Tuesday, July 07, 2009 MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo received a rapturous welcome from 80,000 Real Madrid fans; an outpouring so exuberant the soccer star had to be hustled away when spectators leaped barriers and took the field.Ronaldo, who joined the famed club following his record transfer from Manchester United, appeared before the capacity crowd at Santiago Bernabeu stadium wearing the same No. 9 jersey worn by Real Madrid great Alfredo di Stefano."I've achieved one of my dreams," a beaming Ronaldo said before leading fans in a cry of "Viva Madrid!" "I want this to begin as quickly as possible so that I can show what I can do."Real Madrid had been chasing the world player of the year since 2006. He agreed to a six-year contract in a record $131 million transfer.Fans had begun lining up outside the stadium since early morning, hoping to glimpse the 24-year-old player. He completed a lap of honor to salute fans after performing a few juggling tricks.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...
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