Monday, July 16, 2012 WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama must not wait until his re- election bid is resolved to take action to stop the slaugh- ter of thousands in Syria, the head of the main Syrian op- position group said Sunday. "We would like to say to President Obama that waiting for election day to make the right decision on Syria is un- acceptable for Syrians," Abdel Basset Sayda, presi- dent of the Syria National Council, told CNN. "We cannot understand that a superpower ignores the killing of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians because of an election campaign that a pres- ident may win or lose." Obama, waging a tough domestic battle ahead of the November 6 election, has de- manded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stand down and offered logistical support to the opposition, but his ad- ministration has ruled out using force. International efforts to squeeze Assad by isolating his regime and seeking sanc- tions against his inner circle have been frustrated by Russ- ian and Chinese opposition at the UN Security Council. Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria from Istanbul, Turkey, after the alleged mas- sacre of more than 150 peo- ple in one of the bloodiest episodes of Syria's 16-month uprising, Sayda said it was imperative world leaders took action now. "If it continues like this, it will lead to the explosion of everything in the Middle East. It will threaten the secu- rity and the peace of the re- gion and even the world. For this reason, everybody must move before it is too late," he said, speaking through a translator. Obama delay 'unacceptable': Syrian opposition John Henriquez began lifting weights back in 1992 to- gether with Junior Faro, who also guided Aruba’s Hugo Themen. John practised back then in the Noord Sport Cen- trum. John participated in various international champi- onships and broke various Aruban records. He also won medals in tournaments such as the Copa Criollo, Ibero-American In- ternational and in Copa Simon Bolivasr. In 1998 John got the opportunity to partic- ipate in the Central American and Caribbean Games which took place in Maracaibo, Venezuela. In 1999 he partic- ipated in the Pan-American Games which took place in Winnipeg, Canada. While in 2010, John participated in South American Games in Medellin, Colombia. In local championships, John broke the record of one of our legendary weight lifters in Aruba, Alejandro Patan Farro, in the super heavyweight category. John continued to compete in all local championships, such as the Copa Betico Croes, Hymno y Bandera Tourna- ment, Aña di La Reina Tour- nament, ASU Olimpiada and Campeon Nacional. Continued on pg 4 On our way to London... Aruban John Henriquez…ready for 2012 London Olympic A Syrian woman sits with her grandson outside a damaged building on the main street of the Syrian village of Treimsa
Transcript
Monday, July 16, 2012
WASHINGTON (AFP) - USPresident Barack Obamamust not wait until his re-election bid is resolved totake action to stop the slaugh-ter of thousands in Syria, thehead of the main Syrian op-position group said Sunday.
"We would like to say toPresident Obama that waitingfor election day to make theright decision on Syria is un-acceptable for Syrians,"
Abdel Basset Sayda, presi-dent of the Syria NationalCouncil, told CNN.
"We cannot understandthat a superpower ignores thekilling of tens of thousands ofSyrian civilians because of anelection campaign that a pres-ident may win or lose."
Obama, waging a toughdomestic battle ahead of theNovember 6 election, has de-manded Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad stand downand offered logistical supportto the opposition, but his ad-ministration has ruled outusing force.
International efforts tosqueeze Assad by isolatinghis regime and seeking sanc-tions against his inner circlehave been frustrated by Russ-ian and Chinese opposition atthe UN Security Council.
Speaking to CNN's FareedZakaria from Istanbul,Turkey, after the alleged mas-sacre of more than 150 peo-ple in one of the bloodiestepisodes of Syria's 16-monthuprising, Sayda said it wasimperative world leaderstook action now.
"If it continues like this, itwill lead to the explosion ofeverything in the MiddleEast. It will threaten the secu-rity and the peace of the re-gion and even the world. Forthis reason, everybody mustmove before it is too late," hesaid, speaking through atranslator.
Obama delay 'unacceptable': Syrianopposition
John Henriquez began liftingweights back in 1992 to-gether with Junior Faro, whoalso guided Aruba’s HugoThemen. John practised backthen in the Noord Sport Cen-trum. John participated invarious international champi-onships and broke variousAruban records.
He also won medals intournaments such as the CopaCriollo, Ibero-American In-ternational and in CopaSimon Bolivasr. In 1998 Johngot the opportunity to partic-ipate in the Central Americanand Caribbean Games which
took place in Maracaibo,Venezuela. In 1999 he partic-ipated in the Pan-AmericanGames which took place inWinnipeg, Canada. While in2010, John participated inSouth American Games inMedellin, Colombia.
In local championships,John broke the record of oneof our legendary weight
lifters in Aruba, AlejandroPatan Farro, in the superheavyweight category. Johncontinued to compete in alllocal championships, such asthe Copa Betico Croes,Hymno y Bandera Tourna-ment, Aña di La Reina Tour-nament, ASU Olimpiada andCampeon Nacional.
Continued on pg 4
On our way to London...
Aruban John Henriquez…readyfor 2012 London Olympic
A Syrian woman sits with her grandson outside a damagedbuilding on the main street of the Syrian village of Treimsa
2 Monday, July 16, 2012
At the last Green EnergyConference held herelast October, the govern-ment of Aruba an-nounced their plans toerect a wind turbine parkat the Urirama locationto generate more cleanenergy and reduce de-pendence on fossil fuels.One month later, in No-vember, President ofParliament, Paul Croesand fellow Parliamentar-ian Donny Rasmijn vis-ited the location upon theinvitation of concernedresidents who are afraidthe park will be erectedtoo close to their homes.
The residents pointedout the potential healthhazards of such a proj-ect. They also pointedout the damage it wouldcause to the beautifulview everyone enjoys at thesite. Based on the concerns ofthese citizens, they prepareda list of questions for theMinister of the Environment,Benny Sievinger, to answer.
During the presentation ofthe budget for 2012, the AVPdivision in Parliament sub-mitted a motion urging thegovernment to conduct astudy of the effects of thewind park turbines within thecontext of reports from“Rijksinstituut for PublicHealth en Milieu” (RIVM):“Wind turbines: influence onthe life and health of sur-rounding citizens,” and othersimilar reports. They alsourged the government to stip-ulate their standpoint on anacceptable sound level forhomes in the vicinity. In theNetherlands the sound levelis 40 decibels. The motionwas approved by the 21members of Parliament. Last
Monday Parliament receiveda copy of the final report onthe social and environmentaleffects, which report containsvaluable information for thecitizens of Urirama, accord-ing to Parliamentarian DonnyRasmijn.
Parliament also conductedan encounter with representa-tives of the inhabitants nearthe Urirama area, the ArubaBirdlife Conservation, withWEB Aruba N.V., Vader PietManagement N.V. and withKEMA, which is the organi-zation contracted to do the re-search of the effects.
Vader Piet Managementand KEMA also organized apublic encounter to presentand explain the results oftheir findings. The major crit-icism was that they failed togive sufficient considerationto the sound of the wind tur-bines which would become anuisance to the inhabitants.Nor did they take into ac-
count the distance ofthe turbines from res-idents and from theKapel di Alto Vista.According to Ras-mijn, in the recentlypublished KEMA re-port, all of these mat-ters were addressed,all the points broughtup by Parliamentwhich were includedin their unanimouslyapproved motion.
They also took intoconsideration those is-sues raised by inhabi-tants during theencounter at the Dr.Edward Cheung Cen-ter for Innovation.The final report re-garding the effectscontains valuable in-formation on the so-cial and
environmental impact. It con-tains the different changesthat will be made such as re-garding the distance betweenthe turbines and where theyspecify would be the best lo-cation to minimize the soundeven below the norms of Hol-land, Denmark and Europe.
Hence, according to Ras-mijn, the sound should notpose a problem for the resi-dents of the area. He claimsthat Parliament has scruti-nized and will continue toscrutinize the project to en-sure that the perceived posi-tive aspects would be inbalance with the effects thismay have for the residents ofUrirama and visitors to theAlto Vista Chapel. For thoseinterested in reading theKEMA report, please visit thefollowing link:http://www.issuu.com/juanyrausqu in /docs / s e i a_u r i -rama_main_body
Donny Rasmijn:
Study on Urirama Wind Parkturbines contains valuableinformation
VIENNA (AFP) - The UN'sdrugs and crime office willaim to show the threat posedby the multi-billion dollarglobal organised crime tradewith a new media awarenesscampaign that launches onMonday.
