MOURINHO SAGA: RONALDO MUTES AGAIN

Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to speak about Jose Mourinho following recent comments in the press from the former Real Madrid boss, suggesting his compatriot is "not worth it".

The new Chelsea manager struck a nerve with the forward when he said he was not the 'real' Ronaldo earlier in August, with the Santiago Bernabeu star subsequently ruffled but wanting to stay out of a public slinging match.

Although Mourinho has since sought to clarify the issue, saying his initial quotes were blown out of proportion, Ronaldo is still refusing to answer questions regarding his fellow Portuguese.

"I will not mention the name of that person [Mourinho]," he said to reporters following Portugal's 1-1 draw with Netherlands, in which he scored a late equaliser. "He's not worth it."

Ronaldo did, however, laud his current Blancos coach Carlo Ancelotti and says he is hoping that Madrid can complete La Decima and win back the Primera Division title from Barcelona this season.

"Ancelotti is a great coach, a great man and I am very happy to work with him," he added.

"We will try to win La Liga and the Champions League. It is difficult but this team is good, we have a great coach and we will try to make it happen."

Real Madrid kick off their 2013-14 campaign against Real Betis on Sunday.

Michigan city council votes to sever ties with Russian 'sister city' over anti-gay law

Relationship breakdowns can happen to anyone -- even to cities.

After nearly 20 years of building ties with their "sister city" of St. Petersburg, Russia, leaders in Lansing, Michigan, have found a key sticking point -- Russia's clampdown on discussion of gay issues.

The city council in Michigan's capital voiced its concerns over Russian anti-gay policies on Monday by adopting a resolution calling for an end to the "sister cities" relationship with St. Petersburg. Local news site MLive.com reported that the vote was unanimous.

Russia has been drawing controversy for a recently enacted law that bars the public discussion of gay rights and relationships anywhere that children could overhear.

City council member Jody Washington first brought the matter before the city council during a meeting last month.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero had issued a statement saying that while he opposes the "oppression of the LGBT community in Russia," he also hopes to maintain the relationship with St. Petersburg, which began in 1994 with a Russian-language high school exchange program.

"I encourage the city council and the commission to issue a resolution condemning the violence and discrimination in Russia," Bernero said. "We must denounce the bigotry, but we should not sever the sister city relationship, because we have the potential for progressive dialogue between citizens."

Meanwhile, a local agency said Tuesday there's really no relationship to sever, according to MLive.com. Lansing Regional Sisters Commission President Barbara Roberts Mason said it was only one district within St. Petersburg that was the sister city for Lansing, and that "ceased abruptly" when the governmental structure of St. Petersburg changed years ago.

But the issue that triggered Monday's council vote is just one reflection from an international spotlight that is being cast on Russia ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi early next year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the anti-gay law, which took effect last month. It has been condemned by Russian and international rights groups as highly discriminatory.

Gay rights group All Out delivered a 320,000-signature petition to the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, earlier this month.

The petition urges the IOC to condemn the law and urges Russia to ensure the security of all visitors, athletes and Russian people before, during, and after the Games.

The IOC said that it had "received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the Games."

NOT WAYNE ROONEY BUT ROONEY MARA, MADONNA AND OTHERS......

"I don't think I fully understood the theme," a DVF-clad Kate Upton said at last night's Met gala. "I'm really excited to see the people who went all-out, though." The theme in question, of course, was punk, in honor of this year's exhibition, Punk: Chaos to Couture. And if it wasn't exactly anarchy on the red carpet, there were plenty of A-listers who approached the project with great enthusiasm.

Madonna—fashionably late, as always—went pants-less, wearing fishnet stockings, layers of chains and crucifixes, and a Givenchy jacket. "Punk is about not caring what anybody thinks," she told the crowd before striking a pose. Beyoncé's custom-made flame-print Givenchy dress, replete with a patent bodice and a positively epic train, had a noticeable punk tinge, and Sarah Jessica Parker, too, took the dress code seriously, topping her Giles Deacon gown with a Philip Treacy mohawk.

