C. Ronaldo Said: "I deserved the Ballon d'Or"

The Portuguese star scooped up the 2013 award for the world's greatest footballer and admits that it was a more emotional experience than his previous win in 2008 Cristiano Ronaldo feels that he is the worthy winner of the Ballon d'Or after being crowned as the world's best player
for 2013 in Zurich on Monday.

The Real Madrid star edged out Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery to collect the award for the second time, five years after his first win when playing for Manchester United, and believes that the democratic voting process ensured that the right
candidate won.

"If people gave the award to me, it is probably true that I deserve it," he told the press. "Messi or Ribery deserved the Ballon d'Or too but I won it. I feel really happy to win
the Ballon d'Or and I share this award with Real Madrid."

The 28-year-old went on to explain why he burst into tears upon receiving the award at the Kongresshaus in front of a
star-studded audience.

"I saw my mother,and she was crying. I tried to control myself but I cried too," he added. "My first Ballon d'Or was huge but this one is more about emotion because I was in
front of my mother and my child.

"Ribery is an outstanding player and he deserved to win, as did Messi as well, but I won it."

Ronaldo's win ends a four-year monopoly for Messi since the Portuguese star's previous win in 2008.
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Home fans want Wenger out, now they wait on new deal

THEN: Arsenal scraped into the top four at the end of 2012-13 but had been reluctant to spend any money in the summer transfer window.

Pressure was on Arsene Wenger to deliver a trophy after another campaign without silverware and the new season got off to the worst possible start as Aston Villa emerged
victorious at the Emirates with a 3-1 win.

The home support were baying for Wenger's blood after a capitulation to a Villa side not expected to offer much in this season.

Mistakes from Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny undid Olivier Giroud's early opener and Spanish left-back Antonio Luna sealed the win with a late counterattacking goal.

NOW: The Gunners recovered quickly to fly to the top of the Premier League and have been at the summit for the majority of the season. A win on Monday night will push Wenger's side back in front of Chelsea and Manchester City.

The late signing of Mesut Ozil for a club record £42 million boosted spirits in north London and gave Wenger a stay of execution amongst disgruntled fans, helping inspire the
Gunners to a phenomenal stretch of 11 wins from 13.

Wenger's contract expires at the end of the season and his reputation has been restored as Arsenal look to break an eight-year trophyless run, leading many to wait anxiously as the Frenchman ponders a new deal.
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Messi Comment: Ronaldo is a worthy Ballon d'Or winner

The Portugal captain clinched the award for the second time in his career, ahead of the Argentine and Franck Ribery, but the Barcelona star insists that he has "no complaints"
Lionel Messi says that Cristiano Ronaldo is a worthy winner of the Ballon d'Or after the Barcelona forward finished runner-up to the Portugal star at Monday's gala in
Zurich.

Ronaldo clinched the award for the second time in his career after a stellar 12 months for club and country in which he scored 69 goals in just 59 appearances, beating the Argentine and Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery into second and third, respectively.
Messi, who has won the previous four Ballons d'Or, admits that he is disappointed to have missed out on a fifth consecutive prize but maintains that the injury problems which affected his chances this year should not detract from Ronaldo's achievement.

"He had a great year, so there is nothing else to say. It was a good year for the three of us and that's why the three of us were there.

Whoever won it would have been
a worthy winner," he told reporters in Zurich.

"I don't know if it would have been different if I hadn't been injured but I was out for a long time. It meant I
wasn't in the best shape at the end of the Champions League and meant I started the season injured. I was a
long time out but that has nothing to do with it. Cristiano had a great year and he won it on merit.

"Let's hope I will be back next year and the club is represented again, just like this year with the four players in the FIFPro XI.

"I wanted to win it, of course, I always like to win but, as I say, I have no complaints; Cristiano is a worthy winner, he deserves it."

