"KNOX SCARED BUT INSISTS ON INNOCENCE"

Serving a 26-year prison sentence for the murder of her roommate(colega de quarto), American Amanda Knox said Sunday she is scared, but determined to prove she is innocent, according to an Italian lawmaker (deputado) who visited her cell.
Knox, 22, seemed very pleased (contente) by the visit, which included members of the Italy USA Foundation, said Catia Polidori, a member of the foundation and a member of the Italian Parliament. Knox is also grateful (grata) for the foundation's interest in her case, Polidori said.
"In my opinion, in spite of the imprisonment(apesar da prisão), she seemed to be serene," Polidori told CNN. While Knox is aware(ciente) of the seriousness (gravidade) of her situation, Polidori said, she is "resolute" about proving her innocence.
Knox was convicted(condenada) earlier this month of murdering British exchange student Meredith Kercher while the two roomed(morava) together in Perugia, Italy, in November 2007. During her trial(julgamento), Knox read a statement(comunicado) to jurors, insisting she is not a killer. She is appealing her conviction, although(embora) her case might not reach(chegar) a court docket(súmula do tribunal) for at least a year.
Knox told the visitors she trusts in the Italian justice system to resolve her case, Polidori said. However, she said she was scared, and that "she is often(frequentemente) afraid to open [the] newspaper or watch TV," because media reports tend(tendem) to undermine(enfraquecer) her confidence(confiança), Polidori said.
The Italy USA Foundation "was established to honor the friendship between Italians and Americans," according to its Web site. "The Foundation is an independent institution that intends(pretende) to play a bipartisan role(papel bipartidário) on both sides of the Atlantic and whose sole purpose (finalidade exclusiva)is to promote friendship between Italy and the United States of America."
The foundation's president, Rocco Girlanda, said in a statement on the Web site the delegation visited Knox in her cell in Perugia to check on her condition because of the intense U.S. interest in her case. The delegation brought Knox some English-language books as a Christmas gift(presente de natal), which made her "really happy," Polidori told CNN.
Prosecutors(procuradores) said Kercher died during a sex game in which Knox taunted Kercher while Knox's then-boyfriend, Raffale Sollecito, and another man, Rudy Guede, sexually assaulted her. Among the evidence against Knox was a knife found in Sollecito's house with Knox's DNA on the handle(cabo) and Kercher's on the blade(lâmina).
Knox's attorneys(advogados) attempted(tentaram) to cast(lançar) doubt on those findings(resultados), saying the knife did not match(combina)Kercher's wounds(feridas) or a knife imprint left on a bedsheet(lençol de cama). They also claimed the DNA sample (amostra) was too small to be conclusive.
Sollecito was also convicted in Kercher's death and sentenced to 25 years. Guede was convicted earlier in a separate fast-track trial and is appealing his conviction.
The verdict against Knox drew criticism(atraiu críticas) from some who questioned the process. Kercher's family, however(contudo), has said they were satisfied with the jurors' decision.
Knox said she misses her family, Polidori said. Her mother, Edda Mellas, told CNN's Larry King earlier this month that her daughter was "completely crushed, devastated" by the verdict against her, but she is ready to fight her conviction.
Kurt Knox, Amanda Knox's father, told CNN she had been a victim of "character assassination(assassínio de caratér)." But he said the Italian appeals process is more flexible than in the American courts, noting the appeals court could open the case for a further evaluation (avaliação mais profunda)of evidence and new information.
"There are many Italians who have told us that, you know, worst-case scenario(pior cenário), the first level rarely works(funciona) correctly," Mellas told CNN, referring to the jury trial. "'They'll get it right in appeals, she will get out of there.' They will not, you know, put away(descartar) this innocent young girl for a crime she didn't commit."

WOULD YOU CHOOSE YOUR CHILD’S GENDER?

