Hezbollah says March 14 party implicated Lebanon in Syria's crisis

 Hezbollah figures Sunday accused Arab regimes of fueling tensions in Lebanon and Syria, adding that the March 14 coalition has brought the country into Syria’s crisis.

In a graduation ceremony in the southern village of Blida, Loyalty to the Resistance MP Mohammad Raad said: “Influential Arab regimes finance what strife is being sowed in Lebanon, Yemen and Syria for the U.S. and Europe.”

He added that the West “seeks to affiliate Lebanon with the organization of Arab regimes that want to pave the way for reconciliation with the Israeli enemy based on conditions set by the Jewish State.”

Raad also said his rivals have changed their agenda to satisfy the U.S. and Europe and to build animosity with Iran, Hezbollah’s main ally in the region.

He cited an example of Iran’s offer to help Lebanon with its electricity crisis, saying the “state did not even dare to consider the offer since that would anger the U.S.”

Meanwhile, Sheikh Nabik Qaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, accused the March 14 party of involvement in the course of the 17-month-old conflict in Syria which he said had automatically brought the whole country into the conflict.

“The presence of Syrian gunmen in Lebanon implicates our country in the crisis and the March 14 forces have already been involved and become partners in the aggression against that country,” he told supporters during a ceremony celebrating the six anniversary of “Hezbollah’s victory over Israel in 2006,” in south Lebanon.

Qaouk also said that the party provides both political and security cover for the alleged Syrian gunmen in Lebanon to launch attacks and carry out operations against Syria.

He also targeted the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, saying it harms civil peace in the country.

“The military and security wing of the U.S. Embassy threatens civil peace and the security of the resistance, as well as threatening Syria from Lebanon via its Lebanese tools,” Qaouk said.

Tevez tames Liverpool as battling City get draw

LONDON : Reigning champions Manchester City twice came from behind in a 2-2 draw away to Liverpool that denied Brendan Rodgers his first Premier League win as Reds manager.
Martin Skrtel went from hero to villain in the course of an exciting match at Anfield on Sunday, heading Liverpool in front before his loose back-pass set up the goal for Carlos Tevez that saw City make it 2-2 ten minutes from time.

A much-improved Liverpool, shock 3-0 losers to West Bromwich Albion last week, took the lead when Skrtel powered in a header from Steven Gerrard's 34th minute corner.

But City, who came through a see-saw clash to beat newcomers Southampton 3-2 in their league opener, were level in the 63rd minute when Yaya Toure capitalised on the failure of Liverpool's Martin Kelly to clear a Tevez cross.

However, parity lasted for just three minutes until, following a Jack Rodwell handball, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez curled the ensuing 20-yard free-kick round the wall and beyond the despairing dive of City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart.

But Argentina striker Tevez, with his 100th goal in English football, drew City level again in the 80th minute when he seized on a stray back-pass from defender Skrtel and then calmly rounded Pepe Reina before slotting home.

Nevertheless, Rodgers told Sky Sports: "My glass is very nearly full.

"I thought it was a brilliant performance. We were asked a lot of questions and I thought the players were incredible. Some times the best team doesn't win.

"Let's remember we were playing a good side."

And Rodgers, renowned when in charge of Swansea for his emphasis on passing football, absolved Skrtel of blame for City's second goal.

"He was brave enough to play it and that's the development of the team. As a group we will only get better," Rodgers said.

This was the fourth game in a row where City had conceded two goals and manager Roberto Mancini said: "This is the time to finish conceding two goals every game.

"But we have taken one point when we went down two times," the Italian added.

Earlier, Arsenal failed to score for the second league match in a row following the departure of star striker Robin van
Persie to Manchester United as they were held to a goalless draw away to Stoke.

"It is not good enough," said Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta after the Gunners' second straight 0-0 stalemate.

"We had some really good chances but at the moment we are not taking them. The same thing happened last week."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was pleased by his side's defensive performance but said he was looking to bring in more players to the London club before Friday's transfer deadline.

"I'm pleased with what I have, but yes, I anticipate that we will do something still," Wenger said.

"We are still in the market. Defensive midfielder, it depends on the quality of the players available."

R&B singer Usher wins primary custody of sons

ATLANTA : Grammy-winning R&B singer Usher on Friday was awarded primary physical custody of his two sons, ending a long legal fight with his ex-wife.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Bensonetta Tipton Lane ruled that the singer, 33, will have primary custody of 4-year-old Usher Raymond V and 3-year-old Naviyd Ely Raymond, according to Cherrise Boone, spokeswoman for the court clerk's office. His custody will start Sept. 1.

