News Blog

Feel-Good Golf Victories for Paula Creamer, Edoardo Molinari and Steve Stricker

2010-07-16T02:32:00.001-07:00

　　If ever there were three winners that make you feel good about the game, they are Paula Creamer, Edoardo Molinari and Steve Sticker.

　　Creamer was not expected to do well at the Women’s US Open at Oakmont CC. She was still recovering from surgery on her left thumb, could only hit 40 practice balls each day and had come up short in prior US Opens. But on Sunday Creamer, aka Pink Panther, showed us once again to beware the injured golfer, beware the golfer who can hit fairways, and beware the winner with a shopping list.

　　Two keys to her victory were tips from Arnold Palmer who knows a thing or two about Oakmont. They had played a charity function on Wednesday. When she asked him what was the most important thing about Oakmont, Palmer’s answer was no three putts and to keep her head down the whole time.

　　“I listened to that,” she said, adding that she still had a few three-putts. “I really tried to keep my head down as long as I could. Looking up, you can start to see a lot of crazy things. You know, there's a lot going on out there. I tried to make it as simple as I could.”

　　The biggest surprise is that she did not look at a leaderboard on the final round. When her caddie Colin Cann told her she should lay up on the drivable par four 17th , she suspected that she was in good shape.

　　In the end, Creamer said pars as much as the birdies helped her to victory. “They're never gonna kill you in an Open championship,” she explained. “If you get birdies, that's like getting a shot and a half to the field.”

　　With her victory secured, first on Creamer’s to do list is to buy a Birkin bag.

　　“It's like a really crazy bag,” Creamer explained to a room of mostly male journalists who hadn’t a clue as to what it was. “The waiting list is like years. We'll see. It's so bad. I know.”

　　Birkin bags are named after an actress, Jane Birkin. They are hand made. However, should Creamer want a faster track to bag happiness, new ones are available on eBay from $995 to $62,995.

　　Second on her list is skydiving with her father who was a military pilot. Hmmm. Birkin bag and skydiving. This is a new definition of a US Open champ.

　　Steve Stricker is the guy every mom wants to feed apple pie. He’s Opie, one of the Hardy Boys, a Mouseketeer. When he wins, even over a guy who threw a 59 at him, it’s un-American not to be happy.

　　Stricker is so nice he can have a hard time closing out victories, even with a six shot edge going into the final round, which is he had Sunday. In the end, he had a two-shot edge over Paul “ Mr. 59” Goydos, just as his did over Luke Donald at the Northern Trust earlier this season.

　　Stricker had a chance at the 72-hole scoring record which stands at -31, held by Ernie Els, although it was on a par 73 course, but he was unable to go low.

　　“I wasn't the same player as I was for three days, for sure, today,” Stricker said about his round. “You're just afraid to make a mistake, and that's hard to play golf that way.”

　　The lowest he got in relation to par was -27. His final round 70, one under par, gave him -26 on a par 71 course. He was only worried about the victory, not about records of any kind.

　　“I think it's just human nature that you don't want to screw up, and it's hard to overcome,” he continued. “I still had the thought if I shoot 2 or 3-under, they're going to have to shoot 9-under to catch me, and that's a heck of a round.”

　　Stricker made an important putt on the 17th for birdie to give him a little breathing room on the 18th . But on the final hole, he hit a drive into the trees on the right. It looked like he might have a harder road to grab the trophy.

　　“I was trying to hit it in the fairway off the tee,” he said about the errant shot. “I'm thinking to myself, you know, bogey is going to force him to make a birdie, and that's one heck of a hole to try to make a birdie on. So after I hit the tree and my objective was just to get it down there where I could get my third shot on the green and make a five and force him to make a birdie. You know, I don't have to make it -- it doesn't have to be pretty. I just wanted to win, and fortunately it worked out.”

　　At the Barclays Scottish Open, Edoardo Molinari, former US Amateur champion, got his first European Tour victory in windy, rainy conditions, beating veteran Darren Clarke.

　　“When I saw the conditions this morning, you could have shot any number today to be honest,” Molinari said. When we teed off, it was so windy that I thought I didn't have any chance against Darren because he's a great player when conditions are like that.”

　　As it turned out, it was Clarke who could not stay with Molinari. The question was, would Molinari’s victory in Scotland bump the World Cup matches off the front pages in Italy.

　　“I saw one of the first pages in the newspaper this morning,” Molinari said about reporting after his third round. “There was a small picture with about this much on the first page ( small amount of coverage) , and so I think that tomorrow there will be a bigger picture and probably big comments.”

Manolos, Manbags Set to Outdo ‘It’ Bags as Luxury Growth Driver

2010-07-09T02:54:00.001-07:00

　　As some customers struggle to justify spending thousands of dollars on Hermes Kelly or Chanel 2.55 bags, shoes like Jimmy Choo gladiator sandals are set to become a faster-growing luxury, according to estimates by Euromonitor International Plc.

　　Having trailed bags in the five years before and during the recession, sales of luxury shoes will rise 20 percent in the four years through 2013, compared with 16 percent growth in handbag revenue, according to a study by the research company.

　　Demand for $1,000-plus bags may not match pre-recession levels as consumers now hang on to their clutches and totes for more than one season, said Fflur Roberts, Euromonitor’s luxury goods research manager. While also curbing spending on shoes, shoppers may purchase more designer footwear than bags because it’s “more forgivable” to pay $500 for a pair of Manolo Blahnik blue satin heels, Roberts said in a phone interview.

　　“There are still ‘It’ bags out there, but it’s not the same as it was,” Roberts said, citing the mania of three or four years ago for “arm candy” such as Mulberry’s Paddington and Fendi’s Spy. “The entry price for shoes is easier.”

　　In the past decade, PPR SA’s Gucci Group NV and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA boosted sales and earnings by expanding their seasonal bag ranges to tap demand for the latest “must-have” accessory. Luxury bag sales advanced 49 percent in the period from 2004 to 2008, while designer shoes rose 35 percent, according to Euromonitor.

　　Luxury chains in the U.S. are driving retail sales to the fastest pace of growth in the past four years, a sign consumers may be overcoming concern about unemployment and depressed home values, the International Council of Shopping Centers said in advance of its June report.

　　Burberry, Valentino

　　Excluding currency swings, sales of designer shoes fell about 8.7 percent to $9.77 billion in 2009, the lowest level since 2006, according to Euromonitor. Sales of designer bags declined about 8 percent to $6.7 billion in 2009.

　　Growth is set to resume this year, the researcher predicts. Footwear revenue is forecast by Euromonitor to rise 3.2 percent this year, faster than the 2.1 percent predicted for bags.

　　As demand returns, so are the rewards. Burberry Group Plc, the U.K.’s largest luxury company, said in May annual profit increased 23 percent as it sold more shoes and accessories. Salvatore Ferragamo SpA, the Florence, Italy-based shoemaker, has seen “very significant” growth in sales of men’s footwear in Asia as businessmen upgrade to luxury shoes, according to Chief Executive Officer Michele Norsa.

　　Rubber Soles

　　“We have a very functional offer in Asia, including shoes with rubber soles,” Norsa said in a May interview. In Japan, sales of Ferragamo shoes grew by more than 10 percent in the first quarter, he said.

　　Valentino Fashion Group SpA’s shoes are “performing in an outstanding way,” CEO Stefano Sassi said in an interview. “It’s the product category that is doing more right now.”

　　High-end shoe sales may accelerate fastest through 2013 in Malaysia, Russia, Canada, the U.S. and South Korea, with growth being split equally between men’s and women’s footwear, according to Euromonitor forecasts.

　　Handbag sales will get a lift from a non-traditional customer -- men, particularly in Russia, Malaysia and China, according to the researcher. Excluding suitcases, sales of men’s designer bags may grow 18 percent between 2009 and 2013, compared with 16 percent for women’s luxury handbags.

　　‘Manbag’

　　“It’s all to do with the ‘manbag’,” Roberts said. “It’s more acceptable now for men to walk down the street with a Mulberry bag. It’s the norm.”

　　Mulberry Group Plc’s fall 2010 bag range includes the 495- pound ($750) East West oak natural leather messenger bag and the 895-pound Picadilly chocolate natural leather tote, according to the London-based fashion company’s website.

　　“The Mulberry boys are functional before being fashionable and are looking for value for money,” said Nicholas Roberts, the company’s retail director. “Our functional, understated bags sell well in season, while our high-fashion products sell more in sale.”

　　With sales of men’s luxury bags in the U.S., the world’s biggest market for the category, projected to grow 23 percent through 2013, according to Euromonitor, retailers including Saks Inc. and Barneys will add competitively priced own-label men’s satchels, purses and messenger bags from spring 2011, executives at both department-store chains said in interviews last month.

　　“Whatever product we offer needs to offer value, especially in men’s wear,” said Thomas Ott, Saks senior vice president of men’s wear.

　　And for the fashionable female still seeking her luxury fix, albeit at a lower price point, Roberto Cavalli SpA and Ferragamo are making less expensive products. Cavalli is cutting production costs by putting one brooch on a handbag instead of two, CEO Gianluca Brozzetti said in an interview last month. Ferragamo is making more bags priced around $500, Norsa said.

　　“Brands have possibly got a bit carried away with all the markups that they’ve been allowed to get away with,” said Euromonitor’s Roberts. “People are more careful about buying.”

Illegal bushmeat 'rife in Europe'

2010-06-17T18:55:00.001-07:00

　　Two primate species were among the seizures of bushmeat by customs About 270 tonnes of illegal bushmeat could be passing through one of Europe's busiest airports each year, the first study of its kind estimates.

　　A team of researchers says the illicit trade could pose a risk to human or animal health and increase the demand for meat from threatened species.

　　The figure is based on seizures from searches carried out over 17 days at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

　　The findings appear in the journal Conservation Letters.

　　A team of researchers from France, Cambodia and the UK said it was the "first systematic study of the scale and nature of this international trade".

　　"We estimate that about five tonnes of bushmeat per week is smuggled in personal baggage through Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport," they wrote.

　　During the 17-day study, a total of 134 passengers arriving on 29 flights from 14 African nations were searched.

　　Nine people were found to be carrying bushmeat, which had a combined mass of 188kg.

　　In total, 11 species were found - including two types of primates, two kinds of crocodiles and three rodent species - four of which were listed as protected species.

　　'Lucrative trade'

　　Co-author Marcus Rowcliffe from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) explained why the international team of researchers decided to carry out the research.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　Only a small proportion of Africa's bushmeat is exported

　　Calls for bushmeat ban rejected

　　"As no study like this had been carried out before, we really had no idea as to the volume of bushmeat coming into airports," he told BBC News.

　　"It was a surprise when we saw how much was arriving."

　　The products were not only imported for personal consumption, but were part of a lucrative organised trade with high prices indicating luxury status, Dr Rowcliffe added.

　　"A 4kg monkey will cost around 100 euros (£84), compared with just five euros in Cameroon," he said.

　　Based on the data gathered from the 29 flights covered by the study, the researchers then calculated the weekly and annual inward flow of bushmeat.

　　"Assuming that (the study's) rates are representative of the average weekly rate over the year, this equates to... 273 tonnes of bushmeat," they calculated.

　　The team suggested that there were likely to be a number of factors behind the large volume of bushmeat being imported.

　　"First, detecting and seizing these products is not a priority," they explained.

　　"Second, penalties for importing illegal meat or fish are low and rarely imposed. Third, the rewards for transporting bushmeat are potentially high."

　　The researchers acknowledged that the study had a short time scale and limited geographical coverage, and said that a longer and large scale survey was now required to build on the findings.

　　However, they added that their study did allow them to consider ways to control the trade.

　　They suggest offering incentives to customs officers, increasing the penalties for illegally importing the products and raising awareness among passengers that bringing such products into the EU was prohibited.

　　The team concluded: "The large scale of current imports makes it important to consider all options for reducing the flow of illegal meat and fish, and of bushmeat in particular."

Times Square car bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad indicted

2010-06-17T18:54:00.001-07:00

　　Faisal Shazhad, 30, was arrested two days after the car bomb attempt The main suspect in the alleged attempt to set of a car bomb in New York's Times Square last month has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

　　Faisal Shahzad, 30, is facing terror charges, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

　　The explosives found in a car on Times Square on 1 May failed to detonate.

　　Mr Shahzad, a Pakistani-born US citizen, was later arrested at New York's JFK airport. He faces life in prison if convicted.

　　He did not enter a plea at a court appearance on 18 May, but officials said he was co-operating.

　　The SUV found on Times Square was loaded with fertiliser, fireworks, gasoline, propane and alarm clocks.

　　Investigators traced the vehicle back to Mr Shahzad.

Blast at Colombia coalmine kills 16 and traps dozens

2010-06-17T18:53:00.001-07:00

　　A blast at a coalmine in Colombia has killed 16 miners and left about 70 trapped underground, officials say.

　　The explosion happened late on Wednesday at the San Fernando mine in Amaga, Antioquia province.

　　Officials say there is little likelihood of finding survivors as rescuers tried to get into the mine.

　　"To be honest there is not much [hope], very little, practically none," Luz Amanda Pulido, a national disaster official, told local radio.

　　The blast happened at 2200 local time on Wednesday when miners were changing shift, officials said.

　　For that reason, the exact number of people inside the mine was unclear, they said.

　　Rescuers were trying again to get inside the shaft on Thursday morning.

　　'Huge tragedy'

　　It is not yet clear what caused the blast but officials said there may have been a build-up of gases. There are fears the death toll could rise further.

　　President Alvaro Uribe described the disaster as "a huge tragedy" and said "my heart goes out" to the families of the dead.

　　Colombia is one of the world's largest coal exporters.

　　COLOMBIA'S MINE DISASTERS

　　Continue reading the main story

　　2009: Methane gas explosion kills eight, also in Antioquian

　　February 2007: Gas explosion in north east kills 32

　　October 2007: At least 24 gold prospectors killed in mine collapse

　　April 2001: 15 dead after gas explosion in northern Colombia

　　1997: 16 miners buried alive after blast at coal mine in same region

　　It has the second-largest reserves in South America, after Brazil. According to the US Energy Information Administration, it was the fourth largest coal exporter in the world in 2008.

　　Dozens of workers have been killed in explosions at mines, many of which are makeshift.

　　A methane gas explosion killed eight workers in a mine last year, also in Antioquia province.

　　In February 2007, a gas explosion at a mine in north-eastern Colombia killed more than 30 workers.

　　After the blast at the makeshift La Preciosa site, about 580km (360 miles) north of the capital, Bogota, authorities said they would step up their supervision of Colombia's mines.

