kueytoc

S’pore businessman gambles away S$26m in three days at RWS By Faris – August 19th, 2010 A Singaporean businessman lost a staggering S$26 million over three days of gambling at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in early June. This includes losing S$18 million in a single day alone and playing baccarat at S$400,000 per hand. According to Today newspaper, the businessman’s tale began in March, when he was granted a $500,000 credit line by the casino. He claimed that at no point in time did the casino perform a background check on his financial situation. The businessman is currently consulting a top law firm about possible legal action against the casino. He added that in the application process of obtaining the credit line, he simply filled in the application form, deposited S$100,000 and handed over a blank cheque. The businessman, in his 50s, is a managing director of a multi-million dollar company. In April, he said that his credit line was extended to S$2 million and over the weeks, he won and lost several hundred thousand dollars, even losing S$6 million in a single session. In early June, the businessman suffered his biggest loss of S$18 million at one sitting. In subsequent sessions, he won back some money but in total, he gambled away S$11 million during that one-week period. It’s reported he has since repaid $10 million but based on legal documents dated July 22, the businessman’s debt to the RWS still amounts to some $13 million. It’s unknown whether it has been settled. His lawyers are now considering legal action for “negligence, breach of contract or breach of statutory duty against the casino”. They claim “RWS had encouraged irresponsible gambling and had breached the duty of care owed to the businessman. They referred to the casino willingness to extend their client’s credit from S$500,000 to a staggering S$2 million.” The businessman claimed that after losing $4 million in one session, his girlfriend pleaded to the RWS senior officer to stop granting him more credit but was instead told that his credit line could be further extended. He said he even met RWS chief executive, Tan Yee Teck, who offered him a “rolling figure” which equalled to a 3.3 million discount. In other countries, gamblers have tried to unsuccessfully sue casinos for their huge losses. The cases were dismissed when the courts ruled that the casinos in question have no obligation to protect the gambler. According to DMG Research, at the current rate, Singapore is already the second biggest casino market in Asia after Macau and is posed to overtake Las Vegas as the biggest casino market in the world, in two to three years’ time. The firm also estimates that both Singapore casinos earn over S$16 million a day.

Mass Die-off at Coral Reef Triggered by 93-Degree Ocean livescience.com – Tue Aug 17, 12:45 pm ET One of the most destructive and swift coral bleaching events ever recorded is underway in the waters off Indonesia, where water temperatures have climbed into the low 90s, according to data released by a conservation group this week. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) says a dramatic rise in sea temperature, potentially linked to global warming, is responsible for the devastation. In May, the WCS sent marine biologists to investigate coral bleaching reported in Aceh - a province of Indonesia - located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. The initial survey carried out by the team revealed that more than 60 percent of corals in the area were bleached. Subsequent monitoring of the Indonesian corals completed in early August revealed one of the most rapid and severe coral mortality events ever recorded. The scientists found that 80 percent of some species have died since the initial assessment, and more colonies are expected to die within the next few months. "This is a tragedy not only for some of the world's most biodiverse coral reefs, but also for people in the region, many of whom are extremely impoverished and depend on these reefs for their food and livelihoods," said WCS Marine Program Director Caleb McClennen. Coral reefs provide haven for fish and other creatures, and larger fish tend to congregate around reefs because they are good places to feed. Bleaching - a whitening of corals that occurs when symbiotic algae living within coral tissues are expelled - is an indication of stress caused by environmental triggers such as fluctuations in ocean temperature. Depending on many factors, bleached coral may recover over time or die. The event is the result of a rise in sea surface temperatures in the Andaman Sea - an area that includes the coasts of Myanmar, Thailand, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and northwestern Indonesia. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Hotspots website, temperatures in the region peaked in late May at more than 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius). That's 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) higher than long-term averages for the area. "It's a disappointing development particularly in light of the fact that these same corals proved resilient to other disruptions to this ecosystem, including the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004," said WCS Indonesia Marine Program Director Stuart Campbell. Surveys conducted in the wake of the 2004 tsunami revealed that the many reefs of Aceh were largely unaffected by this massive disturbance. Indeed, reefs severely damaged by poor land use and destructive fishing prior to the tsunami had recovered dramatically in the intervening years due to improved management. Government and community-managed areas in the region have been remarkably successful at maintaining fish biomass despite ongoing access to the reefs. But the bleaching and mortality in 2010 have rapidly reversed this recovery and will have a profound effect on reef fisheries. Of particular concern is the scale of the warmer ocean waters, which the NOAA website indicates has affected the entire Andaman Sea and beyond. Similar mass bleaching events in 2010 have now been recorded in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and many parts of Indonesia. "If a similar degree of mortality is apparent at other sites in the Andaman Sea this will be the worst bleaching event ever recorded in the region," said Andrew Baird of James Cook University in Australia. "The destruction of these upstream reefs means recovery is likely to take much longer than before." Efforts to bring back the reefs will have to be both local and global in scale, McClennen said. "Immediate and intensive management will be required to try and help these reefs, their fisheries and the entire ecosystem recover and adapt," he said. "However, coral reefs cannot be protected from the warming ocean temperatures brought on by a changing climate by local actions alone. This is another unfortunate reminder that international efforts to curb the causes and effects of climate change must be made if these sensitive ecosystems and the vulnerable human communities around the world that depend on them are to adapt and endure."