Boone said Usher and his ex-wife Tameka Foster Raymond will have joint legal custody. The type of visitation hasn't been determined yet for Tameka Raymond.

Usher's lawyer, Ivory Brown, did not immediately return a call on Friday. Lisa West, a lawyer for Tameka Raymond, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Usher, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV, married Tameka Raymond in 2007. They divorced two years later. He said the couple had been separated since July 2008 and claimed there was "no reasonable hope of reconciliation" and the marriage was "irretrievably broken."

In May, Usher testified that Tameka Raymond spit at and tried to fight with his girlfriend during one visit and that his ex-wife hit him during the dispute. He said he didn't press charges because: "I didn't want the boys to know that their father put their mother in jail," he said.

Tameka Raymond's attorney claimed that Usher provoked her client and that his account is exaggerated.

The custody decision comes after Tameka Raymond's 11-year-old son Kile Glover died last month after he was critically injured in a boating accident. The boy was run over July 6 by a personal watercraft on Lake Lanier northeast of Atlanta, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Milan want Kaka loan, Real holding out for sale-Galliani

MADRID : AC Milan are trying to persuade Real Madrid to give them Kaka back on loan before the transfer window closes on Friday but the La Liga club are holding out for a sale, Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said on Sunday.

"The situation is clear: Real want to sell Kaka while we want him on loan," Galliani told Sky Sport.

"If Real change their stance I'll rush over there but if on the other hand they insist on a loan there's nothing more to be done."

Real coach Jose Mourinho left Kaka out of his squad for both Thursday's Spanish Super Cup first leg at Barcelona and Sunday's La Liga match at Getafe, apparently confirming the 2007 World Player of the Year no longer features in his plans.

The Spanish champions are attempting to complete the signing of Luka Modric from Tottenham Hotspur, a similar player to Brazilian playmaker Kaka, who has shown only flashes of his former brilliance since moving to La Liga three years ago.

Real may be reluctant to loan the 30-year-old back to Milan given that they paid the Serie A side around 65 million euros ($81.36 million) for him.

Kaka has also been linked in media reports with a move to Paris St Germain, the Ligue 1 club coached by his former boss at Milan Carlo Ancelotti.

Microsoft revamps logo for 1st time in 25 years

SAN FRANCISCO : Microsoft's corporate logo has a new look, setting the stage for a wave of products designed to cast the world's largest software maker in a new light.
The makeover unveiled Thursday marks the first time that Microsoft Corp. has revamped its logo since February 1987. The Internet was barely around then, and cellphones were considered a luxury.

At the time, Microsoft was putting the finishing touches on the second version of its Windows operating system. Two of Microsoft's biggest nemeses - Google Inc. co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin - were just 13 years old. And Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs was just in the second year of an 11-year exile from the company that went on to invent the iPod, iPhone and iPad after he returned.

By revamping its logo, Microsoft is trying to signal that it has changed its thinking and its products to cater to people who are interacting with technology much differently than just a decade ago, let alone a quarter century.

Now, more computing tasks are being done on touch-based devices such as smartphones and tablets instead of personal computers tethered to keyboards and mice. Many software applications are now supplied over high-speed Internet connections for a monthly fee instead of being installed on individual computers.

Microsoft believes a radical change to Windows will ensure that the company survives the technological upheaval. Windows 8, due to hit the market Oct. 26, displays software applications in a mosaic of tiles and has been engineered so it works on both touch-based tablets and traditional PCs. The company also is releasing its own Windows 8-powered tablet to compete against the iPad, accompanied by a new version of Office applications tailored for such devices. There also will be a Windows 8 operating system for smartphones.

The new logo ushers in "one of the most significant waves of product launches in Microsoft's history," Jeff Hansen, the company's general manager of brand strategy, wrote in a blog post Thursday.

The redesign features the Microsoft name in a lighter, straight font called Segoe to replace the italic bold type used in the old standby. The new logo also includes the familiar red, blue, yellow and green colors used in the flag on Microsoft's Windows operating system, but the colors will be in a square box instead of the curvy template that has been in place for years. Those color boxes invoke the tiles that will be central to Windows 8.