Pan-Starrs telescope begins operations to hunt asteroids

2010-06-17T18:52:00.001-07:00

　　The telescope is relatively small, but incorporates cutting edge technology A new telescope facility in Hawaii designed to search for asteroids and comets which could threaten Earth has been made operational.

　　The Pan-STARRS 1 telescope will map large portions of the sky each night to track not only close space objects, but also exploding stars (supernovae).

　　The telescope has been taking science data for six months but is now operating from dusk-dawn each night.

　　Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1) is expected to map one-sixth of the sky every month.

　　The facility boasts a huge digital camera: a 1,400 megapixel (1.4 gigapixel) device that can photograph an area of the sky as large as 36 full Moons in a single exposure.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　These data will help us understand the life cycles of galaxies

　　Prof Carlos Frenk Durham University

　　"Although modest in size, this telescope is on the cutting edge of technology," said Dr Nick Kaiser, head of the Pan-STARRS project.

　　The giant digital camera will take over 500 exposures each night, collecting about four terabytes of data (equivalent to what 1,000 DVDs can hold).

　　By casting a wide net, the telescope is expected to catch many moving objects within our Solar System.

　　Frequent follow-up observations will allow astronomers to track those objects and calculate their orbits, identifying any potential threats to Earth.

　　In January this year, a report by the US National Research Council said the country must do more to tackle the asteroid threat.

　　Professor Carlos Frenk, from Durham University, who is the UK's member on the Pan-STARRS board, said: "PS1 will generate the largest ever multi-colour survey of the cosmos.

　　"Alongside supercomputer simulations of the universe, these data will help us understand the life cycles of galaxies and, if we are very lucky, the nature of the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that control the evolution of our cosmos."

　　The 1.8m (60-inch) diameter telescope on Haleakala will also spot many small, faint bodies in the outer Solar System that hid from previous surveys.

　　PS1 is the experimental prototype for a larger telescope to be built called PS4, which will have four times the power of PS1 and is planned for Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Sarkozy in UK to mark de Gaulle historic war broadcast

2010-06-17T18:51:00.003-07:00

　　Nicholas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni last visited the UK in March 2008 The French president and his wife are visiting the UK to mark the 70th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle's radio appeal to German-occupied France.

　　Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni will visit the BBC radio studio in London where the general famously urged his compatriots to resist Nazi occupation.

　　Mr Sarkozy, joined by Prince Charles, will lay a wreath on the Mall at the statue of the Queen's father George VI.

　　The president and British PM David Cameron will later meet veterans.

　　Limited audience

　　The visit is the first by a French president to mark Gen de Gaulle's broadcast on 18 June 1940.

　　The general had fled his country the day before as a new administration, headed by Philippe Petain, sought an armistice with Hitler.

　　DE GAULLE'S HISTORIC BROADCAST

　　Continue reading the main story

　　Gen de Gaulle fled France on 17 June 1940 as a new administration sought an armistice with Hitler

　　The next evening he urged the French to fight on in a BBC radio address from Broadcasting House

　　Britain had turned his request to broadcast down, but the decision was reversed after PM Winston Churchill intervened

　　To the general's fury, his speech was not recorded, so he returned four days later to deliver his message again

　　Blog: Head of BBC History on visit

　　In the stirring radio appeal Gen de Gaulle declared himself leader of the "Free French", spawning the French Resistance, which went on to play a crucial role in defeating the Germans.

　　He told his nation that "the flame of the French resistance must not and will not be extinguished".

　　Posters displaying his words were put up all over London in the days that followed the broadcast, to galvanise French exiles.

　　During their visit to Broadcasting House, Mr Sarkozy and his wife will unveil a plaque and view a tapestry presented in thanks to the BBC by France after World War II.

　　The president and Prince Charles will later lay wreaths at the statue of Gen de Gaulle in Carlton Gardens, where he set up his wartime offices.

　　About 800 people from the Charles de Gaulle Foundation, the Free French Foundation and other groups have been invited to London to join events.

　　Many will travel across the Channel on a specially chartered Eurostar, which will take them home again for further ceremonies.

　　The French and UK leaders will later meet resistance fighters and British veterans for a ceremony at the Chelsea Royal Hospital, home of the Chelsea pensioners.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　Translation of the speech

　　A student from the French lycee in London will read Gen de Gaulle's speech to Mr Sarkozy, the full text of which is inscribed on a bronze plaque at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

　　He was given a hero's welcome after the liberation of Paris in August 1944, but historians point out that he was not seen as a saviour in 1940.

　　They say his now revered broadcast went almost unnoticed at the time, with a very limited audience on the BBC French Service.

　　Mr Sarkozy's last official visit to the UK was in March 2008, when he was also accompanied by his supermodel-turned-singer wife.

　　The 36-hour stay was the first full state visit by a French president for 12 years.

Man wrongly jailed after Northants Police 'mistakes'

2010-06-17T18:51:00.001-07:00

　　Warren Blackwell was freed after more than three years in prison Mistakes by a police force contributed to an innocent man being jailed for indecent assault, a watchdog has ruled.

　　Warren Blackwell, of Woodford Halse, was jailed having been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman with a history of false claims against men.

　　A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) criticised Northamptonshire Police's handling of the case.

　　Mr Blackwell, 40, spent more than three years in jail before being cleared.

　　The IPCC report said a detective was told the woman was "unreliable" and "unstable" but did not pass the information on.

　　Delay in apology

　　Mr Blackwell was accused of a violent sexual assault by a woman who had suffered mental health problems and had a history of making false allegations.

　　The IPCC report criticised police for failing to challenge discrepancies in the woman's account and for not interviewing witnesses whose evidence would have undermined her claims.

　　The report said one officer, which the IPCC felt should have faced a misconduct hearing, had retired from the force.

　　Two detectives have been given management advice about their conduct.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　Warren Blackwell was subject to a terrible miscarriage of justice

　　Commissioner Amerdeep Somal IPCC

　　Mr Blackwell had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in September 2006.

　　Northamptonshire Police only apologised to Mr Blackwell four years after he had been cleared.

　　The IPCC said it was "dismayed" it had taken so long to issue an apology.

　　Mr Blackwell was jailed after a woman claimed he indecently assaulted her outside a social club in the early hours of 1 January, 1999 after a New Year's Eve party.

　　Mr Blackwell was convicted in October 1999 at Northampton Crown Court, despite maintaining his innocence.

　　He was jailed for three years - later increased to five.

　　But the conviction was overturned after the case was referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

　　Commissioner Amerdeep Somal, of the IPCC, said: "As the Court of Appeal has ruled, Warren Blackwell was subject to a terrible miscarriage of justice.

　　"Nothing can bring back the three years four months he wrongly spent in prison.

　　She said a request that the Chief Constable withdraw a commendation given to the detective constable by the former Chief Constable for the original investigation had not been accepted.

　　She also expressed her "deep dissatisfaction" for the "unacceptable" length of time the force had taken to resolve disciplinary matters.

　　"Such unnecessary delay is neither in the public interest, nor in the interest of all those involved, including the police officers," she said.

　　In October 2006, Mr Blackwell's accuser was named in the House of Lords by Labour peer Lord Campbell-Savours during exchanges about the rape laws.

Van outside Aughnacloy police station sparks alert

2010-06-17T18:50:00.001-07:00

　　Army bomb experts have been called to examine the abandoned van Police are advising the public and motorists to avoid Aughnacloy in County Tyrone after a van was abandoned outside a police station.

　　Army technical officers have been called to examine the vehicle which was left outside the building on the Dungannon Road.

　　Some 350 people living close by have had to leave their homes.

　　Dungannon Road and Main Street have been cordoned off and other agencies are helping police to clear the area.

　　Local DUP councillor Sammy Brush, who is at the scene, said: "There is nothing getting in, or out, of the vicinity of the police station.

　　"There's a white Ford transit van parked in front of the police station."

　　Mr Brush said residents have been moved to nearby halls for the night.

　　"We can open all the halls that are needed. We have the facilities to open them.

　　"We wouldn't have beds in them but we have seats and things like that.

　　"It looks like it's going to be a long night and probably these people are going to be out for some considerable time."

　　He added that the evacuation seemed "fairly well organised" and that there was "no panic".

　　"There's a little bit of anger and disbelief but I suppose the longer this goes on, the feelings will probably get stronger."

Forth Valley Hospital to use robot 'workers'

2010-06-17T18:49:00.001-07:00

　　Hospital managers say the robots will not replace humans A hospital in Scotland is to become the first in the UK to use a fleet of robots to carry out day-to-day tasks.

　　The robots will carry clinical waste, deliver food, clean the operating theatre and dispense drugs.

　　They are currently undergoing final tests ahead of the August opening of the new £300m Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert, Stirlingshire.

　　The robots will have their own dedicated network of corridors underneath the hospital.

　　NHS Forth Valley chairman Ian Mullen said the new hospital would be "packed full of design features to improve patient care and improve the life of staff".

　　Continue reading the main story

　　Members of staff will use a hand-held PDA to call up the robot to move meal trays, or linen, or whatever

　　Ian Mullen NHS Forth Valley

　　He added: "Members of staff will use a hand-held PDA to call up the robot to move meal trays, or linen, or whatever.

　　"The robot will come up in the service lift by itself, pick up the item and go back into the lift."

　　Tom McEwen, the project manager for manufacturer Serco, said a series of pre-programmed routes would be set out for the robots to follow.

　　"The robots will follow the sytem using a series of laser beams which will tell it exactly where it is," he explained.

　　Computers on board the robots will be able to tell doors to open, and sensors will tell the robots to stop if anything - or anyone - is in the way.

　　One of the most valuable aspects of using robots is in controlling infection.

　　Dispense drugs

　　"Traditionally clean and dirty tasks are carried out by the same person," infection control nurse Lesley Shepherd said.

　　"Here, you'll have the robots that do dirty tasks, so they may take dirty linen or clinical waste away, and you'll have robots that do clean tasks, such as bringing meals and clean linen to patients.

　　"They have separate lifts so there's no way they can cross, which is great."

　　Other robot models will clean theatre floors and even dispense drugs at the pharmacy.

　　Managers said the robots would not replace humans, but would free up more time for staff to spend with patients.

　　They will also have to keep at least one human on standby, should any of the robots break down.

Congress tells Hayward BP ignored oil well dangers

2010-06-17T18:48:00.001-07:00

　　During the course of the day, Mr Haywood faced attacks from both politicians and the audience

　　BP chief executive Tony Hayward has been told by an angry US Congressional panel his firm ignored dangers when drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

　　House committee on energy and commerce chairman Henry Waxman said BP's "complacency" before the 20 April rig explosion had been "astonishing".

　　He accused Mr Hayward of "stonewalling" for failing to answer his questions.

　　As a public relations exercise for BP, the hearing was a disaster, a BBC correspondent says.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　We are not small people but we wish to get our lives back

　　Bart Stupak US Congressman BP hearing: Key clashes Send us your comments

　　Over and over, the BP chief refused to agree with the conclusions of a group of angry, hostile Congressmen and women who seemed in no doubt, after their own lengthy enquiries, that BP had shown a reckless lack of attention to safety, Paul Adams reports.

　　Infuriated by Mr Hayward's inability or unwillingness to answer their questions, committee members resorted to expressing their disgust, more than one saying he felt insulted.

　　Eleven people died in the Deepwater Horizon drill rig accident, which left a ruptured well spewing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

　　Despite BP efforts to contain the leak, oil continues to enter the sea, threatening states along the Gulf coast.

　　BP says it will withhold dividends until the end of the year as part of its response to the spill.

　　The long-term hope for ending the spill rests with two relief wells now being drilled, one of which has reached two miles (3km) below the seabed, or about two-thirds of its way to its target, US disaster coordinator Admiral Thad Allen reported on Thursday.

　　It is planned is to seal the leak with concrete but that is not likely to happen until August at the earliest.

　　'Tremendous risks'

　　BP's shares rose more than 6% after it agreed to put $20bn (£13.5bn) in a fund to compensate victims of the spill.

　　MARDELL'S AMERICA

　　Continue reading the main story

This is going very badly for Mr Hayward and for BP

　　Mark Mardell BBC North America editor Read Mark's thoughts in full

　　The increase halted falls that had led to the company's stock value halving in recent weeks.

　　Congressman Waxman said in his opening remarks that BP had "cut corner after corner" in order to save money, which led to the explosion and fire on board the Deepwater Horizon.

　　"We could find no evidence that you paid any attention to the tremendous risks BP was taking," he went on.

　　"We reviewed 30,000 pages of documents from BP, including your e-mails. There is not a single e-mail or document that shows you paid even the slightest attention to the dangers at this well."

　　He told Mr Hayward: "You're not taking responsibility, you're kicking the can down the road."

　　One by one, other Congressmen, both Democrats and Republicans, questioned BP's activities in America in a hearing which lasted some seven hours.

　　"We are not small people but we wish to get our lives back," said Bart Stupak, playing on a comment made the day before by BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg about how BP sympathised with the "small people" of the Gulf, and a recent remark by Mr Hayward about wanting his "life back".

　　Mr Hayward faced a barrage of questions about the drilling rig Texan Republican Michael Burgess expressed surprise when the BP chief said he had not known anything about the well in question until he was told in April that drilling had confirmed an oil discovery.

　　"But you're the CEO of the company," Congressman Burgess said.

　　"With due respect," Mr Hayward replied, "we drill hundreds of wells around the world."

　　"Yeah, that's what scares me right now," said Mr Burgess.

　　A row erupted within Republican ranks after another Texan Republican, Joe Barton, suggested BP had been subjected to a "$20bn shakedown" by the Obama administration.

　　Mr Barton, the senior Republican on Mr Waxman's committee, was rebuked by his own party leaders and retracted his words, the Associated Press reports.

　　"I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident," he said in a statement.

　　BP pledge

　　Earlier, as Mr Hayward prepared to testify, a protester briefly disrupted the hearing, shouting that he should be "charged with a crime" before she was removed.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　This week, the BBC is assessing the impact of the Louisiana oil spill. Correspondents in the US, the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and London are reporting for the BBC World Service, World News TV and the BBC News website.

　　Full coverage of the oil disaster

　　She was identified as Diane Wilson, a fisherwoman from Seadrift, Texas, near the Gulf Coast.

　　Expressing his "deep regret" for the spill, Mr Hayward repeatedly stressed he was constrained in what he could say by the fact that a number of investigations into the explosion had yet to finish.

　　"There is nothing I have seen so far that suggests that anyone put costs ahead of safety," he said at one point. "If there are, then we'll take action."

　　He said he had focused on improving safety for the three years he had been in his post and his priority was ending the spill and clearing uo the oil.

　　"I give my pledge as the leader of BP that we will not rest until we make this right," he said.