When asked if winning the previous four made missing out on the 2013 prize more of a blow, Messi added: "No, I wanted to win it - that doesn't make any difference."
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Cristiano Ronaldo, Angerer, Heynckes and Neid triumph at FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013

(FIFA.com) Monday 13 January 2014
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the best player in the world for the second time after 2008 by carrying off the FIFA Ballon d'Or award, while German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer
has claimed her first women's prize.

Jupp Heynckes, the former coach of Bayern Munich, and Germany's women's national team coach Silvia Neid have taken home the FIFA
World Coach of the Year awards for men's and women's football respectively.

The award winners, who were voted for by national team coaches and captains as well as by the
international media representatives selected by FIFA and French football magazine France Football, were announced at the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich today (13 January 2014). The entire voting process was supervised and monitored by PricewaterhouseCoopers
Switzerland (PwC).

The 90-minute show marked an emphatic start to 2014 when the focus – as it was during today's event – will be on Brazil, with the FIFA World Cup™ kicking off there in six months'
time. Brazilian TV star Fernanda Lima and former Netherlands international Ruud Gullit guided the 1,100 guests
and TV spectators in more than 180 countries through the show, which featured, amongst others, icons of Brazil's record five World Cup-winning teams, namely Pelé (1958, 1962 and 1970), Amarildo (1962), Carlos Alberto (1970), Bebeto (1994), Cafu (1994 and 2002) and Ronaldo (1994 and 2002) as well as current superstar Neymar, who in July will
be hoping to help secure the Seleçao's sixth but more importantly first FIFA World Cup title on home soil. Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima and Swiss-Brazilian rhythm & soul
singer Marc Sway provided an additional glimpse of what fans can expect in Brazil 150 days from now.

The evening paid tribute to the best football in 2013. FIFPro, the world players' union, invited 52,000 professional players from all over the world to select their team of the year – the FIFA FIFPro World XI.

The honours went to the following all-
star team: Manuel Neuer (Germany) in goal; Dani Alves (Brazil), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Sergio Ramos (Spain) and Thiago Silva (Brazil) in defence; Andrés Iniesta (Spain),
Franck Ribéry (France) and Xavi (Spain) in midfield; and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden) and Lionel Messi (Argentina) up front.

The FIFA Puskás Award for the "most beautiful goal" of the year as voted for on FIFA.com, FIFA on YouTube and
francefootball.fr by football fans from all over the world was also presented. This prize, created in 2009 in honour and in memory of Ferenc Puskás, the captain and star of the Hungarian national team during the 1950s, went to Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, who scored an audacious, acrobatic long-range bicycle kick for Sweden in a friendly match against England on 13 November 2012. Ibrahimović
received 48.7 %of the votes, ahead of Nemanja Matić (30.8 %) and Neymar (20.5%).

During the show, recognition was also given to those who have contributed to the game on or off the pitch.

Former IOC President Jacques Rogge received the FIFA Presidential
Award from President Joseph S. Blatter in recognition of his tireless work to defend the integrity of international sport.

Rogge excelled with his refreshing, intelligent and humble approach to leadership and he put the Olympic movement back on to a safe and steady path for the future.

Furthermore, Brazil's king of football, Pelé, was awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur for his lifetime
achievements.

The FIFA Fair Play Award was given to the Afghanistan Football Federation for upholding the spirit of courage and
solidarity against all odds through the after-effects of war, disorder and conflict. Although the country has been ravaged by violence and war in recent times, the Afghanistan Football
Federation has continued to build a footballing infrastructure, and has also developed grassroots football and opened up the game to a larger audience, including women and families.

The votes at a glance:

The FIFA Ballon d'Or was awarded for the fourth time tonight following the amalgamation of the FIFA World Player of the Year award with the Ballon d'Or France Football in 2010.

• 184 national team coaches, 184 national team captains and 173 media representatives voted for the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo secured the title with 1,365 points, ahead of
Lionel Messi with 1,205 points and Franck Ribéry with 1,127
points.

