Graeme McDowell earns third win of 2013 in French Open
Graeme McDowell clinched his third win of 2013 as he shot a final round of 67 to finish four ahead of South African Richard Sterne at the French Open.
McDowell and Sterne battled for most of the last round but the Northern Irishman was stronger over the closing holes as the South African faded.
The victory earned McDowell more than £430,000 and moved him into second place in the Race to Dubai standings.
England's Graeme Storm and Spain's Eduardo De La Riva shared third place.
McDowell won the Heritage event on the PGA Tour in April and followed that with victory at the World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria a month later.
However, he went into the French Open having missed the cut in five of his last six stroke-play events, including the US Open and last week's Irish Open.
The 2010 US Open champion moved ahead on Sunday with an early birdie but Sterne responded with a birdie of his own at the third and then took the lead after McDowell dropped a stroke at the seventh.
However, McDowell drew level after picking up another stroke at the 10th and he moved ahead at the 12th after Sterne took five after missing the fairway.
McDowell extended his lead after Sterne bogeyed the short 16th with the Northern Irishman's short putt for par falling in off the left edge after it had appeared set to stay out.
The Ryder Cup star was suddenly four ahead when a magnificent approach at the tough par-four 17th yielded another birdie, with Sterne dropping another shot after a missed short putt.
McDowell's victory was hailed on the 18th green by his parents Marian and Kenny, who had travelled to Paris to watch their son in action.
The 33-year-old described his victory at the tough 2018 Ryder Cup venue as "special".
"It's been a funny year because my game hasn't felt far away most weeks," added McDowell.
"But I've missed a lot of cuts and missing cuts hurts. That has certainly motivated me a lot these last few weeks."
England's Ian Poulter, a 12-time winner on the European Tour, finished on two over after a final round of 73 with Luke Donald on six over after carding a 75.
After McDowell, Gareth Maybin was the the next best Northern Irish player as he shared 11th after hitting an impressive 68 on Sunday.
Gareth Shaw, after finishing in a share of fifth in his first ever European Tour event at last week's Irish Open, was again in the top 20 after a closing 69 left him tied for 15th on level par.
Meath man Damien McGrane finished on one over after a closing 69 with Alan Dunbar on four over after a 71 and Michael Hoey second last of the weekend qualifiers after slumping to a 79.
Lions roar to historic win over Wallabies
The British and Irish Lions secured a first test series win in 16 years in resounding fashion on Saturday defeating Australia 41-16 in the third test match at the ANZ Stadium, Sydney.
With a tense series tied at 1-1 after the opening two tests, it was the Lions who broke free in the deciding game, taking an early advantage and never looking back.
A second-minute try from loose-head prop Alex Corbisiero set the tone for a rampaging Lions performance, who scored four tries and trounce their hosts by a record margin.
"We fronted up today and I think the scoreline reflected it and we represented the four countries with pride," Lions skipper Alun Wyn-Jones said after the match.
We wanted to win the collisions and breakdowns. It was always going to come down to that today. They came back at us in the second half and we came back pretty well."
Corbisiero's opening try was converted by Lee Halfpenny who also bagged four first-half penalties to give the Lions a healthy 19-3 lead moments before the halftime whistle.
James O'Connor's converted try on the stroke of halftime reduced Australia's deficit to nine points and two penalties from Christian Lealiifano early in the second half narrowed the Lions' lead to just three points.
But Halfpenny stepped up in the 51st minute to ease Lions' supporters nerves which were soon forgotten when Irish fly-half Jonathan Sexton scored a second try for the tourists six minutes later.
Welsh winger George North all but sealed victory with a try in the 64th minute but the Lions weren't finished with Jamie Roberts storming through to score a fourth try and cap a thrilling win.
Lions coach, Warren Gatland admitted afterwards that he'd agonized over selection before the match, notably leaving out veteran Irish center Brian O'Driscoll.
"You always doubt decisions you make, but you have to make those hard calls. I have taken a bit of flack. It was about the boys today and winning the series. It was an outstanding performance. We started well, came under some pressure and bounced back."
Player stabbed, referee dismembered over soccer quarrel in Brazil
The argument started over a red card.
It escalated when the referee fatally stabbed the player.
It ended when the player's enraged family members stoned the referee to death and dismembered his body.
Even for soccer, where violent outbreaks are all-too-common, what happened last week in a northern Brazil village was extraordinary.
Referee Jordan Silva called a foul during a soccer match. He showed player Josenir Santo Abreu a red card, the highest penalty, which translates into expulsion from the game.
Referees under siege, attacked by violence
Abreu, 30, wasn't going to take it, police said, and confronted the referee, who was 10 years younger.
The altercation grew ugly. Silva pulled a knife, and plunged it into Abreu's chest, Maranhao state police said in a statement.
While the player was rushed to a hospital, members of his family nabbed the referee and tied him up with the help of fans, CNN affiliate Band News reported. And they tortured him.
The player didn't make it to the hospital alive, police said. When the news reached his family back at the soccer field, the mob took retribution on Silva.