International crime racketspull in an estimated annualturnover of $870 billion (710billion euros) according toUNODC, a figure equal to1.5 percent of global GDP.
The illicit funds are worthmore than six times theamount of money put asidefor development.
The multimedia campaignaims to draw attention to thescale and huge sums involvedin organised crime, whichcovers everything from drugand arms trafficking to cybercrime to the smuggling of mi-grants.
"Transnational organisedcrime reaches into every re-gion and every countryacross the world. Stoppingthis transnational threat rep-resents one of the interna-tional community's greatestglobal challenges," said YuryFedotov, executive directorof the Vienna-based agency.
Drug trafficking, by farthe most lucrative trade forcriminals, is worth $320 bil-lion (260 billion euros) peryear while counterfeiting of
goods brings in $250 billion(204 billion euros).
Around 1 percent of theworld's medicines arethought to be counterfeit, ac-cording to the World HealthOrganisation, a figure whichrises to up to 30 percent inparts of Asia, Africa andSouth America.
The combined cost ofhuman trafficking and smug-gling of migrants totals an es-timated $39 billion (32billion euros) a year whiletrading of ivory and animalparts generates $3.5 billion(2.8 billion euros) in criminalrevenue.
But it also the "humancost" of crime that the UNwants to highlight.
Around 2.4 million peopleare victims of human traffick-ing at any one time, UNODCsays, while drug-related vio-lence and counterfeit medicinesendanger millions of lives.
"Crime groups can desta-bilise countries and entire re-gions, underliningdevelopment assistance inthose areas and increasing do-mestic corruption, extortion,racketeering and violence,"said UNODC in a statement.
The campaign will go outon Twitter, Facebook and thesocial networking site Google+as well as on the dedicated sitewww.unodc.org/toc.
New UN campaignagainst organised crime
Monday, July 16, 2012 3
After his meeting with theunion of employees (UEA) atN.V. Elmar, Minister Mike deMeza indicated that he wouldprefer not to get involved inthe dispute so as to allow thenecessary space for them towork internally on a bettermanagement of discussionsand disagreements, a betterinternal communicationstructure that would guaran-tee that communicationwould be organized and wellstructured so as to achieve aconsensus.
On account of a hecticschedule, the Minister wasunable to meet with the union
earlier, but a meeting did takeplace last Thursday. De Mezaheld talks with the presidentof the UEA as well as withthe Director of ELMAR.Each explained at what stagethe negotiations were andwhat are the “bottle necks” inthe discussions.
After an analysis, which isbeing conducted, the Ministerwill again meet with bothparties to come up with astructure to determine how totreat this impasse, and to de-cide on a method for futuredeliberations when such situ-ations arise.
The Minister remarked
that, “it is imperative that anystate-owned company mustcreate a positive relationshipstructure between manage-ment, employees and theunion so that problems can beresolved.” This, he said isbeneficial not only for theemployees and management,but that it also serves the in-terest of the general public.
The Minister observedthat salaries of employees ofthe water and electric compa-nies are relatively small inproportion to the overallcosts. With respect to theelectricity tariff, according tode Meza, employee salariesare only 2 or 3 cents of thetotal price of the KWh, whichis currently 53 cents.
In de Mezas’ opinion, anincrease in salaries will notnecessarily result in an in-crease in the tariff of waterand electricity. However, thismust be carefully analyzedbefore any decision is made,says de Meza. But, he em-phasized, it is imperative thatthey reach an agreement andsolve this conflict.
Minister de Meza signals the needfor better internal communicationstructure!
A very interesting lecture onLionfish is scheduled forWednesday July 18th at theHoliday Inn Resort from 7:30to 8:30pm. The general pub-lic is invited to attend thisvery informative lecture tolearn about the dangers andthreat of this invasive speciesknown as the “Lionfish.”
Topics to be covered in thelecture are:
* The invasive Lionfishspecies, family of the well-known “Scorpion fish”
* Learn about their habitat* The morphology of the
Lionfish * The poison of the Lion-
fish * What part of the Lion-
fish penetrates, and what isthe effect of its poison?
* How fast and how muchdoes it reproduce?
* The consequences onour marine life and ecologicalsystem
* Their eating habits* Impact on the fish popu-
lation* Consequences for our
reefs and tourism* How to combat the prob-
lems caused by the Lionfish* Experiences of a Lion-
fish hunter The lecture will be facili-
tated by Shannon Rollockand Jair Britten. The presen-tation and lecture is under theguidance and technical assis-tance of the Aruba Reef CareFoundation and the ArubaMarine Park Foundation.
The organizers are grate-ful to the Holiday Inn BeachResort for the use of theirCadushi Room where the lec-ture will be held. The prob-lem of the Lionfish is verybig for our island because theLionfish does not have a nat-ural enemy and is causingmajor damage to our ecolog-ical system.
This is why you need tocome out and learn about theLionfish. Especially thoseworking with or managingwater sports need this infor-
Fight against Lionfish continues:attend Wednesday’s lecture
4 Monday, July 16, 2012
Maria “Chia” Boekhoudt’slovely smile and “Caha diOrgel” (musical box) tuneswill be missed forever.Maria, born June 16, 1928,began her music careerplaying the “Caha diOrgel” at the age of 10.The musical box, dubbed“El Purfiado” was ownedby her father, Alfonso“Fon” Boekhoudt. As adedicated mother, Mariapassed on her interest andlove for music to her fam-ily, children, grand andgreat grand children.
Her music box, “Soli-taria” participated in theweekly Bon Bini Festivalssince 1990 and at manyother occasions. In addi-tion to her Music Box, in1999 Maria also started adance group, “Nos Folk-lore” and performed lo-cally and in Bonaire.
In 1988 Maria received
special recognition for herparticipation in a musicbox festival at the CasiBari Pink Patio. She alsoreceived recognition forher Caha di Orgel “Soli-taria” at the celebration ofthe 25th anniversary of theBon Bini Festival.
Maria is the composerof various musical itemsfor the cylinder of theCaha di Orgel (musicalbox). She was known topluck music on her violinto inspire her brother Al-fonso “Buchi” Boekhoudtto write pieces for thecylinder of the musicalbox.
Maria was a very giftedmusician; she played vari-ous instruments, such asthe “Caha di Orgel,” theWiri (metal percussion in-strument) the Violin, Man-dolin, Guitar and theCuarta.
Last Mother’s Day, May13th was the last time thatMaria played her Caha diOrgel “Solitaria” beforeshe became ill. Many of uswill miss Maria’s smile
and the lovely melodyfrom her musical box.
With the passing ofMaria Boekhoudt, Arubahas lost another stalwart ofour music and folklore.
Maria was laid to restthis past Saturday.
The Director, Mr. Dum-fries, Staff and personnelof the Department of Cul-ture of Aruba, extend theirheartfelt condolences tothe family and friends of“Chia.”
Aruba says goodbye to an avid lover of localfolklore, music and culture: Maria Boekhoudt
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) -South Africa's NkosazanaDlamini-Zuma won a tightfought vote to become thenew head of the AfricanUnion Commission, thefirst woman to hold thepost, African leaders said.
She beat the incumbent,Jean Ping of Gabon, in aclosely fought election overseveral rounds of voting.
"Now we have theAfrican Union chairMadam Zumae, who willpreside over the destiny ofthis institution," Benin'spresident and current AUchairman Thomas BoniYayi said.
Dlamini-Zuma, 63, anexperienced diplomat, is aveteran of the fight againstapartheid. A doctor by train-ing, she has served ashealth, interior and foreignminister in South Africa.
Her former husband,South African PresidentJacob Zuma, was one of thefirst to offer his congratula-tions after the vote at theAU summit in the Ethiopiancapital.
"It means a lot forAfrica... for the continent,unity and the empowermentof women -- very impor-tant," Zuma said.
Dlamini-Zuma's win fol-lows her challenge sixmonths ago to unseat Ping,the former commissionchairman, which ended indeadlock after neither wonthe required two-thirds ofthe vote, leaving Ping in thepost.
"She's a freedom fighter,not a bureaucrat or a diplo-mat," said Ugandan Presi-dent Yoweri Museveni,beaming enthusiastically.
Noureddine Mezni,spokesperson for the outgo-ing chairman told AFP thatPing had acknowledged de-feat.