• 147 national team coaches, 146 national team captains and 88 media representatives voted for the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award. Nadine Angerer collected
612 points, ahead of Abby Wambach from the USA and Brazil's Marta, who received 539 and 493 points respectively.

• 183 national team coaches, 185 national team captains and 173 media representatives voted for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men's Football award. Jupp Heynckes
secured the award with 1,806 points after he became the first-ever coach to win the treble with a German men's team, namely the Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League
and the German Cup, ahead of Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp with 766 points, and Sir Alex Ferguson, the former manager of Manchester United, who received 711
points.

• 146 national team coaches, 146 national team captains and 88 media representatives voted for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women's Football award. Silvia Neid, who guided Germany, the youngest team at the UEFA Women's EURO in Sweden, to an eighth continental crown, topped the poll with 1,036 points, ahead of Ralf Kellermann
(445 points), coach of the VfL Wolfburg team that won the
treble of German championship, German Cup and UEFA
Champions League, and Pia Sundhage (430 points), coach of
the Swedish women's national team.
For further information on the ceremony, background stories
and the detailed votes and percentages, please visit
FIFA.com and francefootball.fr.

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Senators who defect to other parties will lose seats – Enang

Abuja – Sen. Ita Enang (PDP-Akwa Ibom) has said that senators who defect from one political party to another will lose their seats as the law does not allow anyone who
defects to retain the seat.

Enang made the assertion on Thursday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen.

The senator explained that while it was acceptable for politicians to defect to another party, it was unacceptable for them to retain their seats.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that some senators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) promised to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) when the senate resumed from its recess.

NAN also recalls that 37 PDP members of the House of Representatives had defected to the APC in 2013, citing division in the party as their reason.

Enang said that the law clearly mandated that any member intending to defect to another party must prove that there was a division in the member's current party or
the party had merged.

According to him, there is currently no division in the PDP as declared by the court, adding that members of the PDP intending to defect have no ground upon which to defect.

"A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Elvis Chukwu had ruled on Oct. 18, 2013, that there was no division in the PDP,'' he said.

Enang also cited the case of one Mr Ifedayo Abegunde in Akure North/Akure South Constituency, who lost his seat after defecting from the Labour Party in 2012.

The senator said: "The court upheld the contention that the lawmaker did not prove a division or faction within the Labour Party.''

He said that defection would be legal only if the judgement of the court was set aside and the members
could provide proof that there was, indeed, a division in the party.

''Section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, provides that a member
of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member.

"This shall happen if being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party."

The section, according to him, also adds that "he becomes a member of another political party before the
expiration of the period for which that House was elected.

It further said: "Provided that his membership of the later political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member.

"Secondly as a result of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.''

The lawmaker said that it was lawful for the presiding officer (the Senate President) to declare vacant the seat
of any lawmaker who defected to another party.

He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would, thereafter , be asked to conduct fresh elections to fill the vacancy.

Enang also said that the previous proposal in the constitution amendment to allow for an independent candidate in an election was also rejected.

He said that the fact that some lawmakers had defected in past and were ignored did not make the situation right.

The senator said that it was the responsibility of lawmakers to bring the provisions of the law to lime light.
(NAN)
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S/Sudan army advances on last rebel stronghold

JUBA (AFP) – Government troops in South Sudan were advancing Monday on the flashpoint town of Bor, the last
state capital still in rebel hands, the army spokesman said.

"Bor is still in the hands of the rebels but our forces are still moving towards it," Colonel Philip Aguer said.

Bor, situated some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Juba and capital of the restive Jonglei State, has already changed hands three times since fighting broke out in South Sudan one month ago.

The fighting is between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and a loose coalition of army defectors and ethnic militia nominally headed by Riek Machar, a former vice president
and seasoned guerilla fighter.

Government troops recaptured the key north oil city of Bentiu last week, but have since grappled with rebel
fighters closer to the capital Juba — with new clashes reportedly taking place just 20 kilometres from Juba on
Sunday.

