stand by the £25,000-a-week star pending a follow-up test later this week.

Uefa chiefs meet next Monday to discuss his fate.

He has played six times for his club this season but was left out last weekend.

In Daily Mirror 18Oct2005