He "has accepted the re-sults of the elections andwishes Madame Dlamini-Zuma the very best.
"He expressed his readi-ness to cooperate with herto work together for theunity of the continent."
S.Africa'sDlamini-Zumaelected to AU
top job
Maria is seen at left back, posing with her dance group
Monday, July 16, 2012 5
John continued to train faith-fully during his over 20 yearsin weight lifting. John has anational record in the snatch130.5kg, clean and jerk170kg and total 300.5kg.
For his participation forthe 2012 London OlympicGames, we asked John a fewquestions about his prepara-tions.
1. How is it going withyour preparations, John?
It is going very well, al-though I only learned just re-cently from the internationalfederation that they are giv-ing me the opportunity torepresent Aruba at theOlympic Games in London.
My coach Hugo Themen istraining me extensively forthis much desired competi-tion.
2. What will it be like foryou to represent Aruba at theOlympic Games?
In one simple word…anHONOR for me. Like theysay, this will be the cherry onthe cake of my career as aweight lifter. Ever since I was13 years of age I have beenpracticing this sport and Ihave competed at various bigcompetitions abroad, amongothers: championships andSouth American games, Cen-tral American and Pan Amer-ican and now an Olympics,
which is the highest of themall in which an athlete cancompete. For me this is adream come true!
3. What can Aruba expectfrom John Henriquez at the2012 London OlympicGames?
You can expect the verybest as an athlete in London,competing against the verybest in the world. I will domy utmost best to representmy Dushi island, Aruba.
On our way to London...Aruban John Henriquez…ready for 2012London Olympic Games
WASHINGTON (AFP) - USPresident Barack Obama re-fused to apologize Sundayfor accusing Mitt Romney ofoutsourcing jobs while incharge of Bain Capital, acharge his Republican oppo-nent has dismissed as "false."
The US presidential racehas taken an acrimoniousturn in the past week as thewealthy Republican candi-date endures a Democraticonslaught over the Bain issueand for squirreling many ofhis millions away in offshoretax havens.
Romney, the former gov-ernor of Massachusetts,called Friday for an apologyfor the intensifying characterassassination by the Obamacampaign and said personalattacks against him were "be-neath the dignity of the pres-idency."
"We won't be apologiz-ing," Obama said, accordingto the transcript of an inter-view with a local Virginia TVstation airing Sunday.
"Mr Romney claims he'sMr Fix-It for the economybecause of his business expe-rience, so I think voters en-tirely, legitimately want toknow what is exactly his
business experience."The manner in which
Romney acquired his fortuneat the helm of Bain, theBoston-based investmentfirm he founded, has emergedas a major issue during thiscampaign as Obama tries topaint him as out of touch withordinary Americans beforethe November vote.
Romney maintains he quitthe day-to-day running of Bainin February 1999 and was notmaking the decisions whencompanies it worked with sub-sequently laid off US workersand "outsourced" jobs toplants in Mexico and China.
But a Boston Globe reporton Thursday revealed that fil-ings with the Securities andExchange Commission stilllisted him as Bain's chief exec-utive between 1999 and 2003.
"As the head of a privateequity firm his job was tomaximize profits and help in-vestors. There is nothingwrong with that," Obamasaid in his interview with Vir-ginia's WAVY-TV.
"On the other hand thatcompany also was investingin companies that were calledby the Washington Post: 'thepioneers of outsourcing.'"
Obama refuses to apologizefor Romney attacks
CARACAS : Venezuelan opposition candidate HenriqueCapriles Radonski (C) greets supporters during a cam-paign rally in Caracas on July 15, 2012.
AFP PHOTO
"From the protocol point ofview, such as this woman'splace and table settings, it ishighly likely that she's his wifeand... (he) must actually bemarried," said the officialquoted by Yonhap.
The woman has been promi-nent in all photos released bythe state, and the latest onesshowed top party cadres -- in-cluding Kim's powerful uncleJang Song-Thaek-- largelystanding behind the couple.
Believed to be in his late20s, Kim took over from hislate father and longtime rulerKim Jong-Il after his death lastDecember.
There have been mixedviews from analysts as to theidentity of the woman.
Some have suggested thereis little chance she is theleader's wife because NorthKorea's first ladies are hardlyever pictured.
But Cheong Seong-Chang,of the South's Sejong Institute,said he was "certain" it wasKim's wife.
"By stressing that KimJong-Un was a married manwith a wife...the North was try-ing to create the image of himas a stable leader," he said in arecent report.
that of last June, which hasmuch to do with the high tem-peratures this summer," saidLiu Fuqiang with the provin-cial Center for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC).
The province urged parentsand teachers to send childrento hospital as soon as theyshowed symptoms of the dis-ease, including mouth sores,skin rashes or fever.
In June, 34,768 cases werereported and 17 people diedfrom the disease in Hunan, the
BEIJING (AFP) - A Chineseprovince urged parents Sundayto seek immediate treatmentfor children showing symp-toms of hand, foot and mouthdisease after official figuresshowed 112 people died fromthe illness last month.
The disease, which childrenare especially vulnerable to,also infected more than381,000 people, the Ministryof Health reported last week.
"The disease incidence ratein June was much higher than
6 Monday, July 16, 2012
statement said.According to the Ministry
of Health, over 460,000 peo-ple were infected by the dis-ease in May, leading to 132deaths.
In recent days, health de-partments in numerous Chi-nese provinces and regions,including Gansu, Fujian,Jiangsu and Xinjiang have is-sued warnings over the out-break of the disease, statepress reports said.
Hand, foot and mouth diseasekills 112 in China in June
SEOUL (AFP) - A smartlydressed woman seen with KimJong-Un at recent publicevents was Sunday againshown on state television ac-companying the North Koreanleader, increasing speculationthat she could be his wife.
The short-haired brunettewas first shown with Kim ear-lier this month, but officialmedia has not said who she isand so little is known of theyoung leader that it is not evenclear if he is married.
The latest photos aired bystate television show whatseems to be the same woman,who is apparently in her 20s or30s and is wearing a yellowpolka-dot dress and chic whitejacket.
She is standing close to Kimduring a visit to a kindergarten,while other officials stay a fewsteps behind the pair. It is notclear when the visit took placeand it is only the third time shehas been shown to the outsideworld.
The woman was seen grin-ning while standing immedi-ately behind or next to Kim ashe hugged and talked to chil-dren in Kyongsang Kinder-garten.
There have been sugges-tions that she might be Kim'syounger sister, but SouthKorea's Yonhap news agencysaid -- quoting a Seoul govern-ment official who declined tobe named -- it was "highlylikely" the lady was Kim's wife.
Mystery lady again seen with N. Korea'sKim
International News
taken from Arafat's personaleffects, found "an abnormalquantity" of the lethal radioac-tive substance polonium, theAl-Jazeera news channel re-ported in a documentary thismonth.
Palestinian president Mah-mud Abbas and Arafat'swidow have reportedly al-ready given their consent forsamples to be taken from hisremains, which are buried in amausoleum in the West Banktown of Ramallah.
Arafat's nephew Nasser al-Qidwa on Thursday accusedIsrael of poisoning the veteranleader and called for those re-sponsible to be held account-able.
Polonium is a highly toxicsubstance which is rarelyfound outside military and sci-entific circles.
ZURICH (AFP) - The widowof Yasser Arafat is to launchlegal action in France overclaims that the veteran Pales-tinian leader died of radioac-tive polonium poisoning, herlawyer said in remarks pub-lished Sunday.
"Mrs Arafat has decided tolodge a legal complaint withinthe month," the Geneva-basedlawyer Marc Bonnant told LeMatin Dimanche newspaper.
He said the legal proceed-ings would be taken in Francewhere Arafat died at a militaryhospital in 2004.
He said Suha Arafat, whohas said she backs exhumingher late husband's remains,would press charges "againstpersons unknown for poison-ing."
The Institute for RadiationPhysics in Switzerland, whichanalysed biological samples
Arafat's widow to lodgelegal complaint over poison claim
Monday, July 16, 2012 7
WASHINGTON (AFP) -Mitt Romney's campaignsought Sunday to neutralizeattacks on his business careerby framing his decision toleave Bain Capital to save theSalt Lake City Olympics as abold act of patriotism.