On Facebook, wife learns of husband's 2nd wedding By MEGHAN BARR, Associated Press Writer - Thursday, August 5 CLEVELAND – Dread of the unknown hung in the air as Lynn France typed two words into the search box on Facebook: the name of the woman with whom she believed her husband was having an affair. Click. And there it was, the stuff of nightmares for any spouse, cuckolded or not. Wedding photos. At Walt Disney World, no less, featuring her husband literally dressed as Prince Charming. His new wife, a pretty blonde, was a glowing Sleeping Beauty, surrounded by footmen. "I was numb with shock, to tell you the truth," says France, an occupational therapist from Westlake, a Cleveland suburb. "There was like an album of 200 pictures on there. Their whole wedding." Affairs were once shadowy matters, illicit encounters whispered about and often difficult to prove. But in the age of Facebook and Twitter and lightning-fast communication, the notion of privacy is fast becoming obsolete. From flirtatious text messages to incriminating e-mails, marital indiscretions are much easier to track _ especially if potentially damaging photographic evidence is posted online. "All of these things are just a trail of cyber breadcrumbs that are easily tracked by good divorce lawyers," says Parry Aftab, an expert on Internet safety and privacy laws. France, 41, was not completely blindsided by her Facebook discovery, which happened in January 2009. That fall, she had grown suspicious when her husband began taking frequent business trips, even leaving the day the couple's newborn son came home from the hospital. Once, she found his passport at home when he was supposed to be in China for business. In October, before leaving for another trip, her husband left a hotel website up on the couple's computer screen. "So I actually went there with a girlfriend, just to see for myself for sure," France says. "He was there with this girlfriend. I said, `Hey, I'm his wife. We've got a baby.'" The woman told France that she was engaged to France's husband. "Sure enough, they were registered for a wedding at Target," France says. A girlfriend recommended checking the woman's Facebook page, which was then open to the public, France says, but has since become private. There, France found evidence of an unfolding relationship that she still couldn't wrap her head around. Overwhelmed with two young children, she confronted her husband. She says he told her he wouldn't actually go through with the wedding. It wasn't until she saw the wedding photos that she finally began divorce proceedings. "People who engage in these sorts of behaviors now have the option of trying to keep things private or turning it into a spectacle and becoming their own reality show," says lawyer Andrew Zashin, a child custody expert who is representing Lynn France. "In this case, it seems, the spouse may have crossed the line and gotten married while he was still married." Aftab, a lawyer who runs the online protection site WiredSafety.org, says the lesson to be learned from the Frances' case is that no form of communication is sacred anymore. "It's like trying to catch a river in your hand," she says. "It will leak out eventually." But Aftab doesn't recommend snooping around online. That can backfire in court if used inappropriately _ such as when spouses log onto each other's Facebook pages without permission. If your spouse isn't trustworthy, she says, get a divorce and save yourself the trouble. Lynn's husband, John France, does not deny that he has remarried. Rather, he simply is insisting that he was never married to Lynn in the first place. His attorney, Gary Williams, issued a statement Tuesday saying his client is asking a family law court to declare that his marriage to Lynn was "void since its inception." "While it appears that John and Lynda France were both under the impression, once upon a time, that they were married, the fact of the matter is that their marriage was never legally proper," Williams wrote, "and, therefore, it does not actually exist." Lynn and John France were married in July 2005 in a seaside wedding on Italy's Amalfi Coast, having organized the event through Regency San Marino, which coordinates weddings for couples looking to get hitched in Italy. On the company's website, Lynn is still the first radiant bride whose portrait appears in a gauzy veil, the brilliant blue sea behind her. If that wedding was a fraud, it was news to Lynn. "If that were true, then he's lied to the IRS," Zashin says. "He's lied to insurance companies. Banks." In June 2009, against the advice of her attorneys, Lynn France dropped divorce proceedings when her husband came home and persuaded her to reconcile. "I just wanted to believe the good when he came to me and said, `Let's reconcile, I love you,'" she says. "You want to give somebody a second chance." But three months ago, Lynn says she was cleaning the sink when her husband took the couple's 2-year-old son out of her arms and said he was going to give him some milk. Minutes later, she heard the car running. "He threw them in, no car seats, no nothing, and took off," she says. She hasn't seen her sons since. John France had taken them to Tampa, Fla., where he currently lives with his new wife and, according to his attorney, is seeking custody of their children. Lynn France called 911, but as in most parental custody disputes, little could be done. She is in contact with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children and has a team of attorneys preparing for a court fight. Authorities have told her not to attempt to take back the children forcibly. For Lynn, the only glimpse of her children now comes, ironically, from the same Facebook page where she found those fairy-tale wedding photos. Until the day she can see her children again, Lynn France says she continues to text her husband, pleading with him to bring the children back to Ohio. "The only way I've been able to see my children is on her Facebook page," she says. "It's stranger than fiction to watch this woman living my life."

Allow moi to execute the 'Royal Cut'. Guarantee no casualty.

Those 'pseudo-rocks' not from Tonga lah. Anyway, Tonga has banned the export of LR since 2 years ago & they're certainly not cheap even if they managed to 'sneak' in here.

PHEW !!! Court blocks California gay marriage AFP - 2 hours 11 minutes ago LOS ANGELES (AFP) - – A US court has blocked same-sex marriages in California until at least December while an appeal of a landmark decision to overturn a state ban is considered. The decision by the federal court of appeals came hours after gay marriage opponents urged the ban on the unions to be maintained in the West Coast state. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the motion for a stay and scheduled further proceedings on the appeal to take place the week of December 6 in San Francisco. The ruling halted an anticipated rush of gay marriages after Judge Vaughn Walker last week authorized same-sex weddings to begin again on August 18 in order to permit the court of appeals to consider the issue. Opponents of gay marriage argued in their appeal that most of the United States and the majority of countries worldwide do not allow gay marriage because the institution of marriage serves a societal interest. "California, 44 other states, and the vast majority of countries throughout the world continue to draw the line at marriage because it continues to serve a vital societal interest," the appeal said. The purpose of marriage is between members of the opposite sex "to channel potentially procreative sexual relationships into enduring, stable unions for the sake of responsibly producing and raising the next generation," it said. Some 18,000 gay and lesbiaan couples tied the knot between May and November 2008 when gay marriage was briefly allowed by the state of California. Currently only the states of Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as the US capital Washington, recognize gay marriage. Both California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Attorney General Jerry Brown had filed motions last Friday demanding same-sex marriages be allowed to resume immediately. Walker had last week found in favor of activists who argued that the California referendum which barred same-sex marriage was discriminatory and therefore violated the US Constitution. The referendum, known as Proposition 8, was passed by a 52 percent majority in November 2008, only six months after California's Supreme Court overturned a previous ban on same-sex weddings, sending gays and lesbians flocking to marry. Legal experts believe the case is almost certain to end up before the US Supreme Court in around two years, once appeals hearings in lower courts have run their course.