"Salva Kiir sent a very huge force to attack our position.

The attacking convoy was destroyed in a two-hour fight,"rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said in a statement on
the clashes near the capital.

Aguer confirmed that clashes had taken place but there was no immediate independent confirmation of who had got the upper hand.

The rebel force in the region is commanded by Alfred Ladu Gore, a respected fighter from the Juba region and one of several opposition figures on a government wanted list.

The rebels also claim they are close to retaking Malakal, the capital of the biggest oil producing state Upper Nile.
An AFP photographer who was in Malakal on Sunday said that the town was calm but that the remaining residents were huddled in the town centre, too scared to return to
their looted homes.

One month of fighting in South Sudan, which only gained independence from Khartoum in 2011, has displaced some 400,000 people, according to the UN.

The world body put the death toll at well in excess of 1,000, although the independent think-tank International
Crisis Group says reports from the field indicate the death toll would be closer to 10,000.
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Do not write Off Super Eagles – Okparaugo

Port Harcourt – The President of the Nigerian Union in Western Cape, South Africa, Azu Okparaugo, said the
Super Eagles should not be written off in the ongoing CHAN tournament.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Cape Town on Monday that in spite losing 1-2 to Mali in the opening match, the Eagles had the potential to come back to reckoning in the tournament.

Okparaugo said Nigerians in South Africa had the confidence that the Eagles could bounce back to winning
ways.

"The truth is that we trust Stephen Keshi and his team.

We have a high regard and we believe in him. I know, yes they made a mistake, but, we are not writing them off.

"They are still our team. The Super Eagles have that history of coming back and coming back doing better and they proved it in AFCON last time.

"So, yes, we believe in them and we will not fail to support them. We will continue to support them, even
better in the next match.

"And we believe they will do better. That they lost this first match does not mean that we will write them off. No, we trust them.

"The only thing now is that they have their work cut out for them. They need to work twice as hard to prove
themselves.

"But the community in Cape Town will not relent in the support we give to them''.

Okparaugo said Nigerians in Cape Town expected the Eagles to win the match against Mali as the boys had the requisite experience but might have had a lot of things that counted against them.

"It's a learning call for them, it's a bad start, the entire community was disappointed because of the fact that the loss put a lot of pressure on the team''.

Okparaugo said Nigerians in South Africa were expecting a lot from the team in their next match. (NAN)
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Cynthia Osokogu’s murder: Judge accuses defence counsel of stalling trial

Lagos – Justice Olabisi Akinlade of a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere on Monday accused the defence
counsel of stalling the trial of the four men charged with the murder of Cynthia Osokogu in Lagos in 2012.

Akinlade made the accusation when counsel to the first and second defendants — Miss Mosunmola Oladapo and Mr Michael Ajayi — were unable to file their written addresses as directed by the court.

The defendants are Okwumo Nwabufo, 33; Olisaeloka Ezike, 23; Orji Osita, 33; and Ezike Nonso, 25.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Osokogu was allegedly murdered on July 22, 2012 at Cosmilla Hotel, Lakeview Estate, Festac Town, Lagos, by her facebook
lovers — Ezike and Nwabufo.

The counsel had at the last hearing closed their defence for the "trial within trial'' which was to determine how statements were obtained from the defendants.

At the resumed hearing, the counsel told the court that they were unable to file their written addresses because
of their inability to obtain the records of proceedings.

The judge then accused the counsel of deliberately stalling the trial, noting that they failed to consider that the accused were still in prison custody.

"I followed up with the registrar to make sure that the record of court proceedings is ready, but you did not show up to collect it," Akinlade said.

The judge ordered that the written addresses should be filed and served on the prosecution within the next ten days, while other response should be done in two weeks.

She adjourned the case to Feb. 27 for the adoption of written addresses.

The first and second defendants had at the last hearing told the court that statements were forcefully obtained
from them.