Senior aide Ed Gillespiebranded allegations that theWhite House hopeful over-saw the shipping of Americanjobs abroad as "baseless" andaccused Barack Obama ofdemeaning the office of thepresidency through such at-tacks.
"He left a life he loved togo to Salt Lake City to savethe Olympics for a country heloves more," Gillespie toldCNN, hitting back at an in-creasingly strident attempt atcharacter assassination by theObama campaign.
"In classic Chicago-stylepolitics, the Obama campaignis trying to make this some-thing sinister. It's not. It's pa-triotic and it's leadership."
The Obama camp allegesthat Romney was still in-volved in running Bain Capi-tal between 1999 and 2002when the private equity firmchose to lay off US-basedworkers and "outsource"those jobs to plants in Mex-ico and China.
It has also stepped up at-tacks on the candidate's per-sonal fortune, demanding thathe release more tax returnsand questioning his decisionto keep millions in offshoretax havens like Bermuda andthe Cayman Islands.
An ad released by theObama campaign on Satur-day features Romney's off-key singing of the patrioticanthem "America the Beauti-ful" interspersed withscathing attacks about Bainand the candidate's hiddenmoney.
The date when Romneyleft Bain is considered crucialas after 1999 the Boston-based investment firm hefounded is said to have in-creasingly invested in com-
panies that moved jobsabroad, a charge that Gille-spie denied.
"I think Americans nowknow, you have got thesebaseless charges on movingjobs overseas, which inde-pendent fact checkers havesaid are not true, they're, in-deed, a lie," Gillespie toldCNN's "State of the Union"program.
"We now know this presi-dent will say or do anythingto keep the highest office inthe land even if it means de-meaning the highest office inthe land."
Romney became presidentand chief executive of the2002 Salt Lake City WinterOlympics organizing com-mittee when arrangementsfor the games were in tur-moil.
"He took a leave of ab-sence and, in fact... he endedup not going back at all andretired retroactively to Febru-ary of 1999 as a result,"Gillespie said, reiterating thatRomney was not runningBain in the ensuing years.
"He was not involved inthe management. He was notinvolved in the day-to-daydecisions, and wouldn't havehad time."
Obama strategist DavidAxelrod, appearing on thesame program, was unrelent-ing, repeating the tax avoid-ance charges and insistingthat "Romney's firms wereinvolved in outsourcing" jobsto foreign countries.
Axelrod said that despiteRomney's claims of "no in-volvement with any of theentities Bain was involvedin" between 1999 and 2002,he "came back for boardmeetings."
"The larger point is he wasin charge when they boughtthese firms whose principalmission was to facilitate out-sourcing and offshoring.
"What he's saying is, 'well,I left before they actuallymoved these jobs to Chinaand to Mexico, and I'm not
going to be held responsiblefor it," Axelrod said.
"If you're the head man,you have to take responsibil-ity, and, you know, he's goingto have to explain that to theAmerican people."
Romney camp defends 'patriotic'Bain exit
CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt'sarmy chief said on Sundaythe military will not let "onegroup" dominate the country,intensifying a stand off withthe Muslim Brotherhoodfrom which the new presidenthas emerged.
"Egypt will not fall. It isfor all Egyptians and not justone group... The armedforces will not allow it," FieldMarshal Hussein Tantawisaid in statements carried by
the official MENA newsagency, in apparent referenceto the Brotherhood.
Tantawi -- Egypt's interimruler after Hosni Mubarakwas ousted by a popular up-rising -- made the commentshours after talks with USSecretary of State HillaryClinton during which sheurged the military to supporta transition to civilian rule.
Egypt is in the midst of acomplex power struggle thatis being played out betweenthe newly-elected Islamistpresident, Mohamed Morsi,and the Supreme Council ofthe Armed Forces (SCAF)headed by Tantawi.
During her visit, Clintoncalled for the military to helpsmooth the country's fulltransition to democracy.
Clinton has repeatedlycalled on the military to re-spect the outcome of the elec-tions and told a newsconference her talks withTantawi would focus on"working to support the mili-tary's return to a purely na-tional security role."
Egypt army chief says will notlet 'one group' dominate
ROME(AFP) - FlamboyantItalian ex-leader SilvioBerlusconi's protege said onSunday he believes his for-mer boss is best placed towin the next general elec-tion set for early 2013.
Speculation is runninghigh that the billionaire ty-coon, who stepped down inNovember amid a series ofscandals as the economycrashed, is planning to an-nounce his political come-back.
Berlusconi "is thestrongest to win again," saidAngelino Alfano, the headof the People of Freedom(PDL) party.
Alfano, a former justiceminister, had said earlierthis month that there was awave of support for Berlus-coni to run in the April 2013election, when he will be 76years old.
Berlusconi had anointedAlfano as leader of the cen-tre-right PDL to fight nextyear's election when currentPrime Minister MarioMonti stands down, but theyounger man said he did notbegrudge having to makeway for his mentor.
"Silvio Berlusconi gaveme the chance to realise mydream," he said. "People sayI might be disappointed (byBerlusconi's eventual re-turn) but I believe in a sys-tem where personalambition does not prevail
Protege saysBerlusconibest placedto win 2013vote
INDIA, NEW DELHI : A member of the Sikh communitytakes part in a protest against the Pakistani governmentin New Delhi on July 15, 2012. Sikh protesters demandedthe immediate release of Indian national Sarabjit Singhwho is currently held in a Pakistani prison. Sarabjit Singhis a high-profile prisoner who has spent two decades insolitary confinement on death row in Lahore after beingconvicted for his role in a string of bombings.(AFPPHOTO)
Egyptian Field Marshal Mo-hamed Tantawi (left) greetsUS Secretary of StateHillary Clinton
WASHINGTON : Luis Hough swabs his mouth with anHIV test while at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)in Washington, DC, July 12, 2012. The testing programstarted in Washington in October 2010, as a first-of-its-kind attempt in the USto bring HIV testing directly to cityresidents. The test is quick, painless and yields resultswithin 20 minutes.
AFP PHOTO
The outbreak is a matter ofparticular concern in Cuba,which prides itself on havingone of the region's most ad-mired public health systems,seen as a laudable success forthe half-century old commu-nist regime.
The last known person to beinfected with cholera in Cubadied of the disease in 1882,when the island was still aSpanish colony.
tweeted.Health officials have said
they believe heavy rains andhot temperatures contributedto the outbreak.
Cholera causes serious di-arrhea and vomiting, leadingto dehydration. It is easilytreatable by rehydration andantibiotics, but the ailment canbe fatal if not addressedquickly enough.
(AFP)- The Cuban govern-ment broke 11 days of silenceSaturday on the country's firstcholera outbreak in 130 years,noting the number of cases hasrisen to 158, though no newdeaths were reported.
The Health Ministry deniedthere had been a "spread" ofcholera on the Communist-ruled island, blaming the inci-dents outside the affectedtown of Manzanillo on "iso-lated cases," that would be"treated and studiedpromptly."
"This outbreak is notspreading," it said in a state-ment, the second on the out-break since July 3.
The ministry said the num-ber of confirmed cases ofcholera, an intestinal ailmentspread through contaminatedfood and water, had nearlytripled from the 53 previouslyreported.
Three patients -- aged 66,70 and 95 and suffering from"a history of chronic disease"-- have died from the out-break, according to the min-istry's last report.
While the authorities hadkept their silence on cholera,anti-Castro websites based inMiami and some internationalmedia published reports aboutthe spread of the disease, say-ing there had been numerousdeaths.
The pro-government blogY o h a n d r y(www.yohandry.com) saidWednesday that the outbreakhas been contained and deniedthere had been more deaths,claiming that "not a singlecase exists in Havana."
Dissidents have criticizedthe lack of information.
"If anger (against the gov-ernment) is dangerous, cholerawithout information trans-parency is worse," dissidentblogger Yoani Sanchez
Cuba says cholera cases rise to 158
8 Monday, July 16, 2012
Health & Living
Facts about HIV/AIDS worldwide WASHINGTON (AFP) - Here are some key facts and fig-
ures on HIV/AIDS, ahead of the International AIDS Con-
ference set to take place in Washington on July 22-27.
HIV WORLDWIDE
About 34 million people were living with HIV at the end
of 2010, according to the World Health Organization.
NEW INFECTIONS
An estimated 2.7 million people worldwide were newly
infected with HIV in 2010.