　　Mr Hayward's inability to answer specific technical questions about the situation on the rig angered the panel particularly.

　　BP's chief executive said answers would be supplied by his firm when they were ready.

　　The questions, set out in a letter to Mr Hayward on Sunday by Mr Waxman and fellow committee member Bart Stupak, include allegations that BP:

　　Went against the advice of its own plan review regarding the well's design and chose a riskier, cheaper and quicker casing option

　　Used only six centralisers to make sure the casing ran down the centre of the well bore, rather than the 21 recommended by sub-contractor Halliburton

　　Rejected warnings by its own plan review and Halliburton in preparations for a cementing job

　　Decided to forego a recommended safety step in the circulation of drilling mud

　　Did not deploy a "lockdown sleeve" that would have prevented the seal from being blown out from below

EU to publish bank data in drive to calm markets

2010-06-17T18:46:00.001-07:00

　　Britain's David Cameron (left) was attending his first EU summit EU leaders have agreed to publish "stress tests" of banks next month to show investors where any potential risks lie.

　　EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the results would be published "on a bank by bank basis - this should reassure investors".

　　The announcement came after EU summit talks dominated by the debt burden weighing on many member states.

　　The EU is wrestling with Europe's worst public debt for decades.

　　Leaders are intent on preventing contagion from the Greek budget crisis.

　　The summit came amid particular concern about public finances in Spain, the fifth biggest eurozone economy.

　　Bank levy plan

　　"Stress tests of banks will be published at the latest in the second half of July," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said.

　　On Wednesday, Spain published the results of stress tests showing how its financial institutions would behave in a future crisis.

　　Now, overcoming German reluctance, all EU countries said they would do the same. The BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels says it is an unprecedented move which they hope will restore market confidence in the battered euro.

　　The leaders also agreed on the need for a bank levy, to ensure that any future bail-out is funded mainly by banks, rather than taxpayers.

　　Although details remain unclear, they will urge the US and other major economic powers to embrace a bank levy system at the G20 summit next week.

　　"In the G20 we will also propose to explore and to develop the introduction of a financial transaction tax," Mr Van Rompuy said.

　　"There is no need to create new [EU] institutions, it is... a matter of working better together," he added.

　　Both he and Mr Barroso have spurned suggestions by German Chancellor Angela Merkel that EU treaty changes might be necessary to enforce budget discipline.

　　Cooked breakfast

　　The EU leaders agreed on tighter collective supervision of individual member countries' budgets.

　　In addition, the rules governing debt levels among the 16 eurozone countries will be strengthened.

　　Earlier, British Prime Minister David Cameron, attending his first EU summit, promised to play a "positive" role in the bloc.

　　"We will of course always defend our national interests, as others do, and our national red lines," he added, speaking alongside Mr Barroso.

　　Both Mr Cameron and Mr Barroso said the EU should be focusing on "substance" rather than institutions.

　　At their early morning meeting Mr Barroso served up an English cooked breakfast of bacon, sausage and egg for Mr Cameron.

　　As the summit got under way the cost of borrowing for the Spanish government hit a record high, reflecting doubts about Spain's ability to repay its debts.

　　The government admitted this week that foreign banks were refusing to lend to some Spanish banks.

　　French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted however that "there is no problem with Spain, we are showing full confidence in the Spanish authorities".

　　Budget surveillance

　　Spain has been forced to deny reports that it is in talks with the IMF over a bail-out package to help it manage its debts.

　　The country has announced budget cuts and unpopular labour reforms to avoid a Greek-style meltdown.

　　The eurozone has set up a 750bn-euro (£623bn; $920bn) bail-out mechanism as a safety net in case any more countries suffer a similar debt crisis to Greece.

　　The draft summit document mentions EU member states presenting their budgetary plans to the European Commission each spring, "taking account of national budgetary procedures", BBC Europe editor Gavin Hewitt reports.

　　The UK has made it clear that its budget must go before the British parliament before being presented to EU officials for scrutiny.

　　However, the UK's pre-budget report is already fed into EU finance ministers' discussions before the full budget appears in April, a UK diplomat told the BBC.

　　The EU leaders also discussed a new 10-year strategy for jobs and growth, drafted by the Commission, called "Europe 2020".

　　It sets out a range of targets for employment, training and investment. Spending on research and development would reach 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) under the plan.

Bebo sold by AOL after just two years

2010-06-17T18:45:00.001-07:00

　　Bebo has struggled to compete against the likes of Facebook Internet company AOL has sold Bebo, the social networking site it bought two years ago for $850m (then £417m).

　　Criterion Capital Partners, a small private investment firm, announced that it had bought the business, but did not disclose the amount paid.

　　However, analysts suspect it to be just a fraction of the price paid by AOL in 2008.

　　Since then, Bebo has struggled to compete effectively against social networking rivals such as Facebook.

　　Earlier this year, AOL announced plans to sell or shut down Bebo because it was unable to provide the "significant investment" needed to prevent its decline as a business.

　　The BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones called AOL's decision to buy Bebo "one of the worst deals ever made in the dotcom era".

　　"The extraordinary thing is the deal was made years after the dotcom crash which was supposed to have taught the industry lessons," he said.

　　"The interesting thing is that the founder, Michael Birch, walked away with $300m - it's the art of timing."

　　'Active user base'

　　Criterion Capital's plans for Bebo are unclear, and the company was not immediately available to give further details.

　　But the new owners are believed to see significant potential in the business.

　　Bebo's headquarters is set to remain in San Francisco, at least in the near term, but job losses have not been ruled out.

　　In a statement, Adam Levin, Criterion Capital's managing partner, said there was plenty to be positive about.

　　"The young, highly active user base, revenue history, presence in countries throughout the world and solid technical infrastructure make it an attractive media platform," he said.

US prices fall for a second month

2010-06-17T18:44:00.001-07:00

　　Falling fuel costs dragged prices lower US consumer prices fell for a second straight month in May, after energy prices dropped sharply.

　　The US consumer price index dropped 0.2% last month, adding to the 0.1% fall seen in April.

　　May's drop in prices was the biggest monthly decline since December 2008.

　　But economists said it was unlikely that the trend would result in a dangerous spiral of deflation, as core prices - which strip out energy costs - saw a small rise.

　　Core prices rose 0.1% in May, while energy prices dropped 2.9% - the biggest monthly drop in a year. Gasoline prices were down 5.2%.

　　The annual rate of inflation now stands at 2%, meeting the US Federal Reserve's target.

BP shares rise on US oil spill compensation deal

2010-06-17T18:43:00.001-07:00

　　BP shares have closed up almost 7% after it agreed to put $20bn (£13.5bn) in a fund to compensate victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

　　The increase halted falls that had led to the company's stock value halving in recent weeks.

　　Investors said BP's agreement with the White House had "removed some of the uncertainty" surrounding the company.

　　The rise comes despite the announcement that BP shareholders will not receive dividend payments this year.

　　The year's first dividend payment of $2.6bn was due on Monday, but has now been cancelled.

　　It is the first time that BP has withheld the dividend since World War II.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　I am horrendously angry about this - we're being dragged into US politics

　　Sandy Lamb BP shareholder, Chester, UK

　　BBC business editor Robert Peston said the increase in BP's credit default swap (CDS) premium - the cost of insuring its debt - was an important factor in the board's decision to suspend the dividend.

　　The company also said it would be selling about $10bn worth of "non-core" assets in order to give it more available funds.

　　'Losing money'

　　One UK shareholder, who said he would lose £600 in dividend payments on top of the declining value of his shares, told BBC News online he felt he had effectively been "robbed by Barack Obama".

　　"If I was in the US, I could claim compensation for loss of income caused by the spill. But as it is, I'm losing money because of the oil spill and no one's giving me a helpline to call," said pensioner Sandy Lamb from Chester.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　The Gulf of Mexico debacle has increased the cost of insuring BP's shorter-term debt by a factor of 50

　　Robert Peston BBC business editor Read Robert's blog

　　"I am horrendously angry about this - we're being dragged into US politics... and David Cameron has done nothing for UK investors."

　　However, analysts were encouraged that the impact the disaster would have on BP was becoming clearer.

　　"The one thing investors hate is uncertainty," said Keith Bowman, equities analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

　　"A decision has been made on the dividend, and at least now we've got a few more numbers to work with."

　　Uncertainty remains

　　BP has agreed to pay $5bn into the fund this year, followed by quarterly payments of $1.25bn until the total $20bn is paid.

　　Continue reading the main story

　　Full coverage of the oil disaster Q&A: Effect on your finances

　　Analysts said that the compensation fund and initial clean-up costs would be easily affordable for BP, but the threat of legal action and significant fines meant it needed to conserve cash.

　　"The big issue is that nobody knows what the extent of BP's liabilities might be," warned Brian Tora, investment manager at JM Finn.

　　"BP is a huge company and it can certainly fund the cost of cleaning up the oil spill, but what the future holds is very difficult to tell."

　　So far BP estimates it has spent $1.6bn on containing and cleaning up the oil spill so far.

　　Standard Chartered warned last week that the total cost to the company, including legal costs, could top $40bn.

　　President Barack Obama has also said that BP's compensation costs may not be limited to the £20bn already planned for the fund, and individuals will still be able to sue the company.

Utah prepares for firing squad execution of Gardner

2010-06-17T18:41:00.001-07:00

　　Ronnie Lee Gardner has been on death row for 25 years The US state of Utah is preparing to put convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner to death by firing squad, the first such execution in 14 years.

　　Unless a last-minute plea for clemency succeeds, Gardner - who has spent 25 years on death row - will be shot at 0005 local time (0605GMT) on Friday.

　　Gardner, 49, chose the firing squad as his method of execution before it was banned by Utah in 2004.

　　He would be only the third man put to death in that way in the US since 1976.

　　He was convicted in 1985 of fatally shooting a lawyer during an attempt to escape from a court where he was facing another murder charge dating from 1984.

　　Appeal rejected

　　Continue reading the main story

　　Mr Gardner has had a full and fair opportunity to have his case considered by numerous tribunals

　　Gary Herbert Utah governor Utah counts down to execution

　　A federal appeals court in Denver denied Gardner's request for a stay of execution on Thursday.

　　His lawyers have appealed against the decision to the US Supreme Court. If that appeal fails, his execution will go ahead.

　　Utah Governor Gary Herbert also rejected a request for a temporary stay on Thursday, saying Gardner's legal team had presented no material that had not already been considered by the courts.

　　"Mr Gardner has had a full and fair opportunity to have his case considered by numerous tribunals," he said in a statement.

　　On Tuesday, he ate his final meal of steak, lobster, apple pie, vanilla ice cream and 7-Up, before beginning a 48-hour fast.

　　'Wild West'

　　The execution will be carried out by a five-man firing squad.

　　Four of their rifles will be loaded with live bullets but a fifth will carry a blank, so that none of the men knows with certainty that he shot a lethal round.

　　Gardner will be hooded and strapped to a black metal chair, with a target pinned to his chest. He will be asked for his last words before the firing squad's triggers are pulled.

　　Critics say the method is a relic from the state's Wild West past and should be abolished.

　　Death row convicts in Utah were for decades allowed to choose their method of execution.

　　State legislators removed that choice in 2004 and made lethal injection the standard method - but inmates sentenced before then can still opt for firing squad.

Remains of chess champion Bobby Fischer to be exhumed

2010-06-17T18:40:00.001-07:00

　　Bobby Fischer died in Iceland at the age of 64 The remains of chess champion Bobby Fischer are to be exhumed in order to settle a paternity claim, an Icelandic court has ruled.

　　The Supreme Court in Reykjavik said a tissue sample was needed to prove whether nine-year-old Jinky Young was Fischer's daughter.

　　Fischer, who died in Iceland in 2008, left no will.

　　His estate, estimated to be worth $2 million (£1.4m), has been at the heart of several inheritance claims.

　　Fischer's former wife, relatives and the US government - which claims it is owed taxes - are also involved in the dispute.

　　Ms Young, a Filipina, is the daughter of Marilyn Young, who had a relationship with Fischer.

　　'Unavoidable'

　　"In order to obtain such a sample it is unavoidable to exhume his body," a court document said.

　　The verdict overturned a ruling by a district court, which said earlier this year that the grounds of the request were not strong enough.

　　Thordur Bogason, lawyer for Marilyn Young and her daughter, said the exhumation was a "last resort", saying they had hoped that blood samples had been kept in an Icelandic hospital.

　　He said they had presented evidence that his clients had received regular payments from Fischer in the years before he died.

　　US-born Fischer became world famous in 1972 after winning against Boris Spassky, in what became known as the "chess match of the century".

　　He was later accused by the US of violating international sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing a match there in 1992. He was granted citizenship in Iceland in 2005.

　　He died aged 64, and is buried in a church cemetery in southern Iceland, about 50km (30 miles) from Reykjavik.

Federal officials lash out at BP

2010-05-23T20:58:00.001-07:00

Full coverage: Latest on the spill" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/storylink/2010-05/53725948-12150826.jpg" width="80"/>

　　The public-private response to the Gulf of Mexico oil leak showed more signs of strain Sunday as members of the Obama administration bashed BP's progress even as they acknowledged they had to rely on the oil giant's equipment and expertise to plug the blown-out well.

　　In one of the harshest government condemnations of the company to date, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said BP had blown "deadline after deadline" and had not "fulfilled the mission it was supposed to fulfill."

　　"I am angry and I am frustrated that BP has been unable to stop this oil from leaking and to stop the pollution from spreading," Salazar said at a Houston news conference. "We are 33 days into this effort and deadline after deadline has been missed."

　　» Don't miss a thing. Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.

　　The federal government could resort to taking over tasks now controlled by BP, Salazar suggested. "If we find they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing, we'll push them out of the way appropriately," he said.

　　Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry later accused BP of not responding efficiently enough as oil bore down on Louisiana communities west of the Mississippi River.

　　Unlike previous news conferences, in which federal officials referred to the oil giant as "our partner," Landry referred Sunday to BP as "the responsible party."

　　"I did have to apply pressure to BP over the last few days," she said in a news conference in Louisiana. "There was a lot of equipment there that wasn't being deployed appropriately or quickly enough for my satisfaction. So we put our foot down with that."

　　Those comments stood in contrast to morning news show remarks from Landry's superior, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen, who said he trusted Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive, and described the company as responsive.

　　"When I give them direction or the federal on-scene coordinator gives them a direction, we get a response," he told host Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union" show. "I've got Tony Hayward's personal cellphone number. If I have a problem, I call him."