NAN also reports that the men are facing a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, stealing, reckless negligence and possession of stolen goods.

The prosecution said the 25-year-old Osokogu, who was resident in Abuja, was lured to Lagos where she was
killed.

The offences contravened Sections 221, 249, 285 and 327 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. (NAN)
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Iraq PM publicly rebukes UN Sec at conference over death sentences

BAGHDAD (AFP) – Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday publicly rebuked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-
moon's call for the country to halt executions while standing beside him at a joint news conference.

Despite widespread calls for a moratorium due to major problems with the country's criminal justice system, Iraq executed at least 169 people last year, its highest such
figure since the 2003 US-led invasion, placing it third in the world, behind just China and Iran.

"I have urged the prime minister and Iraqi government to put (a) moratorium on (the) death penalty," Ban said in response to a question during the news conference with
Maliki in Baghdad.

But Maliki replied that Iraqis would not accept murderers being allowed to live, and said executions were permitted under the constitution and Islam.

"We respect UN decisions and human rights, but we do not believe that the rights of someone who kills people
must be respected," Maliki said.

Iraq has faced widespread criticism from diplomats, analysts and human rights groups who say that due to a
problematic justice system, those being executed are not necessarily guilty of the crimes for which they were sentenced to die.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said last year that Iraq's criminal justice system was "not functioning adequately".

Erin Evers, Iraq researcher for Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, told AFP last month: "What is more disturbing
than the fact of the use of the death penalty itself… is the fact that the utter dysfunction of the criminal justice system means that there is a very high likelihood that the people who are being executed are innocent."

And the US State Department said in its 2012 Human Rights Report that "credible accounts of abuse and torture during arrest and investigation, in pretrial detention, and after conviction, particularly by police and army, were common".

The rise in executions in 2013 came as Iraq grappled with its worst prolonged period of violence since it emerged from brutal sectarian fighting that peaked in 2006-2007
and left tens of thousands dead.

And with elections coming up in April and a litany of concerns facing voters, from poor services to high
unemployment, politicians will likely seek to focus attention elsewhere while ministers wanting to project
toughness could even up the pace of executions.
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Jonathan signs bill banning same sex marriage

ABUJA (AFP) – Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has approved a bill banning gay marriage and same-sex partnerships that sparked international condemnation, his
spokesman said on Monday.

"I can confirm that the president has signed the bill into law," Goodluck Jonathan's spokesman Reuben Abati told AFP, without specifying a date but adding that it happened earlier this month.

Abati said Jonathan signed off on the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2013 because it was consistent with the attitudes of most people towards homosexuality in the west African nation.

"More than 90 percent of Nigerians are opposed to same sex marriage.

So, the law is in line with our cultural and religious beliefs as a people," he added.

"And I think that this law is made for a people and what (the) government has done is consistent with the
preference of its environment."

Amnesty International urged Jonathan to reject the bill, calling it "discriminatory" and warning of "catastrophic" consequences for Nigeria's lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community.

Under the terms of the law, anyone who enters into a same-sex marriage or civil union can be sentenced to 14
years in prison while any such partnerships entered into abroad are deemed "void".

It also warns that anyone who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations or who directly or indirectly makes a public show of a same-sex relationship will break the law.

Punishment is up to 10 years in prison, it adds.

"Only a marriage contract between a man and a woman shall be recognised as valid in Nigeria," the law states.

Nigeria is a highly religious society, with its 170 million people roughly divided in half between Christians and
Muslims, though a significant number are also believed to follow traditional religions.

The anti-gay law follows similar legislation in Uganda that was condemned by US President Barack Obama as "odious" and compared to apartheid by South African peace icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
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"I have a $1million watch" Oba Obateru Akinruntan

Billionaire Oba Obateru Akinruntan, the Olugbo of Ugboland in Ondo and chairman of Obat Oil spoke recently of his love for the good things of life and how he loves to be the first in acquiring these things.