TRENDS IN NEW INFECTIONS
Since 2001, annual HIV incidence has fallen in 33 coun-
tries, 22 of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
HIV is on the rise in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the
Middle East and North Africa.
AIDS DEATHS
A peak of 2.2 million was reached in 2002. An estimated
1.8 million people died of AIDS in 2010.
DEATH TRENDS
Between 2001 and 2010, AIDS-related deaths increased
more than 11-fold in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
(from about 7,800 to 90,000), and more than doubled in
East Asia (from 24,000 to 56,000), says the WHO.
In the Middle East and North Africa, AIDS-related mor-
tality also increased by 60 percent (from 22,000 to
35.000).
ARV TREATMENT
By the end of 2010, 6.6 million people were taking anti-
retroviral drugs in low and middle income countries, or
about 47 percent of the 14.2 million people whose im-
mune systems were weakened to the point of needing
therapy.
A new, updated figure is expected to be announced on
July 18 by UNAIDS.
DEATHS PREVENTED
700,000 AIDS-related deaths were prevented worldwide
in 2010 by people taking combination antiretroviral ther-
apy.
US HIV BAN
The last world AIDS conference to take place in the
United States was in 1990 in San Francisco. A US ban
on travel to the country by people with HIV kept the con-
ference away. The ban was lifted by the US government
in 2008 and 2009.
Sources: WHO Progress Report 2011: Global HIV/AIDS
Response; Health Affairs magazine, article by Anthony
Fauci and Gregory Folkers, July 2012.
Beauty Tips for Women
Skin Care is the secret to beautiful shin. Healthy skin is a giftto mankind too. At times you can go to any reputed parlorsfor different kind of skin treatments. But parlors are not al-ways the secret to skin care. You need to have a healthydiet, minimize stress, and clean your skin regularly to havea healthy skin. So, skin care becomes a vital part of yourlife. Also remember to exercise regularly.Tip:1.Cleansing: It is very important to clean your skin reg-ularly.Tip:2.Exfoliating: The other name of exfoliating is known asscrubbing.Tip:3 Moisturizing: After you finish removing the dead skinand extra oil from your skin, you will need to moisturize yourskin.Tip:4 Sunscreen: It is very important to apply sunscreen lo-tion.Tip:5 Importance of Water: Intake of sufficient amount ofwater is very important.Tip:6.Sleep is important:You must take 7 to 8 hours of sleepregularly. Tip:7.Say No to Few Things: Too much of alcohol - tobaccoand fat spoils the skin. Reduce or completely stop consump-tion of alcohol and tobacco and to much fat.
achievements while govern-ments and private companiesscramble for new ways tolaunch humans to the stationand beyond.
CANCUN, Mexico: In a handout photo taken by WildAid,US Actress Maggie Q swims with an endangered whaleshark off Cancun, Mexico. As an ambassador for inter-national conservation group WildAid, Maggie Q was inCancun last week to publicize the plight of sharks threat-ened by demand for shark fin soup in the same week thatChina announced a ban on shark fin from all official ban-quets. AFP PHOTO
Monday, July 16, 2012 9
TOKYO (AFP) - More than5,000 people were cut off bylandslides Sunday as moreheavy rain and floods wereforecast in southwesternJapan, where the death tollfrom torrential downpoursrose to 26.
Television footage showedtroops loading relief materialsuch as food, water and med-ical supplies into military hel-icopters to send them tomountainous areas in Yame,Fukuoka prefecture in north-ern Kyushu island.
Local authorities were sep-arately dispatching rescue hel-icopters to take patients andelderly villagers to hospitalfrom the isolated area, whereat least one person was killed,officials said.
More than 5,440 peoplehave been shut away since lateSaturday as landslides andfallen trees have cut roads andwater supplies in the region,where unprecedented rainfallhas fallen since Wednesday.
Rescue operations resumedearly Sunday in other affectedareas in Kyushu, where atleast eight people were stillmissing after a total of 22 peo-ple were confirmed dead inthe landslides or floods, offi-cials said.
Public broadcaster NHKshowed rescuers continuing
their search, using heavy ma-chinery to remove uprootedtrees, boulders and debris,while residents were scoopingmud out of houses with shov-els.
Some 3,600 people re-mained ordered or advised toleave their homes in southwestJapan, NHK said, after localauthorities lifted similar ad-vice to some 400,000 othersby Sunday morning.
The weather eased some-what Sunday bringing tempo-rary relief, but the JapanMeteorological Agencywarned of more heavy rain,landslides and floods on themain southern island ofKyushu.
Rainfall of up to 81.7 cen-timetres (32.2 inches) hasbeen recorded in Aso, situatedat the foot of a volcano, whereat least 18 were killed and fourothers were still missing.
Heavy rainfall was alsomonitored in Kyoto, some 500kilometres (310 miles) east ofthe affected areas in Kyushu,on Sunday, flooding more than20 houses, news reports said.
About 20 people were tem-porarily trapped in the city asmuddy stream broke a riverbank following rainfall of ninecentimetres per hour, but theywere later rescued safely, thereports added.
5,000 cut off in landslideas Japan faces morefloods
Sci-Tech
BAIKONUR (AFP) - A Soyuzrocket blasted off with an in-ternational crew of three to-ward the International SpaceStation on Sunday in a missiontesting the reliability of Rus-sia's crisis-prone space pro-gramme.
NASA's Sunita Williamsand Japan's Akihiko Hoshideand Yury Malenchenko ofRussia started their journey ontop of the Soyuz-FG under theopen skies of the Kazakhsteppe on schedule and with-out a hitch.
The trio gave big thumbs upafter the needle-shaped craftpierced a thin layering of whiteclouds and safely reached orbitabout nine minutes later.
Russia's Roscosmos spaceprogramme chief VladimirPopovkin told reporters that hespoke briefly to the crewmembers a few minutes intotheir journey and "They feelfine. I have no doubts that
everything will go well."The final launch of a US
satellite in July 2011 left na-tions dependent on the reliabil-ity of Russia's Soviet-era space
BERLIN Germany (AFP) -Deutsche Bank wants to co-operate with European inves-tigators probing themanipulation of interbank in-terest rates to limit damage toits reputation and bottomline, a newspaper said Sun-day.
Germany's biggest bankhas asked the European Com-mission and Swiss authoritiesto give it the status of coop-erating witness in their inves-tigation of the rigging of theLibor interbank rate, now at
the centre of a global finan-cial scandal, Der Spiegel re-ported.
"Anxiety currently reignswithin Deutsche Bank," asource close to the bank toldthe German weekly.
Deutsche Bank is one ofsome 20 banks accused ofmanipulating the key lendingrate by lying in their input forthe Libor, which underpinsrates on a wide range of lend-ing from mortgages to creditcards.
British bank Barclays has
already been fined £290 mil-lion (360 million euros, $450million) as part of a probeinto the scandal by Britishand US authorities.
The European Commis-sion has already granted Bar-clays and Swiss bank UBSthe status of cooperating wit-nesses, Der Spiegel reported,saying the Commission haddecided to grant total immu-nity to the first bank to coop-erate and lighter penalties fortwo other banks if they as-sisted in the probe.
Deutsche Bank to cooperate withinvestigators on Libor probe
BERLIN (AFP) - Europeanassistance to ailing Spainshould target the country'sentire economy and not justthe banking sector, the headof Germany's central banksaid in an interview pub-lished Saturday.
"The banks' balance sheetsare a reflection of the overalleconomy," Bundesbank chiefJens Weidmann told newspa-per Boersen Zeitung.
Weidmann said recent an-nouncements by the Spanishgovernment, financial prob-lems in the country's regionsand its high unemploymentrate -- a record 24.4 percentin the first quarter of 2012 --show Spain still has major is-sues to resolve.
Spanish Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy on Wednes-day announced a 65-billion-euro ($80-billion) austeritypackage demanded by Brus-sels in exchange for rescuingSpanish banks with bailoutloans of up to 100 billioneuros.
Eurozone finance minis-ters agreed this week to re-lease an initial payout of 30billion euros by the end of themonth and a second ofaround 45 billion euros inmid-November.
Three eurozone countries -- Greece, Portugal and Ireland-- have so far received bailoutsfrom their partners. Spain willbe the fourth to do so, but thefirst to have aid injected intoits banking sector rather thanthe government itself.