"The ways people experience our products are our most important 'brand impressions,'" Hansen wrote. "That's why the new Microsoft logo takes its inspiration from our product design principles while drawing upon the heritage of our brand values, fonts and colors."

The new logo made its debut Thursday on Microsoft's websites, as well as three of its stores in Boston, Bellevue, Washington and Seattle, which is located near the company's Redmond, Washington, headquarters.

This is Microsoft's fifth logo since Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded the company 37 years ago. When it last changed its logo in 1987, Microsoft had been a publicly traded company for less than a year and boasted a market value of about $2 billion. It peaked at more than $600 million in 1999. Now, Microsoft's market value stands at $254 billion - less than half of Apple's market value of $623 billion.

Massa says Ferrari future depends on results

SAO PAULO: Felipe Massa says he will need to significantly improve his results in the second half of the Formula One season to have a real shot at renewing his contract with Ferrari next year.

Massa says he feels he performed better in recent races but acknowledges that only good results will help him in his attempt to stay with the Italian team after his contract ends this year.

The Brazilian driver said Wednesday that "in the end the result is what matters the most."

Massa is 14th in the drivers' championship, 139 points behind leader Fernando Alonso, his teammate at Ferrari.

Roddick crashes out of Winston-Salem

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina: American Andy Roddick suffered a third-round loss Wednesday at the $550,000 ATP Tour’s Winston-Salem Open, losing in straight sets to Belgium’s Steve Darcis.
Darcis, who made it to the third round of the London Olympics, outlasted fifth-seeded Roddick in a pair of tiebreak sets, 7-6 (8/6) 7-6 (7/3) at the Wake Forest University facility.
The 28-year-old Darcis, ranked 81st in the world, was the last player to make the cut for the main draw.
“I didn’t expect this when I came here – I wasn’t playing well,” Darcis said. “I’ve played two good first matches and now I have played well, serving well and trying to be aggressive when I could. Of course, it is a good win before the U.S. Open.”
He faces second-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic next, who advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen.


The tournament serves as a warm-up event for next week’s U.S. Open.
Roddick, a former world No. 1 and ex-U.S. Open champion, is struggling heading into the last Grand Slam of the year at Flushing Meadows.
“I served okay, but I didn’t return too well,” Roddick said. “I didn’t hit the ball clean and he played better when he had to. I wanted to play better here.”
Roddick lost early at last week’s Cincinnati Masters tournament, where he complained of back problems, and he has now lost three of his last four matches after winning five straight, including a title in Atlanta.


Fourth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-3 6-4 win over Argentina’s David Nalbandian.
Seventh-seeded American Sam Querrey continued his run of good form with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. Querrey will meet Dolgopolov in the quarterfinals Thursday. Defending champion John Isner overcame two rain delays to advance in straight sets. The third-seeded Isner, ranked 10th in the world, needed only 71 minutes to beat 13th-seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-4, 6-3 in the third round.
In the WTA’s New Haven Open, reigning champion Caroline Wozniacki and second seed Petra Kvitova advanced to the quarterfinals with straight-set victories.
Kvitova, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, easily defeated American Nicole Gibbs, 6-2 6-4, to advance to Thursday’s quarters.
She will face eighth-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova next, who crushed China’s Zheng Jie, 6-4 6-0.
Former world No. 1 Wozniacki, who is seeded third and seeking her fifth straight title at the event, improved to 19-0 lifetime in New Haven with a 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 victory over Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson.


Denmark’s Wozniacki, who defeated Czech Petra Cetkovska in last year’s New Haven final, will meet Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
Sixth-seeded Cibulkova won 6-4 6-1 over German Andrea Petkovic, who has battled injuries for most of the year.
This was Petkovic’s first tournament in nearly four months and only her fourth event of the season after entering 2012 ranked 10th in the world. Petkovic said it was going to take some time to get her match conditioning back. Meanwhile, Cibulkova claimed she was ready to face Wozniacki, who leads their head-to-head series 7-3.
“We know each other really well,” Cibulkova said. “She’s a year younger but we traveled to all the same junior tournaments and played many matches against each other.
“I know the way she’s playing, and she knows how I’m playing. It’s two different styles as well – she’s the defensive player and I’m the offensive player going for my shots. It’s going to be a really good match.”