In a recent interview with City People, the Oba described himself as a stylish king "First and foremost I am very creative and secondly,i emulate the style of our forefathers, wearing royal
beads as an old style.

You know these days, if you want to become a popular and flamboyant king, you have to use diamonds. Diamond chains, diamond wrist watches, diamond shoes, diamond ring and my muffler is also made of diamond or gold.

And that will make you unique among other Obas and that doesn't make you proud. I like to be the first in
everything.

I have the largest oil tank in West Arica today.

Again my chain of cars, I use the same type of automobile with the Queen of England, Queen Elizerbeth, we use the same Rolls Royce and
Bentley.

Asides that, I have 7 door limousine
Mercedes, I want to be the first in everything.

The Oba who has an aquarium wristwatch that is worth $500,00 spoke of his wristwatch collections
"I also have a wrist watch that cost $1 million.

Aside that I am a car freak and what I wear with the way I dress, my shoe, my royal diamond cap, wrist watches, diamond ring, and my diamond Mofila is the new thing I have added to it now. I do my shopping in London Jeweller, a special store for top ranking personalities of the world.

I wear expensive wrist watches, shoes and chains all made of
diamond". he told City People
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Seedorf free "at any time" for Milan coaching role's

Clarence Seedorf is available to
take over as Milan coach "at any time", according to the Botafogo
midfielder's representative.

Milan parted company with Massimiliano Allegri on Monday following a 4-3 weekend loss to Sassuolo, a defeat that leaves the 18-time Serie A champions 11th in the Italian top flight.

Mauro Tassotti has been placed in temporary charge for Wednesday's Coppa Italia clash with Spezia, but former Milan stars Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi have both been mooted as potential replacements for Allegri.
It had been suggested that Seedorf, whose contract with Brazilian outfit Botafogo expires in June, would have to wait until the end of the season to take over.

However, representative Deborah Martin has refuted those claims, seemingly opening the door for the
Dutchman to return the club where he won two Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions League crowns.

"There's not much to say about everything that has been written about Seedorf, but some things reported are incorrect," Martin told Gazetta dello Sport.

"Personally I was involved in Clarence's contract with Botafogo - there is a clause that allows him to leave the club at any time, without penalty, unless he was to go to
play for another club.

"I would also like to point out that Seedorf now has all the credentials to coach and took all the necessary steps in the Netherlands and in Brazil."
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Golden Globes: American Hustle wins three awards

Crime caper American Hustle has won three awards at the Golden Globes, including best film comedy or musical.

Its female stars Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence also picked up best actress and supporting actress prizes for their roles in the 1970s-set movie.
Loosely based on a real-life FBI sting operation, it tells of con men enlisted to bring down a corrupt politician.

Steve McQueen's historical tale 12 Years a Slave received the top honour of the night, winning best film drama.
It was the only award the movie was given, after going into the evening with seven nominations.

McQueen and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o had all received nods but came away from Sunday's event empty-handed.

Collecting the award, McQueen said he was "a little bit in shock" and thanked his wife for finding the book by Solomon Northup, on which the film was based.

The other film awards were spread around a number of movies.

Matthew McConaughey won best actor in a film drama for Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey was named best actor in a drama
for his role as Aids patient Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club.

The actor said the award was "unexpected, but graciously accepted".

His co-star Jared Leto won the best supporting actor prize for his depiction of a transgender woman.
Cate Blanchett collected the best actress in a drama award for her part as a disgraced socialite in Woody
Allen's Blue Jasmine.

Leonardo DiCaprio, meanwhile, won best actor in a comedy or musical for The Wolf of Wall Street.

DiCaprio, who won his second Golden Globe from nine nominations, thanked director Martin Scorsese for his mentorship and for "allowing me
to stalk you to make this movie".

Alfonso Cuaron was named best director for Gravity - the only award the space movie picked up on the night.

The Mexican beat McQueen, Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass, Nebraska's Alexander Payne and American Hustle's David O Russell to the director prize.