But as Met ball chair Riccardo Tisci put it, punk "is not so much about the look, it's about the personality." This, he explained, is why he dressed co-chair Rooney Mara in a white lace gown (albeit a white lace gown embellished with a buckled leather strap and zippers). "I wanted to respect Rooney," he said. "She's a very romantic girl, and the sexuality of the dress, and the romanticism of the lace, represents her."

Earlier in the day, at the exhibition's press preview, Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton offered his own pronouncement: "Punk means different things to different people." Carey Mulligan, Giovanna Battaglia, and Karolina Kurkova embraced only safety pins. Others, like Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood, and Donatella Versace (who, having crafted a spiked gown for the affair, declared "my soul is punk!"), oozed rebellion from top to toe. So did Debbie Harry—although she argued otherwise. "I'm not really a punk, you know. I'm just a schmuck," quipped the rock star, who donned a black skull headpiece with her studded Tommy Hilfiger look. "You have to work really hard to be a punk in 2013," she added.

It comes easy to Kristen McMenamy. Flustered that her date, Alexander Wang, was running late, the Balenciaga-clad model proffered a red-carpet critique. "This is the antithesis of punk," she laughed. "Punk is not putting it on. Punk is angry. Punk is not pretending. Punk is real. This is like a costume party for punk," she said before spitting on the steps. Greta Gerwig, cloaked in Saint Laurent, was dubious, too. "Punk is doing your own thing, sticking the finger to the man," she said. "I feel that we're not doing a good job of it tonight. But the night is young!"

One complaint overheard on the carpet was that the gala's glitz and glamour weren't in line with punk's original values. And then there was the fact that many of the evening's glitterati, Allison Williams, Dakota and Elle Fanning, the Olsen twins, and Anne Hathaway included, were born long after punk, in its purest form, had fizzled—although the Fanning sisters did look the part in Fall 2013 Rodarte. The rumored—and since confirmed—performance by Kanye West (who arrived with a rose-print Givenchy-clad Kim Kardashian by his side) raised an eyebrow or two, too. Was it OK to have a rapper take the stage at a punk party? "Kanye knows what's up. He's the new punk. He knows what to do," said Jimmy Fallon, who arrived with stitches on his nose. (He joked that his bandage was Saint Laurent.) The real vote of confidence, however, came from Ms. Harry herself. (Blondie also performed.) "Kanye's one of the biggest punks in the world. Didn't he jump up onstage at some awards thing? That's pretty punk. I hope he jumps up on me."

GRANDMASTER PARTY

 
The Weinstein Company threw a party at the Royalton Hotel last night for its latest film, The Grandmaster. Hong Kong's legendary Kar Wai Wong directed the flick, a star-crossed love story of kung fu rivals played by Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Zhang Ziyi. "I think Tony is the most talented actor in China," Ziyi said. But that was an accolade everyone else seemed to be paying her. Opening Ceremony's Humberto Leon said, "I love to see a girl fight. Zhang had some killer moves tonight."

Six blocks south, on the Refinery Hotel rooftop, the Cinema Society and Downtown Calvin Klein hosted a bash for a different kind of love story, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, the new movie starring Rooney Mara. Richard Gere, Robin Wright, Courtney Love, and Calvin Klein's Francisco Costa all took in the screening. Mara plays a Southern outlaw who shoots a man, lets her husband take the fall, and, over the coming years of his incarceration, struggles with her guilt. So what kind of real-life regrets does Mara have? Director David Lowery said this particular role was pitched only to Mara, but are there other roles she wishes she had taken, or hadn't? The actress told Style.com, "Of course, I have a lot of regrets. But I'm not going to tell you what they are. I'd rather keep the wool over your eyes."

SUAREZ HAS IMPOSED BAN ON HIMSELF

Luis Suarez has imposed a blanket ban on discussing his attempts to leave Liverpool during the international break.
The wantaway striker has joined up with the Uruguay squad ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Japan, despite the fact he is carrying a foot injury.
International breaks are often used by disgruntled players to air their grievances away from the umbrella of their parent clubs.
But Suarez, who has been vocal in his attempts to leave the club, will this week refuse to answer questions with regards to his future. 
Furthermore, the striker is understood to have asked his team-mates and Uruguay FA to stay silent on the bitter saga.
Suarez remains desperate to leave Anfield this summer and his agent Pere Guardiola hopes to hold further talks with Merseyside officials by the end of the week in an attempt to finally get his client out of the club.
As revealed by Sportsmail last week, Arsenal are likely to submit a third offer for Suarez this week - but their bid is set to be south of Liverpool's £50million asking price.