WAH...Dangerous Liasions !!! Tearful German pop star confesses in HIV trial AFP - Tuesday, August 17 DARMSTADT, Germany (AFP) - – A German pop star made a tearful courtroom apology Monday for keeping her HIV status a secret from her sexual partners, before being confronted by an ex-lover who contracted the virus. "I am so sorry," the 28-year-old Nadja Benaissa, dressed in a purple shirt, jeans and with her hair tied back, told the court in Darmstadt near Frankfurt. She denied however intending to infect anyone with the virus that causes AIDS as she went on trial for grievous bodily harm. If convicted the mother-of-one faces between six months and 10 years in prison. "When I was arrested I realised that the way that I had dealt with the illness had been wrong ... I made a big mistake," her lawyer quoted her as saying in a statement read out to the court. Benaissa, a member of the all-female pop group No Angels, was arrested in April 2009 just as she was about to perform at a Frankfurt nightclub. She was held in custody for 10 days before being released. In February this year she was charged with causing bodily harm and attempting to cause bodily harm. A verdict is due on on August 26. According to the charge sheet, she had unprotected sex on five occasions between 2000 and 2004 with three men and did not tell them she was infected. One of them subsequently found out he also had the virus but it remains to be established whether it was having sex with Benaissa which infected him. The man, whose name was not released and who is a plaintiff in the trial, told the court he had found out about Benaissa being HIV positive from her aunt and went to his doctor for a blood test straight away. "A few hours later the doctor rang and told me to come over. I went to pick up the results with my brother," and found out he was infected, he told the court. "You have created a lot of suffering in the world," he told the singer. Benaissa, who says she found out she was HIV positive in 1999, when she was 16 years old and three months pregnant, said she had been told by doctors that the risk of passing on the virus was "practically zero." She also feared that coming clean "would probably have meant the end for No Angels," her lawyer, Oliver Wallasch, told the court. No Angels shot to fame in 2000 thanks to a television talent show and had a string of hits in central Europe before splitting up in 2003. They reformed in 2007 and competed in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. Before her arrest the fact that Benaissa, who is half Moroccan, was HIV positive was not publicly known. When she was charged the news was leaked to the press, sparking a debate about trial by media in a country that partly for historical reasons is highly sensitive about privacy and the presumption of innocence. The other three members of No Angels were among around 20 witnesses due to testify in the trial, which was being held in a youth court because the first alleged incident took place in 2000 when Benaissa was 17. In a television interview in July 2009 the singer, who admitted being addicted to crack cocaine when she was 14, talked about living with being HIV positive. "I can't just go anywhere I like and be free and be a normal person. I now have this stamp. I will do my best to make the most of it," she said. "I am actually completely healthy, not sick. I am HIV positive. Being HIV positive doesn't mean being ill. If the disease breaks out it is called AIDS. I have a completely normal life expectancy." In October an authorised biography of the the singer, who is rumoured to be considering leaving No Angels, is due to be released with the title, "Nadja Benaissa -- Everything is going to be alright." The trial was due to resume on Thursday.