The screenplay award went to Spike Jonze for Her, a romance about an office worker who falls in love with a
computer-generated voice.

Italian film The Great Beauty won the title of best foreign language film, while Disney's Frozen took home the best animated feature award.

Robert Redford's film All is Lost won the best original score prize, while Irish band U2 won best original song for Ordinary Love, as featured in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

British band Coldplay and US country star Taylor Swift had also been in the running for their songs from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Paul Potts film One Chance respectively.

U2 said working on the film completed a decades-long
journey with Nelson Mandela that began with them playing an anti-apartheid concert some 35 years ago.

"This man turned our life upside down, right side up,'' said frontman Bono. "A man who refused to hate not because he didn't have rage or anger or those things, but that he
thought love would do a better job."
As the first major ceremony of the awards season, the winners are a likely indication of who will be shortlisted when the Oscar nominations are announced later this
week.

The TV categories featured a number of double award winners.

Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra was named best TV
movie/mini-series, with Michael Douglas beating co-star Matt Damon to the best actor in a TV movie, series or mini-series prize.

Although the film was released in cinemas around the world, it was only shown on cable channel HBO in the US.

"The only reason you're not here is I had more sequins,"Douglas told Damon as he collected his award.
Breaking Bad also came away with two awards - best drama series and best actor in a drama for its star Bryan Cranston.

Bryan Cranston won his first Golden Globe, having been nominated four times before Jacqueline Bisset was the only British actor to win a
trophy for her part in BBC drama Dancing on the Edge It was the first Golden Globe for Cranston, having been nominated for the same award every year since 2011. He was also nominated in 2003 for his role in TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle.

He called the award "a lovely way to say goodbye" after the series ended after five years in September.

Police caper Brooklyn Nine-Nine also collected two prizes - best comedy or musical TV series, and best actor in a
comedy for Andy Samberg.

Ceremony co-host Amy Poehler won best actress in a TV comedy or musical for her role in Parks and Recreation, while House of Cards star Robin Wright was named best
actress in a drama series.

Andy Samberg's Brooklyn Nine-Nine won best comedy or musical TV series as well as an award for Samberg himself Amy Poehler, who hosted the event with Tina Fey for a
second year, won her first Golden Globe Elisabeth Moss won best actress in a TV movie or mini-series for BBC drama Top of the Lake, while veteran actor Jon Voight collected best supporting actor in a TV movie,
series or mini-series for Ray Donovan.

It was a generally disappointing night for British talents, most of whom came away empty handed.

Jacqueline Bisset was the only Briton to win an award - the prize for best supporting actress in a TV series, mini-series or TV movie - for her part in BBC drama Dancing on the Edge.

Other British stars who missed out included Dames Helen Mirren and Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Michael Sheen, Idris Elba and Christian Bale.

Poehler and 30 Rock star Tina Fey hosted the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the second year running, earning big laughs with jokes about George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and Meryl Streep.
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Thailand crisis: Protesters launch Bangkok 'shutdown'

Protesters are blocking roads in parts of the Thai capital, Bangkok, in a bid to oust the government before snap elections on 2 February.

The protesters have built barricades and occupied key road junctions, and want to replace the government with
an unelected "People's Council".

The government has deployed 18,000 security personnel to maintain order.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has offered to meet protest leaders to discuss potentially delaying the polls.

Protesters allege Ms Yingluck is a proxy for her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was
ousted by the military in 2006 and is currently in self-imposed exile.

Thaksin-allied parties draw considerable support from rural
voters and have won the last four elections.

But the protesters claim the Thaksin-allied parties' populist policies have created a flawed democracy. The main opposition party is now boycotting the 2 February polls.

Anti-government demonstrators have called on Ms Yingluck - who has urged protesters to respect the democratic process and use the February elections to choose the next government - to step down.

Thailand's election commission has called for the vote to be postponed to May.