　　Asked if BP was "in charge" of the effort to stop the leak, Allen said, "I don't think it's an issue of control." But he acknowledged that "access to the discharge site is controlled by the technology that was used for the drilling, which is owned by the private sector. They have the eyes and ears that are down there. They are necessarily the modality by which this is going to get solved. Our responsibility is to conduct proper oversight to make sure they do that."

　　BP Managing Director Bob Dudley, on the same program, said that criticism from elsewhere in Washington, particularly an assertion from Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) that BP could not be trusted, "hurt a little bit."

　　"All of us at BP are trying to solve the problem," he said.

　　The mixed tone from federal officials came amid growing frustration over failed efforts to contain the month-old leak, which has spewed an estimated 7 million gallons of oil into the gulf, possibly much more.

　　BP intends to try to plug the leak as early as Tuesday by jamming it with mud, an operation called a "top kill." If the top kill and subsequent short-term plans fail, the oil could continue leaking until August, when the company hopes to complete a relief well.

　　After a boat tour of the gulf Sunday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal criticized BP and the federal government, saying the state was taking its own measures to block encroaching oil by erecting sand barriers and other devices in front of the fragile inland marshes.

　　He criticized the Army Corps of Engineers for failing to render a faster approval of a state plan to dredge and build barrier islands far offshore to keep the oil out of the marshes.

　　"Every day we are not given the authorization to move forward and create more of these sand booms is another day where that choice is made for us, and more and more miles of our shore are hit by oil," Jindal said.

　　A corps spokesman said the agency was proceeding with the governor's request under emergency rules, but still had to comply with a federal environmental impact law that requires advice from other agencies.

　　Jindal also said that requested boats, skimmers and barges were in short supply, and that he discovered crews ready to work who were facing bureaucratic hurdles.

　　"It's clear the resources needed to protect our coast are not here," he said.

　　The Republican governor's response was one of a number of indications that the outrage over the growing disaster may prove as tricky to contain for the Obama team as the oil itself.

　　From the left this week, Democratic operative James Carville, a Louisianan, said the administration was "naive" to trust BP to do the right thing. From the right, Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican Senate candidate, called out the administration's aggressive anti-BP language, particularly Salazar's "boot heel" comments.

　　"I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business," Paul said.

　　Since the April 20 blowout and explosion that killed 11 workers and eventually sank the Deepwater Horizon rig, BP and the government had mostly presented a public image of cooperation and comity, holding joint news conferences and billing their effort as a "unified command."

　　The good vibes appeared to fray last week as large amounts of oil washed ashore, and as the Environmental Protection Agency ordered BP to stop using the dispersant it was spraying to break up the oil, an order BP refused.

　　On CBS' "Face the Nation," Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs defended the federal response. "I don't think anybody could credibly say ... that the government has stood around, done nothing and hoped for the best," he said. "We were activated the moment that this oil rig exploded."

　　The administration plans to inundate the Gulf Coast this week with some of its highest-ranking officials, including Salazar and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who will fly over the spill zone Monday with a bipartisan group of senators and meet with Jindal and other officials.

FTC approves Google-AdMob deal

2010-05-23T20:52:00.001-07:00

　　　　The Federal Trade Commission has backed down from a fight that once seemed inevitable, giving Google the go-ahead to acquire mobile-advertising leader AdMob for $750 million.

　　"The Federal Trade Commission has closed its investigation of Google's proposed acquisition of mobile advertising network company AdMob after thoroughly reviewing the deal and concluding that it is unlikely to harm competition in the emerging market for mobile advertising networks," the FTC said in a statement Friday morning. Regulators appeared to be on the brink of holding up the deal based on the fact that Google would have acquired a significant advantage in the mobile-advertising space, but apparently changed their minds.

Apple and its iAd announcement seem to have weighed heavily on the final decision. "As a result of Apple's entry (into the market), AdMob's success to date on the iPhone platform is unlikely to be an accurate predictor of AdMob's competitive significance going forward, whether AdMob is owned by Google or not," the FTC said. The final vote was 5-0 in favor of allowing Google to proceed.

　　Google took the high road in its own statement on the decision, after lobbying developers through the review process to support its deal. "We're excited to work with Omar Hamoui and his talented team at AdMob to develop new mobile advertising solutions for marketers, mobile app developers and mobile publishers...As mobile phone usage increases, growth in mobile advertising is only going to accelerate. This benefits mobile developers and publishers who will get better advertising solutions, marketers who will find new ways to reach consumers, and users who will get better ads and more free content."

　　AdMob agreed to become part of Google in November, but the deal has been held up ever since by concerns that a Google-AdMob combination would join together the world's most dominant desktop-Web advertising company with the leading mobile-advertising company, just as a tectonic shift from desktop to mobile as the platform of choice starts to gain traction.

　　Google's argument all along has been that mobile advertising is a very new and immature industry, making it difficult to judge whether the leaders of today's mobile-advertising world will necessarily hold that position as the technology matures. There's little doubt people are spending more time online through handheld mobile computers, but mobile advertising is a challenge because of the small size of mobile screens and the technology limitations of the device.

　　Apple's iAd announcement was immediately heralded by Google and others as evidence that innovation in mobile advertising would not come from just one company, and that appears to have been the tipping point for the approval of the deal. Both Apple and Google sought AdMob, but Google's $750 million offer was apparently too rich for Apple's blood, which settled for Quattro Wireless for a much lower price.

　　Most surprising about Friday's decision were the steady drip of leaks prior to the announcement that the FTC had essentially already decided to block the deal. Several developers contacted as part of the FTC's review said that the agency appeared to have already made up its mind and was merely looking for anything to support its viewpoint, and others said the agency did not appear to clearly understand the issues currently affecting the mobile-advertising market.

　　And it's no secret that federal regulators have had a close eye on Google for years, including scrutiny over its DoubleClick acquisition, proposed ad deal with Yahoo, and Google Books settlement with authors and publishers. At some point, regulators like to regulate, and it had appeared that the AdMob deal would have signaled the first big showdown between trustbusters and the search giant.

　　Google's stock was up on news of the deal, gaining $4.91 or just over 1 percent in attaining a midday trading value of $479.92.

Sharpton: Detroit girl's death is 'breaking point'

2010-05-23T20:35:00.001-07:00

Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton gave a rousing eulogy Saturday for a 7-year-old girl killed in a police raid, challenging the hundreds of mourners to take responsibility and help stop a spiral of violence that has swept the city.

　　Sharpton lobbed some criticism at Detroit police, whose explanation of how Aiyana Stanley-Jones died from a gunshot has been contradicted by the girl's family. But he mostly offered a broad cultural message to a city where at least three children and an officer have been killed in recent weeks.

　　"I'd rather tell you to start looking at the man in the mirror. We've all done something that contributed to this," he said referring to Aiyana's death.

　　"This is it," Sharpton said at Second Ebenezer Church. "This child is the breaking point."

　　The congregation stood and applauded Sharpton, the final speaker at a nearly two-hour service that included stirring gospel music and remarks from clergy.

　　Aiyana was shot in the neck while sleeping on a couch May 16. Police hunting for a murder suspect say an officer's gun accidentally fired inside the house after he was jostled by, or collided with, her grandmother. A stun grenade was also thrown through a window.

　　A lawyer for Aiyana's family, Geoffrey Fieger, is suing and claims the shot was fired from outside the house immediately after the grenade was used. A camera crew working on the A&E reality series "The First 48" accompanied police on the raid.

　　"Do they throw these flash grenades in everybody's neighborhood? Would you have gone in Bloomfield Hills and did what you did?" Sharpton said, referring to a wealthy Detroit suburb. "Have you ever heard of putting on a light and calling people to come out?"

　　Before the service, Aiyana's coffin was open for people to pay their respects. An arrangement of pink and white roses shaped like a princess crown and bearing her name was on a stand.

　　A few days earlier, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican running for governor, criticized Sharpton's visit, saying he was disgusted and accusing the New Yorker of a "drive-by at the scene of a tragedy."

　　"I'm disgusted when I look at a 7-year-old baby in a casket," Sharpton said during his eulogy. "And rather turn to each other, we name-call and ego-tripping and trying to jump in front of a camera rather than stand up and say, 'Enough is enough.'"

　　Sharpton said children need guidance and respect and maybe Aiyana's death will be the catalyst.

　　Young men carried Aiyana's white casket on their shoulders out of the church to a horse-led cortege for burial at Trinity Cemetery.

　　The mourners included Erica Milioni of Adrian, her husband and their seven children. They are trying to move to Detroit to get involved in urban farming and had heard about the tragedy.

　　"The Bible says weep with those who weep. I thought it was a blessing. I was blessed by the mix of truth and the pursuit of peace," Milioni said of the service.

　　Aiyana's cousin, Rachel Conley, 34, of Eastpointe said she was inspired by Sharpton and plans to start a program called "Aiyana's Angels" to give young girls a safe place to be, perhaps a few times a month.

　　Roshell Johnson, 9, was wearing a shirt with a picture of Aiyana, her best friend. The funeral program said she liked Disney's "Hannah Montana" show and all the Disney princesses.

　　"Why did the police do it to her?" Roshell said after the service. "I loved her so much. I wan

　　ch. I want her to come backalive."

Duchess of York Caught 'Selling Access' to Prince Andrew

2010-05-23T20:20:00.001-07:00

　　Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson.

　　The U.K.'s Duchess of York was caught on camera in a News of the World sting revealed Sunday, apparently offering to sell access to her former husband, Prince Andrew.

　　Sarah Ferguson, 50, allegedly asked an undercover reporter posing as a wealthy businessman for a $40,000 cash down payment in return for an introduction to the Prince, as well as a $724,000 fee wired directly into her bank account.

　　Ferguson also insisted on a one percent commission from any deals the businessman worked out as a result of her royal connections.

　　The duchess claimed to have discussed the terms with her former husband, saying, "Andrew said to me, 'tell him £500,000.'"

　　She also suggested Prince Andrew, who works as an unpaid special representative for the government agency U.K. Trade & Investment, would be a willing business partner.

　　“Look after me and he’ll look after you ... you’ll get it back tenfold. I can open any door you want,” she was recorded as saying.

　　There is no suggestion that the prince was ever aware of the meetings or the claims reportedly made by the duchess.

　　According to the News of the World, its reporter met the duchess twice -- in New York on May 13 and in London last week.

　　The newspaper also said the duchess sent representatives to the undercover reporter with a confidentiality agreement ahead of the London meeting. But when the alleged businessman refused to sign the gagging order, Ferguson went ahead with talks.

　　Accompanied by two assistants, she told the fake businessman that her former husband, who she divorced in 1996 and has two children with, called her “five times a day” and said: “We’re the happiest divorced couple in the world.”

　　Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the duchess' alleged actions.

Rio Ferdinand ready to lead England at World Cup finals

2010-05-23T20:06:00.001-07:00

　　Fit Ferdinand ready to lead England

　　Rio Ferdinand says he is mentally and physically ready to captain England at the World Cup after enduring an injury-hit season with Manchester United.

　　The 31-year-old centre-back made only 21 club appearances in a season disrupted by back injury.

　　However, he said: "All being well I'll be in tip-top condition come the first game. I'm training hard and have three weeks to get into the World Cup groove.

　　"How can I not be refreshed? I'm used to playing 40, 50 games a season."

　　Fitness permitting, Ferdinand will lead England against the United States in Rustenburg on 12 June as he begins his fourth World Cup campaign.

　　Speaking before England's final World Cup warm-up match on home soil, against Mexico at Wembley on Monday, he said: "I have not played anywhere near that amount this year, so I will be going out to the tournament in good condition.

　　"I am definitely buzzing. I spoke to my missus this morning and my little boys demanded to have England flags on the car and stuff like that. We can't wait to get into fever pitch."

　　Ferdinand was an unused squad member 12 years ago in France when England were knocked out in the second round on penalties by Argentina.

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　　He did however feature in the following two tournaments in 2002 and 2006 where England suffered quarter-finals losses to Brazil and Portugal.

　　And he will use the disappointment of those exits to guide his side in South Africa, while looking to build on the confidence brought by a qualifying campaign where the only dropped points came with a 1-0 defeat against Ukraine after qualification had already been assured.

　　"There is a confidence," continued Ferdinand. "But maybe we have been a bit naive in the past and got ourselves caught up in all the emotion that surrounds our country going to a massive tournament.

　　"People say we are going to win it. But we have respect for the other nations as well.

　　"Being captain is a fantastic honour and a responsibility that I warm to. But it is not something that is going to change me. I will conduct myself in exactly the same way.

　　"Even before I was made captain, the younger players knew I was an easy-going guy who they can approach which, in a way, is more important than being captain.

　　"When you have been to tournaments, you are more capable of being the kind of person that a younger player might need to speak to."

US warns it may 'push BP aside' on Gulf oil clean-up

2010-05-23T20:01:00.001-07:00

Booms are being used against the oil off Louisiana Oil firm BP may be "pushed out of the way" if it fails to perform in the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster clean-up, a top US official has warned.

　　Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the British company had missed "deadline after deadline" in its efforts to seal a blown-out oil well.

　　But he said BP had agreed to pay clean-up costs beyond the current US $75m (£52m) liability limit.

　　Mr Salazar is due to visit the disaster site on Monday with other officials.

　　The oil leak began more than a month ago, when a drilling rig operated on behalf of BP exploded, killing 11 people.

　　Millions of barrels of oil have spewed into the ocean since then from the well's ruptured riser pipe, 1,524m (5,000ft) beneath the surface

　　The spill has reached Louisiana and is threatening Florida and Cuba.

　　Limited options

　　"If we find they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing, we'll push them out of the way appropriately," Mr Salazar told reporters after visiting BP's US headquarters.

　　Ken Salazar expresses doubt over BP's attempts at clearing up oil spill

　　The BBC's Madeleine Morris in Washington says Mr Salazar's comment is the strongest language yet used by a US official towards BP.

　　Although it is within the government's power to push BP aside, our correspondent says BP is the only organisation with the knowledge to deal with a situation like this at such a depth.

　　Washington is coming under increasing criticism for its response to the disaster, as well as pressure to assume control from BP.

　　Most of the information about the extent of the spill as well as measures to plug the leak have come from BP itself, leading to allegations the American government has been too reliant on the company for dealing with the spill, our correspondent adds.

　　Mr Salazar said the government had sent a team of scientific "all-stars" to BP's headquarters in Houston.

At least 5,000 barrels of oil have been spewing out daily "They have pushed BP in every way that they can to kill the well and they have pushed BP in every way that they can to stop the pollution," he said.

　　"If there is a way to kill this well, they will find it. If there is a way to stop this pollution from spreading, they will find it."

　　He said the best option at the moment was to proceed with a "top kill" which involves injecting heavy drilling fluids into the ruptured pipe.

