Cristiano Ronaldo has strongly denied an accusation of rape made against him by Kathryn Mayorga, claiming such a crime was “against everything that I am and believe in”. Mayorga says she was assaulted by the footballer after they met at a Las Vegas nightclub in 2009. In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel last weekend she gave extensive details of her claims. Ronaldo responded on Wednesday on Twitter, saying he awaits the results of a reopened police investigation “with tranquillity”. “I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me,” Ronaldo said. “Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense. “My clear conscious [sic] will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.” Lawyers for Mayorga, who sued … [Read more...] about Cristiano Ronaldo hits out at rape allegations: ‘It goes against everything I am’
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Is James Harden the NBA’s Cristiano Ronaldo?
Not even his most ardent critics – and there are plenty of them – dispute James Harden’s greatness. His numbers are undeniable, he efficacy is unimpeachable, and his continued evolution, still adding wrinkles to his game at 30, is inspiring. Yet it’s unlikely the Houston Rockets guard will ever be universally adored, at least not to the extent of a LeBron James or even a Stephen Curry. It is a question of style, rather than substance, that prevents so many basketball fans truly taking Harden into their heart. And, in this regard, there are parallels to be drawn between the NBA scoring machine and soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Of course, Rockets fans worship Harden, just as supporters of Juventus and Real Madrid, Ronaldo’s current and former club respectively, idolize the Portuguese forward. Fans inside the Toyota Center have watched Harden blossom from the perennial sixth man traded from Oklahoma City to escape the shadows of Kevin Durant and Russell … [Read more...] about Is James Harden the NBA’s Cristiano Ronaldo?
And we’re off! Early-bird voters brave the cold and rain to cast their ballots as Britain heads to the polls in the most crucial election in a generation
Britain has started to vote in the most important election for a generation with Boris Johnson expected to be among the first to the UK's 50,000 polling stations this morning. Jeremy Corbyn is also expected to vote in his Islington North constituency with the result in the first December general election since 1923 said to be on a knife edge. Millions of voters face inclement weather with torrential rain and ice predicted across vast swathes of the country before the polls close at 10pm. An exit poll will give the first indication of the results and votes will then be counted overnight with the first results expected by 11pm and a clearer picture of who will be the next Prime Minister between 2am and 4am tomorrow. Boris Johnson made a final, impassioned appeal to voters last night as he warned the most important General Election in a generation was teetering on a ‘knife-edge’. A major YouGov poll on Tuesday predicted a 28-seat Tory majority – the largest … [Read more...] about And we’re off! Early-bird voters brave the cold and rain to cast their ballots as Britain heads to the polls in the most crucial election in a generation
Thursday briefing: Now for the only poll that counts
We made it. Election day. The party leaders have given their final pitches, rallied their last rallies, and now here we are. We’ve got the news you need to get started today and you can follow live coverage of events from our indefatigable politics team, who will be working all day and well into the wee hours to bring you all the action – and the results. What’s going on? Well, the campaign is finally over. It’s been a whirlwind six weeks in which the leaders have travelled across the country, stolen phones, hidden in fridges, refused to apologise for their party’s handling of antisemitism when repeatedly asked by Andrew Neil, refused to be interviewed by Andrew Neil at all, posed in boxing rings, posed bulldozing a menacing tower of styrofoam blocks, watched as their confident promise of becoming prime minister quickly became a vanishingly small prospect, or as their pledge to help the Tories by pulling out of seats backfired. Both Boris Johnson and … [Read more...] about Thursday briefing: Now for the only poll that counts
What science doesn’t know about the menopause: what it’s for and how to treat it
My physio, a young woman called Lucy, was simply making conversation. She wanted to distract me from the serious discomfort she was about to inflict by massaging the nerves around my painful posterior tibial tendon, an ankle injury that I assumed I had brought on by running too much. “My mother’s post-tib has ruptured,” she said. “It’s really common in menopausal women.” This definitely worked as a distraction. What did all this have to do with the menopause, I asked? She looked surprised, because to her the answer was obvious: “Collagen.” For about a year, the skin on my hands had been peeling, monthly. I had seen GPs and pharmacists and been given various remedies, from “Try thick hand cream,” to “Drink more water.” Lucy’s comment made me research more: oestrogen is related to collagen production, and when oestrogen levels start to change in women who are in the stage approaching the menopause (the … [Read more...] about What science doesn’t know about the menopause: what it’s for and how to treat it