EASIER US VISA ISSUANCE TO NIGERIANS: HAWKINS

NIGERIANS, who seek to migrate to the United States under its various visa categories, would henceforth, worry less over visa procurement, as they have been assured of a smooth and successful visa processing.
The assurance was made by the U.S Consul General, Jeffery Hawkins, during a meeting to usher in United States bi-national commission’s build-up dialogue with the Nigerian government. The development would ensure that every Nigerian who intends to migrate to the U.S for various reasons are given special consideration, given the fact that both countries have maintained consistent and cordial bi-national relations in various key areas of their economies.
Hawkins who indicated that Nigeria was the United States’ most important partner in Africa, given its demonstration of a high degree of friendship, trust and cooperation for tangible progress on critical issues of both countries’ mutual interest, added, “For Nigerians who wish to visit the United States, my goal is to ensure that the visa application process comes as painless and pleasant as possible. This is because we have invested in new staff, installed new equipment and overhauled our processes, so as to provide Nigerian visa applicants with the best of visa services.”
He also stated that, “The wait time for non-immigrant visa appointment is now just a fraction of what it once was, in order to ensure that Nigerians are not kept waiting for more than they would want to.”
The consul general who expressed the need for applicants to desist from submitting fraudulent documentation, the number one reason for denial visa, implored all intending visa applicants to ensure that they provide the consulate with authentic and stipulated visa requirements in order to avoid visa denial or ban as the case may be.
In other words, applicants who submit fraudulent documentations to the U.S Consulate for their visa processing would have to accommodate the sad end that such singular action would cause them.
It is important for applicants to note that the U.S consulate has several detective devices to ensure that they process only documentations from the right Nigerian issuing authorities.
In view of the foregoing, therefore, applicants who provide fraudulent documentations and or uncompleted embassy stipulated requirements in relation to required visa types, are bound to either have their visa application returned or denied.

1.5m Nigerians grow US economy
IT is estimated that more than 1.5 million Nigerians resident in the U.S, and about 31,000 United States citizens resident in Nigeria, have invested enormously to the growth of the economies of both countries.
This number of Nigerians reportedly migrate to the U.S yearly, as immigrants, tourists, students and workers, and presently. Nigeria has about 7,000 of its bright young populace pursuing higher education in various academic fields in universities across the U.S.
The engagement may have contributed to the U.S government’s proposed invitation of a very special set of young Nigerians with track records of leadership and services to their communities to visit the U.S in 2014, through the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders platform.
Under the platform, selected fellows will be moved to top American universities for trainings in entrepreneurship, management and leadership. This is expected to be seconded with internship and job opportunities at top companies in Africa.
These commitments to an extent confirm the fact that both countries are seriously engaged in efforts aimed at promoting cordial bi-national relationships to achieve good and productive ideas, which in turn they both would benefit from.
United States consul general in Nigeria, Mr. Jeffrey Hawkins, said, “Each year, a handful of young officers at the Consulate mentor and support 15 young Nigerians who have ideas for community service projects. Subsequently, the United States Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative, CYFI, and the results regularly astound me, because the Carrington fellows have touched the lives of tens of thousands of their fellow Nigerians, and they have themselves developed into more capable and confident leaders.”

BEYONCE'S HAIR INSPIRED ME TO CUT DOWN MINE: EMMA WATSON

Emma Watson is the latest celebrity to speak out about Beyoncé’s new pixie cut hairstyle

Beyoncé surprised fans and celebrities alike by cutting her famed long hair into a pixie cut this week, and it looks like Emma Watson is the latest celebrity to be inspired by Bey’s dramatic new short hairstyle.Emma Watson is certainly no stranger to short hairstyles, as she once chopped off the long locks her Harry Potter character Hermione made famous, in favour of a shorter stylish crop. Her hair has now grown to a glamorous short bob, but Ms Watson is now destined to return to shorter locks?