　　Mr Salazar added that there was "no question" that BP was doing its utmost to resolve the situation "because this is an existential crisis for one of the world's largest companies".

　　"Do I have confidence that they know exactly what they're doing? No, not completely."

　　Short-term options

　　Speaking on Saturday, President Barack Obama blamed the spill on "a breakdown of responsibility" at BP.

　　BP's efforts suffered a new setback when it reported that its containment method on the ocean floor was capturing much less of the leaking oil than three days ago.

　　Its managing director, Bob Dudley, said it would press ahead with a series of short-term options while working on a relief well not due to be completed before August.

　　"We will keep trying, we will not wait until August," he told CNN.

　　"There is no certainty at these kinds of depth."

　　The chief of the US coast guard, Admiral Thad Allen, acknowledged on Sunday that the government was forced to rely on BP and the private oil sector to try to plug the spill.

　　"They have the eyes and ears that are down there. They are necessarily the modality by which this is going to get solved," he said.

UK tabloid: Duchess offered access for cash

2010-05-23T19:47:00.001-07:00

Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson said Sunday she was "very sorry" for her lapse of judgment after she was recording apparently offering to sell access to her ex-husband Prince Andrew in return for 500,000 pounds ($724,000).

　　The duchess said in a statement that she had financial problems, but "that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment and I am very sorry that this has happened."

　　"I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused," she said.

　　The tabloid News of the World posted video on its website that appears to show Ferguson discussing payment terms. She is heard to say "500,000 pounds when you can, to me, open doors."

　　Asked if she was referring to the prince, she said: "Yeah."

　　The newspaper said Ferguson, 50, spoke to an undercover reporter posing as a businessman.

　　Andrew is an international British trade ambassador. Both the newspaper and the duchess said he had no knowledge of the meeting.

　　Buckingham Palace also said the prince had been unaware of the meeting. It said he carried out his trade role with "complete and absolute propriety and integrity."

　　The tabloid report is embarrassing for Ferguson, but there is no suggestion she did anything illegal.

　　Ferguson married Andrew, who is fourth in line to the throne, in 1986. They had two children, princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, before divorcing in 1996.

　　Since then Ferguson has written children's books, made television documentaries and acted as a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.

　　She also has struggled financially and has complained that her divorce settlement was stingy.

　　Recently the company set up to manage her U.S. career in publishing, public speaking and media work, Hartmoor LLC, collapsed with debts of around $1 million.

　　Ferguson is scheduled to receive an award for her charity work in Los Angeles on Sunday.

　　The sting was the latest scoop for News of the World undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood, nicknamed the "Fake Sheik" after his signature ruse of pretending to be a rich Gulf businessman to dupe celebrities, politicians and suspected criminals.

　　He is a controversial figure who has targeted members of the royal family before. One of Mahmood's most famous scoops was a 2001 sting involving Prince Edward's wife. Posing as an aide to a Saudi Arabian prince interested in hiring her public relations company, Mahmood charmed Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, into making indiscreet comments about the British government. She also was caught on tape describing then-Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife, Cherie, as "horrid, horrid, horrid."

Black box found after fiery India plane crash

2010-05-23T19:42:00.001-07:00

A search operation team member carries a box recovered from the remains of the Air India Express plane …

Slideshow:Air India plane crashes

　　As crash investigators pulled the black box from the charred, twisted wreckage of an Air India plane Sunday, Koolikkunnu Krishnan marveled that he escaped the crash alive. Of the 166 passengers and crew aboard when the plane overshot a hilltop runway and plunged over a cliff at dawn Saturday, 158 were dead. Krishnan and just seven others survived.

　　"I've been thinking, 'Why me? Why me?' And I can only think that God wanted to give me a second life," he said from his hospital bed in Mangalore.

　　Investigators and aviation officials combed through the wreckage of the Boeing 737-800 strewn across a hillside to try to determine the cause of India's worst air disaster in more than a decade. They recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which they hope will give them important clues, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

　　A four-member U.S. forensic team also arrived in India to help in the investigation, said Harpreet Singh, an Air India spokeswoman.

　　By Sunday evening, 146 of the 158 bodies had been identified and were being handed to grieving relatives for burial, said Arvind Jadhav, Air India's chairman and managing director.

　　The cause of the crash was not clear and government officials declined to speak about the status of the investigation or any possible causes of the crash. The black box would be sent to New Delhi on Monday for decoding and further investigation, they said.

　　The flight from Dubai to Mangalore carried many of the millions of Indians who work as cheap labor in the Middle East back to their families for a rare visit during India's summer holiday season.

　　Krishnan, a 45-year-old maintenance worker in Dubai, was coming back to Kasargod, his village in southern India, for the first time in two years to see his wife and two daughters.

　　"I was literally counting the minutes before I would reach home, while the plane was landing," he said.

　　After the plane touched down at Mangalore's Bajpe airport, everything seemed to be fine, he said, but within seconds there was a shudder, the aircraft began swinging from side to side as if it had hit something and then it crashed, he said.

　　"People were screaming, children nearby were wailing loudly," he said.

　　The plane had broken apart, a fire had started and smoke was beginning to fill the aircraft, he said. Everyone was strapped into their seats.

　　"I struggled to open my seat belt and then climbed out of the plane. Then I hung onto the roots of a tree and crawled uphill," he said.

　　"I didn't think of anything at the time. All I knew was that I had to get out and get far away from the plane. The fire was spreading fast. Behind me I could feel other people jumping out but I didn't turn back to look," he said.

　　While Krishnan suffered shockingly minor injuries — pulled shoulder muscles and a cut in his forehead — many of those trapped in the aircraft were burnt nearly beyond recognition.

　　"I couldn't believe that he could have survived such a major crash," said Krishnan's wife, Bindu. "It's like he's been reborn."

　　Aviation experts said the eight survivors were seated in the center of the aircraft, near where it broke open, and they managed to get out before a fireball engulfed the plane.

　　"In this case it was pure luck of the draw," said Sidney Dekker, a professor of flight safety at the School of Aviation at Sweden's Lund University. "The luck of where you are in the airplane relative to how the fuselage disintegrates going into the ravine."

　　But most could not escape, and dozens of their relatives arrived Sunday on special Air India flights from Dubai and the southern Indian states of Karnataka and Kerala to take the bodies of their loved ones.

　　Mohammed Mustafa said his brother Naseem and three other relatives had taken the flight home to attend a wedding Tuesday.

　　"I lost them in this tragedy. Three of them, we could identify three of them yesterday. And late night, at around 12 o' clock, we found the fourth body. Now we have come for the funeral," Mustafa said.

　　Many of the victims were so badly burned their relatives could not identify them and experts had to be flown in to conduct DNA tests, said S. A. Prabhakarsharana, a local official.

　　"Since yesterday we have been trying to identify my brother's body," said K. Kushala.

　　One of the victims was Mahendra Kulkarni, a telecommunications company director in the Emirates, who was flying back to India with his ailing mother-in-law after she had slipped into coma, their cousin Nandit Banawalikar said.

　　Mohammed Siddiqui, 27, boarded the doomed flight within hours of a telephone call from his family in Kerala informing him of his father's sudden death.

　　He was rushing to attend the funeral on Saturday. Now his family was mourning a second time, said Abdur Rehman, a friend who was taking his body home.

　　The crash was the deadliest in India since a November 1996 midair collision killed 349 people. Saturday's crash happened when the plane overshot the runway, airline officials said. Aviation experts said Bajpe's "tabletop" runway, which ends in a valley, makes a bad crash inevitable when a plane does not stop in time.

　　Kapil Kaul, an aviation expert at the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation, said the while India's air safety record is very good, he hopes the crash will push officials to establish an independent national safety board to ensure standards remain high as the booming economy drives more traffic into the skies.

　　___

　　Associated Press writers Rafiq Maqbool in Mangalore, Ashok Sharma, Ravi Nessman and Nirmala George in New Delhi and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels contributed to this report.

Unknown Species Debut, A Dinosaur Gets Demoted, A Mystery Deepens: Buzz Week in Review

2010-05-23T19:30:00.001-07:00

　　Litoria sp. nov., aka long-nosed tree frog

　　One epoch, you're king of the ancient world, the next epoch some runt of a human takes you down an evolutionary notch. News from the modern-day animal kingdom was less of a downer, but just as exciting, with previously unknown species introducing themselves to the world, and a mystery find reviving ancient (well, maybe vintage) tales of strange monsters from...Canada? Check out the latest pecking order with the Buzz Week in Review.

　　Species found in lost world

　　No lie—Conservation International researchers on the scout for unusual creatures were lunching at their Indonesian campsite when a frog perched on a bag of rice inside their tent. A quick-handed herpetologist snagged the visitor for a look-see and some photo ops. The so-called "Pinocchio frog," whose irresistible schnozz inflates and deflates, is just one of many discoveries announced this week. Scientists also found a wee wallaby, "gargoyle-faced" gecko, blossom bat, as well as less alliterative animals, birds, and insects. Besides plenty of eye-popping online galleries, they will get a spread in the June issue of National Geographic, which co-sponsored the 2008 trip with the Smithsonian.

　　Dino downgrade

　　One day, you're a dinosaur, the next day you're just another primordial lizard. As though being extinct wasn't enough of a bummer, the Azendohsaurus madagaskarensis lost its dominant dino status after paleontologists took a close look at a skull dug up in the 1990s (as opposed to some teeth and jaws found in the 1970s). The upside: A. madagaskarensis still gets to stay in the archosauromorph family, of which dinos are a subset. Plus, one paleontologist claims "Azendohsauraus ends up being a much more fantastic animal" by encouraging new thinking on convergent evolution. You're just saying that to make us feel better... but thanks anyway.

　　Monster mystery

　　Chupacabra and Montauk Monster, meet your mythological Canadian cousin... Omajinaakoos, aka The Ugly One. At least, elders theorized that a dead critter found in Canadian waters could be the mythological animal that "feeds on beavers," although others found its creepy mug similar to the Ogopogo. However, party poopers are guessing a bear cub, river otter or some run-of-the-mill creature, rendered uncute by decomposition. Time for Animal Planet to get its own "CSI" show.

Top Reasons You Overspend

2010-05-23T19:24:00.001-07:00

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　　Buying With Plastic, or in Bulk or Even Music Can Lead to Overshopping

　　It happens all the time: You go to the supermarket for a gallon of milk and come home with four bags of groceries, or you plan to order a single book from Amazon.com and end up with a $78 bill at checkout. You're not alone.

　　Read on to discover the top eight reasons you overspend.

　　1. Paying With Plastic

　　Takeout or dine in? Paper or plastic? Cash or credit? Of all the choices you make at the checkout counter, the decision to pay with a credit card has the biggest impact on your bottom line.

　　Multiple studies, including this 2008 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, have found consumers are willing to spend more when they pay with a credit card instead of cash.

　　"Credit cards allow consumers to focus more on what they're getting, or buying, than what they're losing, or spending," explains Kit Yarrow, a professor of psychology and marketing at Golden Gate University. Credit cards "buffer the reality of spending because they leave more cash in our pockets and purses and provide a delay before payment is required."

　　2. Listening to Music

　　Listening to music is perfect for increasing motivation during a workout. It also increases the motivation to spend. You're more apt to give in to impulse purchases in shops where instrumental or classical music is playing, according to one study.

　　Experts believe that loud music also impacts spending.

　　"Louder music in restaurants pushes people to eat faster, order more and consume more food because they can't talk to each other over the noise," explains Paula C. Peter, assistant professor of marketing and consumer behavior at San Diego State University. "Being overwhelmed by music also interferes with our ability to think clearly, which can lead to spending more money."

　　3. Buying in Bulk

　　Before you stock up on a 280-ounce bag of chocolate chips, consider this: You're more likely to overspend when you buy in bulk.

　　A case of paper towels might cost less per unit than a single roll, but it'll add a bigger lump sum to the total bill, which could lead to blowing the weekly grocery budget. There is another reason that buying in bulk adds up at the checkout counter.

　　"Having large quantities on hand actually increases consumption," Yarrow says.

　　The more you consume, the more you'll spend.

　　4. Dieting

　　If you're watching your weight, you should be watching your wallet, too.

　　Dieting depletes what Kathleen Vohs, associate professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota, refers to as regulatory resources, which are a more sophisticated form of willpower.

　　"When regulatory resources are low, people feel stronger urges to buy impulsively, are willing to spend more money for a product, buy more items and spend more total money," notes Vohs. "Being on a diet is a big depletion endeavor." When those urges are present, "people are less able to restrain their impulses, so whatever they are tempted to do -- like spend on needless trinkets -- will emerge."

　　5. Tracking Exact Costs

　　Keeping track of purchases right down to the last dollar will keep spending in check, right? Wrong. New research found that consumers who try the hardest to budget are the ones who end up overspending. In fact, shoppers who attempt to calculate the exact total price of their purchases spend an average of 19 percent more than consumers who estimate an approximate total price. According to the study, "shoppers consistently underestimate the total price of shopping baskets, which puts them at risk for spending more than they budgeted."

　　If calculating the exact total is important, consider shopping with a calculator.

　　6. Buying Clearance Merchandise

　　There is nothing wrong with getting an item on sale. The problem with the clearance rack is the items are limited.

　　"It leads to the idea that if I don't get it now, it won't be there later," says Yarrow. "The fear of missing out tends to make us much less rational about evaluating our purchases, so we end up spending money on things we didn't want or need."

　　To avoid overspending on unnecessary sale items, Yarrow suggests applying the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.

　　"Tell yourself that you're going in to buy a specific item and you won't get caught up in the frenzy of the crowd," she says.

　　7. Shopping Without a List

　　It's one of the most oft-repeated mantras of maintaining a budget: Make a list and stick to it. You're more likely to buy only the things you need if they're written down in black and white.

　　"If you struggle with self-control, bring cash instead of a credit card," Peter advises.

　　You can't overspend if you're limited to the cash in your pocket.

　　8. Falling for Clever Pricing Tactics

　　In his book, Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value and How to Take Advantage of It, author William Poundstone points out that marketers have a clever approach to making shoppers think they're getting a good deal.

　　"There are places where there's a $150 hamburger," he writes. "The first thing everyone does is shake their head. But then you go down the menu, suddenly the $50 steak doesn't seem so outrageous."

　　You've overspent while thinking you're getting a bargain.

Arizona border businesses lose key Mexican clients

2010-05-23T19:22:00.001-07:00

Adalberto Lopez' family-run musical instrument shop in the bustling Arizona border city of Nogales sells guitars and accordions to foot-stomping banda musicians and mariachis who cross up from Mexico to shop.