China Passes Japan as Second-Largest Economy Monday August 16, 2010, 12:20 am EDT SHANGHAI — After three decades of spectacular growth, China passed Japan in the second quarter to become the world’s second-largest economy behind the United States, according to government figures released early Monday. The milestone, though anticipated for some time, is the most striking evidence yet that China’s ascendance is for real and that the rest of the world will have to reckon with a new economic superpower. The recognition came early Monday, when Tokyo said that Japan’s economy was valued at about $1.28 trillion in the second quarter, slightly below China’s $1.33 trillion. Japan’s economy grew 0.4 percent in the quarter, Tokyo said, substantially less than forecast. That weakness suggests that China’s economy will race past Japan’s for the full year. Experts say unseating Japan — and in recent years passing Germany, France and Great Britain — underscores China’s growing clout and bolsters forecasts that China will pass the United States as the world’s biggest economy as early as 2030. America’s gross domestic product was about $14 trillion in 2009. “This has enormous significance,” said Nicholas R. Lardy, an economist at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “It reconfirms what’s been happening for the better part of a decade: China has been eclipsing Japan economically. For everyone in China’s region, they’re now the biggest trading partner rather than the U.S. or Japan.” For Japan, whose economy has been stagnating for more than a decade, the figures reflect a decline in economic and political power. Japan has had the world’s second-largest economy for much of the last four decades, according to the World Bank. And during the 1980s, there was even talk about Japan’s economy some day overtaking that of the United States. But while Japan’s economy is mature and its population quickly aging, China is in the throes of urbanization and is far from developed, analysts say, meaning it has a much lower standard of living, as well as a lot more room to grow. Just five years ago, China’s gross domestic product was about $2.3 trillion, about half of Japan’s. This country has roughly the same land mass as the United States, but it is burdened with a fifth of the world’s population and insufficient resources. Its per capita income is more on a par with those of impoverished nations like Algeria, El Salvador and Albania — which, along with China, are close to $3,600 — than that of the United States, where it is about $46,000. Yet there is little disputing that under the direction of the Communist Party, China has begun to reshape the way the global economy functions by virtue of its growing dominance of trade, its huge hoard of foreign exchange reserves and United States government debt and its voracious appetite for oil, coal, iron ore and other natural resources. China is already a major driver of global growth. The country’s leaders have grown more confident on the international stage and have begun to assert greater influence in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with things like special trade agreements and multibillion dollar resource deals. “They’re exerting a lot of influence on the global economy and becoming dominant in Asia,” said Eswar S. Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell and former head of the International Monetary Fund’s China division. “A lot of other economies in the region are essentially riding on China’s coat tails, and this is remarkable for an economy with a low per capita income.” In Japan, the mood was one of resignation. Though increasingly eclipsed by Beijing on the world stage, Japan has benefited from a booming China, initially by businesses moving production there to take advantage of lower wages and, as local incomes have risen, by tapping a large and increasingly lucrative market for Japanese goods. Beijing is also beginning to shape global dialogues on a range of issues, analysts said; for instance, last year it asserted that the dollar must be phased out as the world’s primary reserve currency. And while the United States and the European Union are struggling to grow in the wake of the worst economic crisis in decades, China has continued to climb up the economic league tables by investing heavily in infrastructure and backing a $586 billion stimulus plan. This year, although growth has begun to moderate a bit, China’s economy is forecast to expand about 10 percent — continuing a remarkable three-decade streak of double-digit growth. “This is just the beginning,” said Wang Tao, an economist at UBS in Beijing. “China is still a developing country. So it has a lot of room to grow. And China has the biggest impact on commodity prices — in Russia, India, Australia and Latin America.” There are huge challenges ahead, though. Economists say that China’s economy is too heavily dependent on exports and investment and that it needs to encourage greater domestic consumption — something China has struggled to do. The country’s largely state-run banks have recently been criticized for lending far too aggressively in the last year while shifting some loans off their balance sheet to disguise lending and evade rules meant to curtail lending growth. China is also locked in a fierce debate over its currency policy, with the United States, European Union and others accusing Beijing of keeping the Chinese currency, the renminbi, artificially low to bolster exports — leading to huge trade surpluses for China but major bilateral trade deficits for the United States and the European Union. China says that its currency is not substantially undervalued and that it is moving ahead with currency reform. Regardless, China’s rapid growth suggests that it will continue to compete fiercely with the United States and Europe for natural resources but also offer big opportunities for companies eager to tap its market. Although its economy is still only one-third the size of the American economy, China passed the United States last year to become the world’s largest market for passenger vehicles. China also passed Germany last year to become the world’s biggest exporter. Global companies like Caterpillar, General Electric, General Motors and Siemens — as well as scores of others — are making a more aggressive push into China, in some cases moving research and development centers here. Some analysts, though, say that while China is eager to assert itself as a financial and economic power — and to push its state companies to “go global” — it is reluctant to play a greater role in the debate over climate change or how to slow the growth of greenhouse gases. China passed the United States in 2006 to become the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, which scientists link to global warming. But China also has an ambitious program to cut the energy it uses for each unit of economic output by 20 percent by the end of 2010, compared to 2006. Assessing what China’s newfound clout means, though, is complicated. While the country is still relatively poor per capita, it has an authoritarian government that is capable of taking decisive action — to stimulate the economy, build new projects and invest in specific industries. That, Mr. Lardy at the Peterson Institute said, gives the country unusual power. “China is already the primary determiner of the price of virtually every major commodity,” he said. “And the Chinese government can be much more decisive in allocating resources in a way that other governments of this level of per capita income cannot.”

Four key reasons behind Singapore success: MM Lee By Faris – August 16th, 2010 Capable leaders, meritocracy, a level playing field and the use of English as a working language. These are the four key reasons why Singapore was able to transform itself from a small fishing village to the cosmopolitan, first-world city it is today, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. Speaking at the National Day dinner in his Tanjong Pagar constituency on Sunday night, MM Lee said, “From 1965 to 1990, we made Singapore go from Third World to First, and from 1990 to 2010, we gave Singapore the cosmopolitan gloss, that polish, that poise, that vibrancy.” All this would not have been possible he said without “an exceptionally strong government, with the ablest, the toughest and most dedicated of leaders.” The Straits Times quoted him as saying, “We head-hunt for them, test them out in heavy responsibilities. People get to where they are on merit, not guanxi (connections), not nepotism, not corruption. Hence all are capable and competent.” “Only such leaders can keep the economy growing and create good jobs and generate the revenue to pay for the equipment and training of our 3G SAF,” he continued, before adding a strong armed forces was key behind keeping the country safe and secure. He also said Singapore is quick to learn from challenges faced by other countries and to adapt solutions based on the needs of its people. “We studied how they have managed their problems, why some are more successful than others. Then we extracted the principles to adapt and modify them to fit our society,” he said. The 86-year-old highlighted the use of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) to control traffic congestion and recycling of water to manage water supply as good examples of such a policy. One of the founding fathers of Singapore, MM Lee also said the country’s policies are not carved in stone. He said, “We always re-examine old policies and positions, and change them with changing world circumstances.” He referred to examples such as the Formula One and having a casino in the country. He stated that there were shifts in policies because the government recognised the economic revenue that such projects generate. But one of the areas Singapore is doing very poorly in is its total fertility rate which presently stands at 1.22, far below the 2.1 needed for a population to replace itself. The solution, he said, was to bring in immigrants from Malaysia, China, India, and the region. MM Lee said, “Where do we go from here? I think it depends on the younger generation — how much drive, how much energy they have, how much they are prepared to make the effort to climb up that face of the cliff to a higher plane.”