Genetic screening techniques (Técnicas de seleção Genética) that allow (permitem) parents to choose their children's gender are now more accurate (precisas) than ever and are becoming increasingly (cada vez mais) mainstream, but experts are divided over whether the technology should be used in this way.
A technique called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) (Pré-diagnóstico Genético) was originally developed two decades ago to allow embryos (embriões) to be tested for genetic disease. It requires parents to use in vitro fertilization, where eggs are fertilized outside(do lado de fora) the womb (ventre).
With PGD, the embryos are tested for genetic disorders and only those that are free of disease are transferred to the mother's uterus. It means that parents who carry genetic defects can ensure they don't pass on (transmite) a genetic illness to their children.
But PGD also can also be used to allow people undergoing (submetam-se) in-vitro fertilization to select the gender of the embryo implanted in the mother's uterus.
Using PGD for gender selection is banned (proibido) in most countries, but it is legal in the U.S., where the procedure (procedimento) costs around (por volta de) $18,000, including in-vitro fertilization.
Los Angeles fertility expert Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg uses PGD for gender selection. He told CNN's Vital Signs program that many of his American clients already have children of one gender and are trying to achieve (alcançar) "family balancing." (balanceamento familiar)
added that 70 percent of his patients are from countries where the procedure is banned.
Critics question the ethics of gender selection, and some argue ( argumento ) that it could lead (levar, conduzir) to a gender imbalance (desequilíbrio entre os sexos), particularly in societies with a traditional preference for boys.
"If anything, there's a slight preponderance (ligeira preponderância ) for females, and this is contrary to everything that is publicized, and clearly it varies by country (varia de país pra país)," said Steinberg.
"China is strongly (fortemente) in favor of boys, as we would suspect. India, strongly in favor of boys. But when you look at the world in general, it's 50-50"
Dr. Mark Hughes, who pioneered (pioneiro ) PGD, he has concerns (preocupações) about its use for non-medical purposes (fins médicos). He told CNN, "It definitely is an expanded reproductive choice. The question is, is it medicine? Is it something that doctors should be involved in?"
But Steinberg argues that it's wrong to limit scientific capabilities. "I say to critics that the last thing in the world that you want to do is put the handcuffs (algemas) on science.
"We've been giving women expanded reproductive choices for 50 years. This is another choice."
Although the technology for gender selection is becoming more widespread(generalizado, difundido), it remains controversial(permanece controverso). Some feel that it's "playing God," while others welcome having more choice in family planning.

GERMAN GOALKEEPER TOOK HIS OWN LIFE

Hundred's of fans and former teammates of Robert Enke gathered to lay flowers and light candles outside of Hannover 96's Niedersachsen Stadion after the club's German goalkeeper was struck and killed by a train on Tuesday, in what police called an apparent suicide.

Centenas de fãns e companheiros de time de Robert Enke reuniram-se para colocar flores e acender velas do lado de fora do Estádio Niedersachsen do Hannover 96 depois de o goleiro do clube alemão ser aingido e morto por um trem na terá. No qual a polícia chamou de aparente suicídio.

Enke, 32, died around 6:25 p.m. (12:25 p.m. ET), Hannover police press officer Stefan Wittke said in a statement.

Enke, 32 anos, morreu por volta de 6:25 da noite. O assessor de imprensa da polícia de Hannover Stefan Wittke disse em uma declaração.

"Preliminary police investigations indicate a suicide," Wittke said.

“Investigações preliminares da polícia indicam um suicídio” Disse Wittke.
Police did not elaborate on what evidence they had that pointed to suicide, but Enke's close friend and advisor Jorg Neblung told the official Web site of football's world governing body FIFA: "I can confirm that it was suicide. Robert took his own life shortly before six o'clock."

A polícia não deu detalhes sobre o que prova, eles tiveram que apontar para suicídio, mas o amigo próximo empresário Jorg Neblung disse ao site mundial de futebol da FIFA: “ Eu posso confirmar que foi suicídio. Robert “deu cabo” de sua própria vida pouco antes de seis horas.

The team's official Web site has been converted into a single-page memorial.

O site oficial do clube se converteu em uma única-página memorial.