　　But in mid-May, the music stopped in the store. Mexican customers who account for almost all its sales stayed away as part of a two-day boycott to repudiate Arizona's tough new immigration law.

　　"The street and my shop were empty," said Lopez, of the "Day Without a Mexican" protest on May 14 and 15.

　　The law may make life more difficult for border retailers already hobbled by the recession and long border crossing waits, and Arizona's economy could take a hit from lost business.

　　But on a larger scale, experts believe the overall trade between the United States and Mexico, valued at around $1 billion a day, is unlikely to suffer from this latest wrinkle in the often strained U.S.-Mexico relations.

　　Passed last month, the law requires state and local police to check the immigration status of those they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally. Opponents on both sides of the border say it is a mandate for racial profiling.

　　Mexico President Felipe Calderon sharply criticized it during a visit to Washington last week. Standing beside U.S. President Barack Obama, Calderon said Mexican immigrants make a "significant contribution to the economy and society of the United States" but many face discrimination "as in Arizona."

　　The measure has triggered legal challenges, convention cancellations, and, most recently, snubs by some of the 65,000 Mexicans who cross into the desert state each day to work, visit family and shop, spending $7.4 million, according to a recent University of Arizona study.

　　"The people in Mexico have been fairly insulted by this legislation, as have most Latinos in the state of Arizona," said Bruce Bracker, president of the Downtown Merchants Association in Nogales, who said local shops' sales fell 40 percent to 60 percent as Mexicans stayed home during the boycott.

　　NO TRADE SLOWDOWN

　　Obama has spoken out against the law, which is backed by a majority of Americans.

　　The United States, Mexico and Canada created the world's largest free trade block with the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, although the U.S.-Mexico trade relationship has been jarred by job losses and charges of protectionism.

　　Trade between the two neighbors is already ruffled by a trucking row. Mexico is waiting for the United States to let its trucks circulate again on U.S. roads, ending a spat that led it to slap duties on $2.4 billion in U.S. goods.

　　But analysts and customs brokers say the furor over the state law is unlikely to disrupt the $21 billion annual flow in goods over the Arizona-Mexico border, between clients scattered across northwest Mexico and the United States.

　　"Once you work so hard to get a business enterprise up and operating, how much are you willing to reverse that based upon something that someone relatively remote from you does?" said Rick Van Schoik, director of the North American Center for Transborder Studies at Arizona State University in Phoenix.

　　"Life goes on regardless of the newsy political conversation that's going on," he added.

　　Customs brokers in Nogales, meanwhile, who clear goods ranging from semi-conductor chips to fresh produce headed over the border by truck and freight train, said their clients were more concerned about the sputtering economic recovery than the migrant law, which is due to come into effect on July 29.

　　"The economy is one thing, but that's an ongoing situation for everyone," said Nogales customs broker Terry Shannon Jr.

　　"But I have not had any dialogue with my clients at this point where they have called me up and point-blank (asked) 'What do you think of the law? Where are we going with this?'"

Former 'Survivor' producer leaves Mexico

2010-05-23T19:10:00.001-07:00

Reality TV producer Bruce Beresford-Redman has returned to the United States despite a request by Mexican authorities that he remain in Mexico while they probe the death of his wife, his lawyer said.

　　"Bruce Beresford-Redman has returned to Los Angeles County to be with his children and to attend to family and personal matters," attorney Richard Hirsch told CNN Sunday.

　　Beresford-Redman was briefly detained after Monica Beresford-Redman's body was found in a sewer near their Cancun, Mexico hotel on April 8. He was released a day later but ordered to remain in Mexico while police gathered more evidence.

　　"He has been informed that he has no legal obligation to remain in Mexico pending the investigation into the tragic death of his wife, Monica," Hirsch said.

　　The Mexican prosecutor handling the case said on Saturday that he has been unable to locate the husband in the past week to "sign some paperwork and answer a few additional questions," the Los Angeles Times reported.

　　Quintana Roo Attorney General Francisco Alor said it "would be very delicate and serious for Mr. Bruce" to leave Mexico, the newspaper reported.

　　"Mr. Beresford-Redman has not been charged with any crime," his lawyer said. "He is devastated by the loss of his wife, best friend and the mother of his children."

　　Mexican authorities have described the producer as "a person of interest" in the killing.

　　After hearing the news report that Beresford-Redman could not be located in Mexico, the sisters of his wife, whose maiden name is Burgos, issued a written statement Saturday.

　　"When the Burgos Family learned today that Bruce Beresford-Redman cannot be located, our greatest fears about the investigation being conducted by the Mexican authorities were realized," they said.

　　A call to their spokeswoman seeking reaction to Sunday's news that he was back in Los Angeles was not immediately returned.

　　Monica Beresford-Redman's sisters met with FBI representatives at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City earlier this month to urge the U.S. government to get involved in the investigation.

　　"Now, more than ever, we beg of the Mexican authorities to accept the assistance that has been offered to them by the FBI," their statement Saturday said.

　　The paternal grandparents have temporary custody of the couple's two young children, although Carla Burgos, their mother's sister, is challenging them for custody.

　　The initial investigation suggested Monica Beresford-Redman "died of strangulation, because of the bruising," regional police spokesman Adrian Cardena said.

　　A source close to the wife has told CNN that she cleaned out the family bank account and took her two children to Hawaii because she was upset about her husband's extramarital affair.

　　The couple later traveled to Cancun in an effort to repair their marriage, the source said.

　　Bruce Beresford-Redman built his career as a Hollywood reality television show producer. He worked for several seasons on the popular CBS show "Survivor," in which contestants compete against each other in a variety of extreme outdoor scenarios. He was nominated for three Emmy Awards as a producer on the show and was last credited as a producer in 2004.

　　He also worked on NBC's "The Contender" and "The Restaurant" as well as MTV's "Pimp My Ride," according to entertainment media company IMG.

　　Monica Beresford-Redman, a native of Brazil, owned a restaurant in Los Angeles.

'Shrek' takes weak victory at box office

2010-05-23T19:06:00.001-07:00

　　"Shrek Forever After" opened this weekend to just $71.2 million, far less than expected.

Who knew the appetite for Shrek would abate so significantly in just three years? Whereas "Shrek the Third" bowed to over $121 million back in summer 2007, "Shrek Forever After," which boasted a slew of expensive 3-D screens, opened this weekend to just $71.2 million. (IMAX screens accounted for 7 percent of the total.)

　　The PG-rated animated flick from Dreamworks Animation generated a solid A Cinemascore from audiences, which bodes well for the movie's staying power, but the opening is still far beneath what the third and even second installment in the uber-successful franchise opened to.

　　In fact, the only "Shrek" movie that opened weaker than "Shrek Forever After" was the original in 2001, a completely unique concept at the time that opened to $42 million.

　　The other new wide release of the frame was the Relativity Media financed R-rated comedy "MacGruber." Unfortunately for this property, based on the Saturday Night Live skit, the concept was widely rejected by moviegoers.

　　Earning only $4.1 million for the weekend and a C- from Cinemascore, "MacGruber" may find it challenging to earn back the meager $10 million it cost to make the film. From producer Lorne Michaels, and starring SNL castmates Will Forte and Kristen Wiig, MacGruber opened in sixth place.

　　The majority of the remaining top 10 films were holdovers, with both "Iron Man 2" and "Robin Hood" dropping less than 50 percent for the weekend. "Iron Man" nabbed the second slot for its third weekend in theaters. The Robert Downey Jr. starrer grossed an additional $26.6 million to put its total cume at $251.2 million.

　　"Robin Hood" fell 48 percent its second weekend in theaters. From director Ridley Scott, the PG-13 rated epic tale starring Russell Crowe grossed $18.7 million for a total two-week gross of $66.1 million. As expected, the film has outperformed internationally, where the total gross stands at $125 million.

　　"Letters to Juliet" had the best hold of the weekend among the top 10. The Amanda Seyfried-starring, Tuscan-set romance dropped only 33 percent its second weekend for an additional $9 million. The film, well-liked by audiences, has now earned $27.4 million.

　　Spot five went to the Queen Latifah-starring romantic comedy "Just Wright," which in its second weekend of release lost 47 percent of its value. Adding $4.2 million to its gross, the film's cume stands at $14.6 million.

　　"Date Night" took the seventh spot, earning $2.8 million to put its total seven-week gross at $90 million.

　　"Nightmare on Elm Street" held on to spot eight, earning another $2.2 million to put its four-week cume at close to $60 million.

　　And "How to Train Your Dragon" grabbed the ninth slot. The other animated flick from Paramount and Dreamworks Animation grossed $1.8 million its ninth weekend in release, for a total cume that stands at $210 million.

　　Spot 10 went to the new Indian film "Kites." Opening in only 208 theaters, the Bollywood film from Reliance Big Pictures grossed $1 million, pushing both "The Back-Up Plan" and the "Babies" documentary out of the top 10.

　　The box office as a whole was down compared to last year at this time, which was the Memorial Day holiday frame. That should all change next weekend when "Sex and the City 2" opens on Thursday and Disney bows its Jerry Bruckheimer adventure starring Jake Gyllenhaal, "Prince of Persia," over the holiday weekend. Stay tuned.

Lohan back in Los Angeles for court hearing

2010-05-23T19:03:00.001-07:00

　　A judge ruled there was "probable cause to believe (Lindsay Lohan) is in violation of probation" from a drunk driving conviction.

　　STORY HIGHLIGHTS

　　Lindsay Lohan returns to Los Angeles for court hearing set for Monday

　　Lohan missed earlier court appearance, claims she lost her passport

　　Judge to delay vacation to preside over hearing

　　Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Actress Lindsay Lohan arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday after failing to appear for a court hearing because she said she lost her passport in France.

　　Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel revoked Lohan's probation and issued a bench warrant for her arrest after she failed to appear at a hearing Thursday morning. She withdrew the warrant later in the day after a representative for Lohan posted her $100,000 bond, a Los Angeles sheriff's spokesman said.

　　Revel has delayed her vacation by a day so she can preside over a hearing at the Beverly Hills courthouse Monday. Lohan will attend, her lawyer confirmed.

　　Lohan missed the hearing because her passport was lost while in France, attorney Shawn Chapman Holley said.

　　Holley said Lohan was issued a temporary passport by the U.S. Embassy in Paris.

Video: Lohan's lawyer says passport was stolen

　　Revel ruled Thursday that there was "probable cause to believe (Lohan) is in violation of probation" from a 2007 drunken driving conviction.

　　Michael Lohan, Lindsay's father, who has had a well-publicized fight with his daughter, attended the hearing but was not allowed to speak.

　　Michael Lohan sent the judge a letter asking that his daughter be ordered to enter a drug rehabilitation program instead of jail.

　　Lohan cannot drink alcohol until a full hearing on her probation revocation, Revel said. Lohan will be fitted with a bracelet to detect whether she has been drinking, the judge said.

　　Random drug testing also will be performed on the actress because of previous evidence that she was under the influence of cocaine, Revel said.

　　"I warned her before," the judge said. "She knew it was very serious."

　　After Thursday's hearing, Holley suggested that the judge was tougher on Lohan because she's a celebrity.

　　"She's got an excellent progress report from the alcohol program," the attorney said. "She's done 10 of the 13 classes that she was ordered to do, so you might say that's not a stellar performance, but the fact is, it's along the lines of most people in the alcohol program."

　　Revel said Thursday that she would be on vacation next week and that a different Los Angeles judge would handle any hearings then. A court spokesman confirmed Friday that Revel would be on the bench Monday and not on vacation.

　　Revel told Lohan last fall that although she wanted Lohan to have her career, the actress could not "thumb your nose" at the court.

　　Lohan traveled to France this week to promote her newest movie role as 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace.

　　She had planned to return from Paris on Tuesday, but was not allowed to board the flight because she had no passport, Holley said.

　　Holley said Lohan's passport may have been stolen, and "they think they know who stole it."

　　The prosecutor said Lohan should be asked to show documents to prove that she had booked a return flight earlier in the week.

　　The purpose of Thursday's hearing was to determine whether Lohan has been attending weekly alcohol counseling sessions ordered by Revel.

　　The judge said Lohan must attend one class a week, unless she is given court permission to adjust the schedule for work. Lohan never asked for permission, Revel said.

　　Lohan was arrested twice in 2007 on charges of driving under the influence and in the second incident also was charged with cocaine possession.

　　The first arrest came after Lohan lost control of her Mercedes-Benz convertible and struck a curb in Beverly Hills.

　　Just two weeks after checking out of a Malibu drug and alcohol rehab facility, she was arrested again in July 2007 after a woman called Santa Monica police, saying Lohan was trying to run her down with a car.

Video appears to show duchess selling access to Prince Andrew

2010-05-23T18:59:00.001-07:00

　　Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, a U.K. trade envoy.

　　STORY HIGHLIGHTS

　　British tabloid posts video of Sarah Ferguson meeting with undercover reporter

　　Video appears to show her accepting money in exchange for access to ex-husband

　　Ferguson apologizes: "I very deeply regret the situation"

　　Ferguson admits having financial problems but says that's no excuse

　　London, England (CNN) -- A British tabloid posted a video on its Web site Sunday that appears to show Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, accepting money from an undercover reporter in exchange for access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, a U.K. trade envoy.

　　Ferguson is also filmed on hidden camera telling the News of the World reporter -- who was posing as a wealthy businessman -- that a payment of 500,000 pounds ($723,000) "opens doors" to Andrew. She then shakes hands with the reporter after he accepts the deal.

　　In a statement issued Sunday, Ferguson apologized for the incident.

　　"I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused," the statement said. "It is true that my financial situation is under stress, however, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgment and I am very sorry that this has happened."

　　The tabloid said its reporter and Ferguson met on two occasions, once in New York and another time in London.

Video: Ferguson on charity

　　In the heavily edited, roughly four-minute video, Ferguson appears to accept 40,000 pounds ($58,000) as a down payment for a meeting with Andrew, then later discusses a wire transfer of the larger sum.

　　"If we want to do a big deal with Andrew, then that's the big one," she says.

　　When asked how she would receive the 500,000 pounds, she tells the reporter, "You send it to the bank account that I tell you to send it to."

　　"Then that, is then like you open up all the channels whatever you need, whatever you want ... and then you meet Andrew and that's fine. And that's ... when you really open up whatever you want. But then that opens up everything that ever you would ever wish."

　　The tabloid said Prince Andrew, who has been the U.K.'s special representative for international trade and business since 2001, was not aware of the deal.

　　In the video, Ferguson tells the reporter that Andrew "never does accept a penny for anything. ... He does not and will not and he is completely whiter than white."