Lebanon lose again in William Jones Cup

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s national team suffered its fourth consecutive defeat at the William Jones Cup Tuesday when they were beaten 74-81 by the hosts Chinese Taipei.
Having lost their first three games against Mahram of Iran (89-74), Anyang KGC of South Korea (94-78) and West Asian rivals Jordan (87-68), the Cedars needed a win to lift their side. As of yet the team have failed to justify the high expectations that followed them into the tournament, showing no resistance in the final moments of games despite being ahead in the early stages.

The Lebanese side relies on the pick-and-roll system offensively, a strategy that has served them well over the years. Yet they demonstrated an inability to adapt their style of play when they faced the Taiwanese’s zonal defense, with the East Asian side clinical in their 3-point shooting to extend the winning margin at the end of the match.

Chinese Taipei last beat Lebanon 60-58 in a memorable match at the 2011 Asian Championship in Wuhan.

The Jones Cup is mainly used as preparation for the FIBA ASIA Cup, scheduled to be held in Tokyo next month, with the Lebanese lineup missing important members of the side such as Fadi al-Khatib, Ali Mahmoud, Charles Tabet and Elie Rustom.

Jean Abdelnour led the scoring for Lebanon with 19 points, with Hussein al-Khatib adding 13 points and American Jarrid Famous notching 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Lebanon will hope to grab their first win when they face Chinese Taipei-B Wednesday at 10 a.m. Beirut time.

In other news, the Lebanese youth team also suffered a heavy loss against South Korea 95-63 in the second round of the Asian U18 Championship in Ulaan Bataar.

Lebanon had opened up the second round with a crucial win over West Asian rivals Syria (91-72), and they knew they would face a tough task against the South Koreans who are having a fantastic run in the tournament so far, winning their last four outings by at least 20 points.

Head Coach Salim Chemali decided to rest some of his best players, ahead of their important match against Japan Wednesday, which will decide the side’s fate in the tournament.

If Lebanon lose by less than 10 points in their fixture with Japan the Cedars will finish in third place in Group A, facing the Philippines in the quarterfinal stage.

A loss by more than ten points would see Lebanon drop down to fourth place, which would mean a tie with West Asian champions Iran in the knockout stage. In the worst-case scenario, Lebanon would be eliminated if they were to lose by more than 36 points.

“We just lost to a better team,” Chemali told The Daily Star.

“We were pretty tired after Monday’s game against the Syrians, which required a lot of energy from the players, especially since the other team was excessively aggressive and some of our players were injured.

“With this in mind, I did my best to rest the key players because we need them to be in their best shape today.”

Japan, who are currently in fourth place in the group, lost to Syria in the preliminary round (73-71), but might prove dangerous with their fast paced offensive game.

“The East Asian teams are always tough because of their fast rhythm. However, I do believe that we can beat them if we are focused. The good thing is that we have many opportunities – even if we lose by less than 10, we will stay third,” Chemali said.

Lebanon play Japan Wednesday at 1 p.m. Beirut time.

Lebanon claim emphatic win over Phillipines

BEIRUT: Lebanon claimed an emphatic 91-72 victory over the Philippines on day six of the William Jones Cup, lifting their overall record to 2-4 in the tournament with just two games remaining.
Downbeat after four consecutive losses, the Cedars clearly had a point to prove against the unbeaten Philippines side. They didn’t disappoint. The victory will boost the team’s morale after fans had called for the resignation of head coach Ghassan Sarkis.

At the end of the first quarter the score stood at 22-15, but from then on Lebanon were rampant.

The Cedars, playing with a high tempo defense, found their way into the passing lanes and made the most of every scoring opportunity to net easy baskets.

It was also a great night for shooting, with Elie Stephan alone scoring seven 3-pointers, and Lebanon were on top (74-46) at the end of the third quarter, with naturalized American Jarrid Famous grabbing a great dunk to give Lebanon a 30-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

“We have new additions to the team and this tournament is great preparation,” Akl told The Daily Star. “We see the improvement every day. We have a greater passing game offensively and a smarter team tempo. Our defense is working better and players are feeling much better on court.”

Lebanon will play the U.S. Saturday.

Jersey Shore's Snooki reportedly gives birth to baby boy

NEW YORK –  Better get the gym membership ready.

"Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi gave birth to a boy early this morning, according to reports.

According to MYV, Lorenzo Dominic LaValle was born before 3 a.m. Sunday, reportedly healthy and weighting 6 pounds, 5 ounces.

Snooki went into labor last night. Her father, Andy Polizzi, arrived at the St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston wearing a black T-shirt with the words, "Team Snooki" written on the chest.