They stoned him to death.
And they cut his body into pieces.
Police later identified the suspects, easily.
They could be seen clearly in video images of the gory incident recorded with a cell phone.
In May: Slain soccer referee risked violence for 'his passion,' teaching kids to cope on the field.
Source-CNN
San Francisco Boeing 777 crash 'not mechanical failure'
A Boeing 777 aircraft that crash-landed at San Francisco airport killing two people did not have mechanical problems, an airline official has said.
The head of the South Korean airline Asiana, Yoon Young-doo, did not rule out human error but said the pilots were experienced veterans.
Most of the 307 people on board were injured, 49 of them seriously.
The plane came down short of the runway, ripping off its tail, after apparently hitting a sea wall.
One survivor said the plane came in to land too fast and too low, but there was no warning of problems.
Passengers and crew escaped down emergency slides as it burst into flames.
Mr Yoon apologised "deeply" for the effect the accident had had on all those involved, bowing in front of TV cameras at a Seoul news conference.
He said there was no emergency alarm and the crew had made the usual requests to passengers to fasten their seatbelts to prepare for landing.
Doubts over ElBaradei's appointment as Egypt PM
Egypt's new president says pro-reform leader Mohamed Elbaradei has not yet been appointed as interim prime minister despite earlier reports.
A spokesman for interim President Adly Mansour said consultations were continuing.
Officials had earlier named Mr ElBaradei - a former head of the UN's nuclear watchdog - for the post.
News of his appointment had been criticised by the Salafist Nour Party, which said it would not work with him.
It came three days after the army removed Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi following growing public unrest.
The appointment of Mr ElBaradei caused anger among supporters of Mr Morsi, who want to see him returned to power.
"Interim President Adly Mansour met today with Dr ElBaradei but so far there has been no official appointment," Agence France-Presse news agency quoted presidential advisor Ahmed al-Muslimani as saying.
But he added that Mr ElBaradei was "the logical choice" among a list of names being considered, the news agency said.
Mr ElBaradei and other party leaders attended a meeting called by Mr Mansour on Saturday.
He leads an alliance of liberal and left-wing parties, the National Salvation Front.
In a BBC interview on Thursday, Mr ElBaradei defended the army's intervention, saying: "We were between a rock and a hard place."
"It is a painful measure, nobody wanted that," he said. "But Mr Morsi unfortunately undermined his own legitimacy by declaring himself a few months ago as a pharaoh and then we got into a fist fight, and not a democratic process."
Earlier, news of Mr ElBaradei's appointment was greeted with cheers in Cairo's Tahrir Square - the main focus of anti-Morsi demonstrations.
People there set off firecrackers, honked car horns and waved flags when they heard the news, AFP news agency reports.
However Egypt's second-biggest Islamist group, the Salafist hard-line Nour party - which had initially backed the army-led "roadmap" to new elections - criticised the nomination.
Nour deputy leader Ahmed Khalil told the state news website Al-Ahram that the appointment "violates the roadmap that the political and national powers had agreed on". He added that the party would withdraw from the transition process if Mr ElBaradei was sworn in.
The move comes a day after more than 30 people died and about 1,000 were wounded in protests staged by Islamist supporters of the deposed president.
The Muslim Brotherhood - to which Mr Morsi belongs - has said its followers would remain on the streets until he is restored to office.
On Saturday funerals were held for those who died. Outside Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque - where the Islamists have camped for the past 10 days - an imam told mourners to pray for the "martyrs of legitimacy".
Source-BBC
Britain Deports Radical Cleric to Jordan
Radical Islamic cleric Abu Qatada was deported from Britain to Jordan early Sunday, ending a nearly decade-long legal battle to get him sent back to Jordan to face terrorism charges.
The move comes after Britain and Jordan ratified a treaty on torture aimed at easing the human rights concerns that blocked previous attempts to deport the Palestinian-born Jordanian preacher.
The 53-year-old Abu Qatada, once dubbed Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, is wanted in Jordan to face retrial in several terrorism cases in which he was sentenced in absentia.
British governments have tried since 2001 to deport him, but courts have blocked his extradition due to concerns that Jordan might use evidence obtained under torture against him.
The treaty ratified last month ensures that will not happen.
British officials welcomed Abu Qatada's departure Sunday, with Home Secretary Theresa May pledging to work to eliminate the many layers of appeals processes available in such cases, so that this kind of drawn-out legal battle cannot be repeated.
More Deaths Expected in Canada Oil Train Explosion
Many people remain missing in Canada's Quebec province, a day after a train carrying crude oil hurtled off track and exploded in the center of a town, destroying dozens of buildings and killing at least one person.
The accident in the lakeside town of Lac-Megantic occurred in the wee hours of Saturday morning, when the town center was crowded with weekend partygoers.
Officials have confirmed one fatality, but say they expect the toll to rise. Media reports indicate up to 80 people could be missing.