　　In her statement Sunday, Ferguson confirmed Andrew, the Duke of York, "was not aware or involved in any of the discussions that occurred. ... The Duke has made a significant contribution to his business role over the last 10 years and has always acted with complete integrity."

Japanese PM: U.S. military base will stay in Okinawa

2010-05-23T18:56:00.001-07:00

　　Angry Okinawans protest outside a meeting of Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama and Governor Hirokazu Nakaima, May 23, 2010.

　　STORY HIGHLIGHTS

　　Japanese prime minister says U.S. military base will remain in Okinawa

　　The U.S. Marine Corps Futenma base will move to a less-populated area of the island

　　Prime minister had promised to move base off island when campaigning for Japan's top job

　　Okinawa residents rallied in April to demand the base move off the island

S. Korea takes actions against N. Korea

2010-05-23T18:54:00.001-07:00

　　Forty-six sailors died when the South Korean vessel sank on March 26.

　　STORY HIGHLIGHTS

　　NEW: South Korea announces actions against N. Korea

　　U.N. convenes special investigation team to determine if armistice was breached

　　South Korea-led investigation found N. Korea sank its ship with torpedo

　　North Korea denies allegation, accuses Seoul of creating an atmosphere conducive to war

　　Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak announced Monday that his country is suspending trade with North Korea and closing its waters to the North's ships in the wake of a report from Seoul that concluded North Korea sank a South Korean warship in March.

　　The announcement came as the U.N. Command investigates whether the sinking violated the armistice between the two nations.

　　The United Nations Command said Friday it is convening a "special investigations team" from 11 countries will "review the findings" of an investigation into the incident and "determine the scope of the armistice violation."

　　The nations are Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden and Switzerland.

　　A South Korea-led international investigation into the sinking of the Cheonan on March 26 has concluded that North Korea fired a torpedo that cut the vessel in half, an incident that killed 46 sailors and an allegation the North strongly denies.

　　The North said it wanted to send its inspectors to investigate but said South Korea could not receive them because it wanted the issue dealt with in the framework of the armistice.

　　"It is the stand of the north side that there is no justification to plug such bogus mechanism as the 'Military Armistice Commission' into the case as it was faked up by the south side to be an issue between the north and the south from its outset," the North Korean government said in a message published Saturday by the Korean Central News Agency.

　　The North said South Korea should "immediately receive" its inspectors and "produce material evidence without a shred of doubt" that it fired a torpedo at the ship.

Baghdad glazier picks up pieces of war

2010-05-23T18:40:00.001-07:00

Tahseen Salim says he and his team have replaced 2,700 sq m of glass At the Palestine Hotel in central Baghdad, Tahseen Salim is drawing a cutter along a pane of glass, trimming it down to size.

　　He and his team of glaziers have been working here every day for four months now.

　　On 25 January a massive car bomb detonated outside the Palestine. It was part of a co-ordinated series of blasts targeting hotels in the capital, which killed dozens of people.

　　Four months later, parts of the hotel are still in tatters, debris everywhere, twisted window frames, rubble and piles of broken glass.

　　"At first we were working 24 hours a day," Mr Salim says.

　　"When we got here, the hotel was in chaos. Nearly all the windows had been shattered. We're still working flat-out. We even have a room here where we can stay overnight."

　　Mr Salim estimates that he and his team have replaced 2,700 sq m (29,000 sq ft) of glass so far.

　　This is a huge contract. The Palestine is one of Baghdad's largest hotels. Mr Salim runs his own business and employs about 15 workers to help him. He is prospering.

　　But there is an uncomfortable tension inherent in his success.

On the upper floors the rooms have yet to be refurbished after the blast "Business has been good for me since 2003," he says, a little defensively.

　　"When there are explosions, people come to me because my work is good and I charge reasonable rates. But then some people say that I am benefiting from these bombings. That upsets me.

　　Mr Salim says the constant insinuation of profiteering has worn him down over the years. He now avoids doing jobs in busy public areas, preferring to work in the relative seclusion of hotels and other large projects.

　　January's attack wasn't the first time the Palestine had been targeted. In 2005 a cement mixer packed with explosives rammed its way through the hotel's blast walls.

　　Then, as now, Mr Salim was called in to repair the damage.

　　"Before this latest explosion, I had done a lot of good work here. When I saw all my work destroyed, it really pained my heart," he says.

　　"I really hate it when people say I am benefiting from the calamities of others."

　　The implication clearly weighs heavily on his heart.

　　"That's not me, not my personality, that's not how I am. A job is a job. If I didn't do it, somebody else would still have to fix the damage," he says.

　　Mr Salim says that at the Palestine he feels like a member of the family.

　　Reduced to rubble

　　The hotel has certainly seen better days. Today, the lobby is half empty; the Orient Express restaurant is boarded up. Boutiques are shuttered, collecting dust, and paint peels off the walls.

　　On the upper floors, sudden gusts of wind stalk the corridors, blowing from rooms where the windows have yet to be fixed. In some, furniture is still scattered about, as it was four months ago; torn curtains, broken mirrors, upturned chairs.

　　"The service here used to be excellent," says Ibrahim Farhan, in charge of public relations. "It was five-star service. We used to have to turn customers away because we were always full up."

　　Nevertheless, the hotel does still have some guests. Thanks to Mr Salim, the Palestine is slowly getting back on its feet.

　　He reckons it will take him about another month to finish the job. But in Baghdad the danger of explosions remains. Car bombs and suicide attacks have become an all too commonplace occurrence, part of the fabric of daily life.

　　"Under Saddam, I had less work," Mr Salim says.

　　"But it was enough. At least we were safe. Today, I have more work. Business is better now. But I don't feel comfortable, I don't feel safe."

　　Mr Salim is acutely aware that his months of work at the Palestine could be reduced to rubble again in an instant.

　　"I think about that, of course. But what else can I do? If the terrorists see that no one is fixing the destruction they cause, they will think they've won. So we have to work against that. Whatever they destroy, we will rebuild. I will never quit."

　　With a few taps of his hammer, Mr Salim fits a new window pane into its frame, and moves onto the next.

　　For good or for ill, it seems he will have a plentiful supply of work, for the time being at least.

My life in Paris, cradled in the bosom of the Seine

2010-05-23T18:38:00.001-07:00

　　The river Seine formed a key part of the backdrop to the three years I spent as the BBC's correspondent in Paris.

　　Bateaux mouches are open excursion boats for several hundred people

　　My apartment partly looked over the river and almost every time I opened my window I could hear Edith Piaf belting out La Vie en Rose as a bateau mouche, crammed full of tourists, floated past my window.

　　For a few beautiful seconds, my heart beat alongside hers... and then she was gone, her little sparrow's voice drowned out by the man on the loudspeaker saying: "Next stop Town Hall and sorry, but there are no toilet facilities on board this boat."

　　Despite its charm, the Seine has never been able to swim free of such splashes of scatology.

　　Until the late 19th Century one of the river's principle functions was to serve as the city's sewer, a job she carried out admirably, dutifully transporting dysentery and typhoid to any Parisian foolish enough to ingest her waters.

　　Today, as a result of concerted clean-up efforts by successive governments, it is alleged that Atlantic salmon have begun to return to her currents.

　　One hot night last summer I was standing with friends on the bridge by Notre Dame, staring down into the dark ripples of the Seine when a flash of moonlight picked out a large fish below us.

　　I am no angler, but I can tell you now that the foot-long, blunt-nosed, prehistoric-looking creature we saw swimming slowly downstream shared no common ancestry with the salmon.

　　Hideous and unsettlingly alien, it swam into the blackness, leaving us all chilled and with a foreboding sense that the river had much bigger secrets to share.

　　'Running red'

　　Bobbing just beneath the glassy surface is the sluggish undercurrent of the Seine's dark past.

Go left and your sympathies are socialist... go right and you are a conservative

　　Throughout French history, from the religious wars to the revolution, the river has swallowed the last breaths of hundreds of unfortunates who found themselves on the wrong side of power.

　　And far more recently, in October 1961, during the Algerian war of independence, the river was said to have run red after scores of peaceful demonstrators were beaten to death and tossed into the water by the French police.

　　These days the Seine is carefully patrolled by the river cops and I used to love to watch them in their motorboats speeding up and down the river - until I realised quite what they were fishing for.

　　In the first year alone of my residence in the city, more than 50 bodies, mostly suicides, were fished from the water.

　　Straddled by prejudices

　　There is a great judgemental dividing line between the two very different river banks.

　　In choosing which side of the Seine you wish to live on, you immediately make a statement about your beliefs and your ideals.

What are they like then, these people on the right bank?

　　Left-bank resident

　　Go left and your sympathies are socialist, your interests aesthetic and your passion, equality.

　　Go right and you are a conservative, your interests practical and your passion - business and money-making.

　　Surprisingly, given the ease with which it has taken so many lives over the years, the Seine has been unable to drown the deep-rooted prejudices that straddle it.

　　Each Saturday lunchtime I used to go for an aperitif at the Maubert market in the heart of the left bank's Latin quarter, where an impromptu club of local people talked politics around the stall of Ibou, a striking Senagalese art seller.

　　Naturally, being "left-bankers", the talk largely centred on ripping apart the recent actions and speeches of the right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy while Ibou - who always had a copy of the left-leaning Liberation newspaper or the satirical Canard Enchaine under his arm - skilfully directed the debate.

　　And then one day last year a stranger jogged past the stall and shouted a greeting to Ibou in passing.The left bankers enquired as to the stranger's identity and, slightly awkwardly, Ibou admitted that he knew him from his "other market stall club on the right bank".

　　When the shock had passed, one of the women, with nothing short of an anthropological curiosity, asked: "What are they like then, these people on the right bank?"

　　Drawn to water

　　I made a strategic decision to choose neither bank in Paris and instead had an apartment on the Ile St Louis, an island floating peacefully - and impartially - in the centre of the river.

FROM OUR OWN PARIS CORRESPONDENT

　　Bidding adieu to the BBC's old bureau

　　In Paris, the customer is not always right

　　In search of French identity

　　A curiously French complaint

　　Ladies of the French resistance

　　Lavish lifestyles of Paris's top dogs

　　I felt very much at home cradled in the bosom of the Seine, but in my building at least three of my French neighbours complained to me they suffered from a chronic insomnia, blaming the swirling, unsettled currents of the water that surrounded them for churning up their sleep.

　　Since I have moved back to Oxford, I seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time strolling the banks of the river Isis - some strange, atavistic urge drawing me to water.

　　Sometimes I even catch myself searching for a bateau mouche among the sculling boats and punts.

　　Early this morning, in the backwash of my slumber, that prehistoric-looking fish I once saw in the Seine suddenly finned into my dreams.

Hillary Clinton visits 'her' Shanghai Expo pavilion

2010-05-23T18:34:00.001-07:00

　　Fate of Freetown hotel tells story of Sierra Leone

　　In Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, a hotel made famous by author Graham Greene has come to symbolise a country caught in a cycle of conflict and decay.

　　Reduced to rubble, The City Hotel had a prestigious history

Enlarge Image

　　It was only a pile of rubble but it had a powerful effect on me.

　　I was standing on the crummy corner where Gloucester and Lightfoot Boston streets meet, hoping not to be run down by swarming Okada motorbike taxis or pick-pocketed by street kids.

　　The dry season heat of West Africa was at its most ferocious but the demolition site in front of me raised goosebumps on my arms.

　　This was where a famous hotel once stood.

　　'Home from home'

　　Just as Singapore had Raffles and Paris had the George V - hotels that, for an era at least, define a place - so Freetown had The City.

　　It was one of the oldest in the former British colony and, thanks to Graham Greene, by far the best known.

Through Greene, the hotel became a literary leitmotif for the late colonial age, not just in Sierra Leone but across Britain's declining empire

　　He wrote about it in his 1936 travel book Journey Without Maps, used it in 1948 - thinly disguised as the Bedford - to open one of his great novels (The Heart of the Matter) and then famously revisited it for a 1968 essay where he dubbed Sierra Leone "the Soupsweet Land".

　　His City Hotel was a forlorn place of ambitions run to waste.

　　As he put it: "A home from home for men who had not encountered success at any turn of the long road and who no longer expected it."

　　Through Greene, the hotel became a literary leitmotif for the late colonial age, not just in Sierra Leone but across Britain's declining empire.

　　Hotel to brothel

　　I knew the establishment had fallen into disrepair.

　　The Italian-Swiss manager, Freddie Ferrari, had died back in 1993, aged 78 - Greene had known him when he was deployed to Freetown as a spy for MI6 (the UK's Secret Intelligence Service) in World War II.

　　The place had gone downhill badly by the time I started going to Freetown as a journalist during Sierra Leone's civil war.

　　Owner Freddie Ferrari died before the hotel went into decline

　　"It used to be one of the smartest hotels in the city,'' Freddie's grandson, Victor, told me on my last visit, rolling his "rs" with the gentlest of Krio lilts.

　　He was born in 1978 and remembers the first-floor bar, where Freddie held court and which acted as his nursery.

　　At home he still has a box of timeworn photographs showing various generations of drinkers at the bar.

　　The fashions changed - collars and ties in the early pictures, T-shirts and sunglasses in the later ones - but the drinkers looked as if they belonged in Grahame Greene-land.

　　"The sad truth is," he said, "when my granddaddy died it stopped functioning as a real hotel."

　　This was a euphemism. The rooms began to be rented out not for the night, but for the hour. It became a brothel.

　　"So, when fire struck in 2000 we did not really know how many people were in the place," Victor continued.

　　"They say four people died but we could never be sure of the exact number.''

　　The City Hotel bar enjoyed decades of popularity

　　I had gone to Freetown with a photograph of Greene leaning on a stone balustrade at the bottom of the steps leading up to the bar.

　　Even after the fire, the facade was still intact and I hoped to get a souvenir snap of me in the same place.

　　I was four days too late. The City hotel had been demolished.

　　This being post-war Sierra Leone, where heavy equipment is scarce and expensive, a team of labourers wielding pickaxes and sledgehammers had knocked it down, stone by stone, beam by beam, brick by brick.

　　The walls, where Greene's fictional character Harris chalked up victims in a cockroach-killing competition, lay in a heap.

　　Among the masonry, I recognised the shaped top of one of the columns behind Greene in the photograph.

　　"It was the only thing we could do,'' Victor said. "The government said that all the plots in the city centre now have to be used by their owners or taken over by the council.''

　　'Post-colonial decay'

　　Greene saw The City as a symbol of colonial failure.

　　For me, the story of the hotel and its once wealthy hotelier family owners, the Ferraris, has also become a symbol, but this time of post-colonial decay.

　　Old Freddie had married a Sierra Leonean and his position at the hotel was meant to have set up his family comfortably.