Superb Fijian Pipes mate. Let me know when U have spare frags available as I'm trying to create a 'Polynesian Cultural' section in moi tanky.

Veron criticizes Maradona after long silence 9 hours, 9 minutes ago BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)—Argentina midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron has broken a monthlong silence to criticize almost every aspect of Diego Maradona’s coaching during the World Cup. In a radio interview on Thursday, Veron questioned Maradona’s use of Barcelona star Lionel Messi and said Argentina’s midfield was unbalanced, presenting a problem for Messi. Argentina was ousted from the World Cup in a humiliating 4-0 loss to Germany in the quarterfinals. “He (Messi) is not used to going near midfield to receive the ball,” Veron said on radio La Red. “It is difficult to ask him to go 50 meters with the ball at his feet. Above all, since he had opposing players in front of him. He is not used to playing like this and it showed. It showed on his face. “Sadly, he didn’t look comfortable in those games. He is never going to be Maradona. He does his own thing and he needs team support to be at his best. Sometime he had it. Sometimes he didn’t.” The former Manchester United and Inter Milan midfielder said he was puzzled why Maradona benched him during the World Cup. He said this contradicted what Maradona told him before the World Cup—that Veron should be the team’s playmaker. “One moment he told me he wanted me to be the Xavi of the team,” Veron said, referring to Xavi Hernandez, the playmaking midfielder for World Cup winner Spain. “Then you see yourself outside and not playing, and this hurts.” Veron, who has represented Argentina since 1996, said he hoped eventually to speak privately with Maradona about his tactical decisions. Veron also questioned Maradona’s decision to play with three midfielders— Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria and Maxi Rodriguez. Di Maria and Rodriguez played on the outside, often going forward and leaving Mascherano out-manned in the middle. “Angel and Maxi are players used to playing outside, which was always going to leave us with a numeric disadvantage. Javier played against three in most games.” Veron said the next coach should be chosen only on coaching merits. “They (Argentine Football Association) need to have an open mind and evaluate people working with the team,” Veron said. “It has to be someone who is top-notch in Argentine football, someone picked on merits. Not because they were members of the ’78 World Cup team or the ’86 World Cup team. I’ve got nothing against those people, but it should be on merits.” Sergio Batista, the Argentine youth coach, has been promoted to interim coach and strengthened his case for the full-time job with a 1-0 victory over Ireland on Wednesday.

AP Source: Beckham to reject England farewell game By ROB HARRIS, AP Sports Writer 4 hours, 12 minutes ago LONDON (AP)—David Beckham will reject the chance to make one final appearance for England, a person familiar with the former captain’s plans said Thursday. Coach Fabio Capello announced Wednesday that the 35-year-old Beckham was too old to continue playing competitively for England, but offered him an opportunity to say farewell to fans in an exhibition match. Beckham, who is recovering from an Achilles’ tendon injury that denied him a trip to a fourth World Cup, has played 115 times for England, second only to goalkeeper Peter Shilton on the country’s all-time appearance list. And the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder has said repeatedly that he wouldn’t retire from England duty while still playing soccer. “It would seem strange to say you are not retiring then to signal your retirement in a benefit match,” the person familiar with Beckham’s plans told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Thursday because Beckham has yet to announce his plans. “It’s not going to happen.” So revered is Beckham in England that local media lashed out at Capello for essentially retiring him on TV rather than notifying him directly. In a hostile media conference after England’s 2-1 victory against Hungary on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium, Capello backtracked and said Beckham could end his 14-year international in a friendly match—possibly in November against France. But when Beckham was ruled out of the June 11-July 11 World Cup after surgery on his left Achilles’ tendon in March, Capello had insisted that he could still play a part in the 2012 European Championship. “I hope he will be fit for the Euros because he is always one of the best players,” Capello said. Such confusion from Capello has prompted the volatile British media to lash out at the Italian, who is already under fire following the team’s second-round exit at the World Cup. The Daily Mirror called Capello “Dumb And Dumber” and The Daily Telegraph described this as “Another Fine Mess.” “Blundering England manager Fabio Capello’s battered reputation sank even further,” the Daily Express wrote Thursday. British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday paid tribute to Beckham, who made his England debut in 1996. “We will all remember some of those great free kicks, some of those great moments that he’s been responsible for,” Cameron said. “I’m sure lots of people will be sad that he’s not going to be playing for England again.” Beckham has never won the international honors to put him alongside the likes of 1966 World Cup winners Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton in the pantheon of true England greats, but he arguably contributed more to the national side over the past 14 years than any other player. Still, Beckham is well acquainted with the highs and lows of international football. He was blamed for England’s elimination from the 1998 World Cup for his petulant red card against Argentina, but scored the winning goal against the same team at the World Cup four years later. He responded to jeering at the 2000 European Championship with an obscene hand gesture to England fans, but was lauded by the same supporters little more than a year later when his last-minute free kick against Greece secured a place at the 2002 World Cup. The latest revelation already has some speculating that this may not be the end of Beckham’s international career, especially if Capello’s spell in charge of the side ends soon. Capello dropped Beckham in January 2007 when both were at Real Madrid after the midfielder announced that he would be leaving for Major League Soccer. But Beckham won over his coach with his attitude in training and made a scoring comeback a month later. And more pertinently, England dropped Beckham in August 2006 in an effort to renew the team with younger players after a quarterfinal exit at that year’s World Cup. Coach Steve McClaren recalled him the following year after a run of stuttering form, and he returned for the remainder of England’s unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2008 European Championship. “Look at the way he has adapted going into different cultures and different football clubs and the way he won over the Real Madrid fans and then went to MLS and then Italy with AC Milan,” Wigan manager Roberto Martinez said. “He has been an amazing example and I don’t think he is getting the right credit yet. “When he retires, people will realize the footballer he was behind the brand of David Beckham.” Beckham, who has played mostly as a substitute over the past two years, has said he is not retiring from international football and will play if selected. “I still wouldn’t write him off yet and I wish him well,” said Sunderland manager Steve Bruce, who was at Manchester United during the first five years of Beckham’s career. “He’s a decent lad and he’s always been absolutely 100 percent dedicated to football. “Once he gets himself fit again, you never know because he’s a resilient so and so.” Bruce said that the whole furor may simply be down to Capello’s struggle to master the English language. British papers have regularly highlighted the Italian’s inability to speak English fluently after two years in the country. “Sometimes if we’re looking at Fabio Capello, I think it’s a communication problem and I think we witnessed that last night,” Bruce said. “It is difficult, it would be like us going to Italy. There’s a whole different culture and we have to respect that. “I believe it’s the language barrier more than anything. As soon as I heard it last night, I thought, well is that the end for David? Whether he meant that, I don’t know.” AP Sports Writer Stuart Condie contributed to this report