The derailment caused four of the train's more than 70 cars to explode in the middle of the town, sending a gigantic fireball into the night sky. The fires destroyed dozens of buildings, including stores and at least one bar, and continued burning for hours as both Canadian and U.S. firefighters fought the blazes.
The accident forced up to 2,000 people to evacuate from their homes - a third of Lac-Megantic's 6,000 residents.
The cause of the derailment is still not known. The rail company that operated the train - the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway - said the train's conductor parked it shortly before midnight Friday. The rail line says it believes the conductor set the brakes properly, but that "sometime after, the train got loose," speeding into the town "under its own inertia," before derailing.
Canada's transportation safety agency is investigating.
Montreal, Maine & Atlantic owns more than 800 kilometers of track in Canada's Quebec and New Brunswick provinces and the northeastern U.S. states of Maine and Vermont.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the accident "shocking and truly devastating." He said his "thoughts and prayers" are with the people of Lac-Megantic and that the government is ready to provide assistance.
Just last week, Canada suffered another derailment of a train carrying petroleum products. The train went off track in Calgary, Alberta, when a flood-damaged bridge sagged toward the still-swollen Bow River. The derailed rail cars were able to be removed without spilling their cargo.
Deputy Governor to meet Civil Servants
Acting Governor Hon. Anya Williams, in her capacity as head of the Turks and Caicos Island’s Civil Service will meet with the country’s public servants this week.
On Monday July 8, 2013, Public Servants are being invited to meet with the Deputy Governor and senior members of the TCIG management at Dillon Hall between 3.30 – 5.30pm.
She will then turn her attention to Providenciales on Wednesday July 10, the meeting will be held at the Gustavos Lightbourne Complex between 3.30pm – 5.30pm.
POLICE REAFFIRM GUN SAFETY COMMITMENT AFTER DISAPPOINTING AMNESTY
The month long gun amnesty in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) saw no weapons handed in announced Commissioner of the Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force, Colin Farquhar, today, Friday, 5 July 2013.
The amnesty ran throughout the month of June and intended to recover as many unregistered and unwanted guns as possible and to stop them reaching the wrong hands: weapons that have been handed down in families, or which were not properly registered in some other way.
The amnesty had the support of the TCI Governor, Premier, Deputy Premier, as well as religious and civil leaders across the Territory.
“Everyone involved is clearly disappointed that no weapons were handed in during this amnesty,” said Commissioner Farquhar. “We believe that guns are unnecessary for civilians in this country and we will be taking steps to make having a gun even more exceptional than it is now.
“We will continue to monitor intelligence reports about weapons and will undertake raids designed to capture and remove these weapons as and when required. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of the people who live in the TCI and our hundreds of thousands of visitors each year through a number of ongoing control measures.”
Farquhar continues to encourage businesses to use the services of security firms to move cash or to become cashless by encouraging credit and debit card use.
Sadly and ironically, on the final day of the Amnesty, two persons in the Turks & Caicos sustained injuries during the commission of a gun-related crime. Thankfully, both persons are expected to make full recoveries.
Commissioner Farquhar thanked the Governor, Premier, Deputy Premier, Youth Director Angela Musgrove, families, church leaders, media, and other persons of influence who helped support this initiative. Further, Commissioner Farquhar acknowledged the press conference held by Pastors Pedro S. Williams, Bradley Handfield, Solomen Morency and Daniel Calcaño who joined forces to get the message out. He stated, “Each of you is a great example of the moral commitment that is needed.”
Commissioner Farquhar was proud of Mr. Dekkel Simmons and Miss Phildreka Mayham, the TCI Youth Ambassadors, who also participated. Commissioner Farquhar stated, “These two young people demonstrated their willingness to help their community and they proved to be positive role models for other youth to follow”.
TCI Marine Police campaign for boaters to wear lifejackets
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force are campaigning this summer for the use of lifejackets while traveling on-board private boats and yachts as they do their part to promote accident prevention on the sea during the summer months.
During a recent interview, Special Constable Audley Astwood who is responsible for Public Relations for the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force spoke of the importance of wearing lifesaving gear when venturing out on private crafts.
"A heavy wave action, a collision, bad weather or just a slip on a wet deck during travel can result in passengers falling overboard. Rough seas or sea swells can easily swallow the best of swimmers within seconds. Non-swimmers are at even greater risk. With a secured life vest, the chances of surviving are much greater," Special Constable Astwood, noted.
While the law does not mandate wearing lifejackets on-board boats, Special Constable Astwood hopes the campaign will encourage people to view lifejackets as they view seatbelts.
"Lifejackets save lives. It is equipment no private vessel should be without. I recommend that persons ask the captain for a lifejacket before getting on any private boat. If the captain does not have lifejackets, you should borrow or consider other options for traveling," he said.
Special Constable Astwood further noted the need for passengers to ask for the captain's credentials. "Not because you can drive a car, you can drive a boat. These are two very different forms of transports. Ensure that your captain has the prerequisite maritime skills to operate a vessel," he said.
The Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force want the TCI public to join in their effort to prevent accidents and emergencies both on land and sea during the summer months here in the Turks & Caicos Islands.