　　But in the cycle of coup and counter-coup, corruption and conflict that has bedevilled Sierra Leone since independence in 1961, the Ferraris have suffered along with the rest of the country's five million or so inhabitants.

　　A nation set up as a sanctuary for former slaves from Britain has now become a net exporter of people back to Britain - people desperate to flee poverty and despair.

　　Victor himself claimed asylum in London where he now works nights as a security guard.

　　I called him the other day and the first thing he asked me was: "Do you know anyone who could give me a good price for the site where The City Hotel once stood?''

Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano reduces activity

2010-05-23T18:22:00.001-07:00

The ash plume from Eyjafjallajokull paralysed much of Europe's air traffic The Icelandic volcano which has been disrupting air traffic for more than a month is showing a marked drop in activity, new measurements suggest.

　　Experts say the temperature in Eyjafjallajokull's crater appears to have fallen to 100C, meaning it is now producing steam, not magma.

　　But officials warned that it was too early to say whether the eruption was over completely.

　　Ash clouds from the volcano grounded thousands of flights last month.

　　Steinunn Jakobsdottir, a geophysicist from the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told the BBC that the volcano was "kind of dormant for the moment".

　　"The history of the volcano is such that it calms down and then it gets energy again," she said.

　　"There are still earthquakes under the volcano, and the tremor is still not quite down to what it was before the eruption."

　　'Difficult to say'

　　Magnus Gudmundsson, of Iceland University, flew over the volcano on Sunday and said evidence from heat cameras indicated the temperatures at the crater had fallen below 100C.

　　But he told the AFP news agency that nothing was guaranteed and that the previous eruption at the volcano had lasted 13 months, from 1821-23.

　　"It stopped and started again several times with different intervals, so it's difficult to say, difficult to give a timeline," he said.

　　He also said it was impossible to say whether the neighbouring Katla volcano - a much larger mountain - might also erupt.

　　At the height of its activity, the volcano sent out huge clouds of ash, which led to airlines grounding their planes for fear it could interfere with jet engines.

　　It was the biggest shutdown of airspace in Europe since World War II, and affected at least 10 million passengers worldwide.

Thai film pulls off Cannes shock

2010-05-23T18:20:00.001-07:00

　　Apichatpong Weerasethakul: "I would like to kiss the jury"

　　The Cannes Film Festival has given its top prize, the Palme d'Or, to the mystical Thai film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

　　It beat British director Mike Leigh's Another Year, which was seen as the favourite by many at the French event.

　　Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the winning film is about a dying man who is visited by his late wife and his missing son, who has become an ape.

　　US director Tim Burton led the jury that picked the victor from 19 entries.

　　Uncle Boonmee is played by Thanapat Saisaymar, a roof welder from north-east Thailand whose previous acting experience was limited to TV commercials.

I would like to thank all the spirits and all the ghosts in Thailand who made it possible for me to be here

　　Apichatpong Weerasethakul

　　Director

　　Suffering kidney failure, the character is visited by a selection of spiritual beings, both human and animal, as the director uses a dreamlike style to examine the themes of reincarnation and animism.

　　Variety magazine described it as "wonderfully nutty", while Screen International called it "a beautifully entrancing film… simple in story but complex in structure and subtext".

　　The UK's Telegraph newspaper gave it a five-star review, noting it was "barely a film; more a floating world".

　　Accepting his trophy, Weerasethakul said: "I would like to thank all the spirits and all the ghosts in Thailand who made it possible for me to be here."

　　The director had previously won the third-place jury prize at Cannes with his 2004 film Tropical Malady.

　　Although it gained a glowing response from critics in Cannes, his latest film was considered a dark horse in the race for the Palme d'Or.

　　Leigh's Another Year, starring Jim Broadbent and Lesley Manville, stood out for many critics.

　　Javier Bardem and Juliette Binoche picked up acting honours

　　But Leigh, who won the Palme d'Or for Secrets and Lies in 1996, went home empty-handed.

　　Tim Burton, who chaired the nine-member jury, said: "Each and every one of us has some favorites that didn't make it."

　　Fellow judge Kate Beckinsale joked: "We tried to invent more prizes."

　　Critics had also tipped French director Xavier Beauvois' solemn drama Of Gods and Men, telling the true story of seven French monks who were killed in Algeria in 1996.

　　That film took the grand prize, putting it in second place.

　　French actress Juliette Binoche won best actress for her role as a gallery owner in Tuscany in the romantic drama Copie Conforme (Certified Copy), directed by Iran's Abbas Kiarostami.

CANNES WINNERS

　　Palme d'Or - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

　　Best director - Mathieu Amalric for On Tour

　　Best actress - Juliette Binoche for Certified Copy

　　Best actor- Javier Bardem for Biutiful and Elio Germano for Our Life (shared)

　　Best screenplay - Lee Chang-Dong for Poetry

　　Grand Prix - Of Gods and Men directed by Xavier Beauvois

　　Jury Prize - A Screaming Man directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

　　Kiarostami earned the Palme d'Or in 1997 with Taste of Cherry.

　　Spain's Javier Bardem was joint winner of the best actor accolade for playing a corrupt policeman who is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

　　He appears in Biutiful by Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, best known for Babel and 21 Grams.

　　Bardem shared the prize with Italian actor Elio Germano for La Nostra Vita.

　　The prize for best director went to actor-turned-filmmaker Mathieu Amalric for his story of the struggling manager of a burlesque dance troupe, Tournee (On Tour).

　　South Korean director Lee Chang-Dong's Poetry took the best screenplay prize.

　　Ken Loach, another British arthouse heavyweight, also lost out four years after winning the festival's top accolade for The Wind that Shakes the Barley.

　　His new movie, Route Irish, is a revenge drama based around the deployment of private security contractors in Iraq.

Duke of York 'unaware' of ex-wife meeting with reporter

2010-05-23T18:17:00.001-07:00

　　Prince Andrew has been a trade envoy since 2001

　　Prince Andrew has "categorically" denied knowing about a meeting in which his ex-wife allegedly offered a reporter access to him for cash.

　　Buckingham Palace said the Duke of York had carried out his role as a UK trade envoy with "complete and absolute propriety and integrity".

　　Sarah Ferguson has apologised for her "serious lack of judgement".

　　The News of the World said she had agreed a £500,000 ($723,000) deal with a reporter posing as a businessman.

　　'No excuse'

　　In a statement, the Duchess of York said she was "sincerely sorry" for her actions and admitted her financial situation was "under stress".

　　"I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused," she said.

　　Sarah Ferguson's marriage to Prince Andrew ended in 1996

　　"It is true that my financial situation is under stress. However, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgement and I am very sorry that this has happened."

　　She confirmed the Duke of York "was not aware or involved in any of the discussions that occurred".

　　"The duke has made a significant contribution to his business role over the last 10 years and has always acted with complete integrity," she added.

　　'Open doors'

　　And a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "The Duke of York categorically denies any knowledge of any meeting or conversation between the Duchess of York and the News of the World journalist.

　　"Since 2001 he has carried out his role of Special Representative with complete and absolute propriety and integrity."

　　The undercover reporter posed as an international business tycoon and filmed the duchess apparently agreeing a deal for an introduction to her former husband.

　　She also appears to accept $40,000 in cash as a down payment.

　　According to the video, the 50-year-old duchess tells the undercover reporter "£500,000 when you can, to me... open doors".

　　She also says the cash would "open up all the channels whatever you need, whatever you want, and then that's what and then you meet Andrew and that's fine.

　　"And that's, that's when you really open up whatever you want."

　　The duchess is heard explaining how the prince meets "the most amazing people" in his role as special representative, but she insisted he was "completely whiter than white".

　　BBC royal correspondent June Kelly said the duchess had made headlines before because of episodes in her private life but this was far more damaging because it called into question her character and integrity.

　　"Of course certain members of the Royal Family have never been in the Fergie camp and this will do nothing to endear her to them," she added.

　　Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew in 1986 and they have two daughters, Beatrice, born in 1988, and Eugenie, born in 1990.

　　Although they separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, she and their daughters later moved back into a wing of the former marital home and maintain a close relationship with the Duke of York.

　　The duchess's finances have been the subject of a number of negative headlines in recent years.

　　In September, her spokeswoman confirmed court action had been taken over unpaid bills.

Jamaica police declare emergency

2010-05-23T18:14:00.001-07:00

　　TV images showed a police station on fire in Kingston

　　A state of emergency has been declared in parts of the Jamaican capital, Kingston, after police were attacked by armed gangs trying to prevent the arrest of an alleged druglord.

　　Two police stations were shot at and a third set on fire by suspected supporters of Christopher "Dudus" Coke.

　　The Jamaican government agreed to extradite him to the US last week.

　　But his supporters have set up barricades and said they will fight to protect him.

　　The BBC's Nick Davis in Kingston says troops and police have come under fire, and smoke is rising from the burning police station.

　　Christopher "Dudus" Coke is accused of being a gang leader

　　Police have rushed to evacuate women and children from Kingston's roughest neighbourhoods.

　　The state of emergency covers the West Kingston and St Andrews districts of the capital, where the violence broke out, and will last at least a month, the government said.

　　The areas are a stronghold of support for Mr Coke, 41, who says he is a community leader.

　　Our correspondent says Mr Coke's supporters see him as a man who is fulfilling a role that the government does not.

　　He looks after them and gives them money when they are out of work, and because of that he has a huge amount of support in the area.

　　Police have called for his surrender and have described the barricades surrounding his area a sign of "cowardice", according to the Associated Press.

　　Most wanted

　　The US Justice Department says Mr Coke is one of the world's most dangerous drug barons. He is accused of leading a gang called the Shower Posse and operating an international smuggling network.

　　Some residents have protested in defence of Mr Coke

　　He faces a life sentence if he is convicted on charges filed against him in New York.

　　The gang has also been blamed for numerous murders in Jamaica and the US.

　　Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding said earlier this week that he was prepared to send Mr Coke to the US on drugs and weapons trafficking charges.

　　The decision reversed nine months of opposition to his extradition.

　　Mr Golding had argued that the evidence against Mr Coke was obtained illegally by intercepting mobile telephone calls.

　　But he changed his mind in the face of growing public discontent, and questions about his possible ties to Mr Coke.

　　He apologised to the nation and admitted he had mishandled the case.

　　The US and UK have warned travellers about possible violence and disorder in Kingston because of the situation.

Cuban prisoners 'win concessions' after Church talks

2010-05-23T18:11:00.001-07:00

　　Page last updated at 16:28 GMT, Sunday, 23 May 2010 17:28 UK

Mr Farinas has been fasting since February Cuba has relaxed the prison regime for political detainees after talks with Roman Catholic leaders, a prominent dissident has said.

　　Prisoners held far from their homes will be moved closer and sick inmates will be admitted to hospital, said Guillermo Farinas, who is on hunger strike over the issue.

　　He began his fast after a prisoner died on hunger strike in Febuary.

　　Havana did not comment on the news, but a Church source confirmed it.

　　The BBC's Michael Voss, in Havana, says the issue of political prisoners was raised at a four-hour meeting on Wednesday between the communist state's President, Raul Castro, and Cardinal Jaime Ortega and the Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio Garcia.

　　Human rights groups estimate there are 200 opponents of the government serving prison sentences with almost 30 of them believed to be a poor state of health.

　　The Cuban authorities deny that they are political prisoners, calling them mercenaries paid by the US to undermine the system.

　　Hunger strike

　　Mr Farinas, a journalist, told foreign media by phone that he had been informed of the two developments by a Church official who visited his sick bed with a message from Cardinal Ortega.

　　"These are first the transfer of all the prisoners to their respective provinces of residence, and the transfer also of all sick prisoners to hospitals," he told Reuters news agency.

　　A second meeting would be held next week toward "resolving the situation of the prisoners", he added.

　　Soon after meeting President Castro, Cardinal Ortega told reporters the Church was interested in "some kind of relief in the situation of the prisoners, which could include the freeing of some of them".

　　Mr Farinas has been on hunger strike for three months and said on Sunday he would continue his action until at least 10 political prisoners had been freed and he had received a timeline from the Church for others to be released.

　　His protest was sparked by the death of Orlando Zapata who died on 23 February after 85 days on hunger strike.

India crash investigators find crashed jet's recorder

2010-05-23T18:09:00.001-07:00

　　Investigators at the site of Saturday's jet crash in southern India have found the cockpit voice recorder, which may help uncover the cause of the disaster.

　　They are still searching for the flight data recorder, the other key piece of evidence.

　　The Air India Express Boeing 737 overshot Mangalore airport's hilltop runway and crashed into a valley, bursting into flames and killing 158.

　　Eight survivors are being treated in hospital for burns and other injuries.

　　Funeral services have been held for many of the victims.

　　Arvind Jadhav, chairman of Air India, told reporters in Mangalore on Sunday that 158 bodies had been recovered but that 12 remained unidentified, burnt beyond recognition.

　　DNA tests

　　The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder, in the Indian capital Delhi, says doctors are trying to use dental records and other means to identify them.

　　Continue reading the main story

In pictures: India mourns dead India crash survivors' stories Shadow cast on India's air record

　　He adds that team of experts have arrived in Mangalore to take samples for DNA testing, a process which could take days.

　　Two teams of US investigators, one from the National Transportation Safety Board and the other from aircraft manufacturer Boeing, have been dispatched to help with the crash investigation.

　　It is India's first major air disaster in nearly 10 years.

　　All the passengers on the flight from Dubai were Indian nationals, an Air India official said. Many were thought to have been migrant workers in the Gulf emirate.

　　One man, Samir Sheikh, lost 16 family members who were travelling to India to attend the funeral of his grandmother, according to the Dubai-based newspaper Khaleej Times.

　　'No distress call'

　　The few survivors described hearing a loud thud shortly after touchdown.

　　Umer Farooq spoke to reporters from his hospital bed where he is being treated for burns to his arms, legs and face.

　　"The plane veered off toward some trees on the side and then the cabin filled with smoke," he said. "I got caught in some cables but managed to scramble out."

　　Mangalore's airport lies on top of a hill with steep drops at the end of each of its two runways. One of the runways was extended in 2006 to accommodate larger planes like the Boeing 737.

　　Indian aviation officials said the landing conditions at the time of the crash were fair with good visibility, and that there had been no distress call from the plane's cockpit.

　　Air India Express is the low-cost arm of the national carrier, Air India.

　　India's air safety record has been good in the past decade, despite a rapid increase in the number of private airlines and air travel in the country.

　　The last major crash happened in the city of Patna in July 2000, killing at least 50 people.

US warns it may 'push BP aside' on Gulf oil clean-up

2010-05-23T18:05:00.001-07:00