Chelsea, Man United resume Premier League battle By ROB HARRIS, AP Sports Writer 10 hours, 5 minutes ago LONDON (AP)—There will be a familiar look to title favorites Chelsea and Manchester United when the Premier League seasons begins this weekend. After ending Man United’s three-year grip on the trophy in May, Chelsea has made one addition to an aging team, unloading several players ahead of Saturday’s opener against West Bromwich Albion. United’s effort to get stronger has only amounted to signing a trio of youngsters, who may not start on Monday against Newcastle. Such lack of investment could backfire if Manchester City’s big spending— almost $500 million in two years—finally turns the underachievers into a force. While Man City’s outlay this offseason has reached 85 million pounds ($130 million) with more than two weeks left before the transfer window closes, billionaire Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has only spent 5 million pounds (less than $8 million) signing Yossi Benayoun from Liverpool. The Israel captain has replaced 28-year-old midfielder Joe Cole. Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti and Ricardo Carvalho, all in their 30s, also have left. But manager Carlo Ancelotti still has a far-from-youthful squad, relying heavily on captain John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Peter Cech. Those players bring experience, not tired legs, to the team, Ancelotti says. “The players will be better this season because they have one year more experience, like me,” Ancelotti said. “I’m not older. I’m more experienced. I am a better manager now. I had more doubt last year, when I started. “I think we start this season in a different situation because I have more knowledge about players and club and atmosphere in England and the teams.” Ancelotti’s first season in charge ended with Chelsea denying a record-breaking 19th league title to Manchester United, whose manager Alex Ferguson concedes that it is going to be tougher than ever to regain the trophy. “Things definitely changed last season—it was a different league altogether compared to what we’d seen before,” Ferguson said. “The top four found it difficult and dropped points in games they wouldn’t have expected to. That’s an indication of the improvement made by other teams, and I think there’ll be a bit of a dogfight for the top four places this season. “We all have to be aware of the threats from the likes of (Aston) Villa, Everton, Tottenham and Manchester City.” While Villa, Everton and Tottenham have been as prudent with the number of offseason recruits as Chelsea and United, City’s spending is unrivaled. The headline signings of the offseason have both joined City for 24 million pounds ($37.4 million): Spain winger David Silva and midfielder Yaya Toure— brother of City captain Kolo. City’s season begins Saturday at Tottenham, which edged City to claim fourth place in the league last May and the final Champions League spot. But just breaking into the top four won’t be enough for striker Carlos Tevez. Producing City’s first league championship success since 1968 is the priority. “We know we must fight for the title,” Tevez said. “We have strengthened and we are stronger. There is no great difference between all the top teams now.” The eye-catching game on the opening weekend is Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool, which went from runners-up in 2009 to seventh place in May and still doesn’t have the finances to sign more world-class players like Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. One of the biggest successes for new manager Roy Hodgson was simply persuading the pair not to push for transfers. Arsenal is chasing its first league title since 2004, with manager Arsene Wenger under pressure to produce the club’s first trophy since the 2005 FA Cup. “The most important thing is that we have that belief,” Wenger said. “We finished third last season, so we have two stairs to climb and I am confident that we can do it.” In the rest of the opening round of matches, Aston Villa attempts to overcome the recent resignation of manager Martin O’Neill when it plays West Ham on Saturday. Also Saturday, Everton is at Blackburn, Fulham travels to Bolton, Sunderland faces Birmingham, newcomer Blackpool makes the short trip to Wigan and Wolverhampton plays Stoke.

Chicharito scored with his face Sun Aug 08 10:43pm PDT By Brooks Peck Manchester United beat Chelsea 3-1 in the glorified friendly that is the Community Shield on Sunday. Besides giving Man United a piece of silverware to toss behind all their trophies that actually matter, the match also served to further inflate the growing legend of Chicharito. Not only is he lightning fast, constantly smiling like a porcelain doll and the first Mexican to play for Manchester United, he has also now proven that he can score with his face. Yes, with Man United already up 1-0, Chicharito scored what would prove to be the winner by kicking the ball off his own face and then laughed it off and motioned to his face as he celebrated with his teammates. Now, he probably didn't do this on purpose (although it would've been even more spectacular if he did). But to prove his quite possibly superhuman greatness beyond any doubt, even when he messes up, he still manages to score. With his face. Consider this your final warning, Premier League.