Spain needs aid for more thanjust banks: Bundesbank chief
OTTAWA (AFP) - A Cali-fornia jury has orderedBlackBerry maker Researchin Motion to pay $147.2million in damages for in-fringing on a patent for re-mote management ofwireless devices, RIM an-nounced Saturday.
"RIM is disappointed bythe outcome and is evaluat-ing all legal options," theCanadian company said in astatement.
Edison, New Jersey-based software firm Mfor-mation sued RIM in 2008 inUS District Court in SanFrancisco, claiming it haddisclosed details of its tech-nology to RIM during li-censing discussions.
After choosing to notbuy a license, RIM modi-fied its software to includeMformation's patented sys-tems allowing companies tomanage workers' mobile de-vices from an enterpriseserver, Mformation said inits complaint.
RIM denied any wrong-doing and said the patentswere invalid.
RIM hit with$147.2 mn
patent payout
DUBAI (AFP) - The UnitedArab Emirates on Sunday in-augurated a pipeline to pumpoil from east coast terminals,bypassing the strategic Straitof Hormuz which Iran hasthreatened to shut down,state-run WAM news agencyreported.
The first shipment of500,000 barrels of oil fromthe Habshan fields in AbuDhabi emirate were pumpedthrough the pipeline to Fu-jairah oil terminal on the Gulfof Oman, where it was loaded
on a tanker headed for Pak-istan.
Energy Minister Moham-mad bin Dhaen al-Hameli at-tended a ceremony inFujairah for the launch.
Fears of a closure of theStrait of Hormuz have inten-sified amid repeated threatsby Tehran to close the strate-gic outlet in retaliation forWestern efforts to choke offits oil exports to rein in Iran'snuclear programme.
Media reports in Tehranearlier this month said IranianMPs endorsed a bill banningEurope-bound tankers fromusing the Strait of Hormuz topunish EU nations whichhave slapped sanctions onIran.
On Thursday, US officialssaid the United States has de-ployed a fleet of robot subs inthe Gulf to prevent Iran fromblocking the strategic Straitof Hormuz with mines incase of a crisis.
PARIS (AFP) - France's far-right National Front said Sun-day it plans to sue Madonna over a video at a concert inFrance. The video, which served as a backdrop forMadonna's performance of the song "Nobody KnowsMe", flashed a picture of Le Pen's forehead bearing aswastika, followed by an image resembling Nazi leaderAdolf Hitler. There was an audible gasp from the audi-ence at the concert in the Stade de France in a Paris sub-urb on Saturday when the video appeared as part ofMadonna's stage show. Le Pen, who was a candidate inthe French presidential election in May, had alreadywarned the US superstar she was mulling legal actionafter the video was shown at Tel Aviv gig in May whenMadonna kicked off her world tour.
Springsteen, who isrenowned for his long per-formances, had invited RageAgainst the Machine guitaristTom Morello on stage for twonumbers, and fellow US singerJohn Fogerty joined him foranother track.
He also delighted a fan whowas holding up a banner ask-ing Springsteen to play an ob-scure number from his backcollection, and listing all theconcerts around the worldwhere he had requested it.
Spotting the man, whosesong of choice was "Take 'EmAs They Come," Springsteensaid: "Tonight, my friend, thisis your lucky night. You'regoing to hear this damn thing."
Paul Simon headlines atHard Rock Calling on Sunday.
ming with McCartney don'tbug me!"
London mayor Boris John-son also said the musiciansshould have been allowed tocontinue their set.
LONDON (AFP) - Ageingrockers Bruce Springsteen andPaul McCartney were silencedon Saturday night after over-running at a gig in London'sHyde Park.
Ex-Beatle McCartney hadjoined Springsteen onstage atthe end of the US star's head-line slot at Hard Rock Calling,but both found their micro-phones cut off before theycould thank the fans.
Springsteen, 62, had ex-ceeded the festival's time limitafter belting out hits such as"Born in the USA" and "Be-cause the Night" for threehours.
McCartney, 70, joined himat the end to sing Beatles hits"I Saw Her Standing There"and "Twist and Shout," but or-ganisers pulled the plug beforethey could address the 65,000-strong crowd and they left thestage in silence.
Steven Van Zandt, whoplays guitar with Springsteen'sE Street Band, took to Twitterto vent his frustration.
"Seriously, when did Eng-land become a police state?"he wrote. "It didn't ruin thegreat night. But when I'm jam-
12 Monday, July 16, 2012
Springsteen, McCartney silencedat marathon London gig
million in weekend takings,and cheeky teddy bear comedy"Ted," took third, down oneplace on the week, with $22.15million.
"Brave," the Pixar studio's3-D fairytale about a Scottishprincess trying to rescue hermother from an evil witch,took $10.70 million in itsfourth week, also slipping oneplace to lie fourth on the chart.
"Magic Mike," starringChanning Tatum and MatthewMcConaughey as male strip-pers, held on to fifth place with$9.03 million in takings, andOliver Stone's drama "Sav-ages" was in sixth, down twoplaces, with $8.74 million.
Tyler Perry's "Madea's Wit-ness Protection" took seventhslot with $5.6 million in sales,while "Katy Perry: Part of Me"-- which gives a glimpse intothe pop star's life on stage andoff -- held eighth place with$3.74 million.
Ninth went to "MoonriseKingdom," the latest from di-rector Wes Anderson starringBill Murray, Bruce Willis andEdward Norton. The indiecoming-of-age film took in$3.67 million.
"Madagascar 3: Europe'sMost Wanted," rounded out thetop 10, slipping from lastweek's seventh place on earn-ings of $3.5 million.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - "IceAge: Continental Drift" en-tered at the top of the NorthAmerican box office thisweekend, knocking "TheAmazing Spider-Man" off thesummit, industry estimatesshowed Sunday.
The 3-D computer-ani-mated adventure comedy flick,featuring the voices of QueenLatifah and Denis Leary, took$46 million during its first Fri-day through Sunday run on thebig screen, according to movietracker Exhibitor Relations.
The latest Spider-Man ef-fort, starring Andrew Garfield,was in second place with $35
'Ice Age' sweeps in andtops US box office
Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt
Monday, July 16, 2012 13
drop-off; they even boast ashopping service to stock yourshelves before arrival.
Gold Coast accommoda-tions are elegant and spacious,
offering privacy for parents ora few couples. Beautifully ap-pointed kitchens and bathroomsgrace each abode; barbecuesand lounges are provided forfriendly cookouts and truly sa-voring the island life. Allhomes come with cable TV,high-speed fiber-optic Internet
connection, individualwasher/dryer, and are fully air-conditioned. Cribs, high chairsand hair dryers are availablefor a modest fee. Concierge
ser vices to arrange rental cars,spa appointments, activitiesand restaurant reservations areall part of the package.
Check-in for your holidayescape is conducted in thecomfort of your vacationhome, not while waiting online at check-in desk. In everyway, Gold Coast seeks to pam-per their guests while provid-ing them with the feeling ofbeing in a cozy community,not the normally bustling re-sort, particularly experiencedduring the major holidays. Ifyou wish an optimal vacationexperience with great savings,visit their website: www.gold-coastaruba. com to get ac-quainted with the communityand the layout, details andavailability of accommoda-tions, or call 586-2200 to talkpersonally to a Gold Coastrepresentative.
Aruba’s newest and most in-novative gated communityhas enjoyed steady sales sincebreaking ground, as many arefinding the secure surround-ings and outstanding ameni-ties are just what they werelooking for before conside ringpurchasing property on the is-land. Some owners are usingthe villas or town homes asvacation retreats rather thanfull time and are taking ad-vantage of Gold Coast’s rentalservices to turn their invest-ment into ready income.
“The greater portion ofhome owners are using their“home away from home” inAruba to escape the wintermonths, or spend holidayswith the family on the is-land,” noted Gold Coast de-veloper Fito Croes. To assistin the demand for more com-plete facilities for groups andfa mi- lies, famed hotelier EdMa-lone has been placed incharge of the rental program.
Staying at Gold Coast is avery attractive proposition forthose traveling with groupsthat would require multiplehotel rooms. Two and threebedroom Villas or TownHomes accommodate largenumbers and offer extensiveamenities along with a finalcost resulting in considerablesavings. The community isminutes to the best beachesand all the casino action, andoffers a quiet and secludedgetaway with two swimmingpools and specialized serviceswith more on the way, such asa fitness room, tennis courtsand mini-mall. Ed can arrangemaid service, babysitters,caterers, airline pick-up and
Gold Coast Aruba:Great savings for large familieson holiday rentals
well in advance if this is im-portant to you.