But this is unlikely to satisfy the protesters, who want the Shinawatra family to be purged from politics, and a two-year period without elections in which an appointed committee would reform Thailand's political system, the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok reports.

At least eight people have been killed since the protests began late last year. On Saturday, at least seven people were injured when unknown gunmen opened fire on demonstrators at the main rally site in Bangkok.

On Sunday night, an unidentified gunman attacked demonstrators at a protest site, shooting at least one
man, officials said.

Police said a gunman also fired shots at the opposition party headquarters in a separate incident, although no
casualties were reported.

'People's revolution'

Thousands are reported to have turned out for Monday's demonstrations. Protesters say they intend to achieve what they are calling a shutdown of the capital.

Protester Darunee Suredechakul told AP news agency: "The government has to go. Reforms must be carried out."

"We don't want to see the same old corrupted politicians returning to power over and over again," she added.
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Ariel Sharon lauded at Israel state memorial service

Speakers at the state memorial for Israel's former PM Ariel Sharon have described him as an "indomitable" man devoted to the security of his
people.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Mr Sharon was "one of the greatest military commanders the Jewish people have had".

Mr Sharon, regarded by many Israelis as a great statesmen but widely loathed in the Arab world, died on
Saturday aged 85 after eight years in a coma.

He will be buried later at the family ranch in the Negev desert.

Thousands of mourners paid their final respects on Sunday, when Mr Sharon's coffin lay in state outside
parliament - the Knesset - in Jerusalem.

'Giant of this land'

There were some 20 foreign delegates and hundreds of Israeli dignitaries attending Monday's memorial service.

They included US Vice-President Joe Biden, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Middle East international envoy Tony Blair, Czech PM Jiri Rusnok and German Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Delivering the first speech at the memorial, President Shimon Peres said Mr Sharon was a "living military legend" who also always dreamed of peace for Israel.

He said Mr Sharon's shoulders had
"borne the weight of the security of our people".

Mr Netanyahu said Mr Sharon's "unique contribution to the security of the state is engraved in our historical writings", adding: "Your memory will be part of this nation forever."

Mr Biden described Mr Sharon as an "indomitable bulldozer... The security of his people was his unwavering
mission".

Mr Biden also told the Israeli people: "As long as there is a United States of America, you are not alone."

Israeli soldiers from Ariel Sharon's old unit will form an honour guard at his grave site Sharon was a soldier for many years, playing a major role
in 1973 war, before he entered politics Describing Mr Sharon as "bold, unorthodox and
unyielding", but also "warm-hearted, humorous, charming and passionate", Mr Blair called the former PM "a giant of this land" who would "take his place in the history of Israel with pride".

Mr Sharon's body was then taken in a funeral cortege for a brief military ceremony at Latrun, west of Jerusalem, where he was severely wounded in the 1948 war of
independence.

His final journey is to the Sycamore ranch he owned near Sderot, close to Gaza. Mr Sharon will be buried beside his wife Lili, who died in 2000.
Because of its proximity to Gaza, three security rings are being placed around the farm.

The inner ring closest to the grave will be for family and invited guests alone, the second will be open to the public and the third will be a security measure surrounding the perimeter.

An Israeli security source said the Hamas government in Gaza had been warned to prevent any rocket attacks.
The Israeli military says a battery of the Iron Dome missile defence system is located nearby and that two rockets were launched from Gaza on Monday morning but did not
reach Israel.

Gaza withdrawal

No-one from the Arab world, Africa or Latin America was attending Monday's ceremonies.

Mr Sharon's active role in four wars, from Israel's independence in 1948 until 1973, and later in government
as the man who ordered the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, meant he was widely hated across the Arab world.
Palestinians saw him as a war criminal, because of the 1982 massacre by Christian Phalangist militia at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. An Israeli inquiry found Mr Sharon responsible for failing to prevent the killings.

But months before the stroke that left him in a coma in January 2006, he guided Israelis through a unilateral
withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, with the declared aim of easing tensions with the Palestinians.
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