Former homeless player gets dream job Manchester United sign former homeless player Wed Aug 11 06:00pm PDT By Brooks Peck On the advice of former Manchester United assistant coach and current Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz, the club payed £7.4 million ($11.6 million) for Portuguese club Vitoria de Guimaraes striker Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, better known as Bebe. While Queiroz is touting the relatively unknown 20-year-old as a future star, it's not his abilities on the pitch that make this signing so amazing. According to the Guardian, Bebe was "raised in an orphanage after spending part of his childhood on the streets. But the Telegraph details just how Bebe's story is one that blows away "Goal: The Dream Begins." “I am very happy. I had the dream of playing, one day, for a major club. That dream has come true,” he said. “Football can change lives, very much.” It was while living in Casa Do Gaiato, a respected shelter for young people on the outskirts of the Portuguese capital that he was invited with three other boys to play football with CAIS, a partner organisation of the Homeless World Cup, though he never actually played in the competition proper. He was later spotted by third division Portuguese club Estrela Amadora after impressing for amateur side Loures. From living on the streets, to growing up in a shelter and playing within the organization that puts together Portugal's Homeless World Cup team and finally, signing with one of the biggest clubs in the world at the age of 20. Surely Disney is already scheduling a release date for his biopic. The Guardian describes him as "fast, technically gifted ... and strong in the air," which all sounds nice, but doesn't make the signing of a Portuguese third division player completely outside the country's non-homeless international setup any less surprising. But even if he doesn't live up to Queiroz's predictions of greatness, the story alone will make millions.

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England, Argentina put World Cup trauma behind them AFP - Thursday, August 12 PARIS (AFP) - – Embattled England and Argentina put their World Cup traumas behind them with desperately-needed wins, while world champions Spain needed a last-minute goal to draw in Mexico. England, playing for the first time since their 4-1 defeat to Germany in the World Cup second round, came back to defeat Hungary 2-1 with captain Steven Gerrard scoring two fine goals. Argentina, beaten by the Germans in the quarter-finals in South Africa, shrugged off the controversy surrounding the sacking of Diego Maradona to beat Ireland 1-0. Newly-crowned world champions Spain drew 1-1 in front of 100,000 fans in Mexico City while Laurent Blanc's reign as France coach began with a 2-1 defeat to Norway , as he fielded a side purged of its disgraced World Cup rebels. World Cup runners-up Holland put out a second-string side in Donetsk and drew 1-1 with Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine while Germany, semi-finalists in South Africa, also used a back-up team and drew 2-2 in Denmark. At Wembley, Gerrard helped Fabio Capello avoid more embarrassment after Phil Jagielka had put through his own goal to give Hungary a shock lead, although there were doubts over whether or not the ball had crossed the line. Liverpool star Gerrard scored twice in four minutes to give some respite to Capello on a day when the Italian called time on David Beckham's international career. "I am really happy with the new players. It was a game we had to play with pressure. People spoke about the fans booing and there was big pressure but the new players played with confidence," said Capello. Argentina, with Lionel Messi receiving warm applause, began the post-Maradona era with a hard fought victory over Ireland at a refurbished Lansdowne Road stadium in Dublin. Angel Di Maria's first half strike consigned Giovanni Trapattoni's men to defeat in the first international game in the renamed Aviva Stadium. Trapattoni missed the match as he recovered in hospital after minor abdominal surgery while Robbie Keane made his 100th appearance for Ireland. "It was good to get the massive blow of World Cup elimination out of our system," said Argentina coach Sergio Batista. Blanc insisted that he was pleased with his inexperienced France team, which included eight new caps. Hatem Ben Arfa put France ahead shortly after half-time but two goals from Erik Huseklepp took Norway to victory. "We always play to win so when we lose we aren't satisfied," said Blanc. "But we have to overlook the score this evening as I saw some interesting things. Some players produced some quality which will help us in the future." At a hot and humid Azteca Stadium, Manchester United's Javier Hernandez put Mexico ahead in the 12th minute, and it wasn't until injury time that David Silva delivered the equalizer for Spain. Spain started only three players who began the July 11 World Cup final victory over the Netherlands - goalkeeper Iker Casillas, defender Carles Puyol and midfielder Sergio Busquets. "We had more control than Mexico, but we lacked width and failed to get in deep," said Spain coach Vicente del Bosque. "Without much preparation, my players played like they had spent time training when, in truth, some trained for the first time yesterday." Danish substitute Mads Junker inspired Denmark to come from 2-0 down to force a 2-2 draw against Germany in Copenhagen. Junker created one for Dennis Rommedahl and scored the leveller four minutes from time after Germany had gone 2-0 up through Mario Gomez and Patrick Helmes. PSV Eindhoven midfielder Jeremain Lens put the Dutch side in front in the second half against Ukraine, while Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Alexander Aliev pulled the scores level just a minute later. On a busy night of friendlies, which were warm-ups for September's Euro 2012 qualifiers, Slovenia edged Australia 2-0, Sweden saw off Scotland 3-0, Russia beat Bulgaria 1-0 while tournament co-hosts Poland lost 3-0 at home to Cameroon. Samuel Eto'o was on target twice for the Africans.