The restaurant is now openfrom early in the day for re-freshments, and is the perfectlunch stop while touring, ser -ving from 11:00 AM to 3:00PM, after which visitors canenjoy a light snack from theirPizza Mini Menu until 6:00PM when they officially openfor dinner, until 11:00 PM.
All these aspects of charm-ing surroundings, dining alfresco with a breathtakingview (or in their enclosed air-conditioned dining room, ifyou prefer) and fine foodmakes La Trattoria El Faro thesingle dining experience thatmust not be missed before de-parting Aruba. Reservationscan be made by calling 586-0786 or 586-0787, or via e-mail link at their website,www.aruba-latrattoria.com,where you can peruse their lat-est menu, as Chef Alberto is al-ways devising some tasty newspecialty to take advantage ofwhat is fresh for the season.
Over twentyyears ago, avery cleverperson hadthe idea ofplacing a cozylittle restau-rant on the topof the cliff ad-jacent to theC a l i f o r n i aLighthouse,offering themost stunningview of Arubaimaginable. LaTrattoria el Faro Blanco tookover the location some yearsago, and the restaurant’s quainttrappings, superb selection andamenable staff has made it aone of the island’s most popu-lar dining spots ever since.
Savoring the sight of aspectacular Aruban sunset andthe tiered layout of the eateryalso makes it the ideal spot formarking a special occasion,such as an anniversary or amarriage proposal, as well as aperfect venue for weddings ora celebratory party. An exten-sive and diverse menu andwine list allows those planninga special festivity will be ableto devise a memorable eventand management is ready andwilling to help you stay withinyour budget.
Many have taken note ofthis singular location as theplace to go for that memorableromantic meal, and their reser-vation staff reports a waitinglist for the rail tables that offerthe best unobstructed view,recommending reservations
Excellent dining, charmingambiance and a breathtakingview found only atLa Trattoria El Faro Blanco
Stunning sunset
Risotto Frutti de Mare
LAS VEGAS (AFP) - US col-lege star Anthony Davis hasbeen named to the Olympicmen's basketball team, replac-ing Los Angeles Clippers cen-tre Blake Griffin who is outwith a knee injury.
USA Basketball announcedthe addition of Davis, who wasoriginally cut from the teamand then asked to return afterGriffin suffered an injury tohis left knee during practice onWednesday.
Griffin underwent an MRIon Thursday and was diag-nosed with a torn meniscuswhich will require surgery torepair.
The move adds anothermajor injury setback to anAmerican squad of NBA starsalready hurt by injuries to Or-lando centre Dwight Howard,Miami stars Chris Bosh andDwyane Wade and Chicago's2011 NBA Most ValuablePlayer Derrick Rose.
surgents.The two train wearing
tracksuit trousers, short-sleeved T-shirts and a head-scarf, in a country wherewomen normally wear volu-minous dresses that coverthem from wrist to toe and bil-lowing veils.
Yet things are improving inSomalia: years after leavingdue to rising violence, 19-yearold Mohamed Hassan Mo-hamed returned to competefor the country of his birth.
The father of one fled toYemen in 2009 to escape in-cessant waves of violence.
Mohamed says he hopes toput up a performance in Lon-don to match that of Abdi BileAbdi, Somalia's legendaryrunner who became the 1,500metre world champion in1987.
The athletes will face atough challenge when theytravel to London, but SomaliAthletics Federation deputychief Kadijo Adan Dahir saidshe was confident that havingcome so far, they can over-come the hurdles ahead.
characterizes life for star com-petitors from other nations.Years of war left training facil-ities in ruins.
"We are suffering fromhardships, constant war, lackof finance and hampered bypoor facilities," said Abikar inthe team's base, a former pri-mary school abandoned duringfighting between rival militiaforces in the capital Mo-gadishu. "We have no personaldoctors and in case the athletesget sick, they have to seekgeneral treatment in Mo-gadishu," he added.
The athletes, aged between18 and 20, have spent the lastsix months in camp, but lifehas been far from easy. Thetwo female athletes were oftenforced to exercise indoors afterthreats by extremist Shebab in-
we choose to go to London torepresent the country in theOlympic Games will comehome -- we hope -- with verygood results," Abikar said.
Facilities are a far cry fromthe first class treatment that
The USA, which is chasingits second consecutiveOlympic gold medal, still hasMiami's NBA finals MVP Le-Bron James, Los Angeles Lak-ers superstar Kobe Bryant,NBA scoring champion KevinDurant and his Oklahoma Cityteammates Russell Westbrookand James Harden, and ChrisPaul of the Clippers.
But the loss of big men,Griffin, Bosh and Howard,leaves Tyson Chandler as theAmericans only true centre.Davis, who was the first-over-all pick of New Orleans in lastmonth's NBA entry draft, hasyet to play a game in the NBA.
Davis scored nine points ina 113-59 exhibition winThursday night over the Do-minican Republic who failedto make the London Games.
The Americans hasl spendthe week-end training inWashington before playing anexhibition game against Braziltoday.,
In sinking economy,
Made in Portugal
kayaks float on VILA DO CONDE (AFP) -The "Made in Portugal" labelwill dominate the waters atthe London Olympics, withthe country's kayak-canoe in-dustry prospering despite afloundering economy.
Of the 200 crafts at theGames that begin July 27,three-quarters were built byPortugal's Nelo, theOlympics' official suppliersince the 2004 Athens editionand a rare success story out ofan economy in deep water.
As Portugal grapples witha recession dating back to late2010, sales are expected togrow by a quarter this year forthis company from the north-ern town of Vila do Condefounded by a Portuguesekayaker in 1978 in a momentof pluck.
Nelo, named after Ramos'moniker, now exports the ma-jority of its canoes and kayaksto a roster of 100 countries,with this year's productionslated to reach a personalrecord of 3,000 watercrafts.
As London gears up for theOlympics, Nelo's 80-plus em-ployees are tirelessly puttingthe finishing touches on lastorders for the games.
In a spacious factorysmelling of paint and carbonfiber, employees tweak water-craft, including the kayak ofGerman champion RonaldRauhe and the canoe ofFrance's Mathieu Goubel.
At the last Olympics inBeijing in 2008, 20 athletespaddling Nelo's watercraftswalked away with medals.This year, Ramos is hopingfor more.
The secret to its success,according to Nelo CEO San-tos, is a "boldness" that's instark contrast to their "com-pletely dormant competitors"unable to diversify their mod-els and provide boats adaptedto each athlete.
14 Monday, July 16, 2012
Davis to replace Griffinon USA Olympic team
MOGADISHU (AFP) - Run-ning from war, dodging bulletsand defying Al-Qaeda linkedIslamist insurgents who or-dered them stop: Somalia's de-termined Olympic hopefulshave overcome challenges fewother athletes could evenimagine.
The training facilities arepock-marked with bullet holesfrom years of brutal conflict,but as the four athletes -- twomen and two women -- strideout in training, they offer aglimmer of hope for the war-ravaged nation.
Multiple governments havefailed to create stability in theHorn of Africa nation,wracked by over two decadesof civil war, let alone form acompetitive sports team.
Yet coach Ahmed AliAbikar, who himself ran forhis country, believes the teamcould prove a point to theworld about Somalia, which sooften appears on internationalnews only for war, famine,drought or piracy.
Somalia, like all nations,has two guaranteed slots inathletics, one man and onewoman. For the anarchic na-tion, just having their two ath-letes fly Somalia's flag inLondon will be an achieve-ment -- but Abikar has higherhopes.