Enke captained Hannover 96, a team who currently lie tenth in Germany's Bundesliga top division, and had been capped by his national side eight times after making his debut aged 29.

Enke comandou o Hannover 96, um time que se encontra atualmente em décimo na primeira divisão da liga Alemã e tinha sido limitado oito vezes pelo seu lado nacional antes de fazer sua estréia aos 29 anos.

The shot-stopper had also appeared for teams including Carl Zeiss Jena, Borussia Monchengladbach, Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Tenerife in Spain.

O goleiro também atuou por times incluindo Carl Zeiss Jena, Borussia Monchengladbach, benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce e Tenerife na Espanha.

His teammates were stunned by news of his death.

Seus companheiros de time ficaram chocados com as notícias de sua morte.

"We are in a state of shock," said team manager Oliver Bierhoff in a statement from the German Football Federation. "It is beyond words."

“Nós estamos em estado de choque” disse o treinador da seleção alemã Oliver Bierhoff em uma declaração da Federação Alemã de Futebol .” É além de palavras” ( lit. palavras não podem explicar )

The German Football Federation (DFB) said Enke always said he wanted to play for the national team at the 2010 World Cup.

A Federação Alemã de Futebol disse que Enke sempre disse que queria jogar pela seleção nacional na Copa de 2010.

Soccer commentator and journalist Rafael Honigstein told CNN International that Enke was on course to be picked as the number-one choice for the team.

O comentador esportivo e jornalista Rafael Honigstein disse a CNN Internacional que Enke estava caminho de ser escolhida como a número um na escolha para a equipe.

Enke had missed Germany's last four matches because of a bacterial infection, but had recently returned to action with Hannover.

Enke perdeu os últimos quatro jogos da seleção alemã por causa de uma infecção bacteriana, mas tem retornado, recentemente, as atividades no Hannover.

"The leadership of the German national team never had any doubt that he was important for the team both as a goalkeeper and as a human being," the DFB statement said.

O líder da seleção alemã nunca teve dúvida que ele foi importante para o time tanto como goleiro quanto como ser humano.

Enke is survived by his wife and eight-month-old daughter, who the couple adopted.

Enke deixa sua esposa e sua filha de oito anos de idade, que o casal adotou.

The couple's two-year-old daughter died in 2006 from a heart condition, and Honigstein said the loss of his child had taken a toll on Enke.

A filha de dois anos de idade do casal morreu em 2006 de uma doença cardíaca, e Honigstein disse que a perda de sua criança tem “lit. consumido” Enke

"It's been well documented that he had a tough time," Honigstein said. "People knew it was a terrible, terrible tragedy for him."

“Tem sido bem documentado que ele tem passado por dias difíceis”.

"I don't know why and how this happened," said Martin Kind, the chairman of Hannover 96. "It is a total catastrophe. I am finding it hard to understand. All I can say for sure is that it had nothing to do with football."

“ Eu não sei o porquê e como isso aconteceu “, disse Martin Kind, o presidente do Hannover 96. “ É uma total catástrofe. Estou tentando, arduamente, entender. Tudo que eu posso dizer com certeza é que não tinha nada a ver com futebol.

Fellow players said they believed that Enke had been suffering depression. "He was unstable," said Mr Kind. "But he kept it under wraps."

Companheiros de tima disseram que eles acreditavam que Enke vinha sofrendo de depressão. “ Ele estava instável “. Disse o senhor Kind.” Mas ele manteve-se em segredo.”

The coach of Germany's national team, Joachim Lowe, had been preparing his squad for their friendly game against Chile this weekend. The DFB have not yet confirmed whether the game would still be played.

O treinador da seleção alemã, Joachim Lowe, tem preparado sua equipe para seu jogo amigável contra o Chile esta semana. A DFB ainda não confirmou se haveria jogo.

A press conference is due to be held by the DFB at 1130 GMT, while Hannover 96 will speak to the media at 1200 GMT on Wednesday.

Uma conferência de imprensa será realizada pela DFB as 11:30, enquanto Hannover 96 falará para a mídia 12:00 na quarta.