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What's next for HP after Hurd August 6, 2010 7:07 PM PDT by Erica Ogg Mark Hurd's resignation from Hewlett-Packard in the wake of a sexual-harassment and expense-reporting scandal is a major blow to the well-regarded executive, but especially to the company he leaves behind. The good news is that Hurd is out just five years after helping HP recover from the most turbulent period in its history and pushing the company to the top of tech world. He leaves Hewlett-Packard in a strong position, and in much better shape than he found it. HP brought in $30 billion in revenue during the second fiscal quarter of 2010, compared with the almost $22 billion of the same quarter five years earlier. So where does HP go from here? Well, beyond the task of finding a new chairman and CEO, it's likely to be business as usual. Investors were clearly startled, sending the company's stock down 10 percent to $41.84 at the close of trading Friday. But in terms of HP's direction, the consensus emerging in the industry in the aftermath of the news is that there shouldn't be any immediate negative effects--at least operationally--as a result of Hurd's departure, which is an indication of his strengths as CEO. "The good news is there probably aren't any (major changes ahead) because he's gotten this company working really well," said Gartner analyst Martin Reynolds. Hurd had the company busily generating profits for investors. In the five years he was at the helm, HP had added $45 billion to its stock market value, to reach $108 billion. And with a company making money and regarded as operating efficiently, there isn't much expectation for drastic changes ahead. HP's interim CEO, Cathie Lesjak, the voice investors hear announcing the company's earnings every quarter, has been with HP for almost a quarter of a century. Though she doesn't plan to keep the CEO title permanently, she took pains to try to soothe investors Friday, saying she's "never been more confident in the company's future." "There is no impetus at all for us to change the strategy," Lesjak told investors during a conference call. "Mark was a strong leader, but at the end of the day, he didn't drive our initiative. The company drove that." She added that Hurd's departure shouldn't change much about the day-to-day activities of HP's more than 300,000 employees, and those in leadership positions. "There's no confusion," Lesjak said. "This is a huge company. The top leaders of our businesses have needed to know how to drive their own businesses." HP employees who have been around for a while are no stranger to scandal and uproar in the executive suite. Hurd's arrival came on the heels of the rather chaotic tenure of former CEO (and current U.S. Senate candidate) Carly Fiorina. Hurd's buttoned-up manner and strict adherence to slashing costs settled the company, and he was able to provide much-needed stability during the embarrassing revelation that former chairwoman Patricia Dunn had overseen a program to spy on reporters covering HP in 2006. Perhaps because of those qualities, employees were caught off-guard by Friday's revelations. Hurd was perceived as a stand-up, "clean" guy, a current HP employee who has been around since Fiorina's time, told CNET Friday. That worker, who asked not to be named, said employees were "completely shocked" and "let down" by the allegations against Hurd, as well as his departure, particularly because Hurd was perceived by employees as pushing the company's ethical business practices and the Standards of Business Conduct policy he was found to be in violation of. Moving on Hurd was known for financial discipline and being a very detail-oriented manager. But just because he had the company running well doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement when the company picks someone new to take the helm. For one thing, his commitment to cutting costs didn't leave much room for innovation, noted Gartner analyst Martin Reynolds. "He was very focused on cost cutting and cost management. The challenge of that is it's very difficult to present innovation in that environment," he said in an interview. "The new leader could shift the emphasis from cost focus to move them toward the inspirational things that HP can help companies and consumers do." Plus, HP has plenty of competition in all areas of its business. IBM, HP's biggest rival in enterprise services, isn't going anywhere, and it spends "far more than HP in research and development," Technology Business Research analyst Ezra Gotthiel wrote in a research note Friday. And though HP still ships the most computers in the world every quarter, the company has to continue to keep an eye on the surging Acer, and others like Samsung and Asus that are making plays for HP's territory of consumer laptops and other portable gadgets. And, of course, it must keep watching out for Apple. The iPhone and iPad have established Apple as a serious force in personal technology, in terms of design and consumer appeal, and in terms of the company's ability to maximize profits. It became clear earlier this year that HP was taking some cues from Steve Jobs and Apple when it acquired Palm, almost solely so it could own and develop further the WebOS operating system for its devices, the way Apple owns iOS, and unlike Android or Windows Phone. Gartner's Reynolds suggested HP might even look toward a new leader with a more Jobsian taste for the dramatic, more of an evangelist for the company. "Obviously they want someone who can make sure the operations stay on track," he said. "There's room for a little bit of flair, a little bit of Steve Jobs in the person. Though not too much. But there is the opportunity to bring in someone with more of a public persona to drive interest in the company. "But you couldn't do that if they weren't in such a good position."

Back-Side 'PAIN-PAIN' Prosecutors want longer jail term for Swiss vandal AFP - Tuesday, August 10 SINGAPORE (AFP) - – State prosecutors said Tuesday they intended to submit fresh evidence in their appeal for a longer sentence imposed on a Swiss man jailed for vandalising a Singapore metro train. Deputy senior state counsel Kan Shuk Weng said the prosecution team wanted to lengthen the jail term of Oliver Fricker, who appeared in court looking gaunt in an orange prison jumpsuit and sporting a shaved head. A policeman unlocked Fricker's handcuffs before the hearing started at the High Court. Fricker, 32, was sentenced to a total five months' jail and three strokes of the cane in the Singapore district court in June after pleading guilty to trespass and vandalism, serious offences in the city-state. The software consultant and a British friend, who remains at large, cut their way into a depot in May and spray-painted graffiti on two train carriages. "We are asking for the total imprisonment term to be increased, in particular the sentence for the charge under the protected areas and protected places act," Kan told AFP. She would not give details of the new evidence the prosecution planned to submit nor the length of the extension it would seek. Fricker was sentenced to three months' jail and three strokes of the cane for vandalism, and two months' imprisonment for trespassing in a protected place, with the prison terms to be served consecutively. A judge adjourned the case until Friday to give defence lawyer Derek Kang more time to react to the prosecutors' intent to introduce new evidence. Kang is also seeking to reduce Fricker's sentence. Prison officials, as a matter of policy, would not say if Fricker's caning sentence had been carried out, citing inmate privacy. Under Singapore's tough laws, a minimum three strokes of the cane is mandatory for vandalism. The punishment entails being struck on the back of the thigh below the buttocks, which can split the skin and leave lasting scars.