"I'm confident that those
Somali athletes defeat hardship for shot atglory
Young Somali athletes exercise in Mogadishu
Summer Olympics:
July 27 - August 12
ShanGai (afP) - didier drogba was given a hero's wel-come as he arrived in china on Saturday to start a two-and-a-half-year contract that is expected to make himone of football's highest-paid players. hundreds of fans,many clad in "drogba 11" shirts, greeted the formerchelsea star at Shanghai's Pudong airport, some carry-ing flowers, others brandishing his name in english onplacards and many jostling to touch him. "What i expe-rienced at the airport this morning was unbelievable.even when i was at chelsea i never experienced any-thing like this," the 34-year-old told reporters at a pressconference to launch his career with Shanghai Shen-hua. the ivory coast striker sealed a deal that chineseand British media have said is worth 200,000 pounds($314,000) a week, making him the highest-paid playerin china and in the top bracket globally. But he insistedmoney was not the reason he had moved to a side lan-guishing near the bottom of china's Super League, justweeks after he scored the penalty that won chelsea theeuropean champions League."china is a big sportscountry and it is a big challenge. for me it would havebeen easy to go to another team in europe but i chosechina because of the challenge," he said. the chinesefootball association believes the domestic game, whichhas endured years of corruption and repeated failuresby the national team, is set to take off thanks to the in-fusion of expensive talent such as drogba.
catch Wiggins' leading group,although he admitted he hadno idea what had gone onahead of him.
Tour de France directorChristian Prudhomme wasquick to condemn the inci-dent.
On the first of an eventualthree days in the Pyrenees,Spaniard Sanchez and his fel-low escapees were left un-touched by the nail-throwers.
He had been part of an 11-man break which built a 16-minute lead on the pelotonand after counter-attackingFrenchman Sandy Casar onthe descent Sanchez made adecisive move with just over11 km to race.
One of only four ofRabobank's nine starters tohave survived the race so far,he went on unchallenged tofinish 47sec ahead of Slova-kian Peter Sagan (Liquigas),who grabbed some preciouspoints for his green jerseybid.
Wiggins's group came overthe finish 18 minutes in ar-rears.
Liquigas still in third at 2:23.For a while, it looked as
though Wiggins would takemore time off challenger anddefending champion CadelEvans after the Australianlost over two minutes whenhe suffered the first of threepunctures at the summit.
Amid farcical scenes, helost time waiting for a sparewheel and then his team man-ager Jim Ochowicz slippedinto a ditch while helping theAustralian a second time.
Wiggins' Sky team, how-ever, did the sporting thing byinstructing the peloton to situp and ride at a pace that,eventually, allowed Evans torejoin the bunch.
It later transpired that "oneor two" spectators, accordingto race director Jean-FrancoisPescheux, had thrown smallnails on to the road.
Even Wiggins had tochange bike, the Englishmansignalling to his team car tostop as he got a quick re-placement.
It left Evans in a desperatechase with his BMC team to
FOIX (AFP) - Spaniard LuisLeon Sanchez handed hisstricken Rabobank team awelcome boost by soloing tovictory on a Tour de Francestage Sunday marked bymass punctures after specta-tors threw nails on the road.
The end of the 191 km 14thstage race was brought to lifein equally dramatic style by arash of punctures suffered inthe peloton after nail-throw-ing spectators decided toliven up the final climb of theday.
Yellow jersey holderBradley Wiggins survivedpotential disaster to retain hisovernight lead of 2:05 on Skyteammate Chris Froome withItalian Vincenzo Nibali of
Monday, July 16, 2012 15
Tour de France 14th stage
yankeeS
BaLtiMore
taMPa
toronto
BoSton
chicaGo
detroit
cLeveLand
kanSaS
MinneSota
W L Pct GB54 34 .614 --
46 42 .523 8.0
46 42 .523 8.0
45 44 .506 9.5
44 44 .500 10.0
49 39 .557 --
46 43 .517 3.5
45 43 .511 4.0
38 49 .437 10.5
36 51 .414 12.5
53 35 .602 --
49 40 .551 4.5
45 43 .511 8.0
37 52 .416 16.5
51 35 .593 --
49 39 .557 3.0
46 43 .517 6.5
42 46 .477 10.0
38 51 .427 14.5
49 38 .563 --
49 39 .557 0.5
46 42 .523 3.5
42 46 .477 7.5
36 52 .409 13.5
33 55 .375 16.5
48 40 .545 --
48 41 .539 0.5
42 46 .477 6.0
35 54 .393 13.5
34 53 .391 13.5
american League
east
central
texaS
La anGeLeS
oakLand
SeattLe
West
national League
WaShinGton
atLanta
ny MetS
MiaMi
PhiLadeLPhia
cincinnati
PittSBurG
St. LouiS
MiLWaukee
chicaGo
houSton
east
central
San franciSco
La dodGerS
arizona
San dieGo
coLorado
West
MLB Standings
x-Clinched Playoff Spot; y-Division Champ
W L Pct GB
W
W
W
W
L L
L L
Pct
Pct
Pct
Pct
GB GB
GBGB
10,400 while the value of thecontract more than trebled.
On Thursday, the defenceministry announced that G4Shad been unable to recruitenough guards and that 3,500soldiers would step in to fillthe shortfall, bringing thetotal number of troops in-volved in the Games to17,000.
Britain is deploying a totalforce of 40,000 troops, po-lice, guards and volunteersfor the Games, in its biggestever peacetime security oper-ation.
"I think when I came backto Basel (last autumn), whichwas a home tournament, thingsobviously changed for me towinning ways again.
"Then the confidence roseas I went to Paris and also toLondon (where he won theWorld Tour Finals). I think thisis when I realised a lot is pos-sible in 2012."
Federer first took the worldnumber one spot in February2004 and held it until August2008.
He reclaimed it in July 2009before being deposed byRafael Nadal after the 2010French Open.
season.Despite equalling Sampras's
record of seven Wimbledon ti-tles, Federer believes it wasn'tjust his victory at the All Eng-land Club over Andy Murrayin the final that enabled him toreturn to the top.
He believes it was due to aseries of highs and lows, no-tably a heartbreaking loss toDjokovic in the US Opensemi-finals last Septemberwhere he had been two sets tolove ahead with match points.
"I think it was a time whereI just had to believe that thingswere going to turn around forme," said Federer.
stable place in my life. Iwouldn't want anything tochange. So this is very, veryspecial right now."
Federer holds a 75-pointlead over world number twoNovak Djokovic and is guar-anteed to hold the top rankingheading into the LondonOlympics.
He now has a tour-best fivetitles in 2012, including his20th Masters crown in Madridin the run-up to the FrenchOpen.
Federer has compiled a 63-6 match record since last year'sUS Open, going 17-0 at theend of 2011 and is 46-6 this
With the Olympics and USOpen fast approaching, Fed-erer shows no sign of his pas-sion for the game waningdespite being the second oldestman after Andre Agassi to holdthe world number one ranking.
"I'm so happy I'm at the ageI am right now, because I hadsuch a great run and I knowthere's still more possible,"said Federer.
"To enjoy it right now, it'svery different than when I was20 or 25. I'm at a much more
PARIS (AFP) - Roger Federer,already the holder of a record17 Grand Slam titles, willreach another landmark ontoday when he celebrates anunprecedented 287th week asworld number one.
The Swiss legend, whoturns 31 in August, had pulledlevel with Pete Sampras'srecord of 286 weeks when hereclaimed top spot after a two-year absence following hisseventh Wimbledon title lastweek.
16 Monday, July 16, 2012
LONDON (AFP) - Thechairman of the London 2012Organizing Committee Se-bastian Coe said Sunday thata recruitment shortfall by pri-vate security firm G4S wouldnot jeopardise the safety ofthe Olympic games.
G4S chief executive NickBuckles on Saturday said hewas "very sorry" that 3,500troops had to be drafted injust two weeks before theGames, after the firm admit-ted it could not provide thetotal 10,000 guards it hadpledged.
"I'm in the Olympic Parkevery day, we've got 4,000trained G4S personnel in thepark and they've been therefor some years and they'vebeen doing a spectacularlygood job," he added.
The former Olympic goldmedalist promised a "prudentand judicious plan" was inplace.
Culture Secretary JeremyHunt said the governmenthad the contingency plandrawn up "for many months".
Speaking publicly for the
first time since details of thefiasco emerged Wednesday,Buckles confirmed that G4S,one of the world's largest se-curity firms, faces losses ofup to £50 million ($78 mil-lion, 64 million euros) overthe blunder.
Buckles apologised di-rectly to the troops involved,some of whom were due togo on leave after tours inAfghanistan.
G4S was originally con-tracted to provide the Gameswith 2,000 personnel for £86million, but this was in-creased in December to
Olympics safe despite securityblunder: Coe
Tennis: Federer reaches record 287 weeks ontop of the world
Roger Federer, celebrates his first Wimbledon win in 2003
