- Japan inflation firms to 2.8% ahead of BoJ rate decision
- Russia's Kadyrov accuses Musk of 'remotely disabling' his Cybertruck
- Titan sub had to abort a dive days before fatal implosion: testimony
- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases
- Barca downed by Monaco as Arsenal held in Champions League stalemate
- Head's 'good night at office' after century seals win over England
- Dubois seeks legitimacy with Joshua scalp
- Rate cut could lift consumer spirits before US elections
- Last-gasp Gimenez strike sends Atletico past Leipzig
- Barca stumble at Monaco after early red card
- Raya heroics save Arsenal in Champions League opener at Atalanta
- Guardians beat Twins to secure MLB playoff berth
- Jihadist attack in Mali capital killed more than 70: security sources
- Alonso hails 'efficient' Leverkusen after Feyenoord rout
- Ex-Man United striker Anthony Martial joins AEK Athens
- NFL unbeatens meet as Texans visit Vikings, Steelers host Chargers
- Head's hundred seals Australia win over England in 1st ODI after Labuschagne strikes
- Dream debut for Wirtz as Leverkusen thump dire Feyenoord
- Myanmar flood death toll climbs to 293: state media
- Israel army says West Bank air strike kills 4 militants
- LIV golfers get green light for US Ryder Cup team, PGA Championship
- US accuses social media giants of 'vast surveillance'
- Ten Hag to bed Hojlund, Mount in carefully when they return for Man Utd
- Breaking bad as McIlroy endures 'weird' day
- EU chief announces $11 bn for nations hit by 'heartbreaking' floods
- Spanish PM, Palestinian leader urge Mideast de-escalation
- New study reinforces theory Covid emerged at Chinese market
- World Bank boosts climate financing by 10 percent
- Bagnaia eyeing summit on home ground in 100th MotoGP
- 'Something was wrong', defendant in French mass rape tells court
- Hezbollah chief admits 'unprecedented' blow in device blasts
- Sales of US existing homes slip slightly in August
- Fear, panic haunt Lebanese after devices explode
- Labuschagne sparks Australia fightback in England ODI opener
- S.Africa's HIV research power couple says fight goes on
- Why is Israel focusing on border with Lebanon?
- Mpox vaccines administered in Rwanda, first in Africa
- US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
- Unknown Mozart string trio discovered in Germany
- 'Are we five-year-olds?' F1 drivers won't mind their language
- Brazil judge orders X to reimpose block or face hefty fine
- Munich to rename stadium street after Beckenbauer
- Champions Italy to face Argentina in Davis Cup Final 8
- The winding, fitful path to weight loss drug Ozempic
- Italians defeat American Magic to reach Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Norris has 'nothing to lose' as he hunts Verstappen in Singapore
- Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
- French city renames Abbe Pierre square after abuse claims
- Footballer charged after huge cannabis seizure at UK airport
- Vatican recognises Medjugorje shrine, but not Virgin's messages
Convicted rapist Dani Alves leaves Spain jail after posting bail
Convicted rapist and former Brazil international Dani Alves left a prison near Barcelona on Monday after posting the one-million-euro bail set by a court to ensure his release pending appeal.
The 40-year-old has been in jail since his arrest in January 2023 on suspicion of raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub in the early hours of December 31, 2022.
Wearing jeans and a black jacket, his face expressionless, Alves walked out of the Brians 2 prison in San Esteban Sasroviras near Barcelona with his lawyer, AFP correspondents at the scene said.
The former Barcelona player, one of the world's most decorated footballers, was convicted last month and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail, with his lawyers swiftly moving to file an appeal.
But in a surprise move, the court agreed last Wednesday to conditionally release him in exchange for posting a one-million-euro ($1.08 million) bail, handing over his Spanish and Brazilian passports, staying in Spain and presenting himself to court every week.
Alves had tried to make bail several times since his arrest but his requests were turned down on the basis he was a flight risk since Brazil does not extradite citizens sentenced in other countries.
Alves' lawyers are seeking his acquittal, and the appeal process could take months to complete.
Prosecutors, however, want his prison sentence doubled to nine years.
They and the victim's lawyer Ester Garcia have appealed the decision to grant Alves bail.
"This sends the message that this is justice for the rich, and even if there is a conviction, if you pay bail there are no criminal consequences," she told reporters last week.
"It's a very dangerous message for society," she added, saying her client was "totally outraged, very despondent and very frustrated".
- Brazil's Lula slams bail deal -
The court's decision to free Alves was also robustly criticised by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
"We cannot stay silent in the face of this injustice," he said on Thursday, stressing that money "cannot undo the crime that a man commits by raping a woman".
"When sex is something between two people, it has to be agreed to by both of them," and if not, that constitutes "a crime", he said.
During the trial, the victim, who testified behind a screen to protect her identity, said Alves had violently forced her to have sex despite begging him to let her go, causing her "anguish and terror", according to prosecutors present for her declaration.
Alves' lawyers had argued the victim had been "glued" to the player while dancing at the nightclub, saying there was "sexual tension" between them.
But in its 61-page decision, the court said that did not mean "that she consented to anything that might have subsequently happened".
Spain's leftist government passed a new in 2022 that strengthens the country's penal code against rape by requiring explicit consent for sex acts, a move long demanded by assault survivors and women's rights groups.
Alves is widely considered one of the greatest defenders of all time, having won 42 trophies.
The peak of his career was with Barcelona between 2008 and 2016, alongside Lionel Messi, when he won 23 trophies.
At the time of his arrest, he was contracted to Mexican club Pumas UNAM. He was sacked soon after being detained.
E.Ramalho--PC